Go Green on a Budget

Lately, as I have been doing more and more research about the environment and going green, I have heard my mother’s voice in my head over and over again. “Turn off the lights.” “Put on a sweater and turn down the heat.” “Keep the door closed.” “Don’t stand there with the door open (about the refrigerator).” She was thinking about saving money, but the same instructions can apply to saving energy and the environment.

My parents were both born immediately following the depression. A lot of the energy saving techniques that they insisted on while we were growing up seemed silly to me at the time, but now they make perfect sense. The methods they used to save money also save energy and help us reduce our carbon footprint.

You may already be doing some of these money saving things, or you may not have to worry about saving money. If not, think about saving the planet. The amount of carbon emissions that we, particularly Americans, are putting into our atmosphere is harming our planet and contributing to global warming.

If you are newly aware of the danger to our planet, or are a new homeowner that needs to save money, try the following tips to help reduce your budget and carbon footprint at the same time.

- Turn off the lights when you leave the room, even for a few minutes.
- Turn down the heat in rooms you are not using.
- If you have central heat, put on a sweater and reduce the thermostat by one or two degrees, even one degree will save you money. Raise it in the summer to save on air conditioning costs.
- Use the sun to heat whenever possible by opening drapes during the day and closing them at night to prevent heat loss.
- Seal drafty windows and doors, even if you have to use plastic for the windows and a rag rug at the bottom of the door, it will make a difference.
- Clean baseboard heaters, radiators, registers, and air filters often.
- Take shorter showers, heating water is one of the largest energy requirements of most houses.
- Take showers not baths. Showers use less water. Less hot water means saving energy.
- Don’t hold the refrigerator or freezer door open.
- Match the pot size to the eye on the stove.
- Use a pressure cooker it takes less time and uses less energy.
- Don’t open the oven door when cooking, you lose about 50 degrees every time you open the door.
- Wash your clothes in cold water.
- Hang your clothes to dry.
- Rake, don’t blow leaves, the exercise will do you good.

Thanks to our parents and grandparents, we know a lot of the things we need to do to help save our planet. Getting back in the habit is another thing. But the alternatives are unthinkable. If we don’t act now, we may be in severe trouble down the road.