Dollar Incentives for Sustainable Actions: Economic Benefits for Being Green

We all know that being ‘green’ is very important if we want to preserve Mother Earth. But if you need more of an incentive to do so, then here’s one for you: how about being able to SAVE while caring for nature? That’s surely a win-win situation!

Top 5 Ways to ‘Go Green’ and ‘Save Some Green’

Let There Be… Energy-Efficient Light! The cost of lighting is one of our most expensive expenditures at home so it makes perfect sense to opt for energy-saving compact fluorescent lighting. True, your initial outlay may be more as you replace your cheaper incandescent bulbs but since they last about 10x longer, you’ll end up saving more in the long run.

If you want to save even more, try LED lights. They are even more energy-saving than fluorescent lighting.

Save on Water Usage. We shouldn’t take anything for granted on this precious planet of ours anymore, and water is one resource that we should really save up on. This is not really hard because there are many different kinds of faucets nowadays that can help you in this endeavor. There are also tech gadgets that can help you measure the amount of water you use while you shower or while you water the garden, just to make you more aware of how much water you are consuming. And yes, the less water you consume, the lower your water bill will be, and the more money you end up having in your pocket.

Buy Used Items. In today’s tough economy, we should all be more aware of the money we spend. So why not buy second hand items instead of going for the shiny, brand new stuff.

If you buy used items, you are preventing these goods from ending up in a landfill and polluting our environment with hard to recycle materials. So that’s a score for Mother Earth! As for your pockets, buying used or second hand items is way more cost-effective. And thanks to sites today like eBay and Craiglist, purchasing used stuff is easier than ever. If you’re the type who would like to personally inspect used items before you buy them, no sweat; just go to a garage sale, car booty, or even a local auction house and you will surely find what you’re looking for.

Switch from Paper Towels to Cloth Kitchen Towels. Since kitchen paper towels came onto the scene, it seems that every household was hooked. Not surprising really since they are indeed very handy to use… and easy to discard. Unfortunately, the fact that we consume so much of them means we are killing more and more trees in the forest and putting in more and more thrash in landfills. The solution? Let’s go back to cloth kitchen towels!

You don’t need to switch 100% if you find that you’re giving up too much convenience. For instance, still use paper towels for cooked food but use cloth towels for spills on the kitchen counter or table. It’s all about moderation!

Make Healthier Food Choices. Apart from the obvious health benefits, choosing to eat more fruits and vegetables mean that there is less livestock to raise, maintain, slaughter, activities that actually bear a huge toll on the environment!

So go ahead and make greener choices. You’ll be saving up your hard-earned cash and doing your bit to preserve nature as well.

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