Go Green for Free

Going green is often done by those who are thrifty in method, it can be a great money saver over time, but one of the biggest problems is start up costs.  Not everyone has $35,000 laying around to buy a Prius and not necessarily everyone can afford to buy from a CSA.  I would definitely argue that both of these things are worth the money, but that is beside the point.  I wanted to present some ways to go green that won't cost a penny, and hopefully will have a positive impact.

1) Reuse - Reusing stuff is one of the simplest ways to go green for free.  Need rags?  Don't buy them from Target, cut up old threadbare shirts or sheets, these make perfect rags.  Storage containers?  Reuse old grocery bags, beer crates, produce boxes!

2) Recycle - Take your old bottles and cans to be turned to cash in bottle deposit states, something that I think should be expanded.  In those states you will make 5-10 pennies per can.  Even if you don't live in one of those states, recycling require minimal effort, especially in single stream recycling communities.

3) Borrow - Before you go out and buy something new, especially a book or media, ask your social network if they have it available for you to borrow.  Maybe you can repay them buy letting them borrow one of the many things you already own, or trade another service such as cooking or watching their children.  Libraries are a great resource, not only for dusty old books, but DVDs and Blu-Rays are available in most towns.

4) Re-gift - Giving green gifts is an extremely effective way of saving money.  You can bake, cook, build or create online tons of gifts that will be appreciated.  You can also let your extended family know that you would prefer they not purchase you any items for upcoming events.  Let them know your philosophy about buying frivolous things and the impact it has on the environment.  They might think you a little eccentric, but will respect you.  If you have something that you received as a gift, don't feel bad to re-gift it to someone else, just make sure you don't give it back to the person who gave it to you!

5) Exercise outside - Don't get me wrong, I love to exercise in the gym, but that $30 a month that Gold's gym takes from you each month really adds up.  Not only that, but they keep the lights, TVs, and legion of machines on 24 hours a day at many gyms, no need to support that!  Get outside, take a hike, run, walk, play.  It's free!

I hope I can come up with more cost-free tips to go green, but feel free to check out my list of 20 Effective Ways to Go Green that Make a Difference.

Follow Up: Drink Bottled Water

" In 1976 Americans drank an average of 1.6 gallons of bottled water every year. Roughly 30 years later consumption increased to 30 gallons per person, according to the Earth Policy Institute —- despite the fact that bottled water can cost anywhere from 240 to 10,000 times more than tap water, which is brought right to your home for pennies a gallon. " (link)

Solution: Buy a reuseable water bottle!

Go Green: Literature/Media

 

The writing industry uses a ton of paper and by regularly buying books, magazines, videos, DVDs, and CDs you contribute to this process. Luckily there are many ways in which you can get the same items in a much more environmentally friendly manner. We have talked about clothing and furniture purchases, there are many ways to find these items used and at a discount. Yard Sales, Thrift Shops, Craigslist, Ebay, and Amazon are all great sources of used media, so that there is no need to buy a brand new copy at Barnes and Noble.

My favorite way to acquire books and other media is at the library. Libraries are funded with the tax dollars you are paying as a resident of your state, town or county. You simply need to walk into a library with proof of your residence and claim the right to use the service you are paying for. Not only are libraries filled with books, but there are also periodicals, tv shows, and movies in a variety of formats. You are also not limited to the single library in your hometown. Almost all libraries have an agreement with a network of libraries and they can deliver content to your local library within several days.

There are also a number of sites that offer credit for trading books or simply just give them away for free. Check out FreeCycle.com. Also, along the same lines as clothes, thrift shops stock a number of books, although they are not as easy to search for as other options, they generally will run you a dollar or two. Thrift shops are a much superior option for old records/vinyl if thats what you are into.

There are a large number of websites offering used books including the well-known Amazon as well as Ebay, and Half.com, its subsidiary. My favorite is http://www.addall.com/ which allows you to search a large number of vendors at only one site, giving you the best possibly price as well as inventory! Use this as a last resort if you can simply have to OWN the book.

Newspapers may be very quaint and nice to read during your morning routine, but the are especially wasteful.  All of this information is stored electronically and can often be accessed for free.  I like to check out local news at Boston.com which is a subsidiary of the Boston Globe, but will also check WSJ.com for business news, and various other specific news outlets based on the type of information I am looking for.  This means you save money and save the environment.

Tips to Lower Environmental Impact of Clothing and Furniture Purchases

Shopping for clothing and furniture is one of the best opportunities to go green.  The first step is completely exhaust the items you already have, a penny saved is a penny earned.  However, once you have determined that you absolutely need a replacement, then it is time to consider your options.  Buying these items through the traditional channels can be extremely costly, both financially and in terms of environmental impact.  Many of these items are constructed overseas, and oftentimes the raw materials come from another overseas location, then the company that produced it will resell it to the retailer, and most of the time there are even more steps.  All of these intermediaries use energy to transport and build this product, and each step of the way, the end price increases.  Of course, this is good for the global economy, but it is not necessarily the best course of action.

There are a number of great alternatives though, if you want to save money and also lessen your environmental impact.  My favorite option is thrift stores.  These are pretty easy to find, and many of them are even run by charitable organizations, so the profit that these stores makes goes to a great cause.  All of the items in a thrift store come from donations.  People are allowed to donate items that are worn, but usually the items are in great condition and sometimes even brand new, for a FRACTION of the price.  Although, you are not going to be able to go to the mall and get the latest fashions, you can get great items for an affordable price.  So not only does this option benefit you financially, leaving you with more cash to spend on green products you might otherwise not be able to afford, but you are repurposing items, which means they do not go to waste.  Although they have probably already been produced overseas and gone through the whole process, they were donated locally, and the environmental effect was extremely minimal. 

Along the same lines, Craigslist is a great place to score all kinds of items.  There are a number of free items, such as used appliances or furniture, if you are patient and jump on a good deal quickly.  Another great tip is to look for people who are moving and are willing to sell things at even lower prices because they do not want the added cost of transporting it.  Buying goods here accomplishes the same environmental saving effects as shopping at a thrift store, except there is no energy needed to run and operate the store, all transactions are done from seller directly to customer.  Another similar option is Ebay, where a multitude of options exist, but the cost is oftentimes higher both financially and environmentally, as these items almost always are shipped from another part of the country or the world, much less energy is expended and wasted than on purchasing a new item.  

I am also a big fan or yard/tag sales.  Check your local newspapers for weekends during the summer or drive around ritzy neighborhoods, looking for signs.  THere will often be great deals, and once again lightly used/brand new items can be found at a fraction of their original cost, and with no additional negative impact to the environment.

Feel free to post a comment with any of your thoughts!