It’s Not Easy Being Green… Or Is It?
Over the past year or two, I’ve been trying to find ways to be more earth-friendly. I’m not a big fan of all this “going green” hype or any of that, I’m just the type of person who likes to be as efficient as possible.
So over the past few weeks I’ve had this blog post stewing in my head. So now I want to share with you some things that I’ve been doing to try and be more conscious of the earth. They’re pretty easy to do, you just have to make a conscious effort. 
1. Go paperless. Perhaps one of the most pointless things is for a company to mail me a bill along with a ton of printed material I’m not going to read. This is why I have companies e-mail me these statements whenever I’m given the opportunity. If I see “VISA” pop up in my e-mail box, it serves as a reminder for me to pay my VISA bill, simple enough. No trees harmed in the process of getting me to pay my bills.
- CAVEAT: Sign up for a free e-mail account like Gmail or Yahoo! mail. Those accounts will stick around regardless of whether you switch Internet Service Providers and it saves you the hassle of having to change your e-mail address.
2. Turn off unnecessary electricity when you’re not home. This is a big thing for me. I have a small apartment and I’m not home during the day, so why keep my air conditioning or computer running? I try and make sure everything is turned off when I leave because it uses less energy. Sometimes I may leave a fan going to help circulate the air, which uses less energy than an air conditioning unit.
3. Recycle. Before you throw away that plastic bottle or aluminum can, think about throwing it in a recycling container. Why take up more and more of the earth for landfills when these products can be reused? I bought a small storage container and put it in my utility closet. I fill it up with plastic bottles, newspapers, and aluminum cans. Thanks to the people who pick up the recyclables, I don’t even have to sort them! Watch this video to learn more about the process!
4. Don’t buy bottled water. While bottled water is convenient, it’s highly unnecessary. If you don’t like the tap water, buy a Brita water filter for the faucet or buy a Brita water pitcher. A typical water filter will last for over three months. A typical filter replacement will cost $10 a piece, but you can get them cheaper if you buy them in bulk. [Click here to learn more]
5. Buy rechargeable batteries. Recently I got to thinking, “why am I paying a lot of money for batteries and then having to throw them away after one use?” Rechargeable batteries (and the charger) may cost a little more upfront, but in the long run you’re being efficient by reusing the same batteries over and over again. Yes, batteries lose the ability to hold charges after a certain amount of time, but you’ll get tons of use out of them before that even happens. When the batteries are no longer able to hold a charge, find a local place that recycles them. [Click here to learn more]
6. Use compact fluorescent bulbs. When I first moved into my apartment, the first thing I did was go to Sam’s Club and buy plenty of compact fluorescent bulbs. These bulbs take a second to reach their full brightness, but they use a lot less energy and last a lot longer than normal bulbs. Do they cost more? When you consider how long they last and the little energy they use, it’s worth it. [Click here to learn more]
7. Use cloth grocery bags. This is pretty simple and a lot of stores are offering them. Instead of paper or plastic, bring your own bags! Why use disposable bags when you can re-use cloth grocery bags? [Click here to learn more]
8. Walk or ride? When I’m going somewhere, I usually try and think, “do I really need to drive there?” I try and carpool as much as possible and ride my bike places.
My usage for the month of July went down a little, mostly from the shock of receiving my bill for the month of June… notice how it shot up? So I’m conducing a little experiment here: