Have you ever wanted to ‘go green’ but thought it would be too difficult and too expensive? Maybe you’ve read the ‘extreme green’ posts where everything is recycled, including dryer lint, and thought, “I can’t do that.” The truth is it’s easy to make small, simple choices to go green. I’ve got 16 easy ways to go green, most of which require minimal effort.
16 Easy Ways to Go Green
These tips will help you save both the environment and money. And, who doesn’t want to save money? I’ve organized these tips into 3 sections, depending on the effort involved.
Easy Tips to Go Green
- Let Dishes Air Dry. Instead of running a complete dishwashing cycle, turn off the dishwasher at the end of the wash cycle. Then, leave the door slightly ajar to allow dishes to air dry.
2. Turn off the water while you brush your teeth. According to the Water Use Calculator from the NYC government site, leaving the water running while you brush your teeth uses around 4 gallons of water. Leaving the water off until rinsing reduces the amount to around one-quarter of a gallon.
3. Turn off unnecessary lights. This is one we struggle with at our house. I am constantly going behind the kids turning off lights. According to the This is Money website, lighting contributes to about 15% of energy costs. Switching them off can help lower the bill.
4. Wash clothes and other items in cold water. Some reasons, according to the GE website, include your laundry will be less likely to shrink, fade, or wrinkle, while still being effectively cleaned. You’ll also save energy by not using heated water which will keep your electric or gas bill lower.
Note: If you have sick family members, wash with warm or hot water to sanitize and kill germs.
5. Air Dry Laundry. If you are able to use an outdoor clothesline, harness the sun’s energy to dry your laundry instead of using a dryer. If you can’t, you can utilize some indoor space to air dry some of your laundry. An inexpensive garment rack or shower rod works well. Not only will you reap the benefits of a lower electric or gas bill, but your clothing will last longer not going through the wear and tear of the dryer.
Note: If you live in a high pollen area and have allergies, this tip probably will not work for you.
6. Reuse old socks. How many of us have that odd single sock? Use it for cleaning window blinds, ceiling fans, dusting, and washing the car.
7. Reuse glass jars. Jelly jars, mayo jars, pasta sauce jars, whatever extra jars you have, are fantastic for storing dried beans, popcorn, nuts, dried herbs, pasta, flour, sugar, and more. An additional advantage to this system is that it’s easy to see when you need to buy more of the item stored in the jar.
8. Reuse your junk mail. Any paper without writing can be reused for making shopping lists, library lists, children’s art doodling, or whenever you need to make a quick note. When you’re finished, add it to your paper recycling bin, and take pride that you gave it a second life.
Other Ways to Go Green
These tips take a little more time and effort but are worth the savings.
9. Dump the bottled water habit. Invest in a water purifier for your home (most are quite inexpensive), and purchase a couple of lidded glass or plastic canisters to keep filled with water in your refrigerator. You can also purchase a purifying system that stays in the fridge and just needs to be refilled with water. Other ways to save include purchasing reusable water bottles, filling them, storing them in the fridge until needed, and reaping the savings.
10. Combine trips. Plan your trips to combine as many errands and stops as possible at one time. This reduces your vehicle’s mileage and fuel consumption, plus saves you time in the long run as you don’t run as many small errands.
11. Shop secondhand. Yard sales, thrift stores, and garage sales can yield great bargains, especially on items like baby clothing that might be worn once or not at all before being outgrown.
12. Purchase from local farms or farmer’s markets.
Visit the website Local Harvest and add your location to find farms, farmer’s markets, CSA’s, and co-ops in your area. Buying local and in season will save you money. There’s nothing like the taste of fresh produce.
13. Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins. There’s plenty of ways to make your own cloth napkins. If you sew, purchase a king-sized sheet at a local thrift store. Cut it into 16-inch squares and stitch the edging. This makes lovely cloth napkins that can be washed and used again and again. You can also use fabric remnants you already have or search for inexpensive fabric at thrift stores. Don’t know how to sew? Do what I did. Pick up low-cost cloth napkins at the thrift store.
Tips for DIYers
14. Make Your own household cleaners. Vinegar, water, baking soda, and lemon juice are the basis for most homemade household cleaners and are environmentally friendly and less expensive. Check your local library for books such as Clean House, Clean Planet by Karen Logan to find specific recipes and instructions for making many different types of eco friendly cleaners.
15. Grow Your Own Produce and Herbs. Search online to find the best plants to grow in your zone or state to help you achieve optimum results. Or, check with your local extension service or master gardener association. They’ll provide tips for native plants, vegetable, flower, and herb cultivars that grow well, and soil-testing.
Consider a themed garden, like lasagna gardening, as an inexpensive way to get started; grow herbs like basil or oregano and plants like tomatoes and peppers. You don’t need a large area to grow plants-many herbs can be grown on a windowsill.
16. Start a compost pile. It’s a great way to reuse vegetable and fruit scraps and cut down on the amount of trash you’re sending to the landfill. Visit Composting 101 for specific information on what to compost and how.
If you cannot have a compost pile where you live, consider making a homemade compost tumbler from a garbage can. You’ll end up with nutrient-rich soil that’s fabulous for your outdoor plants and the garden.
I hope these tips make your journey to go green and save green easier. What are some of your favorite tips for going green? Share them with us. I’d love to hear your ideas.
I love learning new ways to recycle and reuse items. Thanks for the tips!
I do some of these already but was about to scream when I saw wash with cold water lol thought you mean show/bath hahaha
You have shared great tips here to go green and save some cash!! Thanks for the ideas.
Water is our biggest problem. My kids love bathing and swimming
Great tips. Thanks for sharing
I love this! I’m going to start using my junk mail for grocery lists and reminders – awesome tip! I also have always wanted to start a compost pile!
These are very helpful tips and I’m really glad that I’m already doing some of these things. I should start making my own laundry detergent.
This is a great list for people to get started with going green. Happy to say that I am already doing most of these 😉
I love these! This has been one of my goals for a long time and I’m finally making some progress.
These are indeed all great green saving tips. I love the idea of reusing the junk mail and making a compose pile. Thanks for sharing the green saving tips.
I have always wanted to try to make my own household cleaners. I have found a few good ideas but just need to put them into action.
Going green is so important. Saving money by doing that is a win win!
These are great tips. I’m actually doing a few of these things already. Now, I think I may have to give the water purifier a try.
I am always looking for ways to save more money where I can. I like the idea of using socks for cleaning.
These are really great ways to go green. We do most of these already and love doing so.
These are some great tips! I love shopping secondhand at garage sales and thrift stores. I found that my money went so much farther when I did this for kid’s clothes instead of buying them new. Plus it’s good for the environment 🙂
Great list on being green! We try to do all of these. Doing a garden this year.
Great tips! We are a pretty green household, it is so easy to go green! 🙂
Great tips. I already do quite a few of them, but I do see a couple I could start doing. Every little bit helps.
Great tips! I really try to go as green as we can! these are some great ways to take going green that extra mile!
This is such a good list of things to do, and a very practical list as well. I am happy to see that I already do most the things on here, but there are definitely a few I could incorporate into my lifestyle. Thanks for the ideas.
We do all of it except for #16. I’m still trying to find a bottle that I like.
I need to consider doing some of these things. If I could save on water and energy I’d be happy!
Combining trips is a big one for me! I do love cloth napkins. I think using mason jars for pretty much anything with re-use. Oh, and we do grow our own strawberries and a few kinds of vegetables.
These are great tips to go green and save some money. I wash in cold water whenever possible. And we avoid paper napkins at all costs.
Hmm, just trying to think if there is anything that we do to add to the list… we are really good at sharing what we have or giving stuff away. My father in law and my hubby share tools so they don’t have to each have a set. We mulch our grass instead of bagging it and we re-grow the “live lettuce” so we always have fresh produce on hand.
And use a reusable cup! My mother-in-law throws plastic ups away all day long and it kills me!
What a great list of ways to go green and save some cash!
We have a compost and I love it. Saves so much garbage, plus we can use it in the garden after.
Lots of great tips here! I think my favorite tip which I never thought of before is to use junk mail for my grocery list. I have a pile of junk mail right now that I need to shred and I think I can use that for a lot of other things LOL.
We are to be good stewards of God’s creation. My husband had to teach me #11 on your list! 🙂 But I DID LEARN and also take no more than a 7 minute shower. That’s our rule.
Good list to be mindful of daily! Personally, I am so grateful to live in the country where we can have a huge garden.
I dry all of my family of four’s laundry on two of these clothes drying racks. I really like the fact that I can still dry environmentally responsibly no matter what the weather.
This listing is a good set for anyone to basically practice on to save money. Thanks for sharing.