Go Green to Save Green

“Buy an electric car! Go solar!”

These are the things that people love to talk about when they start urging us to make more environmentally friendly choices.

And don’t get me wrong- I would love to do both of those things.

But making it sound like the only way I can reduce my carbon footprint is by spending money I don’t have makes me feel pretty awful.

Yes, I want to do my part. But I also want to make responsible financial decisions.

The good news is that throwing money at this problem isn’t the only way to make a difference.

There are plenty of inexpensive actions we can all take to reduce our carbon footprint.

The even better news is that a lot of these activities are fun, easy, and might even wind up saving us money in the long run.

Here are some of the things I’ve been doing:

Switching to reusables: From paper towels to food storage containers, reusables are the way to go. I’ve ditched a lot of single-use products over the years for their reusable counterparts and have saved big bucks in the process.

Buying used: I love buying used. I’d rather buy gently used clothes, games, books, and furniture from thrift stores, garage sales, and Facebook Marketplace than anywhere else. You can find some amazing stuff out there if you are willing to look. Plus, hunting for treasure is fun!

Buying less: I don’t know about y’all, but at some point, I realized I had way more stuff than I needed. By decluttering and then prioritizing buying less, I’ve been able to free up a lot of time, energy, and money. All it took was pausing to consider which purchases were the most important to me and then cutting back on the rest. It feels good knowing that I am putting less strain on the planet’s limited resources. Cleaning is easier than ever, too.

Driving less: Ok. I know this isn’t an option for everyone. But this is one of the easiest changes I’ve made. Not only does driving less save me money on gas, car maintenance, and insurance, it also forces me to be as efficient as possible, saving me time (and frustration) on the days when I need to run errands.

Experimenting with meatless meals: I am not a vegetarian, but there is no denying the impact meat-eating has on our carbon footprint. I’ve been trying to treat meat as a garnish rather than the centerpiece of my meals more often lately, and honestly, it has been a nice change. I’m eating more veggies and getting way more variety into my diet, to boot.

Composting: Not only is composting easy, but there is also something very satisfying about knowing that my food waste is nourishing the earth, even if only a tiny patch of it. Plus, it is a great money-saving first step towards starting my own garden.

Ok. Those are some of the easiest and least expensive ways I’ve found to reduce my carbon footprint.

Next up?

The ideas I’m playing with for the future, that involve bigger startup costs:

Starting my own garden: My Dad loved gardening. Despite a decades long history of being the official plant killer in my family, I’m really wanting to try my hand at it again as a way to honor him. I hope that one day my backyard will be as thriving and beautiful as his was.

Insulating our attic: I know my house is nowhere near as energy efficient as it could be. And by doing this one simple thing I may be able to save up to fifteen percent of my heating and cooling costs. I can’t help but think that I’ll most certainly be more comfortable, too.

Speaking up: Ok. So, this one isn’t going to save me money, but it isn’t going to cost me anything but time, either. I know how important it is to make my voice heard, but it’s definitely the action I’ve have the most trouble following through with.

The fact is, businesses and politicians aren’t going to know what changes are important to us unless we tell them.

Let them know that it is beyond time to for us to change how we do things. Push for better incentives to get more of us doing the things that need to be done to go green on a larger scale.

Ask for bigger, better tax incentives. Ask for more money to go towards green technologies and companies. Ask for policy changes that could help us reverse the path we’ve been on up to this point.

I wonder if buying that electric vehicle and going solar would be an option for more of us if we were to do this one, simple thing?

Whether you decide to become an activist for climate change or not, the most important thing to remember is that anything you do to reduce your carbon footprint is a win.

Don’t bother feeling guilty for not being able to do it all. Just do what you can. It is more than enough.

Which cost-conscious, earth-friendly ideas do you think you might want to tackle?