Save money and the planet

It was Mahatma Gandhi who said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” The issues we face may seem daunting and individual efforts may not appear to have much impact, however collectively each of us can play a significant role in the effort to conserve our resources.

Here are five actions you can take that will help to preserve and protect the planet and your budget.

Drive Less

• Transportation is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and the largest end-use source of CO2.¹ (EPA) Walk, bike, carpool and use public transportation more often for heart-healthy, stress-reducing alternatives that preserve precious energy reserves and save money.

• A study by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) found that families who use public transportation reduce their household expenses by as much as $6,200 annually. That’s more than the average U.S. household spends on food every year!²

Eat Responsibly

• Eat organic, plant-based meals as often as possible. Go vegan to lighten your ecological footprint.³  Plant-based meals are healthful, delicious and far more cost effective than a meat and dairy-based regimen. Livestock occupies 30 percent of the earth’s surface, and 33 percent of farmland worldwide produces animal feed. Each plant-based meal you eat saves 280 gallons of water and protects up to 50 square feet of land from overgrazing and deforestation.⁴

• Support local farmers. Locally grown food requires less fuel to move the food you eat from farm to table, reducing energy consumption, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Conserve Energy

• 75 percent of the electricity that powers home electronics is consumed while they are turned off. Use power strips to cut all power to “phantom load” appliances, such as computers, TVs, DVD players, cell phone chargers and coffee makers.

• Use cold water rather than hot wherever practical. Weather-strip doors and windows. Install blinds to prevent heat loss during the winter and Air Conditioning during the summer. Turn down the thermostat before bedtime and every degree will save you five percent on your heating bill.

Use Less Water

• The earth is a water-rich planet, however most of it is salt water and much is tied up in icecaps and glaciers; 99.7% of all the water on earth is not available.⁵  Turn off water while brushing your teeth to save three gallons of water a day. Cut two minutes off your shower to save five gallons of water per day

• Repair leaky faucets, which can waste up to 20 gallons of water a day. Run clothes washers and automatic dishwashers when they are fully loaded or set the water level for the size of the load to save up to 1,000 gallons of water a month.

Replace Light bulbs

• Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) have a distinctive swirl, fit into the standard socket and are available everywhere light bulbs are sold. Most labels do not say CFL; GE calls its bulbs Energy Savers and in some cases the telltale twist is encased in frosted glass.

• CFLs cost three to five times more than incandescent bulbs, use 75 percent less energy and last about ten times longer. Energy Star compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) will save about $30 over its lifetime and pay for itself in about 6 months. Because a CFL bulb contains 5 mg of mercury, do not toss them into the regular trash.

Marie Oser is a best-selling author, writer/producer and host of VegTV, Follow Marie on Twitter: http://twitter.com/vegtv

Click here to learn more about your Carbon Footprint.

Sources:

1. Greenhouse-Gas Emissions from the U.S. Transportation Sector: 1990-2003
   http://www.epa.gov/otaq/climate/420r06003.pdf
2. Public Transportation and Petroleum Savings in the U.S.: Reducing Dependence on Oil, ICF International, January 2007
3. Eshel, G., and P.A. Martin, 2006: Diet, Energy, and Global Warming. Earth Interactions, 10, 1–17
4. H. Steinfeld, P. Gerber, T. Wassenaar, V. Castel, M. Rosales, C. de Haan. Livestock’s long shadow, Environmental issues and options. 2006, 390 pp
5. Dr. Allan R. Hoffman, Senior Analyst, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) http://www.waterindustry.org/Water-Facts/world-water-6.htm

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