Reducing your carbon footprint is all the rage at the moment and If like me you don’t like to spend lots of money on expensive products that are made from super sustainable resources and don’t like to give up some of those small luxuries then you’ll be please to know that there are a few great ways of going green that can save you bucket loads of cash.
Drive a bit slower
Easing off the accelerator pedal can drastically reduce your carbon emissions and dramatically improve your mileage. Reducing your speed by just 10mph can improve the mileage of your car by as much as 15%. Avoiding sudden braking and quick starts, you should try and anticipate the lights. Letting the engine idle also wastes that precious fuel so if you expect a long wait then turn the engine off. Doing all your errands on one day will also save you nipping out every day to do one of them, saving you money on fuel and lowering your emissions. Not driving at all would be ideal but we all know how hard a luxury this would be to give up.
Wash clothes effectively
Front loading washing machines use a lot less water and 60% less energy than their top loader counterparts, to save the most money and the environment you should be washing your clothes in cold water as there are many fantastic products out there that will clean your clothes in these low temperatures. You should always make sure the washing machine is full and not just use it to wash one t–shirt at a time. Tumble dryers should be used efficiently as they use a great deal of energy so running full loads and doing two or more loads in a row to make use of the heat that is already in the dryer is a much more efficient process. Using a clothes horse or washing line would be far better but if you’re in a rush then the tumble dryer will have to do.
Video Conferencing
Why do companies waste so much money travelling to the other side of the globe to have a 1 hour meeting in which nothing is ever agreed? The emissions from the planes and taxis and other modes of transport taken are making a significant dent in the atmosphere as well as the money it costs the company is ludicrous, sure talking face to face with someone is far superior for a meeting but for long distance meetings why not just have video conferencing using free software such as Skype.
Programmable thermostats
Just turning down your thermostat can save you a fair bit of money, programming the thermostat to come on at certain times is even better so no unnecessary energy is wasted and even more money is saved. Having the heating come on in the morning and the evening for a few hours makes far more sense than having it on all day and night. You don’t need it on at night while you’re all tucked up in bed and don’t need it on throughout the day if you’re out at work so it’s just more intelligent to have it on for a few hours a day on a timer.
If you follow these basic ideas you may stand to make save some serious cash as well as saving the planet