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Green Living Ideas
To Save Money & Our World

Green living does not mean ignoring progress or scientific advances. It means staying informed about the ingredients in our foods and the products we use at home and at work. And taking simple steps to ensure that we stay healthy and live in a healthy environment.

With its emphasis on sustainable practices, it also saves you money. Some of these green living concepts are ripe for development into business opportunities while others may provide you with a charitable contribution tax deduction.

Following is a categorized list of several dozen ideas to get you started. Many of these are taken from 365 Ways to Save the Earth by Phillipe Bourseiller, a useful and inspiring book highlighted by stunning photography.

Be a part of the Solution! Tell everyone about YOUR great green living idea here.

Around the House

Don’t use mothballs—contains carcinogen naphthalene. Instead, use lavender or cedar chips

Make your own home cleaning products using only 4 simple ingredients. They work, are non-toxic and save bundles

Use only low or no phosphate detergents. Phosphate causes algae and lowers oxygen in water supplies

Choose plant-based solvents/thinners such as turpentine (made from terpenes), not dangerous volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Buy wood and paper products bearing the Forest Stewardship Council certification—those legally and responsibly harvested. Find retailers here

Buy only recycled content packaged goods

Do not buy products packaged in PVC/Styrofoam. These household wastes have increased by 5 to 50 times in the past 30 years, depending on the product

Stop junk mail. For $20/year, mailstopper will do it for you as you enter the mailer's name into their site, plus they plant 5 trees when you enroll. Or you can do it yourself following this expert’s advice

Buy local food and goods to reduce transportation costs and related pollution

Switch to reusable shopping bags. Plastic bags are petroleum based, pollute land and choke sea life as they do not biodegrade

Refill your inkjet cartridges (much cheaper) and recycle all cartridges. All office supply stores accept them

Regularly ventilate your house, even in winter. This simple green living step reduces mold, mites, air borne pollutants

Heat with wood if you live near the source and you use an EPA or other environmental agency certified stove (which are cleaner and more efficient). In the U.S, 67% of the forests are commercial, and the amount of CO2 released equals the amount absorbed during tree growth, so it’s a net zero greenhouse effect. Learn about the greenhouse effect and what you can do about it here.

Outdoors

Skip the car wash (or use one that recycles water) and wash it yourself, using the hose only to do pre-rinse and final rinse—can save 150 gallons per wash

Give locally grown potted plants (flowering types keep giving!) rather than flowers

Use only organic fertilizers—75% of ocean pollution is from land sources

Compost your kitchen waste

Recycle used motor oil. It takes 1 barrel of crude to make 2.5 qts of virgin motor oil, but only 1 gallon of recycled oil to do the same

Repair your car’s oil leak and recycle used oil. More than 50% of ocean oil is from residential/industry sources—only 5% is from tanker leaks and spills

Create your own rain garden by using runoff from the roof

Learn about and become active in your green community

In the Kitchen

Dispose of oil (cooking, tuna, vinaigrette) in a jar or can, not down the drain. Oil suffocates helpful bacteria used in water treatment facilities

Participate in the Slow Food Movement, which encourages using local ingredients, preserving local food traditions, and promotes green living through awareness of the global effects of our food choices. Learn more here

Buy fewer processed foods, as they require many more calories to produce than they contain. Calories to produce 2 lbs flour=500, 2 lbs soda=1,400, 2 lbs chocolate=18,500

Avoid farmed fish. About 300 species are farmed, but 19,000 exist wild. Every 1 lb farmed salmon requires 3 lbs of wild fish for food and oil. Plus antibiotics.

Don’t eat swordfish. In 1900 the average fish was 350 lbs.; now it’s 90 lbs. We are eating juveniles, which is not sustainable

Your Gear

Donate your old computer or recycle it. Components contain dangerous heavy metals

Donate old eyeglasses. 200,000 people in developing countries need them

Recycle old tires. Can be made into more tires, mulch, housing parts

Donate old furniture, household decorations, appliances

Recycle old fridge. Probably contains CFC, a greenhouse producing chemical

For more great going green ideas, check out this green ideas site

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Green Living IdeasTo Save Money & Our World

What's Your Great Green Idea?

Other Clever & Heroic Ideas

Green Living Ideas
To Save Money & Our World