Going Green on a Budget

Many ideas for reducing your carbon footprint are expensive. Solar panels, trying to "get off the grid" and using recycled products in home imporovement are all very costly. I have a few ideas that will make a positive impact on the environment and save you money at the same time.

Shut down and unplug electronics. I just received a pamphlet from SDG&E with some great tips. Unplugging electronics can really save you some money. I'm not suggestion you abandon using the following appliances, but this will give you an idea of what they cost. Dishwasher, 39 cents per load, refrigerator $18.46 per month, air conditioner 3 ton central air 79 cents per hour , computer and monitor, 6cents per hour, gas water heater $21.23 per month, central gas heating $1.12 per hour. What does all this mean? Shut down your computer at night, and plug your cell phone and other electronices into power strips so you can turn several devices off with one switch.

Wash your clothes in cold water. By using cold water instead of warm, the average household can avoid emitting 1.281 pounds of carbon dioxide annually and save on energy bills. With the advancement in cleaning products, everything can be washed in cold water today.

Fill your water bottle with filtered tap water. Choose the greener, and cheaper solution by using a reusable bottle, and filling it with filtered tap water.

Use kitchenware products made of recycled materials. There are a number of lines of colorful kitchen gear made from recycled products, and since they're about the same price as regular kitchenware, it's a no brainer which to choose. One such line of products is Preserve products(http://www.preserveproducts.com/). Check them out.

Finally, the cost of using your oven is 50cents per hour for electric, 13 cents per hour for gas. The range top is 10 cents per hour for electric, 2cents per hour for gas. I know it's not much, but I don't need much of an excuse to avoid cooking and going out to dinner.