Do Your Part: Going green adds up to savings

News

The Miami Herald
March 1st, 2011

Credit: Aunt Owwee / Flickr

By TERRI BENNETT
McClatchy Newspapers

We’ve all heard that going green is too expensive, not cost-effective, or that it just isn’t financially responsible in these tough economic times. That’s just not the case. There are ways to Do Your Part to be easier on the planet and our wallets. Here are a few ways to incorporate everyday green living techniques into your routine and start saving right away.

Buy Big: There are two good reasons to buy in bulk when it makes sense.

It’ll save you money and it saves resources. If you’re a mom who always sends individually wrapped packages of crackers in their child’s lunchbox, this is a good place to save. I’ve added it up. It’ll cost you about 4 times as much when you go with the single serving packaging.

And usually those individual containers and pouches are pretty hard to recycle.

Go The Reusable Route: What’s worse than throwing out barely used paper towels? Spending all that money on them. The cheapest paper towels on the market are about a dollar a roll. If you go through two rolls a week, that’s more than $200 a year! Save that money and keep dish towels and rags handy. It’s much more eco-friendly to launder them than it is to keep buying one-use paper towels. There are others ways to go the reusable route every day. Think of how much money you’ll save if you make the switch to reusable water bottles, cloth napkins, and reusable food containers. And, most grocery stores now provide financial incentives when you use reusable bags.

This story continues at The Miami Herald.