As Green As You Can Be

In this time of economic uncertainty, “going green” is probably the last thing on the mind of some people. Feeding ones family, protecting ones future, these are probably much more common thoughts today. But there are a few things you can do to go green and help your economic situation at the same time.

Mmmm Toasty

Ride your bike to work! Okay, the winter is a bit cold to start peddling to work, but if you look at the money you save on gas and auto repair, you can but some pretty sweet bicycling gear that will keep you nice and toasty on your new healthy commute.

You may even get a tax break if you forgo the comforts of the gas guzzler, depending on where you live. I understand that Europe is already doing some sort of tax break and the U.S. is soon to follow.

Maybe you are thinking of an entirely new line of work? One that doesn’t require a commute at all. The internet is full of “work from home” offers, yes most of them are scams, and many more are grossly overstating what you can make, but there are a few things you can do from home. I wrote another post about working from home a while ago that showed some of the environmental benefits to working from home.
Maybe you are the next Perez Hilton? Maybe you are an amateur photographer looking to go pro? Either way you’ll need a website.

Do a search and you will certainly find web hosts are a dime a dozen.  How can you choose among a hundred hosts that all have very similar prices?  Well at least one host out there is powered entirely by the wind and sun.  That is certainly as green as they can be! When you add the fact that they are the same price as any of the other big hosting companies, there isn’t really much to think about. They’ll even plant a tree for each new client!

As our economy plummets into the toilet, Ill be sure to update you as to the best ways to stay as green as you can be.

According to statistics compiled by the United Nations, every American, on average, is responsible for 22 tons of carbon dioxide emissions every YEAR!  In contrast, the world average is 6 tons per person per year.
You can save a ton of energy by working from home! Offices light the common areas, hallways, lots of places that people don’t even need light, all day long everyday.  Do you leave every light on in your house all day long? Of course not, but I bet your office does.  Most offices burn lights 24 hours a day 7 days a week.  Can you imagine the cost of that?!  It’s staggering.  Office buildings are notoriously less efficient than even the least insulated home.  You already have the energy efficient florescent bulbs installed, don’t you?  Replacing 3 bulbs will save you $60 a year and if everyone did it, we could keep a TRILLION pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere.

Pack a lunch and save the environment. Face it, going out for lunch 5 days a week not only costs you quite a bit of cash but you also pay more frequently at the gas pump.  You may only be paying $5 for that sandwich and a drink, but you may be paying as much for the gas you used driving to and from the fast food joint.  Buying your groceries for the week or two weeks all at once saves gas, wear and tear on your car, and puts your money into your local businesses. In many cases this helps the local farmers, who desperately need our support.  When you are shopping for your groceries think about where they are coming from.  I just read a statistic that New York State produces more apples than its inhabitants can consume every year, but the majority of apples purchased in that state come from Chili or Washington.  Shipping all those apples 3 thousand or 9 thousand miles wastes a huge amount of fuel and this only happens because people don’t think about buying locally.

Eating at home is also better for you anyway.  I won’t pretend to be a nutritionist here but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize a ham & cheese sandwich made at home is better for you than a triple quarter pounder with cheese.  Even if you do order the diet coke.

This summer has really been a scorcher, but my home office is in my basement.  Being underground makes it much cooler because its insulated by the earth.  I suspect underground offices are a common occurrence in today’s homes, so turning back the air-conditioning during the summer work day shouldn’t really be a comfort issue at all, and you can save the environment as well as a bundle of dough!  Its a win win!

Working from home may not workout for everybody but in the upcoming articles I will show you how you may be able to supplement your income from home and possibly work from home full time.