How to Save Green by Being Green: 5 Ways to Help the Environment by Helping Yourself

There are a lot of ways to save yourself cash, daily, yearly
and even over a lifetime by being green. 

Given the current debate about whether or not Japan should turn their Nuclear reactors back on in light of the fact of that fossil fuel consumption has skyrocketed in its absence, in recent times I've felt more compelled than ever to find ways to cut my own personal energy consumption. Although it wasn't my primary motivating factor for doing so, I was also pleasantly surprised to find that it was a great way to cut down on my monthly expenses as well. Here are a few easy ways to cut down your expenses and save a bit of green by being green.

1) Spend more time outside your home
One pleasant way I have found to help the environment (and save a few bucks in the process!) is simply to spend more time outside of your home. While some things may need to run even when you are out (such as your refridgerator), things like your computer, the lights and your air conditioner, need not be on if you are not in the house. As such, by spending a bit more time away from your home and in public places, (where the lights and air con have to be on and running all the time with or without you) you can cut down on your utilities, and help the green cause a bit at the same time. When the weather is nice, public parks are also a great option, particularly because in this day in age, you can do pretty much everything you want to do (including writing this blog) on an iPad or smart phone.

2) Unplug appliances you aren't using
Although it may take a bit of effort to remember to do it in the beginning, another easy way to save a bit of energy (and a few bucks in the process) is to unplug any appliances that you aren't using. At this point in time, the average American has almost 40 appliances plugged in that they aren't using, and even with the power OFF collectively, their "phantom energy" use can account for up to 10% of your total energy use. This is especially true for anything that has a remote control (such as the TV, DVD, or game consoles) but also things like phone, laptop and tablet chargers, or even smaller bathroom or kitchen appliances such as the coffee maker, toaster, and hair dryer. By making sure these are all unplugged when you don't use them not only can you cut down on your carbon footprint but also save yourself about $250 a year or so.

3) Invest in CFLs
CFLs or Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs are also a great way to cut down on your energy use and cut down your electric bill. Even though they cost a bit more $2-$4 versus 30 - 40 cents per bulbs, they burn for almost 7 times longer and are a great deal more efficient (a 20-watt bulb is capable of producing roughly the same amount and quality of light as a 75-watt standard light bulb). Because of these qualities, a single CFL can save you as much as $30 over the lifetime of the bulb, as well as seriously reducing your carbon footprint as well. (If everyone living in the states swapped out just one of their lightbulbs with one of these, within a year, enough energy would be saved to light 3 million homes.)

While CFL bulbs are not perfect (aside from the slightly higher price tag, they also contain a trace amount of mercury that means taking extra care when cleaning up a broken one), in addition to their efficiency over regular bulbs, they are every bit as versatile, as they can be used with dimmers and 3 way switches, and even outside provided that the fixture is enclosed. As such, CFL bulbs are also a great way to reduce your carbon footprint, and save a few bucks in the process.

4) Buy and eat smaller portions
According to recent articles in the LA Times, The Atlantic and the Huffington Post, Americans throw away roughly 40% of their food per year accounting in $165 Billion dollars going down the drain annually. In effect, this means we are basically throwing away every other piece of food we pay for. This is most certainly not very financially efficient, and the environmental impact is worrisome as well. Aside from the environmental damage caused by all this wasted food's meaningless production (particularly if it is meat), according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, wasted food almost makes up the largest component of the solid waste that is currently over-running our landfills.

The easiest way to curb this detrimental effect (and save yourself a few bucks) is simply to buy and eat smaller portions. If you think about it, even if you have the option of super-sizing your meal or your food purchase for a really reasonable price, chances are, you are better off just saving your pennies and going with the smaller size. Particularly if it is junk food, because even if you do eat it all, you are simply doing yourself more harm than good. This might seem tricky at many American restaurants where the portions are mammoth sized, but the trick is simply to order something that microwaves reasonably well, and then save half of it for another meal. By doing so, you are getting two meals for the price of one, cutting down the amount of calories your body takes in to a reasonable amount and helping the environment all at the same time.

Another great way to save a few bucks by not wasting food at restaurants is to just get an appetizer and leave it at that. At most American restaurants, just the appetizers are already large enough to have the all caloric value that your body can process at once, and as an added bonus, they are cheaper as well. According to the NRDC, just a 15 percent reduction of waste by everyone in the states would save enough to feed 25 million Americans annually.

5) Eat less meat
Another relatively easy way to help the environment by helping yourself is to eat less meat. While meat may be relatively cheap to purchase in the states, where it hits you is in your healthcare costs down the line. As the fat and cholesterol in meat boosts the amount of fat and cholesterol in the blood, the more meat you eat the higher your chances of having a heart attack become. In addition to this, as meat is cooked, carcinogens known as heterocyclic amines form on its surface, thus also raising your chances of getting cancer as well. As such, studies have shown that substantially cutting down on meat consumption can not only lower your risk of heart attacks but also reduce your chances of getting cancer by as much as 40% at the same time. Also noteworthy is the fact that most food borne illnesses aren't associated with fruits or vegetables- mad cow disease, E.Coli, Bird Flu, Salmonella are all found in meat, not vegetables. To make matters worse, even the pesticides that are used on plants manage to end up in the tissues of livestock because they are ingested by the animals. While they may be on vegetables too, at least in the case of fruits and vegetables, getting rid of them is simply a matter of washing and peeling of the outer layer.

Environmentally speaking, the conversion of natural habitats into farm areas has a massive detrimental impact and more pasture is used for cattle than all other kinds of domesticated animals or crops combined. To make matters worse, a large portion of the world's grain production has to go to feeding that cattle as well. (A single kilogram of beef or (2.2 pounds) takes about 15 kg of grain and 30 kg of forage to produce). Add in the fact that cow flatulence and manure are both major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, and it becomes obvious why the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency concluded that we could save ourselves 40 trillion dollars in fighting climate change simply by eating less meat.

While the environmental problems that we face as a nation and a world may seem large and insurmountable,in actuality, as I hope the figures I've included show, they are not. More than anything, all it takes is for the average person to be aware of the problem, and to make decisions in their daily life keeping that awareness in mind. The process of saving money (and even losing and maintaining one's weight for that matter) is actually the same. If you know the consequences of each action, you can act responsibility. And if every one can act just a bit more responsibility, then together we can all make things happen.

References
http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/budgeting/how-much-save-unplugging-appliances.htmhttp://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-tech/sustainable/cfl-bulb1.htm

http://www.healthandgoodness.com/article/health-risks-of-meat.html

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16573-eating-less-meat-could-cut-climate-costs.html

http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/footprint/agriculture/beef/environmental_impacts/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/21/food-waste-americans-throw-away-food-study_n_1819340.html