Going green without going broke

The cool kids are going green, folks. And in this age of hip, spending a lot of money isn’t required: designer jeans and a sports car will get you nowhere, but your thrift-shop skirt and Metro pass are coolness gold.

Still, for environmentally minded people with limited finances, some of the green changes advocated can be intimidating. Maybe you can’t afford to install solar panels on your roof, trade in your paid-off car for a hybrid or convert to a biodiesel, buy all your food and clothes organic, or replace all your appliances with the highest-efficiency models right now, but that doesn’t mean you have to throw up your hands. Yes, the costs of some green efforts can be high, but even when you’re on a tight budget, you have plenty of low-cost—and often no-cost—opportunities to give the planet a break. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Help speak for the trees. The Lorax’s voice is getting hoarse.

The mainstream paper-products industry is destroying forests and habitats, snubbing postconsumer recycled content, and showing few signs of changing.

So you have two green options: (1) buy only 100% recycled toilet paper, paper towels, and tissue (see www.nrdc.org/land/forests/gtissue.asp), or (2) better yet, do this and drastically reduce or stop your use of paper products altogether.

Don’t immediately dismiss the idea of handkerchiefs. Small, plain, discreet hankies (they don’t have to resemble your grandfather’s) are better for the environment as well as your budget: a year’s supply of tissues costs much more than several cotton handkerchiefs that you can throw in the laundry instead of the trash. Similarly, reduce your dependence on paper towels. Perhaps wiping up your pet’s vomit with a cloth towel seems like too much, but for everyday dusting and cleaning, cloth makes more sense in terms of durability, absorption, and cost. Supplement your towels and microfiber cloths with hole-ridden t-shirts and socks reincarnated as cleaning cloths. Stop buying paper napkins altogether and buy a stash of inexpensive cloth napkins instead.

Buy only 100% recycled computer paper. No one is going to notice or care if your computer paper is just a shade less bright, especially when you explain why.

Bottom line: stay away from paper products made from virgin fiber.

Eschew disposable coffee cups; embrace a reusable travel mug. Leave one in your car for unexpected stops or if you’re forgetful. If relevant, encourage your local coffee shop (where you buy only shade-grown, bird-friendly java, of course) to abandon the use of disposable cups for its in-store customers, and encourage your employer to stop purchasing paper (or foam) cups and get your coworkers to bring in mugs from home if the employer doesn’t supply them.

Lay off the plastic.

Plastic bags are an environmental nightmare like none other, and canvas and cotton bags are not only more eco-friendly but also sturdier and, with shoulder straps, easier to carry. Plus, some stores offer a small discount if you bring your own reusable bags. Many charitable donations and subscriptions can earn you a free tote, and conferences often give them away to attendees. This also may be an area where you simply need to budget and buy a stash. These bags will last years, and are a must-have. Look online for deals when you purchase several bags at once.

Learn to say no. Cashiers automatically put your purchases into a plastic bag even when you’ve purchased only a bottle of ibuprofen or a pair of shoes. When you can toss your purchase into your purse or easily carry it without a bag, kindly refuse the plastic.

When you really need disposable bags, such as for trash or for cleanup on dog walks, buy biodegradable ones clearly marked as such. Don’t use grocery bags still lying around the house as trash bags; drop those in a grocery store’s designated recycling receptacle.

Bottled water is the biggest scam since, well, ever. If you’re still buying it, stop. It’s rarely any cleaner or safer than (or, often, even any different from) your tap water; the environmental and financial costs to manufacture, transport, and dispose of or even recycle the plastic bottles are astronomical; and you’re wasting money. Someone who drinks even one bottle of water per day could save literally hundreds of dollars each year by kicking the habit and instead installing a filter on the kitchen sink, purchasing a stainless steel water bottle, and getting over fear of the tap.

Green your cleaners.

Natural, eco-friendly cleaners and detergents are readily available, from the Method products offered even at Target and Schnucks to the variety of cleaners on the shelves of Whole Foods and St. Louis’ green home store, Home Eco. They often cost more than other store-bought cleaners, but they also far surpass their counterparts in environmental and health benefits. For reusability points, purchase a container of Biokleen dishwashing powder from Home Eco, and from then on, you can take that same container back to the store to have it refilled at a reduced price.

Still, if store-bought cleaners aren’t in your budget, homemade cleaners made of such ingredients as vinegar, baking soda, and various botanicals are even more green and cost-efficient. That bottle of drain cleaner under your sink, for example, is highly toxic, and you don’t need it. Baking soda, vinegar, and boiling water will usually do the trick, naturally, safely, and at much lower cost.

Do some research or even attend a local class—Cheryl’s Herbs hosts such classes periodically—to find out what homemade cleaners will work best for you. For starters, visit www.care2.com and www.doityourself.com and enter “homemade cleaners” in the search field.

Stop relying on throwaway dusting cloths. If you want something comparable, reusable and cheaper, purchase a washable microfiber dusting cloth that naturally attracts dust. Example: Method’s Wood for Good electrostatically charged microfiber cloth.

Grow vegetables and start composting.

Whether you use half your yard as a garden or just grow some tomato plants and herbs in indoor pots, supplementing your grocery purchases with food grown at home can help your budget and your green efforts. What’s more local, fresh, and free of transport costs and chemicals than something you’ve naturally grown at home? On composting, you can spend as much or as little as you want. You can buy a composter for anywhere from $50 to $300-plus, but you can also just dig a hole or make a pile in a back corner of the yard. You’ll be reducing what you throw in the trash as well as creating nutrient-rich soil additive for your vegetables and flowers.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

The decades-old mantra still applies. These three appear in order of importance, and the first two goals can save you money. Stop buying (and eventually throwing away) stuff you don’t need, and start reusing what you and others already have. Bypass the dumpster and give away items you no longer want to friends or via Freecycle or Craigslist, and consult those same resources for your own needs.

Pay attention to packaging when you do need to buy something new. When choosing between an item couched in superfluous plastic and cardboard and one packaged simply, choose the latter. Whenever possible, choose products with packaging that is recyclable, made from recycled content, or both.

Also in the reusable category are compact fluorescent light bulbs and rechargeable batteries. You’ve heard all about these by now. If you haven’t yet made the switch, now’s your chance.

And for an eye-opening look at what must occur to get the items you purchase onto shelves and into your hands, watch The Story of Stuff at www.thestoryofstuff.com; it will change the way you think of “cost” entirely.

Finally, if you aren’t recycling yet, start. You can deliver your sorted recyclables to drop-off sites at no cost, but if that isn’t an option for you, fear not. In the St. Louis area, the company Earth Circle will pick up your recycling weekly for around $100 a year—under $2 a week—and you don’t even have to sort it. Most communities have similar programs or companies. But remember that number 6 plastics aren’t accepted, and if you include them, they could ruin an entire load of otherwise recyclable plastics. Check out the city’s recycling program online for information and tips.

Educate—yourself, your family and friends, and perhaps most importantly, the next generation. Often when people are engaging in environmentally irresponsible practices, it’s not because they don’t care—it’s because they aren’t fully aware of the consequences and the ease with which they could make changes and a difference. So speak up. Everything you do to live responsibly and sustainably makes a positive difference already—multiply that effect by helping others to do the same.

Questions about any of these tips or about where to find the products mentioned? Write to mail@stephanie-ernst.com.