How to Cut Your Budget for Earth Day
When we celebrated Earth Day in elementary school, we learned about three principles: shrink , reuse, and recycle.
Now that we’re adults, I’ll add another R to this list: Change your budget.
An environmentally conscious lifestyle is not just remembering to put a plastic bottle in a blue bin (and you’ve probably read the news that says not all of our recycling is actually recycled ).
It is also about changing our consumption habits for the benefit of the entire planet. Often these changes also have a side effect that benefits our budget.
If you want to know where to start, EarthDay.org has a list of 45 ways to “ green , protect the earth, save money, and have Earth Day every day”. Here are some of the highlights:
Replace inefficient incandescent bulbs with efficient CFLs or LEDs. Reduce your carbon footprint by 450 pounds a year.
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Make sure your tires are properly inflated and increase your fuel consumption. Reduce your carbon footprint by 20 pounds for every gallon of gas you save.
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Change your paper invoices to online billing. You will save trees and fuel needed to deliver invoices by truck.
If you want to take it a step further, here are a few lifestyle changes that can have a huge impact on both your budget and the environment:
- Buy fewer things. The less you buy, the less waste you create (not only in terms of the product itself, but also packaging, shipping, etc.) And, more often than not, the more money you save. Need help? Start with our guide to reducing impulsive spending , then read our guide to developing a lean lifestyle that’s right for you .
- Travel less often. This is easier said than done, I know. However, EarthDay.org reminds us that “if you fly five times a year, these trips are likely to account for 75% of your personal carbon footprint.” If you want to know if you can travel more often while minimizing your environmental impact, start here .
- Sustainability of your investment. Many investment companies offer “socially responsible investments” or research institutes. These are mutual funds, index funds and ETFs that allow you to invest in companies looking for a sustainable future. If you’d like to learn more about how to make your investment portfolio greener, check out our beginner’s guide to R&D .
What have you done to reduce the consumption of our planet’s resources, and how has this ultimately affected your bottom line? If you have any tips for people looking to improve their lives and their budget, please share them. After all, when it comes to Earth, we are all together.