- If saving money is your goal, growing your own cherry tomatoes, salad greens, and green beans are the best foods to grow.
- Composting is the ultimate recycler, it can be used to grow new food and is super eco-friendly!
- Go the manual route and unplug all appliances after you turn them off, it saves you a lot of money in the long run.
World Environment Day is special! While there are a lot of misconceptions about living an eco-friendly lifestyle like the idea that it’s expensive and inconvenient—in reality, it is easy being green. We can give our environment a helping hand by making simple lifestyle changes at a time.
And the big bonus: These small changes can often save you money, too. So here are some easy tips for you to put into practice to be friendlier to the environment and your wallet.
Zero waste all the way
We all dream of a plastic-free future. We also know that zero-waste is the first step to getting there. Now bearing that in mind, remember to always shop at “zero-waste” grocery stores and farmers’ markets. Carry your totes, glass jars and paper bags for the products you purchase. These little things can make a big difference!
Plan your meals
Planning is never a bad thing. One of the easiest ways to avoid wasting food is to make a weekly meal plan. That way, you buy only what you need and nothing gets trashed.
Go paperless
Why use paper in a tech-savvy era? Switch to paperless billing by opting for e-bills. Plus many billers offer a discount for doing so because it saves them money on stamps and printing—it also cuts down on paper, which cuts down tree deaths and trees help to combat climate change.
Buy or make natural cosmetics
Beauty products are often expensive and they have some sketchy environmental consequences. Most contain mercury and other toxins that wind up polluting waterways. Instead do yourself and the environment a favor by subscribing to DIY skin and hair products for some surprisingly cheap, healthy and incredibly effective beauty enhancers.
Grow herbs, veggies and fruits at home
Before you get drained just thinking about how much work it will be, we’ll tell you that it’s nowhere near as complicated or time-consuming as it sounds. Cherry tomatoes, salad greens and green beans are the best foods to grow if saving money is the goal. Well if you don’t have a garden, you can always grow herbs on your windowsill, it saves hundreds in the long run.
Compost the food leftovers
A compost pile at home will save money on fertilizers and maintain the health of your soil. It will keep your food scraps from rotting in a dump that’s constantly belching methane (a greenhouse gas) into the atmosphere. What takes years to decompose in a landfill, will only take months in a compost pile. Moreover, compost can be used to grow new food, it’s the ultimate recycler—now that’s eco-friendly!
Unplug appliances when you’re not at home
A lot of appliances, aka “vampire appliances” suck up electricity even when they’re switched off. Google TV, Apple TV and other set-top boxes are the worst culprits. Sometimes computers act like a mini-Dracula, sucking up power when they’re supposed to be dead. Take a wooden stake to your appliance by not only turning it off — but also going the manual route and pulling the plug.
Turn to sustainable clothing and shoe brands
Sustainable fashion is the new “black”. The fashion world is slowly turning to sustainable development. Do your part and wear brands that have green initiatives. Recycle your clothes by bringing them to thrift stores — you will be doing our environment a big favor by not dumping fabric.
