Go Greener, Australia

The price of food and petrol isn’t showing any signs of going down anytime soon, and the politicians are starting the recession-talk. But you don’t have to start dumpster diving just to save a few bucks! Here’s some cheap tips that will help the environment and save you some money at the same time.

1. Learn to love your library
Instead of spending money and wasting resources on something you might only use once, share a copy with your community. They’ve got books, CDs, DVDs, magazines and newspapers lined up for you to borrow for free. If there’s something you want that they haven’t got, ask a librarian - they can get it in for you from other libraries, or put it on a purchases list. Look up your closest library to see where you can go. Most local councils have a library, but you can also see if there’s one close to where you work or shop, if that’s more convenient.

2. Turn out the lights
And your tv, and your computer, and your appliances… You’ve heard it before, because it’s true: anything that uses standby power is costing you money when you’re not using it. Remember to flip the switch, and you’ll be saving electricity (and therefore reducing pollution) and lowering your bills at the same time. Savings Guide has more tips on how to do this.

3. Sign up at Freecycle or Scoodi to get new (to you) things
Freecycle and Scoodi are groups where people give away their unwanted gear for free. Previously, I’ve given away a sofa bed, a gas heater and a pile of videos that I didn’t need anymore - instead of adding to landfill, I was able to help someone else out. By moving to a trading and bartering culture instead of a disposable, throwaway culture, we help the planet as well as our wallets.

4. Wash your clothes in cold water, then line dry
Cold water doesn’t take any electricity to heat, so it cuts back on your bills and CO2 emissions. Now that the weather is getting warmer, you can also hang out your washing on the line instead of using a dryer. Cheaper for you by cutting back on electricity, and reduces the amount of pollution too. (You could try taking cold showers as well, but that’s more hardship than I’m willing to put up with!)

5. Learn how to drive efficiently
Read these tips from the Green Vehicle Guide to learn how to minimise your fuel use and therefore your emissions. Drive smarter, not faster! Changing the way you drive will cut your petrol spending and your pollution.

Next week I’ll post some ideas that will cost you a little bit of money, but should save your spending in the long run.

Tags: how-to, save money

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 29th, 2008 at 9:00 am and is filed under home. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.