We continue to fight to preserve the natural world, but doing this does not always mean spending a load of cash for a solar powered house or things like that. As people have been saying all along, the little things help too.
Dress Naturally
Making use of natural fabrics like cotton accordingly saves electricity. Natural fabrics are more airy and less confining than synthetics. The reasoning is this causes people to possess natural air-conditioning, lessening the need for actual temperature-control technology.
Catch the Rain
Rain does not fall regularly all year, except in certain areas, but at least for part of the year you get a guaranteed source of water free. Lower your water bills by catching rainwater. This might not be a feasible solution in places with discernible air pollution and acid rain though.
Natural Beauty
Ancient nobility used to bath in milk and honey as a beauty solution. Not as feasible today, but there are alternatives to beauty products that people still use. Oatmeal and avocado, both when ingested or applied directly to skin, will be good for you.
Recycling Oil
Cooking oil, to be exact. It’s not only bottles and old newspapers that need recycling. Cooking oil has uses in the field of green fuel. You can put your used cooking in a bottle, insert a wick, and use it as a candle. It looks like a Molotov cocktail, so don’t go walking around town with it, but still useful.
Combine Gadgets
If you’re going to buy a phone, an mp3 player, an eBook reader and a digital camera anyway, why not buy a smart phone with all those capabilities instead? It’s cheaper, more efficient, and most importantly…more environmentally friendly.
Get an Internet Connection
Internet’s cheap. Movies and books and arcade games are not. Not to mention a single laptop burns less power than theatres and arcades. You can read a thousand comic books and newspapers online at $20 a month, where a single paperback costs at least $4.
Plant Something
Flowers in your living room, shrubs on the terrace, go to the park and sponsor a tree. Aside from being a festive slash of colour, more plants means more carbon dioxide scrubbers. Bamboo is actually the most efficient, and pygmy bamboo can be found in many city nurseries.
Keep Clean Engines
It’s not necessary to purchase a hybrid or a Tesla to be energy efficient and environmentally friendly. Even keeping your engines clean will make a difference you’ll be contributing to the clean-up of both air and noise pollution. So change your oil and check your fuel regularly.
Salvage
If you’re remodelling or needing construction material, try salvage yards or construction sites for discarded lumber and materials that are still usable. Many construction sites give construction debris away for free or a small fee; this can lower trash pollution and your construction costs at the same time.
Clean the House Out
The fewer things you have around the house, the less need for storage containers. So donate, recycle, and sell. Less clutter means less of a carbon footprint. Reclaiming storage space can also help your air-conditioning too.
There are obviously more than ten ways to create an environmentally-friendly life cheaply right? So come on and let’s hear your ideas!
—
About the Author: Edwin writes on behalf of Innovative Surface Solutions, an environmentally friendly roadmaintenanceand solutions company.