Cheap Ways to Go Green

                For some of you recycling may sound too tedious or difficult to manage properly. Well there are other ways to be able to go green! You can start by changing the way you travel. 

                According to Pope, Americans on average are walking much less than other countries. According to similar studies done in other countries, The data collected showed that Americans, on average, took 5,117 steps a day, far short of the averages in western Australia (9,695 steps), Switzerland (9,650 steps) and Japan (7,168 steps).  Pope also says that 2,000 steps equates to one mile of walking. While the daily recommended amount of steps is 10,000 or 5 miles. As you can see, Americans only walk about half of that amount. (http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/19/the-pedometer-test-americans-take-fewer-steps/)

                So as an alternative to using a car as transportation, you can take the healthier and green alternative to walk to your destinations. If you are concerned about time nice alternatives can be to use public transportation, ride a bike, or carpool.

Bicycling is less expensive than driving a car

• The average American househould spends $7,179 per year on owning and driving their cars. (Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 2010)
• On a round-trip commute of 10 miles, bicyclists save around $10 daily. (Commute Solutions, 2011)

Bicycling reduces road congestion and air pollution

• Traffic congestion wastes nearly 3.9 billion gallons of gas per year in the U.S. (Texas Transportation Institute, 2010)
• For every 1 mile pedaled rather than driven, nearly 1 pound of CO_² (0.88 lbs) is saved. (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2009)

                Public Transportation is a net CO2 reducer; saving 6.9 million metric tonnes in 2005. If you can stay off the road just two days a week, you'll reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 1,590 pounds per year (http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/save-earth-top-ten.htm)

According to Drive Less. Connect (http://bit.ly/WaWodq), by carpooling or van pooling you can save:

© iCarpool

                Another great way of going green can start in your very own home, without recycling.

Reusing water bottles is a great way of saving money wasted on bottled water. Try using alternatives to plastic through glass or metal.

               Plastic bags are very terrible to the environment. They run a risk to animals in the ocean, and too many plastic bags can cause a block in the sewage system, and should a flood occur, it will take more time to drain away. A very nice alternative to using plastic bags are reusable bags called jute bags. We are beginning to see many grocery stores changing from plastic to jute.  Many counties are taking action by banning plastic bags outright. Consumers have to bring their own bags or they can purchase the bags at an extremely low cost.

               Saving water is also saving money, time, and resources. Try to lower the amount of water you use by using less water in the shower through stutter stopping the water. Every 4 minutes you waste 20 gallons of water. When you are brushing your teeth, turn off the water when you are not using it. Try to fix leaky faucets because every year you waste a minimum of 54 gallons of water.  Try flushing the toilet less as well.  Also try to change the water level of a load of laundry to a smaller load. 

               The average household spends as much as $500 per year on its water and sewer bill but could save about $170 per year by retrofitting with water-efficient fixtures and incorporating water-saving practices. (http://www.epa.gov/greenerproducts/consumer/index.html)

Statistics of a Leaky Faucet retrieved at: http://bit.ly/XwgJeg