Blog Action Day: Accidental Environmentalist, And Still Saving Money
Living in the far left city of San Francisco, sometimes I just want to be a closet environmentalist. I care about the environment, but the aggressive measures that my city takes to be green can be off-putting to a lot of people. I agree that we’re doing too much damage to the Earth already, but it takes time to change people’s habits, and even more time to get enough people to actually listen.
To those who say they can’t afford to go green, either because of time or money, I’d like to offer a different point of view. I’m environmentally conscious without trying very hard. Granted it’s easy for my partner and I to be green because we don’t have kids, and we have the luxury of flexible schedules. However, the following snapshot of a typical weekday for me shows how easily you can find an inexpensive and environmentally conscious choice at each point throughout the day.
Breakfast: Brewed some coffee at home; read news online. Saved money and a paper cup by not buying coffee to go.
Work, Pre-Lunch: Working from home, good daylight provides all the light I need. Seven years of living in San Francisco has me accustomed to wearing layered clothes. Neither heat nor air-conditioning needed to feel comfortable.
Lunch: Made a sandwich, heated some canned soup. City mandates recycling – can goes to recycling bin under sink.
Work, Post-Lunch: Working from home, still not using light, heat or air conditioning.
Gym Break: Walk to gym two blocks away. Kept refilling my water bottle to stay hydrated. Quick shower.
Errand: Fifteen minute walk to and from Trader Joe’s. Organic produce cheaper there than the non-organic produce at the super-market closer to home.
Late Afternoon: Working from home again. Just one light needed and used.
Dinner: Make and enjoy dinner with my sweetie. Served dinner as soon as it’s ready; kept down unnecessary use of electric stove (e.g. keep food warm).
Evening: Watch a Netflix or read before bed instead of watching several hours of TV.
Just a few environmentally conscious choices made throughout the day makes a great impact by day’s end, both on the health of the environment and your wallet. At least, that’s been my experience, and that’s how I got to spending less than $10/month for my energy bill, and $0 for a car.
Check out How To Go Green: Back to Basics by TreeHugger. Are there any changes you can make to be more green?
John, you make a good point. Without much effort, we can make a difference just by altering our behavior. A site that I love is LighterFootstep.com with their Ten First Steps. You’re right… it’s not that hard to make a difference.
I agree that the aggressive tactics some cities use are counterproductive (e.g. SF banning plastic grocery bags or Berkeley requiring landlords to provide tenants with free bus passes). It only outrages people into fighting the cause. I’m not sure why cities insist on using vinegar instead of honey. A lot of cafes, restaurants and grocery chains will give customers a discount on their products if they provide their own drink container, soup container or grocery bags. (e.g. Starbucks $0.10 cup discount, Safeway $0.05 grocery bag discount, Trader Joes BYOB raffle, etc.). Save money and the environment at the same time.
Another favorite is online banking & investing – save trees by receiving statements online, save time by paying bills online, and save money that you’d normally pay for stamps, envelopes & late fees because the mail arrived late (or you banked with someone shady like Providian who shred your paper payments).
I’m not an environmentalist but I do like things that make my life cheaper & easier. More & more being green coincides with this which is just fine with me.