Go Green and Save Green!

I'm writing a weekly column on ASK In Your Face called "Greener By the Minute"! Check out my first post...

We are starting a weekly column to bring you tips, advice, the latest news, ideas, and information on "going green" or being more environmentally friendly. We hope it inspires you to take small steps in your life to go organic, recycle more, or do anything that helps our Mother Earth and to encourage your friends and family to do so as well. For our first post we are going to help you "go green" by giving you tips on ways to be environmentally friendly AND save money. Because who doesn't want to save a little dough and feel good about what it is doing for our planet?

1. Clean Greener: Make cleaning products from household items you already have, save money from buying cleaning supplies from the store, and keep the poisonous chemicals out of your home that could hurt you, your children, or your pets. Click here for recipes on how to make effective cleaning products from things you already have around the house, such as baking soda, lemon juice, and water.

2. Visit your local library: Instead of buying books, DVDs, CDs, and magazines, head to your local library and pick up a copy for free. Not only will you save money and get to read or watch new things more often, you will be saving paper and plastics from ending up in the landfill.

3. Use vodka!: Not just for drinking, vodka can be used for soothing toothaches and poison ivy rashes to cleaning clothes and surfaces. Check out more money-saving ways to use vodka here.

4. DIY energy audit: Find a checklist online and do a quick energy audit in your home to see where you're wasting energy and ways to improve your carbon footprint.

5. Change your computer settings: Did you know that 90% of desktop computers are not optimized for energy efficiency? Use the "sleep" or "hibernate" settings every time or turn off your devices when they are not in use. Also, use a surge protector to make sure they turn off all the way.

6. Use rechargeable batteries: It may not seem like much, but recharging your batteries instead of always buying new ones definitely adds money in your pocket. It also cuts down on the batteries that end up in your local landfill.

7. Freecycle!: No, you shouldn't just recycle, but freecycle too! Log on to the world of freecycling, and you can get and unload a huge array of items...all for free! It's simple and fun, and doesn't cost a dime. You can easily get rid of things you never use and get something you might love! Remember, one person's trash might be another person's treasure...

8. Save water: First invest in a eco-friendly water bottle so you can say goodbye to using plastic bottles every day. Then use less hot water around your house: take shorter showers, fix leaky faucets, and put a full water bottle in your toilet tank to save water with every flush. Conserve that H₂O!

9. Start a garden: Gardening will not only save you money on buying the fruits and veggies you love, but will provide the freshest and most delicious organic produce. Ask around your neighborhood for extra seeds or tools they are no longer using and save even more!

10. Go Fuel-Efficient: If you're looking to get a new car, try a hybrid or something more fuel efficient than your SUV. If you're not looking to get a car, something you can do now is to use cruise-control in your own vehicle. This saves gas and is better on your brakes.

For more tips on going green and saving money, check out TheDailyGreen.com.

Check out the original post on ASKinyourface.com.