10 Simple ways to jump start eco-friendly lifestyle without spending a dime

In recent times, a lot has been said and written about leading a natural and Eco-friendly lifestyle. It is truly encouraging to see the increased awareness about buying organic products and reusing resources to reduce our carbon foot print.

Yet, there are many mis-conceptions about environment conscious living. Many think it is some fancy lifestyle popular only among the affluent people because most of the ‘green’ products cost more than other comparable options.

But, in reality there are many simple ways to go Eco-friendly without spending big bucks. These are small actions in our daily routine which add up fast to make a significant contribution to the environment. We just need the motivation to make a small effort.

1 - Remember to switch off the electronic appliances

This is one of the simplest efforts to reduce the carbon footprint and one of the least followed initiative. Most of us are busy in daily chores and remembering to switch off the appliances takes a back seat. Most electronic gadgets should not only be switched off but also be unplugged to get maximum energy saving. According to a new survey by Pike Research, the average consumer has 2.8 unused electronic devices sitting around the house.

Make it fun, involve your kids and reward them every time they take the initiative. You can award them some green points which can be redeemed over the weekend for some actual goodies. This will encourage the new generation to be conscious of making a positive impact on the environment.

2 - Don’t waste food

We all have probably been guilt in this area on some occasion. This is something we need to do every day in our daily routine. Food is a resource and there are many who don’t get enough to satisfy their basic hunger. We can plan our lunch meals, re use the home left-overs and encourage the practice of taking small servings of food to avoid wastage.

A lot of this waste comes from our kids who do not understand the bigger context of not wasting food. A little guidance from us and some basic house rules will not only make it fun but also inculcate a life-long good habit.

3 - Cut down on paper usage

Paper is a non-renewable resource and even though it is an integral part of modern lifestyle, it’s use needs to be reduced to minimum. Simplest way to reduce is to re-use and thankfully paper can be used for multiple purposes before finally getting dumped in trash. When printing use both sides, when writing use all available margin and when cleaning use old newspapers to soak water instead of paper towels. There are many more small uses that we can extract from a single piece of paper.

Another way is to shift to online world as much as possible. Make online notes, go for electronic bills, read articles online without printing a physical copy and reduce the printer only to the unavoidable situations.

Also, educate kids in the family to be conscious of paper usage and encourage them to find new usage for their used craft papers, class projects and old notebooks.

4 - Use Energy saving lights

Start with one bulb at a time. If every household replaced just three 60-watt incandescent bulbs with energy efficient bulbs, the pollution savings would be equivalent to taking 3.5 million cars off the road!

For example, energy-saving compact fluorescent lights(CFs) in the 15-watt range can replace a 60-watt incandescent as it uses only a fraction of the electricity.This means lower electricity bills and millions of tons less global warming pollution. Adding to the benefit is the fact that in summer, it will lower the cooling bills because these lights don't burn as hot as incandescent bulbs.

Some may complain that energy efficient bulbs are way costlier than the regular ones but we need to remember that typical incandescent bulbs last only 1,000 to 2,000 hours, while some estimates quote CFs work fine from 25,000 to 50,000 hours. Also, look for the Energy Star Label as it serves as an assurance that the product saves energy and prevents pollution.

5 - Recycle Resources at home

This is another simple initiative which is limited only by our creativity. Some examples are to recycle clothes among kids, re-use furniture by using slip-covers or using fresh coat of paint and better use existing space with space saving organization solutions. If you do use plastic bags, recycle them as waste bag for trash can use, this will reduce the plastic purchased for your trash uses.

Whenever possible we should walk, bike, car pool, or use mass transit. Every gallon of gasoline we save avoids 22 pounds of CO2 emissions. If our car gets 25 miles per gallon, for example, and we reduce your annual driving from 12,000 to 10,000 miles, we will save 1800 pounds of CO2.

If you have things that are disposable but can be used by someone else, arrange garage sale, sell on 'eBay' or simply do a barter trade with your friends. The idea is to fully exhaust existing options before buying anything new.

6 - Cut down on usage of plastic bags

It is no secret that plastic is the biggest evil in the era of modern lifestyle. The production of plastic bags requires petroleum and often natural gas, both non-renewable resources. An estimated 8 billion pounds of plastic bags, wraps and sacks enter the waste stream every year in the US alone, putting an unnecessary burden on our diminishing landfill space and causing air pollution if incinerated.

In a landfill, plastic bags take up to 1,000 years to degrade. When it breaks down into tiny bits, it contaminates our soil and water. A 2001 paper by Japanese researchers reported that plastic debris acts like a sponge for toxic chemicals, soaking up a million fold greater concentration of such deadly compounds as PCBs and DDE (a breakdown product of the notorious insecticide DDT), than the surrounding seawater. These turn into toxic gut bombs for marine animals which frequently mistake these bits for food.

7 - 'Give away' or 'Sell' used article for reuse

There is a high chance of your waste being an item of use for someone else. We can sell off disposable products online (eBay, Craigslist) and generate some cash. Another way is the old fashioned garage sale which still remains very effective.

But, in case you want to make a donation, some respectable organizations include ‘Goodwill’ and ‘The Salvation Army’. Both have hundreds of national drop-off locations. The items you donate get sold to the community, and the proceeds go to rehabilitation centers.

Also, donation gets you tax benefits. Up to $500 worth of material goods can be deducted without a receipt. If you go over $500, you will need a receipt to file along with Form 8283. But if you go beyond $5,000, you will need to get the item or items professionally appraised to qualify for a tax write-off.

For making the donation without leaving your house, go online and try 'www.FreeCycle.org'. Simply open a free account and post you item on the message boards. Finally, you set a time for the interested party to pick up your stuff and that’s it.

8 - Cut down on electricity usage

Whenever we save energy, we not only save money, we also reduce the demand for such fossil fuels as coal, oil, and natural gas. Energy consumption can be reduced in many different ways but these small tips regarding our favorite appliances will make a huge difference.

Washing machine - Switching from hot to warm for two loads per week can save nearly 500 pounds of CO2 per year if you have an electric water heater, or 150 pounds for a gas heater.

Heater - Lowering your thermostat just two degrees during winter saves 6 percent of heating-related CO2 emissions. That's a reduction of 420 pounds of CO2 per year for a typical home.

Dishwasher – Use a cold wash unless it's absolutely necessary to use hot. Turn it off just before the drying cycle. Clean dishes can be left to dry or wiped dry. Not using heat in the drying cycle can save 20 percent of your dishwasher's total electricity use.

Water Heater - Turn down your thermostat. Thermostats are often set to 140 degrees F when 120 is normally fine. Each 10 degree reduction saves 600 pounds of CO2 per year for an electric water heater, or 440 pounds for a gas heater. If every household turned its water heater thermostat down 20 degrees, we could prevent more than 45 million tons of annual CO2 emissions.

Refrigerator - Do not set freezing temperatures lower than necessary as this wastes as much electricity as excessive heat. Also, opening and closing the refrigerator door needlessly lets warm air in and makes the refrigerator work harder. Simply try to remove several items at once to avoid this waste. Also, allow enough space around the refrigerator for air circulation. Since air carries heat away from the fridge, if air cannot circulate the fridge will not work efficiently

9 - Get creative with kid toys

Anyone who has kids knows how toys start showing up in each and every nook and corner in our house. We as parents happen to be a major part of the problem. Buying toys for our kids is self gratifying and not to mention the eye catching options luring us in toy stores.

Before buying another plastic toy, think about using existing toy in a new way or giving safe household items for pretend play. Kids are known to enjoy playing with pots, pans, books, baskets, adult clothes, etc. Not only does this avoid buying more plastic but also encourages creativity and learning skills in kids.

Another successful idea is to hide some existing toys and keep recycling them over time. This keeps them fresh and engaging for the kids and also reduces the clutter in the house.

10 - Stay away from negative actions

By thinking and saying positive words, we create positive energy around us. This positive energy helps people to make the right decisions that are good for them, the society and the environment. Negative words bring out selfishness, ego and irresponsibility.

With our planet fighting a war with us for survival of its own resources, we all need to make efforts to become more responsible, selfless and eco-friendly.