Thinking about making some green changes to your life and as a result helping the environment? We may love the idea of saving money, but here are some tips that could save you money, possibly improve your health and be eco friendly at the same time.
Donate your old glasses
Maybe your old prescription lenses are not fashionable anymore, but they can help millions of people with eyesight issues. Only 13% of visual impaired people live in developed countries, which means a significant number live in countries that don't have easy access to the correct support. By donating unwanted prescription lenses you can give the gift of sight to someone else. Old glasses are clearly not the major pollution source, but giving away this item gives you an extra good feeling.
Save the rain water in a storage barrel
It is probably not the best idea to drink rain water, but it can be great for watering your garden or washing driveway. There is a huge offer of barrels in shops, or you can create your own.
Drying your clothes the environmentally way - in the great outdoors
Our mothers and grandmothers hung their washing out and they didn't have any concerns with it. Hanging clothes outdoors keeps them fresh and smelling nice, is eco friendly and saves money. Individuals worry that they many be judged unfavourably if they put washing outdoors and are uneasy people may think less of them. All I can say is 'don't be ashamed', being eco friendly is the in thing; so set a great example and be proud of being green.
Take a bath less frequently, shower more
Health troubles can be created by bathing and showering too much or for long periods of time; apart from that your bills will jump up and heating of water consumes lots of energy. Chlorinated water is fine to drink, but when you breathe the chlorine from the hot shower steam, you inhale chlorine in somewhat high concentrations which are a risk to your health. Another great idea is to use an attachment on your shower that cuts down the amount of water you use.
Share transport with one or two work mates
Car sharing is not a new thing and it is promoted by authorities, but many car owners still don't do it through lack of incentive or knowledge. Unfortunately, as a Toronto lofts realtor I have to drive a lot. Commuters who use their cars for work are said to drive about 20 km each day. By teaming up with a friend you could save about 170 litres of fuel a year which is a lot of money and it protects the environment by cutting carbon dioxide by around 400kg over the same period. Some business's have a car sharing scheme already set up which is worth checking into, if not try and set one up yourself; ask people to see who would be interested in saving money.