Go Green: How To Go Green and Save Over $1,000

by Ali Kalis on April 29th, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Most of us want to become environmentally friendly and make the right choices for ourselves and our families. But sometimes it’s hard to know exactly what to do, or where to find the time to do it! Sometimes we need an extra nudge to change our eco-habits. So we roamed the hallways at Recyclebank and collected our best tips to help you go green and save green.

10 Tips to Save Money by Going Green

This Earth Month, why not try one or a few of these 10 simple tips that will help save the planet and your bank account at the same time:

	10 Tips to Save Green by Going Green	Annual Average Savings
1	Shorten Your Shower: Hop out five minutes earlier and you can save 350 pounds of CO2 emissions and nearly $100 each year.	$99
2	Sell Unused Sporting Equipment: Collect your unused treadmill, in-line skates and soccer equipment collecting dust in the basement and turn it into cash. Just bring your old sports equipment to Play it Again Sports (locations across the country) and they will determine the value of your items and either pay you on the spot or let you trade in for something else.	$100
3	Cool it Down: Refrigerators use more electricity than any other household appliance, almost five times more than the average TV. Setting your refrigerator between 37°F and 40°F will keep your food stored at a safe temperature without wasting energy. By using a programmable thermostat, you can save up to $150 each year on your energy bill.	$150
4	Don't Let Good Deeds go Unrewarded: We all try to do small things every day to help the environment, but did you know your good deeds can also be rewarded? Our website Recyclebank.com is a free site where members who pledge to use less energy, learn how to increase their green activities, or simply recycle more, earn points they can use for great discounts and deals. Our members earn upwards of $133 a year in reward value—including huge money-saving coupons for Kashi, Honest Tea and Stonyfield Yogurt. Use your coupons during store sales and you can often get items for free.	$130
5	Recycle Old Electronics: Don’t just shove them in a bottom drawer or toss them in the trash; you can recycle old electronics for cash and avoid additional strain on the planet. Sites like Yourenew.com will pay you for laptops, cell phones, chargers and other items. Even older electronics still have parts of value.	$125
6	Smartly Sell Your Books: There are lots of websites that buy used books, but how do you know what your books are REALLY worth? One site may offer to buy your Steinbeck for a buck, while another could be willing to offer $20. Bookscouter.commakes it easy: simply type in the ISBN code from your book and it automatically scans all book buying sites for the best deal. Spend a rainy weekend with your old novels and you could re-coup tons of money.	$50
7	Power Down: Your home entertainment center can use up to 10 percent of your home's overall energy, even when the devices are turned off but still plugged in. But unplugging your TV, DVD player and other devices can be difficult to do every night. New power strips now feature a remote control that you simply flip to turn off the power. By doing this each time you turn off your TV, you can save up to $200 a year in energy costs.	$200
8	Use the Library: The average American family spends about $118 on reading materials. Why not visit your local library and get your books for free! Or start a book share with your neighbors and take turns reading bestsellers and classics.	$118
9	Sell Outgrown Clothes: The average American throws out 68 pounds of clothes a year, and most of it is children’s clothes. Gently used kids clothing can be resold through a free service called ThredUp. On average, a user gets about $10 for each box or $20 for each bag you fill with gently used clothes. They do all the work: sending you the box, sorting, selling and finding a buyer for your clothes. All you do is mail it in and wait for your check.	$50 (for two bags and a box)
10	Start a Garden: It takes 18 years for one corn cob to decompose in a landfill, but only a couple of months in a compost pile! Create a compost pile in your backyard or get a green bin from your local garbage man if you don’t have one already. The backyard compost pile is a great activity for the whole family—once it turns to soil, kids can help plant a garden. You can actually save hundreds of dollars a year by growing your own veggies. Check outinfo on how to get started.	$200
	TOTAL SAVED AND EARNED:	$1,222

What are you doing to save money in your family?

Picture courtesy of Flickr.

Ali Kalis is the senior director of digital marketing at Recyclebank, the company that rewards people for taking everyday green actions. Ali has always had a personal interest in social entrepreneurship, sustainability and healthy living, and holds a certificate in integrated nutrition as well as an MBA. She and her photographer husband, Amani, live in Brooklyn with their young son, Satchel, and miniature pincher, Jinx.