Weijun Gao is a Toronto resident who has a passion for the planet and living green. His website www.greennature.ca is full of great tips and helpful advice on everything you need to know about living green. Below are some quick tips from Gao to help kick-start you going green and save money in the process.
* Turn off lights, TVs, computers, network devices and cellphones when not in use. Turning off network devices can also reduce risks of being attacked by hackers.
* Print only when necessary and print on both sides.
* Repair leaks and reduce running water use.
* Use energy-efficiency light bulbs, TVs, water tank, furnace and appliances.
* Open your windows rather than using the air conditioner in the summer.
* Recycle more, reduce plastic bags use.
* Walk more, drive less. Walk to grocery stores and parks whenever possible. It's great exercise, too.
To lower energy consumption and your bills, these things are easy to do:
* If you don't have a programmable thermostat, then buy one and lower the thermostat by a few degrees during the winter.
* Seal out the cold by weather-proofing your home.
* Don't use the dryer. Hang your clothes to dry. In the winter, this helps to humidify the air.
Watching what foods you buy can help you keep your grocery bill down and be more environmentally friendly. Keep in mind, healthier and more environmentally friendly foods don't necessarily mean more expensive.
* Avoid buying food products with excessive packaging. Many junk foods have excessive packaging.
* Buy locally whenever possible. The less food miles, the less the carbon footprint.
* Try not to buy things you don't need because they are on sale as it wastes money, time and space.
You can also save money and help the environment by using homemade cleaning products instead of store-bought, chemical-laden cleaners. Vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice and cola can also be used as cleaning products. For example:
* White vinegar can be used to kill molds and bacteria and can be used as a natural cleaning product.
* Baking soda can be used to scrub surfaces and wash fruits.
* Lemon juice can be used to dissolve hard-water deposits.
* Cola can be used as rust cleaner.
* Shopping smart for everything you need to buy ensures you make your dollar stretch as far as it can go. Look at flyers, compare prices at different stores, look online, check the availability on a store's website or make a phone call before you drive to the store
Choosing different transportation methods will help the planet and save you money:
* Think about daily traffic jams on highways and local roads and imagine the emissions these jams produce. How much more can our planet take?
* Walking, biking, taking public transit and carpooling can all save money and help the planet.
Going green can be easy and effective. Start with simple things and spend some time thinking about what it means to go green in your life and home. Think about what you can do to save money and have a greener and healthier lifestyle and do it. Keep your green spirit high and try to enjoy what you're doing. Eventually, you will have a green habit that's saving you money while helping our planet.