Everywhere you look these days it seems that the main message is, “go green and save money.” This is an appealing message for most people as we are constantly warned of the dire consequences of global warming out of control. People want to do their bit to help save the planet, and if they can save money at the same time, then it just obviously makes sense all round.

You can go green and save money just about anywhere. Your home is probably the most obvious place to start, but you can also do wonders with your car, in the office, out shopping, traveling on vacation, and much more. The opportunities are almost endless; going green doesn’t have to be more expensive, you can definitely go green and save money at the same time.

Your home probably leaks heat out during the winter and leaks heat in during the summer. For this reason most of us have winter heaters and summer air conditioning units. This should be the first place you investigate of how to go green and save money. Are all your windows tight? Are the door seals tight too? This is where heat can leak out and make your electricity bills soar.

If your house doesn’t have good loft insulation heat will pour out in winter and pour in during the summer. Insulation is one of the best ways to go green and save money. Your walls can have their cavities filled with insulating foam as well, all keeping the heat inside in winter and outside in summer for more comfortable living.

The water you use in the home is perhaps the easiest “go green and save money” source you have. Look for leaks first. Leaking faucets, even just the occasional drip, accounts for a lot of money wasted over time. You could waste as much as 140 gallons in a week!

Are your hot water pipes insulated? They should be if you aim to go green and save money. Insulated pipes let the hot water reach the faucets faster, thereby saving water, while you go green and save money too. Low flow toilets are another way to save water. You don’t need to flush gallons of water away every time, just what you need.

Edison was a genius, but his light bulb invention has been superceded by the new compact fluorescent light bulbs. These are bulbs that use a mere 25% of the energy that a traditional light bulb uses. They also last 10 times longer. Replace all your traditional bulbs for compact fluorescent light bulbs and instantly go green and save money!

Go green easily and start recycling. Recycling is more than rinsing the garbage out and putting it in bins on the curb or going to a center. Recycling is also done by reusing grocery bags for future shopping or poop-scooping. New uses for old items is recycling, as is composting. Searching out post-consumer recycled packaging of your favorite products is also supporting the effort. Reducing our contribution to loading up garbage barges and landfills is becoming more and more important. The less garbage we have, the less fuel is needed to transport it, the less land is swallowed in trash and the more empowered you feel doing your part for your planet.

Go green easily by recycling and get some change. Recycling in some areas is rewarded with cash and who can’t use a little extra green for going green? Many towns, county dumps and grocery stores have a cash back policy for aluminum, tin, plastic bottles, cardboard and other paper products so it’s worth checking out before tossing something to the curb. Call your local trash company, look on line or try asking at the library for information about your local programs. Most phonebooks have a section for newcomers that gives out this information so your resources are out there.

According to the EPA, over 260 million pounds of recyclable items hit the landfills every year in addition to 2 billion water bottles and 16 million gallons of recycle oil. That’s an awful lot of energy wasted making new containers that didn’t need creating. There are still far too many towns that make recycling feel like a major hassle instead of a needed task. Several areas in Washington state, as an example, charge you for home pick up of recyclables. Seattle, among a growing number of other cities and towns, has patrons just dump all their non-plant matter recycling into one bin and yard/garden waste into another. This creates jobs for the sorters and patrons feel encouraged to do their part.

Go green easily: recycle in as many ways as you can. Donate items to charities, use consignment stores, reuse jars and other containers in a new and useful way or destress and tap into your creative side. By turning rags into rugs, chipped mugs into folksy vases or wine bottles into candle holders you have lowered your stress with artistic and responsible flair. You can utilize your trash service, turn it into art or get some cash, the choices are there. We have gotten too used to tossing things out before rethinking their alternate uses. This is costly to your hard-earned paycheck and your planet.

Go green, see the light and save big.  Taking small steps to improve your planet will mean big steps toward improving your finances, your health and your community.  Most people are intimidated by the amount of information bombarding them to “go green.”   Being told “You have to become a whole new person or else” doesn’t usually sit well. They are concerned about adding new expenses or getting tangled up in high maintenance, frustrating activities. Products are coming down in price dramatically and many changes can be done at no, or very little, cost.

Go green and save big on energy bills.  The traditional 60 watt light bulb lasts 5,000 hours and costs about 50-85 cents.  That sounds pretty cheap when comparing it to a $4.00 florescent bulb.  Now look again.  That florescent bulb uses 75% less electricity to work, emits no heat and will last close to twice as long.  Count your light bulbs, multiply by that $100 and that’s how much your electric bill will drop in a year without standard bulbs.  Three-way florescent bulbs last 6,000 hours vs the standard’s 2,500 which will put another $65, per bulb, in your pocket in a year.  Since no heat is emitted, you can put a florescent bulb in a lamp that shines like a 75-100 watt standard and only be using 13 watts.  Changing over to florescent light bulbs can be done as the old ones blow out with the same positive impact.  Go to a grocery warehouse store and buy a 10-pack of bulbs for around $24.00 and you save yourself $16.00 from the retail cost.

Go green easily and save big making a few simple adjustments at your own pace.  What do YOU want to rearrange in your life?  How to save on your use of fuel running errands?  Cutting back on the amount of trash you generate?  Adding recycling into your life? Saving on clothes costs?  There are community programs and resources to help you find the way that best fits your lifestyle and most information is on line.  Get your family involved by letting the kids do some research.  Go green easily; see your own light shine.