Want to do something good for the environment but unwilling to give up your car, grow your own vegetables or start living off the electrical grid? Relax. Doing something good for the environment is easier than you might think and can actually save you money, too. We spoke to local experts on how you can make your lifestyle a little greener.
“The easiest steps to take are those that are practical as well [environmentally friendly], whether they’ll save you money or improve the health of you and your family,” said Jenna Rose, of A Fresh Squeeze, whose bi-weekly emails give subscribers practical ways to live more sustainably. “It’s easiest to start with those first and progress on to the acts that require more of a sacrifice later on.”
1. Bottle your own water
A bottle of Aquafina at the office vending machine often costs $1.25 or more. Add to that the cost the environment and that drink is a lot more taxing than you think. According to Stephen Bell of the Chicago City for Green Technology, a city agency that promotes “green” homes, workplaces and communities, it takes three times the amount of water you’re buying to produce just the container. The stuff you get out of your tap, he adds, is likely as good as or better than what you buy in a bottle. Adding a filter to your tap or buying a Britta water pitcher can give you filtered water at home. For drinks on the go, you can buy a reusable plastic bottle from Nalgene for about $10. Some people favor aluminum bottles, such as those made by Sigg, which run between $15 and $20 and last longer than plastic bottles.
2. Shop vintage
When you’re shopping for your first apartment or looking to cheaply furnish your guest room, it can be tempting to head to the nearest IKEA. But new furniture made from plywood and particle board emit volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, toxic gases that can make your living room an unhealthy environment. To avoid polluting your home, A Fresh Squeeze’s Rose recommends heading to your local flea market for second-hand furniture made from hardwood that is a lot cheaper than what you can buy new. “If you are reusing a product, you are reducing the stress on raw materials and also the energy cost of producing and transporting those materials,” Rose says. “You don’t have to track down another tree to make a chair because you’re using a chair that’s already made.”
3. Lighten up your “phantom loads”
Cell phone chargers, computers and other electronic devices continue to draw electricity even when they’re not in use, a process known as a “phantom load.” Rose recommends reducing energy usage by unplugging your cell phone charger from the outlet, plugging your computer into a powerstrip and turning your computer off when you’re done using it.
4. Drive differently
Not everyone lives in a pedestrian-friendly community or has access to public transportation, but there are ways you can improve your energy efficiency in the trips you take every day. The easiest one, Rose says, is to drive the speed limit, which improves your fuel efficiency, lets you spend less money on gas and reduces your carbon emissions. Rose also suggests planning your trips in advance to link your errands together, thereby reducing the number of single trips you make.
Joining a carpool or starting one yourself is another way to save money on gas. At www.erideshare.com and www.carpoolworld.com, you can connect with other people looking to swap rides in the Chicago region and offer your own car up for use.
For those who live in Oak Park, Evanston and the Chicago city limits, the I-GO car sharing service is another option for eliminating or reducing the cost of car ownership. Using figures from the American Automobile Association of Chicago, a 40-mile round-trip commute costs $21.27 per day, $638 a month and $7,657 annually. These figures include gas, maintenance, tires, insurance and more. Members of I-GO pay a one-time membership fee of $75 and a minimum driving fee of $6 an hour and 50 cents a mile, including gas.
5. Eat your vegetables
During the summer season, farmer’s markets are a great way to save money on food, do something good for the earth and get all your vitamins and minerals. “A lot of times you can find organic produce that’s reasonable compared with what you can find at a traditional grocery store,” Rose said. Additionally, the shorter the distance a potato is transported from field to table, the better it is for the environment and the fresher it is. Most towns in the Chicago area have weekly markets. To locate one by zipcode, you can check out www. localharvest.org.
Another way to eat more vegetables is to join a community supported agricultural cooperative. New Leaf Natural Grocery store in Rogers Park delivers boxes of organic produce to homes from Wilmette to the South Loop. A mixed box, including foods such as kale, mushrooms, lettuce, bananas, mangoes, and strawberries costs as little as $15 a week for a one- to two-person household – a cost savings of 25 to 50 percent over a traditional grocery store, according to owner Steve Parkes. “We try to keep it varied and interesting,” he said. “It makes it nice for our customers to eat a lot of different kinds of foods that they wouldn’t ordinarily eat.”
Eating a vegetarian meal a couple of times a week can make a difference, too. The energy cost of planting, fertilizing and harvesting the corn to feed the cow that becomes your $6.50 sirloin steak dinner could be reduced if you chose beans over beef just once a week.
6. Change it up
You’ve heard this one before, but it bears repeating. Bell, from the Chicago Center for Green Technology, says compact florescent lightbulbs use up to 66 percent less energy than regular incandescent bulbs, last up to ten times longer and can save up to $30 in energy costs over the lifetime of the bulb. That can be a bright spot on your next energy bill.
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