Going Green On A Budget

It seems that as of late, the notion of going "green" has turned into a trendy marketing ploy rather than a sincere expression of social and environmental consciousness. Everywhere you look, there's something at your local coffee shop, supermarket, car dealership, even clothing boutique, that offers an environmentally sound alternative to your generic variety -- but the green movement comes at a premium price.

You might find yourself feeling guilty, because as much as you'd like to be a responsible citizen of the world, your pockets aren't deep enough. Well, there's no reason to fret because you are entirely capable of doing your share, and at a cost that is kind on your bank account. Maybe you can't afford that expensive bag of fair trade organic coffee beans, but you can certainly do some things in your personal life to make up for it.

One area where we are inundated with countless "green" products is in the household maintenance sector. Go to your local convenience store and you'll find numbers upon numbers of dish soaps, detergents, and bathtub cleaners that claim that their brand will be less toxic on the environment. Forget the emblazoned messages on the attractive bottles and make your way over to the food aisle, where you can find non-toxic items that are just as effective at cleaning your abode than any prettily packaged formulas.

White vinegar and baking soda, for example, are indispensable for keeping your kitchen, bathroom, and windows sparkling. Vinegar disinfects and shines any surface, and baking soda is a mild abrasive that will eliminate every tough stain you can think of, from your cookware to your toilet. Hydrogen peroxide works in this capacity too, and to boot, a bit of this in your washing machine works as a safe alternative to corrosive, toxic bleach.

And how about energy efficient home products? Not all of us can afford to swap out all our functional appliances and light bulbs, but that doesn't mean we can't temper our usage of them.

For one thing, throwing out useful bulbs and appliances because they are not green is simply adding to our waste, anyway. Use them until they expire, but be sure to keep them unplugged whenever they are not in use.

If this seems impractical (imagine yourself pulling out cord after cord, and then plugging them back in, repeatedly), all you need to invest in is a power strip that has a single on/off switch. This switch is what will cut the flow of unused energy. Consolidate all your cords into a strip based on an estimate of how often you will use them, and be mindful of hitting the off switch when you're done for the day. When you see your electric bill at the end of the month, you'll see what kind of difference you've made.

In the end, there is no need to bend to any sort of guilt that you can't invest in more environmentally sound products in the commercial market. Every small action of responsible thinking factors into the collective, and this can easily be achieved through very affordable and practical means.

In fact, it can be economical enough that as you accrue saved pennies, you just might be able to afford that fair trade organic coffee in the end.