Here’s how:

Go Green                                                             Save Money

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb ………………            $5 – $10/yr per bulb

Reusable Water Bottle ……………………………           $ 500/yr on bottled water

Take Lunch to Work …………………………………      $1560/yr on throwaway lunch stuff

Programmable Thermostat ………………………           $150/yr on home heating/cooling

Low Flow Shower Heads, H2O Saving Toilets …           $72/yr on water heating, wasting

Smart Power Strip ……………………………………..     $94/yr on energy for electronics

Window and Door Weather Stripping …………            $129/yr on home heating/cooling

Improve Car Fuel Economy –
upgrade from 20 mph to 35 mph …………..            $884/yr on gasoline
drive “smart” ……………………………….               $600/yr

Skip One Driving Trip Each Week …………                   $225/yr on gasoline

Energy Star Washing Machine ………………                $50/yr on water heating
(plus 7,000 gallons H2O)

Make-at-Home Cleansers …………………                    $300/yr on cleansers

Total ……………………………           $3,690/yr

PLUS: Swap, Trade Using Freecycle.org, EBay, Craig’s List – more $$$$$

For years, naysayers have claimed that “being eco is too expensive.” Not any more.

Want more ideas on how to shift spending to live greener and save money? Check out the One in a Million budget sheet.

The post This Earth Day, Save the Planet – and Save $4,000/yr, Too appeared first on Big Green Purse.

All of which makes for a very exciting time to have a new environmental book out – especially one that aims to make sense of what’s “green” versus what’s being “greenwashed.”  That’s the question I’ve been asked most frequently, especially during the dozens of radio interviews I’ve done since the book’s pub date March 1. Everyone wants to do something to make a difference. Not everyone knows where to start, or what purchases are really worth the money. Words like “natural,” “biodegradable,” and “eco-friendly” throw people for a loop. Do they really mean the product or service deserves Mother Nature’s green star? Not necessarily, and a big part of my job right now involves directing shoppers to certified goods that actually live up to their marketing claims.

I’ve been impressed that so many people have turned out to my book signings – given that another big concern for people who want to go green is lack of time! Most people don’t realize that being “eco” can actually simplify your life –  sometimes I need to roll out the light bulb example to prove my point (a compact fluorescent light bulb lasts ten times as long as an incandescent, so put one in and forget about it for seven years…).

Speaking of light bulbs, perhaps what’s most gratifying about the book is watching the proverbial light bulb go on behind people’s eyes when they realize how much clout their consumer power has. This has been especially true for women, most of whom haven’t realized before that, because they spend $.85 of every dollar in the marketplace, they have the power to tell manufacturers what to make (rather than constantly hear from companies about what they should buy).

If not just the book sales, but the e-mails, too, are any indication, women are glad to throw off the old cliché about “loving to shop” as they embrace their potential to become the true arbiters of the new green marketplace. What’s not to love about that?

The post EARTH DAY COUNTDOWN: The (Green) Maelstrom appeared first on Big Green Purse.