How to Save the Planet and Not Go Broke:

When I mention being ‘environmentally friendly’, most people assume that there is some ridiculous cost involved. Especially being students, we can understand that making every dollar count is of the utmost importance. On the contrary, being environmentally aware has a lot to do with limiting consumption.

Naturally, the less we find ourselves consuming, whether it’s energy, food, clothing, or other seemingly unimportant items, the more we are helping the environment and keeping it from slowly deteriorating until it can no longer support our lavish lifestyles. We are here to give some handy ideas for not only saving you money in the long run, but also helping to limit your impact on the planet.

First on the list is to limit your water use. This can be as easy as turning off your faucet while you brush your teeth or shave. Shorter showers are your friend! Set yourself a reasonable limit for how long you think you actually need to be in the shower. Wash your clothes in larger loads of laundry, and not just to clean your favorite shirt. Putting a brick or other solid object in your toilet tank can also help to save water. If you’re feeling especially proactive, you can collect rainwater for things such as watering your plants. Other useful water conservation tips can be found here. When we waste water we are literally allowing our money to disappear down the drain.

Next up is to buy second hand. Thrift stores are a wonderful source for even the most random items you may find yourself needing. Clothes, dishes, furniture, and all sorts of other things can be found at your local thrift store or vintage shop. This also means that recycling your old stuff is important as well. Recycling isn’t only relevant for things like paper, plastic and glass. Drop off your old, unwanted clothes and other stuff at a local Salvation Army or goodwill store as there are several people who can benefit from your hand-me-downs.

Finally, eating smart is not only about paying attention to what you put in your body, but also where it comes from. If you’re not much of a cook and spend a lot of time eating out, try thinking about how much money you could save by learning a few cheap, healthy and easy to make meals. Cheap, Healthy, Good is a blog that caters to you folk, with plenty of different meal suggestions. It is also worth knowing that lamb, beef, and some types of cheeses are high both in carbon emissions and price point, so finding alternatives is a good thing. You can also help your community by buying locally sourced food, while significantly reducing your food carbon footprint.

That’s all for now, but in no way is that all you can do. There are tons of resources on the net that provide information on environmentally friendly products and steps that you can take to lessen your impact. Remember, this is the only Earth we have, and once it’s gone, there are no alternatives.

Check out Green Money Saving Tips by the Huffington Post for more money saving tips, and naturalhealthcare.ca’s article on environmentally friendly clothing options  for more useful information.