Green is the new pink, and everyone is talking about it. Politicians debate it. Car companies are rolling out hybrids. Even Tyra Banks transports her models in a green van.
The pressure is mounting for us all to grow an environmental conscience. But in a world of bottom lines and dollar signs, climate control and global warming are expensive issues, ones the average bank account cannot solve.
Still, why focus on the money we don’t have when we can focus on the money we can save? In fact, the simplest way to go green and to actually save green is to start with your home.
If you aren’t ready to swap your SUV for a hybrid or rip up your roof for solar panels, don’t despair. There are other simple, money-saving ways to lace your home and lifestyle in green. For example, recycle. Little else can be added to the benefits of recycling that people don’t already know (it’s free, reduces waste in landfills and saves trees to name a few).
But the best contribution to conservation is to reduce household consumption and increase energy efficiency. Because the simple fact remains; the more utilities you use in your home, the more you pay for it.
Every day the average person uses roughly 60-70 gallons of water between shower and toilet use and other routine activities. While there is no need to resurrect an outhouse, the water crisis in the South should prove that every state and every home needs to conserve water. Consider installing low-flow shower heads and kitchen faucet aerators to cut back on water flow, or shortening shower times and installing energy-conserving laundry washers. Even setting up barrels to catch rainwater for watering plants, shrubs and flowers can save some bucks. Practice this type of conservation, and watch your water bill plummet!
Similarly, reducing household use of electricity will save cash in the long run. Simply remembering to turn off a light when you leave the room or unplugging the computer from the wall after it has been shut down can decrease the amount of electricity you use in your home, and therefore the amount of your bill.
Replacing your light bulbs with energy-saving compact fluorescent lighting also saves you money – they 30 percent less energy but produce the same amount of light and last much longer. Residential electricity consumption accounts for almost 15 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. By cutting every household’s use, we go a long way toward reducing that number.
Finally, at the risk of sounding cliché, drive less. Carbon dioxide produces 60 percent of the greenhouses gases which contribute to global warming.
Although you may not want to give up the security of your SUV, perhaps you can be persuaded to drive it less, or trade it in for the hybrid version? Carpool, take a walk or break out that bike. Not only will you be saving mileage and gas money, but you can save yourself that dreaded trip to the gym.
There are those who claim global warming is a natural earth evolution, or that it is a problem that “little people” cannot fix. Maybe this is true, and separating your papers from your plastics won’t save the planet – but then again, how can it hurt?
We don’t all think green, but if each household hops on the environmental bandwagon and reduces their household emissions of waste and exhaust, as well as consumption of water and electricity, perhaps we can speed up the process of growing a collective green conscience and save a little money in the process. •
Rob Harrington is the founder and chairman of Southborough, Mass.-based OptHome (www.OptHome.com), a homeowner support and resource program. He has been immersed in real estate brokerage, development, commercial property management and investment for more than 20 years.
