Below are some fast, money saving things that you can do to help ensure that there is an enjoyable planet for generations to come. Remember, small consistent improvements are
the name of the game. If you try to do
too much you’ll get overwhelmed won’t stick with anything. Below are the winners of the top ten easiest
ways to save money and conserve energy while reducing you’re CO2 emissions.

1. Washing
Laundry in Cool Water with Eco-friendly detergents. Except for items
that you are afraid have “cooties” that a good dose of detergent won’t kill,
setting your washer to cool water works just fine. A trip to your local health-food store will
undoubtedly provide you some alternative detergents that are not harmful to the
environment.

For
the real enthusiasts who like to save money, here are a few home-made remedies
that can replace the toxic cleaning products that most of us are used to using.

Ø
Baking Soda

A commonly available mineral full of many cleaning attributes, baking soda is
made from soda ash, and is slightly alkaline (it’s pH is around 8.1; 7 is
neutral). It neutralizes acid-based odors in water, and adsorbs odors from the
air. Sprinkled on a damp sponge or cloth, baking soda can be used as a gentle
nonabrasive cleanser for kitchen counter tops, sinks, bathtubs, ovens, and
fiberglass. It will eliminate perspiration odors and even neutralize the smell
of many chemicals if you add up to a cup per load to the laundry. It is a
useful air freshener, and a fine carpet deodorizer.

Ø White Vinegar and Lemon Juice

White vinegar and lemon juice are acidic—they neutralize alkaline substances
such as scale from hard water. Acids dissolve gummy buildup, eat away tarnish,
and remove dirt from wood surfaces.

Ø Mold Killers and
Disinfectants For a substance to be registered by the EPA as a
disinfectant it must go through extensive and expensive tests. EPA recommends
simple soap to use as a disinfectant There are many essential oils, such as
lavender, clove, and tea tree oil (an excellent natural fungicide), that are
very antiseptic, as is grapefruit seed extract, even though they aren’t
registered as such. Use one teaspoon of essential oil to 2 cups of water in a
spray bottle (make sure to avoid eyes). A grapefruit seed extract spray can be
made by adding 20 drops of extract to a quart of water.

2. Hang Dry Your Laundry whenever
possible- use a wooden hang rack. A
search under “wooden drying rack” will bring up some great options in most
major search engines. It may seem like
taking a step backward, but we’re really taking a step forward in securing the
future of our environment. And not only
is it free, hang drying your laundry vs. using a dryer will save you money.

3. Letting your
Dishes Air Dry in the dishwasher
instead of heat drying. If you have a
dishwasher and usually hand wash, you may want to reconsider. Believe it or not, because they recycle
water, dishwashers can use less water than handwashing, if you use the
water/energy saving modes.

4. Close Vents
and Doors of vacant rooms and closing the damper in your fireplace- otherwise you could be losing up to 9% of your homes’ hot
or cool air. Just taking this simple
step will improve
your energy efficiency.

5. Turn off the
AC, whenever possible, and use ceiling fans
or a room fan to save up to ½ of your power bill.

6. Buy Energy
Star Appliances when it’s time to
buy or now if you want to start using less energy. Many utility companies offer
rebates for purchasing energy star items, go to our **MONEY SAVING HOTLINK: www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=rebate.rebate_locator
to see if an appliance you need qualifies for a rebate.

7. Program Your Thermostat if it allows, or consider investing in 1. Programmable thermostats automatically adjust
your home’s temperature settings, allowing you to save energy while you’re away
or sleeping. They:

·
are more convenient
and accurate than manual thermostats and improve your home’s comfort

·
contain no mercury

·
save energy and
save money on utility bills – when used properly, about $100/year

·
are better for the environment, since using less energy helps reduce
greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy production.

8. Replace
incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. This could save you
over $28 per light bulb over its’ lifespan. **MONEY
SAVING HOT LINK: http://www.energyfederation.org- go here to order compact fluorescent
light bulbs from $5-$12 (much lower than most retail stores). Try to order in bulk to cut down on shipping
energy usage.

9. Inspect, clean, or change air filters once a month in your central air conditioner, furnace,
and/or heat pump. Your contractor can show you how to do this. A dirty filter
can increase energy costs and damage your equipment, leading to early failure.

10. Install low-flow
showerheads…I know we hate to
give up our water pressure, but pretend you’re on some exotic island and you
only have low-flow water- big deal right? : )
You can save 10%-15% of your power bill as well as conserve
15,000-25,000 gallons of water a year, depending on the size of your
household.

If
you’re really using your noodle, you may want to consider using a low-flow
showerhead that is also a filter that will filter out many of the chemicals
present in most water today. Once your
skin and hair feel this softer water you might get over the lower water
pressure.

Apply these tips to
your life and you can immediately begin to help heal the planet by reducing
your CO² emissions all while saving money! You can’t beat it!

Don’t forget to
tune in to goingGREEN.tv for more Earth and Money Saving Tips.

Listen to New Dawn, my song about saving Mother Earth!