Feeling helpless against the recession and climate change? No need to be. One can perform simple lifestyle changes that will not only battle climate change but expand your personal savings as well. Patti Prairie, CEO of Brighter Planet, suggests 10 doable steps that will save you a whopping $2500 and a total CO2 emissions reduction of 19,419 lbs. a year.
1. Reduce, reuse, recycle: Buy less or reuse items. When you do buy something, go for bargains or discounts. Do trade-ins for non-essentials, or donate them to charity or thrift shops. Save $564 (2902 lbs).
2. Drive with efficiency: You can extend the life of your car and reduce CO2 emissions by driving smoothly, keeping your tires inflated always, reducing idling, and driving below 55 mph. Save $385 (2882 lbs).
3. Reduce air travel: Land travel is the way to go. If flying is inevitable, choose daytime, economy class, and direct, non-stop flights to trim your emissions. Replace air travel with Web, phone or video conferencing once a year. Save $347 (2492 lbs).
4. Laundry changes: Cut your wash-and-dry laundry load by half. Just wash the other half with cold water and hang to dry. Save $287 (322 lbs).
5. Eat less meat: Cut your carnivorous intake to just 3 times a week. Save $285 (1107 lbs).
6. Commute: Twice a week, you can commute, take public transportation, or carpool. Save $276 (1177 lbs).
7. Save water: Switch to inexpensive shorter showers or use low-flow shower heads to conserve water. Save $194 (2123 lbs).
8. Light up: Change your lighting with compact fluorescent bulbs to conserve energy. Save $188 (1429 lbs).
9. Heating and cooling: Install a programmable thermostat for heating/cooling efficiency. Save up to $131 (1413 lbs).
10. Power use: To conserve power and lengthen the life of your appliances, make use of power strips, power management settings on your PC, and unplug charges. Save $64 (743 lbs).
