Cheap and Easy: The Green Way

Everyone at a university is at least aware of the impact that their consuming habits have on the environment, but few people actually take any steps to make a difference. If a failing environment is not enough to convince people to use wisely and put some thought into the waste they produce then perhaps a failing economy will do the trick. This is just a reminder of the personal economic impact of the waste we each produce. Poverty may be the thing to give us the push we need to lessen our combined environmental foot-print.
When many if not most university students go to the grocery store many of us go for what ever is easiest, not thinking of the long term, perhaps this is a sign of naive youth. The most obvious way to save money while helping the environment is walking to the store instead of driving. I know, this is obvious and for most people walking to the store is not an option. But for many of us walking is an option that we simply choose not to use because it is easier to just hop in the car. Everyone knows that cars are expensive, this is more about the little things that wear away at your cash.
A six pack of paper towel costs from $6.00 on sale to like $11.50 for the good stuff. This is money that is lost once you spend it. The average paper towel use uses two sheets, and there are about 50 sheets in the average roll of paper towel. Each roll of paper towel can be used to clean, then, an average of 25 small messes, and if you spent $8.00 on the package that is 150 messes a package at just over fivecents a clean up. That is five cents that is lost and you will never get back. Even when you get the cheapest kind of paper towel all money spent is lost, not to mention that if you get the cheep kind you would need a lot more to clean up the same mess. A more economically sound choice is to buy a bundle of cotton rags, on http://www.allrags.com/cotton_mixed.htm . You can pick up a 50lb bag of cotton rags for $30. If we assume that each rag will weigh about ounce there will be over 700 uses from that one $30 purchase. Alright, that is four cents each, the first time through. BUT WAIT! It is not only less expensive per clean-up, they are also washable. If you take the cloths and throw them into the laundry hamper instead of the garbage can you can wash them and use them over and over again for next to nothing! So you are not only saving the environment by producing less waste, you are saving money. Using cloth rags is like having FREE paper towel around the house. Who knew?
Zip lock bags are another wasteful product that is more expensive than its more environmentally conscious alternative. Zip lock bags are about $2.70 a box, and there are 20 bags in the box. It is costing you over 13 cents a bag. Why waste 13 cents, when for $20 you can buy a set of 24 microwave safe, freezer safe Rubbermaid containers that you can wash out and re-use for less than a penny a use? (that penny is me working in the cost of dish liquid). The initial cost of the Rubbermaid containers is less than a dollar each, so if you use them five or more times each they have more than broken even with the plastic baggies.
The last, most wasteful, and expensive product is a Swiffer. This is a no-brainer people, you have to buy a special handle, and a new mop head every time you clean the floor. You also have to buy the cleaning fluid for the special mop head. A Swiffer starter kit costs about the same as a traditional mop, except you have to pay almost a dollar every time you do the floors from then on, to pay for the over-priced mopping pad. If you buy a traditional mop and bucket there is no cost after the additional precise. As an added money saver you can use vinegar instead of floor cleaning solution. Vinegar is very cheap when you buy it in large quantities, as you would if you were using it to clean. Vinegar is also non-toxic so it will not harm your pets or children. If you have a dog, or a little human you don’t have to worry about if they go around licking the floors and counters.
So there you have it - living a greener life by eliminating some disposable products from your life can save you some real money. It is the beginning of the year and that means that it is the best time to try to make a change in your life. Every change makes a difference, even small ones. Once you start to change and see how easy it really is to live a greener life, I’m sure that you and your bank account will be much better off.