If you use reusable bags and ride your bike to work, then your life is green! You know that every small step counts in protecting the environment. We’ll give you seven free tips on how to help the planet and save money at the same time.
1. Eliminate spam
Every year, over 100 million trees are destroyed to keep your inbox full of things you don’t really need. Worse still, according to the website 41pounds.org, you personally spend 70 hours a year processing your mail. Stop this madness! What can be done? Maximize electronic document flow. Go to the post office and ask them not to put free prospectuses and flyers in your mailbox. Do not subscribe to your favorite glossy magazine next year – all worthy publications have their own website with the same content. Ask the management company to send you a receipt for utilities by e-mail and pay taxes in your personal account.
2. Sell unwanted books
If you have accumulated cookbooks that are unlikely to be used again, collected works of classics reverently obtained by our grandmothers, or detective stories worth reading only once, pass this legacy on to someone else. You won’t get rich by selling old books (although, who knows, your library may have valuable copies), but you will give someone a chance to become the owner of the publication again. Giving a second life to an old book can reduce the need for a new one.
3. Recycle all waste
Empty plastic bottles and cans are the easy part of the job. Most cities already have separate containers for household waste. But what about an old cast-iron battery or an outdated laptop or mobile phone? You may not know, but there are firms that are interested in such things. Look for ads for buying scrap metal, and unnecessary equipment will go to parts. Before you throw away any thing, you should think about the options for its disposal.
4. Use natural home cleaning products
Vinegar, baking soda are not only culinary products, but also effective cleaning products without harmful chemical components. Vinegar can be used to clean coffee makers, dishwashers, mopping floors, and even removing mold from walls. Baking soda is great for cleaning tea stains on mugs, it can also be used to clean garden tools and fight bad smells in cabinets and carpets. Apple cider vinegar is both a laundry detergent and a cleaner for gold jewelry.
5. Share excess clothes and food
As the old adage goes, one man’s rubbish is another’s treasure. We take an example from the West and arrange a “garage sale”. Clothes that are already small, DVDs, unnecessary kitchen utensils, a vase that has nowhere to put – all this can come in handy in the neighbors’ household. If something remains unattached, then you can always take things to a charitable organization. The same applies to food. From over-purchased products, you can cook a large portion of a delicious dish before they go bad, and invite friends to come with their culinary experiments to an impromptu feast. By the way, groups have appeared on social networks where you can attach products that you have more than you need in the refrigerator.
6. Reuse items
An empty tin can or bag from a long loaf can be reused. It is easy to clean the jar and store stationery items or buttons in it. And for creative natures, this trifling little thing can become the basis for decor. You can throw small garbage into an empty bag before leaving the house or wrap a sandwich for work. Reusing plastic bags is not a stingy thing, but a small contribution to the big cause of saving the environment.
7. Rational use of vegetables and fruits
After making the juice, collect the pulp and use it to fertilize the plants. When vegetables are minced for stir-frying, onion and garlic husks, celery roots, fennel leaves, and more will be left over to make vegetable broth. Store this waste in the refrigerator until you reach the required amount. Vegan chef Jesse Miner recommends brewing this natural broth with a sprig of fresh herbs and peppercorns.