Greenville Magazine - April 2008 - (Page 48) Save Green Go Green to by e elisabetH parrisH illustration by matt stepp 1 During warm weather, set the thermostat to the highest possible setting. Raising the temperature by just two degrees can reduce your cost up to five percent! 2 Ditch the dryer sheets and fabric softener in favor of dryer balls, running around $10 for two. Besides being reusable and cutting 6-8 boxes of dryer sheets a year (depending on how much laundry you’re doing), these balls tumble around the dryer, separating clothing and allowing air to flow more efficiently, effectively cutting the energy your dryer uses. I 3 Avoid watering your lawn on breezy days – your driveway doesn’t need it! Also, water before 8 a.m., otherwise you can lose up to 30 percent of your water due to evaporation. t’s not easy being green. Although that’s not exactly what Kermit the Frog meant when “Being Green” debuted in 1969, being environmentally savvy often takes more effort and can be more expensive than acting without the earth’s best interests in mind. But there are many things you can do to jump on the green bandwagon that are pretty simple and can even save you money. A large part of going green involves creating less waste by reusing things you already have or buying items that have already been used. For example, rather than taking your lunch in disposable paper sacks and zipper bags, reuse plastic grocery sacks (if you’re still one of those people) and invest in rubber containers that can be washed and used again.You’ll save money and reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. To track down used items you might need or to offer up some of your own, check out Web sites like Craigslist.org and Freecycle.org. These sites provide forums for people to buy, sell, trade or just give away stuff they no longer want or need. Among the items up for grabs: futons, well-worn recliners, old TVs (it seems everyone’s going HD) and countless cribs. Most of the time, as long as you’re willing to pick it up, forum members are more than happy to give it away. Even if you’re not keen on reducing waste in this way, you can still shop at used media stores and utilize the Greenville County Library System to cut the costs of DVD and book purchases. If the stuff you have is not something anyone would want to use again, but it can be recycled, don’t just throw it away – take it to your local recycling center! While recycling won’t save you money, it won’t cost you anything and sorting recyclables can become an easy habit if you keep bins in your kitchen or garage for easy separating. For more information on what and where you can recycle in Greenville, visit the Greenville County Government’s Web site, www.greenvillecounty.org. 4 If you turn off the water while you shampoo and condition your hair, you can save more than 50 gallons a week! 5 Don’t use your toilet as a trashcan. It’s outrageously wasteful, and every flush you eliminate can save between 2 and 7 gallons of water. 3 48 Greenville MaGazine | Ma azine april 2008 http://www.greenvillecounty.org
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