Since the start of the industrial revolution, environmental pollution has become a major problem that has impacted negatively on climate change and global warming. Governments and Non-Governmental organizations all over the world have come together to tackle this problem that seems to have gotten out of hand. In Africa, many countries including Kenya have effected a ban on plastic bags and embarked on major reforestation drives among other measures to restore the environment.
Such interventions can mean spending lots of money to implement but you can save yourself some money while trying to save the environment.
Some of the ways you can save the environment while saving money include:
Energy Retrofit Program
This involves replacing components in the system with counterparts that make it more energy efficient. LED bulbs use less energy and have fewer emissions compared to normal bulbs. Using LED bulbs in your house will not only contribute to saving the environment but also save you money on your electricity bills and cost of replacing bulbs since they are more durable. Remember to switch off lights in rooms that are not in use and unplug appliances to cut down energy waste.
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
Garbage landfills produce greenhouse gases such as methane into the atmosphere due to improper decomposition. Non-biodegradable plastics eg water bottles and plastic shopping bags constitute large percentage of waste that end up in landfills. Using refillable water bottles and recyclable shopping bags will cut down landfill refuse thus limiting the amount of gases released into the atmosphere and save you some money.
Home Made Cleaning Products
Locally available products such as vinegar and baking soda are very effective in making eco-friendly products that can be used for cleaning purposes without leaving behind any chemicals that have effects on the environment. Making and using such products will help you in maintaining a good environment while saving you money that could otherwise be used in buying detergents with harmful chemicals. You can also make money producing and selling these products to your neighbours and collectively impact positively to the environment.
Repair Leaking Water Faucets
With wide spread draught conditions in most parts of the world, water wastage contributes to a larger problem of water shortage. Leaking faucets play a major role in water wastage resulting to high water bills. Ensuring you repair all leakages will go a long way in water conservation and save you money on water bills. Also, consider tapping rain water from your house roof top during rainy season to be used for cleaning purposes and watering plants in your compound.
Responsible Disposal of E-Waste
Responsible disposal of electronics helps save the environment from toxic elements like Mercury and Lead that are used to manufacture them. You can consider re-selling the unwanted but working electronics to make some money instead of dumping them on landfills. You can also sell the ones not working to recycling companies and make some cash back on these items.
As you can see, saving the environment does not have to be an always expensive endeavour. You can actually save a substantial amount of money while making the world a better place for survival. By so doing you will be killing two birds with one stone.
Feel free to include some other methods you find useful in the comments below and let’s have this conversation. Let’s save some money as we make our world a better place to live in.
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