When some people think about going green, they're overwhelmed. After all, let's be honest, it can be a tad expensive to care about the ozone. Driving electric cars, going all organic and installing solar panels aren’t exactly the most affordable options for average people in a struggling economy. Still, if you’re looking to make a positive impact and reduce your carbon footprint, here are a few options very much available to the average Joe.
Carpool. As if Atlanta afternoon traffic isn’t horrible enough, commuting is stressful and expensive for those who don’t take advantage of public transportation. If you have friends who live in the same vicinity as you and work the same shifts, carpool together. Use the most fuel-efficient car among you. It can be much more entertaining to ride to work with friends and it gives you a chance to split fuel costs and catch up with each other, if you don’t work at the same place. Plus, you get to use the carpool lane in traffic jams.
Pay your bills online. Many people still don’t do one of the easiest things on the “go green” checklist—such as get electronic statements for bills. Going all electronic is 100 percent safe and saves TONS of trees from being cut down for the sake of your account balance. Everything is going to the web now, so why delay something that is good for the earth and takes a minute of your time to set up?
Find out what's happening in Roswellwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Leave lights off during the day. And turn off your computer at night. We don’t use any lights during the day at all at my house. Sunlight is pretty sufficient. Leaving things plugged in costs money and you could lower your power bill greatly by powering off at night. If it’s a nice day, don’t run your air-conditioner. Georgia Power recommends setting your thermostat on 78 degrees in the summer and 68 degrees in the winter, but if you’re enjoying weeks of amazing weather such as we are right now, then who needs anything running? A 72 degree day and 60 degree night begs for open windows or ceiling fans blowing—nothing fancy.
Going green doesn’t have to be extreme or expensive. You don’t have to cry into your pillow at night about not being able to afford organic foods exclusively or buy a Prius like Hollywood celebrities. Every person simply doing a few things that they can makes all the difference in the world.
