If you've made a habit of carrying your own refillable water bottle and visiting TapIt locations when you're thirsty, you're already making a green choice that saves you money. Because aside from the conservation benefits of choosing tap water, your drink is free. You can see an estimate of how much money you're saving by using the Bottled Water Cost Calculator. For example, if you used to buy one bottle per day, you probably spent $546.77! Other planet-friendly moves can be wallet-friendly, too. Here, four more ways to save green by going green.
Reacquaint yourself with the library: Visit a NYPL branch for your next read. You won't have to shell out $10+ when you share books with other New Yorkers and you'll save trees as well as energy costs due to manufacturing and shipping.
Invest in reusable shopping bags: You'll reduce plastic grocery bag consumption and get paid for it if you shop at the right stores: Food Emporium gives 2 cents per bag, Whole Foods credits you 10 cents per bag and Trader Joe's gives you a ticket for their weekly gift certificate raffle.
Carry your own cup: Help support your Starbucks Coffee habit by bringing your own mug. You'll get a 10 cent discount--not a lot, but every penny counts with their outrageous prices--and you're reducing paper cup waste at the same time.
Get smart about electricity: The next time a light bulb burns out, replace with it with an energy-efficient CFL bulb. For every incandescent to CFL switch you'll save energy and about $30 a year on your electricity bill. Plus, they'll last up to 10 times longer. Another bright idea? Invest in power strips. When plugged into a wall, many electronics use 25% of their power even while they're turned off. Plug your stuff into power strips and turn the entire thing off when not in use. You'll save $1 a month for each power strip.
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