Save Some Green ~ Use Green Products
Being green is a multi-faceted discipline. You might be concerned about conservation, alternative fuels, organic foods, recycling or all of the above. You understand the logic behind being environmentally responsible, but do you know if you are really making better green choices?
According to the USDA standards, organic products are not 100 percent organic unless it is stated so. Labels with “organic” mean that 95 percent of the ingredients must be organically grown — that is, grown without chemicals such as pesticides, fertilizers, antibiotics and growth hormones — the remaining 5 percent come from non-organic ingredients.
Understanding green labels is important if you want to shop wisely, but there are easier and foolproof ways to be smart, green consumers.
Here are a few examples that can actually save you money too:
Use reusable water bottles, glasses and mugs
Did you know that many cities charge well under $3 for 750 gallons of water? You probably are paying the same amount for just a couple gallons of bottled water in grocery stores. Businesses also can save money by using reusable glasses and city water instead of bottled water in meetings or luncheons. This also will save transportation of the bottles to the stores and landfills.
Mix your own cleaners at home
Homemade cleaners –using baking soda, white vinegars or lemon juice –usually are less toxic and less expensive.
Here are a few recipes:
Homemade Spray Cleaner – Mix in a spray bottle: 1 cup white vinegar, and 1 cup of water.
Uses: Kitchen – clean countertops, lightly soiled range surfaces and backsplash areas. Bathroom – clean countertops, floors, and exterior surfaces of the toilet.
Homemade Glass Cleaner - Mix in a spray bottle: 1 cup rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol, 1 cup water, 1 tablespoon white vinegar.
Uses: clean windows, mirrors, chrome fixtures and for a shiny finish on hard-surface ceramic tiles.
Strong All-Purpose Cleaner - Mix in a sprayer bottle: 1 TBSP. clear, non-sudsing ammonia, 1 TBSP. clear laundry detergent, 2 cups water.
Furniture Polish – Mix in a sprayer bottle: 1 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup lemon juice.
Uses: apply a small amount to a flannel cleaning rag or cleaning cloth. Spread evenly over furniture surface. Turn cloth to a dry side and polish dry.
Walk or cycle to local restaurants and grocery stores
Walking and cycling save gasoline and also give you a good workout. Increased physical activity can reduce the risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and cancer. Less driving also means less noise and air pollution.
Reuse the back of used envelopes
Used or junk mail envelopes are great for taking notes and grocery shopping lists before you recycle them. You save on buying papers and notebooks. The trees also will thank you.
If you wish to eliminate a lot of unwanted mail. There is a lot you can do to reduce the cost to the environment and your own time:
There is a lot you can do to reduce the cost to the environment and your own time:
- First class mail: Cross out the address and bar code, circle the first class postage and write “refused: return to sender”. Drop in any mail box, it will be returned to the sender.
- Bulk mail: The post office throws away bulk mail it can’t deliver, so returning it does no good. Bulk mail is the hardest to deal with because the USPS actively provides addresses, support and encouragement to mailers. However, if “address correction requested” is written on the label: circle “address correction requested” and treat like first class mail.
- Sexually Oriented Advertising (SOA):The only help you’ll get from the Post Office in controlling junk mail is for explicit stuff. Fill out USPS forms 1500 if you wish this type of mail to stop. You define what you find to be explicit — if that’s an automobile parts catalog the post office won’t disagree with you.
- Credit offers: The major credit agencies all sell aggregate credit information any bidder. Direct mail and credit companies generate mail based on demographics including zip code, income band and credit payment patterns. Stopping this is easy, you just need your address, former address within two years, and social security number. One call does it all for agencies Equifax, Trans Union, Experian and Innovis. Dial 1-888-5 OPT OUT (or 1-888-567-8688) 24 hours a day.
- Catalogs: Call the company’s 800 number and have the label handy. Write your instructions on the mailing label and fax it to the company. Mark “ATTN: customer service”. Tear off the label, write your instructions on it, and enclose in the postage-paid ordering envelope. Mark envelope “ATTN: customer service”. This method is the least effective.
- AOL (America On-Line): You could pave the nation with the free discs these people send out, call 1-800-605-4297 (24 hours a day) to get off the list. Tell them your first name is “current”, last name “resident”.
- Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes: You can get the Clearinghouse to stop clogging your mailbox by contacting customer service at 1-800-645-9242 (8:30 am to 8:30 EST), sending a fax to 1-800-453-0272, mailing to 101 Channel Drive, Port Washington, NY 11050, or you can send email to pch@ant.net. PCH will remove any number of names from a specific address, but you have to list each name exactly and insist nicely.
- American Family Sweepstakes: Ed McMahon and Dick Clark will stop telling you “You have definitely won 11 million dollars (maybe) ” if you call them at 1-800-237-2400. AFP is a division of Time-Warner.
- Local business & supermarket fliers: All mailings must be identified, by postal regulations. Each lose-leaf bundle of fliers, by postal regulations, must be delivered at the same time as an address card. Locate this address card; the cards usually have an advertisement and a photograph of a missing child. You may need to call directory assistance to get the phone number of the sender.
Specific senders are:
ADVO (Mail comes with pictures of missing children). Call 1-860-285-6100 to get off the list. You may have to send a postcard to “ADVO Consumer Assistance, POB 249, Windsor CT 06095-4176″.
Val-Pak Coupons: click the link and copy your mailing label.
Carol Wright Call 1-800-67-TARGET to get off the list.
Most senders are professional companies which will handle your request politely. “ADVO Mailbox Values” and “Harte Hanks Potpourri” are the most common of these mailers. Your local supermarket’s monthly coupon books may be handled by these companies, so be sure to specify if you want to continue to receive those. Your letter carrier is accustomed to giving each house a bundle, so you may also need to inform him or her of your action separately. The post office is prohibited by law from delivering unaddressed mail, so you should have little trouble convincing the carrier.
Too much junk to deal with individually: Start by sending a postcard or letter to Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, PO Box 643, Carmel, NY 15012-0643 Include your complete name, address, zip code and a request to “activate the preference service”. For up to five years, this will stop mail from all member organizations that you have not specifically ordered products from.
The Direct Marketing Association estimates that listing with their mail preference service will stop 75% of all national mailings. They process 50,000 requests a month and requests are kept active for five years. If you fill out the post office change of address form, the DMA will track the new address (you’ll get a few months of mailings to the new address before they catch up to you). It can take up to six months for your request to be fully processed. You can also opt-out online, but they charge $5. The best way is to fill out their online form, then mail them a printout.
Consider energy-efficient products for federal tax credits
If you buy energy-efficient products — such as windows, insulation, water heaters — for your home, you could be eligible for a federal tax credit for 30 percent of the cost, up to $1,500. You also might qualify for a 30 percent tax credit, with no cap, for geothermal heat pumps, small wind turbines or solar energy systems in your existing homes and new construction. While reducing your energy bills, you also can save money by going green.
Being green is not against spending. It is about spending wisely, such as investing in a durable stainless steel water bottle, a comfortable pair of walking shoes or some energy-efficient appliances. We can do many simple things to have a better life that also will contribute to a greener world.
© 2010, Bella So Savvy. All rights reserved.
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