Going Green - Practical Tips
Whether your motivation is helping the planet, reducing your carbon footprint, or simply finding ways to save money, going green is one of the most beneficial decisions any person, business, or community can make for the world we live in and for future generations.
There are plenty of reasons to go green, ranging from the idealistic – like helping the Earth – to the pragmatic – like saving money. According to the US Department of Energy, the US would save $20 billion dollars on energy costs if all the homes in the country were modified to be more energy-efficient.
Similarly, using plumbing systems designed to save water will lower your water bill. Recycled building materials last five times as long as conventional materials, so a home made from recycled products will be a lot more durable than one made from standard materials.
Going green is also better for your health. Energy-efficient vehicles produce fewer pollutants than do cars that burn more gas or diesel fuel per mile traveled.
Green household cleaners and paints emit fewer volatile organic compounds, so people in environmentally friendly homes enjoy better air quality and better health. Green products, in general, are made with fewer harmful chemicals than conventional products.
Going green doesn’t have to be expensive. Even if you can’t afford to build a new home made from recycled materials or buy a new electric car, there are plenty of practical, inexpensive ways to go green.
For most people, going green is a gradual process — not an overnight transformation. Small changes in everyday behavior, when adopted consistently across a community or society, add up to a meaningful difference for our natural resources, ecosystems, and air quality. The key is simply to start, stay aware, and keep building on your efforts.
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Going Green: Practical Steps Anyone Can Take
Visit the Library
Borrow books or movies from the library, as opposed to buying them. People generally read a book or watch a movie only once.
By borrowing such items, you reduce not only the number that end up in landfills, but also the number manufactured in the first place. Making a new item from scratch requires energy and raw materials, while using existing items does not.
You can apply the same logic to videos, tools, and other items you use infrequently. Many community libraries now offer videos, magazines, and digital media lending too — a simple, free way to reduce consumption and waste without spending a dollar.
Subscribe to digital versions of books and magazines you read regularly, and search for digital alternatives before buying physical copies.
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Recycle Everything Possible
“Single-stream” recycling has made recycling a lot simpler in many communities. Back in the bad old days, people had to sort their trash into different containers for paper, plastic, aluminum, etc.
These days, in most places, people can just put it all into one blue bin. There are still a few things, like plastic bags, that can’t be recycled in some communities, but your local recycling center will provide information about what they can and can’t take.
Recycling includes more than just disposables. It also means making stuff you no longer use available to others. Organizations like GoodWill accept old clothes, toys, some furniture, and some electronics.
Many churches, libraries, and social organizations accept donations and hold large-scale rummage sales one or more times each year. You may find a bookstore willing to buy some of your old books.
Craigslist has a section to give and get free items, and there are local upcycling organizations and Facebook pages to redistribute items that their owners no longer need. If an item isn’t broken or defective, somebody else may be able to use it.
Beyond household items, look for products with minimal packaging — or packaging made from cardboard and other recycled materials — when you shop. Many industries are moving toward greener packaging solutions as consumers demand less waste.
When you choose products with responsible packaging, you contribute to reducing the amount of non-recyclable material that ends up in landfills and harms ecosystems and nature.
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Don’t Buy Bottled Water
Bottled water is often tap water in ridiculously expensive packaging. Even worse, the plastic bottles require energy to produce and recycle, and if they’re not recycled, they create huge amounts of solid waste.
It’s much better to buy a reusable water bottle, preferably one made of aluminum, and fill that with water when it’s time to hit the gym. Tap water with a funny or unpleasant taste isn’t unsafe; it owes its flavor to chlorination or minerals in the water. Faucet-mounted water filters like Pur or Brita are available for less than $40.00, and they can improve the taste of tap water.
Small habit changes like this — shorter showers, turning off lights when leaving a room, and choosing tap over bottled — are easy to implement and contribute directly to lower household consumption and reduced pollution.
These steps use less energy, conserve natural resources, and save money all at once. The reality is that going green in everyday life doesn't require sacrifice — it mostly requires awareness.
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Buy Energy Star Products
Energy Star is a program developed by the EPA in the early 1990s to establish energy-consumption standards for a wide range of products. Independent scientists test and rate products from LED bulbs to refrigerators to entire buildings on their energy efficiency.
Products that make the grade get a blue and white logo proclaiming their energy efficiency. Some building materials, like doors, windows, and insulation materials, can also get Energy Star certification. When it’s time to buy a new appliance, new computer, or new door, look for one with the Energy Star label.
Switching to energy-efficient appliances is one of the highest-impact changes a household or business can make. Energy-efficient appliances use significantly less energy than older models, which lowers your electricity bills and reduces emissions from fossil fuels used by many industries to generate grid power.
Over their life, energy-efficient appliances pay back their higher upfront cost many times over in savings, making them both an environmental and financial win.
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Use Less Power from the Grid
One of the most effective ways to reduce your carbon footprint is to install a photovoltaic (solar energy) system at your home or business. By using less electricity from the grid, you cut back on the burning of fossil fuels and the air pollution it generates.
This is where renewable energy makes the biggest difference. Unlike fossil fuels, solar energy draws on one of our most abundant natural resources — sunlight — without depleting it or producing emissions.
For a business, going solar also strengthens brand image and sends a clear sign to customers, workers, and the broader community that your company takes its environmental responsibility seriously.
Many industries are already making the switch, and consumers increasingly prefer to support brands that highlight their green efforts. Inspiring others to act is part of what makes the going green movement so powerful — your choices inspire those around you to make their own.
Related article: TerraSol Energies Inc. Solidifies Position as #1 Industrial and Commercial Solar Installer in the PECO Region
Contact TerraSol Energies to learn about solar energy installation in southern New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. We’ve been helping homeowners and businesses across the tri-state area implement renewable energy solutions since 2009 — making going green not just an ideal but an accessible, money-saving reality for your home, business, and community.
Whether you’re just starting to track your energy consumption or are ready to make a major change, our company is here to help you make a real difference — because going green today is how we protect this world for the future generations who will inherit it.
