Article: Go Green to Save Green from Ideas That Spark

Multi-Testing Mommy has partnered up with Ideas That Spark to bring you some quality articles with some wonderful information! With Earth Day having just passed, we thought this article would be a great one to start with. You may be interested in reading about how the Multi-Testing Mommy household has been trying to be more green this year here

Ideas That Spark: Home Style

Go Green to Save Green

From the Editors of Ideas That Spark
By Sarah Mahoney

For Amie Cross, 28, saving money while saving the planet isn’t just a good idea: It’s a passion. “I’m a stay-at-home mom, and that means part of my job description is saving money whenever I can. To me, it goes hand in hand with being good to the environment,” she says.

To save gas and wear-and-tear on the family car, she shops once a month for dry goods, always buying in bulk. The rest of the time, Cross bikes to the store while hauling her two toddler daughters in a trailer behind her.

“Once, I got a really good price on organic milk, so I bought six gallons,” Cross says. How does she keep so much milk from going bad? “We freeze it and also make homemade yogurt. It’s easy, healthier and costs me about 55 cents for 32 ounces — including the electricity — versus $2.24 at the store.”

Some experts feared the recession would weaken people’s commitment to the environment. Instead, many are simply supercharging their dedication with a jolt of frugality. “About 74 percent of people say they are actively seeking green products within their budget,” says Mindy Gomes Casseres, a director in the corporate responsibility group of marketing research company Cone Inc.

Beyond just buying green, consumers are trying to live green too. Here are seven ways to befriend the earth while boosting your bottom line:

Get down and dirty
Growing your own vegetables is shaping up to be one of the hottest horticulture trends of 2009, according to the Garden Media Group. In fact, gardening is one of the most popular leisure activities in Canada. Some 75 per cent of Canadian households purchased garden supplies and services in 2007 and nursery sales across Canada totalled $630 million, according to government statistics. Statistics Canada also reported that the cost of fresh vegetables increased by 26 per cent and fresh fruit prices jumped by 19 per cent between March 2008 and March 2009. A typical garden — about 600 square feet — produces 300 pounds of produce, worth $600. Factor out the $70 most people spend on their garden, and you can still net $530 in food savings.

“I spend less than $2 on a packet of cucumber seeds, and during the peak of the season, I get two or three cucumbers a day,” says Becky Zemansky, a kindergarten teacher in Woodstock, Ga., who uses them to flavor drinking water. Additionally, she cans much of her produce, using the family’s apples, pears and plums to make homemade fruit rollups.

Rediscover your clothesline
Whether they run on just gas, or gas and electricity, clothes dryers are usually the second most expensive appliance to run, costing about $85 a year, according to the Earth Day Canada. (Refrigerators use the most energy.) Even air-drying a few loads a week can help.

Unplug, unplug, unplug
Gadgets like Kill A Watt ($25) and Watts Up ($96) measure precisely how much juice your electronics use. You may be able to borrow the devices from, believe it or not, your public library or utility company. Or you could just take experts’ word for it and unplug such small appliances as toasters, coffee pots, TVs and computers. If you use a power strip, you only need to hit one switch to shut off all your printers, monitors and such.

Check your tires
According to the Rubber Association of Canada, 55 per cent of Canadian motorists have at least one tire that’s 10 per cent over- or underinflated.

The association also says that properly inflated tires can save the equivalent of two weeks’ worth of gasoline each year. Moreover, tires inflated to their recommended pressure also handle better, stop faster, run cooler and last longer.

Longer tire life means fewer junk tires in landfills and more green for you. Check your manual or car door for safe levels.

Kick less to the curb
While Zemansky has been recycling for years, “we’ve gotten a lot more serious about it recently, composting and using more homemade cleaners instead of store-bought,” she says. “I mix vinegar with water in a spray bottle and it works great. A year ago, we’d generate two cans of trash, and now we don’t even fill one.” These simple steps helped Zemansky lower her grocery bill and halve what she used to put in landfills.

Photo: @iStockphoto.com/Squaredpixels