With so many residents in California, especially in the Los Angeles area, there is a big push towards 'going green' and saving money in the process. The general thought is that by using the most efficient resources, you will not only save the environment but save a pretty penny as well. These are some tips that people in California can adhere to in order to help the global green projects.
One of our most expensive resources is electricity. Everyone needs it and everyone uses it. A great way to save money on this resource by using the compact fluorescent light bulbs. These light bulbs can be found at any general store, and the packing will normally go as far as to tell you that they are "energy saving" bulbs. This will clear up any confusion as to which ones will use less energy and last longer, saving you more money in the end. This can actually shave a third of your electricity bill if you use them in all of your rooms. When finished with the bulbs, however, it is extremely important to recycle them as the mercury in them can then be bad for the environment. Government recycling centers can tell you how to do this in each individual state.
Another thing that most people don't think about is there refrigerators. This is a very expensive purchase, undoubtedly, but when you have an older fridge that is consuming more energy, you can actually be paying almost double each month on electricity than what you would with a newer fridge. Buying the new refrigerator (anything made after 2000) can be done by making payments, which in turn can be found from the money you are saving just by having the new refrigerator plugged in. There is no losing in the replacement. This can also go for other appliances, but is best demonstrated with the refrigerator because it uses so much of our energy resources.
In California, there are many legal opportunities to make money by going green. The best way to find out what your local government will provide for you is to contact your local power or Energy Company and see what rebates are available. There may also be opportunities for tax credits by using the resource www.energystar.gov.
As always, anything that can regularly be thrown away is probably costing more money and creating more waste, such as paper towels and such. Using rags that can be cleaned daily with the laundry is a great way slowly starts saving your financial resources, and though the change may not be noticed at first it will put more money in your pocket within the long run. Also, vinegar and baking soda along with water are great ways to clean all parts of the house and are techniques that were used for centuries. Most regular cleaning products are very toxic to the environment and over priced for the consumer. Keeping it simple is the best way to go about buying any home products.
And last, when grocery shopping it is always appropriate to bring your own bag instead of having them stack the loads of plastic and paper bags into your cart that will then be thrown out at some point in time. Using your own bag helps to save the environment and is good for many more uses than simply shopping.
California is a beautiful state with many wonderful natural resources. By starting to clean up and be considerate within our own homes, we are helping to keep the earth beautiful and keep our bank accounts full as well.
Gretchen Vuvalgee reports on weather and other problems that damages homes. See:
http://www.localrestorations.com/California
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