No Cost Tactics For Going Green At Home
Part 2

In part one, we shared 9 free and easy changes you can make to become a "more green" household. But let's not stop there. Not when there are so many ways we can save money and show love to the only home we have... planet Earth.

WATER

10. Stop buying water in plastic bottles. In most western countries, the town water supply is just fine so you can safely refill a clean bottle from the tap. If you have friends who buy bottled water because they believe it's safer than tap water, invite them to read Truth About Tap from the National Resource Defense Council. The situation is similar in Canada, according to CBC News there. They published an enlightening piece called 7 things to know about drinking water.

11. Water your garden at night. Watering your plants in the early evening is smart because the evaporation rate is lower when it's cooler.

12. Doing toothbrush time a little differently. Who leaves the water running while they brush? That's gallons of water every day. Just run the tap when it's needed. The EPA has calculated you'll save 200 gallons per person per month by not running the water while you shave and clean your teeth.

13. Smaller flushes! To quote the EPA: "The average American family of four uses 400 gallons of water per day. On average, approximately 70 percent of that water is used indoors, with the bathroom being the largest consumer (a toilet alone can use 27 percent!)." To reduce the amount of water you flush down the toilet, fill a plastic bottle with gravel or water and place it in your toilet tank. If you're renting, you can leave this for the next tenant or take it with you.

14. Fewer flushes? Okay, here's where we might get a little controversial. Some folks will feel a little uncomfortable maybe. But do we really need to flush the toilet every time we go there? Even when we've only made a small liquid contribution? I put it to you: there's a significant saving available here.

FRIDGE

15. Cold water to drink, faster (and cheaper). Instead of running the tap until the water gets cold to drink in the summer, keep a jug of water in the fridge. This saves both time and water.

16. Keep the cold where it belongs. Close your fridge and freezer doors before you walk away. Easy enough to do once you get into the habit, instead of letting that refrigerated air pour out into the kitchen. After all, you've paid to have your refrigerator cool your food to the recommended 37 degrees F (and your freezer to -3 F). Keep the cold where it belongs... in your fridge.

17. Fill your fridge... and save money! If your fridge is only half full, fill it with jugs or bottles of water. Why? It's simple.
When you open the door of your fridge or upright freezer, the cold air pours out and room-temperature air flows in to replace it. But when your fridge is full, there is less room for warm air to come in... which means that less cooling will be needed after you shut the door again.

See? Going green at home can be both free and easy. It just requires a little re-programming of some of our habit patterns. For the kids, you might need to add a small reward to get them enrolled. I'm sure you can come up with something.

BEFORE YOU GO

Tell us: Which idea do you hate the most? And which one do you love the most? We think we know which one is going to win the Least Favorite idea but we'd love you to prove us wrong.