When considering the costs and benefits of going green, perhaps the best place to start is with an understanding of what is generally meant by “going green.”
“Environmentally friendly activities have been popular for many years to preserve energy, reduce pollution and save money. The urge for the recent green movement came from the theory that human generated release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere was contributing to a warming of the planet,” according to treehugger.com.
These concerns caused some governments, businesses and individuals to revamp their roles in the release of carbon dioxide and to attempt to reduce their output.
When we speak of going green, we refer to something broader than global warming. We are referring to a heightened awareness of using the Earth’s resources more efficiently, but do people really care?
“I think it’s a good idea for everyone. Sometimes people get extreme, but it’s good for the environment,” said Ashleigh Cooper, a senior nursing student from Ft. Lauderdale.
The term today includes efforts to conserve our natural resources, reduce contributions to landfills, and generally reduce pollution. Going green, then, can be summarized by “reduce, reuse, recycle,” which means reduce waste, reuse what you can, and recycle what you can’t.
For those of us currently lacking cash, a few simple lifestyle changes can leave us healthier, wealthier and wiser. You might be surprised to find many of your daily activities are already friendly to the environment, and the cheaper alternative.
However, if you budget your money, you can save and go green at the same time. Now, going green on a budget isn’t always easy, but by making sacrifices, it will benefit you and the environment.