going green rocks!!

I'm not sure if the Kindle is that great of an idea (beyond the proprietary issues). There is a great deal of nasty biproducts and materials from the manufacturing of electronics. What I suggest is go to second hand book stores more. Recycle there first perhaps?

Vampire power.... very interesting. I had no idea that was sucking power, but it makes sense!

Wow - great post - my friends thought I was crazy for going around my house and unplugging unused appliances at night or when not in use - thanks for blogging about it - it does make a difference, not only with going green but saving green too. Look forward to your blogs!

Good thoughts. As mentioned above, obvious, but people still don't do them. I've really got to start eliminating the vampire power devices. I wonder if remembering to switch off a couple breaker switches at night or while you're at work could be easier than unplugging cell phone adapters, printers.. etc.. all around the house.

I loved this post! It combines two serious issues: the economy and the environment. I loved the ideas suggested and can't wait to try some of them out.

Oh how I wish I could work from home? I do everything else on here and its GREAT! I have to say though, the cuddling is a GREAT idea. It helps the environment and your relationship!

These are some excellent ways to save money in your household. I'm always looking for a quick way to save a few bucks, and this article is super helpful. Some of them I didn't even know would help, and I am going to apply these tips to my everyday life. Thank you for such a well-written blog. Good job.

I think these are all great ideas. Really easy. People just need to care enough to get it done!

I use the cloth bags instead of plastic. They were only about a dollar a piece and they are much stronger than paper or plastic bags. Funny story, I was buying two new cloth bags and after I paid the cashier she put the cloth bags into a plastic bag. Lol, it made me giggle and I kindly told her I did not need a plastic bag. :)

Good tips. and Kindles are cool. Vampires still scare my every since that Dracula triple feature my cousin took us to when I was five. Hey audiobooks are green and you can listen while you do just about anything and spoon too. :) www.audiobooksalive.com

These are some good tips. We are getting ready to build a home and looking for green building practices as well as materials. Every little bit we all do will help. It is only practical to save money AND save our planet!

Oh, that tip about Vampire power!! I have so many things sucking energy in the background of my life! I'm going to go unplug right now!

Cuddling FTW <3
Anyway, I try to stay as green as possible for a college student on a budget. I guess I'm most proud of my 120 MPG motor scooter :)

Excellent info. Love the tips on vampire power and bottled water -- so very true!

This was a good post and the first time I heard of Vampire Power-how crazy but in a strange way it makes sense. Going green isn't easy but it is a good thing so thanks for the suggested ways to do such.

Good blog, makes many valid points. Although i must say that i disagree about only reading books digitally. I still prefer holding a novel, and reading it, rather than a Kindle.

Thank you so much for this list of simple ways to go green. When this whole green movement started, my parents decided to jump on the band wagon. For them, this meant throwing out perfectly good light bulbs and kitchen accessories because they weren't green. Doing so, they created more waste than needed. I'm definitely going to share this with them so they know the right way to go green!

This was a very entertaining and informative blog to read. I especially liked the vampire picture. =) I definitely agree that people should bring their own bags to grocery store. I started doing that it's not that difficult. Also, I started drinking less bottled water too. We purchased a Pur filter and it tastes great. Although I don't know how much heat we can produce by just using body heat, we do need to be conscious of the environment.

Good starter list! Going green isn't necessarily easy, but the benefits far outweigh the time it takes to get there! This is a great common sense starter list that people generally don't think enough about!

These are such easy suggestions that could really make an impact on the environment. I am an avid reader and have found that buying used and even using this cool website, Bookmooch, to swap books has helped. I feel better about reading because I am taking unwanted books, reading them and then passing them onto someone else.

I think your point in writing this article is that there are many ways to save money while being ecofriendly. Clearly some of your tips have been disputed in previous comments, but all around I think you have a good list here. Every bit helps and for more ideas how you can save money and the environment, check out http://www.destroydebt.com/articles/76-ways-to-save-money-while-saving-t.... Thanks for the info!

thats not smart read on computers thats wasting electricity

cool website saving the planet

-treehugger

Good list, a lot are obvious things. Unfortunately, a lot of people STILL don't do them!

All this is TOO obvious or unsuitable. Why this is on front page diggers?

i love the last one

Say no to vampire power? Yes, good point, but my wife's blow dryer doesn't have a standby button when it's off, it's off, it's not using any power at all.

Don't allow more trees to die? Digitize your reading? Hmmm. I'd have to point out that the R&D and the manufacturing processes involved in producing and running a device like a Kindle, which requires servers and systems using electricity 24/7 far outweighs the energy costs of paper pulp production especially if it's recycled paper pulp. But, more to the point, those trees dying for your books are farmed trees, we're not talking ripping out rainforest to produce the latest Lemony Snicket.

If you have not actually measured the 'vampire power' usage of your appliances, and then computed how much they are using per month, you have absolutely no business commenting on the subject.

I have never read of a subject where the vast majority of commenters are clueless to the reality. Everything they "know" on the subject is second hand info they got from someone else who is also clueless.

If you have not actually measured the 'vampire power' usage of your appliances, and then computed how much they are using per month, you have absolutely no business commenting on the subject.

I have never read of a subject where the vast majority of commenters are clueless to the reality. Everything they "know" on the subject is second hand info they got from someone else who is also clueless.

K who wants to spoon?

That's Kindle vs. newspapers. I doubt a Kindle would come ahead of a book that gets bought once.

well then your battery is faulty

modern cellphone chargers are SMPS type which use almost no power at all when in standby (once the circuit is charged, no more power flows unless you take some out by pluggin something into said charger). And even the old laminated transformer type, the bigger walwart style - the type that get hot when sitting there doing nothing. Its true those are wasting power, hence getting hot. However, even charging your phone only draws a few watts. When not in use, it draws much less - maybe a single watt. Cost per month? less than one cent.

Cool blog! I love the "vampire power" metaphor. I would add that people can wear organic clothing, which is greener than non-organic and synthetic alternatives. Not all organics are super-expensive. Check out Queensboro.com's Luxury Organic Polo and T-shirt. http://www.queensboro.com/7560.html It's only $8.95. I think more people would buy organic and green clothing if there were more affordable options available. It is great for designers to "go green" but if more main-stream clothing sources provided affordable organics that compared in prices to other, similar quality clothes, wearing organic clothes would also be a no-brainer!
--Kate

and the manufacturing of the plastic bottles don't ruin the earth right folks!

Here's another one:

* Re-use disposable cups at work for tea and coffee. Bringing a cup from home might be a hassle, so if you need to use a disposable cup ... at least use it for a while.

... but about the Digital Books, I don't know. Reading digital is a different experience than reading a paper book. Maybe at least read only good books that are printed ?! :)

Don't forget about reuse in the 3 r's.

bottled water is fine as long as you reuse the bottles 10-20 times. coupled with an active charcoal filter a case can last you a year.

I know those crunchy types will disagree; but lets be realistic, no matter how many times i postpone my 3 minutes shower till tomorrow; it only makes me smell bad and is canceled out by my roommates 45 minute excursion anyway.

Only widespread attention to such matters will reduce our waste consumption. Recycle everything.

If you really want to help, only eat fresh and local.

Lets block em out with purchasing power.

how about you ride your bike holmes? It's not that hard. Buy something different than your old huffy and you'll be fine

And idiots like this are the reason why McCain has a good shot of winning the election

Hate to be Captain Obvious, but that is why we shower as well. Nothing like a fresh, clean person wearing crap stained undies with a t-shirt a bird crap on. /worst case scenario. Vise Versa. I will never give up my washer & dryer, my 2-3 showers a day, and air conditioning. I do, however unplug EVERYTHING that is not being used (spare TV, computer, stereo system, phone charger, laptop charger) I save ~$50 a month because of this. That is as "green" as I get. God, I can't wait till the term "green" dies off. like Y2K. stupid and played out.

It is good to bring attention to standby power consumption, but most of the examples (blow dryer, blender) are bad examples of this. Blenders and blow dryers are usually an "open circuit" when not in use and therefore consume no power at all. A better example of a "vampire power" appliance would be a television, DVD player, or game console. As a rule, if the appliance clicks when you turn it on, it probably won't consume power when plugged in.

I think most people will agree time is money, therefore doing your laundry the old fashioned way would cause you to lose a significant amount of time/money.

One issue to note... Switching off the power strip on your computer causes the CMOS battery in the computer to run down prematurely. This batter is responsible for maintain the system time and date clock. When this battery fails a host of issues including simply broswing the web start to arise. This battery is important but can be costly of it continues to be drained. The amount of power a computer draws when it is powered off is minimal. For about $100 you can buy an APC green battery backup power strip. It detects when the computer has been shut down and completely switches off a bank of plugs (except the computer). This prevents the vampire efftect.

What about all the fuel used to deliver that used book to your door? Why not just ride your bike to the library to read books and buy used ones from the local thrift store?

To read books on a computer is laughable. If you've got your pants so much in a knot over being green, how does one validate using all of the electricity required by a computer rather than lounging with a paperback?

Oh, that's right: paper. As a bachelors of science in forest management I should need only tell you that pulp farms grow trees that are 30-feet high in three years. The United States is in a state of aforestation. You know, the opposite of deforestation when, because of our paper use, means more trees are grown than are being cut? Wanna really be green? I guarantee you use more paper after using the toilet than you read. Haven't seen many campaigns to switch over to washable cloths or any other disgusting method.

So don't read books. Read it on your computer? Another HUGE POWER HOG! That's just stupid.

On the Kindle vs. paper books debate, more details here: http://fatknowledge.blogspot.com/2008/08/e-books-vs-newspapers.html

Regarding books, your advice is actually completely opposite to the truth. Paper is made from trees. Paper companies PLANT trees to make paper. Each time you buy more paper, you're placing an order for MORE TREES, and by keeping the books you're making a carbon sink. The more paper you throw away or store, the more trees will be grown and the more carbon will be captured from the atmosphere. Paper recycling is actually far worse for the environment because you're using energy to break down the paper and produce more paper with no carbon absorption like you'd get from a new tree.

"Bye Bye Bottled Water"

Excuse me? What about those of us living in areas of the world where the tap water is unsafe to drink? I live in China and not only does the tap water here taste disgusting it's also unfit for human consumption. I don't know about the author of this article, but lead poisoning doesn't sound like a fun way to check out for me. Boiling and filters (at least those that I've researched) don't remove hard metals, so that isn't an option for me either.

Also, the poster who brought up the fact that e-book readers require energy to run is exactly correct. Your 'solution' is preposterous at best.

Author (pearlofafrika) please do some research (and/or thinking) before writing your next article.

disputing vampire power is retarded.

On our boat -- At night, we turn off the generator. If you leave a couple of cellphone chargers plugged in (without cellphones attached), the battery WILL die.

@this guy-- "You know, there are alot of web services now popping up that are focused on using renewable energy. This is a good one: http://www.thinkhost.com/?p=f0d9a65a"

Everyone hates that. I normally wouldn't have looked at the site, but just because you put a refer link in it, I manually typed in thinkhost.com without your p=BS.