I'd like to bring up a topic that was discussed in the first Tightwad Gazette book: how our frugal choices affect the environment. This came into my head this morning as I was hanging up some laundry on the line, and it occurred to me that most of the things I do to save money also benefit the environment, and vice versa. Some examples just off the top of my head:

1. Air-drying laundry
2. Using reusable napkins, handkerchiefs instead of tissues, cloth rags instead of paper towels, etc., etc.
3. Any steps taken to save gas, such as driving a fuel-efficient car, walking or riding a bike for short trips, carpooling, combining trips, etc., etc.
4. Switching to compact fluorescent bulbs (they’re so cheap now that they pay for themselves faster than ever)
5. Eating little to no meat
6. Planting a garden (sure, we will use a bit more water in our household as a result, but the crops we hope to harvest will replace food that would have to be shipped to our table)
7. Drinking filtered tap water instead of bottled water (all those plastic bottles…)
8. Reusing paper in our printer, and refilling the ink cartridges ourselves instead of buying new ones
9. Reusing plastic bags, tinfoil, etc.

And I’m sure there are tons of others. By comparison, the only thing I can think of that I do for environmental reasons that costs more than the alternative is buying organic foods (and in some cases, this doesn’t even cost me significantly more). Similarly, I can only think of one thing I’ve done recently to save money that wasn’t the best possible choice for the environment: when we replaced our water heater, I opted for a reasonably efficient tank-style heater instead of a super-efficient tankless heater, because after doing the math, it didn’t look like the energy savings of the tankless model would pay for the increased cost of the unit and installation.

So I’m wondering whether other people’s experiences are similar to mine. How do you think your frugality affects your environmental footprint? Are we tightwads actually the greenest folks on the planet?

 I honestly think so. For me, it's the best overlap of two things that matter to me.  :)

haverwench:

Are we tightwads actually the greenest folks on the planet?

 

I believe that as a rule, we are, yes. I know some "environmentally conscious" individuals who are always preaching "save the planet!" yet they daily use electric appliances that I don't even own, drive more and fly more, etc.

My "footprint" is far smaller than  theirs, because I'm frugal, not because I'm all that "green." (Although I do believe in not destroying our home planet!)

Besides the things you list, I wash dishes by hand, using about 2 gallons a day. I reuse the rinse water on my garden and lawn. When the wash water isn't too dirty, I mop the kitchen floor with it. I use a rag mop with real rags, as in old clothes that can no longer be worn. I use a straw broom instead of a plastic bristle one. I make my own iced tea, use milk from glass bottles that are washed and reused, and often dehydrate food in the sun or air instead of in an electric dehydrator.  Those are just the things I am aware of at this moment, there are a lot more. 

Saving money is so very often the same thing as saving the planet, but perhaps with a different conscience.  

 I agree!

 Gas with ethanol is cheaper and the corn used to make it is a renewable resource.

I haven't successfuly done this yet, but boiling water or vinegar as a weed killer is certainly better for the environment than the toxins that cost so much.  (I didn't realize you had to pour the boilling water on them every day until they died.)  I'm going to try salt water on my sidewalk weeds since I never want anything to grow in my sidewalk.

Those are two things I can think of so far.

Mimi:

I haven't successfuly done this yet, but boiling water or vinegar as a weed killer is certainly better for the environment than the toxins that cost so much.  (I didn't realize you had to pour the boilling water on them every day until they died.

I do this all of the time and it works with only one application.  I generally save water from cooking pasta or something and head straight for the paths to kill any sprouting weeds.  I douse them pretty good and after a few days they die.  I think I'm basically boiling the roots.  Maybe it has something to do with the starchy water, but I'm not sure.  I guess there is some salt in it, too, but only a teaspoon or so.  I hate using chemicals especially with the DDs around.

I think we are definately reducing/reusing/recycling a lot more - it's part of the fun of being frugal.  My goal for next week is to only have one bag of trash for my family of 4.  I think I can do it because I purchased less prepackaged stuff at the store this time around.  Less waste and less consumption - one of the best parts of being frugal.

Dear All, Someone on Frugal Foods posted about 2 months ago how to store flour & sugar best -- in gallon-sized freezer bags (5 lbs fits into one bag).  Yesterday, I used up the last of this oen (out of many stored) container of bread flour.  I'm going to Whole Foods for more (from teh bin), & it dawned on me to take this bag to the store & fill IT.  I'd only be adding another plastic bag to my stash otherwise -- & I have plenty of those "produce" bags.  Making this a habit will be good for the earth I think, especially if I do it for other bin goods as well.  Yours in Him, Deb

PS Just to be clear, I pour the flour/sugar into a canister for ease of use.

I thought of another one.  Planting shade trees to save on cooling costs also helps the environment.  Trees help clean the air and reduce soil erosion.  It really does help with cooling, and you can also reduce heating costs if you collect the branches that fall down and save them for firewood.   You can ask your state department of forestry about the best, fastest growing shade trees for your area.  Some even have deals on seedlings that will be used for conservation plantings.  In Indiana, you can order wildlife habitat sets and other things for a small price/tree.  If you won't need all of them, you might be able to go together with neighbors and share the cost.  Here's a link to the Indiana program:

http://www.in.gov/dnr/forestry/6270.htm

Crystola,

I must have been too stingy with my boiling water.  I'll have to dump a big pot on them next time!

Mimi

Those on this thread will enjoy the thread "Rivals the $800 family" as that thread directs us to a website called Handprints on the Wall, and the first two installments of a series now being called Lessons from Butterberry Farm.  I personally cannot rival that small an ecological footprint.  I don't have three acres, or livestock, garden and fruit-bearing trees.  Small city lot, my livestock would be my rescue dogs and the extent of my garden at home would consist of just some black raspberry bushes and now some blueberry bushes, and some very old strawberry plants without much taste.

Should this thread be moved to the new "Living Green" forum, perhaps?