Go Green

GO GREEN BROUGHT TO YOU BY EASYFINANCE.COM FIRST OF ALL, SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE IS ALL ABOUT AWARENESS. SECOND OF ALL. IT'S ABOUT MONEY. BOTH SPENDING AND SAVING. ORGANIC FOOD AND ENERGY FROM RENEWABLE SOURCES ARE SLIGHTLY MORE EXPENSIVE, BUT IT'S WORTH A TRY AND IT PAYS OFF IN THE LONG RUN. WHETHER YOU ACTUALLY SAVE ON SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE OR OVERSTRETCH YOUR BUDGET DEPENDS ON A VARIETY OF FACTORS. So. BEFORE GOING GREEN YOU SHOULD REVIEW YOUR HOUSEHOLD BUDGET. 72% 65% of consumers think it is important to buy green products and 30% are of consumers believe planning to spend even green products cost more more on green products and just 22% of the following year. them are willing to pay that premium. 22% of Americans declare they intend to buy green tech products in the NEXT YEAR. The most popular products bought by consumers are 'ON ME' AND 'IN ME' PRODUCTS. Most of the green products bought by consumers come from groceries, household and personal care industries, 37% OF AMERICANS ARE NOT WILLING TO SPEND MORE ON GREEN PRODUCTS 33% ARE WILLING TO SPEND UP TO 10% MORE ON GREEN PRODUCTS 11% WILL SPEND 10-20% MORE 5% ARE READY TO SPEND 21-30% MORE 6% DECLARED TO SPEND 30% MORE 8% DID NOT DECLARE Burt's BEES SC JOHNSON SEVENTH GENERATION WHOLE FOODS MARKET 10 WALT DISNEY TOM'S OF MAINE TOP GREEN BRANDS IN THE U.S. MICROSOFT TRADER JOE'S APPLE DOVE SOME TIPS MAKE SMALL CHANGES TO Go GREEN AND SAVE UP TO $1000 ON WATER IN A YEA DAILY SHOWER $2 PER 10 MIN. COST IS AT LEAST CUTTING YOUR SHOWER $365 PER YEAR. TO 5 MIN MEANS SAVING A FAMILY OF FOUR CAN SAVE MORE THAN $1400 PER YEAR, WHILE A FAMILY OF THREE WOULD NET JUST OVER $1000 EVERY YEAR. Save on electricity bills. Switch the lights off each time you LEAVE THE ROOM and TURN OFF any appliances when you are not using them. SAVE ABOUT $150 BY SWITCHING OFF your PC and monitor when you are not going to use them for more than 2 HOURS. Save about $85 over CFLS use75% less the life of the bulb for energy and last about each 60-watt light bulb 10 TIMES LONGER you replace with a 15-watt than incandescent CFL. lightbulbs. If every U.S. household replaced one traditional lightbulb with an energy-efficient CFL. we would save $600 million in utilitų bills and enough energy to light 3,000,000 homes each year. Unplug any home appliances which don't need to be CONNECTED FULL-TIME. About 3/4 of the enerqy consumed by home appliances occurs while they're plugged in. According to the U.S. Environmental Lowering your thermostat in winter and Protection Agency (EPA), the device raising it in summer will reduce heating can save you about $150 A YEAR and cooling bills by 1% OR MORE. CONSIDER USING YOUR CAR A BIT LESS AND START WALKING OR CYCLING TO WORK. Average annual cost of HAVING AND MAINTAINING A CAR IS $5,864 linsurance included), while the annual cost of having a BIKE IS $390 (including maintenance, parts replacements, accessories.) Eliminate plastic bags by using reusable containers to store leftovers or to pack lunches AND SAVE $250 A YEAR AND A PILE OF WASTE that can weigh as much as the average 9-year-old. DRINK TAP WATER AT RESTAURANTS. Save as much as $7 FOR A BOTTLE of water. If every American drank tap water instead of bottled water, it would SAVE ABOUT $8 BILLION. ALTHOUGH THE FIRST THING THAT SPRINGS TO MIND WHEN WE THINK OF SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE IS ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE, THERE IS MUCH MORE TO IT. ENDANGERED SPECIES, SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND YOUR OWN HEALTH AND FITNESS TO NAME ONLY A FEW. GOING GREEN IS A WIN-WIN SOLUTION. IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE SOMETHING BACK, FEEL BETTER AND IMPROVE YOUR BUDGET. THE END BROUGHT TO YOU BY EasyFinance.com Guide to Consumer Financial Products SOURCES http://www.cohnwolfe.com/en/ideas-insights/white-papers/green-brands-survey-2011 http://livinggreenandsavingenerqy.com/the-cost-of-a-shower- and-an-easy-way-for-a-family-to-save-more-than-1000-per-year.html http://www.gelighting.com/na/home_lighting/products/energy_smart.htm http://www.enerqystar.qov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_-product.showProductGroup &pgw_code-LB http://www.oprah.com/oathome/Energy-Smarts_1-ixzz1sCLhnClg http://www.oprah.com/oathome/Energy-Smarts_1/2 ixzzlsCLRijBN http://www.bls.qov/cex/2010/Standard/educat.pdf http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/18/the-costs-of-owning-a-car/ http://ceres.ca.gov/ceres/calweb/40tips.html http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/energy-environment- 2007/tips_environmental_main_alasp © 2012 EasyFinance.com %24