Revamp Your Grocery List

Whether you go to the supermarket once a week or everyday, there are ways to make sure that your buying benefits the environment, your health, and your wallet. Here are some basic tips that I have picked up from various sources.

1. Avoid individually packaged snack packs. They damage the environment because of the unnecessary packaging, they are more expensive when you compare their unit price to that of a larger bag, and very often they are bad for your health (have you seen one of those ingredient lists?) Here are the ingredients for the 100-calorie Oreo Snack Cakes.

BLEACHED AND UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE {VITAMIN B1}, RIBOFLAVIN {VITAMIN B2}, FOLIC ACID), SUGAR, CANOLA AND/OR PALM AND/OR PALM KERNEL OILS, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, FRUCTOSE, COCOA (PROCESSED WITH ALKALI), WATER, SKIM MILK, LEAVENING (BAKING SODA, SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE AND/OR CALCIUM SULFATE), CHOCOLATE, MILK, EGG WHITES, SALT, CORN SYRUP, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, EGGS, CORNSTARCH, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, SOY LECITHIN (EMULSIFIER), COLOR ADDED, YELLOW CORN FLOUR, SODIUM ALGINATE (THICKENER). CONTAINS: WHEAT, MILK, EGG, SOY. MANUFACTURED ON EQUIPMENT THAT PROCESSES PEANUT, TREE NUTS.

More about individually-packed products in this post.

2. Use the basics. A lot of everyday foods, such as beans, rice, oatmeal, and potatoes are extremely cheap yet can be made into great dishes. Think about stews, casseroles, side dishes, etc. These foods are better for the environment because they don't require as much manufacturing and processing, and they are very good for your health too.

3. Be picky about organic. Check out this Shopper's Guide to Pesticides to see which foods should be bought organic and which conventional. For example, apples and peaches usually have high levels of pesticides, but onions do not. Do what's best for you wallet and your health.

4. Buy seasonal and local produce. These taste the best and also are usually less expensive. Local produce additionally does not require as much fossil fuel for transportation. Each geographic region has differences in what is "in season," but I know right now where I live peaches and apples are really cheap and taste great.

5. Skimp on the meat. Conventional methods of raising livestock are harmful to the environment. Most people in general get more than enough protein, so cutting back on meat a few times a week should not be harmful, and even could be beneficial for your health, since your cholesterol and saturated fat intake would decrease. Check out my previous posts of Reasons for Eating Less Meat and Buy Organic Meat.

I hope some of this information was helpful to you and will guide you during your next grocery shop. Do you have any tips of your own about how to save money, eat healthy, and help the environment? Share them below in the comments section!

This image is from Spunky Mommy.

Use Public Transportation

This is an extremely useful tip: it's beneficial for the environment, your wallet, your schedule, your mind, and your waist-size.

• Environment: taking the bus/train/shuttle will definitely reduce the amount of carbon emissions from all those vehicles.


• Wallet: it costs money for gas to fill up your tank, plus, if you live in a city, you may have to pay money for parking. If you use public transportation, you might save money since it usually doesn't cost too much and sometimes you can buy a monthly/yearly pass.


• Waist: you'll probably need to walk a bit to get to the bus stop, so that's a bit of exercise. Hopefully you won't need to do the other type of exercise - running after a leaving bus!


• Schedule: I definitely believe this will help with time. You'll get to work or school at a set time each day, so you won't be tempted to arrive later. Also, you will have some extra time to relax, read, get organized, or do some light work in transit, instead of driving.


• Mind: if you easily get stressed out by lots of traffic, road rage, or unsafe driving conditions, I bet taking public transport will help you relax a little more. Additionally, you can chat with the people around you if they look friendly, and maybe even make some new friends!

So, I strongly encourage you to look into public transportation options in your area. What are your experiences with public transport? Did you find it beneficial to your life?

This image is from Tree Hugger.

Use Online College Applications

So, college applications season is over for seniors (hopefully), but I've got some good advice for you high schoolers that still face the dreaded, time-consuming process.

I strongly suggest that you use the online application as opposed to the traditional paper application. Many colleges and universities now use the Common Application, which is completely online. It even allows you to send teacher and counselor recommendations online, though I've heard that part is a little confusing. There is also the Universal Application is sort of the same idea, but with different member colleges, I guess.

Most colleges even have their own special online applications, and recommend that you take the online route, as it is easier to process the information. I know Columbia even requires that you fill out the online app, unless you do not have Internet at home.

Well, all of this is great news! Not only is the process much more streamlined and fast, it also cuts down on the tons and tons of paper wasted. I know friends that have applied to 10+ schools, and if they used paper for everything (recommendations, application, financial aid, etc.), they could well exceed 1,000 pieces of paper. However, since they went on the computer, a lot of paper was conserved.

Another good point - if you make an error on paper or want to change something, you will either have to throw out the page or use messy white-out. However, on a computer, just press the back button and in a flash your application is as good as new.

*Oh - I just remembered! You have to use snail-mail if you use paper, which is slow, error-prone, and expensive due to stamps! (Believe me, you'll need lots of stamps)*

So please, if you want to have a slightly less stressful, more environmentally friendly senior year, I urge you to check to see if your favorite college has an online option. Chances are in your favor!

So, if you have already gone through this process, did you use paper or not?

Switch to Fluorescent

Everyone needs light bulbs in just about every single room in the house. However, we often don't think about this energy guzzler when trying to reduce energy.

If you have incandescent light bulbs currently, consider switching them for fluorescent ones. According to the U.S. Department of Energy:

"If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars."

That's pretty amazing, isn't it? And just think of how much we could save if we replaced more than one light bulb. I'm in my dining room right now, and I see that the chandelier has 9 light bulbs. It really wouldn't be much harder for me to switch all of those light bulbs rather than just 1, would it?

Energy Star qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs use 75% less energy than standard bulbs, and they last up to 10 times longer. That means you can save 30 dollars or more over each bulb's lifetime. Seriously, these bulbs pay for themselves. I do not know of an easier way to save money than this.

I read somewhere that incandescent light bulbs are so inefficient, 90% of its energy is wasted as heat, while only 10% of the energy used is actually used for the lighting. So, what are you waiting for?

Here's the government's website about CFLs. It's extremely helpful in providing guides and tips for what kind of bulb to buy depending on what you are using now.

This image is from Daily Danny.

Environmental Ways To Save $$$

Yep, I've seen and experienced firsthand how devastating this economy can be to our bank accounts and wallets. Good for you though, that I have kept a long running archive of old posts of fast, easy ways to both help the environment and save money! I selected the few that I felt were extremely simple and doable. Why don't you try one tip each day of the week, and keep the ones you like?

1. Choose local foods. This was one of the first posts I wrote on this blog! It's a tried and true method.

2. Choose the real white meat. Again, a very easy and simple change to make. I actually did quite a number of calculations for this post - a dedicated blogger, no?

3. Avoid individually-packaged products. Buying bulk is the way to go!

4. Unplug electronics. Don't let that sneaking vampire energy catch up with you and drain your money.

5. Organize your fridge. Most people would never think to look in here for money savings, but it works.

6. Take cold(er) showers. Now that's it is starting to get warmer in many places...

7. Use passive solar power.

8. Remove unnecessary items. From your car, that is.

Keep in mind that these are only some of the ways to save money. If you are feeling adventurous and want a full list, go to the sidebar with all my tags and click the one that says "save money." I hope this little compilation helps you! If I have forgotten anything that you can think of, please comment below.

Pros and Cons: Wind Power

Remember when I wrote the pros and cons of nuclear weapon?

Well, today I would like to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of wind power, an up-and-coming alternative energy source. It's one of the lesser known sources of energy, but yet I think there will be many opportunities in the future to utilize it.

Basically, the energy comes from spinning wind turbines. As the wind blows through and turns the turbines, electricity is generated. I'm not too familiar with the details, but that's the gist of the operation.

Pros

1. It's definitely renewable - infinite, you could say. I don't believe that we'll ever run out of wind (and if we do, we have bigger problems to worry about).

2. Little if any pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions. Besides the emissions caused by the construction of equipment, this energy is green and clean.

3. Wind power is pretty safe - there aren't really any risks involved.

4. Can produce power anywhere where there is wind, so the U.S. wouldn't have to be dependent on a foreign source.

Cons

1. It can't produce enough power on its own, because the wind isn't always blowing! I guess you could say it is reliant upon the weather.

2. Dangerous to birds. Birds can get caught in the turbines. However, I think this harm to animals is a lot less than the harm ultimately caused by fossil fuel usage.

3. Something called "visual" and "noise pollution." Basically, these "wind farms" look ugly and produce noise. It's not that much of a disadvantage in my opinion, but I guess my mind could change if I lived next to a wind farm.

So, to sum it up, wind power isn't really that bad at all, but it can't stand alone as an energy source. I think a combination of wind, solar, and hydroelectric power would probably be sufficient, though we'd probably need some type of heavy duty power source such as nuclear power to rely on until the other sources become widespread.

So, what are your opinions on wind power? Do you believe it should be a part of our energy future?

This image is from Green Energy Online.

Dispose of Batteries Properly

Did you know that you can't just throw away old batteries into the trash? Batteries contain heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and nickel, which can be harmful to the environment.

According to Environment, Health, and Safety Online, batteries can cause many environmental hazards such as:

• pollute bodies of water when metals vaporize into the air when burned
• contribute to the metals that leach from landfills
• expose the environment and water to lead and acid
• cause burns and danger to the eye and skin

Actually, metals leaching from landfills is a serious matter, and batteries are a major contributor. 88% of the total mercury in landfills is from batteries. If you've ever been told to beware of broken mercury thermometers, you know how dangerous this metal can be.

So, what can you do with your old batteries? On the same site I listed above, there is a big table with all types of batteries and what you should do to dispose them. Some of the options include recycling, hazardous waste collection sites, etc.

Also, I thought I should mention rechargeable batteries. Though these are still made of the same metals and materials, they obviously can be used many times and therefore if you make use of them you will not have so many batteries to try to get rid of! We have some at home and it's quite easy to charge them up, actually - just stick them in the charger for a while until the light turns green. But make sure not to mix them with regular batteries!

This image is from Bristol Batteries.