How to Buy Green

The environmental challenges of pollution, global warming and scarce resources are daunting. Can you make a difference through your daily purchases? Yes, if you're prepared to do a little research. Every dollar spent on environmentally friendly products encourages manufacturers to think green.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Figure out where you can go green. You'd be surprised how many products are available as an environmentally friendly purchase. Nontoxic cleaning solutions, towels, linens, energy-efficient appliances, low-flow shower heads. And those are just the explicit green offerings. You can also ride you bike in lieu of a car, use recycled paper and electric razors (to reduce waste). There's also the ever-trendy green-car purchase, either hybrids or flex-fuel vehicles.
2. Understand how it helps. Recyclables often help cut down on deforestation. Other paper and linen options come from vastly renewable resources like bamboo (and can be of higher quality, anyway). Energy-efficient appliances conserve energy and, ultimately, natural resources. CFC-free refrigerators reduce the emission of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which contribute to ozone depletion and global warming. Low-flow shower heads reduce water usage. Reusable items cut down on waste. And riding your bike, well, that's zero-emission transportation if it wasn't already abundantly clear.
3. Budget for green living. Sometimes living green is cheaper (reusable items). But other times, going green comes at a cost. So, be aware that you could be spending top dollar for the sake of the environment. However, the high cost is typically link to the popularity of non-green products. That means with smaller demand on their environmentally friendly counterparts, non-green can be cheap, while green living can get costly. But participating in it now can change that by increasing its demand.