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While "going green" has grown in popularity, environmentally-friendly products and services can become too expensive to seem worthwhile. But some inexpensive adjustments are easy on the wallet.

• Reduce, reuse, and recycle newspapers, beverage containers, paper and other goods. It makes the most of materials and doesn't cost extra. Also, make it a point to use products in containers that can be recycled or reused or are made from recycled materials. It takes 95 percent less energy to make an aluminum can from a recycled can than to make a new one.

• When it's time to purchase a new lawnmower, buy a push mower instead of a gas or electric mower. It uses no fossil fuel, emits no greenhouse gases and is good exercise. Composting food and yard waste reduces the amount of garbage sent to landfills and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. When other new home appliances are needed, look for ones with the Energy Star seal to reduce energy use.

• Watch water use, turning the water off while shaving or brushing teeth and repairing leaky toilets, faucets, heaters and generators. Wash clothes in cold water. Do larger loads of laundry and dishes instead of wasting water on smaller, more frequent loads.

• Unplug unused electronics: A cell phone charger consumes electricity even when a phone isn't connected to it. In the average home, 25 percent of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. When phone chargers or laptops aren't being used, unplug them or connect them to power strips, which can then be turned off.

• Replace conventional light bulbs with bulbs that have the Energy Star label or compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL). This not only helps the environment, it saves money. A CFL uses about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs.

• Investing in a reusable razor rather than disposable ones saves money in the long run, as well as plastic.

• When buying a cup of coffee, bring your own travel mug. It reduces the waste of paper cups, plastic lids and cardboard sleeves; some cafés even offer a discount for customers using travel mugs.

• Browse local farmers' markets for produce and locally-made products. This not only supports your community and small farms and businesses, it also supports products that did not require cross-country travel, gasoline and emissions. Opting for fresh food and ingredients for your kitchen is also better for you and requires much less energy to produce than frozen or processed foods.

(SOURCES: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; www.wisebread.com; Mary Ellen Mallia, director of environmental sustainability at The University at Albany. Angela Cave contributed to this story.)[[In-content Ad]]

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