Will Going Green Make your “Green” Disappear?

By Colleen Heenan

Since graduating from college and starting life in the “real world” lots of things have changed, but one thing has not changed: my limited funds.

Going from a poor college student to having an entry level job living in a new, more expensive city, only slightly improves my financial situation from my college days. One of things that I am experiencing in the “real world” is how to prioritize. My first priority is incorporating a sustainable lifestyle with being frugal.

Many people think that to lead a more sustainable lifestyle they have to spend more money on organic foods, recycled items and hybrid cars. And to some degree, that’s true. But what’s import is to recognize why you want to live a more sustainable life and rationalize the cost and benefits.

Purchasing cheaper furniture, cleaning products, paper, clothes or food may be better for your bank account, but ask yourself if it is better for our future children, vanishing forests and already polluted fresh water systems.

I know what your thinking, “why do I have to go broke trying to save the world while everyone else can save their money by shopping at Wal-Mart?” But it is not that black and white.

By purchasing things like Hybrid cars, front loading washing machines, or even solar panels for your house you will be spending more money initially, but saving money and resources in the long run.

But it is also the everyday obstacles such as eating, transportation and recycling that can also count towards a more sustainable lifestyle. And while these everyday decisions can benefit our planet, it can at times make us feel that we’re leaving our wallets with a little less “green” in them.

When thinking about my bills, I came to the conclusion that my second most expensive bill is for my groceries (second to rent). According to the USDA the average American spends about a quarter of their income on food. If you’re trying to save money on food I don’t think it really matters if you shop at a corporate food chain or a farmers market; food costs (parallel to increasing gas prices) are on the rise.

When trying to make more green choices in your life, where you get your food and what types of food you put in your body should be a main focus when grocery shopping.

If you are trying to reduce your carbon footprint you might want to switch to a low carbon diet by reducing your beef and dairy intake. New studies have shown that methane emissions from cows are one of the worst greenhouse gases. Reducing your intake of dairy and beef could help decrease the demands for it.

If you want to get more nutrients out of your food, you should be buying a majority of your produce at a local farmers market, where your produce is fresher than at most grocery stores, which will also help shrink you carbon footprint.

And when buying organic foods you’re not only benefiting from them, but you're also helping to create a greater demand for sustainable farming practices. Buying organic or local foods or both may cost you a bit more than conventionally grown produce and proteins, but one can balance the more expensive cost of food with other “sacrifices.”

One way that I balance my cost of food is to use public transportation whenever possible. Recently, my boyfriend and I downsized from two cars to just one. This is a wise decision if you live in a city that can support you via public transportation. By using public transportation I have reduced my transportation costs by half.

However, some people do not live where there are subways and buses and biking may be out of the question due to long distance commutes. But those people should look into carpooling and if there is not one available, start your own with your coworkers.

There are other ways that you can green-up yourself without spending excess money. Things like recycling, paying all your bills online, shopping at second hand stores and buying in bulk are all easy and positive adjustment we can make to start on a greener path.

By creating a demand for sustainable farming practices and more public transportation locations, people may start seeing these costs decrease.

Until then I think it is important to remember the costs of not making sustainable choices a priority in your life—remember those forests.