Dual Benefits of Green Choices: They Help the Earth and Your Wallet

Another year, another Earth Day. Looking back, is there anything you did in the past year to shrink your carbon footprint?

In our house, we've continued to replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. We've turned down the heat at night and piled on the fleece during the day.

We recycle batteries, paper, metals, glass and plastics. We scrape our plates instead of washing them before we put them in the dishwasher, and we turn off the water while brushing our teeth.

We've also taken a stand against bottled water. Instead, we fill reusable bottles, especially when we're around the house.

It's a start, but there's definitely room for improvement. The amazing thing about saving energy is that it's not only good for the Earth, but it's also good for your wallet -- a classic win-win scenario.

"Green means different things to different people," said Herb Hauser, president of Midtown Technologies, an engineering firm in Manhattan. Hauser said that for some consumers, being green means being thoughtful about the environment when designing kitchens, baths and entire homes.

But for others, being green "has nothing to do with the environment, but it has to do with money," he said. This group of consumers wants to know how long it will take for an environmental improvement to begin paying off in lower costs.

If you're looking to save as much money as you can, the Environmental Protection Agency has suggestions at http://epa.gov. The high-level concept: Reduce what you use, reuse what you can, and then recycle the rest.

You can reduce what you use by buying permanent items instead of disposables and by buying products with less packaging and that use fewer toxic chemicals.

If you repair items instead of replacing them, you'll use less energy. But maybe not a lot less. Using cloth napkins or towels instead of paper means you'll contribute less waste to a local landfill, but you'll need to wash them.

Finally, recycling paper, plastic, glass bottles, cardboard and aluminum cans is easy. You can recycle electronics (see http://www.epa.gov/e-Cycling/basic.htm) and motor oil, and compost food scraps, yard clippings and dead plants.

One of the easiest ways to green up your life is to green up your finances. According to a study commissioned by the nonprofit PayItGreen Alliance, the average U.S. household receives about 19 bills and statements each month and sends about seven payments in paper form each month.