Being Green
Making some Earth-friendly changes can help you live healthier,
wealthier-and calmer
-By Kelly Kramer
IT'S NO SECRET that choosing to live in an
ecofriendly way can be good for your mind and body, not to mention
the planet. But making green decisions can also pump up your
pocketbook.
A recent National Geographic survey revealed that 58 percent of
Americans are concerned with energy and fuel costs. Indeed, getting
where you're going costs a pretty penny-just operating
your car costs an estimated 50 cents per mile. Despite those
numbers, the study also revealed that 55 percent of Americans drive
alone every day. There's a greener way to go.
- IF YOU LIVE FIVE MILES from your office,
biking, walking, skating or scooting to work, instead of driving,
could save you up to $1,200 per year. What's more, you might find
your legs a little stronger and your waistline a bit trimmer.
- SPEAKING OF TRIMMER, consider taking your
exercise routine outside. Not only can running, hiking and cycling
keep you in tiptop shape, they also don't require the same
electricity that's needed to power the treadmill, elliptical
trainer and stair-climber at the gym.
- JUST AS GREENING up your commute and your
workouts can make a huge difference for Earth and your health, so,
too, can the choicesyou make at home. Have a little unused space in
your backyard? Try planting a vegetable garden. Home gardens reduce
carbon footprints by providing healthy, fresh food-food that
doesn't have to be shipped all over the world, which costs money
and fuel and contributes to pollution.
- GROWING YOUR OWN VEGETABLES can save you a
trip or two to the grocery store, not to mention that digging,
planting, pruning and harvesting burn calories. Consider gardening
a triple-threat in the fight for a greener planet and a healthier
you. And even if you don't have the greenest of thumbs, it's
possible to make small changes. "I tell people all the
time that the most expensive thing to buy and the easiest plants to
grow are herbs," blogs urban farmer Greg Peterson.
"You can grow them in a pot."
So, you've taken your commute and your workouts outside. You've
let your garden grow. Now your savings are adding up. Treat
yourself to a massage-a little pampering for a green job well
done.