Green Earth Tech

Tips that can help environment, save money

TRY: Buying powdered instead of liquid laundry detergent

OR TRY: Making your own laundry detergent

ALSO: Hang your clothes out to dry this summer instead of using a dryer.

SAVES THE EARTH: Powdered detergent is easier to rinse away than liquid and is more efficient for your washing machine, making for less energy used and cleaner water.

SAVES YOU: A lot of money. Making your own detergent is more cost-effective than buying it. Find recipes for both liquid and powder homemade detergents with a simple Google search for "detergent recipes." Save on your energy bill by not running the dryer in nice weather and hanging clothes out to dry instead. Another bonus: They usually smell great. Check out www.laundrylist.org, a site devoted to air-drying clothes, for more information.

TRY: Planting a vegetable garden this summer. You need not have land for this. Plant them inside pots. They will do marvel for you.

SAVES THE EARTH: You'll get food directly from your porch or back yard that ordinarily would be transported to your nearest supermarket using fuel.

SAVES YOU: Money -- Food prices are rising by the day. Vegetable and herb seeds are only a small sum of amount for a whole summer's supply of each.

TRY: Using cleaning products with natural, non-toxic ingredients in your home.

SAVES THE EARTH: Using non-toxic cleansers means less hazardous materials make it into the water and into landfills.

SAVES YOU: For households with children, using non-toxic products on surfaces is safer and healthier. Making your own cleansers from ingredients like vinegar and baking soda is much cheaper than buying a pre-made product as well. (Check out www.vinegartips.com for more ideas).

TRY: Bringing a reusable cloth bag to the store instead of taking paper or plastic bags at the checkout.

OR TRY: Re-using your plastic store bags as garbage bags for the small garbage cans in your home, rather than buying separate garbage bags.

SAVES THE EARTH: less plastic in a landfill, saves recycling costs, production costs and emissions used to make paper and plastic bags, prevents litter.

SAVES YOU: money (some stores give a discount for bringing your own bag), the annoyance of having too many plastic bags in your cabinets and closets; your groceries shifting and rolling out of their plastic bags in the car as you drive home from the store.

TRY: Instead of driving, walk or ride a bike for short trips around the neighborhood.

SAVES THE EARTH: Using foot power for short trips means less carbon emissions from your car.

SAVES YOU: Gas money, and you can burn a few extra calories.

This post was written by: Franklin Manuel

Franklin Manuel is a professional blogger, web designer and front end web developer. Follow him on Twitter