GoGreen.OK.gov is an OK.gov initiative showcasing how Oklahoma eGovernment is helping to reduce the carbon footprintby reducing paper consumption and citizen travel to government facilities.

Welcome to the 4th "Green" Tips Message. This message is sent to all subscribing users on a weekly basis providing simple tips on becoming more Green! This article is part of Earth911’s “Green Eight” series, where they showcase eight ways to green your life in various areas.This week's message provides simple tips on:

8 Ways to Go Green and Save Hundreds

1. Buy in Bulk 

The Scenario: By buying in bulk, you could save more than $200 on supplies and an estimated $20 per year on gas. 

• In almost every situation, the more of a product you buy, the less cost you’ll endure per unit because the manufacturer or retailer will give you a bulk price rate. 
• Individual packaging (most likely a form of plastic) is either difficult to recycle or not recyclable. 
• Buying in bulk means less trips to the store or online orders, saving gas money and carbon emissions.

The $ignificance:

An experiment conducted by Real Simple magazine in 2003 found that purchasing 15 common items at a warehouse store in bulk as opposed to the supermarket saved $58.74 in Illinois and $109.72 in New York (including a membership fee). The major reason for the price discrepancy was the supermarket prices per state. It’s safe to assume that doing a majority of your shopping in bulk would save more than $200 on supplies and an estimated $20 per year on gas, regardless of where you live. 

The Solution:

For goods that have a long shelf-life (i.e. anything that doesn’t need refrigeration), opt for a larger quantity and recycle as much of the packaging as possible. 

2. Reduce Food-Related Paper Use 

The Scenario:

• Oil-based food stains are the easiest way to make your paper not recyclable. That’s why recycling locations for paper towels or paper napkins are unavailable. 
• The average American family uses 1.5 rolls of paper towels each week. 
• Brown paper bags have just as high of an environmental footprint as plastic bags when considering manufacturing and disposal.

The $ignificance:

You’ll be lucky to find paper towels for less than 75 cents per roll. That means you’re paying at least $4.50 a month for disposable towels, so cutting your use to one roll a month would save $45 per year.

Paper bags are only about 2 cents per bag, but if you make two lunches every day, that’s $14.60 per year thrown into the trash after one use.

FYI: Several states and stores are already talking about a 5-cent charge for each disposable bag required to carry your purchases. We won’t crunch the numbers, since it probably doesn’t apply to you yet, but there’s another financial argument for reusable packaging. 

The Solution:

Use reusable cloth towels for cleaning the house and your spills, and throw them in the laundry instead of the garbage (the cost to wash towels will be negligible if it’s done with the rest of your laundry). Check into lunch boxes or plastic containers to carry your lunch, which will be a one-time investment instead of constantly funding your disposable habit.

While rechargeable batteries may carry a larger up-front cost, you could save at least $11 each year. 

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