Eco-Saving Myths Busted

Everywhere you look these days, there’s a “green” message from someone about something. It’s good stuff, but it also means there’s a lot of misinformation circulating out there. So let’s separate the fact from fiction…

Myth number one is that small changes don’t really add up, but nothing could be further from the truth. A simple change: start buying only recycled paper products: paper towels, napkins, toilet paper, printer paper… Recycled is cheaper and if everyone in the US bought one pack of recycled napkins, that alone could save one-million trees.

Another myth? Going green is expensive, tough to do or lifestyle limiting. In fact, it’s easy. Here’s a free, simple step: if you use a computer built after the 90’s, turn off the screen saver, and put your computer in “sleep” mode when you’re not using it. You’ll stop wasting energy and can lower your power bill by about $50-bucks a year.

You’ve probably also heard a lot about how we need more power plants or oil wells… not necessarily. The Natural Resource Defense Council says we just need to make smarter choices, like switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs. If we all did just that, we’d save billions a year on energy and cut the need for 24-proposed power plants.

One last myth? Keep your old refrigerator so it doesn’t clog up a land-fill. While that may be good logic, modern appliances can use up to 70% less power. Think about that.