This article covers eight ways to go green that you can implement right now. You can also save money with these ideas as well as going green. The concept of going green is not new, but it has caught the attention of just about everyone. Even if you don’t believe that human activity is causing global warming, it is still a good idea to reduce, reuse, and recycle. If nothing else, we can’t continue to fill up the earth with our waste.

1. Use the power of the sun to make electricity and light up your world. You just need to get solar powered lights to do this. Solar powered lights may cost more at first than electric lights, but over time, they will save you money. First of all, you don’t have to dig holes and put in wires. You won’t have to pay an electric bill to run them. Just put the lights where you need them, let the sun charge them, and the turn them on.

2. Use the power of the sun to cool your attic. You can get a solar powered attic fan that does not use electricity, but it will run and take the hot air out of your attic. This in turn will help lower your cost to cool your house. It also helps to put in another layer of insulation. Keep your attic cool and insulated to help your home stay cool in summer and warm in winter.

3. Buy flexible solar panels and install them on your roof or make panels in your yard. You can do this yourself or hire a contractor to hook solar panels to batteries that will run the electrical needs of your home. You can save money this way and you can pay yourself back in less time than you think. Shop around and get the best price. Flexible solar panels are bringing down the cost of solar installations.

4. Bottled water is very wasteful with 90% of the cost going to make the bottle. Yes, a $1.00 bottle of water costs 90 cents for the bottle. Then, you throw away the bottle and it becomes trash or fills up lands fills. Most bottles don’t make it into a landfill. The problem is we use so many of these and they last for decades that we are creating mountains of trash. Get a bottle that you can reuse no matter where you are.

5. Filter your own water with a water filter pitcher or a filter on your faucet. Anyone can afford a water filter of some kind. Water filter pitchers can cost less than $10.00 and they will save the use of hundreds of bottles of water. Once you get the filtered water, put it in your own bottle and reduce your cost to drink water and save the environment (even just a little bit).

6. Go green with your pets. You can take care of your pets much better with green methods. Get flea and tick sprays made with natural ingredients that actually kill the fleas and ticks to break the cycle of the pest’s life. These treatments can be applied over and over because they do not harm your pet’s skin. You can also get organic food that works better with your pet’s digestive system. It is healthy for your pet to go green along with you. You can even get green toys for your pets.

7. Going green means more than just changing your environment. It is good to have filtered water and solar lights but you need to take care of yourself. You need to get rest, exercise, and eat the right foods. One of the best ways to either lose or keep weight off is to eat the right foods. Eating right will also help you lose weight when you exercise.

8. Give green gifts. It sounds simple but what does it mean? Many businesses use recycled items to make new ones. For example, there are artisans who use newspaper and other types of paper to make plates, pitchers, saucers, and vases. These items look great and seem like they are made of ceramic rather than paper. You can also find doormats made from recycled marine rope or the leftover materials from sandals. All of these make great gifts that are useful and help our environment.

Look for ways that help you go green and save yourself time, money, and effort as well.