When I started becoming more of a health nut, I stopped drinking coffee in the morning and started drinking tea more frequently.  I am a a little emphatic about it now because I loved that they combined taste with health benefits.  I had echinacea  tea, detox tea, ginger tea, and others that I can barely remember.  At one point I had 8 different varieties (yes, I was that obsessed!) 

I usually like to buy Yogi Teas because I like their tastes and health options.  My favorite one is Skin Detox, because it helps clear up my skin.  But once I bought some Celestial Seasonings tea, and noticed the difference in packaging.  Each Yogi Tea bag had a wrapper, a string, and a tag.  Celestial seasonings only had the small pouch that carried the tea; there was no tag or string or wrapping.  Yogi Tea I have only found at natural food stores (or in the organic section of the grocery store if they have any), while Celestial seasonings seems to be widely available at any grocery store.  I read the side of their box and realized the reason there is less packaging is because the company wanted to be more sustainable.  I think it’s a bit odd that Yogi Tea, which is usually mostly organic, would be wasteful with unnecessary packaging.

Anyway, being the “GreenMinded” person that I am, I started to read into options to be more sustainable in my tea-drinking habit.  I never even flirted the thought of buying myself loose leaf tea and using my own metal “infuser”, similar to what I found here.  That uses virtually no packaging, which is the “greenest” of the options.  Of course, you can also buy teas similar to those of Celestial Seasonings: no wrapping, no strings, no tags. 

Next time you’re at the grocery store or natural food store, look in the bulk section.  Last time I visited my favorite organic store, I found that they had loose leaf tea that was way less expensive than the packaged loose leaf tea, even though it was also organic.

I must say, I still do enjoy a couple of my Yogi Teas.  I haven’t been able to find certain benefits in any other brands (i.e., my Skin Detox tea).  So the way I try to make it “greener” is by using a trick my thrifty Polish grandmother taught me: reusing tea bags!  I usually drink my Skin Detox tea in the morning, and then store it in an airtight container.  I usually stick the container in the fridge because I am paranoid about bacteria growth in the “danger zone.”  Another tip I should mention is the first time you use the tea bag, make sure that you do not brew your tea for too long-maybe 3 minutes maximum.  I know that I like my tea stronger; however, if I brewed my first tea bag as long as I generally do, the next time around my tea would be very weak.  This reusing tea technique also helps save money, because my box of tea will last me 3 or 4 weeks instead of 2 (depending on how much of the tea I drink in one day).

I like to think that I am this unique and super-thrifty college student, and in some ways I am.  But sometimes I am a typical college student when it comes to food.  Exhibit A: my inclination to order Chinese take-out especially during final exam week.  Last year, I started watching The Food Network quite frequently as an attempt to get myself out of this slump. While watching, I noticed how much these chefs/tv-hosts used fresh herbs.  I bought myself some fresh parsley and noticed how much of a difference it made in my most basic pasta dish (whole rye pasta, butter, a little milk, and Parmesan).

A year later, I started making legitimate attempt to start eating healthier and cooking more for myself.  I figured it would help my waistline and my wallet.  I picked up online recipes and cookbooks of healthy dishes using fruits and veggies that were in season and attempted to cook for myself.  After I gained some confidence from watching countless cooking shows, I started making making my own recipes.  I started experimenting with herbs because I learned how one of the simplest ingredients can yield a delicious and simply dish.

But while going to my organic grocery store, I was appalled at how expensive fresh herbs were-even in the summer!  But then I realized that all of these herbs were grown from plants (duh!).  My friend Lauren had previously started a small herb garden on her windowsill and I decided that this was a much better investment than paying 2-3 bucks for every small bunch.  I had never realized before how expensive fresh herbs could be.  I bought a pot and proceeded to my favorite organic store to buy organic soil and my three favorite herbs: rosemary, thyme and parsley.

At first this was a small investment.  The good thing is that you don’t need a green thumb to maintain a herb garden.  All you need is a windowsill.  I know quite a few friends like Lauren who do the same thing, and they gave me lots of tips.  For example, if your windowsill is in your kitchen, make sure you keep your kitchen clean.  My friends who didn’t keep their kitchens clean seemed to attract bugs.  When I made my herb garden, I had to make sure that I never left out any food and kept the area extremely prestine (a minor challenge for the average college student).  Also I needed to make sure that I remembered to water the plant everyday, but it was not the most exhausting challenge I have ever encountered.  I noticed that every so often a leaf started to dry out, but if that happened I just snipped it away.

It’s a pretty decent investment.  It’s simple math: one time you buy a plant, and you have fresh herbs for the rest of the summer (and into the fall if the light is still decent).  You add some green to your wallet and your household!  I encourage other bloggers and readers to try this technique, and see how eating green can be healthier, cheaper and tastier!

I’ve been frugal (ahem, cheap) most of my life. When we started to put an effort into going green several years ago, I realized that some of my cheap practices were also good for the environment.

The discovery came at a good time for us. We had recently moved to a big city where most of our neighbors and co-workers were decidedly not thrifty. Having money, or more realistically, acting like you have lots of money was de riguer.

Times have certainly changed, haven’t they? I read the most interesting article in the July/August edition of AARP The Magazine this weekend titled “The Leap to Cheap.”

Author Jeff Yeager interviewed several cheapskates that would put my thriftiness to shame. The gist of the article was that the more money we try to make, and more things we buy, the less time we spend enjoying life.

One of the most interesting things I learned from the article is that the U.S. used to have a national “Thrift Week.” It began in 1916 and ran through 1966.

Thanks to our current economic crisis, frugality and thrift have come back in a big, big way. 

What’s green about being frugal? People are buying less stuff, which means less waste is generated. People aren’t buying gas-guzzlers and driving them all over the place. People are eating out less. More of us are growing our own gardens and spending more time with each other.

This newfound thrift has even spurred a movement to bring back Thrift Week. They even have a facebook page.

I think this is all great, but Yeager warns in his article, once the economy improves, many of us will drop our newfound thriftiness and go back to our regular way of consuming. What do you think? Do you think thriftiness will go back out of style?

There are lots of little actions that you can take around your house that will make a big difference, both for your pocketbook and for the earth.

One area where you can make a big difference is the way you use your dishwasher.

Think you shouldn’t be using your dishwasher? A study by the University of Bonn showed that dishwashers were more economical and ecological than hand washing, even for single-person households.

According to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACE3), you should only run full loads. The dishwasher will use the same amount of energy and water whether it’s washing 10 dishes or 30.

Pre-rinsing isn’t recommended either. Most newer dishwashers are powerful enough to do a thorough job without any help. If the dishes will be sitting for a while before you run the next cycle, then use cold water to do your rinsing.

ACE3 also suggests using the no-heat, air-dry feature if your dishwasher has that option.

I like to run our dishwasher in the evenings during the summer, so I’m not adding extra heat to our house.

Have any energy-saving tips when it comes to dishwashing?

There are several easy, money-saving ways to help the environment, some of them you might already be doing.

Do you have your paycheck deposited directly into your checking or savings account? That practice is good for the environment.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the amount of money and greenhouse gases saved with online bill pay. Direct Deposit also saves money and greenhouse gases.

The American Payroll Association reports that  by opting for Direct Deposit, you not only save the paper the check is printed on, you also save the gas used idling in your car at the bank drive-thru. And you are assured that your money is always in your account on payday, even if you are out of the office.

ElectronicPayments.org reports that each year paper checks use over 674 million gallons of fuel and add 3.6 million tons of carbon dioxide into the environment.  And 145 million Americans use Direct Deposit!

Many employers offer Direct Deposit, because it saves them money as well. The government stands to save a good bit of money if all of the people receiving Social Security and Veterans’ Affairs checks each year would switch to Direct Deposit.  According to GoDirect.org, the Treasury could save $130 million annually — the money saved would stay in the Social Security Trust Fund.

Solar hot water heaters can be a great way to heat water for your home and save some money while doing it.

These heaters can be used in any climate and their only fuel is sunshine.

But, as with some environmentally friendly purchases, you first have to spend a little more money upfront. Thanks to tax incentives, as well as the money you end up saving on fuel, you usually do end up saving money in the long run.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy  (EERE) reports that the amount of money you save depends on the amount of hot water you use, your location, incentives and the cost of fuel.

On average, the agency reports that a solar water heater can cut your water bills by 50 to 80 percent! An added bonus is that people with these panels are protected from fuel shortages and price hikes (when it comes to heating their water.)

Arlen Dau of Rhode Island installed solar tubes on his house last July. Already, the tubes combined with more insulation and other fixes have reduced his fuel usage by 40 to 50 percent. By next year, he hopes to not really need fuel oil for nine to 10 months.

“I can’t express how great it feels to check the system on a 30 degree day and find we are producing 130 degree water from the sun,“ says Dau.

Dau received state and federal tax incentives for installing the tubes, as well as a tax rebate. These covered about half the cost of the tubes.

The incentives for people installing solar panels or tubes will be even higher this year since incentive limit was lifted. To find out which incentives you qualify for, check out the Database for State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency’s chart.

Don’t worry if you don’t live in the warmest area. If your home has unshaded areas or faces south, it can be a good candidate for a solar water heating system.

“If you have a house with a clear shot of the sun, this is one of the best value/cost home improvements you can make,” adds Dau. “Beyond the cost recovery, this system’s savings will be with us for many years – long after we have forgotten the initial cost. And, should we ever sell this home, I feel it is easily worth another $10,000 in home value.”

If you want to estimate how much a solar water heating system can save you each year, the EERE has a system to help you determine the possible savings.

Sometimes being green can be easy. If you unplug your chargers when they aren’t in use, you not only save energy, but you also save money.

According the Environmental Protection Agency, electronics, adaptors and appliances cost Americans almost $10 billion a year and account for almost 11 percent of all U.S. energy use. These “energy vampires” suck power even when not in use or they are turned off.

Ten billion dollars sounds kind of abstract, doesn’t it? According to EnergyStar, U.S. households spend $100 a year to power devices in a standby power mode.

EnergyStar estimates that the are more than 1.5 billion power adapters in use across the country — about five per person. That makes sense. In our home, we have two cell phones, a digital camera, digital camcorder, two laptops, a cordless screwdriver, a baby monitor, etc. We easily cover the five adapters per person.

While $10 billion is a lot of money, it’s money that can be very easily saved. Just unplug your chargers whenever they aren’t in use.

It’s a great habit to get into, don’t you think?

Although I’m sure many retail stores will hate to see this, you do not have to buy decorations for your home this holiday season. There are plenty of natural decoration options that will look just as festive as those fake silver trees.

If your yard is filled with pine trees, then there are probably lots of pine cones lying around your yard. Pick up the pretty ones, as well as some pine fronds and use those to decorate a mantel or table. You could also wrap them around your mailbox or put them over your front door.

The pine cones would also look great by themselves on a dining room table.

Fresh cranberries look festive when you float them in a water-filled glass dish with sustainable candles.

If you like the green and red combination, why not decorate with green and red apples? You could create a pretty centerpiece that’s also edible!

Make an orange pomander ball out of an orange, whole cloves and a ribbon. Just poke some holes in a fresh orange and stick whole dried cloves in them. This site recommends rolling the ball in spices, which I’m sure would make it smell even better!

I’m a big fan of the whole edible decoration idea. We’ve never made a gingerbread house, but I’m thinking that might be a fun new tradition to add to our holidays.

Here’s a link for some other great green holiday suggestions.

Do you have any cool ideas for green holiday decor?

Two trends definitely seem to be catching on right now, going green and saving some green — and it’s not that hard to do both at the same time.

Over the next few weeks we’re going to do a series of posts detailing the different and inexpensive ways you can go green.

Did you know that a bottle of distilled white vinegar can practically erase your need for any other household cleaners? This humble bottle can be used to clean counters, microwaves, ovens, dishwashers, mirrors, windows, coffee pots, and carpets. It can be used to get rid of odors and even be used as a fabric softener!

Since there are so many ways to clean with distilled white vinegar, I’m going to highlight some of the super-easy ways I clean with white vinegar and supply links to dozens of other uses for this miracle cleaner.

I regularly use distilled white vinegar to:

1. Clean windows and mirrors. The key to leaving no streaks or trails of paper towel bits is to use newspaper or those brown paper towels supplied at some gas station bathrooms. It’s easiest to put the vinegar into a spray bottle and use as you would any glass cleaner.
2. Clean countertops, stoves, sinks — just about any household surface. Use white vinegar in place of your regular countertop cleaner with paper towel or dish towel. Again, it’s easiest if you put the white vinegar in a spray bottle.
3. Clean tile, linoleum or vinyl floor. Just use as you would your normal floor cleaner.
4. Clean a coffee pot. Pour white vinegar into the water reservoir and run it without coffee. You will need to run it once more with water before making a new pot of coffee.
5. Freshen the air. We left dirty water in our steam cleaner once, and managed to make a lot of mildew. After a deep cleaning of the steam cleaner (and a very thorough drying) we couldn’t get the smell to budge from our closet. I put a bowl of undiluted white vinegar on the floor of the closet and after a few days, the smell was gone!

Here are some links to other suggestions for white vinegar. Some of these are new to me, and I can’t wait to try them out!

· Vinegartips.com — This list is very thorough! I plan to use their suggestion to clean up messes made by our pets. They recommend using a vinegar/water solution instead of straight vinegar. Straight vinegar works fine for me, but if you want to stretch your vinegar or can’t stand the smell, then I suggest mixing it with water.
· 25 Ways to Clean with Vinegar – A lot of her tips have to do with laundry and stains. This is a great resource for those of us who are messy!

And just for fun, you can use a solution of white vinegar and salt to clean pennies. This was very entertaining to me when I was a child. I would put the yuckiest, green and white corroded pennies in the bowl, and they would come out shiny and new looking.