How to Save the Earth While Saving Your Wallet

“We only have one planet,” that’s the message that activists like Greta Thunberg and Isra Hirsi are sharing with the world. While it is true that we may only have one planet, you also only have one wallet, and being environmentally friendly can be seriously expensive. From spending tens of thousands of dollars to outfit your home with solar panels to even buying $65 hydro flasks, you can rack up as many dollar signs as your heart desires trying to reduce your carbon footprint. Luckily, where there is a desire, there is a market solution just waiting to be discovered! There are plenty of market solutions that have cropped up to help you go green on a budget. 

1. Secondhand Clothing
With the rapid rise in fast fashion brands over the past decade, the items in people’s closets feel more disposable than ever. Now that many of us have made it through our Forever 21 phases, we might want to invest in some higher-quality pieces, but that can get super expensive! Good-old thrifting has always been a great option for cutting down on the environmental impact of your wardrobe, but now the opportunity to buy second-hand is more accessible than ever! With pre-loved clothing companies like thredUP coming on the scene, you can now shop secondhand from your couch. Many online thrift stores have taken well to their sustainability niche by using shipping bags made only of recycled materials and ensuring that you can easily repurpose them for returns if need be. Not only can you save some serious coin on high-quality, made-to-last brands like Levi and Frye, but purchasing items second-hand ensures those articles of clothing will not end up in a landfill somewhere.

2. Growlers of Beer
Remember when your great grandmother used to leave empty bottles out for the milkman to pick up? I mean, I don’t personally remember that happening in my lifetime, but I’m pretty sure we all know that was a thing. While no one swings by to pick up your milk jars anymore, you can swing by your local brewery to pick up jars (AKA growlers) of beer. Growlers may not typically be marketed for their sustainability, but they certainly are the most environmentally friendly way to keep a stash of your favorite brews at home. Bottles and cans of beer may seem pretty green on their face – being made of recyclable materials and packaged in cardboard – but the reality is only 40% of the beer bottles you put in the recycling bin actually get recycled. Cans have a better recycling rate, but there is still no certainty that your beer cans will ever be recycled. Instead of purchasing disposable containers for your brews, you can go to your local brewery and purchase a growler (or bring one of your own). Once you have polished off your growler, you can return it for your deposit back or exchange it for a newly filled growler. The one you return will go back to be thoroughly cleaned and filled up again for another beer-drinking patron. With the rise in local and micro-breweries, it is easier than ever to “go growler.”

3. Reusable Sandwich Bags
One of the best ways to begin taking control of your finances is to start cooking for yourself. Once you get comfortable whipping it up in the kitchen, you will probably want a way to take those delicious meals to work or on-the-go with you. One of the most popular ways for Americans to store our food is in disposable plastic bags, but recently companies like Grove Collaborative and Lunchskins have been amping up marketing on reusable alternatives to these plastic disposables. Buy a couple of these high-quality reusable bags, and you won’t ever find yourself picking a box of Ziplocs at the grocery store again. This not only goes for plastic bags, but nearly any disposable items you find around your kitchen. Beeswax covers can replace plastic wrap, metal straws can replace disposable ones, and you can substitute in cloth napkins for paper towels. 

Being environmentally conscious does not have to be as expensive as buying a new hybrid car. Nearly everyone can make little changes to their lives that not only help save the environment, but save you some cash as well. Supporting sustainable companies and buying sustainable products in a market economy means moving markets in the direction of sustainable innovation. Thanks to economies of scale, when we show demand for sustainable products, companies can make larger purchasing orders that are cheaper per unit – potentially transferring those cost savings onto all of us. In these ways, not only can buying sustainable products save you money now, but it can make purchasing sustainable products cheaper for others in the future.