A few weeks ago my 3-year old daughter, who loves to read, and I went to a book sale at our local library.  In the wellness section, I picked up the book, Go Green, Live Rich, along with a few others. I am a sucker for wellness and self-help books, so I was really excited to have found 5 books in perfect condition for $3.75!

Since I picked up this book blindly, I was pleasantly surprised to find a ton of useful information in it. The author, David Bach, also wrote the #1 New York Time’s bestsellers The Automatic Millionaire; Start Late, Finish Rich; and The Automatic Homeowner.

 Bach discusses how “going green” is not a luxury or an expensive choice that you can’t afford.  He offers 50 simple tips on how to make an impact on the environment as well as saving money.

He encourages just doing one green thing today and it will lead to more. I love this concept in overall wellness. Making one small change often leads to more changes, as Courtney also encouraged us last month in Just One.

The book begins with examining your own carbon footprint, discusses everything from driving to being green at work, and ends with how to join the green community.

It was very easy to read and each tip is only 2-3 pages long. The information is simple and doable. You can skip around and just pick a few items and then go back to the book if you want to add more changes.

I wanted to share a few of Bach’s tips that will save you money and are also great for your health and well-being!

1)   Drink water from a reusable bottle.

Stop buying plastic water bottles – it cost 2500 times more than drinking from the tap. Buy your reusable bottle and drink your 8 glasses a day! Aluminum and stainless steel are best.

2)   Skip a Trip

Walk or ride your bike instead of driving, whenever possible. Bach states that 40% of all car trips we make in the US are less than 2 miles.

Are there any trips less than 2 miles you make that could be walked or biked instead?

3)   Unplug It

Americans spend about $4 billion a year on electricity for things they’re not using. Use the smart power strips with on/off switches you can turn off when you aren’t using and at night.

Better yet – keep the switches for your TV, computer, and laptop OFF and be active instead!

4)   Grow a Greener Lawn

Here are the 3 main things Bach highlighted that you can do when it comes to lawn care to save money and your health.

• Trade in your gas mower for one that runs on electricity.  They only cost $5/ year to run and are much better for the environment.  Even better – use a push mower, which is a great workout and after purchasing is free!

• Use organic, nontoxic lawn care. Choose fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides made from plant, animal and mineral sources instead of chemicals. You can use a do-it-yourself soil test kit to find out what nutrients your lawn is lacking.

• Compost. Compost is made up of decomposed organic matter -food scraps, coffee grounds, leaves, etc. It is great for your garden and by composting you can help reduce the amount of landfill waste.

April is Earth Month, so there will be more to come on green living the rest of this month.  Stay tuned for part two of Go Green, Live Rich for more tips!

Have a great weekend!!

Love,

Molly