The Effects of Going Green

Going green---that is, becoming more environmentally friendly---is becoming more popular as families and businesses realize the benefits of "green" living. Even small changes can have a big impact on your budget and on the Earth. However, before making decisions about how to go green in your home or office, you might want to consider some of the practical effects of the changes.

Financial Advantages and Disadvantages

• Small changes in your home or office can be good for both the Earth and your bottom line.

  Many green changes can save you money. For example, using energy-efficient light bulbs and lowering the heat by one or two degrees can cut your energy bills. Reducing your use of paper and recycling the paper you do use can cut office supply costs. And composting your kitchen waste can save you money on garden fertilizer.

  But some changes, while good for the environment, either do not have any direct impact on your wallet or actually cost money to implement. For example, if you live in an area where water is free, installing water-saving technology like motion detector sinks or gray-water toilets will benefit the planet but not your bottom line.

Employee and Family Satisfaction

• Being good to the Earth feels good to most people, and implementing green policies in your company or your home can raise morale, teamwork and company loyalty. Your employees might appreciate a fringe benefit like monthly subway passes or a company shuttle to discourage them from traveling to work in separate cars. Installing large containers for recycling makes it easier for them to dispose of their plastic "greenly," and a monthly update of how many bottles they've collectively recycled might bring a little extra cheer to the workday.

  Children are often keen to go green, and a family meeting about the sacrifices each member is willing to make for the sake of the Earth might yield some surprisingly pleasant decisions and a sense of family pride.

Environmental Effects

• Throwing away garbage, dirtying water and using oil or gas all have detrimental effects on the environment. While your own personal contribution to environmental damage might feel small, it isn't always so. We all leave a carbon footprint in our wake. Your seat on a round-trip flight from San Jose to Chicago for a business meeting accounts for almost a full metric ton of carbon dioxide being released into the air, whereas a video conference has negligible environmental impact. Similarly, taking the train to work rather than driving 10 miles each way would prevent about a metric ton of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere by your car over the course of five months.