About 6 months ago I looked into getting a reclaimed water hookup for my sprinklers. My county offers the option to hook up to reclaimed water if you have the work done to connect the line to your system. I considered this for 2 reasons. First of all my county has cut our regular watering days down to 1 day per week. St. Augustine grass just doesn’t want to survive with water only once a week. The second reason is that reclaimed water is much less expensive than potable water. The initial investment was about $500 for the county and the plumber that installed the lines to my system. So far I have saved at least that much. My water bill has been cut in half since the installation.

Now I understand that some people consider having a lawn in the first place is wasteful and unnecessary. Some people have rocks or wood chips as a lawn, but for my community only a regular grass lawn is allowed.

This is just one way to create more money power for yourself.

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It seems lately that everywhere you turn someone is encouraging you to get rid of your car or appliances in exchange for a newer, more fuel efficient or energy saving model. Even with the government rebates, there is still an argument to be made for keeping a clunker though. First of all if your car or appliance is paid in full, you would then be looking at paying cash outright, or financing your purchase with interest when you were already in a good position financially by not having a payment. You may need to divert funds that could already be allocated to other bills or to savings. There are also other factors to consider such as depreciation of a new vehicle, insurance rates, and manufacturing costs.

I’ve read that 25% of a cars carbon dioxide emissions come from the manufacturing process. Since your used car has already gone through the manufacturing phase, it produces no additional environmental demand. Even though it may get less gas mileage, driving it responsibly arguably produces less pollution than purchasing new.

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FedEx announced the first all-electric FedEx delivery trucks in the United States. This is an expansion of its existing alternative-energy vehicle fleet. They are starting with 4 electric trucks that are optimized for electric operation from the wheels up. They are slated to hit the road in the Los Angeles area starting in June 2010, joining more than 1,800 alternative-energy vehicles already in service for FedEx around the world.

A pair of electric vehicles are being assembled in Indiana. Another pair of electric vehicles is being purchased from a different manufacturer for delivery to the Los Angeles area later in 2010. Both sets of electric vehicles are designed with a range that allows many FedEx Express couriers to make a full eight-hour shift of deliveries before their vehicles need recharging.

This news will make my dog very happy as the engine noise from the current vehicles drive him crazy.

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We have been working on converting a 1976 Porsche 912 to all electric drive. The project began two years ago and was finally completed last week and is on the road in Tallahassee Florida. This Porsche is powered by an 11 inch diameter electric motor and 85 lithium ion batterys. We plan to add more photos and infomation about the car to the www.mymoneypower com website soon.

Note: This photo was take at a Las Vegas car show where we had the car on display.

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One of the greenest ways to cut back on your office costs is to have your employees work from home. The overhead of the building goes way down, while email and teleconferencing (both of which are often free) make it easy to stay in touch. Try to work out a plan so that the office can be closed one day a week for maximum savings, or maybe a rotating schedule can help you cut back. But once you’re away from headquarters, keep all the same good green practices in mind to save money in your own home office. You won’t use your vehicle as much if you work from home saving you money on fuel and you will likely eat lunch at home saving even more money.

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When I was a kid one way, other than cutting lawns, to make a little extra money was to recycle cans and bottles. I spent hours stomping aluminum cans down to a 1/4 inch to make more fit in the bag. My parents helped by taking me to the recycling center to turn them in. Today that concept is still in place. There are more and more recycling centers around that take glass, aluminum, and scrap metal in exchange for money. But now you are able to recycle things for money that in the old days would go to the landfill.

There is a company that refurbishes cell phones and gives them to 3rd world countries. They will send you the box postage paid, you give them the phone and the charger, and they send you a check. There are many companies that will pay you to send them your old ink and toner cartridges. They are expensive to produce, so these companies recycle the shell and just add new contents and re-sell them and pay you for them. I saw a power company that was taking old working refrigerators and recycling them in exchange for $30. You can recycle rechargable batteries like laptop batteries, even car batteries that I thought could not be recycled, and get cash for them.

There is another company that is paying with gift certificates and coupons for recycling items that you may already recycle. They provide you with a recycling bin, you place your unsorted items in the bin, when the truck comes by the bin is weighed. The bin has a chip inside and you are credited for the weight of your normal recycling. It’s not available in all states yet, but they are expanding. The more I research it, the more items I find that not only can be recycled, but there are companies willing to pay you for them. Those companies win because it’s much cheaper for them to refurbish an item and re-sell it than to produce a new one. Not to mention they can then make the statement in their marketing that they are a green business.  So before you throw away anything do a little research and you may be able to put a little cash in your pocket.

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John Hancock and Metlife are financing the construction of the largest solar energy plant in Colorado. Constuction will begin this spring with operations expected to begin by the end of the year.

“MetLife recognizes the importance of investing in renewable energy ventures that will have a positive impact on the environment,” said Steve Kandarian, executive vice president and chief investment officer for MetLife. “This project builds upon the more than $1 billion that MetLife has already invested in renewable energy projects. It also demonstrates our commitment to support growth in the solar energy market by making it easier and more affordable for businesses and public entities to benefit from solar electricity.”

“The project finance teams at John Hancock and our parent company, Manulife Financial, have a portfolio of renewable energy financings that includes more than $2 billion of projects in the U.S. and Canada. We look forward to the successful completion of the solar power plant in Alamosa later this year,” said John Anderson, senior managing director and head of John Hancock’s Power and Infrastructure Group.

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The first electric boat was designed in 1892. Since then many individuals and manufacturers have created their own designs for all types of boats. A regular gas or diesel powered vessel has several drawbacks. The engines are typically loud, they consume fuel which is costly, and they pollute the environment with their emmissions. Today there are companies that produce electric powered vessels from the size of a rowboat to a container ship. One company has a 20 foot boat the runs on 4 batteries that, when fully charged, can last 10 hours of use without a recharge. They also have another available option…solar panels. The panels go on top of the bimini and continuously charge the batteries so the vessel is completely self sustained. Once I attended a boat show and saw an oval shaped electric boat that had leather covered seating all the way around the inside of the boat. It also had a cover or top made of fiberglass that was held up with 4 or 6 stainless steel poles that, with the flip of a switch, lowered into the gunnels of the boat. The top provided shade for the passengers, had built in lights, and kept the boat dry and clean when not in use. Pretty cool.

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By now you have probably heard about the Going Green craze that has hit the public over the last couple years. Reducing your carbon foot print is certainly a noble cause, but what does it actually take to Go Green? Do I really have to trade in my car for  hybrid? Do I have to go run out and buy new energy efficient appliances? While all those would certainly be considered Going Green, they are not practical solutions to get started on the green path. It does not take drastic lifestyle changes to go green and even simple  changes in your day to day can result in a monumental environmental impact. Here are a few simple ways to Go Green that I implement everyday to help reduce my carbon footprint and save some money in the process.

1. Plastic sandwich baggies are an unnecessary product. They are not reusable and non biodegradable. Instead, buy reusable plastic Tupperware or even better glass containers. Whatever fits your budget.

2. Use your plastic shopping bags for your trash rather than buying garbage bags. It may seem less effective but, if you think about it they are free and are always available. I also use them to pick up after my dogs when I take them for a walk. There are tons of different re-uses for plastic bags, the key is to think outside of the bag!

3. Instead of using paper towel after paper towel, you could tear-up old t-shirts for rags to dust with. While your at it, make homemade cleaners from vinegar, baking soda, and water. It will get the job done just as good as the commercial cleaner.

4. Save water by running only full loads of laundry and dishes. This saves water and money on you electric bill. Top off the energy savings by only using cold water.

5. Save money and reduce packaging waste by buying your groceries in bulk. Look-up coupons online and in the store advertisements to save even more money! You will most likely receive discounts from buying in bulk and you say gas money by cutting out unnecessary trips.

6. Replace you light bulbs with CFL’s. They are pricey at first but, they last longer than the regular old light bulb. The best part is that they save energy and once again save you money.

7. Unplug your electric appliances that you are not using. Believe it or not the plugged-up appliances will use-up energy without your consent! Save yourself some green and unplug-it.

8. Donate or sell your old clothes. Get rid of that dress Aunt Sally gave you that is absolutely horrific! Why keep your closet cluttered with clothes you don’t use, when someone else will value them? Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle people!

Going Green is not only for the Earth’s benefit but for your own as well! It doesn’t take much to get started going green, but once you do you will find it addictive. You will have fun discovering new ways to save the both kinds of green!

Photo Credit: MontyPython

What are some simple tips that you use to go green?

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