Going Green has become a bit of a buzz word lately with all the climate change, and rightfully so. Green-tech seems to be the future with people focusing on cutting costs as well as becoming more sustainable. Here is our list of Green-tech that you can implement right now.
1. Solar Panels
Buildings are responsible for the majority of energy usage in the world. Solar panels are a great way to reduce or even eliminate your dependence on the grid. This will lessen the amount of pollution from power plants and lessen what you pay for electricity. There are the upfront costs of buying and installing panels, but these will be offset by overall electricity bill savings.
Solar panel tech isn’t just for the home. There are now flexible solar panels that can fit into your backpack. They’ll charge your cell phone and other electronic devices while you’re on the go, and are great for camping or extended trips in countries where electricity sources are few and far between.
2. Green Cars
There are several environmentally friendly options for your vehicle:
- Convert your engine to run on vegetable oil. Restaurants oftentimes have free waste vegetable oil to power your car
- Go diesel. Multiple diesel options, such as the Audi A3 TDI, get more than 60km to the litre
- Go hybrid. You’ll recoup the expense of a R457 000 Prius by getting nearly 2.5 L/100 KM
If you’re going to drive, greening your vehicle is a must. This is one of the top ways to personally put a dent in climate change. Car and Driver’s list of hybrid and electric cars is a good starting point for your research. Watch out for the Tesla 3 in 2017. If you can afford to fork out half a mil, you’ll get over 200 miles on a single charge.
3. Green Apps
We love apps, they can help make your life easier, fitter and even more fun. There are even apps that help you go green. For example, the Good Guide lets you scan barcodes of products in the shops and tells you exactly where they came from. It is a US-based app but works for quite a few products in SA. Green Me is a list maker app that urges you to do 5 green things a day. Commute Greener helps you make your daily travel to work a little greener.
4. Rainwater Harvesting System
This is simple tech that helps your pocket and the environment. You could build your own or purchase your very own Jojo tank. Through filtration or boiling, you save money on drinking water, cooking water, and bathing water. Non-potable rainwater is great for irrigation, lawns, toilets, and livestock.
5. Wind Generator
This country’s sun is not the only thing that can give us sustainable energy. A wind generator uses turbines to capture the wind’s energy, which is then transferred to the generator and converted into electricity. Like the rainwater harvesting system, you can either build your wind generator or buy one. You can build your one here, or even purchase your own.
6. Smart Power Strips
When they’re plugged into a power strip or outlet, some devices will continue to drain energy even when they’re off or fully charged. A smart power strip senses when that’s happening, and stops powering the guilty devices. Energy vampires – the devices that drain power unnecessarily – account for about 5 to 10 percent of your house’s energy consumption. A smart strip makes sure these devious devices don’t suck you dry.
7. Energy Monitors
If you want to be sustainable and cut back on costs, but don’t have the money right now to buy a Prius, energy monitors are your solution. And with all the money you are saving monitoring your energy usage and cutting down, you might be able to afford that Prius anyway.
8. Energy-efficient appliances
If you have been appliance shopping recently, you would have noticed colorful stickers on fridges, microwaves, you name it. These are not just for show but rather to tell you as the consumer their energy efficiency. These appliances are graded A to G, with A being the most energy-efficient level and G the worst. Keep an eye out for the A level stuff, and most brands have appliances that are graded that high.
9. Get an electric scooter
In comparison to electric cars, an electric scooter is much more affordable. The X-Treme Cabo Cruiser Elite Electric e-bike costs about R25 000 and gets 56 km on a single charge, perfect if you live 20km from work.
10. Rechargeable Batteries
Now, these have been around for a while, but have you ever considered the cost savings? Think about how many things in your house require batteries? From the TV remote to the baby monitor and even some solar-powered lights. We worked out that just one pack of AAs per month will cost you R4000 a year, while Energizer’s recharging station and a pack of rechargeables will save you about R2000. Just make sure you recycle them when you’re through with them.
This list was curated from the original at Lifehack.org
