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Easy green living on the cheap
The Lazy Environmentalist shows you how to green your habits on a budget without overhauling your lifestyle.
Wed, Jul 08 2009 at 2:13 PM
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The Lazy Environmentalist on a BudgetCan going green be cheap, easy, and good for the planet? Yes, according to Josh Dorfman, who’s written a new book — The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget: Save Money. Save Time. Save the Planet — to prove it.
 
No, money-conscious environmentalism isn’t just about conserving and cutting back on everything — though of course, reducing and reusing are an important part of living green. Josh — who’s also a columnist at MNN — shows in The LE on a Budget that thinking green has gotten quite a bit easier in recent years, thanks to all the new green options out there offered by new eco-conscious businesses as well as older, bigger companies that are starting to cater to the green market.
 
Gone are the days when finding organic cotton jeans or low-VOC paints meant an all-day hunt — on the web. Now, you can pick up eco-goods even at megastores like Target, Wal-Mart, and Home Depot. The LE on a Budget offers practical tips for all aspects of green living — whether conserving water and energy or raising kids and pets — along with the cold hard dollar details that’ll help you achieve those goals. Want to know how much a waterwise, wirelessly-controlled sprinkler system will cost you? Josh names the price (Cyber-Rain costs $349). Thinking drip irrigation instead? Josh estimates the cost for that too (typically as low as $40).
 
Such specific details mean the book will likely get quickly outdated, as newer technologies and brands hit the green market. But the book’s a great resource to find out what specific, affordable appliances, energy-saving gadgets, and fuel-efficient cars are available now or coming out next year.
 
More than anything else, The LE on a Budget serves as an excellent e-directory. I discovered quite a few eco-resources I’m now eager to try out, like Denim Therapy, an enterprise that’ll patch up my favorite pair of jeans at the fraction of a cost of buying a new pair, or Dyscern, a website where I can buy refurbished gadgets on the cheap.
 
While rich on dollar details, however, The LE on a Budget is low on discussion of the more difficult questions that surround green consumer products. Josh highlights the reduced packaging of the laundry detergent Dropps, without pointing out that unlike most detergent packaging, Dropps’ packaging cannot be recycled in most communities.  He writes Burt’s Bees products have “nothing to hide,” when enviro-activists have long called on Burt’s Bees to disclose the hidden ingredients lumped together under “fragrance” on its ingredient list.
 
And while the book’s press release boasts that you’ll find out how to get “bargain basement deals on stylish organic bedding and bamboo furnishings at the largest retailers in the world” — the book doesn’t point out that such deals often come at the expense of lower labor standards and homogenized, car-centric neighborhoods. In fact the exuberance with which The LE on a Budget big ups shopping Wal-Mart’s green goods could be off-putting to environmental and labor activists.
 
Still, The LE on a Budget could mean a small green step forward for newbie environmentalists who are cash poor but eager to start thinking green. Hopefully the book can serve as a first step toward a greener lifestyle that moves people from browsing the green goods at Wal-Mart to thinking beyond the big box store.
 
Image courtesy of The Lazy Environmentalist

The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.

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Comments: 5
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anonymous
Guest Jul 17 2009 at 12:50 AM
All the green movement is great. Except no seems to address the POISON IN THE GRASS ISSUE. It seems to be spreadin as if it were candy instead of decreasing or stopping all together as is should do. So how can we get a green movement and try to have organic food when the use of Lawn POISON increases every year. I suffer from Chemical sensitivities and Environmental allergies. I don't think we doing any good by just reuse reduce and recycle. That is all you ever hear about. I hope we get it in our
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heads soon that THE REAL ISSUE WE MUST STOP on this planet is STOPPING THE USE OF POISONS IN ALL AREA'S. Start looking around to see where the POISON placards are in the grass. In almost all suppermart parking lot flower and grass beds, at the hospitals and on the shelves next to food or absorbent items in stores. Then they put childrens school supplies on the same shelves or Holiday items and or even food products. They POISON our hotels inside and out, the indoor grass at Pro Baseball stadiums, public parks were children play, bars and restaurants, Sidewalk cracks all without any notice to the public, but mostly our produce which absorbs what is sprayed on the plants and so much more if you really start to pay attention. We need to become aware of what our environment consists of before we can make a real effert to address the True Problems that are hazzardous to it and too us also. Since POISONS are geared to KILL LIVING THINGS and they break down the Immune system, Endocrine (thyroid) ect. and even destroy our nervous systems, and contribute to the cause of cancers, allergies, parkinsons, MS and more. In fact POISONS IN THE GRASS AND ON OUR FOOD IS FAR MORE HAZARDOUS TO LIFE THAT CIGARETTES ever were. Yet we make no effert to stop it. My new Moto I made up and hope it catches on soon is "Make every day and EARTH S.P.A. Day and S.top P.oisoning A.merica. copywrite 2006."
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anonymous
MotherLodeBeth Jul 14 2009 at 5:22 PM
Am a walk the talk green living person since I was a child in the 50's, so while I find some of what the author says valuable I 100% disagree with supporting BIG corporations like Clorox who jumped on the green bandwagon four years ago. The author should be telling people NOT to reward big companies but instead we should be supporting the smaller companies like Seventh Generation who for over a decade have been producing green products. And there are so many other and alas better books out that
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cover homemade cleaners that cost less and are safe for babies and the earth. Books that have been around for decades. Alas this is just another book that says what others have been saying for decades and saying much better. Including the advise to live more like our families did in pre WW2 and the 1800's. When less was the norm.
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anonymous
Lori Jul 14 2009 at 3:35 PM
As the former owner of a green retail store I would like to offer KUDOS to the reviewer who correctly points out that getting green items cheaply at mass merchandizers happens at the expense of labor standards and communities. Being green is also about HOW things are made, not just the material used. As someone who has been living a green life for over 10 years, the first thing I tell people is that if you are buying truly green items, you will not be able to afford to buy much. Truly green
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consumer products made under SUSTAINABLE labor conditions COST more money because the price includes the "market externalities" excluded by free market priced products. The answer is, there is no cheap way out.
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anonymous
Guest Jul 14 2009 at 3:20 PM

Another great source of info on how to go green and save money - or get wealthy doing it actually - is the Green Millionaire. I've found the information it provides to be incredibly helpful - making modest changes - not sacrifices - to save a lot and really cut the carbon footprint.

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anonymous
N.J.Bond Jul 12 2009 at 12:07 PM
Going green can be really increasing the happiness on this earth . Life is complex its solution for problems can be so .When people try simplistic solution it turns wrong. When it is suffeciently complex solution the result can be fruitful one and must yeild that what money is truely meant to . In the past many decades the Fashion designers are befooling women with thier ideas about fashion. They never were able to make the girls realise that what colour they are perciving is true one
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and the material they are using is great and manmade . Nature has given a twist to all to realise it. Organic pure cotton Natural indigo like colour dyed Denim jeans will open its true beauty in colour only when they handwash after handwash . Big companies however good in qaulity can not compete here with tiniest company .Understand it is no their domain . The belong to the destructive era of 2 nd millanium . When it is custom made to her curves it reveals her unique shapes in magical shades of light and dark. Indigo is living orgnic colour. Character of one is not like other will get revealed.This colours reveal magic when it is lighter it feels heavy and darker it feels light . This strage behaviour of that colur can be only experienced and this knowledge is one that you can not trasfer easily to others it just goes with owner.Through known you can reach unknown it is the gift of life especially for women,it is similar to one rare thing that is commenly felt in love life.Lie in love is not lie.Turth in love is not true. This is Indigo magic only while Indigo jeans washing a women can realise. Think of the beatiful material it turns mellowing after years of use and true comes the colour indigo magic. Ofcourse, all this is tough for those who are not trained to percive suble effect of colours discerning viever alone can perceive colour beauty in nature ,but while working they can catch on to it. Since the jeans is orgnic and natural dyed ,if dyed by hand and on small looms with out much strain on yarn it is likely to last for decades . And all along it will gain antique value. When you take care of this kind of jeans similar to it sells after 100 years several thousands of dollars. You can pass on it as family heirloom property happily to younger generations . While you buy them email sources in producing countries you can take risks and reward too. I know one Spanish Engineer who arrived India 20 years ago is making it and selling on the web :www.the colours of nature. Since we are the farmers who is growing Indigo plants for dye extraction we know this line .Once when you are successful spread to others for green living . My mail : trans_india@hotmail.com I am using the Indigo jeans and it rubs my skin day and night they say it detoxes your body blood . I will write latter on this and such green topic more details . Price is cheaper than the chemical jeans for the qulity it compares with in construction and etc.
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