Going Green

Not sure if "going green" is just a fad, but for the last few years it seems to have really gained some momentum.  Things like recycling (prevalent in just about any neighborhood now, at least here in North Texas) and promotional campaigns aimed at reducing water use are fairly commonplace nowadays.

In addition to those two areas in the green movement (waste and water), another major component for going green is related to energy.

Several ways of going green around energy (and my opinion):
1) Transportation -
  a) Buy an electric car (however, if plugging in using grid power, you're sourcing it from primarily fossil fuel-based energy, like coal and natural gas)
  b) Buy a hybrid car (uses less grid power than pure electric, but still uses gasoline, derived from oil)
  c) Buy a car that simply uses less oil by getting better mileage (can even save a ton of money doing this, like going from a 15 mpg SUV to a 35 mpg hatch-back could amount to over $1000/year saved)
  d) And obvious maintenance things, like...
    - Keeping tires inflated (I just use 32 psi for all of my cars, easy to remember too)
    - Changing my air filters once every year (I just use a milestone date, like Thanksgiving or Christmas)
    - Using the correct fuel type (double-check for your car, premium gas in a vehicle only needs regular doesn't save any gas and certainly doesn't save dollars)
2)  Home appliances and gadgets -
  a) Upgrade old equipment to more efficient devices like (all good)...
    - An Energy Star rated refrigerator or television
    - The highest SEER rated A/C unit
    - Using a laptop instead of a desktop computer
    - Replacing incandescent lighting with compact fluorescent
  b) Unplug devices when not in use (lights, computers, charging devices)
    - Optionally, there are several power strips on the market today that can cut-off power to devices when it detects that they are not on, thereby reducing wasted "phantom" power (standby modes, charging adapters)
3)  Electricity -
  a) Shop around for the best electric rate (can really save a bunch doing this, if you haven't switched electricity providers in a while... I review this at least once a year)
  b) Renewable power (can be cost prohibitive, unless combined federal and local rebates make up much of the up front investment... and if it's a lease, I'll explain more on this later)
  c) Related to #2a, simply use less (bundle up in the winter, use ceiling fans in the summer, turn off the lights)

Whatever methods chosen to "go green", it's definitely a great thing to do and can save a bunch of money at the same time.