St. Patrick’s Day is only a few weeks away, so I wanted to lay out ahead of time some of the common (and not so common) “green” things associated with St. Patrick’s Day.

St. Patrick is known as the patron saint of Ireland. But, St. Patrick’s Day is not just a commonly observed Irish holiday anymore, countries and individuals across the globe, whether Irish or not, celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th, the anniversary of his death. To the Irish it is considered as a religious or holy day and has been for over 1000 years.

Even though St. Patrick’s Day falls during the Christian season of Lent (which prohibits the consumption of meat on Fridays and Ash Wednesday), those prohibitions were often waived so Irish families would traditionally celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with large evening feasts filled with bacon and cabbage.

Over the years more and more commercialism set it and today’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations are commonly associated with many things green:

1) Most people consider Corned Beef and Cabbage (green) to be the traditional “Irish meal” for St. Patrick’s Day. But like I mentioned above, bacon and cabbage was actually the meal of choice when it came to Irish families. So even though many of you may have Corned Beef and Cabbage, if you are looking for tradition on this St. Patrick’s Day – Bacon and Cabbage it is.

2) Don’t forget to chase that traditional Irish meal with a good, green beer. There are many different beers to choose from and it depends on whether you want a beer made in a “green” or environmentally-friendly manner or a beer that is green in color.

If you are looking for a beer that is green in color, how about making your own? Here’s a quick video to show you how you can make your own green beer:

If you are looking for an environmentally-friendly “green” beer, here are a couple of options: Goose Island’s Green Line Pale Ale or Samuel Smith’s Organic Lager or Ale. And if you want some tips on what to look for when buying a “green” beer, you can check out this beer buying guide. Buying local is also a great way to make a greener beer choice.

3) Leprechauns are considered as a sort-of Irish fairy. They are often portrayed as small men with green hats and clothes and commonly associated with rainbows and pots of gold.  Leprechauns are the “self-appointed guardians of ancient treasure (left by the Danes when they marauded through Ireland), burying it in crocks or pots.” But, a word of warning….if you see one, don’t take your eye off him, because Leprechauns can vanish in an instant.

4) Shamrocks (otherwise known as white clovers) are associated with good luck, especially those ever-elusive four-leaf clovers. The white clover, on its own, was regarded by the early Celts of Wales as a good luck charm against evil spirits. So if you are looking for some good luck this St. Patrick’s Day, maybe a white clover is the way to go.

Don’t forget to check out those leaves though, as they traditionally symbolize: one for faith, two for hope, three for love and four for luck.

5) The Chicago River being dyed green. Started way back in 1962, dyeing the Chicago River has become as much a tradition for St. Patrick’s Day as eating Corned Beef and Cabbage (oops, I mean Bacon and Cabbage). The first year 100 pounds of dye was used and the river stayed green for an entire week. The next year they only used 50 pounds of dye and the river stayed green for 3 days. The year after that they settled on 25 pounds and that kept the river green for the entire day.

In 1966, environmentalists accused the city of polluting the river with the dye it was using. After a number of trials, a new compound made of vegetable dyes was created and is the dye that is still used today. If you are interested, you can also read the whole story on how they started greening the Chicago River.

For those of you who will be in Chicago this year, they will be turning the river green starting at 10:45am on March 13th.

Check out this time-lapse video showing the greening of the Chicago River:

Now, of course, you also should keep in mind basic environmental green activities like recycling, eating your “greens” and keeping all things in moderation when you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year. What’s your favorite green (color or environmental) way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

Image by armigeress (via Flickr)

We are only a month and a half into 2010 and already countries around the globe are getting hit with some of the harshest winter weather conditions seen in years. In the U.S. alone, 49 of the 50 states had snow on the ground as of last Friday (Hawaii being the only hold-out) and the East Coast has been getting buried by harsh blizzards and record-setting snowfall. So, in this brutal winter weather I figured I’d share some simple green ways you can save money.

1) Let nature help you exercise: With Washington D.C. getting over 30 inches of snow in a 30-hour time period, getting outside for a walk or going to the gym, probably weren’t on the top of people’s lists.

However, if you are in an area getting a lot of snow, wait until the snow fall settles a little and get out and start shoveling. It’s a great way to get exercise AND clean up your driveway, stairs, deck, etc.

Note: I’m not saying it’s the most exciting way to exercise, but since you probably have to dig your way out anyway, you might as well get your exercise in the fresh outdoors. It’ll keep you warm and doesn’t cost much of anything.

2) Reduce home oil costs: The U.S. Dept of Energy has determined that home oil is about 16% more effective at heating homes than natural gas. So if you have one of the over 8 million homes in the U.S. that are heated through the use of home heating oil every year, you already have made a green choice.

However, home oil costs can add up quickly, especially in winter (due to increased pricing and use). In order to save money, you would be wise to check out an effective catalyst that can lower your home oil costs and increase oil combustion up to 8%.

Check out this cost saving calculator to determine how much you could save on home oil costs.

3) Increase home energy efficiency: If you live in an area where cold winters are the norm, then you probably have figured out or been told various tips and tricks to winterize your home.

Another tool you can use to get specific information for YOUR home, is via the EPA’s Residential Energy Awareness program. Just enter some details about your home and changes you are planning on making and the program will use local utility and climate information to show you how much you could save in money, energy and environmental pollutants.

4) Cut down on water waste: You may not think of saving water as a way to save money in the winter, but it is. When the weather gets cold, one refreshing way to warm up is get in a hot shower. But, as you know, a hot shower can take quite a bit of time to heat up.

You always have the option of starting off in a cold shower and letting it warm up though. I know…not exactly what you want to do on a freezing cold day, but cold showers actually have many health benefits.

If you don’t think you can handle that, check out getting a showerhead adaptor with ShowerStart technology. The adaptor can be used with almost any showerhead and is designed to turn your running water down to a trickle once it heats up (until you get in the shower, of course).

While it doesn’t prevent all water from being wasted, it does prevent your hot water from being wasted. There are also many other water conservation tips that can help you save water throughout your home.

5) Set your car up for improved fuel economy: Fuel economy is key no matter where you live, but when you live in cold weather climates your fuel economy can drop significantly during the winter months.

You can help save yourself money and lower your winter emissions by following some simple cold weather tips: a) don’t warm your vehicle up too much before you start driving, b) when running errands go to your furthest destination first and work your way back, c) if possible, keep your vehicle in a garage,  d) don’t run your engine to clear snow/ice off your windows, use an ice-scraper or other tool, e) allow more time for driving during bad weather and f) keep your vehicle properly maintained.

However, one thing I don’t recommend is trying this method of scraping ice off your windshield:

Probably the simplest green tip to save you money in winter is don’t leave anything to chance. If you take the time and ensure you are prepared for bad weather, whether it be in your home or on the road, you will be better off. What’s your favorite green tip to save money in winter?

Image by Wayne National Forest (via Flickr)

When it comes to “going green” you’ve probably heard companies use the excuse of cost as a reason for not switching to a more environmentally-friendly method of doing business. This is true of individuals as well, but is this really just an excuse or is it the truth? Is the cost of going green too much for some businesses or individuals to afford?

Let’s take a look at a few examples of some real costs of going green:

Solar Energy: We all know there are costs involved in turning your home or business into a solar-powered one. Of course these costs depend on what kind of solar power you are looking at installing. Are you looking for a solar water heater? Solar panels for your roof? Or are you looking at tapping into solar energy in a more passive way?

As of right now there is a 30% federal tax credit on solar energy systems including solar water heaters and solar panels. Many local utilities also provide incentive programs for individuals or businesses who install solar panels. In Los Angeles, the Department of Water & Power caps their residential incentive program at 75%, but per their website, most customers have received a payment of between 30-50% of their solar system costs.

So let’s say your solar panel installation costs were about $9-10 per Watt to install. With the average installation being approximately 3 Kilowatts (3000 Watts), you are looking at anywhere between $27,000-$30,000 minimum costs.  With the 30% federal tax credit and let’s say only a 30% tax incentive from your local utility, that cost comes down to around $12,000.  Factor in how much you will save on monthly/annual utility bills and installing solar panels becomes a lot less costly than originally thought.

Water Conservation: Water conservation has many facets, you can go all out and get a solar water heater, low-flow or tank-less water systems, replace all the water fixtures in your home with water-efficient ones, etc.  You can also go simple and do things like take showers instead of baths, turn off the water while you brush your teeth, use bath water to water your plants, run the dishwasher only when it’s full, etc.

If you want to take it to the next level you can buy things like this Deluxe Water Green House EcoKit™. For less than $60 you get water-saving tools such as a hand-held massaging showerhead (that uses less water without sacrificing water pressure), leak detection tablets (to help you find any leaks your toilet may have), a swivel aerator for your kitchen (to help save water while washing dishes), toilet tank bag (which can displace 0.8 gallons per flush) and more.

Of course if you are going to go all out, check out this EcoLogic™ toilet. It’ll run you about $300, while other eco-toilets can run anywhere between $100-$2000 a pop. However this one received the EPA’s WaterSense® label for using at least 20% less water than a standard 1.6-gallon toilet, while still maintaining strict flushing performance guidelines. (Which we all know is a good thing to maintain!)

Cutting down on chemicals/toxins: For an individual or family, this can be as simple as getting rid of your toxic cleaning supplies and buying eco-friendly cleaners. Or better yet, making your own cleaning supplies.  Cutting down on our use of chemicals and toxins is a simple way to go green. However, for some businesses, it may not be so simple.

Take for example a dry cleaner. Cost is a real concern for an independent dry cleaner who is looking to turn over a green leaf. Many dry cleaners still use perc machines to dry clean clothes (although I’m not sure why considering the EPA classifies perc as a Toxic Air Contaminant). If they need to purchase a brand new machine, it could cost them upwards of $175,000.

However there are a few options…if a dry cleaner is currently using a hydrocarbon machine, they could potentially convert their machine over to a greener cleaning method, such as GreenEarth® Cleaning, without having to purchase a new machine. Other options include switching over to a CO2 dry cleaning machine or wet cleaning equipment. All are greener choices than using perc, so take a look at this chart and see which you would prefer be used on your clothes.

Another example of someone cutting out chemicals is the Organic Farmer. You’d think it would be simple to switch from growing fruits/vegetables using toxins or pesticides and become an organic farmer, right? Well, did you know in order for the USDA to certify a farm as organic that farm has to submit a list of all substances applied to the land for the previous 3 years? That means it has to be free of all prohibited pesticides for 3 years running in order to be certified as an organic farm.

I also came across this document from the California Certified Organic Farmers about the costs involved with and the importance of Handweeding in Organic Farming.

There are many more examples I could give you, but hopefully you get the idea. Going green doesn’t mean you need to spend a lot of money. Yes, there are costs involved as you move over to a more eco-friendly building or business. But if you do your homework and research out potential tax credits, your costs may soon balance out.

As a final note, I suggest checking out these smart conservation tips that can save you a lot without costing you a lot! And if you have been considering making energy-efficient changes to your home, please take a moment to figure out what changes best suit you and why now may be the right time to make those green changes.