Money doesn't actually talk. We do.

Will Tightening Budgets Make Us More Green?

Think you maintain a sustainable lifestyle because you put out the recycling and cruise to work in a hybrid? Maybe not, according to a free, online game called Consumer Consequences.

This short game asks you questions about your lifestyle, calculates your “ecological footprint” and tells you how many earths we’d need if every human lived exactly like you do. Consumer Consequences also lets you compare your results to those of other Americans who played the game, as well as to individual NPR radio show hosts. (Check it out fellow NPR nerds!) It was developed by American Public Media, the folks who created Marketplace and Weekend America.

The lifestyle questions are organized into a few different categories: living situation, energy consumption, trash habits, transportation requirements, diet and shopping preferences. As I clicked through them it became obvious that my lifestyle is not as green as it should be. It also occurred to me that a green lifestyle is actually a financially savvy way to live.
For instance, Consumer Consequences highlights that living in a small space in a multi-unit building with roommates impacts the environment less than living alone in a large, standalone house. Doing so also reduces your monthly rent check or mortgage payment. Turning off the lights and unplugging appliances when you’re not using them cuts down on energy use and reduces your utilities bills. OK, so this isn’t rocket science…

The game points out that flying first class is not eco-friendly: “If everyone flew first class there would be far fewer people per plane and much higher per-person fuel use.” Neither is shopping for new clothing and household goods every time your style preference changes. Shopping may stimulate the economy, but it takes a lot of energy to produce and ship these goods. You should feel good breaking out that old flannel from high school.

Sometimes creating a sustainable lifestyle costs a bit upfront. Replacing your old light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs and your heating and cooling units with more efficient machines may dent your savings account at first, but these changes probably will save you money down the line.

Sure, these savings strategies won’t make you rich but they’ll save you some dough. Today’s weak economy makes them all the more relevant to our budgets. As Consumer Consequences and others remind us, they’re already crucial to our world.

– Kristen Sullivan