It seems like every time we turn around something is getting cut from the budget somewhere, and it’s usually something important. Local politicians seem to support ‘city sprawl’ by annexing more and more land for more and more low-cost (And by low-cost, I mean quality) communities that will be overvalued and overpriced. They raise our property taxes to get more money for the city, then then spend it on things that are unnecessary and don’t really do much for the community. We waste and waste and waste, and wonder why we’re in a deficit.

Then I start to look around. I look at the opportunities to save money, left right and center, and I wonder why such simple things are being ignored by the government and big business. Do they not care about the environment? Do they not care about the bills that are being paid by the taxpayers? Do they just not care period?

Take a look downtown at night, in any major metropolis. Have you ever wondered who could possibly be working that late at night? I mean, 95% of all the buildings are lit up like it was Christmas, yet they are vacant… Some would say it’s for security. OK, Security of what? Who’s going to see somebody robbing the 32nd floor of that skyscraper? “Well, the security guard when he does his rounds”. Fair enough, but couldn’t he just turn on the lights when he does his rounds on that floor, then turn them off again when he leaves? Is that really so difficult for somebody that spends 80% of his time watching TV or playing games while he waits for his next round (Disclosure: I was formerly a security guard, and no, it would not have been difficult for me to do)?

How about all the street lights? Sure, they are great in core when it’s busy, but what about after the ‘evening rushes’, in the middle of the night. Couldn’t they turn every second one off? It would still provide more than enough light, especially on the highways that see very little traffic at that time of night. Would that be so hard? I can already hear people whining about this ‘It’s only a few extra watts, what does it matter’. Take those few extra watts and multiply that by the billions and billions of streetlights in North America. That would be a LOT of electricity saved, and our environment would thank us.

These, of course, are some basic money saving ideas for sustainability that a city could implement, and I am sure the list goes on and on. Until we get people in office that actually care enough to step outside the box and see what other options we have, our cities will continue push themselves further in debt and try to pass that on to it’s residents. Isn’t it about time, especially during difficult economic times, that our cities and big business chipped in on getting greener and saving money? What ideas do YOU have that could reduce costs? Post in the comments.

Unplug Your Unused Appliances – A lot of people don’t realize that many appliances and chargers are still drawing power when they are not in use. From your office printer, to your bread maker and Xbox, they are all suckling at the power teat while sitting idle. By plugging these items into an energy star rated power bar, you can stop these watt sucking vampires from upping your monthly bills. While it may not seem like much, you can easily save $200/yr on your power bill.

Ditch the Bottled Water - Even though the great BPA scare made many people switch to reusable water bottles, millions of bottles of bottled water is still sold every year. Most people don’t think about all the trucks it takes to deliver all that water around the world to the grocery and convenience stores. Not only can you save a bundle buy purchasing an in house filtration system, but you are reducing the amount of bottles that go into the trash or have to be recycled. This way you can have convenient, fresh filtered water anytime you want, but you help to reduce green house gases (Sorry, it won’t help with your ’significant others’ gasses).

Buy Local, Go Organic – In the same vain as bottled water, it takes millions of gallons of gas to deliver fresh produce and other food products around the globe. By buying locally grown, organic produce you are not only supporting and investing in your local economy, but you are helping to reduce carbon emissions from large trucks barreling down the highways.

Resource Sharing – Take a look around your garage and basement. How many of these things did you ‘have to have’ at the time, and now they are collecting dust. How many items do you own that are used once or twice a year, and sit idle the rest of the time. Why can’t your friends or neighbors borrow or rent these items from you for a small fee? Why do we have this crazy idea we need to own EVERYTHING when there are surely 5-10 of them within blocks of your house. Save some money, save some space and get to know your neighbors!

Ditch the Credit Cards – While many will say that this is more money saving than reducing your carbon footprint, think again. Of course you will save money, but since credit cards make over-spending so much easier, you end up contributing more waste from all those products you bought. And as with other items in this list, they had to get to the store somehow! You will be reducing greenhouse emissions.  A few tips to keep from spending: Leave the credit cards at home unless you absolutely need them. If you have a serious credit card addiction, you might want to put your assets on ice, literally. Put yours cards in a Tupperware container filled with water and put it in the freezer, that way if you have a sudden urge to spend, you have time to walk yourself down while the cards are defrosting (Don’t try putting it in the microwave either, it will melt your cards!)!

These are just a few of the things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint and your spending. What tricks do YOU use in your day to day life? Post additional ideas to share in the comments.

With Freecycle, you have 2 options, give and receive. You can post an item for somebody to take, or post something you are looking for. That’s it. Moderators have been known to be almost militant at times when people don’t follow these strict rules. But what about the people that want to do more with their stuff? They Can BorrowMe!

Similar to the Freecycle network, BorrowMe.com allows users to post items they want, or have to give away, but with many more options and control.

So if you’re upset with Freecycle and and are looking for alternatives, come check out BorrowMe.com and take it for a spin!

The boss actually ran into this problem himself a few weeks ago when attempting to acquire a washer and dryer he got from some friends. While they only needed to travel a few kilometers, loading up the BorrowMe Mobile (Smart Car) was out of the question. At a loss, he posted a Wish on BorrowMe for the assistance of a pickup-truck for an hour or so. Once listed, he chose to also post to Facebook with our usefull ‘Post to Facebook’ option, which turned out to be a smart choice.

Because he has well over a hundred people on his Facebook Friends list (Which greatly outweighs his 30-ish friends on BorrowMe.com), the post was seen by many more people. While he did not get a response from his friends on BorrowMe, he had 3 responses from different people within 24 hours from people on Facebook! Some people think that because BorrowMe doesn’t have a million members, they won’t get their wish or won’t be able to get rid of an item they have. Turns out they were wrong!

The power of BorrowMe’s social integration with Facebook allows you to get your wishes and items out to a much larger group of people you know, or people you know through somebody else (One of the people that responded to his plea was actually a friend of a friend). This goes to show that using the Post to Facebook feature on the site will get more eyes on your stuff, but that there are many people that are willing to help out another human being, even if it’s a friend of a friend.

BorrowMe is a way for people to get to know their friends and neighbors better, to build better communities and to use that closeness to help reduce the amount of stuff that goes to landfills, make some return on those seldom used big ticket items and to save money! It’s a small step, but it’s a step in the right direction. The more people see that the system works, the more likely they are to use it. The more friends they have doing it, the more chance they will get on board as well. So the next time you are in need of something, even if you think it’s small, try posting on BorrowMe and see what you can get!

Think of all the unused stuff in these apartments.

Think about this. A majority of condo and apartment complexes have anywhere from 50-100 units. For arguments sake, let’s say you live in one of those complexes with 50 units – that leaves 49 units of other people. How many people do you know in those 49 other units? For most people, it’s one or two, though with only slightly more interactions that the previously mentioned waves. Now think about this. How many of those units (And storage units) are filled with books, blenders, punch bowls, back-packs, strollers, stud finders, sleeping bags, videos games, bikes, movies… I’m sure you get the idea.

With just a minimal bit of effort, a hello or some minor chit chat, you can start to build relationships with your neighbors, start building a community! Is it really so bad to get to know your neighbors? Sure, there are a few bad apples out there, but why should that spoil everything for everybody else.

Why not start a group for your building and get people involved. Start with a few people you see or talk to on a regular basis. Tell them what you’re doing, explain that it’s not just a way to get to know your neighbors; but a way to save money, consume less and send less waste to the landfills. We give you the tools to lend, rent, sell or gift your items to others (And keep track of it all!). Start small, lend out a book, or a movie and see where things go, people might actually surprise you!

What are you waiting for? Start your own group today!