by Karen Telleen-Lawton, Noozhawk Columnist(read the original in Noozhawk by clicking here)
What if I told you that your positive care for the environment can also help your pocketbook, your psyche and your longevity?
Some might ask what I’m smoking, while others would sniff, “doy.” In the vast middle are those who demand, “show me.”
Pocketbook savings is the easiest to demonstrate, both for individuals and businesses. Thousands of companies have launched environmental measures mostly for the benefit of altruism or public relations, only to find the measures improve their bottom line.
A recent Bloomberg News article reported cases in point. Back in 2012, Nike devised a way to weave more efficiently. Since then, the company has saved more than 3.5 million pounds of waste. The same re-design resulted in lower costs of transportation, materials and waste disposal.
Another example is the flimsier plastic water bottles of late. Not surprisingly, thinner packaging pushes down material and shipping costs for beverage companies. Many manufacturers have installed solar and wind power to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy expenditures simultaneously.
Airlines have worked on weight in everything from the aircraft itself to the in-flight magazine, beverage carts, and duty-free sales (which are gone). These changes have saved United Airlines alone more than $2 billion in fuel.
At home, your earth-wise choices can also save money. Peruse your cleaning cupboard or closet and estimate how much you’ve paid for all those specialized cleaners. Nearly every household cleaning job can be accomplished with vinegar, lemon juice, or plain old bar soap and water for a small fraction of the cost.
A gym membership can be foregone by substituting a walking or biking routine, and you may be able to accomplish errands on your route.
Investing green can augment the green in your financial accounts. Multiple studies have shown that investments following Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) guidelines perform at least as well as those made without these criteria.
The Motley Fool’s John Rotonti And Alyce Lomax write: “Out of 2,200 studies on ESG, 90% show either a positive relationship to Corporate Financial Performance (CFP) or at least no-negative relationship.”
Our actions for the environment help our psyche in concert with our pocketbooks. Not everyone is an outdoor enthusiast, but most at least appreciate the sound of birds. Even if it’s only on your way from your workplace to your car or bus, birdsong can be a pleasant pick-me-up on an otherwise dreary day.
Since 1970, however, more than 3 billion of the common birds we used to hear in our North American neighborhood have disappeared. Those remaining can’t tell us where their brethren have gone, but the simple pleasure of birdsong is not the casual upper it once was. Surely this is a drain on our collective psyche.
Likewise, growing organic veggies in your garden or a pot on your porch provides but physical and psychic benefits. Your time in the sun provides Vitamin D.
A National Institute of Health-funded study found that gardening could lower risk of dementia by 36 percent. Netherlands research pointed to gardening as the top among hobbies that can reduce stress. Further, the microbiomes in dirt can positively affect the immune system and serve as an anti-depressant.
My longevity argument for buying and investing green practically writes itself. That multi-purpose bike ride/errand-cruncher also improves your health. Your better health helps you keep up with your friends, children and grandchildren. Your better health may also reduce your need for expensive drugs and their potential side effects.
You can take steps to reduce your harm and increase your care of the environment for the sake of altruism or keeping up with your grandchildren. But you can also do it out of self-interest. Behavioral scientists assure us that’s more likely to be successful anyway. So go ahead, be selfish and walk to the store.
Karen Telleen-Lawton, Noozhawk Columnist
Karen Telleen-Lawton is an eco-writer, sharing information and insights about economics and ecology, finances and the environment. Having recently retired from financial planning and advising, she spends more time exploring the outdoors — and reading and writing about it. The opinions expressed are her own.More by Karen Telleen-Lawton, Noozhawk Columnist