11 Cheap Things You Can Buy Right Now To Help The Environment

Shrink your carbon footprint with these affordable gadgets and doodads.

1. Water-Saving Showerheads

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Amazingly, there are showerheads that both save water and increase water pressure. What a time to be alive, right? This $14 Bestope Ionic Showerhead increases pressure by 200% and saves 30% of water usage while also filtering out chlorine and other impurities, so it's good for your skin too.

2. Solar Chargers

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Not only is having a solar charger very green, it'll give you freedom from outlets! This one from X-Dragon is only $19, and you can charge anything that plugs into a USB port as long as you're able to catch some rays.

3. Trees!

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Plant some deciduous trees like a sugar maple (50 seeds for $5) on the southern, eastern, and western sides of your house. Not only will these trees shade your home in the summer and allow precious heat from the sun in during winter, they'll also help offset some CO2.

4. Energy-Saving Outlet Devices

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Most devices eat up energy even when they're off. Energy-efficient surge protectors and outlet timers like this $8 Belkin Conserve Socket help save energy by cutting power completely. That way, when your TV, coffeemaker, or hair dryer isn't in use, it's not gobbling up unnecessary energy.

5. Drying Rack

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Of your household appliances, tumble dryers are one of the highest contributors to your carbon footprint. Instead of producing more CO2 and putting your clothes through the unnecessary wear and tear of a dryer, switch to a $22 drying rack.

6. CFL Lightbulbs

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Each one of these GE Energy Smart Bulbs lasts eight times as long as an incandescent bulb and uses 75% less energy. Less than $14 for eight bulbs. Such a total no-brainer.

7. Draft Guards

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For less than three bucks each, these easy-to-"install" draft guards for your doors and windows will keep your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer, saving you easy money on heating and cooling.

8. Energy-Efficient Wireless Devices

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Routers and ethernets are power-hungry electronics that generally get left on 24 hours a day. Turning them off at night would be ideal, but with the reality of roommates, switching to some energy-efficient devices like this $35 Asus Ethernet helps too.

9. The Right Paint

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If you live in a hot place, paint your house white to reflect heat from the sun. If you live in a cold place, get a dark-colored paint to absorb heat. Only $8.87 per can!

10. Energy-Efficient Fans

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Air conditioners produce ~100 million tons of CO2 emissions annually in the U.S. Meanwhile, this $30 energy-efficient fan from O2 Cool uses under 6W.

11. Motion-Detecting Night-Lights

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Night-lights are left on all night, when they're really only used for a teensy fraction of that time. Dump that energy-sucker and get this ~$15 smart LED night-light. When it detects motion, it'll turn on. After 25 seconds, it'll shut off automatically. Magic!

Last but not least: water filters!

A single Brita filter saves 300 bottles from entering landfills. Get greener for the environment (and your wallet) with Brita.