My personal journey to becoming more environmentally conscious happened almost unconsciously. I was having my water heater replaced. The company suggested I consider a solar water heater. It was 8 years ago, and though I was a Professor in Seattle, a town known for its environmental initiatives, I was new to Maui and knew nothing about solar heating and little more than recycling when it came to green issues. When he said there was a tax credit and deduction and I would save 15% off my electric bill, he perked my interest so I went for it.

That small step put green living in my thinking. I thought why stop there. So we decided not to put in air conditioning but use the money to remodel our house with big wood and glass doors, retro-fitted windows, ceiling fans in every room and shutters built into the walls like a classic open and airy plantation style house. By not using a unit to cool and heat our house we saved 75% off our electric bill! Furthermore, we made sure to turn off appliances, especially energy hungry computers, when not in use and bought appliance with low energy consumption ratings. Within months my wife and I made more changes, having our house environmentally designed made us feel healthier, and wealthier too!

We had always recycled trash, but we took the concept to a broader meaning to include our furniture clothes and other consumer goods. We bought used furniture in some instances, decide to air dry our clothes, not dry clean them, so they would last longer and save on electricity. And brought our “never wear” clothing to second-hand shops.

We felt that not consuming is a form of green awareness too so we decide to keep our car of 15 years and tried getting along with just one car. The only probably was that the gas guzzling Ford Explorer was bought at a time when gas was only $1.50 per gallon.. So we decided to use it as our beach going and short trip second car the we utilized when we couldn’t carpool. We decided to purchase a Ford Focus that’s fun to drive, comfortable and gets 32 miles to the gallon which savings really adds up in today’s crazy gas prices that are over $4 per gallon.

Going green feels right, saves the planet and saves money too. If a guy like me who had trouble understanding recycling can morph into a green savvy consumer so can you. What’s so great about going green is that it makes sense on so many levels. You take small steps that add up to a big step for mankind.