Is green worth the cost?

Well, it definitely doesn't help that the economy is kind of in the toilet right now. But long term I definitely think green products are worth the cost, generally speaking. Now there's obviously a line to toe. Greenwashed stuff is of course garbage. I mean, gimmicky stuff...like I saw this thing a while back. SUpposedly it saved the world coffee filters. But at the end of the day, your coffee tasted like crap because all it was was a straw that filtered. Now, I have a straw like that. I call it a bombilla and use it if I ever drink loose leaf mate. But for coffee? It just tastes like sludge. So not only does the coffee (and grids) end up in the trash can (or down the drain), I wouldn't ever use the straw thing again for that purpose. And of course, your coffee filters and grinds can be composted typically. Ultimately i think using that stuff in my garden is greener.

Enough about my beef with the coffee thing. If a green product is sustainably made (healthier for the environment) and made without toxins (healthier for you), it's absolutely worth it to me. Now that might mean I have to save up if it's a bigger ticket item. But then you just decide to be a little more selective rather than buying willy nilly.

The thing is, a lot of green products cost little if any more than their standard counterparts.  There are plenty of green cleaners and soaps and the like at a perfectly affordable cost.  In some cases, the green product may cost more up-front, but save money in the long run.  This is true for some hybrids, for CFLs, and energy efficient appliances, for example.  For green products that are more expensive, then it's a matter of weighing the environmental benefit vs. the added cost.  In some cases it will be 'worth it', in others it won't, depending on how you personally weigh environmental health vs. your own finances.

But it's really not fair or accurate to generalize that green products always cost more.  That's frequently not the case.

I'm a mom, so when I ask myself this question, I immediately think of my kids. There are times when money is tight, but if I have to choose between buying a grocery store brand baby shampoo loaded with parabens and a natural, gentle shampoo that costs more, I will choose the natural option without thinking twice--and try to make it last as long as possible :)

Also, so many products can be made at home. I don't clean my home with chemicals, but I don't usually spend extra money on green alternatives, either. I try to make my own cleaning and beauty products as often I can.

There is so much to be said for reusing materials, too. We get creative with old folders to make new, artsy ones for school, sew our own hip pencil bags and that kind of thing.

All in all, we prioritize. We choose which products we need to spend more on and which products we can make at home. There are ways to make green work within your budget. The awareness that you give your kids and those around you is so worth it.

I think you have to be a wise consumer. (I hate that word)  There are some products that don't make sense, and some businesses that take advantage of the situation. There is one world wide Trash and recycling company that charges a fortune for it's services, like disposing of flourescent bulbs.

But I have some experience on the supply side. There are some crops that are grown organically, and it does cost more to raise them. Without herbicides etc, the weeds compete and yeild is drastically reduced. So a higher price is necessary.

But from and energy savings standpoint, which is where a lot of people start, many of the low, or no cost ideas (such as Vampire power)save a bunch of money! then those savings can be used to fund other efforts.

well.. i think going green is the best way to save the environment..but the green or eco-friendly products are really very costly.. a wealthy man can afford anything but what about a common man?? he has no options..
and i have read in a report that these genetically modified food products are no longer good for our health..so what should we do??
Aman..

Hi Aman, I don't know what report you read about GMO foods as there are many reports floating around on the net and a few even have an amount of truth in them.

I lived in your country for about 15 years and I am aware that politics play a big part with GMO crops there.  

As far as I am concerned, GMO or commercial farm or organic or whatever they are all about the same. 

I think that at this point in time the cost of being or going green has a great deal to do with the profits that most manufactures, companies will lose if everyone realizes that a lot of things can be done the old fashion way. Like making things yourself, from scratch. instead of depending on not having to do the work. My Great-Grand-Mother did everything from scratch, she taught me how to remove just about any stain from clothing using baking-soda and lemon. when we fell and got a sore, she would put golden seal on it,not Bactine. For monthly cramps, she gave me oil of peppermint. We made all of our bread products for the week and Sunday desert on Saturday mornings, we would be in the kitchen all day on Saturdays baking. She taught me how to sew, and I had to do all button holes from scratch. We always had a garden almost the size of the house, and she taught me how to use the peels from fruit to make the house smell good, I believe they call this potpourri and it is quite expensive. I think that the cost is just another way of scarring everybody from going green because if we learn to do for ourselves, they can't get our money. They have nothing to charge us for. If you know that your family will eat a loaf and a half of bread per week, then make two loaves. I am 47 years old and just realized a few years ago, that this woman never had a television in her home, and we never missed it. She entertained us by teaching us to take care of ourselves, in making everything that we need. She made our fudge from scratch, she made rock candy, we made our own candy apples, carmel apples, granola, chocolate, from natural cocoa, we made our own ice cream.The milk man brought all our dairy products for the week, so there was no need for MSG to preserve the shelf life. There was no plastic in the kitchen at all, everything was glass.Glass bake ware,no non-stick Teflon coatings of any kind. Sure all this was hard work. But the taste, wow. Now that makes it worth it. We never used Margarine, only real butter, and she lived well in her hundreds. Hell she got around better then I did. She taught us how to crochet, knit and macro-met, she made her own preservatives and jelly. She canned her fruits and veggies. we were in the bed by a certain time every night and up early in the morning. So there was no need to run lights for long. We made our own Christmas Tree decorations, our tree was always edible. I am getting back to the way I grew up, so I don't feel the expense of going green, I'm just simply going back to the way I was raised, and getting off of the chemicals in our food. Turning off the television, getting a good book, and trying to find a way to park my car. If we don't want to give up the convenience that we have today, then yes going green can be expensive. But the basics are hard, it just takes alittle discipline.

Being green means many different things to different people. It varies from going back to living in caves to making small changes.

As has been pointed out, being less wasteful is a very positive first step all can make with not much effort.

I remember the KOG (keep Oregon green) campaign from back in the 50's. It helped turn Oregon into a much cleaner and more pleasant place for all to live. It was simply an effort to cleanup the roadside mess and convince people to use the garbage can rather than the road side.

As there are more an more of us on the face of the planet we can not go about business as usual. People who have not had even a home to live in (other than a plastic covered shanty) can hardly be denied the opportunity to improve their lives.

I have to laugh at many sites where people post on blogs with no concern for science or engineering. They call themselves 'green' and want to suspend all requirements of science and business in order to make their desire come true. Wind power and new vehicles suffer a lot from this. You see wind turbines offered that are expensive and will never produce enough power to support even their own inbuilt power. You see vehicles offered that have little engineering, safety and virtually no business plan supporting them.

I read daily about break through technology coming out of labs that will save the universe. Most of these reports are really only intended for others working on similar technologies but the bloggers that pick up on it don't understand that. Probably 999 out of 1000 of those great things will never go anywhere. 

Sometimes the publication of such reports is in attempt to hustle funding - sometimes legitimate but I suspect that very often there is a huckster behind it trying to make a quick buck. 

What really makes me laugh is when you point out that something like a wind turbine mounted on a car will be energy negative (meaning you have to put more fuel in the car to support the turbine) some clown makes the comment, "don't be negative". 

I saw the plastic bag bans in India that Aman mentions. The reason behind them was plastic bags flying all over the place and getting into everything. Where I was in Mumbai & Surat they didn't make a whole lot of difference.

Every monsoon season storm drains are plugged with them and cause flooding and general havoc.

The first problem in much of the world is to get people to dispose of waste correctly. Then, move on to  reducing waste, recycling etc. Here, out of the house or car is often considered to be proper disposal - if it happens to land in a garbage can by accident so much the better.

You are all correct in pointing out being less wasteful is important - making changes in life style, both large and small are needed toward that end. 

But what is the cost if we don't start living more sustainable lives? If we continue to consume anything

and everything on this planet, and continue to burn coal like there's no tomorrow........

we're toast.

I've saved a boatload of money with insulation, energy efficient appliances, windows/doors and

I'm using less coal in the bargain. 

I think it is definitely worth the cost considering the return in investment. Future generations will be more healthy and illnesses from man-made chemicals will drop. Just think about the rise and cost in health care due to the number of cancers, allergies, and other sickness that have risen in the past 2 decades due to synthetic chemicals from our everyday products. Our health is priceless so I am all for green and natural products.