Because of today’s struggling economic condition, people have turned to other, more old-fashioned ways to save money which just happen to be better for the environment. “As more people embrace these ways to save money and exercise some creativity, this accidentally green behavior will become increasingly ingrained," says Ann Mack, head of trend spotting for JWTintelligence.com. 2010 is now marked the year of the water fountain. "The water fountain is undergoing a resurgence and redesign as people seek alternatives to single-use plastic bottles," Mack said. "New water-refilling stations charge a small fee for replenishing reusable bottles.” Some trend-setters, such as HydraChill water stations in the UK, are charging twenty pence and all proceeds are then donated to a local environmental group. Escapism is also another throw back trend to look out for. Because consumers have become accustomed to “staycations,” spending vacations at home, they are now more prone to dropping larger amounts of money on flat screen televisions, such as Energy Star TVs. The percentage of purchased used cars is steadily raising as people are still watching their budgets. Hyrbids aren't yet completely reliable nor are they at an affordable price for the average consumer. Michelle Obama helped spark some serious momentum to the home gardening movement in 2009, when she planted a prominent organic garden on the South Lawn of the White House. But is the First Lady ready for chickens? How about a goat? The home gardening crowd has been innovating by harkening back to a time when every home had a coop. But it's not just chickens. Urban beekeepers are revolutionizing beekeeping, and it won't be long before livestock join the chickens in the backyard farms of the (near) future. Moreover, composting, the oldest of home habits is reaching another peak of popularity, like that seen in the 1960s, according to Mack. "This green habit has been gradually picking up adherents; in 2010, watch for widening adoption by both households and municipalities as people grow more aware of its benefits and are won over by new devices that make composting easier and less off-putting.” With the employment rate so low within the country, people have more time on their hands to volunteer. The volunteerism bug is tough to shake, so expect people to continue to be generous with their time, even as it gets easier to remain fully employed. People are also using clotheslines as a green, efficient, and most important, cost effective way to dry their wardrobes. "Environmental activists across the U.S. and Canada are working to make it safe (and legal) for people to save energy by hanging clothes out to dry," Mack said. Lastly, although bicycles have never gone away, the proliferation of bike lanes and bike-friendly parks and parking spaces in U.S. cities has made owning and actually using a bike easier than ever. Expect bikes and other hyper-local forms of transportation to become commonplace as the health and wealth benefits continue to align with the realities of bike-friendly cities. From cooking at home to riding a bike to work, people are using their late ancestors’ methods of saving green all the while going green! So save a car, and ride a bike fellow social fire starters! Have YOU helped save the world today? For more information, visit: www.thedailygreen.comWant to become a Social Firestarter? “Like” us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @ BrushfireMG
