vocalgrrl ([info]vocalgrrl) wrote in [info]daily_granola,
@ 2008-07-10 22:16:00
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a little more green
Each year for the last three years, I have tried to take on one new green habit. I am getting increasingly frustrated with the warming of the climate and have tried to do things that decrease my impact overall.

Three years ago, I switched to compact florescent bulbs for household use. My house already uses standard florescent for bulbs for the bedroom. Now, I replace all bulbs with compact florescent.

Two years ago, I decided to get off catalog lists. This was not very effective until I found CatalogChoice.org but the website works very well. If you order a lot of stuff on-line, like me, you probably get a lot of paper catalogs. I still get a few, but no where near as many as I used to.

This year, I took on the plastic bag problem. I collected all my tote bags, and got a few for free or very cheap at garage sales. They don't match and they aren't pretty (except the Target ones I got at a fundraiser) but I don't get plastic bags anymore. And being all different sizes, I can really be efficient about packing them. It only took me a couple of shopping trips to remember to take them with me every time. Now I am working on remembering to take them with me when shopping with the boyfriend in his car.

As happy as I am with the changes I have made, believe me, this does not strike me as doing nearly enough. I try to remind myself of the other things about my life that are low impact on the environment. The biggest one is, I never had kids, that is a huge savings of household consumption and waste. My job does require me to drive locally, but never to fly. I don't drink bottled water. I subscribe to a local organic farm all summer, so my fresh produce from June to October is organic and not shipped from overseas. Plus I freeze the excess, so I have frozen produce in the winter as well. I recycle everything that my village takes. My boyfriend and I are very creative about second hand shopping for home improvement and decor items, so that I rarely buy anything new for the house. We either reuse something I already have, or find what we want at house and garage sales. The boyfriend is also a volunteer at a second hand store, so he gets lots of great bargains there.

Lately, I have been experimenting with tips from the hypermilers. I have taken to coasting with my foot off the gas when possible, especially coming up to a stop or red light. Just making this one little change has definitely stretched how long a tank of gas lasts. I am working on gas mileage numbers to track this, but so far, I am pleased with the results. With my regular driving habits (too fast) I was using a tank every seven to eight days. My last full tank lasted 12 days of regular use (work, shopping). I realized with this experiment that I am also very efficient in my shopping habits. My regular stops are mostly right on the way to and from work, so I rarely drive specifically to shop. My boyfriend does our grocery shopping when he does his elderly father's, so he saves a trip there, too. He still gets plastic bags, but I need some for cat litter and for kitchen garbage, so I let that go.

So what changes have you made to make your life a little more green? I am prepared to feel totally inadequate at your great ideas..... ;-)

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[info]dravogadro
2008-07-11 04:22 am UTC (link)
These posts are a great way to find out new things to do. We too try to incorporate at least one major change per year. Things we have been doing:

- no plastic bags & tote bags only (have to look into those biodegradable ones once the stash runs out)
- shutting off computers and phantom electronics (internet router) at night and when not at home
- using a co-op in order to take advantage of bulk items (definitely reduced the amount of plastic being used by a ton!)
- bike everywhere. We do have a car and use it for one long trip per week.
- homemade household cleaners

Things trying to do recently:

- buy locally. More expensive which is why it is tough
- compost. Our housing apartments just allowed our sustainability committee to purchase 3 bins so we are testing those out. It has reduced our waste by a ton.
- shutting off the shower head when soaping up (easier to do in the summer!)

Things probably should look into:

- using less paper towels
- cutting back on dryer use
- getting off mailing list (most of the recyclables)

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[info]fjm
2008-07-11 05:57 am UTC (link)
Nice post. The ones you mention were our first. Next on the list are heavy but easily removable curtains for the windows so that we can insulate properly in winter but remove in spring (this isn't the usual practice in the UK). Also, we switched the heating off in May.

The other thing is that we decided not to move to a bigger house. We are desperate for storage space (we own a library that is actually a working archive) but have decided that for all it seems indulgent, buyng storage space is actually a better and more eco friendly option than is moving to a larger house with all the extra fuel bills etc. A storage space doesn't need heating.

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[info]ladysaphira
2008-07-11 12:54 pm UTC (link)
Oh I have a ton of these thing! I try to implement something new about as soon as I've gotten the hang of the last project...
Easy switches:
-reusable handkerchiefs instead of tissues - easier on the nose as well!
-rags instead of paper towels. I make them out of t-shirts and socks that are so holey they can't be worn or donated. They can be washed and re-used until they wear out. And if I have to pick up a dead mouse gift from the cats I don't feel bad just throwing it away.
-Diva cup instead of disposable menstrual products. I've had it for two years and love it.
-I feel like it goes without saying, but don't buy swiffer style mops, dusters, etc. Get re-usable ones.
-re-usable bags as mentioned.
-recycling and compost! of course
The only disposable product I buy these days is toilet paper...

Efficiency:
-All my electronics are plugged into strip bars (yours probably are too) I have my strip bar in an easy-to-reach place and when I'm not using anything I flip the hard-off switch on the plug bar. It's a quick and easy way to make sure the VCR/DVD player/TV/etc are not pulling electricity when not in use.
-CFLs as already mentioned
-put up a clothes line - in the summer my clothes dry in 50-65 minutes in the sun.
-I'm a CSA member, have a garden of my own, buy milk from the guy down the road, and raise my own chickens. The last are my favorite. As long as you have a little yard and no laws against it a few hens are easy to raise. They just need to be protected from rain and passing dogs. The hens are very quiet. And fresh eggs are soooo much better then store bought!

Bigger changes:
-Reel mower instead of gas powered mower. It cost less then a new gas mower, works well, and is all around a good conversation point.
-When it's time to replace cars/appliances get the most efficient ones you can afford. But I don't necessarily think running out and replacing a working unit is a good idea because of the carbon footprint needed to create a new unit.
-Mass transit. I live in rural VT and there's a bus that I can ride to work. The state DOT is also pushing ride-sharing programs and van-pools.

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[info]yarrowkat
2008-07-11 03:49 pm UTC (link)
i live in a sustainably-focused intentional community, so some of these changes reflect owning our own property--if we were renting, we'd have less options.

--complete greywater recycling. all household greywater goes into pumice wicks that feed herb gardens in front & back of the house.
--humanure compost. all human, livestock, and kitchen "waste" goes into the compost. yes, i promise it's safe; see The Humanure Handbook for a fabulous scientific & experiential exploration of composted humanure.

these two changes mean that we use less than half as much water as most households in our area. since we are in the high desert, this is REALLY important for us. it also makes great compost for the garden.

--CFLs for house lighting, leaving lights off when they're not strictly necessary.
--making a point of reaching for the cold-water tap if hot is not strictly necessary
--turning the water heater down so that when we shower, it heats the water to the exactly-right temp and there's no need to mix it with cold water
--big veggie garden
--raising chickens and rabbits for our own eggs & meat (and compost, and pest & weed control!)
--cloth bags instead of plastic as often as we can make ourselves remember; i am really trying to get better about this one
--not driving in to work--even though i work 15 miles from my house, i carpool or take public transporation to and from every day, unless i have to stay in town past the last bus (which, sadly, runs south at 7:05 pm, which limits what i can do--but i work a carpool if i can)
--we had to buy a fridge when we bought the house/land, so we got the most efficient model we could find. it has a freezer on the bottom, which makes SO much more sense than a top-freezer, i'm almost embarassed for the original designer of the top-freezer kind, and uses just under 400kWh/year.
--washing clothes only in cold water, never hot (this is easier because we don't have hot water hooked up in the pump house where the washer is), and line-drying only, no wasteful gas or electric dryers ever ever ever
--completely banning paper towels in the house and using rags or napkins instead
--biodegradable soaps & detergents only (we're on greywater, after all).

we are now in the process of ordering & installing a solar well pump. this will take our biggest energy-sucking appliance off the grid, as well as making us even more water-conscious, which will be good.

our miles-long to-do list includes installing gutters on our house and all outbuildings (barn, livestock coops/pens, two sheds) and hooking them up to cisterns. then i'll attach the garden's drip system to the rainwater collection system. it also includes getting turkeys & goats next year, after we've had time to finish some additional fencing.

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[info]foodie2shoes
2008-07-12 02:03 am UTC (link)
Sometimes I like to put a bucket in the shower to collect the water as it either heats up or cools off. I'll use it to water my plants, or if you have a garden, you can use it on that too.

-Foodie

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[info]forget_this02
2008-07-12 03:55 pm UTC (link)
Folks already mentioned everything we do that I can think of right now, but I wanted to say that we recently converted to hypermiling, too and it helped our gas mileage tremendously. Hopefully we'll do even better as we get more efficient at it. Yeah for making small, concious steps to save the planet!

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[info]wasabigreen
2008-09-11 05:43 am UTC (link)
This is a good post for brainstorming. I've already made some substantial changes to my life, but I am working to do better. I have no interest in moving rural or off the grid, so I try to look for goals within the context of an urban lifestyle.

Things I do
- don't own a car
- subscribe to a renewable energy electricity program (look for programs in your area: http://apps3.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/buying/buying_power.shtml )
- belong to a CSA. This provides me with local produce, local humanely-raised meat, locally made cheese and carb products. A combined CSA like this is a bit spendy, but the food is very high quality, consistent with my ethics and lets me eat about 60% local. I love my CSA.
- use reusable menstrual products
- use tote bags when I go shopping
- hang dry laundry
- make coffee at home or work instead of buying it
- concerted effort to buy foods in bulk instead of small servings
- insulate my windows in the winter
- minimize use of AC/heat (my power bills are 1/2 of the previous tenants in my place)

Things I want to work on:
- windowside herb garden
- unplugging things from outlets when not in use
- replace all bulbs with fluorescent
- replace tissue use with handerchiefs
- make homemade household cleaners
- figuring out some form of activism or community involvement

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