I've given up on trying to reduce my car miles.
The truth is, I rarely go anywhere unless I have to. I will do almost anything to avoid having to leave the house. But sometimes you just have to. I have to take my son to school. Or pick him up. I need to go grocery shopping so we can eat. I suppose I could reduce our activities, but that just seems wrong.
So, while I won't drive around for the sake of driving, or leave my car on so I can listen to the radio while I wait for school to end, I'm not going to stress myself out wondering if I really needed to bring the kids to the pool or the library, or if we should have just stayed home.
So now I'm going to have to find some other ways to be green. Thoughts that come to mind are:
- going through my soaps / cosmetics
- finding new meatless dishes
- making a few home improvements, such are fixing the leaks around the windows and getting new insulation in certain areas. And fixing a few leaks. And checking the electric wiring in the house.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Changes
There are going to be some changes on this blog.
Again.
Or at least I'm attempting to make some changes to the format of this blog. Again.
This blog is an experiment, and I like to think of it as something alive and growing, something that can change and be what I need to to be, or what I would like it to be. But to date I find it difficult to keep posting every day. It's not like my other blog, which is about my life and my children, but about actual efforts and steps that I am making in a certain direction. When I don't post I feel guilty that I am not taking this journey or task seriously. When I do post I feel that I have nothing to say, and that my words are mostly meaningless drivel.
These new changes are made with an eye toward organization. Each day of the week is dedicated to a specific idea or area. This will make it easier for me to post. It will also make it easier for you, the reader, to read. I will include weekly challenges, like the one I did on Tuesday, small ones, for those of you who dare to accept them, and sometimes for me, because I won't have done all of them yet. I might also open a forum for vegetarian and vegan meal ideas, and those irritating links to other websites and articles and products will be easier to avoid. Or find.
I thank you for your patience, if there's anyone there still with me. My hope is that the new format will be more welcoming, less chaotc, and... you know... better.
Again.
Or at least I'm attempting to make some changes to the format of this blog. Again.
This blog is an experiment, and I like to think of it as something alive and growing, something that can change and be what I need to to be, or what I would like it to be. But to date I find it difficult to keep posting every day. It's not like my other blog, which is about my life and my children, but about actual efforts and steps that I am making in a certain direction. When I don't post I feel guilty that I am not taking this journey or task seriously. When I do post I feel that I have nothing to say, and that my words are mostly meaningless drivel.
These new changes are made with an eye toward organization. Each day of the week is dedicated to a specific idea or area. This will make it easier for me to post. It will also make it easier for you, the reader, to read. I will include weekly challenges, like the one I did on Tuesday, small ones, for those of you who dare to accept them, and sometimes for me, because I won't have done all of them yet. I might also open a forum for vegetarian and vegan meal ideas, and those irritating links to other websites and articles and products will be easier to avoid. Or find.
I thank you for your patience, if there's anyone there still with me. My hope is that the new format will be more welcoming, less chaotc, and... you know... better.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Energy Challenge!
Energy Wise or Energy Water? Go here to see!
It turns out I produce less than the regional average of Co2 per year. And less than the national. According to the calculator. But the calculations are, of course, done with my input, and I'm not so sure I have certain things right, like the miles I put on my car or the fuel efficiency. Still, it's kind of cool.
And if you're interested in tips, there are Mini Energy Calculators, which tell you not only where you can save the earth in your home, but save money, too! Again, my problems come when I realize that I have no idea how to go about re-insulating my home, or how to fix those cracks I can see around my windows.
Finally, you can go on an Energy Diet! I think this is funny, because I've compared my journey to losing weight. It's really just small tips for each month, broken down in smaller bites to make then easier to swallow. I'm big on making changes this way, because gradual change is easier to take than sudden lifestyle upheavals.
It turns out I produce less than the regional average of Co2 per year. And less than the national. According to the calculator. But the calculations are, of course, done with my input, and I'm not so sure I have certain things right, like the miles I put on my car or the fuel efficiency. Still, it's kind of cool.
And if you're interested in tips, there are Mini Energy Calculators, which tell you not only where you can save the earth in your home, but save money, too! Again, my problems come when I realize that I have no idea how to go about re-insulating my home, or how to fix those cracks I can see around my windows.
Finally, you can go on an Energy Diet! I think this is funny, because I've compared my journey to losing weight. It's really just small tips for each month, broken down in smaller bites to make then easier to swallow. I'm big on making changes this way, because gradual change is easier to take than sudden lifestyle upheavals.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Dish Washing Challenge
CHALLENGE: Dish Washing Liquid
I try to avoid washing dishes by hand as much as I can. But there are some things that can't be helped. Some dishes do not fit in the dishwasher. Others just shouldn't go in there. A few will not come clean or will break.
And for this, we need dish soap.
Soap is one of those funny things, green-wise. I've always thought of soap as being clean. After all, it's soap. It gets rid of dirt. But soap is actually made of chemicals and all sorts of things I can't spell or pronounce, and even if I could I have no idea what they actually are.
According to the label in my Seventh Generation Dish Liquid, "If every household in the U.S. replaced just one bottle of 25oz. petroleum-based dish liquid with one of our 25oz. plant-derived product, we could save 129,000 barrels of oil."
Now, I have no idea if this is true. I have no idea how much dish liquid out there is petroleum based. If I had more time and didn't have my kids shouting in my ear for snack right now, I might actually do some research. Or maybe I wouldn't. But that isn't going to change this challenge.
You probably have dish liquid in your house. If not, you should eat out less and stop washing your dishes with shampoo. CHECK THE LABEL. It should tell you if it is petroleum based. Now, try switching to a greener brand. I'm not talking about every soap you use, just your dish soap, here. We're starting small. Just dish soap. Try to find an eco-friendly alternative to the one you currently use.
It might not work as well, and that's OK. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. But my brand seems to work just fine. You can always try another kind. Change takes effort, but this can be done. Let me know how it works out.
I try to avoid washing dishes by hand as much as I can. But there are some things that can't be helped. Some dishes do not fit in the dishwasher. Others just shouldn't go in there. A few will not come clean or will break.
And for this, we need dish soap.
Soap is one of those funny things, green-wise. I've always thought of soap as being clean. After all, it's soap. It gets rid of dirt. But soap is actually made of chemicals and all sorts of things I can't spell or pronounce, and even if I could I have no idea what they actually are.
According to the label in my Seventh Generation Dish Liquid, "If every household in the U.S. replaced just one bottle of 25oz. petroleum-based dish liquid with one of our 25oz. plant-derived product, we could save 129,000 barrels of oil."
Now, I have no idea if this is true. I have no idea how much dish liquid out there is petroleum based. If I had more time and didn't have my kids shouting in my ear for snack right now, I might actually do some research. Or maybe I wouldn't. But that isn't going to change this challenge.
You probably have dish liquid in your house. If not, you should eat out less and stop washing your dishes with shampoo. CHECK THE LABEL. It should tell you if it is petroleum based. Now, try switching to a greener brand. I'm not talking about every soap you use, just your dish soap, here. We're starting small. Just dish soap. Try to find an eco-friendly alternative to the one you currently use.
It might not work as well, and that's OK. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. But my brand seems to work just fine. You can always try another kind. Change takes effort, but this can be done. Let me know how it works out.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Go Compost Yourself!
OK, OK, I know it's been awhile. And I promised I would get better at this particular blog and post more. Posting keeps me aware, keeps my goals top of mind, and lets me look back on occasion to see how I'm doing.
Well, life has gotten in the way. There are only so many directions one can be pulled in, and my attention got directed towards my son, his academics and T-ball, and a choir concert my choir is doing in (gulp!) five days.
But I can tell you this: not only is my vegetable garden mot growing anything, but my composter isn't working. I mean, nothing is happening in there. Except the pile of vegetable matter is growing. What can I do?
Well, life has gotten in the way. There are only so many directions one can be pulled in, and my attention got directed towards my son, his academics and T-ball, and a choir concert my choir is doing in (gulp!) five days.
But I can tell you this: not only is my vegetable garden mot growing anything, but my composter isn't working. I mean, nothing is happening in there. Except the pile of vegetable matter is growing. What can I do?
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Havoc Among Nature
I haven't been posting as often as I'm spending every moment I can outside pulling things up by their roots. Prickly weedy vines have overtaken all the lovely flowering bushes and are winding around tree branches, ready to pull them down, too. I've been out there with loppers and clippers and cloppers, cutting lives of trees short, depriving birds of nesting places, and removing bugs and worms from their natural habitats.
Nature fights back, though. My arms are scraped and scratched, I have puncture wounds from thorns as big as fencing foils, and my face hasn't bee this sunburned in years. YEARS! I suppose I've gotten out of the sunscreen habit.
Nature fights back, though. My arms are scraped and scratched, I have puncture wounds from thorns as big as fencing foils, and my face hasn't bee this sunburned in years. YEARS! I suppose I've gotten out of the sunscreen habit.
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