Also, some things I did today to help the environment:
- Dried my laundry out on the patio, less electricity used by the drier (which is one of the biggest electricity devourers in our homes, and that electricity is produced by coal, a non-renewable resource)
- Turned our air conditioning off, and when it's on, I leave it on 80, except overnight, when it's 72.
- Haven't turned any lights on all day, and no tv. (We didn't watch tv at home all weekend!)
- Recycled
- Bought and ate organic meat, cheese and milk
- Phased out plastic bags from our home. Using cloth bags (that we take back and forth) from our grocery and our library
- Used organic shampoo and sunscreen, so that when I shower, my wastewater isn't contaminating the place it ends up. Many water treatment plants can't filter out all the make-up, hair and body products we use, so it ends up effecting wildlife (hmm, what does it do to us, then? :)
- I haven't been blowdrying my hair, like I used to do daily, also an electricity sucker.
- Empty the dehumidifier we have recently placed in our basement onto our plants instead of using more water from the tap/dumping the dehumidifier in the sink...
- Planning our weekend trip to a state park this coming weekend, where we will be camping!!
- Instead of driving to our local library (which is about 4 miles away) which we do multiple times per week, we're biking tomorrow! :)
- I have avoided the highlights in my hair. Chemicals, right? I used to go every 6 to 8 weeks... I haven't been since April 8. I could probably use a trim, but I can ride my bike when I need one. :)
5 comments:
Great post!
We've phased out plastic bags too. I have 7 of the cloth bags from Walmart (I know, it's evil) and we use them for everything.
Let's see, the things we're doing...
I dry my hair about once a week, usually on Sunday before church.
I've been taking shorter, not so hot showers.
We're slowly getting rid of some of our lawn. Lawns are a huge killer of the environment. All of the chemical fertilizers and pesticides and a shallow root system that allows for run off. Not to mention the amount of gas used to power the lawn mower. We've been planting new gardens to attract bees to our yard.
I've been looking into a clothes line. Our homeowners association says were not allowed to have one, but if they try to fight me on it, I'll send some environmental group their way.
We've been composting with worms and recycling. Donating old clothes instead of throwing them away.
I try to use gray water to water my plants. When I steam veggies, I use the water that's left. They seem to like that. We really want a rain barrel, but we just haven't got around to it yet.
I've been using coffee grounds for my plants too.
I've been trying to buy organic when I can. Our meat isn't organic, but it is grass finished and from a local farm. It's definitely not CAFO meat. Our eggs are from a local farm too and not an industrial egg producer.
I don't think a lot of people realize how much the food they eat hurts the environment. When we don't buy local, it takes a lot of gas to get the produce across the country or across the world for us to buy it. When we buy meat and milk and eggs from industrial farms, there is tons (literally) of manure to contend with. When we get heavy rains there can be runoff that pollutes the waterways. Plus, if it's spread on fields before it ready, it can lead to eColi outbreaks.
Holy cow, this comment is a post in itself. Can you tell I'm really into this stuff?
I was interested to read about all the ways you're trying to help the environment! Like you, I use cloth bags when I shop for groceries. I have a draft of a post on the subject, which I should be putting out there soon....
I saw my mother make weekly trips to the hairdresser to touch up her "rinse!" Swore I'd never colour my hair---and I haven't. Except for the memorable time when my sister persuaded me to let her "colour me beautiful!" My hair turned green! Traumatic at the time, but long run it only served to strengthen my resolve!
I use cloth bags too, and put vegetable peelings and so on, on the compost heap instead of in the rubbish bin, and sort out glass and plastic and cardboard and paper for recycling, and hang clothes outside when weather permits, and walk or take the bus sometimes instead of the car.
But... big sin... I love a hot bath every night. I hate showers with a deadly passion. How can you read in the shower? and if you're ancient and achey like me, a warm bath is wonderfully soothing.
And I also buy strawberries and raspberries in the winter when they do not grow in Scotland. I know I shouldn't. But who wants to live through cold, wet, dark winters while eating turnips and potatoes? (Well, not exclusively, anyway.)
Who knew that I could come here to find out all Isabelle's dark and dirty secrets! Not satisfied with turnips and potatoes--aha!!
I was browsing through some of your recent posts and saw that you were reading "Suite Francaise". Did you like it? It's on my list. If you just liked it I'll leave it where it is on the list, but if you absolutely loved it, I may bump it to the top, as I'm on fallow ground these days with my reading....
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