10.09
I think of myself as environmentally-friendly. I own a Prius, I recycle, I don’t throw burning Styrofoam containers out of my car window while simultaneously spraying old aerosol cans into the atmosphere. But do I do enough? Do I do anything that actually requires a sacrifice? The Interweb is rife with websites that have lists of ten simple things that you, yes you, can do to reduce your carbon footprint. Taking suggestions from numerous lists, I compile my own list, and, today, I implement it.
1. Take short, cool showers. For my shower, I try not to use any hot water. I step under the faucet, and the cold water hits my body. Brrrrrrr. I feel like I’m in Barton Springs. I have absolutely no problem limiting the duration of this shower. Short, very, very short.
2. Unplug electronics or turn power strips off when not in use. Appliances and electronics continue to draw energy even when not in use. According to the US Department of Energy, “75% of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off.” This applies mostly to electronics like computers, televisions, DVD players, and kitchen appliances. So I go through my house and unplug anything that is not in use. And after I finish using something, I unplug it. This is hard–I really, really love to keep stuff unnecessarily plugged in. What if there is an emergency situation that requires me to use my electric can opener at a moment’s notice?
3. Wash clothes in cold water and air dry. I have a bunch of clothing from Kilimanjaro I have been procrastinating washing. It has been quarantined in my duffel bag in the laundry room for over a month. I unzip the bag, hold my nose, and finally wash it. I use cold water. I air dry. I may need to take another horribly cold shower after handling these soiled clothes.
4. Turn down the thermostat. Because it’s not too hot outside, I open the windows, turn on the fans, and turn the thermostat completely off. I don’t turn it on again until right before bedtime. When Betsy comes home from work, she asks me what the horrible stench in the house is? I don’t know. Is it me? Does going green make you automatically smell?
5. Reduce your junk mail. I am all about this one–it’s something I’ve always wanted to do and it can eliminate tons of paper waste. Junk mail is like telemarketing without the awkward attempts to hang up the phone. Yes, sir, I understand that you want to sell me your crappy product/service and this is a limited-time offer, but you must understand that I want to punch you in the kidney. I consult a website on the Internet machine and follow its suggested steps to remove myself from as many mailing lists as possible. In a short six to nine weeks, I will hopefully see a reduction in the worthless mail that comes into my home.
6. Use a library instead of purchasing new books. I don’t even have a library card. I wander into the library and fill out an application for a library card. Except I need proof of current residence, and my driver’s license has my old address on it. I use my iPhone to try and pull up my utility or credit card bills, but it seems I’ve forgotten my username and password for those sites. Am I going to get rejected for a library card? Is this what my life has come to? I give a librarian my application, my driver’s license, and a rental receipt from the Elvis costume I rented which contains my current address. Insufficient. I then have to go on a library computer and print out a current bank statement with my address. The internet is slow and some homeless dude next to me mumbles, “Fat Mexican. But damn good singer.” I take my bank statement back to the librarian, and after about 45 minutes of frustration, I have a library card. Now I can borrow a book! I look for Player Piano by Vonnegut. Out. Barrel Fever by Sedaris. Out. American Pastoral by Roth. Out. Into Thin Air. Out. Any Tom Robbins? No. David Becker. Out. And never coming back. I’ll just buy used books at Half-Price Books. I throw my library card in the trash.
7. Eat locally grown, organic foods. I eat lunch at Beets Living Foods Cafe, which uses many organic and local ingredients. (Good, healthy raw food, but a little on the expensive side.) I eat dinner at Kirby Lane, which has a delicious seasonal menu with select items made from all local ingredients. I shop at Whole Foods and buy some local veggies, amongst other groceries. As a late-night snack, my awesome wife makes me an egg, cheese, portabello mushroom, and pesto sandwich from all local ingredients. Yum! (She is a good cook.)
8. Shop with reusable grocery bags. They’re cheap. They’re easy. Everyone should do this.
9. Turn off lights you’re not using. I don’t turn on a light until 7 pm. It’s interesting how many times I reach for the light switch out of pure habit throughout the day. And how many times I almost leave a light on after leaving a room. I think a little presence of mind and change of habit could really help reduce our household energy usage.
10. Bike or walk instead of drive. I bike to Beets, the library, and Whole Foods. I get some damn good exercise. Betsy and I walk from our house to Kirby Lane. On the way, we talk about how since moving from DC to Texas, we’ve really gotten back into the driving mentality. The walk is cool, breezy, and full of good conversation. We probably would have driven if not for this environmentally-focused day. I note how much more active I’ve been today–using biking and walking for my transportation. It makes me feel good.
There it is. Ten simple things. But will I keep it up after today? Cold showers? No. Wash my clothes with cold water? Yes. Air dry? Probably not. The library? Hell no. The other seven? Maybe. I will try to keep the thermostat down, keep electronics unplugged, turn off lights I’m not using, shop for and eat more local, organic foods, use reusable grocery bags, and drive less in favor of biking and walking. I will try. I will try.
What about you? What simple (or not-so-simple) things do you currently do or want to start doing to be just a little more environmentally-friendly?
You’re a vegetarian, but for us carnivores here’s an easy step – eat less meat. You don’t have to give it up altogether, but eliminate 2 or 3 meat-based meals each week. Raising livestock is very energy-intensive work, so even small reductions in meat consumption are good for the environment.
Now, speaking as a professional environmental scientist, I would also recommend that people cut back on dry cleaning. I have spent an inordinately large percentage of my career cleaning up soil & groundwater contamination originating at a leaking underground storage tank full of the solvents used by dry cleanesr. I suppose it’s job security for me, but it’s bad for all of us to keep releasing those carcinogens into our soil & groundwater.
First off, you haven’t washed your clothes from kili?? Disgusting. Gross.
Another good one is setting up a compost bin in the kitchen to put all your food scraps in. This reduces your garbage easily by half.
Also you should offset all your travel and electricity in the home, and fuel for the car by going to websites such as terrapass.com You buy a carbon offset and that money goes to plant trees somewhere and then you are carbon neutral. Kinda like buying your way into being green but still for the greater good.
Don’t chide the man for not cleaning his Kili clothes. Technically, he’s being extremely green by not cleaning them and wasting water/electricity at the expense of a smelly nuclear grenade in a duffel.
Another handy tip is when cooking, use an Easy Bake Oven – the electricity savings is astronomical and the cookies are delicious. For even more savings, use a Light Brite, but be warned that most food won’t cook very well with it.
In defense of the Austin Public Library, you can search their full catalog on their website and have the book you want transferred to your local branch in a couple of days. All free.
Not ideal for the random pop-in, but if you know what you want to read, all you have to do is wait your turn.
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/library/
I am really disappointed that you threw out your library card. You just added to the garbage landfill–not so eco-friendly, buddy! And as said above you can search, put on hold and the lib will even notify your book that you put on hold from the library of your choosing.
The librbary is awesome and way cooler “shopping” there than any of those “paid” for stores.
WHAT? The library is awesome! The best way to use it is exactly what Adam said – put books on hold. They’ll deliver to your local branch and give you 10 calendar days to pick up. My branch is also pretty small and not great for walk-ins, but is brand-new and lovely to spend time in.
And Logan found 2 Tom Robbins books available at our local branch a couple of months ago. They’re out there!
I understand all the comments regarding why the library is awesome. I just had a bad experience there and wanted a book that day. That’s all. After all, the homeless seem to love it, so maybe I’ll give it another shot.
I’m a big fan of trying to unplug everything I’m not using. When I went to visit my grandparents a couple of weeks ago I went around their house and unplugged everything they don’t use on a daily basis. Pretty sure they now think their granddaughter is a crazy hippy!