Comments on: Day 23: Green Day

By: Sandi

Sandi — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:44:53 +0000

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!

By: admin

admin — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:25:20 +0000

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.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:16:48 +0000

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!

By: A.J.

A.J. — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:52:53 +0000

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.

By: Adam

Adam — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:20:06 +0000

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/

By: Greenzo

Greenzo — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:49:41 +0000

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.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:37:41 +0000

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.

By: angledge

angledge — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:18:21 +0000

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.