Your Turn
It is almost Earth Day. In honor of that I would love to know what you do to help the environment. I have to say that all I do is recycle. I guess at least it is something, but honestly, if Los Angeles did not make it so easy with the separate cans, I am not sure I would recycle as much.
I don't do anything; we don't go for that granola crunching tree-hugging earth worshipping enviro indoctrination!
ReplyDeleteI still wash my dishes like an Australian -- without the water running. Y'know, in case that drought hits New York...
ReplyDeleteWe recycle because it is mandated. We reuse items because it is sensible and we grow a garden because we want to. There are a lot of things we purchase and use that would be considered earth-friendly but I think most of what we do is for selfish purposes.
ReplyDeleteI cloth diaper.
ReplyDeleteRecycle. Reuse when possible. Never use plastic bags. Never litter. Public transportation (it sucks but still cheaper than filling up the car). Buy local produce We try in our own little way. I feel it's important
ReplyDeleteI buy as little as possible, whether it's food or clothes or other stuff.
ReplyDeleteHere in Seattle, you have no choice but to recycle AND compost. There will soon be a plastic bag ban too.
ReplyDeleteI take the bus to work and walk as often as possible -- I went from putting 12k miles on my car a year to 4k in 7 months.
We’ve got bins for food waste, bags for plastics, bags for clothing, bags for paper/cardboardIt works well but one of my neighbours refuses to cooperate and puts everything in one bin. She really pisses me off coz I’ve become obsessed with using the right bags/bin. Youngsters are very good at recycling, my nieces/nephews wash all their cans/bottles and place them in the correct bags. I’m not so good with the daily stuff..........I should use the squirty hairspray but I burn a hole in the ozone layer daily! I use recyclable batteries. I do car sharing and have done for years, but I work shifts and it can be a pain to organise ourselves in work. Ah well, every little bit helps.
ReplyDeletei plant a tree.....
ReplyDeleterecycle, reuse.
ReplyDeleteI leave the car parked and walk as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteWe recycle, I'm glad the plastic isn't in a land fill or around some birds neck somewhere.
ReplyDeleteWe have a large yard and live in the Mojave desert. We planted trees native to the area, and we supply a huge number of birds, butterflies and bees with natural food that they love and depend on. Our blooming trees are full of bees and bird's nests.
As to the rest we do what we can, we don't litter, we use reusable grocery bags, and just try not to contribute to the mess.
This is us, too. We don't live in the desert, buy in the country - so we can keep planting trees. We compost, recycle, never bag grass clippings, almost never water (useless - our lawn is 2 acres!) reuse where we can, drive small cars (tricky in wintertime, though.)
DeleteI recycle and since I have to print out stuff sometimes, when I'm done with the printout I cut the paper into fourths and use the back as scrap paper.
ReplyDeleteI just can't use reusable grocery bags - I've tried but I just can't remember them. But I do reuse quite a few of the plastic bags.
This year I testified at one hearing on a coal-fired power plant that is one of the 20 worst mercury polluters in the country (US) and at another hearing on stricter zoning ordinances for our drinking water reservoir. I maintain a section of trail on one of the national trails that runs through our state. I serve on the board of 2 conservation orgs. I buy local and use sustainable Food Network whenever I can. I recycle and I drive a Prius. I also dance at the local Earth Day celebration...because its fun to dance with folks in the community, not because it conserves!
ReplyDeleteI recycle, reuse, and compost. I love that I live in a city where composting is mandatory. Always have reusable bags in the car. That's the trick - KEEP 'EM IN THE CAR. Have extras. When you leave again, put them back in the trunk. I'm thrilled that we're banning plastic bags here.
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of a freak when it comes to the recycling, I'll admit it. Drives me nuts when people put garbage in there - it's good to recycle, but it's not good to throw things that aren't recyclable in with the rest. Take the top off of the damn milk jug and throw it away, first! This is my new pet peeve: people who gather their recycling in a plastic garbage bag and throw it in the bin like that. Those bags don't recycle, but paper bags do. Once a month I leave my shopping bags in the car and have them bag the groceries with paper, then I use those for my recycling. Over, and over again. We dump 3x as much recycling as we do garbage, easily.
It's not hard, really! Once you start, it becomes second nature.
I'm not sure if this counts but I plant a tree. They give away free trees on Earth Day at Lowes, and I go get one. They are free so why not? Last year I got a Colorado Blue Spruce.
ReplyDeleteWe reduce, reuse, and recycle. We collect organics as the city picks it up, but only til we start composting. I always carry reusable bags, and the whole family either buses or bikes everywhere. We shop in thrift stores a lot, garden every year, and are learning to can/preserve/dehydrate our own veggies & fruits. We're also slowly getting rid of our grass, & replacing with mostly rock gardens filled with indigenous plants. We support local growers as much as we can [afford], and make conscious efforts to use products that are environmentally friendly, which isn't to say that we don't ever cave on some favorites that might not be so...
ReplyDeleteOh, and we crunch granola and hug trees every once in a while too...
Shop in thrift stores to get whatever I can before I go out and buy something new, scavenge whatever I can from what people throw away (not as gross as it sounds), get most of my food from the garden as the warm season permits, farmer's markets, composting, utilizing the city's recycling program. I am a big hiker and I bring a trash bag whenever I go out and pick up any crap I see that people threw on the ground. That is my pet peeve, people that just throw their trash on the ground. I really, really wish I lived in an area that had a public transportation option because I hate logging so many miles in my car. I don't live close enough to work or a store to ride my bike or walk...major bummer.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteRecycle, re-use, buy "green" products for cleaning, laundry etc. I use dryer balls instead of dryer sheets. I only drive my car a couple of times aweek, I use transit for getting to and home from work. I eat very little meat these days which is also great for my health. And this is probably too much information, but I use the Diva Cup :D
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, we don't really do a whole lot.
ReplyDeleteI do recycle our aluminum cans, but I don't separate or save any of the rest of our recyclables. I once tried to save our cardboard and our glass, but I was never able to get it to the nearest recycling center during the one day a week their limited hours for the public matched my day off. The resulting piles made my porch look more like a hoarder's nest, and it attracted mice, flies, and whatever other varmints wanted to sneak in. (Since my hours aren't as limited now, I really should try doing this again.)
I will be happy to note that I just took some of our old, damaged electronic equipment to that center for recycling, after vowing to get it there for the past four months. Fortunately, the stockpile of bad electronics hasn't attracted as many critters as the cardboard, glass or plastic items did.
We don't buy a whole lot, and we have kept a garden, but the reasoning behind that is due to our lack of income more than our dedication to the environment. We also don't have a lot of electronics, but this is mainly due to our house's knob-and-tube wiring and fuses that get blown with so much as a threat of more load than is necessary.
We do have dreams of one day putting together a high-efficiency house that uses solar power and has a small environmental footprint. I just don't see that happening any time, soon.
It's hard to know what is for me and what is for the earth these days.
ReplyDeleteI'm big on using it up, making it last, reusing it for another purpose and doing without.
We plan our car trips to use the lest amount of time and gas.
We plant a food garden for ourselves as well as masses of flowers.
I think it's wonderful that doing the right thing for yourself also helps the earth.
^least
ReplyDeleteOMG Maja- I have a hippy friend trying to cajole me into using the Diva Cup haha, ya'll are crazy.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, I'll probably give it a go eventually. If anything it's privately amusing to me that my part in helping the environment will come from things in and around my vagina. Gives new (sexy) meaning to re-cycle re-use! hahahahahhahaa
Chico Bags! They fold up into a tiny little package and you can keep them in a coat pocket or your purse.
ReplyDeleteWe try to do what we can:
ReplyDelete-Use eco-friendly dish soap (7th Generation, Method, Costco's Kirkland Signature)
-Use eco-friendly laundry soap (Ecos) for 85% of our laundry loads
-Use eco-friendly household cleaners, toilet cleaner, window cleaner, etc... (7th Generation, Method, homemade with vinegar, etc...)
-Installed a dual-flush toilet in the basement (#1 flush is .75 gallons...#2 flush is 1.5 gallons...old toilets can use as much as 5-7 gallons per flush)
-Do dishes in a bus box instead of the sink (requires less water to fill up)
-Take as short of showers as possible, esp in the summer when you can stand to be without the extra heat (we live in the midwest). I get wet - put shampoo in my hair, facial cleanser on my face - shut water off - wait 30 seconds - turn water on and rinse hair and face - put conditioner in my hair, get my toothbrush wet - shut water off for the 2 minutes I'm brushing - turn water on - rinse mouth and conditioner out of hair - get loofah wet & ready - shut water off - scrub my body down - turn water on and rinse off. I try to keep the "water on" time to 5 minutes
-Trap water. I used to turn the water on hot (at the kitchen sink, for ex) and wait for it to get hot. That takes as long as 10-15 seconds, during which time all that water was wasted. Now I trap that non hot water in a pitcher and use it later (heat it up in the kettle to flush drain pipes, use it for tea, etc...)
-Recycle everything we can at the curb. Stuff they don't take (cereal box cardboard) we drive 60 miles and recycle at a place that takes it (we take it with us when we go to this town)
-To save $$ and create less waste, we try to drive only when necessary. We no longer drive to do one thing (buy milk, mail something). Combining trips, basically. It isn't that hard once you get used to it. People waste gas by driving gas hogs and not thinking (just jumping in the SUV and going somewhere for no reason)
-We don't use chemicals on our lawn. Everyone else around does, in search of that golf course lawn. I think the obsession with lawn in this country is idiotic. All natural for us. No fertilizer, weed killer, etc...
-We never waste water on outdoor stuff (like the lawn when it's dry)
Forgot that swedishfish! We use Chico bags too (and a few Baggu bags). Stores should just stop providing any bags (paper or plastic). Make people bring their own bag(s) or their own box(es). People would grumble at first, but it wouldn't take long to change. There use to be a chain around here (Econo) that didn't provide bags. You could buy a box, bring your own box, or just take everything loose in your cart. I think they did it to cut costs, not for environmental purposes. It worked though.
ReplyDeleteI forget my bags too often (I think others do too). I guarantee that. if stores didn't provide bags, people wouldn't forget their own.
@Maja - I've been psyching myself to try them for three or four years now. I don't know that it's going to happen, but I think my body would be happy. Tampons are poison.
ReplyDeleteSorry, Enty, TMI.
Jasmine and emeyekay - The Cup isn't for everyone, I know some girls it just did not work for. And if you're squeamish about your menstrual fluids, it is definitely not for you. But for me, discovering it was life changing. I will never go back to tampons - they are NASTAY.
ReplyDeleteI got rid of my 16 mpg SUV and got a 55mpg diesel VW - and we recycle.
ReplyDeleteI got rid of my 16 mpg SUV and got a 55mpg diesel VW - and we recycle.
ReplyDeleteI recycle paper, plastic, cardboard, cans and glass and I compost. I've seen my garbage go from a full bag twice a week to a tiny bag once a week because of recycling and composting. It's amazing.
ReplyDeleteI am very much like EmEyeKay and others, and I learned a lot.
ReplyDeleteTo bring something different, I actually make my own laundry detergent. It cleans WAY better than Tide or anything store bought and I will never go back. Costs about .05¢ per load!
1 bar Fels Naptha
1 cup Washing soda
1 cup Borax (you can by all of these at Wal-Mart or grocery store)
Shave the bar of Fels with a cheese grater-or even better put all ingredients in a food processor. You only need 2 tablespoons per load!
Also vinegar is a great fabric softener! Don't worry your clothes won't smell like it! You'd be surprised by the amount of chemicals that are in detergent and softener, also how bad they are for the environment, and how they stick to your clothes.
Here is a great site for FAQ's.
http://tipnut.com/homemade-laundry-detergent/
I honestly leave nearly everything unplugged until I use it. It helps the environment and my bank account.
ReplyDeleteMy dad who passed away 7 years ago this month loved walnut trees. Every year, we plant walnut trees to celebrate him. This year, we are planting 81, as that is how old my father would have been.
ReplyDeleteI have been hearing this since 1970 when I was in a earth day parade. I have to agree that certain places are better, some rivers are cleaner. I have however, been hearing that THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END since I read The Population Bomb, which is a complete crock, utterly untrue. What worries me the most is the fascist tendency of the greens to tell me how to live. Most worrying is the latest meme that humans should live in large concentrations TO SAVE THE EARTH (hello, Kinshasa?) and of course, the latest quote out of the conference in London that anyone who doesn't believe in global warming should be diagnosed as "sick" (and helped how? "Re-Education?) (all I could think of was that awful scene in "The Killing Fields" in the re-education camp.) At what point does a person's fervent interest in saving the earth mean that person has the right to make decisions for me? Seems to me we are moving down that road. Worries me. Certainly has influenced me to move away from Blue states. Lived in LA and MA for years. And helped me to further into rural areas of a Red State. Not a prepper, just interested in not being told how to live.
ReplyDeleteI recycle. My friend used to work for the lady who invented/owns My Eco shopping bags, so thanks to her, I have a set. They are awesome.
ReplyDeleteWe need to do the compost thing. We are looking at getting one of those rainwater collection systems for our yard.
I definitely do not do enough but as always the comments inspire me.