What do you do for the environment? Brag & inspire!

[swingirl]

The best thing I ever did was to use cloth diapers and no wipes (of course, I did use some as it's unavoidable). I can sleep easily now that my kids are adults and know that there isn't a mound of diapers still sitting in a landfill with 20 year old poop wrapped in plastic.

Another thing I try to do is not buy imported goods. I think about the amount of energy it takes to ship items half way around the world, and so often they are throw away items anyway. (plastics, decorations, do-dads that one can live without)

 

[manderz]

I think we're doing pretty good. We:
-Fi drives a pruis, and we average 48-50 mpg
-I drive literally less than 2000 miles per year
-When we bought our house, we upgraded all the appliances to energy efficient models (front loaders, energy star kitchen appliances)
-We only use CFL's. In fact, some of them, we've had for about 7 years now, still running strong
-We put in a rain barrel for watering the garden
-This year is the first we've really done it for food, but we did try and grow some produce. We have a VERY VERY small lot though, so it's tough to find the space
-I shop at the farmer's market as often as I can. Also looking into buying a half a cow or so, for organic mean next time the local guy is butchering. Still need to find out more about that one.
-I use reusable bags when I go shopping. Or, I carry a huge purse that fits what I intend to buy
-I recycle as much as I can get away with
-We insulate the windows in the winter, we have an old drafty house that's tough to keep warm as it is, so every little bit helps (this is also kind of self-serving, as I loathe being cold inside in the winter. We still bundle up inside, but it still gets kind of chilly)

I'm looking into:
-Upgrading my reef aquarium lights to led, not only to be more energy-efficient, but to also improve conditions for my fishies and corals.
-New windows and front door. Like I said, old, drafty house.

 

[lulu]

http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx

You can calculate your carbon footprint.

 

[Puppmom]

re: cloth diapers and whether or not they're *really* better for the environment than disposables. What a load of sh!t that anyone even insinuates that there's even a slim chance that they're not better for the environment.

This wasn't directed to anyone in this post - it just pisses me off that this idea is out there. Really - the fact that I do 3 extra loads of a laundry per week and flush my kids poo isn't a zillion times better for the environment than rolling up a poo filled diaper and chucking it in the garbage can where it will remain long after I'm gone?

I know it isn't for everyone - just like driving a hybrid car isn't and using reusable shopping bags isn't - but I don't understand why anyone would knock the attempts of others to do something positive for the environment.

Alright - rant over.

Oh, and I thought of something else. I breastfeed - that's got to be good for the environment, right? It's good for my wallet and my kiddo!

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

We try to do much of what was posted on here, though there is always room for improvement.

I wanted to share one of the coolest, simple enviro-friendly tools I've seen. A little 6th grade student of mine had one and a HUGE lightbulb went off over my head when I saw it. DH and I use lots of re-usable items (bags, napkins, containers, etc) but still tend to wrap sanck items in sandwich bags, foil, or SaranWrap.

Insert handy snack container here: Fabric, Velcro-closure, 100% washable, and totally awesome. Maybe everyone already knows about these and I am behind the times, but this little ditty has changed the way I pack my lunches!

 

[Dancing Fire]

i only water the lawn when i pee.
i don't ever take a shower.
we only flush the toilet once a day.

 

[Dancing Fire]

I didn't say suicide was good.
It stops your carbon footprint.

I also did not say having children is bad.
They DO/CAN extend your carbon footprint to an unknowable and exponential degree.

I saw a wonderful bumper sticker once, "SAVE THE PLANET. KILL YOUSELF!"

you go first...

 

[ksinger]

re: cloth diapers and whether or not they're *really* better for the environment than disposables. What a load of sh!t that anyone even insinuates that there's even a slim chance that they're not better for the environment.

This wasn't directed to anyone in this post - it just pisses me off that this idea is out there. Really - the fact that I do 3 extra loads of a laundry per week and flush my kids poo isn't a zillion times better for the environment than rolling up a poo filled diaper and chucking it in the garbage can where it will remain long after I'm gone?

I know it isn't for everyone - just like driving a hybrid car isn't and using reusable shopping bags isn't - but I don't understand why anyone would knock the attempts of others to do something positive for the environment.

Alright - rant over.

Oh, and I thought of something else. I breastfeed - that's got to be good for the environment, right? It's good for my wallet and my kiddo!

After reading your post puppmom, I started digging through my memories, and honestly, I can't remember anyone I came in contact with growing up - meaning parents my mom's age (basically Depression-era) - who used disposable diapers. At least in my neck of the woods it didn't seem to occur to anyone to use them. That or maybe no one we knew was willing to pay for them. Everyone had a diaper cannister and truckloads of Dreft. I do recall my mother speaking disparagingly of the cost of them in my presence from time to time.

You'll like this link.
http://motherjones.com/environment/2008/04/brief-history-disposable-diaper

 

[MissStepcut]

On cloth v. disposables: it's a question of what you think is the more pressing environmental issue, water preservation or landfill use. I think in some parts of the country, water is scarce enough for disposables to make more sense, or in the midst of a drought. The two environmental concerns aren't very related to each other.

 

[TooPatient]

Jennifer W--I have no idea what gives, but this is what goes on in my workplace. I have colleagues who use a disposable cup every single day for their morning coffee. Some throw out their first cup only to grab a second one a couple hours later. It's pretty disgusting.

Questions of cleanliness?

I've seen some pretty disgusting "clean" stuff before so I'd have to stop to think about who was cleaning the reusable mugs and how before I'd use one. If disposable is needed, I write my name (or at least initials) and keep it with me for the day.

 

[swingirl]

On cloth v. disposables: it's a question of what you think is the more pressing environmental issue, water preservation or landfill use. I think in some parts of the country, water is scarce enough for disposables to make more sense, or in the midst of a drought. The two environmental concerns aren't very related to each other.

Don't forget to consider what goes into making disposable diapers. You've got to make them, package them, and ship them. Then you use them and ship them again to a landfill. Cloth diapers are can last quite a long time, being washed and reused for years. Poop is sent down the toilet to be processed. You can wash a whole lot of diapers in one load of laundry.

Women used cloth because disposable diapers weren't created until the 1940's and didn't became popular in the 1960's. The early ones were made from paper and leaked through so they had their limitations just like cloth.

 

[NOYFB]

The short list because I'm in a hurry - I'm a vegetarian and I recycle.

 

[dragonfly411]

We use re-usable bags, and if we do end up with any plastic bags, we use them until they break.
Recycle plastics and paper
We grow our own foods, veggies and fruits
We're going to be starting a good compost system using the waste from horses, our leftovers, garden scraps, etc.
We reuse pine needles as ground cover
Recycle old shirts into rags, or now scarves
Energy Efficient light bulbs
Turning off anything electronic when it isn't in use
We support local bee keepers by purchasing local honey
We use the farmer's market, buying local foods, thus less emissions from transport

 

[Haven]

Jennifer W--I have no idea what gives, but this is what goes on in my workplace. I have colleagues who use a disposable cup every single day for their morning coffee. Some throw out their first cup only to grab a second one a couple hours later. It's pretty disgusting.

Questions of cleanliness?

I've seen some pretty disgusting "clean" stuff before so I'd have to stop to think about who was cleaning the reusable mugs and how before I'd use one. If disposable is needed, I write my name (or at least initials) and keep it with me for the day.

Your response made me laugh out loud, TooPatient, because my immediate thought was "I WISH someone else would clean our mugs for us!"

We're teachers. We clean our own mugs. We don't have anyone to do it for us. (Although, like you, I much prefer to know that my mug is clean when I use it. I totally understand what you were saying, by the way. Just the thought of having the resources to have someone in the office who could clean our mugs for us is amusing because it would never happen!)

 

[Lula]

We live in a neighborhood with a high walkability index http://www.walkscore.com/ so we can walk or bike to most everything we need.

We live close enough to my husband's job that he can walk, bike, or bus.

I teach for two large universities, but I teach online, so no commute!

We buy 80% or more of our food locally, through farmers' markets, including our meat. I feel really good about buying locally-raised, organic meat. Another benefit is that it is expensive, which means we eat less meat.

We grow our own herbs and tomatoes, and have a huge cherry tree in our yard. We share our tomatoes and cherries with our neighbors and they share their green beans, zucchini, squash, etc.

We have a rain barrel and a composter.

80 - 90% of our furniture is antique or vintage; same with glassware, dishes; flatware.

ETA: And I forgot to add -- we drink locally-made beer! We also live in a community with mandatory glass, paper, and plastic recycling.

 

[Puppmom]

Ksinger, I especially loved the Julia Roberts comment! I think she was referring to G-diapers. Those have a disposable liner and can be a hassle. I don't flush anything other than toilet paper down my 80 year old pipes! I know using cloth diapers still uses finite resources but I think it's better than disposable...for me.

MissStepCut, I wonder how much water is used to make disposable diapers? I'm with Swingirl that we definitely have to take into account the resources that go into making them not just that fact that it takes virtually forever for them to biodegrade. I don't know what I would do though if I lived in an area where individual water use was of high concern. Fortunately, that's not an issue for me.

People definitely have a weird reaction sometimes to cloth diapering. I either get huge kudos for doing it (isn't necessary - it's really not hard and it benefits me too!) or I get comments on how gross it is and how they must leak all of the time and how it's probably not better for the environment anyway. All of this is unsolicited by the way. I'm actually enrolling DS in daycare and the place we chose requires a doctor's not to use cloth. I say to each his own. I just think it's sad that there are a lot of misconceptions out there.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

I avoid using the car and I have set up my life to support this. I still use grocery bags, since I use them as trash bags after I get home. I go to grocery stores that use biodegradable bags. I try to minimize water usage. I also try to use non factory items, specially food.

Lately, I have been researching ways to lessen the impacts of my jewelry making. I want it to eventually become my main money earning activity, so it is important, to me, that it be sustainable, specially since jewelry is not a life necessity. I am scrutinizing my entire process, from the biggies like minimizing metal waste and the need to refine metal (aka, use every little bit, since recycling scrap uses a lot of energy and, if done in an industrial setting, a lot of chemicals) to smaller details, like switching to a less toxic pickle (hint: vinegar is already smelly enough, don't use garlic pickle by accident).

 

[ericad]

-Recycle
-Compost at home
-Buy and grow organic and buy local, whenever possible
-Energy efficient appliances
-CFL bulbs in most places (not on the front porch due to the warm up time - I need to be able to see the serial killer lurking outside my front door when I hear a bump in the night!)
-We both drive hybrids, but use public transportation whenever possible
-Use compostable trash bags
-Re-purpose items, or give things away on CL instead of dumping.
-Rechargeable items/batteries, whenever possible
-Buy products made from recycled goods whenever possible (paper goods, for example)
-Eat much less meat than we used to, and when we do it's grass fed beef from local ranches
-Reusable containers for food storage and lunches, and reusable bags for shopping
-We try to minimize using toxic chemicals both indoors and out, so we literally visit a nearby horse ranch to collect manure as fertilizer for our garden, I use vinegar to clean most surfaces, we use diatomaceous earth for pest control (rarely needed, but worked miraculously on a bizarre flea infestation we had in 2005), beneficial insects, pull weeds by hand, and I'm now in the process of creating butterfly/bee areas in the garden in order to encourage the buggers to stick around.

I'm sure there are other things that I'm not thinking of. We are certainly not the most diligent people we know, but we try very hard to think about our actions and what we can do to change our habits for a positive impact on the environment and a smaller carbon footprint.