Trying to be Green...

After spending a week in June on a completely sustainable farm, I took heart in trying to make small changes so as to have less of an impact on the environment. This summer it became a little project: while I was taking classes, looking for jobs, and doing house projects, I was also trying a lot of different ways to be friendlier to Mother Earth. Here is what I did in book report format:

My first and easiest step in being earth friendly was buying a compost bin from the county where I live. It is something I have always thought of doing, but never followed through on. I did all the research and decided on a hidden place in the yard and got all the materials together. I started with a layer of "browns"- a layer of sticks for ventilation, dried leaves, and finally dirt, and then I added a layer of day old grass clippings to increase the nitrogen. Since then I have alternated layers of greens and browns, finally adding foods and especially the forbidden fruit and veggie scraps once the heat was high enough. My compost bin is growing and actually just smells great- like really rich, dark soil. It has reduced both our house and yard waste.

Second, we expanded our vegetable garden. This year we grew or are growing: apples (our tree is so loaded down, I keep thinking branches are going to fall off), basil(s), cucumbers, green beans, lettuce, raspberries, three types of tomatoes, and zucchini. It is no CSA, which we will probably take on next year if we are home enough, but it was a challenge to eat all of veggies.

Third, my favorite change was not using the clothes dryer any more. Since June, I have dried all clothes via the line. It is amazing how much energy I have saved each week by letting the wind and sun do their work while I am off doing something else. I can dry two loads of wash simultaneously in usually about 2 hours. I love spending less time in the basement and more time outside while I am doing laundry. Both husband and I agree there is no smell quite like line dried sheets and clothes. However: one warning: leaving black clothes out all night is no good- you find dead moths in them later.

Fourth, husband and I have both started riding bikes more (although husband gets the prize for this). Some weeks Jff rode the 16 mile round trip to his office every day. When I had errands to run up at the U, I would ride or take the train. Especially now that we are working within 2 miles of each other, my car has stayed parked in the garage without use for the last three weeks. I am either riding with husband when he does drive or using mass transit. Our total gas consumption per month currently is a little over $30.

Our fifth strategy for saving energy this summer was rarely using air conditioning. Our programmable thermostat allowed us to set it to come on only after the air in the house was up to 83 or 84 degrees. In the mornings we have used ceiling fans and closed different blinds throughout the day to keep the sun out and the house cool. When it got really hot during the day and I was home, I would retreat to the basement to work on the computer or read.

Sixth, I have started working on all of our soap consumption. Hand soap is now Dr. Bronner's hemp-based soap or other glycerin based home-made bars- no more anti-bacterial (except one last container). I have started using dish soap mixed with lemon juice and vinegar as a cleaning solution. Our dish soap and laundry soap are marketed as biodegradable (I don't know how much difference this makes, though).

We have also taken a few smaller measures to cut waste:

We started to use cloth napkins and fewer paper products in the kitchen. We take our lunches to work in lunch bags and reusable food containers and wash/reuse ziplocks. When we go grocery shopping or to the co-op we take canvas grocery bags with us so that we don't use paper bags.

Finally, as we are refinishing our basement, we are planning to go to the reuse center to find wood or other reusable building supplies.

On another note, we are also making plans with my in-laws to do a "new nothing" Christmas- where everything we exchange was not bought new, but rather found in places where things are sent to be re-used. I don't know if I am completely able to give up that fondness for new shiny things, so this will be a challenge.

So after all of this, I still feel like I want to do more. Now I just don't know what... last week while at the Great Get Together, I went to the eco-center to find out what else I could do... Other than getting rid of a car, building a completely green house (is this really better than living in a small old house?), or buying only local... I am at a loss.

I mean there is always reading the newspaper online (husband has tried to get me to do this, but somehow, I feel I need the paper) and can't quite embrace energy efficient light bulbs, so I do have a ways to go, but feel free to send suggestions if you have them.