Doing something different on Earth Day & cyclists.

[shootingstar]

As usual I will bicycle outdoors tomorrow on Earth Day. Since being car-free for uh, past 3 decades, to me, Earth Day is just well, part of daily life.

I don't garden, don't compost (we don't have food scrap recycling in our building) and wash my clothing in cold or cool water. Use dishwasher every 2 days.

I buy whole produce since I rarely cook with processed food beyond the occasional tinned food, dried pasta, etc.

I don't always buy local. No I'm not an organic food buyer.

At least from a transportation perspective, Earth Day is not about observing the day with a special choice of carbon-free transportation for me. Maybe I could improve in other areas of my life.

[marni]

turn off lights when you leave the room, turn off the water as you brush your teeth, set the heater a degree or two lower and the ac a degree or two higher, recycle your plastic grocery bags, flatten your aluminum cans and take them to a recycling center, collect all your lose change ( pennies especially) and turn them in to one of the charity collections at cash registers, make a point of not letting your car idle for extended periods, open the windows instead of running the ac, make sure you run your tires at their proper inflation level. There all sorts of daily things that you can do to make a contribution besides being car free. (yes I know I have a couple of car hints in here but this is also a post for the general population.)

I am also sure there are many more daily hints, these are the only ones that come to mind after a day demonstrating hand spinning and weaving at a local cotton gin museum.

marni

[shootingstar]

I forgot recycling plastic bags, because I've been doing it for so long that it's just ingrained. Cycling to work, for sure has meant recycling such clean bags for panniers.

Aluminum cans...I don't drink pop. The odd canned food like tuna and sardines which amounts to less than 25 cans annually.

Turning off lights is something I really try to be careful. You know what my partner suggests for a bad habit that irks him in terms of wasting energy? Put the lid on pot when I boil water.

[lph]

Have you tried a carbon footprint calculator? Here's one I found:
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html
I think it's an interesting exercise. Some people I know take it as a challenge to achieve the lowest possible number.

Here the catchphrase is "biff, bil og bolig", which translates to "beef, car and home" (I'm sure there's a snappier way of saying that in English ;)). The point is that the most effective way of reducing one's carbon footprint is by eating less meat, by driving less, and by reducing energy use at home. There also should be something about flying less, Norwegians fly a horrendous amount, and lower consumption in general, but it's a start.

Where I live we now have a recycling system for paper, glass, aluminium, plastic and bio-degradable. It took for ages to get it, and still some people just ignore it. Which I think is just stupid, it took a few weeks to get used to but now that we're set up it's not hard at all, and it's a boon getting the smelly garbage out of the house more often. No harder than sorting your laundry.

[Crankin]

I think I do the most in my home. Part of the remodeling of our house included new windows (33), doors, and roof, as well as tweaking the gas and AC systems. Energy saving light bulbs, recycle everything: plastic, paper, glass, aluminum, biodegradables. Our gas company sends us a comparable chart for energy usage, to compare to our most efficient neighbors. Well, now I am the most efficient neighbor! Our gas bill has gone from $200+ a month to about $92.00. It makes me laugh because some of those neighbors are quite snobby about their supposed "earth friendly" ways (i.e. some have publicly lambasted DH for driving a SUV). Our thermostat is set on a setback for both heat and AC.
When we had our bathroom totally gutted and remodeled, we didn't get the fashionable soaking tub; hence, I only use one of the other tubs about once or twice a year, and only use the very nice shower in the master bath.
We don't have a lawn (purposely bought this house because of this) and have low water plants and ground cover.
I try to purposely plan all of my driving trips, which has become hard since I started a job where I have to drive to people's houses. But, I get to plan my own schedule, and I schedule my sessions accordingly. I really don't drive anywhere, except to the store, bank, and dry cleaners (3.5 miles), drugstore (5 miles), or to my friend's homes (not more than 6 miles). We do go out to eat a lot, but usually not more than 15 miles away, and when we go into Boston we take the train or share driving with friends for our theatre subscription.
Food, well I buy all local fruits and veggies in the summer/fall, as we have many local farms. I usually do this by bike, too. I admit to buying out of season fruits and veggies, as I take this as something for my health. I also try to shop at independent stores in my town and surrounding towns for gifts, at the many artist's studios we have. I bought both of my bikes at the very local bike store.
Clothing however, and bike parts we do on line. I'd have to travel between 19 and 25 miles to find a Banana Republic Petites store or any other place where I could find clothing that fits me.
When I look at my friends' habits, I'd say I am pretty far ahead. Some don't even recycle that much. I just bought a new car yesterday, that gets about 20% better mileage.

[shootingstar]

In this city condos and mult-family/level dwellings are not covered by the municipality for recycling pick-up.

But because the idea of container, paper recycling is now so ingrained in us, that our building asked the private waste pickup company to provide it for us. I'm not sure what extra fees there are..because condo board hasn't told us --yet.

I dont' buy any goods online. It's just too much of a hassle and risk for me...in terms of clothing fit and other things. I am content to bike around to see things for real..as I have been doing this for last 20 years.

And if I can't travel to see it/try it, it's no big deal for me. I can live without it.

[emily_in_nc]

Here is what we did on our Earth Day:

http://bebelize.weebly.com/1/post/2012/04/biking-birding-fire-and-a-fall.html

We did use the toaster oven and microwave a bit, but no dishwasher or laundry. Spent plenty of time outside on the bikes, and went for a nice swim in the pool. We're car-free, so it was just another day!

I'm icing my ankle from my little fall as I write this. I am such a klutz! :o

[Koronin]

When we bought our new home last year one of the first things we did was get two rain barrels. Well, kind of. We actually bought 2 pickle barrels and the parts needed and made our own which are actually a bit larger than the ones that places like Home Depot and Lowe's sell and we did so for less money (although it did involve a bit of labor), but they are awesome for water plants during the spring, summer, and fall. We winterize them so they don't freeze during the winter. Also this year we have a small garden planted. We have tomatoes, green peppers, and pod peas, along with two blueberry and 3 strawberry bushes.
Also the garbage company we use picks up garbage one day of the week and one other day of the week picks up recyclables.

[Serendipity]

A couple of summers ago, we bought a Solar Oven. Works great - essentially, a 'solar slow cooker' - as long it is a sunny day and you're not in a hurry :D

So, on this Earth Day, we had roasted potatoes, carrots and turnips that we cooked in the solar oven.

[Koronin]

A solar oven? Sounds interesting.

[Serendipity]

Koronin, this is the unit we use: http://www.solarovens.org/

Some folks build their own but that isn't something I wanted to attempt. Probably won't achieve payback in my lifetime but didn't decide to try the oven to save money.

By the way, it gets set up outside right beside our solar clothes dryer (aka clothesline)!

[Koronin]

That's pretty cool. Actually it could perfect for use for camping. Thanks.