Earth Day is Every Day Part Deux

Allie tagged me for a little survey on what I did for Earth day. As I didn't do anything especially different than normal, I'll steal her idea and tell you five things I do every day.



1. Little driving -I drive once a month for about 10 miles to get groceries from Trader Joe's. Daily provisions are usually procured on foot by myself or my beau from the co-op store one block from our abode. Honestly, I dislike city driving intensely now that hardly do it. As soon as I sit behind the wheel on that one trip, it's like instant road rage surges in me as I feel my mission in my car is more important than their mission in their car. Maybe this is a sign I need to practice patience...but I think it's specifically car related and based on how un-drivable Boston is as a city.

2. Little Plastic use -I have not bought plastic baggies (Ziplocs if you will - funny how the brand has become the product) in over 9 months. We had two or three boxes when we moved in and we still have them. The secret? If it's cleanable, it gets washed out and reused.

3. Cut down on Paper use - no more Kleenexes (again with the brand being the product! who can name others that have done this subtle brainwashing?) and hardly any paper towel useage in the house. Instead of paper towels, we use rags. In the last 9 months we've purchased only one roll of paper towels. Instead of tissues, we use hankies. Even for guests, handkerchiefs are provided. No longer are handkerchiefs a thing of antiquity or a relic of a man's world. Because if we look back to their origins, they were a symbol of status, beauty and grace.

4. Lower Phantom Load - appliances use electricity even when not in use. If they are plugged in, they are literally still plugged into the grid and using some energy. This is called Phantom Load and can be measured per house by an energy auditor (if you can afford one or have one as a brother who will do it for free, like me). Everything, but the television gets unplugged after use. I was very tempted to convince my beau we should unplug the t.v. as well, but upon having to reprogram all the stations five times in a row, I just didn't want to deal with it. Perhaps this can be something I work on doing more...and Earth day eco-challenge for myself.

5. Using a Clothesline - while I have not switched to drying everything on a clothes line, I have decided to dry more clothes on a clothes line (especially towels, sheets, rags, undies, anythign nylon, etc...) We've got a nice big back porch perfect for doing so and with the warmer weather coming on, I can be more encouraged to do so.

Summer Tip -
Recently I also learned that grills versus conventional ovens are better to use. Less harmful chemicals are released and less energy is used to grill food. Homes don't have to be cooled off from the heat of the stove either. Even better too - use wood lump coal as opposed to straight up charcoal - less harmful for the creators of it as well. How great was that to hear from someone who loves grillin'? So I encourage all of you to be eco-warriors this summer - get out there and grill! It's Earth friendly.