My family has been recycling for as long as I can remember--even back when we had to haul our glass bottles to the garage where they parked the town school buses and sort by color into big smelly cardboard barrels. Then, we got a wood stove to cut down on oil use and stopped heating most of the house in the wintertime. There are many stories and writings about how our family wore hats and mittens to dinner and to bed as we tried to live more sustainably (and yeah, cheaply).
Now that I'm a grown-up lady with my own household, how am I perpetuating this tradition? Apparently having good intentions and a history of enviro-friendly behavior doesn't equal any actual savings. It's like regular exercise--you can't just do it a few years ago and expect it to stick. I'm finding I've gotta keep being green every single day, and keep thinking of more ways to reduce, reuse and recycle. Not just because I am a hippie do-gooder, but because it might actually save me some time and money in the long run. Here are a few examples of what I'm doing now.
- We are rocking the CFL bulbs in most outlets. We proudly explain that our 6-bulb array around the bathroom mirror uses a mere 66 watts. Also I love our 2 "post"-shaped porch lights.
- We bought a 3-bag caddy for recycling from Winterset Designs. One for paper, one for redeemables, one for recycling.
- We got some energy efficient appliances, which I really love. Energy Star even gives (small) rebates!
- We compost. I have kind of a grey thumb, but we're stocking up our mulch and looking forward to a real garden this year. My gardening model is Goldberry from The Fellowship of the Ring. Yes I am a complete dork.
Still to do:
- Insulate to not waste so much foreign-oil heat.
- Whatever other crazy measures become necessary as the apocalypse slowly makes itself known. Hey, I don't think apocalypse is a bad word by the way. People get so sensitive! It might be a good thing for us to learn how to deal without an infrastructure... or government... whatnot.
Beef Jerky Time playlist from January 16, 2008.
