Or at least things I’m doing that aren’t going to kill the Earth as quickly.
1. My garden. I’m hoping to grow a large percentage of our family’s summer and fall food, and hopefully keep the garden producing through the winter, as well as keeping some of our harvest with root-cellaring. Our house has a perfect room for a root cellar. It’s cold, dark, and if we get a door on it, I think it will be ideal all winter. Plus, I just got a book on four season gardening, from some people in Vermont, so I have to trust that they’re serious about producing even in the winter.
2. Composting. I’m so happy I have my own compost bin, and I will have a separate heap to put all the yard scraps in. That way, when I need some brown to put on top of the kitchen scraps, I can just grab some from the pile. Less goes into my trash, and I have home-made fertilizer for my lovely garden.
3. Cloth diapering. I can’t stand the thought of putting those horrible “disposable” things in the landfills. The funniest thing is seeing how huge my baby girl looks in the giant cloth diapers, though. I had to buy some summer clothes for her yesterday, and I ended up getting a bunch of skirts and some shorts that are the 4 year old size, so they will fit over the diapers.
4. Buying recycled clothes. There’s really no reason to shop for new clothing, since there is so much out there that gets discarded, but is in perfectly good shape. Plus, I have a love-affair with thrift stores. The other day, when I got home from a thrift store spree (there are about 7 thrift stores within a couple of mile of our house), Derek asked me how my treasure hunt had gone. I giggled. But I do love finding treasures that have been cast off for whatever reason, and I feel like I’ve avoided adding to the burden of resource depletion and possible human rights violations. Keeping goods in the loop eases my consumerist mind.
5. Using the local library. I love reading, I love books. I can’t afford to buy all the books I want, but more importantly, I want to avoid using up more resources by purchasing books I will only read once. Which is to say, I still buy books, and I still love them, but I’m buying fewer books. Plus, one needs to support the local library for so many reasons. They have so many books you will never be able to buy, they support literacy, both the boo variety and the computer variety, they have so many community programs, and they are havens of peace and quiet. My sanity would be much more threatened without the local library.
6.Turning things off. I try to leave lights off as much as possible. I try to hang the laundry to dry whenever possible. I encourage my kids to notice when things are unnecessarily ON, and help them understand why they should be OFF. I’ve tried to use as many low-energy things in our house as I could, with all compact fluorescent bulbs, low energy refrigeration (lesser of two evils, as far as I’m concerned. I wish I didn’t have one at all), low energy (and low water) washer and dryer, etc.
7. Opening windows. This spring is so gorgeous, but it’s already started getting hot. I’ve been opening the windows for circulation, rather than turning on the air conditioner. If I do end up desperately hot, I will try to keep the thermostat at something in the upper 70’s, rather than actually trying to make my house cool. Seasons are good for us, and a constant 71 degrees is not good for our dear Earth. During the winter, we kept the heat at 61 at night (I know, we could go lower, but my baby girl won’t keep herself under any blankets yet, and even with two pairs of fleece pajamas, she still got pretty cold) and 64 during the day, except on the days that I just couldn’t take it anymore, and turned it up to 68. I believe in sweaters and wool socks. From the thrift store, of course.
8. Recycling. Yes, I know how cliche all my things are, but I believe in recycling. I recycle everything I can. I want to really reduce how much trash we send to the land fill, so I recycle the things that can’t be used again, use up what can be used, make regular donations to the thrift stores, send the organic stuff to my compost bin, and give stuff away. I also try to purchase things that aren’t excessively packaged. Sometimes I get the large size, sometimes I skip something I want because it has too much plastic on it. Packaging makes me sad, especially when it’s intended to make the item look bigger or more exciting, and when there are multiple, unnecessary layers.
9. Making my own. Last night, I made a bunch of flannel baby wipes, and poured some home-made wipe-juice on them. I like to make my own cleaning products, using vinegar, Borax, baking soda, essential oils, and other good stuff. I would love to be a brilliant craftswoman, designing and building furniture and clothing out of reclaimed materials, but I’m just too lazy. Yesterday, I was about to throw an umbrella away. It has been on our porch all winter, and it was a piece of junk to begin with. It was rusty, all the little wires were bent, and it was unusable. When I picked it up, I suddenly thought how it would make a cute (and waterproof!) skirt for Kiki. All I need to do is cut a circle out of the middle and add some elastic or a strip of fabric with a fastener. Then I could decorate it with some ribbon or embroidery. Or maybe some tiny tassels on each of the points. I’ll post some photos when I’m done. And maybe while I’ve got the sewing machine out, I’ll get to those curtains I’ve been meaning to make since last November!
10. Use less. I try to limit the use of things that aren’t totally waste free and non-toxic. I’ve started only washing my hair about once or twice a week, instead of every other day. There’s really no reason to wash your hair every day, since your natural oils help your hair stay healthy and shiny, and also help with the frizzies. Plus, washing your hair often makes your skin produce more oil than it needs, so it gets greasier faster if you wash it all the time. I also don’t put clothes in the laundry unless they’re really dirty. By that, I mean that they have discernible spots or smells. Clothes shouldn’t be laundered often, because each time you wash them, the fibers break down more and the color fades, so if you want your clothes to last, don’t wash them so often. Just because you wore a shirt doesn’t mean it’s dirty. I give my shirts at least two days, and this may be TMI, but pants can last a couple of weeks. After all, that’s what underwear is for: to protect your clothing so you don’t need to wash it as often. (I’ve also found some more environmentally friendly laundry detergent that I love. Seventh Generation makes some that does well in an HE washer, and it smells incredible, like eucalyptus and lavender.)
Happy Earth Day!
H. I. P. 
April 22, 2008 at 11:32 am
Good for you, Sarah. I do a # of these, but I hadn’t thought of a few. A very difficult one for me would be not buying anything new as far as clothing goes, I have a serious downfall with clothes. I do love thrift shopping though, but it often seems (or maybe I’m not trying hard enough) that the DI’s out here are so picked over.
I do score an A+ with my hair though, I only wash it once a week. But I am lucky because I have incredibly thick hair and I don’t think anyone is the wiser, or maybe I’m just fooling myself.
April 22, 2008 at 11:57 am
This is a great list — kudos on starting the garden.
I feel really guilty for switching Eliza to paper diapers at 2. The cloth ones were just not working anymore. In my defense, I thought she’d train that summer. Sadly, no. However, you can buy somewhat less horrid-for-the-environment paper diapers from 7th generation (whose detergents, both laundry and dish, I also like).
I love the idea of making your own soaps and detergents, though. You may have inspired me!
Some other things you can do, to add to your list:
1. Bundle your errands: i.e. map out what you’re going to do so that you do all the stuff on the south side of town one day, all the stuff on the north side another, rather than driving northsouthnorthsouth on one day.
2. If you only need 1 thing, bike or put the kid in the stroller and walk to the local drugstore rather than bundling every one into the car and heading to the supermarket.
3. Used bookstores when possible!
4. If you have little ones, hand-me-down equipment and clothing are a good way to be more low-impact. It’s my opinion that all the stuff all babies will ever needs already exists; you just have to find the person who will give it to you.
I’ve been trying to be more consistent about all of these sorts of things, and the bonus has turned out to be that I seem to be saving money because it keeps me from getting to stores quite so often.
April 22, 2008 at 11:59 am
Oh, and I totally agree on hair-washing and shower/bath-taking! You don’t need to do those things every day if you are not living in a really hot climate or involved in heavy physical labor, nor do clothes, sheets, etc. need to be washed as often as most people wash them.
April 22, 2008 at 12:19 pm
So I was just on my third paragraph of a comment here and realized that I am incapable of forming sentences at this moment and it was all incoherent. We’ll keep it short.
You’re awesome, Sarah. Love the umbrella skirt idea. Wish I could get away without washing my hair every day, since that “healthy shine” I’m supposed to get by not washing so often just makes me look disgusting (disgustinger than normal, I mean).
I’m always shocked at the packaging of food when we visit in America. It’s out of control. That’s a bonus about living in Europe. Plus there are (pretty much)no clothes dryers.
You make me want to try harder to do my part. Thanks for this post and the other Earth friendly post you sprinkle here and there on your blog.
April 22, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Martha, I know what you mean about the DIs in Utah. I had a hard time getting good stuff there, because, especially in Utah county, it seems like everyone shops there. The DI on 7th south and 2nd East in Salt Lake is one of my favorites, as is the Welfare Square one. It seems like no one goes to those. I don’t know what it is about here, but there are so many different thrift stores, not all the same company. It seems like half the churches around here have a thrift store associated with them. It’s great!
Elizasmom, amen to all of those. I can never justify going anywhere unless I can include several errands in the same part of town. I even schedule days in the week to do some of them. On Wednesday nights, I go to the library, which is next door to the garden center, across the street from the market, and down the street about 1/2 mile from our church, where I practice the organ and sometimes stay for volleyball with the other ladies. And Trader Joe’s is on the way home.
I love biking for errands, I love used book stores, I love hand-me-downs.
On the diapers, I wish I had researched the options earlier. Like when my first child was born, not when my last child has probably less than a year to go in them. I always imagined it would be the white cotton rectangles with the huge pins and plastic pants. I thought there would be giant pails of smelly, radioactive waste sitting about in my home. I thought I’d have to swish the things in the toilet by hand, and wash a whole load every day. It’s really amazing how far cloth diapering has come in the last 20 years, and how ignorant I was. My brother NungNung and his wife have been using cloth diapers with BuiBui since she was born, and if she had come before my kids, I would have been much better educated, since they did all the work of researching their options.
April 22, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Lisa, you’ve hit upon the crux of the problem, for me. Part of me feels like I’m evil and wasteful just because I live in the United States, and I know how much of the Earth’s problems we contribute to. It’s funny how many people tell me I’m so “European” when I bring my own shopping bag to the market. We’re so addicted to convenience. Everything we do that harms the Earth is something invented in the name of convenience, making life easier (and more boring).
April 22, 2008 at 1:04 pm
As far as the clothing goes… I am green without lifting a finger! My FIL is the king of the yard sale bargain, and sets out each spring and summer with a list of the sizes of all his grandchildren; shoes and clothes. He lives in Highland, and thus we own LOADS of high end used clothes. BOO-yah!
My goal has always been to have a flowering front, and an edible back yard. From scratch we have amassed the following: self pollenating apple tree, grapes, raspberries, strawberries, and this year we plan on tomatoes, squash and pumpkins of various flavors, and corn in the garden area. Am due in December… so wish me luck in feeling up to the task!
As we are finishing the basement… my consumer-heavy days are well ended anyway. We gots no fundage, if you know what I mean! And there ends my sum total of green-righteousness. Well, except for the Library… I am big on the Library too!
April 22, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Oh! And they are building the MOST GLORIOUSLY HUGE bank of nine windmills right up the canyon from us. HUGE! Electricity! I love my city!
April 22, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Oh! Bon! Due in December????
April 22, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Oh dear. I can totally use less gas, and I am absolutely turning off the lights, but I’m going to have to hang onto the hair washing and hot baths until they pry them from my cold dead fingers. I guess I’ll have to take the bus to work every day to justify it. Maybe I get a few brownie points for only using cloth diapers for 3 whole kids.
April 22, 2008 at 9:22 pm
“Convenience” kills me… There’s nothing convenient about having a ton of plastic bags lying around the house… or worse yet, in a landfill, or worse yet, in the ocean killing wildlife.
At the risk of sounding preachy (which I hate) I’ll tell you the biggest omission from your list: Eat fewer animals.
I found this article that I thought was kinda funny in its premise, and outlines the issue pretty well: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/vegetarian-is-the-new-pri_b_39014.html
Long story short: depending on the type of meat, 10-100 times the greenhouse gases are emitted in the production of a calorie of meat vs. a calorie of vegetable.
April 23, 2008 at 12:22 am
I love that “eat fewer animals” as apposed to “eat less meat.” The wording alone makes me want to never eat another animal again!! Maybe at the end of the year we should do an inventory, “so this year we at 29 chickens, 6 1/2 cows and 7 pigs.”
That’s a great thing to think about. I already am trying to eat less meat, because I don’t love it and i don’t like working with it in its raw state. I’ll be keeping this in mind as another excuse (to tell my husband).
April 23, 2008 at 6:35 am
NungNung, you know very well we hardly don’t eat very many animals animals. In the NYT’s green issue, there was one little part about methane production from livestock that said that one pound of beef took 250 times more energy to produce than one pound of carrots. I’m totally with you on that one, and we definitely don’t eat as much meat as the average American. Plus, we mostly stick to chicken, which is far less bad than beef or pork.
But yeah, I did leave that off my list. It was a accident, y’all!
April 24, 2008 at 9:00 am
I have to join Sarah in her “Oh! Bon! Due in December????” I must have missed the “official” announcement. So, belatedly, congratulations! How exciting!
April 24, 2008 at 9:12 am
You should make bumper stickers:
SAVE THE EARTH
DON’T SHOWER
April 28, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Wow! I’ve gotten so many good ideas from you and the commenters. I have a few new things to try, now.
April 28, 2008 at 9:09 pm
I have a little addendum to the shower idea: fewer and shorter. I take literally 5 minute showers now. If you want to be even better, in Japan most people will soap up and only turn on the shower when they’re ready to rinse off.