I believe that the current weather patterns and climate changes are all part of a cycle that began well before I was born and which will continue well after I am dust and, as such, are somewhat inevitable. That doesn’t mean that I have to hasten climate change or contribute to the degradation of the environment that we all share. But where to start? Newsweek recently published a series of ten simple tips for greener living, which Charlotte adapted and turned into a meme.
- What do you for the birds and the bees?
- Household products. Chemical or organic?
- Do you junk?
- Air-dry or tumble-dry?
- Old gadgets. Recycle or toss ‘em?
- Lightbulbs – incandescent or fluorescent?
- Meat or veg?
- Loo paper. Virgin or recycled?
- Tap or bottled water?
- Dating – metrosexual or ecosexual?
- Water usage? Miser or waster?
Living in an apartment with a balcony the size of a handkerchief is hardly conducive to planting a pollinator garden as suggested by the article. We have some plants hardy enough to survive my very lax attentions but they don’t flower. Maybe I should look into drought tolerant, balcony and shade loving, flowering species. However, as users of public transport we are contributing less to the pollution that is partly responsible for the degradation of the bird’s and bee’s environment.
I’m a firm believer in the power of bicarbonate soda (baking soda) and vinegar, particularly in the kitchen. Tip of the day — if the pan you use to cook eggs shows obvious signs of being used to cook eggs, tip a tablespoon of bicarb and cup of vinegar into the pan and, while it is reacting, start scrubbing. I assure you, the results are Magic! We also use an orange oil spray for general surface cleaning that the manufacturer claims is readily biodegradable and which contains no phosphorous. But we could be doing better.
It’s in the bathroom where I let myself and the earth down. It just doesn’t feel clean in there unless I can smell bleach.
This question prompted me to take a closer look at the products I do use. In searching for information on biodegradability, I found the Ethical Consumer Guide Supermarket Buying Card (particularly for Australians), which lists products, readily found in supermarkets, which are made by companies which have a good record when it comes to environmental concerns.
Not if I can help it. That said, my husband, god love him, loves junk mail and is very sad that there are huge “No junk mail” stickers all over the mailboxes at the front door. Occasionally, he finds junk mail lying in his path on his way home from the train, which he then adopts and brings home (why can’t he just bring the lovely cat from up the street home instead???). It is read and then — I’m embarrassed to admit this — thrown out.
I can feel a rant coming on about developers who went for form over function and environmental awareness but I will spare you the full extent of my offense. Until we lived here we were avid recyclers. Everything that could be recycled, was — paper, bottles, tins, glass, plastics — with the result that we had more going into recycling than landfill. And then we moved in here, where the developers decided that one dumpster would be enough for the entire complex and recycling bins weren’t required. In order to recycle anything we have to collect it separately and make a special trip (in our environment polluting car, which kind of defeats the purpose) to the local recycling depot. Most people don’t bother. D and I are going to change that for ourselves and buy some large bins that we can fill and take to the depot on a regular basis.
Air-dry where and when possible. Another thing about this apartment complex — no clothes lines and (under the lease) no clothes to be hung on the balcony where they can be seen from the street. I ignore that last part and use drying racks on the balcony for all but underwear and towels, except in winter, when it is too damp and cold to dry anything completely.
Washing is done at the lowest temperature possible with detergents that, admittedly, aren’t the most friendly we can be using but are the most effective while still conforming with Australian standards.
An old hard drive was donated (after being wiped clean) to an organisation that recycles computers for use in schools or community centres. Old mobiles are recycled. When we moved, anything we did not need to take with us, including some quite spiffy appliances and gadgets was Freecycled — it is amazing what people are looking for and even if the appliances are not in perfect working order they will be snapped up quite quickly by someone who knows how to fix them. If there is a chapter in your area, check them out.
Hmmm.. mixed bag on this one. The designer responsible for all the form and none of the function, actually did something kind of right. Every room has halogen downlights, which are more energy efficient than standard incandescent globes though not quite as efficient as flourescent.
Our lamps, the ones we brought with us, currently have incandescent lightbulbs. These will presently be replaced.
I live in a household of unashamed carnivores.
However, I’m keen to start introducing more vegetarian meals into our diet because I do believe we eat too much meat. Now I have what appears to be a reasonable environmental argument — apparently, it takes 16 pounds of grain to produce one pound of beef — to add to the health one.
The members of my household have sensitive behinds. We’ve tried the recycled loo paper. Our bottoms didn’t like it. And nor did our fingers, when the paper failed the finger test… And, for some reason, the term “recycled toilet paper” doesn’t quite conjure up the image I think it’s supposed to.
We drink tap water most of the time. We will occasionally buy bottled water when we are out but the bottle itself is brought home and refilled from the tap.
By intention, we are both ecosexual even if our actions do not entirely bear up to scrutiny. This list of environmental tips is a handy reminder that we could be doing more for the environment. But it did entirely pass over one thing…
Most parts of Australia are currently facing the severest drought in decades. In Melbourne, where the water storages are currently at 37% capacity, Stage 3 water restrictions were introduced on January 1 and if there is no substantial rain by March, we are facing Stage 4 restrictions (the most extreme) in April. So how do we save water? We shared showers (good for the environment as well as fun) when possible and take sub-three minute showers at any other time. Taps are turned off while we are brushing teeth. The car has only been washed in six months and that was with recycled water. Grey water, from the laundry, is used to water those plants I haven’t killed. Laundry is done once a week with the smallest number of loads I can do without changing the colour of any of our clothes. The dishwater is not run unless it is full (and yes, we could save by washing by hand but the designer struck again) and then only on the shortest, most efficient cycle.
From my answers I can see that while we do some things right, there is still more we could be doing. Now, at least, I know where I need to make the changes and I even have a starting point.
I’m off to sort out the recycling situation, at least in this apartment.
How about you?
What a good idea for a meme! Perhaps I’ll do this one on Friday night too, although there’s a TV one I’ve been meaning to do for a while. Oh so many memes, so little time.
Did you know that there are heaps of places in the US, not even apartments, where people aren’t allowed to hang their washing outside? Being a devotee of the hills hoist, I find that quite appalling. Don’t know what I would do if I lived somewhere without a backyard, but I do like the sight of washing on balconeys. I think it’s quite homey. Maybe it’s societies asthetic sense that has to change (thinking oldfashioned city lines of washing here). Anyway, I think it sounds like you are doing quite well on the green front.
BTW, I am LOVING bloglines. Can’t believe I left it so long.
Janet: I didn’t know that about the US! And I was stunned to see it as a clause in my lease. Oh well, I’m overlooking a lane, it’s not as if my clothes are on display to the world but I do miss my proper clothes line and watching the clothes blow in the breeze. Washing on drying racks or clothes lines is very homey — it says, hey someone lives here and has made their home here.
Living where we are has given us one thing — new items on the list of things to check for when we look for our next rental (whenever). Top of the list is recycling facilities.
(One thing to watch out for in Bloglines — subscription addiction. Way, way too easy to keep adding new blogs. And that’s all I’ll say on that…
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1. More flowers planned for this year. Especially lavender, which is a bumblebee magnet
2. I’m trying to get into the bicarb/vinegar method. Any other good tips?
3. I’m trying to convince my beloved to finally sticker our letterbox. No luck so far…
4. Condens dry. Living in an area where they’re still building, leaving the washing outside is not a good idea.
5. Er, hoard them.
6. Guilty as charged, lots of halogen here. The one in the living room is a whopping 300W.
7. Mixed.
8. No idea. It’s nice and soft and withstands finger pressure very well.
9. Tap. Tastes just as good and is a hell of a lot cheaper.
10. We’re both quite eco.
11. No water shortages here, but I’m miserish I think. Don’t keep the tap running while brushing my teeth.
Edwin: Thank you for playing.
1. Love lavender. I think you have some lucky, lucky bees where you live.
2. *Make a stiff paste with bicarb and water to clean any kitchen surface. It takes a little bit of elbow grease and a lot of rinsing but the results are worth it — I’ve had a stainless stove top come up as new using this.
*A cup of vinegar left on the kitchen bench removes kitchen odours. I love cooking but hate the smell that some foods leave behind — the cup of vinegar absorbs the lot.
*The vinegar/bicarb trick works on any burnt saucepan.
*Use white vinegar on a sponge to remove red wine stains from carpet.
More tips here
5. You and my husband both. He hordes outdated gadgets; I try to dispose of them.
8. Probably not recycled.
11. Lucky you. I love long showers but I’m so conscious now of how much water is going down the drain that I feel guilty spending the extra time conditioning my hair.
1. Became a member of the Arbor Day Foundation and will be planting 12 flowering trees this coming spring in my backyard. Should provide a lovely home to all my little birdies and fill in the empty spaces at the corner of my yard. Chances are that I’ll be adding more trees each year.
2. Afraid that there are some things that cannot be achieved without chemicals — but I trend towards the more nature-friendly when I can. Being a chemist working with environmental cleanup has made me aware of how little the average person pollutes — it’s the corps that do it more in one day than I can contribute in a lifetime that scare me.
3. 96 gallon biweekly recycle container, overflowing. 1/4 of a 35 gallon trash can weekly (1/2-full on a bad week). I think we don’t junk. I was told this will change when our baby comes, but I honestly can’t see how (we’re doing cotton diapers).
4. Tumble dry over the better part of the warmer season, line dry when feasible in Minnesota…. About 4 months is all that’s feasible, I’m sad to say (mostly because I like the smell of line-dried clothes).
5. Sins here. Recycle when available, but mostly trash (most gadgets are not recycled in area).
6. Fluorescent conversions in process. Even though I hate the tones.
7. Meat is another sin. Sorry, grew up in a family of ranchers and vegetarian claims are likely to get you uninvited to dinner. No joke. Besides, I’ve done the veg thing for years and years and I can safely say that I didn’t enjoy it. The only real benefit was learning how to cook.
8. Recycle loo paper. Hrm. I lived off the stuff when I was broke and I have to say that, until it gets softer, we’re sticking with the Charmin (I can afford it now).
9. Tap water, filtered. Bottled water when traveling, but I’m had a bout with “bugs”. After vomiting for 36-hours straight, I think I’ve done my fair share of risky water-drinking behavior.
10. I’m afraid I’m clueless. I buy recycled clothes, which makes me less than metrosexual, I guess. Is that the right answer, Kerryn?
11. I shower a day and, due to my myriad aches and pains, I tend to waste water in an attempt to heat the muscles into submission. My wife takes two showers a day (as is her family tradition), so I guess we waste.
Interesting. Let’s do it again some time!
M: I found it to be an extremely interesting exercise — some things I do as a matter of course are actually good for the environment.
1. I wish I had the space for trees. There’s a group in Australia that, when you sign up (and pay?), will plant trees based on your ecological footprint. I can’t remember the name of it but it seems an okay way to counter some of the damage done.
2. Agree with you there. On every point. I’d be interested in figures about personal vs corporate pollution if you could point me in the right direction, though.
5. Check out Freecycle, maybe, when you have stuff that has outlived its usefulness to you. It’s highly possible that someone will be able to use the gadgets that you think are beyond redemption. There should be a group in your area.
7. Farmer’s daughter here and familiar with the whole being uninvited to dinner bit — had some very interesting discussions over the dinner table about the ethics of raising livestock for food. I actually have a bit of a problem with the statistic quoted in the article — if you are going to argue that choosing vegetarian is going to be of benefit to the environment you also have to look at the resources (and possible pollutants) used in the production of grains, vegetables, etc.
8. I like my soft stuff, too.
10. I think, based on your answers, you’re definitely an eco-sexual!
You how I wrote in my green meme: “Who reads junk mail?” Well I’d forgotten the person closest to home – my husband! He sounds just like your husband! He loves junk mail. Once we were walking down the street and he went chasing after a bit of junk mail on somebody else’s lawn. It had footprints on it but he treasured it for days (until I threw it out). He gets very excited about advertising sheets that fall out of newspapers and will read those rather than the actual paper. Is this a bloke thing?!
I’m sure our apartment complex doesn’t allow clothes to be dried on the balcony either – that was probably why they fitted a dryer. But that’s a clause I’m going to ignore. I would have thought nobody would be offended by drying laundry but my parents own a flat and lease it out and the neighbours went wild because my parents’ tenants were drying laundry outside. Makes me wonder if some people don’t know what a problem is!!
Helen: I think it might be a subset of the bloke thing, a little like their need for sheds! In our previous rental, D went so far as to buy street numbers to stick over the no junk mail sign that wouldn’t come off. He just loves the stuff and when he brings it home, gets almost offended when I refuse his offerings.
Oooh, you got a dryer with your lease? We had to supply our own. I wonder what the people who pay attention to the lease and who don’t have dryers do with their clothes? As for the people who were offended by your parents’ tenants — how petty is that? However, I’d love that my only “problem” in life was the neighbours transgressing a ridiculous lease clause.