Part 8 in a 2011 series of recycling tips courtesy of my dayplanner. Because trees deserve hugs too.
Tip of the Month: Buy locally grown produce and skip the frozen stuff. Frozen food uses 10 times more energy to produce.
Week 31: One rechargable battery can save the use of up to 1000 single-use alkaline batteries (*and recycle them properly please).
Week 32: Every ton of recycled office paper saves 380 gallons of oil. (*I once inherited an office with four filing cabinets. Upon examination I realized the person was skeptical of email and had printed, literally, THOUSANDS of emails. Don't be that guy.)
Week 33: Get a home energy audit. Find new ways to save money and CO2 emissions.
Week 34: Clean our your trunk. The less weight your car carries, the more efficient it is.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
The Scene In Which You Can Run, But You Can't Hide
Six years ago, I packed up my belongings and moved into the very first home I would ever own. A week or so after that, I naively attended my first neighborhood association meeting.
As those who have volunteered with neighborhood activities before read along and sagely nod their heads, let me tell you neighborhood newbies something.
THEY SUCK YOU IN!
It starts innocently enough with a committee that needs a hand. The next thing you know, there's a fun committee that needs a new leader. After that there's a couple shifts at a neighborhood event, followed by a teeny tiny leadership position that you totally have time for, of course, because it's just so little to ask, really, when you live in such a great neighborhood, and let's be honest, you're getting to know your neighbors and having a great time and then suddenly, SUDDENLY, you wake up and it's four years later and you're planning neighborhood clean-ups and figuring out the rules around picking up discarded hypodermid needles in your downtown park and attending IHPC meetings and fighting against historic buildings being torn down or fighting for historic buildings TO be torn down for new development and organizing Easter Egg hunts and Christmas Parties and YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE KIDS AND HOW THE HECK ARE YOU IN CHARGE OF THIS.
Ahem.
But as much as the neighborhood sucked me in, I loved it. I loved sitting on the Land Use committee and loved helping plan activities and loved going to the meetings and loved all my neighbors who would get all uppity and cute and dramatic and INFLAMED about things like- whoa- let's raise dues from $5 to $10.
And yet, despite my love for the neighborhood and how much I missed it, when Cute Boy and I decided to move to a neighborhood about 15 minutes north that wasn't historic, I knew I'd have the opportunity to get back some of the time I spent each month on neighborhood issues- because here, we didn't have any.
Frankly, the most "associating" I planned on doing with my new neighbors was the occasional hello over the fence, the kind wave as we drove by, the vegetables that appeared on our porch this week from our adorable next-door neighbors who have been there since 1967.
OR SO I THOUGHT.
Until this morning.
When, as he sorted the mail, Cute Boy discovered an innocent-looking baby-blue flier.
For our brand-new neighborhood association.
The first meeting is today.
As those who have volunteered with neighborhood activities before read along and sagely nod their heads, let me tell you neighborhood newbies something.
THEY SUCK YOU IN!
It starts innocently enough with a committee that needs a hand. The next thing you know, there's a fun committee that needs a new leader. After that there's a couple shifts at a neighborhood event, followed by a teeny tiny leadership position that you totally have time for, of course, because it's just so little to ask, really, when you live in such a great neighborhood, and let's be honest, you're getting to know your neighbors and having a great time and then suddenly, SUDDENLY, you wake up and it's four years later and you're planning neighborhood clean-ups and figuring out the rules around picking up discarded hypodermid needles in your downtown park and attending IHPC meetings and fighting against historic buildings being torn down or fighting for historic buildings TO be torn down for new development and organizing Easter Egg hunts and Christmas Parties and YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE KIDS AND HOW THE HECK ARE YOU IN CHARGE OF THIS.
Ahem.
But as much as the neighborhood sucked me in, I loved it. I loved sitting on the Land Use committee and loved helping plan activities and loved going to the meetings and loved all my neighbors who would get all uppity and cute and dramatic and INFLAMED about things like- whoa- let's raise dues from $5 to $10.
And yet, despite my love for the neighborhood and how much I missed it, when Cute Boy and I decided to move to a neighborhood about 15 minutes north that wasn't historic, I knew I'd have the opportunity to get back some of the time I spent each month on neighborhood issues- because here, we didn't have any.
Frankly, the most "associating" I planned on doing with my new neighbors was the occasional hello over the fence, the kind wave as we drove by, the vegetables that appeared on our porch this week from our adorable next-door neighbors who have been there since 1967.
OR SO I THOUGHT.
Until this morning.
When, as he sorted the mail, Cute Boy discovered an innocent-looking baby-blue flier.
For our brand-new neighborhood association.
The first meeting is today.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Tips from the Calendar- July
Part 7 in a 2011 series of recycling tips from my dayplanner. Because summer is hot enough without global warming.
Tip of the Month: Recycling an aluminum can uses 95% less energy than making a can from new materials.
Week 27: Invest in natural pet-grooming products. (*It's called soap, and it comes in organic!)
Week 28: Only run the dishwasher if it's full (*Dang! I've been running it just for kicks this whole time. Seriously....how is this a "tip?")
Week 29: Use honey as a natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agent. It can be used to treat skin inflammations and yeast infections. (*Gross.)
Week 30: Inflate your car tires to your manufacturer's reccomended levels, and check them monthly.
Tip of the Month: Recycling an aluminum can uses 95% less energy than making a can from new materials.
Week 27: Invest in natural pet-grooming products. (*It's called soap, and it comes in organic!)
Week 28: Only run the dishwasher if it's full (*Dang! I've been running it just for kicks this whole time. Seriously....how is this a "tip?")
Week 29: Use honey as a natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agent. It can be used to treat skin inflammations and yeast infections. (*Gross.)
Week 30: Inflate your car tires to your manufacturer's reccomended levels, and check them monthly.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Tips from the Calendar- June
Part 6 in a 2011 series of reycling tips courtesy of my dayplanner. Because it's finally warm out!
Tip of the Month: Rethink desktop technology and invest in an energy-efficient laptop. Laptops can save almost 50% more energy than their desktop counterparts.
Week 22: Replace single-glazed windows with double-glazed (*and check with your local historic preservation council first if applicable, to save yourself time and needless cost if you're not allowed or need to install a particular kind!)
Week 23: Ditch the meat. Cows produce an enormous amount of methane- the second most significant greenhouse gas. For a greener alternative, fill up on fruits and vegetables (*this is one of those health tips that annoys me, because if you're not going to eat cow, I'd hope you'd do it for ethical reasons. Not to mention that if you are going to skip cow for fruits and veggies, you're still killing the environment if you buy the grocery-store ones shipped from 3500 miles away. Bottom line? Go local as much as possible.)
Week 24: Go gas! A gas oven with an electric ignition is 50% more efficient than an electric oven. (*just don't put one of those methane-producing cows near it)
Week 25: Walk or bike to work two days every week. You'll save about 1,590 pounds of CO2 emissions a year.
Week 26 (Halfway through the year!): Experts estimate that by not eating a pound of beef, we save more water than by not showering for one year. (*Bizarre, but who knows? I'd love to see this study).
Tip of the Month: Rethink desktop technology and invest in an energy-efficient laptop. Laptops can save almost 50% more energy than their desktop counterparts.
Week 22: Replace single-glazed windows with double-glazed (*and check with your local historic preservation council first if applicable, to save yourself time and needless cost if you're not allowed or need to install a particular kind!)
Week 23: Ditch the meat. Cows produce an enormous amount of methane- the second most significant greenhouse gas. For a greener alternative, fill up on fruits and vegetables (*this is one of those health tips that annoys me, because if you're not going to eat cow, I'd hope you'd do it for ethical reasons. Not to mention that if you are going to skip cow for fruits and veggies, you're still killing the environment if you buy the grocery-store ones shipped from 3500 miles away. Bottom line? Go local as much as possible.)
Week 24: Go gas! A gas oven with an electric ignition is 50% more efficient than an electric oven. (*just don't put one of those methane-producing cows near it)
Week 25: Walk or bike to work two days every week. You'll save about 1,590 pounds of CO2 emissions a year.
Week 26 (Halfway through the year!): Experts estimate that by not eating a pound of beef, we save more water than by not showering for one year. (*Bizarre, but who knows? I'd love to see this study).
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Tips from the Calendar- May
Part 5 in a 2011 series of recycling tips courtesy of my dayplanner. Because being friendly is good, and being eco-friendly is better.
Tip of the Month: Take shorter showers, and skip baths. A 5-minute shower uses approximately 15-25 gallons of water. Most baths require 40 gallons of water. (*Hard one for me as I love a good soak. My fix? Shorter showers to save the most water, then if I do indulge in a bath, using the "leftover" water to keep the houseplants happy. Doesn't work if you're a fan of bubble baths, oils, or so forth, but it works for me!)
Week 18: Try making your own purees and baby food. (*Unless you don't have a baby, in which case, no need.)
Week 19: Encourage your local schools to go green. Raise the issue at your next PTA meeting (*Ummm....not to knock green issues, but if I thought my local school HAD a PTA, I think they'd have just a few more pressing things first. But good tip for others?!)
Week 20: Install a low-flow showerhead (*and feel even less guilty about the occasional bath due to all the extra water you're not using otherwise)
Week 21: Skip bagged salad. Instead, buy whole lettuce from local farmers.
Tip of the Month: Take shorter showers, and skip baths. A 5-minute shower uses approximately 15-25 gallons of water. Most baths require 40 gallons of water. (*Hard one for me as I love a good soak. My fix? Shorter showers to save the most water, then if I do indulge in a bath, using the "leftover" water to keep the houseplants happy. Doesn't work if you're a fan of bubble baths, oils, or so forth, but it works for me!)
Week 18: Try making your own purees and baby food. (*Unless you don't have a baby, in which case, no need.)
Week 19: Encourage your local schools to go green. Raise the issue at your next PTA meeting (*Ummm....not to knock green issues, but if I thought my local school HAD a PTA, I think they'd have just a few more pressing things first. But good tip for others?!)
Week 20: Install a low-flow showerhead (*and feel even less guilty about the occasional bath due to all the extra water you're not using otherwise)
Week 21: Skip bagged salad. Instead, buy whole lettuce from local farmers.
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