I live in a small condo, so I keep a worm bin in my basement for composting food scraps. I try to buy all my food as locally as possible (I don’t eat meat or fish). I use my bike or public transportation for most of my travel (I do have an old Honda for longer trips. It’s paid for -once it dies I’ll use Zipcar, to which I belong). I use my library card for books and DVDs. I buy almost all of my clothing (and non-clothing) second hand. I trash pick and sell or give away perfectly good furniture/appliances. I got the condo I live in to institute a recycling program.
The thing is, I’ve always bought used and been practical about money. I was laid off 7 months ago, and the transition, while not pleasant, hasn’t been unbearable.
I’d like to say I’ll turn off the TV, or not by anything, but unlike Colin, I live alone. Going to a movie or a coffee shop keeps me connected. I also have artistic hobbies, and they require supplies. I agree that people by way too much stuff, but if I never bought a thing, I’d be a prisoner of isolation and artistic frustration.
This post was submitted by Joy .
Sounds to me like you’re doing a great job. I think it’s so important not to let the “perfect be the enemy of the good”. Extremism and other gimickey things make for great movies and TV shows, but making yourself miserable does nobody much good.
For “no impact week” I tried keeping my thermostat set to 60 an night and 65 during the day. I wore 5 layers (no joke) and was so cold that my toes were numb most of the time. My new kittens even got sick (not sure if that’s related or not). I finally decided it was ridiculous to suffer in that way, especially since I just spent a fortune on a new ultra-efficient hybrid/heat pump system which runs mostly on electricity, and I buy all of my electricity from wind power and other green sources!
You can’t hang yourself on the cross of climate change. Ultimately, it’s much more effective to find ways to live comfortably and happily with less impact.
Comment by Rebecca — October 30, 2009 @ 10:43 pm