We moved from our 4 bedroom home to a 550 sq. foot condo walking distance from work.
We sold our 1996 4 cylinder car and bought a Honda Civic hybrid.
We became vegan after watching the movie “Meat the Truth”. We have both lost weight and feel great.
We disabled our 10 mpg motorhome and permanently parked it and use it as a cottage 15 miles from town. This is saving us lots of money in insurance and gasoline.
We are avoiding plastic where possible in packaging and purchases. This is difficult.
We eat local organic when available.
We shop at the farmers market.
We shop for clothes at second hand shops first and buy new only if we can’t find what we want second hand. This does not include underwear.
We plan to only buy fabrics that will compost. Organic cotton still uses lots of water so hemp is the first choice.
We carefully buy shampoo, laundry detergent and cleaning products that do not contain phosphates or petrochemical products.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7530701744597358451#
We travel more by train and less by plane. Trains are much nicer than airports and planes but don’t go everywhere we need to go.
This has improved our marriage and our quality of life. It is fun to be a team and work towards a goal of leaving a good space for the children of the planet to grow and thrive. It has also been good for our finances and we have made very good like minded friends.
This post was submitted by Erin and Bill.
I am 31 years old and have never nor ever aspire to drive a vehicle, I have no intention of ever obtaining a drivers license. I use my own two legs, like a natural human.
This post was submitted by Rebecca.
Hi! I just wanted to say WOW – I am super inspired but what you have done and are continuing to do. I recently embarked on a 365-Day ‘Living With Less’ Challenge and I am also blogging about it. I can totally identify with all of the changes that you have identified as being side ‘benefits’ from such an undertaking. I am going to try to ‘rally’ some of my followers to subscribe to your one-week challenge and post their entries on my blog as well. BRAVO and keep up the amazing work!
This post was submitted by Maren Hasse.
Hello Fellow No-Impacters!
Recent events have compelled me to attempt to produce no more than 100 gallons of garbage over the coming year. You can read the full story here: http://open.salon.com/blog/the_almighty_beckster/2010/01/01/the_great_garbage_challenge_of_2010
Would anyone care to join me in this little undertaking? I could use some moral support!
This post was submitted by Rebecca.
Besides the elimination of all the toxic chemicals required of a swimming pool, there is also the lowering of electric bills where the constant running of the filters and auto-vacuums are concerned. I turned the gas-heated spa into a bio-filter and disconnected the gas line.
Not only has this saved time, effort and money, it has created a wonderful backyard habitat! The owls, herons, hawks, multiple small birds, raccoons, frogs, possum and other visitors (even a duck once!) are all so much happier with my pond that the chlorinated toxic dump we used to call a swimming pool.
One benefit I was surprised by was/is the more moderate temperatures in the back yard. On those 90+ degree FL days, my back yard is 5 degrees cool than the street! And when we get our rare freezes (as we will tonight) my yard will most likely remain warmer.
In short, more wildlife, no chemicals, more fun just watching the antics of birds and frogs, less money spent on electrical, gas heating and chemicals and way less back-breaking work! And yes, the water is crystal clear and safe for swimming!
This post was submitted by Heidi Marsh.
My boyfriend and I keep a mini-flock of four chickens in our urban backyard. They provide nearly infinite amusement, as well as a steady supply of delicious and healthy eggs for us and our neighbors. No more pale yellow yolks in my omelette!
This post was submitted by Kendall .
I have used public transportation, by varying degree, for nearly 15 years, and when I started, I enjoyed the luxury of living close enough to the best job I ever had so that I could walk, bike, or ride to work rather than driving.
Times have changed, employers have changed, and my current employer moved 6 miles further from my home a year ago. They used to provide half-price monthly passes, and now offer free monthly passes, on multiple public municipal transportation systems. Nonetheless, I have reduced my dependency on these modes by riding my bicycle for as much of my 44-mile round trip commute as possible.
Last Fall, I was riding 24 of those miles daily, down to 162 pounds, BP was 117/75, and for the first time in my 59 years, my good cholesterol was well into the desired range, and all the ratios were favorable. This year, I hope to get below 160, and walk/pedal 30 or more of those miles.
This post was submitted by Brett Hawks.
I’m a composting nut. I’ve saved tons of food waste from entering the landfill and raised millions of healthy earthworms. since 1975…for really…I have composted all of my cooking refuse. there is a stainless steel 4 quart soup pot that lives on the counter by the sink. It has a lid and is always shiny. throughout the day everything from fruit and veg peelings, hulls and seed pits to tea bags goes in. at dusk I walk back to the fenced composting area and dig a hole, chop everything up, layer it with shredded leaves or grass and bury it. back inside I wash the pot and we’re good to go for tomorrow.
all through the growing season I have instant, at the ready, beautiful rich compost to add the garden and top dress the shrubs.
This post was submitted by Donna Iona Drozda.
1. I have been a vegetarian for 13 years. I was happy to read in Colin’s book that this fact already lowers my carbon footprint significantly. However, I fully support small farms raising happy animals who have fresh air, sunshine, a good life span, and who are killed humanely & quickly. CAFOs are a stench in humanity’s nostrils (literally).
2. I garden. I HAVE to grow some of my own food. Connecting with the earth this way is a part of my being. The fulfillment one gets from digging in the soil, saying hello to the earthworms, and planting a seed is truly indescribable. Every time I plant a seed and nurture a plant I feel I have given birth to something wonderful. I will nurture them and in turn, when the plants are ready, they will nurture me. What a beautiful process.
This post was submitted by Amanda Hunyadi.
I have long been concerned about the production and consumption of electronic products. It is one of the most polluting manufacturing processes and the problem is the continual need to upgrade never ends from cell phones to laptops to IPODs on and on. The electronic waste is shameful and extremely harmful to the environment. Check out the photographer Chris Jordan’s website to get an idea of the waste we generate: http://www.chrisjordan.com/
It prevents us from enjoying the present moment, enjoying people’s company, a sense of community and the ability to truly listen. I also am concerned about the radiation from cell phones, wi-fi and other radio technology that permeates our environment and impacts our health.
We have made a commitment to continue using the “outdated” technology we currently have until it breaks. When it breaks, we purchase used or re-furbished electronic devices. We have never purchased a television -we have been given them by people who are buying new ones.
If we want to reduce our environmental impact we must avoid the technology trap – it is a corporate gimic to get us to continually buy more.
This post was submitted by Gail Coffey.