I decided not to have my own biological children. Instead, I have been a foster mom, a stepmom, and an adoptive mom. There are plenty of kids who need an adult who cares about them.
This post was submitted by Carolina.
I am car-free (involuntarily in the beginning) since my car was stolen in September. While waiting to decide what I wanted to do in the way of a replacement, I started walking and biking and taking mass transit everywhere, which is unusual in Los Angeles because it’s such a car-oriented city.
It hasn’t been difficult, since I live a short walk from three major bus lines, and my office is within biking/walking distance should I be in the mood to do that. I have only needed a friend to drive me on errands once, to pick up a few months’ supply of cat litter at a big box store and get a few other heavy/bulky items for home and the office.
I ride my bike to the Sunday farmer’s market, walk to one of 3 groceries that are near home or work, and manage to get my shopping done without a major fuss. And the BIG up-side is, I have lost 15 lb in the process. I also sleep much better at night.
I feel completely in charge of my situation – if I absolutely had to have a car, I suppose I could rent one. But pretending like I live in Paris is working out pretty well for now.
This post was submitted by G. Robison.
According to many experts the number one thing we can do to reduce greenhouse gases is to cut down on (or cut out) our dependence on animal products. It is extremely inefficient to put our food thru animals simply because it’s become a habit we don’t want to change. The truth is that animal products are very UNhealthy (as opposed to the general belief caused by decades of advertising by large and powerful industries), very cruel to the animals and destructive to our environment. One pound of beef, for example, requires up to 20 pounds of plant protein and thousands of gallons of water to produce.
This post was submitted by Susan Estrella.
We keep our own chickens in the garden. They give us eggs, eat leftovers from the kithen and produce fertilizer. Three in one!
This post was submitted by Heidi Spiten.
Hi, great project! I love all these one-year conciousness-raising project.
I know, however, many people who, like me, have never owned a car, a TV, been vegetarian for decades, produce pretty nearly Zero Waste, bicycle or walk, garden to grow food.
Maybe not all these things all together, although in my case, they are done together.
Comment: Facebook, Twitter, blog, aren’t these things dependent on electronics, which are hardly non-impactful (see book ‘STUFF’ by a West Coast guy, from the ’90s, chapter on manufacturing of computers) and waste-free. As I am in touch with you this very minute, I am aware of this contradiction. Computers do have an impact, and a big one, on the Earth.
Marie
This post was submitted by Marie Roulleau.
Hanging all clothes on clothes line and in garage when raining
washing with the “quick” cycle, which is plenty good and uses only 8 gallons
bike to ALL errands within 1 mile from home (includes grocery)
use own bags only buy clothes 2nd hand grow some veges buy local eggs
Craigslist “free” ad for unwanted stuff NO AC–fans and trees instead
“When it’s yellow let it mellow” NO MEAT CASH ONLY–no plastic
lots of other little things, too
This post was submitted by kelley.
For about 15 years, I’ve returned to shopping (mostly) at thrift shops. I feel that it’s a political statement – no manufacturer will gain monetarily.
AND… the clothing and other items are cheaper.
This post was submitted by leslie radwan.
I have been line-drying the laundry for my family of 4 for over 3 months and I love it. Our weekly output averages about 10 loads a week (give or take a few). We live in an apartment building with a communal laundry room. I wash a load or two a night and hang the clothes up on lines easily strung with bungee cords at each end. Depending on the tempurature, the clothes are usually dry in the AM or by afternoon at the latest. Folding and sorting is much easier and if I can’t get to it right away, I don’t worry about a) either inconveniencing someone else in the laundry room by leaving my clothes unattended, or b) letting them wrinkle before I find time to fold.
Over all, I have saved $180 since September ’09. I would like to estimate the global significance of not running a large capacity gas dryer (with a 30 minute run-time) 120 times since then…any idea?
Since making this life-style change, I have found that this process brings a new sense of pride and awareness to the laundry-chore. In fact, my kids would say it’s fun. I really think I save time doing it this way, but I can’t quantify it.
Next: investing in a handwashing machine!
This post was submitted by Ann Lane.
There’s lots of talk these days about eating less meat and dairy to reduce your carbon footprint. While I agree in principle, I think the focus is off. How many times have you had success making a life change when you focus on what you have to sacrifice?
I think it’s much better and easier to focus on adding in more “low carbon” foods to your diet. When you do so, the amount of meat and dairy you eat naturally goes down.
For example. instead of trying to force your family to eat lentil loaf once a week, try cutting all the meat portions in half, and serve them family style along with a whole bevy of side dishes. Start off dinner with a vegetarian soup. Have baked beans, squash, broccoli and potatoes with the chicken. Bake some whole grain muffins or biscuits. You’ll have much better luck getting the kids to try curried lentils & yams, if you just add it to the table as an additional side dish instead of telling them they have to eat this instead of their favorite meal. If you take this approach you’ll find that your family is eating much less meat in no time, and the response won’t be “how come I can’t have my ____” but rather “Wow! This is a feast!”
I started with this approach over 10 years ago, and now my diet is 90% vegan. I’ve never felt like I can’t eat something… I just have more options on the table (literally).
People often ask me if I’m a vegetarian, and I’m never quite sure what to respond. I eat meat on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and 2-3 other special meals per year. I use some milk, cheese and the occasional chicken broth in cooking, and I eat eggs or fish a few times per month.
It’s so much easier to make small changes that you can stick with and feel good about than to try to go “cold turkey” (no pun intended) and end up giving up.
This post was submitted by Rebecca.
Even though we live in a major city suburb, we have been choosing a lifestyle that is gradually becoming like homesteading.
This is now the second winter we have chosen to heat our (2500 sf) home with a wood stove, leaving the central heating off. We offer to take down dead trees from our neighborhood area for the price of keeping the wood, so our wood source is local. When burning, small fans help distribute the heat around our ranch-style house.
An added benefit of using a wood stove is that many styles have a flat top that allow for a pot to be set on top. We often use ours to heat the water to steam our vegetables for dinner.
Maybe the best part is the cold winter evenings when the whole family gathers around it to keep toasty. It’s the highest-quality time our family spends together.
This post was submitted by Ellen.