Make the switch to an ebook reader - this is a great idea for schools, and for personal and corporate use. Saves the amount of paper that needs to be printed for books and used for note taking, low energy, and efficient because everything is stored in one place and can be easily shared and moved. Plus it’s easier on your eyes than a screen.
For the workplace it’s a great idea for meeting rooms, you can easily share documents with the entire room. If there are any texts to be read they can also be viewed on the ebook reader instead of on paper/computer screen. Notes can be easily taken, stored and shared as well.
I am not yet using this plan, but I am getting one for myself in a few weeks. I think if everyone gets used to this new technology, especially for school - it could have drastic positive impacts!
This post was submitted by Natalie.
5 years ago, I started walking and cycling to school with my kids. In the town where I live, people routinely drive their kids to school in vans, SUVs and station wagons on journeys of 2 miles or less, the most polluting. We’ve found this is great time to spend together. The kids arrive at school energized and at home at the end of the day decompressed. We’ve used the time to study spelling words, learn times tables and all the states and capitals. It’s saved me a gym membership - I walk 5 miles a day. It’s also saved us the $650 bus fee. Now my son is 11 and goes to middle school, he walks and rides by himself, giving him a great sense of independence and me a sense of freedom that I don’t have to play taxi.
On October 7th, I organized a walk to school day in celebration of International Walk to School Day for our elementary school. 150 kids walked that day, despite bad weather, about a quarter of the school population.
This post was submitted by Melissa Gough.
I have a family of four and have been composting kitchen leftovers in the courtyard for five years now, reducing enormously the weight and volume of trash to be carried outside and also eliminating the need of doing that every day (in Italy we don’t have grinders in the sinks). The composter was provided for free by the local administration. Moreover I separate recyclable materials from the rest and confer them in the proper bins in the streets.
This post was submitted by Vittorio Marletto.
Within the city I cycle to work, to shops, everywhere I need (about 50 km/week). I use the car only on weekends, to reach with my family of four the house we have in the countryside. It is a smallish car, 9 years old, fuelled with LPG, and the only one we have.
This post was submitted by Vittorio Marletto.
Remember those old fashioned lawn mowers our grand parents used to use? I was surprised to see that these things are still being manufactured and sold at local hardware stores. So, I did some research and here’s what I found.
Pros:
-No Gas = zero emissions!
-A lot less noise. I can listen to my baby monitor or communicate with my wife while mowing.
-Just as easy to push as a standard push mower. Possible because reel mowers are much lighter.
-Much less maintenance than a standard mower.
Cons:
-Occasionally leaves a grass blades standing.
-Must clean yard of twigs and other debry before mowing. Generally a good idea anyways!
-Won’t mulch leaves as well as a standard mower.
Well, I decided to jump on the go-green band wagon and buy a 20″ Scotts Reel mower. I was initially surprised at how easy it was to push. It made a bit more noise than I wanted, but it is still much less than a motor running. The quality of cut is MUCH better and I’m guessing healthier for the grass. The one thing that I don’t like about the mower is how many blades of grass it leaves standing. I didn’t think it’d leave as many as it did, but it does. So, you can either live with it or mow those areas again. If I hadn’t gone back over those areas, I’d guess I’d have mowed the lawn in about 3/4 less time than I would have with my self-propelled mower. When I got done and looked back over my lawn, I was overcome with a feeling of happiness. I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe it was because I had gotten some exercise while not sucking in fumes. Or maybe it was because I was doing something good while not having do any measurable amount of extra work.
This post was submitted by Joe Kissell.
1. 18 years of living aboard sailboat on a floating mooring in the middle of San Diego Harbor (ie) not hooked up to electricity or water; no refrigeration except ice chest, no hot running water.
2. Operate electrical items by solar to battery, wind generation to battery.
3. Shopping done on a fresh item basis with almost all foods/meals made from scratch and made in proper portions so no waste if no ice.
4. Shop using own carrier bags.
5. Don’t replace it if it isn’t broken. By the same token, constant review of systems keeps everything in good working order so things don’t break. Use it or lose it.
6. When we are travelling abroad we use the two person kayak as much as possible for shore transportation instead of the outboard motorized dinghy.
7. We SMILE at everyone we see and WAVE until they wave back to PASS IT ALONG!!
Cheers!
This post was submitted by caryn and gary.
You can really cut your laundry chores back if you simply wear things several times before washing them. In my house the rules are it only gets washed if it meets on of the following criterea:
1) It’s visibly dirty (if it just has a little spot sometimes I’ll just wash out the spot instead of throwing the whole thing in the laundry)
2) It smells. Try hanging your clothes in the bathroom or someplace by an open window when you take them off at night. The next morning give them the sniff test. If they pass, put the hanger in the closet, if they don’t throw it in the hamper.
3) if it’s hopelessly stretched out. I have a few pairs of dark colored jeans that never show dirt. But after you wear them 5 or 6 times, the knees start getting really stretched out so I end up washing them. Sometimes you can get a few more wears out of them by hanging them in a steamy bathroom and they’ll get a little of their shape back.
By following these simple rules, I only do about 1-2 loads of laundry per month.
This post was submitted by Rebecca.
It took 12 years but I am finally car-free and loving it! I started by commuting one, then two days a week by bicycle from Hayward to Redwood City across the Dumbarton Bridge on San Francisco Bay. You’ll need wicking clothes (ski underwear is good and cheap, and looks pretty cool actually if you layer them aesthetically); rack & panniers for long commutes like mine; drink lots of water 24 hours before the ride; 75 - 100lb armadillo tires inflating them every 5-7 days; and “crystal stick” mineral deodorant if there are no showers at your worksite. When I moved to Oakland and recalled a fellow bike commuter who rode 5 days a week from Alameda to Palo Alto (BART to Union City), I said “I can do that”. So I slowly increased to 3 and 4 days/week and by 2005 I was my doing my 4days/10hr. work schedule all by bike and train in a loop around the Bay. About 30 miles of bike riding and 45 miles of train. I was able to read everyday for an 1-2 hours and get much better information than via TV, was physically fit and relaxed at work, and eating and sleeping like-lovin-life.
Then last year my car was stolen. I had tried to share it with folks in my area, but seems folks are addicted to 24hr access and haven’t learned to decouple from car tyranny, so I just let it go. No more $600/yr auto insurance for a car I never used. No waiting in traffic, no gas stations or repair nightmares. I figure now that I have taken an early retirement and live locally my car-free live-local lifestyle is saving me about $3000/year in car costs and about $200/month in groceries and meals. I shop at the market, go to movies and meals and travel anyway in the Bay Area on bike and train. I even commute to see a girl friend in Portland, bringing my bike with me on Amtrak. It’s so much fun and stress free, I wish I had been doing this my entire life.
Here’s a link to Carbusters Magazine so you can keep up with the latest in Car-Free developments across the globe…
http://www.carbusters.org/index.php
Happy Trails!
Sandy Sanders
This post was submitted by sandy sanders.
I wanted to have a measurable effect on the impact of more than just my family’s lifestyle. As soon as I had the down payment and income, I bought a 4-plex and we moved out of the similar apartment we had been renting to our very own eco-plex! Over the last year, My partner, my 6-year old and I have been greening the 1960′s era building located in a very walkable, low income neighborhood in midtown Anchorage, Alaska. Now we provide an increasingly energy efficient place to live to others with compost, recycling, permaculture gardens, potlucks, and other amenities. This has saved us a lot of money over buying a typical single family house, provided increased social interaction, and the central location, near my work, my child’s school, and some of my tenants’ work saves us all time. I blog on this project at the webpage above, with the hope of offering it as one model of a way to live more sustainably while giving those who must or choose to rent the option to reduce their impact.
This post was submitted by Michelle Wilber.
Tuned out years ago from the media hype about what I “want/need”; got in touch with my own value system. Learned how little I need to feel comfortable/satisfied. Gave up beef years ago. Eat fresh foods mostly; do our own cooking. Not a major consumer; shop thrift stores when I really need something. Recycle. Seldom watch television (it’s basically a wasteland and a product delivery system-do not have cable! Do not own a cell phone. Live in a fourth-floor walk-up.
I think the first important thing I learned was to unplug from the media hype; when I did that, my life slowed down and I had more time for creative thinking and learning what really interested and satisfied me. Pulling back from the cultural value system really opens up your eyes.
This post was submitted by Patricia Morimando.