Change Yourself
Collectively, small lifestyle changes can make a huge impact on the environment–and your life. Looking for happiness and health? What’s good for the environment is also, it turns out, great for you. Here’s a collection of tips from the No Impact community.
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Go Fragrance-Free !
I have created a website to educate people about the urgent need for fragrance-free living: www.ThinkBeforeYouStink.com. I have struggled with severe Chemical Sensitivities (also known as MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity) for several years and my life has become very small because of it. I have had to leave my job, move in with family, and strictly minimize contact with friends and society. Many people are even worse off than I am and have been forced into complete social isolation and even homelessness by this disease. My goal with this website is to educate people about how serious of a condition this is, how prevalent it is, and yet how everyone has the ability to make positive changes in their life that would help those struggling with this condition. There are so many small changes you can make in your product choices that would make a huge difference to our world.
This post was submitted by Carrie Johnston.
transported in the cold
Okay: after my carbon footprint grew to the size of Godzilla’s, traveling all over the world, I left Istambul and Africa and came to the third snowiest town in the continental U.S. No car. I have had colleagues and strangers get absolutely enraged because I have no car. The first time, I had a borrowed bicycle and then I left for Africa just as the first few weeks of snow began. I returned, when the weather went bad, I used a loamer car for a while until it broke down. Now–ta-dah!–I have investing in a battery assisted bike. Lots of hills here, but this thing allows me the extra boost to get up them (I am no spring chicken). This year I will either bike or walk to work. Though I use electricity to recharge my batteries, I am told I can get a solar recharger. That and some mushrooms and worms in the basement… (I save an amazing amount of money not having a car, by the way.)
Excelsior!
This post was submitted by bronwyn mills.
greener pets
I have multiple dogs in the city and try to lessen the impact that they have on our environment. I buy poop-bags made of cornstarch that are biodegradable. I reuse their dogfood bags as garbage bags, and they work great because they do not leak. I use environmentally friendly shampoos on them. I re-stuff and re-squeak old toys, or buy balls made of recycled material (planetdog.com is a great resource). I use old pillows or packing peanuts to revitalize their beds. Any other tips on living greener with dogs would be much appreciated!
This post was submitted by janelle.
Give up laundry chemicals
I use only one laundry product, a hyper-clean soap powder called Charlie’s Soap. I imagine there are other good choices. It dissolves readily in the water (add clothes after for best results), and works very well, better than I expected.
The most important thing is that it has no fragrances or softeners or brighteners. Most fragrance chemicals and softeners are petrochemical oil based, and are pollutants; many of them are carcinogens (voc’s). They are particularly bad because they seem to teach people that the smell of clean is the same as the smell of the fragrance. This is NOT TRUE. The fragrances mask the dirt that does not wash out, and after a while clothes become rancid and smell like a cross between old stale perfume and a gym locker. Yuck!
I also virtually never use the dryer. All you need is a sunny yard or porch and some (hemp) clothesline. The sun is the best antibacterial as well as the most efficient whitener. And the fresh air combines with those to make clothes actually clean. With all those fragrance chemicals and softening oils gone, the human sweat and oils can really be washed out and rinsed away, and the real smell of clean returns.
By not using all those other products, a HUGE amount of waste could be eliminated, as well as taking a HUGE burden off the water supply.
This post was submitted by Will Beuscher.
Train rules!
I scrap the plane – and jump on the train! There are AT LEAST 10 reasons why it’s a no-brainer:
1 – The journey becomes a part of the holiday – rather than the hell you have to go through before getting there.
2 – Way less stressful than the airport / security checks / cramped space experience
3 – I meet locals on the way – they tell me about the land, the history, the way people live – livelier than any travel guide will ever make it
4 – I meet other travellers too, and everyone’s eager to share their tips
5 – Food is often better than in planes
6 – I can bring my own drinks 
7 – Tickets often offer much more flexibility than air fares
8 – You can either study the landscape (bit more varied than clouds-clouds- and more clouds) or get lost in your thoughts staring at the horizon…
9 – If I need to work, I’m sure to have more time to use my phone and laptop (more and more trains have wifi on board)
10 – And, er… oh yes, the journey will usually account for 10x less carbon emissions than by air
Basically – it’s just way more fun!
A great place to start is the great British website http://www.seat61.com/ — lots of train options & tips for train travel anywhere in the world!
This post was submitted by Laurent.