hi,i´m from portugal and i read you book it inspired me to became a diferent person than i was before !to change my ways about the enviroment..so what did i did and continue to do it .well i don´t use toilet paper ,in the need of that i rather use paper cloth and one recipiente that i call water irrigator its for i clean my ass..(and i mean it literatly)i use everthing in cloth …
This post was submitted by dora .
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.
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.
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.
I go to the local farmer’s market regularly. Then I take fresh fruit and vegetables to potlucks, office parties, and small group gatherings. When you serve friends something healthy, not a bag of chips or a box of store-bought cookies, or something really fattening, it always draws attention.
Then I can share with others where I got the food, how colorful and how much fun it is to shop at farmer’s markets, how healthy the food is, and what it does to leave no impact on the environment. It’s a real joy.
This post was submitted by Kathy Eckert.
When I needed to replace my traditional spring coil mattress last year, I started looking at more environmentally friendly options. I liked the idea of a natural “Talalay” latex mattress (it’s hypoallergenic and is not likely to cause allergies like latex gloves can because it’s a different manufacturing process) because they aren’t coated in flame-retardent (i.e., chemicals I would be breathing in/absorbing into my skin for 7-9 hours a day), durable, and entirely compostable when I’m done with it. However, I found that buying one was very expensive, even though it’s a fairly simple design. I found a mattress manufacturer in the area and bought the talalay core (they helped me choose the right firmness even, as there were options), then bought a dust mite cover and wool topper and assembled it myself for about $400 total. The mattress company offered to put a edging material on to prevent the edges from being damaged, but did suggest that I try to not sit on the edge too much anyway. I’ve had it a little over a year now and love it! I do find it’s a bit warmer than my old mattress, but I’ve never gotten sweaty or found it it in any way uncomfortable-I just use less covers. If you don’t have a mattress manufacturer around, I did find some through on-line stores as well.
This post was submitted by Sharlet.
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.
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.