I am an american living in China. Can we talk??? Everything that destroys our earth is not caused by what our cars put out.. Have you lived in China?
Where I have lived here, Penglai, or visited, Beijing,Tianjin,Quindou, Shanghai, Hong Kong. I have never in my life seen such filth and distruction. Where are you getting your info? The Chinese government, a government who hasn’t told the truth to it’s people since the beginning of communist rule. The factories emmit so much crap into the air, in 30 days I only see the sky two, maybe three on a good month. It is so thick it is similar to fog. They get rid of all the left over from their factories and dump it in the oceans.. So when you sit at the beach you can smell it. If you want to sit at the beach.. Which is covered with garbage. People take dumps in the middle of the sand, they throw their trash any where, except in a trash can. They may not give off emmissions from vehicles, but take into account the government keeps them so poor that all they can afford is to ride a bike. If they do have a car, they use it so much they will not walk down the street to go to a store any longer they drive their car. As things change and they start driving more (take into account that they have had so little for so long that it may take a while) they will be far more distructive with their vehicles then we are.
There are just a few things we see every day living in China. The smell of bleach in the water coming out of the factories is awful. Ask Korea and Japan how they feel about what pigs these people are. They care about NOTHING….
So when you look at Americans changing things, and trust me, I see nothing wrong with that. I live within your experiment every day, with the exception of electricity use. We don’t use ac we don’t use heat.. we use very little water. We buy our food for the day, every day. We have a refrigerator now.. a small one like the college kids use.
So… although I appreciate your walks up the stairs and all you gave up for a WHOLE year. Remember, you are reading something that someone wrote and wanted you to believe… This whole world is hurting.. and to specify the need in one country rather then another is irresponsible at best.
This post was submitted by Michelle Kisamore.
1. Change to new bulbs. 2. Turn off all lights except the one you are using. 3. Shut doors and windows when heating and cooling your home. 4. Turn off water except when actually using it. Use only what you need. 5. Check your utility bills to see if you have used less than last month or simular season. 6. Try harder. 7. Teach younger children to do the same.
This post was submitted by Rosemary Thompson.
I’ve been washing laundry by hand and air drying for 8 years now. I started because of a shortage of funds but now I prefer it. I was able to buy used drying racks at yard sales, and place them on my deck on weekends. During inclement weather, I plan things out a bit more, washing only what will be needed and drying it in the the bathtub. A portable hanger rack does the trick here, but the racks can also be moved into the bathtub.
One tends to learn what the clothes will do. Some fabrics dry rapidly, some slowly, and so choices are made based on those criterion.
I’ve also washed bedding, but I’m not allowed a full on laundry line so these are best handled in the washing machine or dryer. Still, on a sunny day with low humidity, sheets and bedding can be supported by sundry items; you end up with something that smells wonderful.
This post was submitted by Joan.
We have started a co-operative, pooled our resources, and bought more prime farmland than any of us could have afforded alone. (In fact, it’s more than even the founders can afford, and we’re seeking additional member-investors.)
Our goal is to produce most of our own food and energy, and to distribute the excess within the greater community.
We heat with wood from our own land, drive (a limited amount) on biodiesel that we make from restaurant waste, and grow almost all our vegetables and produce all our own eggs and milk.
Many of the ten current residents have home-based businesses to avoid commuting.
This post was submitted by Jan Steinman.
We purchased a hillside property of several acres, some years ago. It was almost void of trees, except some at the property lines. There were several erosion gullies, poor soil for supporting native plants, etc. The slopes were between 20-35%. We started planting trees, leveled vegetable garden areas, repaired erosion gullies, etc. We terraced the steep slopes, built raised beds for vegetables, planted redwoods, pines, and fruit trees. We built a holding pond for containing some erosion causing sheet flows during the California rainy season, etc.
From our initial efforts, it’s almost 20 years. We have no significant erosion. Even the native plants seem much happier. We are happier.
This post was submitted by Reijo Koski.
learn how to sew.
instead of buying new clothes, or paying someone to fix your old clothes, learn how to diy it yourself.
currently im making my own coat. and as a liner im using an old comforter ..yup thats right an old comforter.
the outside textile was donated to me( retail value 200$ a yard) so im lucky in that sense.
but sewing gives you such a vast selection of things to make ( clothes, household goods etc)
and you can buy a cheap second hand machine anywhere, or even go that extra mile and get a manual one.
This post was submitted by mabel.
Placing an extra bin in the bathroom has been amazing. About 80% of my bathroom waste was recyclable. Toilet rolls, toothpaste packaging, shampoo bottles etc. Both I was too lazy to take it out to the kitchen recycling bin. This makes it easier to ‘do the right thing’.
Once I have a garden compost I plan to collect all the tissues and cotton balls in a green waste bin too.
This post was submitted by BohoBelle.
Reduce your full time working week to 4 days of 9.5hrs each.
I am trying this for the first time and expect to save money mostly on transport. Another small bonus is reducing my professional wardrobe needs.
Obviously the best bit is to have a whole day to myself to work on hobbies. This might increase my homesteading and self sufficiency.
I’ve already found that I like starting work earlier, its very quiet and peaceful in the office. This is good for reducing stress.
*This tip was originally from the Your Money or Your Life book.
This post was submitted by BohoBelle.
For one year I bought no clothes for myself - new or used. The point of this is not what you might assume. It is a way to recalibrate your mind away from consuming as pleasure seeking or pain avoiding. Other ways I’ve done this is to have Buy Nothing Tuesdays, or Eat Local Meals, Weeks or forever! What I found is that my trip was busted - like Colin, I went a long time thinking being grumpy at SUV’s or ‘talking about ecology’ was actually doing something positive. I call that ‘David Suzuki Syndrome’. You just get mad and nothing happens. This year I’m buying no food at work, I’m packing or going without. I stress this is a method to change the way I think (or don’t think) but just consume without need or really the wherewithall to continue apace.
This post was submitted by Jan Morrison.
Consume what you can carry. Can’t carry it home? Don’t buy it. It’s the easiest way to maintain a sensible ecological footprint.