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.
Do you have a video story from your No Impact Experiment? Share your story below:
I always wear aprons to protect my clothes from stains when I’m cooking, gardening,and cleaning. I buy them at our local second hand shop and pay as little as 99 cents each. I like to add my personal touches to them such as quotes, applique designs, etc. Saves wear and tear on my clothes, they don’t need to be washed as often, and it’s a fun way to make an eco-friendly fashion statement.
This post was submitted by Joeann.
I’ve come up with for the year, laying out exactly when I’m going to examine various parts of our impact to see if we can improve. It probably looks a little ambitious written out like this, but I’m hoping it will actually help me to relax because I won’t feel like I have to do everything at once. Since I’ve already started experimenting in many of these areas, I’ll probably end up doing a few things out of order. But this will help me to feel like I am accomplishing more by checking things off a list.
http://underthewildroseasweasels.com/2010/01/02/a-road-map/
This post was submitted by Nina Interlandi Bell.
I installed solar thermal heat on my workshop a year ago. Three panels, each measuring 4 feet by 10 feet. These plus thermal shutters on 4 of 11 windows on the building cut the heat bill in half compared to a year earlier.
This past fall i completed construction of a five panel array of solar thermal to help heat this house. The system has been running for all of a month but it looks like the reduction in heat bill will be significant.
Both systems heat a glycol-water solution which is passed through a unit heater (basically a car radiator in a box with a fan on it) to draw the heat out of the water and then the water circulates back to be reheated by the sun. No storage on either system at this time, but a storage tank is planned for the house.
The take-home message is that solar thermal IS a DIY project. If you can solder, perform basic wiring tasks and construct anything then you are probably skilled enough to install your own solar thermal.
Pete
This post was submitted by Peter Gruendeman.
My boyfriend and I keep a mini-flock of four chickens in our urban backyard. They provide nearly infinite amusement, as well as a steady supply of delicious and healthy eggs for us and our neighbors. No more pale yellow yolks in my omelette!
This post was submitted by Kendall .
I have used public transportation, by varying degree, for nearly 15 years, and when I started, I enjoyed the luxury of living close enough to the best job I ever had so that I could walk, bike, or ride to work rather than driving.
Times have changed, employers have changed, and my current employer moved 6 miles further from my home a year ago. They used to provide half-price monthly passes, and now offer free monthly passes, on multiple public municipal transportation systems. Nonetheless, I have reduced my dependency on these modes by riding my bicycle for as much of my 44-mile round trip commute as possible.
Last Fall, I was riding 24 of those miles daily, down to 162 pounds, BP was 117/75, and for the first time in my 59 years, my good cholesterol was well into the desired range, and all the ratios were favorable. This year, I hope to get below 160, and walk/pedal 30 or more of those miles.
This post was submitted by Brett Hawks.