Off the Grid

Today, we used home cooling techniques rather than turning on the A/C. Yesterday, it was nice out but on the cool side temperature wise. I think it was in the 60's. However, the temperature shot up to almost 90 today! That is definitely warm enough to warrant turning on the A/C, but we held off for today in order to save energy. Instead, we opted to keep the lights off as much as possible, not use the oven, and close the drapes. Earlier this year we invested in energy-saving drapes. They're insulated to cut down on the influence outdoor temperatures have on indoor temperature, and they work wonders! We used them today to hold in the cool air from yesterday, and, by the time the air inside started to succumb to the outdoor heat to the point of slight discomfort, the sun was starting to set. Tomorrow, we will probably give in and turn on the A/C, but every bit of energy saved counts! The point is that, if you actively look for opportunities to save energy, you will find them!

Reducing household energy use is not only good for the environment, it's good for your utility bill. Utility usage is like golf, the lower your score the better!

Measure your eco-footprint and get ideas for ways to be greener in your day-to-day life.

This website lets you know if/what kind of government incentives to switch to solar energy are available in each state.

This website explains the different renewable energy systems currently available for home installation and how they work.

Energy efficient drapes also keep the bedroom super dark at night! I started sleeping a lot more soundly after we put them up. Admittedly, they're more expensive upfront, but I think they pay for themselves in monthly utility savings. Based on what I've found, most green technologies are more expensive upfront but cheaper in the long run. I think the initial cost is the major deterrent most people see to making the switch.

I love Saturdays!

I like to sleep in on Saturdays. AND, I always work on Saturdays. AND, I like to go out on Saturday nights. The point of saying this is to point out that I'm actually a normal person. At least, I think I'm normal. No one's ever told me I wasn't anyway... I work at a fashionable retail chain, so I take that as certification that I can't be totally weird or they wouldn't have hired me...I don't think...You be the judge.

In any case, being normal is no excuse to not be a benefit to the world. You do not have to stop bathing, wearing deodorant, or loving a cute pair of shoes to live a life that makes the world a better place. I'm finding that you actually don't have to change much, if at all. You just have be aware and live deliberately. For example, when asked if I want a plastic bag, I now stop to think whether I really need one or if I just say yes out of habit. In most cases, I can actually carry whatever I bought, and, if not, it'll fit in my purse or in one of the reusable bags in my car.

ANYWAY, my point is that I didn't go out of my way to do something good for the world today because it isn't always necessary. Tonight, we went out for dinner and drinks but we chose a new, local restaurant. I've explained in previous posts that spending money locally is far better than dropping money in a national chain because it goes directly back into the local economy, and it keeps communities viable and vibrant. I actually read somewhere (I can't remember where :-/) that every dollar you spend locally generates twice as much income for the local economy. Making a point to try new places is also good for communities because it brings new life and new interest to the place you live. It also encourages entrepreneurship and economic development and diversity. If you want your community to keep growing and becoming more interesting, then give the new places a try. They won't survive without customers like us!

Reason #5 to try vegetarian living: It's delicious. Really. Many people mistakenly believe that being a vegetarian means eating cups of raw vegetables and salads all the time. BUT, I've found that eating vegetarian has all the flavor and satisfaction of eating meat. In fact, the restaurant we went to tonight was vegetarian. They served everything from 'meatball' marinara sandwiches to BBQ medallions, and it was all delicious! You honestly couldn't tell the difference between actual meat and the meat substitutes except that the food wasn't as heavy. That said, my assessment of eating vegetarian is that it's more interesting than my regular diet, more satisfying, and it lacks the guilt that usually accompanies eating foods that are delicious. I think every woman knows what I mean by guilt. Who hasn't eaten a meatball sub and felt that she just undid all the crunches she put in over the last month? Vegetarian makes me feel free to enjoy eating. and eating. and eating. :-P

Brownies for a Better World

I made brownies tonight to take to work and share with my co-workers tomorrow! Doing nice things for co-workers increases camaraderie and moral. More importantly, it builds a sense of community among the people you work with, which is important because most people spend a lot of time at work. So, it's good to build happy relationships with them.

ALSO, I read in an article of "Women's Health" that I found in a recycle bin while I was making endless copies at work that doing something nice for other people inspires them to do nice things for other people, too! Studies actually show that one nice act can ripple out approximately 3 deep. People pay it forward without necessarily even knowing it! So I figure that, if we all do something nice for someone, it'll just keep going! A wave of kindness and caring! That would definitely make a better world.

I forgot to post a reason to be vegetarian yesterday. SO, here is yesterday's: My bowels have never felt better! haha

And, here is today's-Reason #4 to be Vegetarian:

a link to the webpage for more information

The Adventures of Captain Cullet!

I thought you might enjoy this cartoon. haha.

For the past several months, we've been hoarding glass. Admittedly, it's mostly beer bottles. Anyone who knows us knows that we're budding beer snobs...but that's beside the point!

The point is that today we recycled all of those glass bottles and the glass bottles from various other things. Since our apartment doesn't have recycling for glass, we actually had to drive the glass to the city recycling center. I think that people assume that this is really inconvenient and that's why many people don't recycle. And, I have to say that I also thought it would be inconvenient, but it actually wasn't. It was shockingly easy. We spent about 2 minutes loading the glass in the car, and about 1 minute unloading it at the center. Then, we went out for coffee. Easy. You should try it. You'll like it. Recycling, not the coffee. Although, the coffee was a fabulous experience, too.

In the future, I'm going to try to buy as many items as possible in glass packaging instead of plastic. Unlike plastic, which can generally be recycled only once, glass can be recycled and remolded infinitely. Also, there's a big market for recycled glass whose demand is not currently being met. Only 28% of glass is currently recycled. When not recycled, glass can take 4000 years to break down on its own. In short, there really isn't a reason not to recycle glass. If you think of one, let me know.

Other recycling options for beer bottles

Be aware that procedures for recycling windshield glass or glassware are different than those for recycling food and beverage bottles. Food and beverage bottles can definitely be picked up curbside or taken to a recycling center. However, other types of glass may require a bit of research to recycle.

Here's a shorter video:

Dillinger the Dog

This afternoon, Josh and I played with a dog at the animal shelter. His name was Dillinger and he was a Beagle mix. Although, he didn't really look like a beagle. Anyway, he was a great dog! He was surrendered to the shelter because his previous owner didn't think he/she could train him. But, he was really well-mannered and seemed to even be housebroken! If we were in a position to take care of a dog, I would definitely consider adopting Dillinger. For now, I'm glad to know that we brightened his day by taking him outside and giving him some love. Whether you're looking to adopt or not, playing with a shelter dog is an easy way to volunteer if you love animals. Playing with Dillinger didn't just brighten his day, it also brightened mine. (I think it brightened Josh's day, too, but I can't really speak for him on the subject.)

The point of this story is that, when looking to adopt a dog, it's a good idea to look at a shelter first. Contrary to popular belief, the dogs in shelters are not all abused, abandoned, or 'bad' dogs. (Although, I think these dogs are especially in need of loving homes, but not everyone has time for the training necessary to rehabilitate a formerly mistreated dog.) For the most part shelter animals are in shelters simply because their owners couldn't care for them. They're sweet, healthy animals who just want to love and be loved.

3-4 million dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters every year. By adopting from a shelter you not only save your new friend, you also open up a spot in the shelter for another homeless pet. Plus, by refusing to by from a pet store, you withhold your buying power from puppy mills. Every dollar spent that supports a puppy mill gives them fuel to continue existing because it's a "profit-driven business." If you don't buy, they don't breed. Incidentally, without puppy mills continuously breeding dogs for whom there are no homes, the number of euthanized animals would also decrease.
Top Five Reasons to Adopt

Reason #2 to be Vegetarian: 72% of all grain grown goes to feed livestock despite the fact that 925 million people worldwide are hungry. In fact, a child dies from starvation every 5 seconds. The grain currently used to feed livestock could feed 800 million people, which lessens the problem of hunger significantly. Why feed a cow when a person is hungry? By being vegetarian, you lower demand for meat worldwide. If the demand lessens then so will the supply. Maybe then we can feed children rather than chickens. Furthermore, exporting the grain that we currently feed to livestock would boost the US trade balance by $800 billion/year. Why let a pig eat $800 billion?

The Week no Pigs would die! Or Cows! Or Chickens! Or Turkeys! Etc!

Today is day 2 in my meatless week. Josh and I are giving vegetarianism a week-long trial run. We actually started yesterday, but I just decided not to write about it until today.

Let me tell you: So far, I love it. That's all. I feel healthier, and I feel like I'm doing a really good thing globally speaking, too. Plus, plants are delicious.

There are so many reasons to be vegetarian and so many statistics that I've decided to spread them out. Every day this week, I'm going to share a new reason to be vegetarian. (I'm going to keep doing other world changing actions each day because it would be a cop-out to use "not eating meat" as my 'g' thang for the whole week) Also, the reasons to be vegetarian do not pertain simply to environmental and health concerns though I'll certainly cover those aspects. Then, at this time next week, I'll let you know if I think being vegetarian is a maintainable lifestyle.

Reason #1: Raising animals for food is one of the most environmentally damaging things we do. It destroys resources, pollutes water and air, and causes soil erosion.
80% of annual deforestation is caused by animal agriculture. Animal waste runoff has polluted more than 173,000 miles of rivers and streams. North Carolina alone produces 2.5 tons of hog waste each year. How thirst-quenching! Moreover, using the land to raise food animals in the first place is an inefficient use of the land. One acre can produce "50,000 lbs of tomatoes, 40,000 lbs of potatoes, 30,000 lbs of carrots, or just 250 lbs of beef." 420 gallons of water is necessary to produce just 1 lbs of chicken!

Tune in tomorrow to find out how eating meat is a cause of world hunger AND how reducing meat consumption could help the economy.



I ordered the vegetarian starter kit! ha!

Dryer, Dryer, Pants on Fire

I did laundry today, and I didn't use our clothes dryer. Since we live in an apartment, I couldn't hang the clothes outside to dry, which means they're hanging around the apartment. It's going to take them forever to dry, but I did it nonetheless because not using the clothes dryer is a major energy saver.

After the refrigerator, the dryer is the second biggest energy-using home appliance. In fact, if you stop using it completely, your utility bill could easily decrease by as much as 10% annually. A lot of people think that a dryer is a necessity, but it really isn't. Air can do the same thing; it just takes longer. Plus, clothes last longer when you air dry them as dryers thin out the fabrics. ALSO, not using the dryer reduces the risk of a dryer fire significantly. haha

Fire Your Dryer


In the future, I'm going to hang as many of my clothes as possible instead of using the dryer though I don't intend to fore-go the dryer completely. I'd like to, but it's not practical in our current living situation. That said, I think it's important to realize that, in changing how one lives in order to better the world, it's not possible to change everything at once. Start with what you feel is easiest and most doable for you. I've found that the more I do, the more I want to do. Small things build on each other and make the bigger things that, at first, seemed unattainable instead seem possible. Slow progressive change is often more lasting than sudden, rash changes anyway. So, if you feel inclined to make a difference, don't let yourself feel overwhelmed by the amount of things you feel you should be changing or paralyzed by guilt because you can't stop eating individually packages burritos. Just do what you can.
The important thing is to do something. Something's add up.