Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Friday, July 20, 2007
Further attempts at greening the world... We are currently attempting to do even more to save the planet. The latest:
- Air drying laundry. The laundry room has a clothes line, and I got a drying rack with a Bed,Bath and Beyond gift card. Last night we washed three loads of laundry and only dried two. That's, um, progress, anyway. We'd have more motivation if we actually paid for laundry, but we're trying.
- I posted a sign in the women's room in my building at work asking everyone to please turn off the light when they leave. It's a staff-only restroom, and no one is here this summer, so it's really been a lot of wasted electricity when the light's been on all the time. There's been mixed results so far, but it's definitely an improvement, and the sign reminds me to shut off the light as well.
- Also at work, I've been shutting off my power strip and unplugging my printer every night when I leave. I don't know how much power is drained by electronics that are off but plugged-in, but no power drain has to be better than small power drain. :)
- At home, I'm keeping chargers unplugged unless actively charging. I'm also attempting to use a solar-powered charger for my phone, palm pilot, etc. That hasn't yet been a complete success, but that's mostly because we don't have any windows that get sun all day, which means that the charger doesn't really have a chance to collect enough sunlight to charge the devices. I'm still working out a solution to that one.
- My next purchase will be a Sony Reader, which will allow me to buy and read books electronically, all with a very low power drain! Beyond the obvious environmental savings of the paper used to make paper books, I'm also saving the packaging and shipping costs (i.e., fuel), since I tend to order all of my books online. For books I cant find electronically, I plan to switch to ordering from Better World, a fantastically cool company that sells used books, ships them with carbon-neutral shipping, and uses the proceeds to fund literacy programs! And they do this all while still offering great prices!!
- And, of course, we're continuing to recycle, replace old incandescent bulbs with energy-efficient compact fluorescents, take our own bags to the grocery store, etc.
- Oh, and we're working on fixing a leaky faucet.
- Finally, I'm considering approaching my condo board about installing solar panels on our roof. And/or developing a Green Roof.
That's all. For now. :)
- Air drying laundry. The laundry room has a clothes line, and I got a drying rack with a Bed,Bath and Beyond gift card. Last night we washed three loads of laundry and only dried two. That's, um, progress, anyway. We'd have more motivation if we actually paid for laundry, but we're trying.
- I posted a sign in the women's room in my building at work asking everyone to please turn off the light when they leave. It's a staff-only restroom, and no one is here this summer, so it's really been a lot of wasted electricity when the light's been on all the time. There's been mixed results so far, but it's definitely an improvement, and the sign reminds me to shut off the light as well.
- Also at work, I've been shutting off my power strip and unplugging my printer every night when I leave. I don't know how much power is drained by electronics that are off but plugged-in, but no power drain has to be better than small power drain. :)
- At home, I'm keeping chargers unplugged unless actively charging. I'm also attempting to use a solar-powered charger for my phone, palm pilot, etc. That hasn't yet been a complete success, but that's mostly because we don't have any windows that get sun all day, which means that the charger doesn't really have a chance to collect enough sunlight to charge the devices. I'm still working out a solution to that one.
- My next purchase will be a Sony Reader, which will allow me to buy and read books electronically, all with a very low power drain! Beyond the obvious environmental savings of the paper used to make paper books, I'm also saving the packaging and shipping costs (i.e., fuel), since I tend to order all of my books online. For books I cant find electronically, I plan to switch to ordering from Better World, a fantastically cool company that sells used books, ships them with carbon-neutral shipping, and uses the proceeds to fund literacy programs! And they do this all while still offering great prices!!
- And, of course, we're continuing to recycle, replace old incandescent bulbs with energy-efficient compact fluorescents, take our own bags to the grocery store, etc.
- Oh, and we're working on fixing a leaky faucet.
- Finally, I'm considering approaching my condo board about installing solar panels on our roof. And/or developing a Green Roof.
That's all. For now. :)
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Green tip of the day: Sign up for daily tips from Idealbite.com. And check out their website for the tip library. They have some really great ideas, and most are fairly easy to do.
From their top ten: Stop Junk Mail. (If this works, I will be the happiest person on the planet.)
The following websites ask for some info and then promise to help you cut down on junk mail.
From their top ten: Stop Junk Mail. (If this works, I will be the happiest person on the planet.)
The following websites ask for some info and then promise to help you cut down on junk mail.
Monday, July 09, 2007
I promised Al Gore that I would throw a Live Earth party. I failed in that promise, unless Matthew, Smokey, Bandit, and I count as a party. :) I let down Al Gore, but I can't feel *too* badly about that as long as Al Gore is letting me down by not running for president. (Dream ticket: Gore/Bobby Kennedy, Jr.)
We certainly didn't watch all of the coverage, even though it was in HD. We did watch a spectacularly boring rendition of "Black Hole Sun" by Chris Cornell and an amusing attempt by Tom Chaplin to get the London audience to sing along with "Somewhere Only We Know," which isn't exactly a sing-along song. I found the highlights from the non-English-speaking countries to be much more enjoyable, especially from China. The best part, though, was definitely all the little mini-movies and hints for saving the world. I can only hope that it will make some difference. It certainly made me feel guilty for not doing enough, and I already recycle, take my own bags to the grocery store, replace old lightbulbs with fluorescent bulbs, walk or take public transit whenever possible, etc.
So, since I failed in my promise to hold the party, I will at least ask everyone to sign all or part of the Live Earth pledge: http://liveearthpledge.org/. Don't do it for Al Gore; do it for the future of our planet.
My green tip for the day: Stop buying bottles of water. Please! A much more environmentally-friendly, not to mention cheaper, option is to buy a Brita or Pur faucet mount or filtered pitcher. Get a Nalgene bottle or two to carry around your water, and you'll save a ton of money and reduce your carbon footprint.
We certainly didn't watch all of the coverage, even though it was in HD. We did watch a spectacularly boring rendition of "Black Hole Sun" by Chris Cornell and an amusing attempt by Tom Chaplin to get the London audience to sing along with "Somewhere Only We Know," which isn't exactly a sing-along song. I found the highlights from the non-English-speaking countries to be much more enjoyable, especially from China. The best part, though, was definitely all the little mini-movies and hints for saving the world. I can only hope that it will make some difference. It certainly made me feel guilty for not doing enough, and I already recycle, take my own bags to the grocery store, replace old lightbulbs with fluorescent bulbs, walk or take public transit whenever possible, etc.
So, since I failed in my promise to hold the party, I will at least ask everyone to sign all or part of the Live Earth pledge: http://liveearthpledge.org/. Don't do it for Al Gore; do it for the future of our planet.
My green tip for the day: Stop buying bottles of water. Please! A much more environmentally-friendly, not to mention cheaper, option is to buy a Brita or Pur faucet mount or filtered pitcher. Get a Nalgene bottle or two to carry around your water, and you'll save a ton of money and reduce your carbon footprint.
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