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blog action day

October 15th, 2007 @ 8:50 am | miscellany | Post a Comment

Especially when I’m in a blog-writing funk as I am right this very moment, I’m always happy to have someone give me a topic to write about. And today it has been declared that we will discuss the environment and how to save our pretty little planet.

A List of Really Small Things I Do To Help the Planet, Which are Probably Too Small on Their Own to Make a Difference, But if We All Did Them Maybe We Can Collectively Cure Our Planet’s Fever

  1. Live like a mushroom. What the heck is that supposed to mean? I’ll tell you, because coworker once told me I was like a mushroom. I like it dark and quiet. I’m happiest when I’m in my house with the lights dimmed and the volume on Level 1. And all the lights in the rest of the house have to be off, or I will not be able to relax. Apparently, mushrooms thrive in dark, cool environments. Go fungi.
  2. Drive like a granny. How? Only use your car once a week to run errands, and then drive really, really slowly. Saves gas, I swear! The rest of the time, walk and use public transportation. (Extra bonus: This lifestyle builds up your immune system really well.)
  3. Only use reusable grocery bags. And then endlessly nag your spouse to also only use reusable grocery bags. And shame him when he doesn’t. (And when you slip up and forget? Swiftly hide the bags near the kitty litter and pretend you got them on purpose just this one time. For the litter, ya know.)
  4. Eat foods that were grown locally. This is something I’m trying to be better about, and now that I live near one of the best farmers markets in the country, I can! Might I also suggest reading this awesome book?
  5. Don’t use, or at the very least re-use, plastic water bottles. Likewise use a coffee mug instead of a disposable coffee cup. A little soap and water goes a long way to creating less beverage-related trash.
  6. Live in a smaller space. Hey, this one is easy! Just live in a place (like DC) where real estate is ridiculously expensive. You’ll only be able to afford a tiny place! Ditch the McMansions (that is, if you’re able to sell them in this market, ugh.)
  7. Vote! Politicians have a lot of power when it comes to enacting environmentally friendly (or unfriendly) public policy. We should do what we can as individuals, but we should use our vote to make a bigger and bolder impact.

For all my preaching, I’m definitely not doing enough. In fact, according to ecofoot.org, if everyone lived like me, we would need 4.2 planets.

Okay, I’m off to go work on my planet-cloning abilities! (Or just off to work, but that doesn’t sound nearly as cool.)

comments

  1. If someone is honking at you to drive faster or trying to run you off the road because you are driving slow…it’s probably me.

    I try not to have many lights on either…I reuse my water bottles so often that I think they must be growing bacteria. It doesn’t get more “eco” than that!

    written by Lindsey

    October 15th, 2007 @ 9:12 am

  2. Sheesh, I thought I was doing well but I got 4.7! I even do a lot of the stuff you described above. We even bought the energy efficient light bulbs for our most used lamps!

    written by Jo

    October 15th, 2007 @ 9:25 am

  3. Great post! I totally agree with you about the water bottles!

    Now I feel good, also, about reading the NYT online - I’m saving paper :)

    written by Janssen

    October 15th, 2007 @ 10:35 am

  4. I haven’t done the planet thing, but I’m going to guess that my score is 5.3. I’ll let you know.

    written by Arjewtino

    October 15th, 2007 @ 10:37 am

  5. [...] Janet has written a short list of “Really Small Things I Do To Help the Planet”. Share with the Interweb: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]

    written by Arjewtino » Blog Archive » So many footprints to offest on Blog Action Day

    October 15th, 2007 @ 10:38 am

  6. Nope, 3.2. I win.

    written by Arjewtino

    October 15th, 2007 @ 10:41 am

  7. I like your mushroom analogy that is funny.

    written by elysa

    October 15th, 2007 @ 11:03 am

  8. I did horribly 7+!!! But what’s a suburban girl to do! I can’t ride the bus to work anymore and obviously my Toyota Corolla doesn’t count for anything!

    It didn’t even ask about how much paper I save by taking my own bags to the mall and grocery store! Of course, it luckily didn’t ask about disposable diapers either!

    written by Jane

    October 15th, 2007 @ 11:34 am

  9. I’m in like sin on #6. Haha. Linking this post up! :)

    written by Lisa

    October 15th, 2007 @ 11:45 am

  10. Great post. Glad to see fellow bloggers also devoting space to Blog Action Day. Hooray!

    written by Nilsa S.

    October 15th, 2007 @ 12:01 pm

  11. Yeah! We are earth saving twins. I also forget my bags occasionally. I pretend the new ones are for our recycling.

    p.s. The Omnivores Dilemma is next on my list….

    written by Ashlie

    October 15th, 2007 @ 1:00 pm