Reduce your environmental impact 2019

[gaja]

....
TRAVEL - There is not really any travel in the plans for 2019 but most of it is done by car.  Although husband is having to take the older kids to a funeral (2 states away) this week and we chose to utilize Amtrak vs him driving. I have to fly 6-10 per year for work, I have been trying to figure out if they would let me drive for at least half of these.
...

I just pulled up Amtrack and they have a stop near the very remote town that I have to travel to (by plane) the most often.  It would be a LOOONG travel day but it might be worth it, wonder if I can get work to agree?

Much of my job can be done almost anywhere, so my boss is ok with me working on the train. But for the really long travels where I insist on not flying, I do spend some of my own time (and also take some time off mentally). Based on all the measures you have already implemented, my guess is that flying is probably a quite large part of your carbon footprint.

[JoshuaSpodek]

....
TRAVEL - There is not really any travel in the plans for 2019 but most of it is done by car.  Although husband is having to take the older kids to a funeral (2 states away) this week and we chose to utilize Amtrak vs him driving. I have to fly 6-10 per year for work, I have been trying to figure out if they would let me drive for at least half of these.
...

I just pulled up Amtrack and they have a stop near the very remote town that I have to travel to (by plane) the most often.  It would be a LOOONG travel day but it might be worth it, wonder if I can get work to agree?

I took the train from New York to Los Angeles. I brought my own food. For months before, any project that took more than an hour of focus I put on the agenda for the trip. The solitude was great and I arrived in L.A. with unfinished work, so wished it was longer.

On the other hand, the pollution in taking a train that far is a lot. I think it's roughly a third of flying. Before going I saw two-thirds as a big reduction. Now I think a third of a lot is still a lot.

[Slow&Steady]

You are all awesome, thank you for the suggestions.  Now to see which ones I can implement without extra bandwidth being used to convince the family.

[gaja]

....
TRAVEL - There is not really any travel in the plans for 2019 but most of it is done by car.  Although husband is having to take the older kids to a funeral (2 states away) this week and we chose to utilize Amtrak vs him driving. I have to fly 6-10 per year for work, I have been trying to figure out if they would let me drive for at least half of these.
...

I just pulled up Amtrack and they have a stop near the very remote town that I have to travel to (by plane) the most often.  It would be a LOOONG travel day but it might be worth it, wonder if I can get work to agree?

I took the train from New York to Los Angeles. I brought my own food. For months before, any project that took more than an hour of focus I put on the agenda for the trip. The solitude was great and I arrived in L.A. with unfinished work, so wished it was longer.

On the other hand, the pollution in taking a train that far is a lot. I think it's roughly a third of flying. Before going I saw two-thirds as a big reduction. Now I think a third of a lot is still a lot.

For me, carbon footprint has three parts: the direct emissions, the emissions from producing the materials/item, and whether my choice promotes the paradigm shift. The last part is why I choose ferries and trains over many other options. These transport forms already have zero emission options available, (most European trains are electric, and we will soon have 60 electric ferries in Norway alone. Liquid biogas and hydrogen are also good and mature solutions). I believe it is much better for our future that we have a good public transport system based on trains, rather than building more motorways. Some people claim it is better to exchange diesel ferries with bridges and tunnels, because the private cars are turning to electric. But all data shows that the total transport increases when you build a bridge. So the total carbon footprint over the next 50-100 years is better with trains and ferries, than with most other alternatives.

Avoiding transport completely, with skype or other types of e-meetings, is of course the best option.

[Linea_Norway]

For me, carbon footprint has three parts: the direct emissions, the emissions from producing the materials/item, and whether my choice promotes the paradigm shift. The last part is why I choose ferries and trains over many other options. These transport forms already have zero emission options available, (most European trains are electric, and we will soon have 60 electric ferries in Norway alone. Liquid biogas and hydrogen are also good and mature solutions). I believe it is much better for our future that we have a good public transport system based on trains, rather than building more motorways. Some people claim it is better to exchange diesel ferries with bridges and tunnels, because the private cars are turning to electric. But all data shows that the total transport increases when you build a bridge. So the total carbon footprint over the next 50-100 years is better with trains and ferries, than with most other alternatives.

Avoiding transport completely, with skype or other types of e-meetings, is of course the best option.

And not in the least place, we should have more railroad solutions available for goods transport. There are enormous amounts of trucks on the roads. The more bridges we build and the better the roads, the more attractive it is to have goods transported by truck instead of train. I have understood that in Norway the goods trains have become less reliable in the last decade(s) and that therefore the transport of goods by road has increased enormously. I wish we would improve the trains and railroads for goods transport.

On a personal level, we can contribute to this by purchasing more stuff secondhand and repairing our broken products, so that less goods need to be transported. Also growing more of your own food would help, but that is not an option for everyone.

[Slow&Steady]

I am really struggling internally right now.

I bought the electric car before I started this job, so this is my 1st full winter at this job with my car.  This job is slightly further away than my last job and this winter has been really cold (not good for electric cars).  This has caused me to have to stop after work (on my week to drive) to get additional charge before I can go home in the evenings, which means I get home late, which means that I some nights I feel like I don't get to see the baby at all.  I leave before the kids are awake in the morning and the baby is usually ready for bed between 7:30 and 8, so if I have to charge after work that means I get home later than I want to and might only be home in time to do bath and then bedtime, and it is even worse if there is someone else at the charging station. Grant it this is only a problem on my week to drive and only in the winter and by next winter baby will be older and might be going to bed a little later but this is really wearing me down emotionally.  I have been considering replacing the car to stop this emotional beat down. I need input!!

My 4 criteria are: Initial Price, Do I have to stop to charge?, Environmental Impact, & Monthly Cost.
My 4 choices that I see are: Keep current car, Replace with Prius, Replace with new Leaf (longer range), Replace with Used Tesla (much longer range).

If I rank these 1-4 in each category, my current car wins but it doesn't fix my frustration (although that frustrations is only a few months of the year).  The next highest score is the Prius but I feel like that is going backwards on the environmental scale (current electric car replaced a Prius).  The new Leaf or Used Tesla rank about the same but I have a problem parting with that kind of money.

Help what would you do?

[Syonyk]

What's your round trip commute/current car?

We bought a used Volt instead of a pure BEV because my wife running out of charge in a town that has no charging infrastructure isn't a useful option for a car.

[Slow&Steady]

2017 Leaf, current commute is 45-50 miles ONE-WAY!  This is the very edge of what the 2017 Leaf can handle in absolute perfect conditions but in the winter it has been requiring me to charge both before and after work.  In the spring/summer/fall it is the perfect excuse to go hang out (walk) at a local park and charge during lunch and that adds plenty of miles to get me home.

There is a pretty established charging network in my area but it still takes time.

I have looked at the Volt but once you go past the electric range you are on a traditional gas engine with MPG that I don't think really compare to a Prius.  I would need to get a 2016 or new to get 50 mile electric range (which is what I feel would make the Volt a good contender for me). At least in my area, the prices I am finding for a Volt 2016 or newer are not significantly lower than the new Leaf.

[nereo]

What's your round trip commute/current car?

Not sure if this was directed specifically at Slow&Steady or to the broader audience, but I'll play along.

We have an '06 civic that's our main car.  Going to an EV is very high on our wishlist, but at present two things are stopping us: i) our 13 year old car has a ton of life in it (we just hit 80,000 miles) and ii) we've gone back to being renters in a rural area with poor charging infrastructure.  Since I can't install a rapid charger and 3-4x/mo one of us needs to drive 100+ miles (on direction) we still feel its not the right time. 

As soon as we put down roots and buy our next home (possibly within 12 monhts) we'll be looking for an EV.  So long as the property orientation allows it we'll be putting up PVs as well, more out of principle than absolute dollars and cents (our region heats almost exclusively with fuel-oil, and has very high electricity rates).

[Syonyk]

2017 Leaf, current commute is 45-50 miles ONE-WAY!  This is the very edge of what the 2017 Leaf can handle in absolute perfect conditions but in the winter it has been requiring me to charge both before and after work.  In the spring/summer/fall it is the perfect excuse to go hang out (walk) at a local park and charge during lunch and that adds plenty of miles to get me home.

Other than the "you're missing out on time with your kid because you don't have a vehicle that can actually get you home" thing...  Does your carpool mind spending an hour or two charging every day?

I have looked at the Volt but once you go past the electric range you are on a traditional gas engine with MPG that I don't think really compare to a Prius.  I would need to get a 2016 or new to get 50 mile electric range (which is what I feel would make the Volt a good contender for me). At least in my area, the prices I am finding for a Volt 2016 or newer are not significantly lower than the new Leaf.

Range varies based on how you drive.  We have a 1st gen that's between 25 and 40 miles on battery, typically, depending on temperature/climate control/speed/etc.  A 2nd gen would work nicely for it, especially if you can charge at work, and you can get them for under $20k if you look.

Yes, the MPG on gas is lower than a Prius, but for most people, the net MPG is far higher if you charge it at all.  If I do half a day on battery, half on gas (we don't have 240V charging yet), it's about 70mpg - still better than a Prius.

Or you could find a job closer to your house.  There's no particularly environmentally friendly way to do 100 miles/day.

[Slow&Steady]

Other than the "you're missing out on time with your kid because you don't have a vehicle that can actually get you home" thing...  Does your carpool mind spending an hour or two charging every day?

Charging happens when before/after co-worker joins me.

Range varies based on how you drive.  We have a 1st gen that's between 25 and 40 miles on battery, typically, depending on temperature/climate control/speed/etc.  A 2nd gen would work nicely for it, especially if you can charge at work, and you can get them for under $20k if you look.

Yes, the MPG on gas is lower than a Prius, but for most people, the net MPG is far higher if you charge it at all.  If I do half a day on battery, half on gas (we don't have 240V charging yet), it's about 70mpg - still better than a Prius.

Or you could find a job closer to your house.  There's no particularly environmentally friendly way to do 100 miles/day.

I have looked and I can NOT find a 2016 or new Volt for under $20k, at least not in my area at this time.

New job/house are not options I have right now.

[Syonyk]

So do a fly-and-drive.  I'm finding 2016s (1st year of the 2nd gens) for under $20k pretty easily on eBay with lower miles, mostly off-lease stuff, far as I can tell.

Yes.  You'll use gas.  However, you can actually get places on the current infrastructure, without having to spend an hour or two charging every day and missing time with your family.  If not using gas is more important, than keep doing what you're doing or spend a ton on a longer range BEV.  I can't afford a Tesla, and didn't want my wife stuck in town with a Leaf, so... Volt it is.  Though in retrospect, I probably should have gone with a Gen2.  I'll see how summer mileage is, but winter fuel use has been higher than I was expecting (~115 miles per gallon gas used).

[nereo]

So do a fly-and-drive.

yeah, I never limit my auto searches to my immediate area, but expand it to include major metropolitan areas within a day's drive where I can get a direct flight.  I even had a guy who's car I wanted to buy (and did buy) pick me up at the airport. 

If I'm going to drop five figures on an item taking a day of my life and spending ~$200 on a flight is worth saving a few grand.

[chaskavitch]

Does anyone know anything about TerraCycle? 

I saw a reference to them in an NPR article about reducing waste.  It looks like they'll accept a HUGE variety of things for recycling - pens, flip flops, food packaging, baby food squeeze pouches, coffee pods, fabric, solo cups, paint brushes, mascara tubes, the list goes on.  It does cost a fair amount.  An 11" x 11" x 20" box for "All In One Zero Waste" recycling is $184, but if they're legit, I would honestly be willing to pay for that 1-2 times a year.  It would be really nice to be able to recycle fabric scraps, plastic food packaging, rigid plastic things that break, coffee bags, etc.

[palebluedot]

Anyone supporting divesting through Your Stake? Right now they are trying to get enough support to get Vanguard to create new index funds free of FF money. Once the petition has enough shareholder support, a power player from Yourstake will meet with Vanguard to present the demand and ask for change.

https://www.yourstake.org/ask/vanguard-create-fossil-free-versions-of-your-index-funds/

[chaskavitch]

Does anyone know anything about TerraCycle? 

I saw a reference to them in an NPR article about reducing waste.  It looks like they'll accept a HUGE variety of things for recycling - pens, flip flops, food packaging, baby food squeeze pouches, coffee pods, fabric, solo cups, paint brushes, mascara tubes, the list goes on.  It does cost a fair amount.  An 11" x 11" x 20" box for "All In One Zero Waste" recycling is $184, but if they're legit, I would honestly be willing to pay for that 1-2 times a year.  It would be really nice to be able to recycle fabric scraps, plastic food packaging, rigid plastic things that break, coffee bags, etc.

I just had lunch with Tom Szaky, Terracycle's founder and CEO, last week after interviewing him for my podcast http://joshuaspodek.com/podcast, though my backlog of episodes means editing will take about a month to appear. I'm interviewing him for a second interview in April. If you want me to ask him specific questions and don't mind waiting a couple months for an answer, I can.

In the meantime, there are lots of videos on them and he's written several books. Terracycle's origin story, of Tom composting Princeton's food waste, is worth reading. It shows his passion and dedication.

There's still the systemic issue that efficiency is not the same as decreasing total waste http://joshuaspodek.com/technology-wont-solve-environmental. Increasing efficiency, which recycling does, overall increased total waste. Few people get this issue. Nature gets it, sadly, and we live in a world that's more efficient than ever, creating more waste than ever, and we're continuing that trend. The alternative I'm working toward is to change our systemic goals from growth, comfort, and externalizing costs to enjoying what you have, personal development, and responsibility for how your actions affect others.

Good to know, thanks!

I know that recycling isn't the BEST option, but it's certainly a BETTER option than just throwing things out.  I think I'd use one of those boxes primarily for the less common things that come up throughout the year.  Fabric scraps or clothes I can't donate (nobody is going to buy my old underwear), pens that run out, packaging material, etc.  I'm sure I'd end up with far more plastic wrap from purchased food than I'd like.

There are a lot of things I need to be better about just not using that generally are purchased purely for convenience.  We're going to be using diapers again soon, and even with cloth diapering during the day, those things add up so dang quick.  It is ridiculous how often newborns need to be changed.

[nessness]

It's been a while since we had a check-in on this thread; how's everyone doing with their goals?

I've been doing pretty well on buying less and reducing plastic waste. I've definitely noticed our trash cans are less full at the end of the week, although we could still improve further.

I can't bring myself to make the leap to being vegan, but our animal product usage is decreasing (other than eggs - we have chickens and I have no qualms about eating their eggs). In an average week we go through about a quart of milk, six ounces of cheese, and half a stick of butter, which isn't a ton for a family of four, but I'd like to decrease it further. I recently managed to get the kids to start eating oatmeal for breakfast instead of yogurt.

In bad news, I cleaned out my fridge today for the first time in way too long and was ashamed of how much food I had to throw out, so I'm making food waste my focus for this month. I need to get into the habit of checking all the food in my fridge regularly, so that I know what I have, what needs to be used up soon, what I should feed to my chickens, etc.

[Syonyk]

Eh.

Solar isn't in yet.  Still fighting with permitting and my ability to communicate NEC 2017 code-compatibility.  I'll keep trying... starting physical construction anyway.

Our household energy use (electric/gasoline/diesel consumption) is sitting stable around 10 ton CO2/yr.  That will drop, significantly, once solar is up, but it's down from previous years.  The truck now dominates transport fuel use, on fairly few miles/month.  It gets used for hauling heavy/large stuff (currently full of plywood and 2x4s/2x6s for some shipping container shelves).  The car is successfully doing most of the miles on electric, running 400-500 miles per gallon of gas used in service.

Gardens... not really doing much this year, just have been swamped trying to get solar done and keep up with the weeds.  Compost bin got really, really hot when I tossed a ton of fresh grass clippings in, then died.  I struggle with keeping enough volume to do what I want - I've crunched volume many times, and can light it up with fresh nitrogens, but it's not a balanced hot pile for any length of time.

On the other hand, the hugels are coming along.  I need to push them acidic for berry bushes, but I have a ton of scrap wood buried in them now - just need to move another yard or two of dirt back on top for the mounds, and cut up a bit more wood to put in there.

And, in the land of epic failure, I still don't have an ebike working for runs into town.  Despite having half a dozen kits in various stages of dysfunction/function laying around.  I'm just not comfortable doing 18mph on a 55mph road right now, and I don't have anything that will run 40mph.

[YK-Phil]

I am in for the challenge.

The good:
I live in my truck camper, which means a very pared-down wardrobe, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom. No superfluous sheets, towels, clothing, shoes, we have basic kitchenware and utensils. We don't buy anything that doesn't fit in our limited space.
Non-potable water use is under 5 litres per person per day used mostly for washing, cleaning, dishes, very short shower.
Composting toilet.
Solar-powered battery system used only to power led lights and recharge cell/laptop, no electrical appliances such as toaster, coffee maker, air fryer, etc.
Propane stove and mini-fridge.
We only use green cleaning products and detergent for cleaning and personal hygiene. White vinegar and baking soda are used for everything, from "washing" dishes to cleaning surfaces, dusting, face, body, and hand wash, etc.
Laundry is done by hand, or in a plastic bucket when are on the road (put dirty clothes in bucket, add water and soap, close lid. Repeat after a few hours' drive but with clean water). Air dry only.
We don't fly.
We don't commute to work by motor vehicle.
We walk or bike a lot.
We are frugal.
We follow and enjoy a plant-based diet and follow Michael Pollan's simple food rules: eat food, not too much, mostly plants.
We only buy the food we need due to limited space. This reduces food spoilage to zero.

The bad:
Not much is terribly bad in our lifestyle. But we do plan to fly to Asia to visit wife's family, and Eastern Canada and Europe to visit my family, for 4-6 months. The environmental impacts of flying are a big concern of ours.

But mostly, it is either good or ugly.

And the ugly is ugly:
We are overlanders and travel on average 6 months of the year and drive about 15,000 km. Once we decide to overland full-time, we will be driving the same distance since we will go in one direction. In the summer, we currently stay mostly put and rarely if ever drive while still living in the camper. Our truck is an F350 diesel that does 18L/100km on average. That's a big concern of mine that I am struggling to address. Overlanding is our lifestyle, and the truck is our house so we need to have a relatively large vehicle that can carry it, and despite our efforts to greenify and frugalize our life, we are conscious of the environmental impacts of our choice of vehicle.

[Raenia]

Progress toward vegetarian meals continues - we're down to meat/fish about once every other week, as a treat.  As a byproduct of that, I've been able to buy fresh fish instead of frozen, which is packaged in butcher paper instead of individual sealed plastic packets in a larger plastic bag.  Double win!  Also switched to buying chickpeas dried in bulk (with reusable bags) rather than canned.  That was the last holdout on the bean front, so we're now entirely buying from bulk bins/packaging free.

Looking for the next potential target on the packaging front, but it's hard to balance cost.  Both our local produce market and BJ's have everything in plastic, but regular grocery or farmer's markets are much more expensive :(

[imadandylion]

@nessness what about SwheatScoop? Also, I believe you can flush some cat litter (the poop/pee clumps) down the toilet. However, I haven't tried that myself. I'm curious about this topic too since I currently use the litter genie system and feel bad about plastic bags in general.

Really want to commend anyone trying a plant based diet or already is. Love it! I will  be plant based for two years this august/september.

This week, I purchased a deodorant paste in a glass jar to reduce further plastic consumption. So far, I really like the paste and don't mind application by fingers. Love that the ingredients are minimal and it's not gritty. I was using "natural" deodorants before but this is by far the simplest. I'd really like to try next time/soon making my own deodorant paste soon since I already have the core ingredients, coconut oil, arrowroot flour, and baking soda and can reuse some glass containers for this.

Looking into shampoo bars and the apple cider vinegar rinse as an alternative to plastic container shampoo and conditioners, although I can refill the plastic containers with products in bulk or at the refill store. I still have a lot of product to use up, but it's be great to have a bar that can be used for shampoo, body wash, and shaving. It would also be ideal for traveling since it would be a solid, and really compact.

Also bought some much needed sports bras and a rain jacket for cycling pre-owned on Ebay instead of buying new.

[Plina]

Looking into shampoo bars and the apple cider vinegar rinse as an alternative to plastic container shampoo and conditioners, although I can refill the plastic containers with products in bulk or at the refill store. I still have a lot of product to use up, but it's be great to have a bar that can be used for shampoo, body wash, and shaving. It would also be ideal for traveling since it would be a solid, and really compact.

I have traded to shampoo, conditioner and soap bars to avoid the plastic. I was a bit sceptic but now I will not go back to bottles. It also ideal for travel. I learned this week that my choices had palm oil in them so next time I will look up some palm oil free. Here is a list of things to avoid if you want to avoid palm oil: https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/which-everyday-products-contain-palm-oil

I am trying to reduce my water use in the tap by installing this thing that is supposed to reduce your water use by 98 %. https://www.alteredcompany.com
I have installed it in the kitchen sink so I don't believe I will see a 98% reduction but it will be interesting to see if it there is a noticeable reduction. If I can get it to work with my bathroom tap I will buy another one. I think the biggest change will be that I cut my long hair to really short. I am amazed over how fast I wash the hair nowadays and I will probably skip the conditioner when the bar is finished. I think I have reduced the time in the shower with 2/3 every third day when I wash my hair. Which will make it difficult to see the results of the tap thing. Damn!

I am also adding more vegeterian meals to my diet. I have mostly given up on red meat and eat chicken and sometimes pork. I eat maybe a burger per month and sometimes if I am away something else. And when I am at my parents place I eat moose.

[dashuk]

Transport:

Still only been to work by combinations of bike/bus/train. Mostly just bike.

Car had done 1238 miles by the end of April, so slightly the wrong side of 'schedule' for a target of under 3000 miles. But we've already done two of the usual four big trips to friends and family already. Also, the car hasn't moved since 28 April, and probably won't until June. Going to my parents (100 miles away) on the train next week, which will be the first time we've done more than a day trip with two kids on the train.

More intangible, but have ramped up what I'm doing on cycle advocacy/campaigning work quite a bit so far this year.

Food:

Not much changed in terms of food. Fairly settled at 'near enough' vegan for the grown-ups and veggie for the kids.

However, we've actually started talking about it to my parents more,  and I think this time they might be open to eating more veggie while we're visiting. Now, coming at it more from a footprint point of view than an outright objection to eating animals, I'm not that fussed about having the odd roast dinner there - it's a tiny proportion of the food we eat - but if some of it 'stuck' and they started eating a bit less when we weren't there, that would be great.

Manufactured goods:

Dunno. Feels like we're trying not to buy stuff, but quite a bit seems to arrive in the house.

We had to replace our washing machine (>10 years old, have already repaired several times). Bought in some timber and topsoil for the garden.

Then there's the small matter of having both kids birthdays in the last couple of months ... hmm.

Domestic energy use

Not really changed anything here yet, other than we did transfer over to the renewable electricity/fully offset gas plan at the start of the year.

I did find out the 'typical' usage values on our old energy company bills were wrong. Against the real values from the energy regulator we sit somewhere in the second quartile of UK households, not the first as implied by the bills. Disappointing, but also motivation.

We have cash sat to invest in making this better. Primary candidates at this point are solar PV or heat pump. I'm just a bit short of mental bandwidth to properly assess which to do first.

[Slow&Steady]

Things I know we/I could do but without the buy in from the family I am not sure that I would be successful in making the change.

COMMUTE - I commute a long distance and have reduced the impacts of the commute as much as I can (carpooling & electric car) without moving.  The family (including me, most days) is very happy in our current house/town. Any other suggestions besides moving or a new job?
DAIRY - I don't see the family ever agreeing to dairy free. Most of the time husband (does all the cooking) uses alternatives in his cooking so I can eat it too but sometimes I just eat something different than everyone else.  I was able to give the 5 year old chocolate almond milk the other day without any comments so maybe I can just make small changes this way.
MEAT - I might get to a meat free lifestyle but would need to figure a few things out as soy/tofu is not an option. I don't think this would be something the family would agree to.  I have been thinking about raising our own backyard meat chickens, maybe I can push for that this summer/fall?
PLASTIC - This one might be something that I can actually have an impact on in our house.  I have been looking at a shampoo bar lately and I have already started to switch to bar soap. I recently purchased glass containers for my lunches instead of plastic ones.  Our produce almost all come from the co-op at this point so that is good. I think I have room for improvement on this at a personal level, even if the family is not on-board.
ENERGY - This has been a big focus for me the last couple years and 2019 should be dramatically lower than 2018 due to the wood boiler (installed Dec 2018).  I should mention here that we live on 18 acres and will be able to selectively harvest our own "fuel" for this at the same time as we are maintaining our wooded parts of the land. I also purchased one that had better emission controls vs one with no emission controls and not approved by EPA.  I want to add insulation to the house, maybe I can get that done before next winter.
TRAVEL - There is not really any travel in the plans for 2019 but most of it is done by car.  Although husband is having to take the older kids to a funeral (2 states away) this week and we chose to utilize Amtrak vs him driving. I have to fly 6-10 per year for work, I have been trying to figure out if they would let me drive for at least half of these.
FOOD - I have been wanting to start the garden back up but need to clear the spot and just do it. I have "brown" thumb but I really want a garden, is it too late to start planning this?  Did I need to dig it up last fall?

Any suggestions.  I am a full-time working mama with a long commute and 4 kids in the house and am taking classes for a Master's,  I want to continue to improve my environmental footprint but the time/money/energy bandwidth is pretty low at this point.  Does anybody want to weigh-in on 1-3 things they think will give me the "biggest bang of my (personal energy) buck"?

COMMUTE - I am still carpooling and it is going really well.  Now that it is warmer out I don't have to charge the EV as much when it is my turn to drive. HOWEVER,  I have had a phone interview for a position that would cut my commute in half and I am really hoping to get a call back for an in person interview this week.  Fingers are crossed!

DAIRY - Oldest kid is in the process of moving out and 2nd oldest is almost convinced to switch to almond milk so there has be a little movement on this. Giving up dairy cheese is currently not something the rest of the family is willing to discuss

MEAT - We have been trying to work on at least 1 meat-free dinner per week but it is a slow process

PLASTIC - Per a suggestion from this challenge I have looked into and am attempting to use menstrual cups, so far this is a success.  I am also looking at a couple different kinds of silicon "zip-lock" type of bags as we use several of these when we buy in bulk and then portion out to freeze.

ENERGY - We are working on building up the wood pile for winter and I am hoping that a shorter commute would also decrease the energy usage.  April was almost a net zero energy month and May is looking even closer to net zero as of now!

TRAVEL - I have had to air travel for work 3 times so far this year and will probably need to make another trip to the same location in June (unless the new job happens), I am currently planning to drive for the June trip.

FOOD - The garden is not going to happen this year but the food co-op and farmer's market are still great sources of fruits and vegetables.

[nessness]

I accomplished one of my biggest waste-reducing goals this week: potty training my 2-year-old. It was surprisingly easy. She's still in a diaper/pull-up for nap and overnight, but my understanding is that staying dry while sleeping is mostly developmental and can't really be trained.

[Hirondelle]

About as tiny as it can get;

I've been using my mint plant as a souce of tea more often, reducing the number of tea bags I use (= less packaging). It's probably only about one or two tea bags a week that I save now as my plant isn't big enough to cover my full tea consumption, but I'm growing a second plant now so the % should go up :)

[A mom]

Glad to have found this thread. I am always working on this. Right now I am considering buying an ebike to help me overcome my reluctance to bicycle longer distances. I am over 60 and overweight, so I hope no one will face punch me for laziness.

[dashuk]

Glad to have found this thread. I am always working on this. Right now I am considering buying an ebike to help me overcome my reluctance to bicycle longer distances. I am over 60 and overweight, so I hope no one will face punch me for laziness.

Speaking as someone younger and fitter, who chooses to ride ridiculous distances for fun and has only ridden an eBike twice...

...if anyone does, I will fight them* for you.






* write a sternly worded critique of their ridiculous position, hopefully from another continent.

[A mom]

Glad to have found this thread. I am always working on this. Right now I am considering buying an ebike to help me overcome my reluctance to bicycle longer distances. I am over 60 and overweight, so I hope no one will face punch me for laziness.

Speaking as someone younger and fitter, who chooses to ride ridiculous distances for fun and has only ridden an eBike twice...

...if anyone does, I will fight them* for you.






* write a sternly worded critique of their ridiculous position, hopefully from another continent.

:)

[FireHiker]

Hi, I'm interested in joining in here for the latter half of 2019. I've been working towards reducing my environmental impact for years. Here is the progress I have already made:
-reusable grocery bags have been a mainstay for YEARS; use mesh bags or no bags for produce
-cloth diapered both my younger kids
-reusables for female needs (cup and cloth pads; haven't used disposables in over 6 years)
-cloth napkins/rags; VERY rare paper towel usage for super gross things (I do have kids and a dog, grossness happens)
-switched to shampoo and conditioner bars from Silver Falls Sustainability Co which I LOVE, husband on board too
-bring my own water bottle, coffee cup, straw when I (rarely) use one (iced coffee, though I usually make my own)
-solar on our house, 5 years now
-2 mile commute, and husband and I work together most days so we carpool 95% of the time
-reducing waste in cosmetics (switched to Stowaway and Elate for makeup, Plaine Products for face wash and moisturizer, but using up older stuff too)
-reducing plastic in toilet paper (switched to Who Gives A Crap; not the cheapest but plastic free at least)
-reducing plastic in dental goods (use Dental Lace, experimenting with tooth powders and toothpaste bits at the moment, while using up all samples from dentist visits that have been stockpiled)
-reducing plastic waste in household stuff (Dropps for laundry and dishwashing, Blueland for spray cleaners; these actually are cheaper too)
-compostable dog waste bags (Doggie Do Good, though I'm working through a stash of free ones from a friend who lost their dog to cancer)
-pretty good about meat, eggs, and dairy being locally procured from more ethical providers/not factory farmed; we eat less but higher quality/more ethical when we do. Not perfect, I know.

Areas to improve:
-I need to minimize our STUFF so I know what we have and I'm not buying things unnecessarily. Working on using up things we already have instead of stockpiling
-Food waste...ugh. Kids are so bad about opening things in the pantry before something else is empty, then food goes stale. My plan is to reduce packaged items so this problem goes away, plus we'll be healthier. Trying to shift treats and snacks to homemade or occasional bulk bins, bringing my own bags (which I do have)
-food packaging...cooking more from scratch, shopping the perimeter...need to up my game here; it's been sad lately
-continue reducing meat and dairy: We've made big strides here but room for improvement. Husband is very "meat and potatoes" but he is getting more on board with meat-free meals on a regular basis. He does 95% of the cooking in our home, so this has been a process.
-composting. We need to do this. Researching options to decide which one fits our lifestyle the best right now
-travel is a challenge for us because we LOVE to visit distant places. This will be "improved" for the next few years while our travel budget pays for my oldest to attend college. Later when the kids are grown we plan to engage in "slower" travel where we spend more time in an area and reduce the number of long haul flights. I don't see us ever cutting it out completely, but we'd like to spend more time in each place and fly less often at least.

I follow several Zero Waste blogs/facebook groups, and I've found a lot of good information out there. I've come to the conclusion that it's better to incorporate changes sequentially as opposed to going all out at once and getting overwhelmed and quitting, which happened to me when I first tried several years ago (some things stuck from then, though, like the grocery bags, water bottle, coffee cup, etc). Now I try to focus on making sustainable changes and getting them solidified as habits, then move on to the next one.

With a family of five (kids are 7, 9, and 18), it can be a challenge to get everyone on board with changes. I'm hopeful, though. My 18 year old is planning to study Environmental Science and is considering law school so he can have a career in environmental policy. He feels very strongly about the environment, but there is still a disconnect in some of his habits (mostly junk food packaging and driving EVERYWHERE); not the I am in a position to judge because I have a lot of room for improvement too. He graduates from high school tomorrow and chose to rent a cap and gown instead of buying one because (his words) "what will I do with it after graduation?". He primarily shops at thrift stores and always brings his own water bottle everywhere, reusable bags, etc. I wish I was as aware of the impact of my actions on the environment when I was 18.

I hope I haven't written too much of a novel here; I'm excited to see how other folks balance environmental impact with frugality. There is a lot of overlap (especially in food), but ethical products can cost more sometimes, too. I guess the key is to focus on buying as little as possible, and buying secondhand as much as possible, and ethically produced items that are good quality otherwise. Looking forward to keeping involved here for the rest of the year and beyond.

[palebluedot]

I took the planet or plastic pledge when NatGeo started running it last year. I've made some decent progress removing all single use plastic from my life.

Produce Cloth bags
Bread bag
Stainless Steel Containers
Cloth Snack bags
Water Bottle
Reusable Straw / Brush Cleaner
Bamboo Cutlery
Toothbrush
Reusable Cottons
Safety Razor / Shaving Brush
Shaving Mug & Soap Puck
Dental Floss
Deodorant (Baking Soda + Tea Tree oil)
Facial Bar Soap
Toothpaste
Soap box
Who Gives A Crap Toilet Paper

I've been using https://packagefreeshop.com/ and http://lifewithoutplastic.com/ to find the alternatives as well some DIY tips I've come across online. The biggest challenge I have right now is buying dry food in bulk containers. I don't have a car and the only grocery store near me is ShopRite about 5 blocks away so I do all my grocery shopping there. The nearest bulk store is two towns over. I guess I could bike there and carry the containers on my bike's hanging basket. This challenge will have to wait a bit longer :-/

[SAfAmBrit]

Hi All - would like to join. I have been working on this for 3 years now and have done relatively ok. Just need to keep pushing.

The things we have incorporated:

I am vegatarian and the only one who cooks in the house so for the most part we are a meat free house. (I have sliced meat (yuk) in my fridge. He will not budge on the cheese.
We buy soap with no wrapping
TP comes from who gives a crap - these double as gifts - love the wrapping
I just bought some Silver Falls Sustainability Co - thanks for the hint - I had not found a condition bar I liked. Will llet you know.
Bought the other half a stainless steel lunch box - he has used it religiously for a year.
I get eggs from a resue farm - I tend to trip over the chickens to get it - they are very much free roaming. They also have honey and homemade jam - jars are returned to the farm.
I have stainless steel straws, bamboo toothbrushes, etc.
I grow mint for my tea.
I buy second hand clothes or bamboo.
I bought a bread maker for $20 3 years ago from a charity shop - still going. It costs me $1.20 per loaf now.
We buy from Winco - we take containers with us, fill them and then go through self checkout. They do no like it but it is too late at that point :-) Sugar/Nuts/Beans and Lentils/Rice etc.

My family is not all in but I have learnt that you cannot force people. Our trash can only needs to go out once every 3 weeks - recyle can be months.

Thank-you to everyone in the group - the more onboard - the more options become available the more people will join. After all, it is about convenience.

[GreenToTheCore]

Rented a bike instead of renting a car for a week long work trip.

Wins:
- Commute was shorter by bike, time & distance
- Commute was peaceful, along a river path and an access road
- Didn't have to deal with California drivers
- No worrying about filling up the gas tank before returning the car
- Free transport from hotel to airport
- Got to explore the city by way of river paths and nature trails
- Met a friend for dinner in the next town over and got there before she did, "there's been an accident on the highway, I'll be a bit late"
- Ate all the food, normally would feel poorly after eating at restaurants that much
- Great mental health benefit, balanced the stresses of working in a new place with new people
- Got to ride a fancy new bike

[A mom]

Got my new e-bike yesterday. Will have to report back on how much I am able to reduce car usage with it. The plan is to eliminate all car trips in town that do not include a passenger. I should be able to reduce car mileage by at least 50%, goal is 2/3.

[freedomfightergal]

great thread!

I just started composting (again)
started my food garden, some things will take years to produce, but eat something from the garden everyday, eg tomatoes, cucumber, blackberry, lemongrass, blueberries, basil in the last few days
bought an EV car - a Chevy Volt, I get 60 miles EV and haven't bought Gas since Feb, love it!
changed most light bulbs to LED
bought a smaller fridge - supermarket close by and costs nothing in car to get there
put a LOT of solar powered lights around the house and outside that give ambience in the evening and reduce need for lighting


Glad to read the thread and get more ideas ;)

[A mom]

great thread!

I just started composting (again)
started my food garden, some things will take years to produce, but eat something from the garden everyday, eg tomatoes, cucumber, blackberry, lemongrass, blueberries, basil in the last few days
bought an EV car - a Chevy Volt, I get 60 miles EV and haven't bought Gas since Feb, love it!
changed most light bulbs to LED
bought a smaller fridge - supermarket close by and costs nothing in car to get there
put a LOT of solar powered lights around the house and outside that give ambience in the evening and reduce need for lighting


Glad to read the thread and get more ideas ;)

Ooh, how long have you had the Volt? I was looking at a Prius Prime, with a 25 mile EV range, which should be plenty most of the time for my smallish city. Ended up going with the above mentioned e-bike, but still thinking about some sort of EV/plug in hybrid for the future.

[Syonyk]

Ooh, how long have you had the Volt?

Can't speak for ffg, but what do you want to know?  We've had our 1st Gen for most of a year out in rural farm country, and it's quite good - in the past year, we got around 100 miles per gallon of gas used in the winter, and we're typically in the 300-400 miles per gallon of gas used in the summer.  That's with the 35 mile range on battery, though winter drops it closer to 20 and uses the engine for heat (which is why winter fuel use is far higher).  We don't have 240V charging - it's just living on a 12A/120V charger and charges overnight.  When we eventually bother with 240V charging, it'll offset a tiny bit more gas use, but not much - that's just designing for a future longer range pure EV at some point.

For now, I think the Volt is about the ideal option for a "car" if you aren't going to have multiple car-class vehicles.  It does the common case on electric, and can still drive across the country on gas.  If you're doing a couple hundred mile trip, you... just drive it.  Fill up when it asks for gas.

[Malaysia41]

how I'm feeling about all of this atm:

https://me.me/i/little-things-you-can-do-to-save-the-environment-bike-b718f180f8564de1b730540465a63b8a

[A mom]

Ooh, how long have you had the Volt?

Can't speak for ffg, but what do you want to know?  We've had our 1st Gen for most of a year out in rural farm country, and it's quite good - in the past year, we got around 100 miles per gallon of gas used in the winter, and we're typically in the 300-400 miles per gallon of gas used in the summer.  That's with the 35 mile range on battery, though winter drops it closer to 20 and uses the engine for heat (which is why winter fuel use is far higher).  We don't have 240V charging - it's just living on a 12A/120V charger and charges overnight.  When we eventually bother with 240V charging, it'll offset a tiny bit more gas use, but not much - that's just designing for a future longer range pure EV at some point.

For now, I think the Volt is about the ideal option for a "car" if you aren't going to have multiple car-class vehicles.  It does the common case on electric, and can still drive across the country on gas.  If you're doing a couple hundred mile trip, you... just drive it.  Fill up when it asks for gas.

Thanks, Syonyk.  That’s what I was looking for. A happiness level with purchase over a period of time. Did you buy it used, then? Any concerns about the battery life?

[Syonyk]

Thanks, Syonyk.  That’s what I was looking for. A happiness level with purchase over a period of time. Did you buy it used, then? Any concerns about the battery life?

We got our Gen 1 used.  The battery life isn't a concern, because the Volt doesn't use the full pack capacity (for longevity reasons, not fully charging a pack helps) - and does a very good job managing the thermals.

It is a complex car, and there's always a risk of an expensive failure, but they're pretty rare in practice.

[freedomfightergal]

I bought a slightly used 2018 Gen 1 Volt.  I get about 60 miles of pure EV.  It has a backup Gas extender so can go all up about 420miles, though I haven't used much gas. The first time I filled up I thought something was wrong, because it only took a minute, it has a small tank but is super efficient.  I haven't bought Gas since February, so have saved at least $1k on Gas.   I bought a Level 2 charger and it charges quickly in about 3 hours at home, even faster on the public charging stations, but I mostly just charge at home, it's really easy.  I thought I would use more gas actually but haven't needed to.  I like too that if I want to go on a big road trip I still have the Gas option if I need it. Also where I am there is Hurricane risk.  I feel safer knowing if the Gas stations are backed up or empty, (as they were the last Hurricane), I can use the EV to get me away far enough to find Gas or pull out the chord and charge.

Because my car was close to new I still have a lot of warranty including I think it's an 8 year warranty on the battery.  My research indicated I would have non existent maintenance costs too.  For example the car has a regenerative braking system that captures energy back to the battery and saves on brake and tire wear.

I really love this car, it feels like a space ship and I love that I have eradicated a regular bill from my budget, hopefully forever.

[Manchester]

I watched a documentary the BBC have been showing over the past month called 'War on Plastic'.  Was really interesting/disheartening.  I don't think people understand the sheer scale of plastic contamination we face.  One of the most shocking revelations was that we're inhaling plastic at an alarming rate (they said worrying about consuming plastic through eating contaminated fish was pointless, considering the quantity we inhale on a daily basis). 

Another, huge dissapointment was to see how our government exports plastic waste to be recycled abroad.  Primarily in Asian countries like Malaysia.  The plastic is sent there, heaped in landfill sites and eventually contaminates local water supplies.  Only a tiny fraction of it is recycled.

They found how our supermarkets charge more for the likes of loose fruit as opposed to plastic packaged fruit.  So anyone who wants to reduce their plastic waste has to do so at a huge financial cost.

There's literally no incentive for anyone who's disinterested in the environment to reduce plastic waste.  Very sad state of affairs.

[JoshuaSpodek]

I watched a documentary the BBC have been showing over the past month called 'War on Plastic'.  Was really interesting/disheartening.  I don't think people understand the sheer scale of plastic contamination we face.  One of the most shocking revelations was that we're inhaling plastic at an alarming rate (they said worrying about consuming plastic through eating contaminated fish was pointless, considering the quantity we inhale on a daily basis). 

Another, huge dissapointment was to see how our government exports plastic waste to be recycled abroad.  Primarily in Asian countries like Malaysia.  The plastic is sent there, heaped in landfill sites and eventually contaminates local water supplies.  Only a tiny fraction of it is recycled.

They found how our supermarkets charge more for the likes of loose fruit as opposed to plastic packaged fruit.  So anyone who wants to reduce their plastic waste has to do so at a huge financial cost.

There's literally no incentive for anyone who's disinterested in the environment to reduce plastic waste.  Very sad state of affairs.

I wish there was a war on plastic. As best I can tell, nearly everyone is on plastic's side. I know maybe a handful of people putting any more than token effort to use less. Meanwhile, they act like recycling helps, but there's no evidence it reduces production of virgin plastic.

In other words, we're just shuffling plastic around as it breaks into smaller parts while we pour billions of tons of plastic into the system. Only reducing production reduces plastic.

The Guardian is publishing a series on plastic. You can start with this article https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jun/17/united-states-of-plastic-series-about-america-waste-crisis and click to the rest from it, though I recommend this illustrated piece https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/23/all-the-plastic-ever-made-study-comic (which cites that there's no evidence that recycling reduces virgin production) and this long piece https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/17/recycled-plastic-america-global-crisis.

> There's literally no incentive for anyone who's disinterested in the environment to reduce plastic waste.

Do you mean no financial incentive for people interested? There are plenty of incentives, largely one's health, the cleanliness of one's community, and maintaining Earth's ability to sustain life and human society.

There are still financial incentives. I spend less on food now that I avoid packaging, which has reduced my household garbage by at least 80%, mostly plastic.

Personally, since the public has to pay for cleaning plastic and other pollution, I see taxes on extraction and pollution as more accurate accounting. Inaccurate accounting, like when you, I, and Malaysian people pay for Trader Joe's plastic pollution, distorts markets. Our markets don't reflect plastic's costs.

As important as institutional change is, I believe individual action to reduce use by everyone possible (not stopping other efforts, like lobbying, etc), however modest it seems in the moment, is the fastest, most effective way to change institutions.

[Slow&Steady]

Things I know we/I could do but without the buy in from the family I am not sure that I would be successful in making the change.

COMMUTE - I commute a long distance and have reduced the impacts of the commute as much as I can (carpooling & electric car) without moving.  The family (including me, most days) is very happy in our current house/town. Any other suggestions besides moving or a new job?
DAIRY - I don't see the family ever agreeing to dairy free. Most of the time husband (does all the cooking) uses alternatives in his cooking so I can eat it too but sometimes I just eat something different than everyone else.  I was able to give the 5 year old chocolate almond milk the other day without any comments so maybe I can just make small changes this way.
MEAT - I might get to a meat free lifestyle but would need to figure a few things out as soy/tofu is not an option. I don't think this would be something the family would agree to.  I have been thinking about raising our own backyard meat chickens, maybe I can push for that this summer/fall?
PLASTIC - This one might be something that I can actually have an impact on in our house.  I have been looking at a shampoo bar lately and I have already started to switch to bar soap. I recently purchased glass containers for my lunches instead of plastic ones.  Our produce almost all come from the co-op at this point so that is good. I think I have room for improvement on this at a personal level, even if the family is not on-board.
ENERGY - This has been a big focus for me the last couple years and 2019 should be dramatically lower than 2018 due to the wood boiler (installed Dec 2018).  I should mention here that we live on 18 acres and will be able to selectively harvest our own "fuel" for this at the same time as we are maintaining our wooded parts of the land. I also purchased one that had better emission controls vs one with no emission controls and not approved by EPA.  I want to add insulation to the house, maybe I can get that done before next winter.
TRAVEL - There is not really any travel in the plans for 2019 but most of it is done by car.  Although husband is having to take the older kids to a funeral (2 states away) this week and we chose to utilize Amtrak vs him driving. I have to fly 6-10 per year for work, I have been trying to figure out if they would let me drive for at least half of these.
FOOD - I have been wanting to start the garden back up but need to clear the spot and just do it. I have "brown" thumb but I really want a garden, is it too late to start planning this?  Did I need to dig it up last fall?

Any suggestions.  I am a full-time working mama with a long commute and 4 kids in the house and am taking classes for a Master's,  I want to continue to improve my environmental footprint but the time/money/energy bandwidth is pretty low at this point.  Does anybody want to weigh-in on 1-3 things they think will give me the "biggest bang of my (personal energy) buck"?

COMMUTE - I am still carpooling and it is going really well.  I did receive an offer for a different job, it isn't as big of reduction in miles as the job I talked about wanting but it is a reduction.  I was also able to convince the SO to trade in the van for a Prius so his commuting/kid shuttling impact will be for the better going forward.

DAIRY - We have not purchased cow milk in probably a month!  Giving up cow cheese is currently not something the rest of the family is willing to discuss.

MEAT - This is still a slow process but we did find a local farm that we have started buying our meat from.  Still meat but less transportation.

PLASTIC - I did pick some silicone bags that we purchased to replace "ziplock" bags, I read so many reviews and most of them were frustrated that the silicone bags they purchased were wrapped individually in plastic bags.  I decided to purchase anyways with the hope that the company read the reviews and stopped that practice, I was wrong.  I have also switched to a shampoo bar and I LOVE it!

ENERGY - April ended up as a grand total of 144kW over what the solar produced.  May ended up as a grand total of 296kW over what the solar produced, but there were a lot of cloudy days so the solar produced less in May than expected.  June as of today is sitting at 93.6kW over the solar production. With the exception of May (solar panels were great producers last May) these numbers are drastically better than 2018.

TRAVEL - We will be making a family trip for in the next few weeks but it will be driving (in a PHEV).  I am hoping I can turn in my resignation before I get scheduled for any additional work travel.

FOOD - The garden is not going to happen this year but the food co-op and farmer's market are still great sources of fruits and vegetables.

[A mom]

I bought a slightly used 2018 Gen 1 Volt.  I get about 60 miles of pure EV.  It has a backup Gas extender so can go all up about 420miles, though I haven't used much gas. The first time I filled up I thought something was wrong, because it only took a minute, it has a small tank but is super efficient.  I haven't bought Gas since February, so have saved at least $1k on Gas.   I bought a Level 2 charger and it charges quickly in about 3 hours at home, even faster on the public charging stations, but I mostly just charge at home, it's really easy.  I thought I would use more gas actually but haven't needed to.  I like too that if I want to go on a big road trip I still have the Gas option if I need it. Also where I am there is Hurricane risk.  I feel safer knowing if the Gas stations are backed up or empty, (as they were the last Hurricane), I can use the EV to get me away far enough to find Gas or pull out the chord and charge.

Because my car was close to new I still have a lot of warranty including I think it's an 8 year warranty on the battery.  My research indicated I would have non existent maintenance costs too.  For example the car has a regenerative braking system that captures energy back to the battery and saves on brake and tire wear.

I really love this car, it feels like a space ship and I love that I have eradicated a regular bill from my budget, hopefully forever.

Many, many thanks regarding the comments on the Volt. I had been concerned about a used one, but you have allayed my fears. Will see how much I succeed in lowering the use of my Fit by substituting the Ebike, and if not enough, will probably go with a Volt or similar.

[A mom]

Things I know we/I could do but without the buy in from the family I am not sure that I would be successful in making the change.

COMMUTE - I commute a long distance and have reduced the impacts of the commute as much as I can (carpooling & electric car) without moving.  The family (including me, most days) is very happy in our current house/town. Any other suggestions besides moving or a new job?
DAIRY - I don't see the family ever agreeing to dairy free. Most of the time husband (does all the cooking) uses alternatives in his cooking so I can eat it too but sometimes I just eat something different than everyone else.  I was able to give the 5 year old chocolate almond milk the other day without any comments so maybe I can just make small changes this way.
MEAT - I might get to a meat free lifestyle but would need to figure a few things out as soy/tofu is not an option. I don't think this would be something the family would agree to.  I have been thinking about raising our own backyard meat chickens, maybe I can push for that this summer/fall?
PLASTIC - This one might be something that I can actually have an impact on in our house.  I have been looking at a shampoo bar lately and I have already started to switch to bar soap. I recently purchased glass containers for my lunches instead of plastic ones.  Our produce almost all come from the co-op at this point so that is good. I think I have room for improvement on this at a personal level, even if the family is not on-board.
ENERGY - This has been a big focus for me the last couple years and 2019 should be dramatically lower than 2018 due to the wood boiler (installed Dec 2018).  I should mention here that we live on 18 acres and will be able to selectively harvest our own "fuel" for this at the same time as we are maintaining our wooded parts of the land. I also purchased one that had better emission controls vs one with no emission controls and not approved by EPA.  I want to add insulation to the house, maybe I can get that done before next winter.
TRAVEL - There is not really any travel in the plans for 2019 but most of it is done by car.  Although husband is having to take the older kids to a funeral (2 states away) this week and we chose to utilize Amtrak vs him driving. I have to fly 6-10 per year for work, I have been trying to figure out if they would let me drive for at least half of these.
FOOD - I have been wanting to start the garden back up but need to clear the spot and just do it. I have "brown" thumb but I really want a garden, is it too late to start planning this?  Did I need to dig it up last fall?

Any suggestions.  I am a full-time working mama with a long commute and 4 kids in the house and am taking classes for a Master's,  I want to continue to improve my environmental footprint but the time/money/energy bandwidth is pretty low at this point.  Does anybody want to weigh-in on 1-3 things they think will give me the "biggest bang of my (personal energy) buck"?

COMMUTE - I am still carpooling and it is going really well.  I did receive an offer for a different job, it isn't as big of reduction in miles as the job I talked about wanting but it is a reduction.  I was also able to convince the SO to trade in the van for a Prius so his commuting/kid shuttling impact will be for the better going forward.

DAIRY - We have not purchased cow milk in probably a month!  Giving up cow cheese is currently not something the rest of the family is willing to discuss.

MEAT - This is still a slow process but we did find a local farm that we have started buying our meat from.  Still meat but less transportation.

PLASTIC - I did pick some silicone bags that we purchased to replace "ziplock" bags, I read so many reviews and most of them were frustrated that the silicone bags they purchased were wrapped individually in plastic bags.  I decided to purchase anyways with the hope that the company read the reviews and stopped that practice, I was wrong.  I have also switched to a shampoo bar and I LOVE it!

ENERGY - April ended up as a grand total of 144kW over what the solar produced.  May ended up as a grand total of 296kW over what the solar produced, but there were a lot of cloudy days so the solar produced less in May than expected.  June as of today is sitting at 93.6kW over the solar production. With the exception of May (solar panels were great producers last May) these numbers are drastically better than 2018.

TRAVEL - We will be making a family trip for in the next few weeks but it will be driving (in a PHEV).  I am hoping I can turn in my resignation before I get scheduled for any additional work travel.

FOOD - The garden is not going to happen this year but the food co-op and farmer's market are still great sources of fruits and vegetables.

Thanks for the update, Slow and Steady. Sounds great. We also have solar panels, but with all the clouds and rain we have had this spring they have performed quite a bit less well than last year. Still had a small excess last month, though.

[freedomfightergal]

Political will - for me there are so many issues here, and so hard to address most of them.

One thing I have only just become aware of is just how privatized the world's agricultural seeds are becoming.  We have gone past Plant Variety Protection to actual patents, where farmers and gardeners are basically renting use of the seed - you can't save it, you can't breed from it, you can't use or give away or sell seed you saved. 

I just found out about Open Source Seed Initiative (osseed.org) and not only want to start buying that seed for my garden, but publicize it.  Farmers in our area get their seed basically from Monsanto, and 100% of the corn and 60% of the soy is treated with neonics.  Our bees are in trouble, and the farmers have very few alternatives.

It's horrifying right!  The genetic manipulation of food!  I'm totally sickened by it.  I'm trying to grow my own food, and order from heirloom suppliers hoping to support the non-GMO seed companies.

In my own garden I had a very bad beginning with plants flowering but not fruiting, I established they weren't being pollinated.  I'd seen only one bee this season that we later found dead in the driveway.  I set about planting loads of Pollinator attractors and was happy to see a lone bee again the other day, but I am still very upset.     I used to easily get loads of zucchini and cucumbers from each plant.  So far zero zucchini and only 3 cucumber.  Have been getting plenty of Cherry Tomatoes, I think they self pollinate.  I tried pollinated the zucchini's by hand and it didn't work.

I think the Monsanto agenda is to control the food - ALL THE FOOD.  Not much competition out there for them either as I understand it.  They are incredibly ruthless.  I really don't like where I see it all going.

I vote with my dollars by trying to buy mostly Organic, local and non-GMO and and home grown!

[A mom]

Political will - for me there are so many issues here, and so hard to address most of them.

One thing I have only just become aware of is just how privatized the world's agricultural seeds are becoming.  We have gone past Plant Variety Protection to actual patents, where farmers and gardeners are basically renting use of the seed - you can't save it, you can't breed from it, you can't use or give away or sell seed you saved. 

I just found out about Open Source Seed Initiative (osseed.org) and not only want to start buying that seed for my garden, but publicize it.  Farmers in our area get their seed basically from Monsanto, and 100% of the corn and 60% of the soy is treated with neonics.  Our bees are in trouble, and the farmers have very few alternatives.

It's horrifying right!  The genetic manipulation of food!  I'm totally sickened by it.  I'm trying to grow my own food, and order from heirloom suppliers hoping to support the non-GMO seed companies.

In my own garden I had a very bad beginning with plants flowering but not fruiting, I established they weren't being pollinated.  I'd seen only one bee this season that we later found dead in the driveway.  I set about planting loads of Pollinator attractors and was happy to see a lone bee again the other day, but I am still very upset.     I used to easily get loads of zucchini and cucumbers from each plant.  So far zero zucchini and only 3 cucumber.  Have been getting plenty of Cherry Tomatoes, I think they self pollinate.  I tried pollinated the zucchini's by hand and it didn't work.

I think the Monsanto agenda is to control the food - ALL THE FOOD.  Not much competition out there for them either as I understand it.  They are incredibly ruthless.  I really don't like where I see it all going.

I vote with my dollars by trying to buy mostly Organic, local and non-GMO and and home grown!

You can hand pollinate zucchini and cucumbers. Go out about 8 in the morning. Remove a male flower and take off the petals. Make sure the pollen has started shedding by rubbing a bit of the stamen against your thumb. If it isn’t shedding you may need to wait for the temperature to rise a bit. Then take the depetaled male blossom and use it like a paint brush to spread pollen all over the pistol on newly opened female flowers. If you do this after about 10 am it may not work because pollen will be too old.

[bocifule]

Me and my family love underwater activities (diving, snorkeling) therefore we travel quite a lot to be able to see places where coral reefs and marine life is still 'untouched'.
To be honest, when we started traveling years ago I didn't know much about waste problems but the more we travel the worse thing we see.

My fav destination in terms of marine life is Indonesia, but I see that the plastic situation is worse and worse year after year. Even in the most remote places, the beaches are covered with tons of plastic and no one seems to be interested in finding a solution.

These experiences led to be more responsible at home and when traveling. I try to do my best to leave the smallest impact by taking some simple actions, like using

- canvas bags to avoid plastic bags
- reusable bamboo and metal straws, reusable cups and water bottle
- eco-friendly ocean safe sunscreen https://snorkelaroundtheworld.com/2018/08/best-reef-safe-sunscreen/ instead of chemical sun care products
- solid bar soaps, shampoo, body lotion
- natural home-made detergents such as baking soda, vinegar and lemon
- buying less but good-quality products (no matter it's food, clothes, household items or anyhting)

I know these are little steps and I still have to improve a lot, but I try to educate myself and my family continuously how to do it better.

[JoshuaSpodek]

Me and my family love underwater activities (diving, snorkeling) therefore we travel quite a lot to be able to see places where coral reefs and marine life is still 'untouched'.
To be honest, when we started traveling years ago I didn't know much about waste problems but the more we travel the worse thing we see.

My fav destination in terms of marine life is Indonesia, but I see that the plastic situation is worse and worse year after year. Even in the most remote places, the beaches are covered with tons of plastic and no one seems to be interested in finding a solution.

These experiences led to be more responsible at home and when traveling. I try to do my best to leave the smallest impact by taking some simple actions, like using

- canvas bags to avoid plastic bags
- reusable bamboo and metal straws, reusable cups and water bottle
- eco-friendly ocean safe sunscreen https://snorkelaroundtheworld.com/2018/08/best-reef-safe-sunscreen/ instead of chemical sun care products
- solid bar soaps, shampoo, body lotion
- natural home-made detergents such as baking soda, vinegar and lemon
- buying less but good-quality products (no matter it's food, clothes, household items or anyhting)

I know these are little steps and I still have to improve a lot, but I try to educate myself and my family continuously how to do it better.

Have you connected your love of nature to the effects flying has on it? Or if you can learn to love the nature closer to your home?