What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?

[Dollar Slice]

I ran out of cleaning spray and decided to try a natural/green type of cleaner instead of the nasty chemical-y stuff I used to use. Half the online reviews say it's great and half of them say it smells terrible, so we'll see how it goes ;-)

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

I just got my "Outdoor water use report." It has a green smiley face and says "thank you for using only what you need."

I planted grass seed! I was watering twice a day for a while! Jesus, what are other people doing in their yards??

[MonkeyJenga]

Agree that systematic changes are needed. That's part of why I've worked to get Democrats elected in swing areas, as they're better on environmental policy on the whole. But I could still do better on a personal level. I've pledged not to fly for at least a year, but I've already flown twice this year. I'm also living in a free-standing house for the first time in my adult life. That has a big impact, even with roommates.

Speaking of getting Democrats elected in order to effect systematic change! I participated in the anti-IDC movement back in NY, and those victories led to the new Democratic majority in the NY senate passing ambitious environmental targets. I had a minor role in this, but hey my personal usage also has a minor effect, so I'm gonna claim a tiny bit of credit.

It's kind of crazy to look back and realize the cumulative effect of all of our activism is resulting in real policy change.

https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2019/6/20/18691058/new-york-green-new-deal-climate-change-cuomo

[Raenia]

Yesterday, the head of the Environmental, Health, and Safety team was working a table outside the cafeteria promoting plastic reduction.  While I had her available, I asked about installing bike racks at the entrances to each building, and about adding composting for the cafeteria and switching to compostable plates, cups, and cutlery.  She said something is in the works for composting, but they are having trouble finding a composting company to take the waste.  However it will be going forward as soon as they find someone, as this is a global company initiative.  She also said she hadn't realized there was demand for more bike racks - there is one on the manufacturing side of the building, but not the admin or R&D buildings.  She will look into if they can be added at other entrances.

[Loretta]

I’ve ramped up my recycling efforts at home and at work.  I also averaged 62 mpg this month in my Prius—actually I just learned that my Prius will tell me my mpg averages over a day or month.  I’m also hanging up my work dresses straight from the washing machine and I do notice the fabric looking better for longer with less wear and tear. 

[okisok]

Yesterday: Made beeswax wraps with materials I already had on hand, to reduce my plastic wrap and plastic baggie use. Organized my craft stash to optimize gift making and crafting without buying new supplies. Took some old clothing items apart to use the buttons and fabrics for other projects.
Used a carrier bag for dog poo.

Today: Picked up cans on my dog walk. Used a carrier bag for the dog poo. Left the a/c off all day, even though it's over 90 degrees outside. With the place shut up tight, it was only 79 when I got home, so I didn't have to turn it home when I got in.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Made beef broth from leftover bones!

[Imma]

I took the test too and ended up at 1,5 earth. I occasionally eat meat/animal products so I figured that was probably what's causing most carbon emissions, but I'm surprised the mobility category is the worst. And I don't even have a driver's license. I travel 95 miles / 150 km by bus and 50 miles / 80 km by train every week. In my country the trains all run on electricity from renewable sources though, I don't think the calculator knows that :) The bus I take is still running on diesel but in my city more and more buses are electric.

I mended my boyfriend's summer shorts today. He's had them for 6-7 years probably, first they were regular jeans, when the knees wore out they became shorts. They ripped while he was doingyard work and making an awkward movement. They're not the prettiest looking shorts in the world but he's only wearing them around the house anyway. I hope they last for the rest of the summer. By next summer one of his current pairs of jeans is probably worn out enough to be turned into a brand new pair of shorts. What I really love about him is that he's just as much into  'using it up and wearing it out'  as I am. We are pretty extreme compared to 99% of the people, even most eco types I know, but I'm pretty good with the sewing machine so any repairs are usually invisible.

[FIREstache]

90+ and humid out.  Running the AC but only cooling to about 83-84.

Going biking in an hour or two.  Car sits today.

[Raenia]

This is an incredibly tiny thing, but I'm still proud of it.  When I cooked a whole chicken last week, in addition to saving the carcass to make stock, I saved the rendered fat (called schmaltz).  I usually just throw away the fat, but I am trying to waste less, especially on the rare occasions we cook meat.  Last night, I made roasted potatoes using the schmaltz instead of oil or butter.  It was a rousing success, my husband couldn't believe how good they were and asked how I did it.  So, looks like now saving and rendering chicken fat is going to be a regular thing.  One less thing in the trash, and one less part of the animal wasted.

[jengod]

I brought a bamboo toothbrush to work to stash in my desk.  I give my teeth a quick brush after my morning coffee. 

Also, for the first time ever, I picked up a piece of plastic trash and I'm going to put it in my home recycling container.

Wonderful! I read that we create and use a billion plastic toothbrushes a year! And detrashing can get kind of addictive. Have fun :)

[diapasoun]

Ripped up an old stained shirt (yellow pit stains that didn't come out after multiple treatments) for rags. I'm getting better at using rags for cleaning instead of paper towels (it's a majority rag process now).

Packed a tupperware + my own chopsticks for going out to ramen tonight. I always have leftovers and no need to use disposable wooden chopsticks.

I also worked out offsets for every flight I've ever taken (being an academic was terrible for the environment, oh gosh). Any recommendations for organizations which do tree planting offsets that have good practices and aren't just acacia/eucalyptus plantations?

[Dollar Slice]

I also worked out offsets for every flight I've ever taken (being an academic was terrible for the environment, oh gosh). Any recommendations for organizations which do tree planting offsets that have good practices and aren't just acacia/eucalyptus plantations?

I was reading about carbon offsets the other day and came across some useful links - this site has a few tree-planting offsets that seem pretty solid. (There are some that aren't listed under "forests" so you might want to look through the whole list...)

[Hirondelle]

I also worked out offsets for every flight I've ever taken (being an academic was terrible for the environment, oh gosh). Any recommendations for organizations which do tree planting offsets that have good practices and aren't just acacia/eucalyptus plantations?

I was reading about carbon offsets the other day and came across some useful links - this site has a few tree-planting offsets that seem pretty solid. (There are some that aren't listed under "forests" so you might want to look through the whole list...)

That's amazing! I've only started doing offsets since last year but going back to earlier flights would be a good (and painful, and expensive) thing to do. I used to donate to Cool Earth but came across a piece of Effective Altruism of why they might have overrated Cool Earth initially . They suggested The Coalition for Rainforest Nations and The Clean Air Task Force as alternatives. I donated my last offsets to the Coalition of Rainforest Nations, but I have to admit that I didn't do too much in-depth research on what exactly they do.

[Raenia]

Not necessarily my environmental impact, but I'm carpooling with a coworker today.  I would have been driving anyway, but she would otherwise have called an uber/lyft, so carpooling saves her having a separate drive.  She will take public transit (bus) from my place to hers, so there is no additional cost to me.

[mustachepungoeshere]

Thank you all for posting here.

Over the past few weeks my anxiety and, well, grief over the state of our planet has become overwhelming.

I follow a lot of environmental groups online, and all I see is post after post about ghost fishing nets, dead whales and dolphins and birds with bellies full of plastic, and starving polar bears wandering thousands of kilometres in search of food. Today I saw a viral photo of a bird feeding its baby a cigarette butt, and a platypus dead in abandoned fishing line.

As a lifelong animal lover, these posts bring me to tears, and make me want to scream at those responsible.

So this thread is a tiny reminder that there are good people out there making meaningful changes.

[LightTripper]

This thread has cheered me up.

My regular things (including today):
- Walked to work (although otherwise I would have taken the bus, which is going anyway, so maybe I shouldn't count this!)
- Got my coffee (not v. Mustachian) in my own reusable cup

I also took 2 things out of my Amazon basket (decided they weren't necessary) before I placed my order.

Earlier in the week took some toys and books we've finished with to neighbours to be given out at the local summer fair (they give a free book and toy to every child who attends as there are a lot of families on welfare or lower incomes in our area, so it's a nice way to re-use things our kids have grown out of, and give them a new toy and book each without anybody burning any fossil fuels).

We've been playing a lot with cardboard boxes with the kids - making robots and buses and dress up outfits out of them.  Hopefully that reduces the use/wear out of the many plastic toys they have, so those will have a longer life ahead of them.

The stuff on offsetting is really useful.  We are flying for our summer holidays this year so I need to look into how we can try to offset that (financially at least - I know really we have to just stop flying every year).

[jengod]

* Cloth diapering is going well with baby #4
* Did lots of gardening and composting that will ultimately sequester carbon in the soil
* Reading Sandor Katz’s fermentation book, which will hopefully be another skill for saving produce and reducing waste

[MonkeyJenga]

Instead of calling a cab when I missed my bus, I speed-walked a mile to catch a different one.

[Dollar Slice]

I used my new reusable produce bags for the first time today. I was a little worried that it would annoy the staff somehow since it's a really busy store and I went at a fairly busy time, but the cashier didn't comment, just weighed/scanned the veg and even adjusted the tare weight (the bags don't have a tare weight printed on them, so I guess the store must have a policy about that). Bonus: I think the weight she entered was slightly higher than the actual weight, so I probably saved a couple of pennies...

These are the ones I bought if anyone is interested.

[Chaplin]

I'm continuing to bike to work at least 4 days/week. I've also harvested more food from my balcony garden than I'd expected. It's producing almost as much salad greens as we eat and the snap peas are going gangbusters. I've also picked a single zucchini.

Alas, potato plants aren't quite as deer resistant here as they were at a previous house. Hopefully the fact a couple plants have been nearly razed won't affect the roots too much.

Time for the Chaplin deer fence!

Making our deer fence was fun. It will be a while before it pays back in reduced grocery store costs though. Happy to help build v2.0 and use what I learned to make it better and less expensive.

[Chaplin]

This is definitely a favorite thread!

A few of our ongoing or recent items:

1. Switched to cloth grocery and vegetable bags.
2. Many other steps to reduce our incoming plastic.
3. 95% of my son's clothes for the last 8 or 9 years have been second-hand.
4. My wife walked our son to and from school almost every day for the past school year (next year will be tougher since the school is further, but I'm working on getting them ready to bike it as often as possible).
5. Working on replacing the three worst windows in our house to improve energy efficiency.
6. There's enthusiasm at work to reduce plastic use and increase bike-friendliness, and I'm in a position to help make those things happen.

The struggles:
1. We still eat more meat than we should. We're all working on it, but my wife is a bit less gung-ho than my son or me.
2. I fly fairly often for work.
3. Trying to encourage the neighbors in a way that is both respectful and successful.

[jengod]

* Did my first cargo-bike grocery run in a long time (I was heavily pregnant and hospitalized for pneumonia for a while, and then the bike had a flat it took us a while to get fixed).

* Got milk in glass bottles and bought sugar and popcorn from the bulk bins to reduce packaging.

[Loretta]

I recycled some plastic bottles and paper in my buildings recycling area today.  Did not take a bag with my grocery store purchase but just jammed the stuff into my purse.  I also wore my Goodwill short-shorts today.  New to me, but cheap and breezy ;)

[frozen]

I took my recyclables down to the recycling bin in my condo.
I walked to run some of my errands today.

I know it doesn’t seem like I did much, but I am glad I took the opportunity to think about it.

[pachnik]

I used my mesh produce bags for the first time at the grocery store today.

[Imma]

We are digging up the whole backyard, taking out the concrete paving and putting in grass and locally sourced gravel. We will also add a rainbarrel. Because heavy rains are more common now than in the past due to climate change, the local council is encouraging everyone to take out concrete and tiles to let rainwater soak into the ground. Unfortunately our yard is too small to receive a subsidy but we're going to do it anyway.

It's too late in the season to grow vegetables but from next year we will add raised beds. We're saving some berries that are already in there now and will move them to their new location. We are also going to grow apples and grapes. We live in a very urban location so it's not like we're going to be self sufficient or anything but from next year I hope to grow enough to not have to buy produce as much during the summer.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

I drink milk that I had remembered to freeze before I left on vacation instead of pouring it out or letting it go bad.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

We are digging up the whole backyard, taking out the concrete paving and putting in grass and locally sourced gravel. We will also add a rainbarrel. Because heavy rains are more common now than in the past due to climate change, the local council is encouraging everyone to take out concrete and tiles to let rainwater soak into the ground. Unfortunately our yard is too small to receive a subsidy but we're going to do it anyway.

It's too late in the season to grow vegetables but from next year we will add raised beds. We're saving some berries that are already in there now and will move them to their new location. We are also going to grow apples and grapes. We live in a very urban location so it's not like we're going to be self sufficient or anything but from next year I hope to grow enough to not have to buy produce as much during the summer.

Check out microclover instead of grass if you want to skip the maintenance side of cutting.  It's resistant to drought better than grass and it's also good for bees.

You can also mix clover and grass together if you want the advantages of clover (it's also a nitrogen fixer, which is good for grass) but want better foot traffic tolerance. I am trying both in my yard.

[LightTripper]

I'd never heard of reusable produce bags or microclover, so I've learned two useful things just on this page!  :)

[chaskavitch]

Reusable produce bags are the best, especially if your store has a bulk section.  Get some mesh ones AND some solid cloth ones, so you can get produce, bulk chocolate, flour, oats - whatever you want! 

I've been riding my bike to work every day.  It's only 5 miles round trip, but we're moving soon to a new house that's 10 miles away (I know, the opposite of helpful for the environment, but it's so we can garden more!), so I feel like I have to get every last day of bike commuting that I can before I'm intimidated by biking 20 miles a day.

[Poundwise]

Set up yet another camp carpool.  As almost always, not only does this save the environment, but it saves gas money and a lot of time for me (10 hours of driving total)!

[nessness]

I have the good fortune of getting some free bread now and again.  Any suggestions on how to store it for freezing or sitting on the counter that's not a plastic bag?

For sitting on the counter you could use a bread box. Not sure about freezing - I'd probably just use a plastic bag and reuse it as many times as possible.

[pachnik]

Set up yet another camp carpool.  As almost always, not only does this save the environment, but it saves gas money and a lot of time for me (10 hours of driving total)!

That's the big win that most people don't think about...what's good for the environment is also usually good for your body and wallet.

It is funny how this is. 

[gatortator]

I have the good fortune of getting some free bread now and again.  Any suggestions on how to store it for freezing or sitting on the counter that's not a plastic bag?

for freezing -- pillow case if using in short amount of time.  longer timeframe-- al foil to help stop freezer burn(reuse as needed)

[Dollar Slice]

I have the good fortune of getting some free bread now and again.  Any suggestions on how to store it for freezing or sitting on the counter that's not a plastic bag?

If this comes up often enough that you're willing to spend a couple of bucks, you can get reusable silicone ziptop bags for freezing.

What happens if you store bread in Tupperware? I've never tried it but maybe that would work?

[Raenia]

I have the good fortune of getting some free bread now and again.  Any suggestions on how to store it for freezing or sitting on the counter that's not a plastic bag?

If this comes up often enough that you're willing to spend a couple of bucks, you can get reusable silicone ziptop bags for freezing.

What happens if you store bread in Tupperware? I've never tried it but maybe that would work?

I've stored rolls in tupperware and frozen them, it works just fine.  Haven't tried it with a loaf, but if you've got a container that fits, I don't see why it wouldn't work.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

I sewed bulk bags from scrap fabric!

[okisok]

I sewed bulk bags from scrap fabric!

Thanks for the great idea! I've got a lot of scrap fabric lying around, and I'm trying to shop more from bulk bins.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

I sewed bulk bags from scrap fabric!

Thanks for the great idea! I've got a lot of scrap fabric lying around, and I'm trying to shop more from bulk bins.

This is the tutorial I used: https://fitbottomedgirls.com/2013/04/how-to-make-a-reusable-bulk-food-bag-a-tutorial/5/

If you don't have an old t shirt you could use any non-raveling knit fabric you might have, or just omit the tie and use (and reuse) twist ties. Good luck!

[TrMama]

I'm continuing to bike to work at least 4 days/week. I've also harvested more food from my balcony garden than I'd expected. It's producing almost as much salad greens as we eat and the snap peas are going gangbusters. I've also picked a single zucchini.

Alas, potato plants aren't quite as deer resistant here as they were at a previous house. Hopefully the fact a couple plants have been nearly razed won't affect the roots too much.

Time for the Chaplin deer fence!

Making our deer fence was fun. It will be a while before it pays back in reduced grocery store costs though. Happy to help build v2.0 and use what I learned to make it better and less expensive.

Thanks for the offer! However, our yard has serious elevation issues with lots of solid granite so I've permanently nixed the idea of ever fencing it. The deer and I just have an agreement that they'll let me know when I've planted something irresistible and I'll make a mental note not to plant it again ;-)

In the last couple weeks I've learned that Bulk Barn has a very liberal reused container policy. I've now got cocoa powder, corn starch and a few other things in the mass market version containers I used to buy these items in. For example, my bulk cocoa powder is in a Fry's cocoa powder tin. I like not having to find a specific container for these things, plus they're clearly labelled in the pantry for the rest of the family.

[TrMama]

I sewed bulk bags from scrap fabric!

Thanks for the great idea! I've got a lot of scrap fabric lying around, and I'm trying to shop more from bulk bins.

This is the tutorial I used: https://fitbottomedgirls.com/2013/04/how-to-make-a-reusable-bulk-food-bag-a-tutorial/5/

If you don't have an old t shirt you could use any non-raveling knit fabric you might have, or just omit the tie and use (and reuse) twist ties. Good luck!

I have a bunch of produce and bulk bin bags I made from an old sheet. I like these better than the ones I made from t-shirts because they don't stretch.

I put a ribbon casing in the top of a few of the smaller bags, but I didn't bother with most of the bags. I just made them a little taller than strictly necessary so the items inside don't fall out. I've even carried dried beans home in a "open" cloth bag. I'm just careful in how I pack the bag so nothing spilled out.

I also round off the corners of the bags when I sew up the bottoms. This stops small amounts of food from getting stuck in the corners so I don't have to mess around with cleaning them out.

[jengod]

I sewed bulk bags from scrap fabric!

Thanks for the great idea! I've got a lot of scrap fabric lying around, and I'm trying to shop more from bulk bins.

This is the tutorial I used: https://fitbottomedgirls.com/2013/04/how-to-make-a-reusable-bulk-food-bag-a-tutorial/5/

If you don't have an old t shirt you could use any non-raveling knit fabric you might have, or just omit the tie and use (and reuse) twist ties. Good luck!

I have a bunch of produce and bulk bin bags I made from an old sheet. I like these better than the ones I made from t-shirts because they don't stretch.

I put a ribbon casing in the top of a few of the smaller bags, but I didn't bother with most of the bags. I just made them a little taller than strictly necessary so the items inside don't fall out. I've even carried dried beans home in a "open" cloth bag. I'm just careful in how I pack the bag so nothing spilled out.

I also round off the corners of the bags when I sew up the bottoms. This stops small amounts of food from getting stuck in the corners so I don't have to mess around with cleaning them out.

The rounded corners idea is so clever!! Nice thinking.

* Um, I used the ELF for both school/camp pickups today.

* I tried to reduce food-waste by: shredding broccoli stems and putting them in brine as a lactoferment experiment, and I harvested several apples that were going to ruined soon by our squirrels and scrub jays. They’re a bit too tart and small to eat out of hand so I’m turning them into applesauce.

[MonkeyJenga]

I picked berries and scavenged canned food from the sidewalk. I didn't buy anything and traveled only by foot and by bike.

[GuitarStv]

Where are you finding canned goods on the sidewalk?

[red_pill]

We are digging up the whole backyard, taking out the concrete paving and putting in grass and locally sourced gravel. We will also add a rainbarrel. Because heavy rains are more common now than in the past due to climate change, the local council is encouraging everyone to take out concrete and tiles to let rainwater soak into the ground. Unfortunately our yard is too small to receive a subsidy but we're going to do it anyway.

It's too late in the season to grow vegetables but from next year we will add raised beds. We're saving some berries that are already in there now and will move them to their new location. We are also going to grow apples and grapes. We live in a very urban location so it's not like we're going to be self sufficient or anything but from next year I hope to grow enough to not have to buy produce as much during the summer.

Have you thought about planting some native plants instead of grass?  Far better protection against water run off, better carbon capture, and you create habitat particularly for polinators. Oh, and WAY less maintenance.  Grass is a terrible waste of space. We naturescaped 3/4 of our yard and will be getting rid of the last bit of grass as well.  No more lawnmower!

[Bracken_Joy]

Where are you finding canned goods on the sidewalk?

Welcome to the beautiful and weird world of Portland, Oregon. Where sidewalks are an unofficial Freecycle program for food, clothes, furniture, whatever your heart desires. We also used to have 'unofficial' bike share programs, where cheap abandoned (or let's be honest, previously stolen) bikes were never locked up and people would just use them to get place to place then leave them unlocked on another bike rack, for the cycle to begin again.

As for the prompt- I walked to yoga for evening class, even though I was a little worried about it getting dark, and it was a bit rainy. All in all it was a nice walk though, so I'm glad I've kept my streak of never driving to yoga!

[GuitarStv]

I'd never need to buy anything again!

[Bracken_Joy]

I'd never need to buy anything again!

Pretty sure MJ only pays for rent at this point =P

[TrMama]

I'm planning on going to the gym tonight for the first time in many years. Since I don't really have any gym shorts I plan to simply cut the legs off an old pair of yoga pants. I'll hem them properly later, when I have more time.

Vegetarian dinner for everyone last night.

Picked a big bowl of peas and lettuce from the balcony garden last night. I wish my pole beans would produce more. I'm only gotten a few so far this year.

Packed the compostable food bits home from my work lunch. We don't have an office composting program so the mango peels and tea bags I generated yesterday would've otherwise gone in the trash.