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

[deborah]

Jackie French lives near here ... and has a garden... which is in the open garden scheme... and writes a lot of gardening articles.

[Rollin]

No meat = #1 reduction.
No driving = #2.

You may want to watch Conspiracy. Also, read How Not to Die.

[The Guru]

Biked to work today, as did my wife. Granted we could/ should do it more, but...we're old lol.

After I got home, I took a look at our nearly Closed for the Season garden and harvested enough broccoli for dinner.

This past weekend we walked to the DQ for dessert*- 3 mile round trip- and I salvaged a complete and decent condition bike from someone's trash.**

* As a Mustachian I guess we should have made do at home but Mrs. Guru really needed to get out of the house. We had a coupon for the sundae (3 bucks and change) which we split; the exercise, time together and sugar did wonders.

** I need ANOTHER bike like I need a third row of teeth, but it looked usable and I couldn't bear to see it shitcanned. Will probably put air in the tires, ride it once and then donate it to the local bike co-op.

[jengod]

We've been cloth-diapering third kid and it's much easier than I thought it would be. (I'm a SAHM and have a washer and clothesline.) The water use is higher, but we're saving the manufacturing impact and landfill impact of disposables.

[HappierAtHome]

My garden has started producing FOOD! Very little to start with, but hey, a handle of blueberries from my yard is a handful of nutrients and deliciousness that didn't have to travel in a truck or get wrapped in plastic.

[Julard]

I switched my electricity account to 100% renewables.   

And planted a street tree (in quiet defiance of local laws!)

[nnls]

I havent eaten meat since Sunday night, my goal is to reduce my consumption of meat and animal products. At the end of last year I read two books which inspired me to cut down for two different reasons. One was about the environmental impact of societies increased meat consumption and the other was about the health issues of eating meat, and too much in general.

I am not going to go full vegan or vegetarian, just be more mindful of what I am eating and trying to make healthier choices that are a bit more sustainable.

The two books were

Full Planet, empty plates: the new geopolitics of food scarcity - Lester Brown http://www.bookdepository.com/Full-Planet-Empty-Plates-Lester-R-Brown/9780393344158?ref=grid-view and Eat Less live long - Jason S Bennett

[HappierAtHome]

I am not going to go full vegan or vegetarian, just be more mindful of what I am eating and trying to make healthier choices that are a bit more sustainable.

This is what I've been trying to do. Following a discussion on someone's journal, I've also been thinking more about which foods are and aren't sustainable to produce in Australia, whether I should be modifying my diet accordingly, and how I can produce more of my food in my own backyard.

[HappierAtHome]

Today:

Vegan breakfast (frozen raspberries with homemade nutty, seedy granola), vegan lunch (homemade vege curry), probably a vegetarian dinner (leftover homemade pizza).

Using public transport and shank's pony for my transport.

Using captured grey water to water my potted fruits and veges.

Discussing with my brother which householdy / DIY type things we only need one of between our two households, to reduce consumption. We live in the same suburb and get along well, so I foresee this working out well for both of us. First item on the list: a tall ladder.

Recently:

Picking up items from my local Buy Nothing group, including a few which would've ended up in landfill.

Listing items on Buy Nothing that others will want. Reduced consumption is always a good thing.

Gratefully accepting hand me down clothes from friends for our soon-to-be-baby. Much less wasteful than buying new: I can't believe the sheer volumes of clothes we buy and discard as a society.

Harvesting strawberries and basil from my garden; planning the next stage of my very slow garden makeover to increase my fruit and vege production.

[Anatidae V]

Over the past few weeks, I've tried to put up the courtyard umbrella to reduce the heat that gets into the house. We've still needed to turn on the air conditioner, but not for as long as we would've needed otherwise.

[HappierAtHome]

Over the past few weeks, I've tried to put up the courtyard umbrella to reduce the heat that gets into the house. We've still needed to turn on the air conditioner, but not for as long as we would've needed otherwise.

That's a good point! We've been using our outdoor blinds to minimise the heat in our 'big room'; they really do make a huge difference. We've run the air con far less this summer than last, and that's with me being pregnant and home more.

[HappierAtHome]

My local council now mulches garden waste thrown out by households as part of our regular rubbish collection, and then provides it as FREE mulch for residents :D this is awesome!

Not a small thing I'm doing, but definitely a move in the right direction for sustainability in my local area.

[Fresh Bread]

My local council now mulches garden waste thrown out by households as part of our regular rubbish collection, and then provides it as FREE mulch for residents :D this is awesome!

Not a small thing I'm doing, but definitely a move in the right direction for sustainability in my local area.

Ours takes it, mulches it and then sells it back to us...hmmm. Luckily we have our own mulcher. It's really handy when you have palms and only one green bin - one leaf unshredded fills the thing!

[Anatidae V]

My local council now mulches garden waste thrown out by households as part of our regular rubbish collection, and then provides it as FREE mulch for residents :D this is awesome!

Not a small thing I'm doing, but definitely a move in the right direction for sustainability in my local area.

Ours takes it, mulches it and then sells it back to us...hmmm. Luckily we have our own mulcher. It's really handy when you have palms and only one green bin - one leaf unshredded fills the thing!

I recently read the instructions for my bin on the council website/ annual pamphlet. It reads as though we are supposed to put food scraps and green stuff in the green topped bin, recyclables in the yellow topped bin, and.... Then there's nowhere for generic "waste"? I need to investigate this further and look at easy sorting requirements for us.

[HappierAtHome]

My local council now mulches garden waste thrown out by households as part of our regular rubbish collection, and then provides it as FREE mulch for residents :D this is awesome!

Not a small thing I'm doing, but definitely a move in the right direction for sustainability in my local area.

Ours takes it, mulches it and then sells it back to us...hmmm. Luckily we have our own mulcher. It's really handy when you have palms and only one green bin - one leaf unshredded fills the thing!

I recently read the instructions for my bin on the council website/ annual pamphlet. It reads as though we are supposed to put food scraps and green stuff in the green topped bin, recyclables in the yellow topped bin, and.... Then there's nowhere for generic "waste"? I need to investigate this further and look at easy sorting requirements for us.

Well now I want my own mulcher...

I really want my local council to start composting via a separate bin. We're about to elect a new mayor, maybe I should contact the candidate who seems more on board with green initiatives and suggest it to her...

[Poundwise]

I'm cooking by covering the dry pasta with cold water, then boiling (rather than bring the water to a boil first.) This works fine with everything except for quick cooking pastas such as angel hair and acini di pepe.  Saves time, too.

[HappierAtHome]

So far this Summer we've used 40% as much electricity as we did last Summer. WTF, but in a good way! I didn't realise that our thermal efficiency measures were making THAT much difference.

[Fishindude]

Just finished putting up next years supply of firewood.  Will provide a lot of cheap heat in the house and barn next winter.  All grown right here on the property and would just rot away if we didn't use it.  Pretty much an unlimited supply available.

[HappierAtHome]

Skipped my regular watering day yesterday because it's forecast to rain over the next few days. All my potted plants are positioned to catch the rain... well, except for the ones that can easily drown from too much rain.

Just finished putting up next years supply of firewood.  Will provide a lot of cheap heat in the house and barn next winter.  All grown right here on the property and would just rot away if we didn't use it.  Pretty much an unlimited supply available.

Woodfires are so lovely, too! Nothing like the smell of a woodfire.

[stashgrower]

Haven't read the whole thread, but jumping in.

Yesterday:

Cycled to an appointment.

Used the rain water buckets on the pot plants and lawn to a) water them, b) empty the buckets in preparation for catching more water (rain forecast).

Plant-based lunch and dinner were from unsprayed food grown <100 km away, and I will return all packaging for reuse.

Flushed after every second or third pee.

Climate control via windows. No a/c or fan all summer.

Composted.

[HappierAtHome]

Plant-based lunch and dinner were from unsprayed food grown <100 km away, and I will return all packaging for reuse.

This is cool! Is it bought food, or a gifting/bartering system with a friend or relative?

I'm hoping to get a gifting/bartering system going with my brother when he moves house... he's talking about getting chickens if he has enough space. I would *so* love to sponsor his chickens and get eggs in return. And we've talked before about organising complementary fruit trees and vege patches to maximise what we can share.

[Tyson]

Stopped using paper cups for 'to go' coffee.  Just bring my aluminum travel mug with me and use it all the time instead.

[stashgrower]

Happier - It's both and from the farmers market.

PM me if you are interested in chickens, I have a lead.

[Monocle Money Mouth]

I just swapped out all the old CFL and incandescent bulbs in my house for LED bulbs where possible. It's crazy thinking that one incandescent bulb in a room was using more power than all the LED bulbs in one room combined.

To help keep the CFL's out of the trash, I replaced all the incandescent bulbs I had outside my house and in the garage with the CFL's I had in the house. Those lights  are barely used compared to our interior lights. We'll still save a lot of electricity. As those burn out, I will switch them out for LED bulbs.

Annoyingly, I still have one place I have to use an incandescent bulb. Our garage door opener has a deep light socket that will only take incandescent bulbs. All the LED and CFL bulbs I have are too fat once you get past the threads. They can't be screwed in deep enough. I'm looking for a bulb extender that will work in the opener's light enclosure.

[Mezzie]

I put Milkweed seeds in the fridge to prepare them for planting in a couple weeks. Soon I'll have a nice little habitat for endangered Monarchs making their annual trek to Mexico.

I'm just about ready to drop some money on a fancy vermicompost/garden system for vegetable & herbgrowing/food waste recycling. I'm doing the last bit of research today to ensure I'm getting the best deal.

[BTH7117]

Sunday, I walked to the grocery store (~.5 miles) even though I like the further away grocery store better.
Yesterday, I left work a little early and walked home (2.5 miles) instead of taking the subway and enjoyed the beautiful sunshine.
Today, I brought workout clothes to work so I can run home.

Mustachian preaches the best thing you can do for the environment is consume less.  I remind myself of that often when I am tempted to get rid of our 11 year old CR-V to replace with a hybrid.  We only drive ~10,000 miles per year so the environmental impact of producing a vehicle would probably be greater than the fuel efficiency savings.

Great tips on turning off things like modems/routers when leaving the house.  I will try that in the future.

[frooglepoodle]

I've browsed this thread a few times, but reducing my environmental impact is a big motivator for living a frugal/low waste lifestyle so I'm joining in! Even my husband (who was always pretty darn frugal but had never really been exposed to environmental ideas, gah!) admitted to me recently that he was thinking about it and he was much happier with the decisions we are making now.

We are really lucky to have some great options for sustainably raised meat nearby - one farm is a touch more expensive and ~30 miles away, and one is ~200 miles away so I will have to wait until their local buying club starts up again in the spring. I bought a chicken from the local producer at the farmer's market this weekend, roasted it, and used the carcass with saved veggie scraps to make the most divine broth.

Yesterday I took my son on a walk to the post office to mail a package instead of driving.

Stopped using paper cups for 'to go' coffee.  Just bring my aluminum travel mug with me and use it all the time instead.

This is a habit I am working on changing as well!

[Tyson]

One other coffee related thing I am doing.  I used to buy coffee beans at the grocery store and put them in the little brown paper bag that the store provides, then toss the bag in the recycle when I finished the coffee beans off. 

Now I save the bags & reuse them at the store.  Not only does it cut down on my waste, but the store gives me a 'bring your own bag' credit of $.02!!  Haha that's so awesome.

[deborah]

So far this Summer we've used 40% as much electricity as we did last Summer. WTF, but in a good way! I didn't realise that our thermal efficiency measures were making THAT much difference.

Yes, it really is amazing that you can spend very little to get that kind of efficiency (however, I think I remember you putting in double glazing, which would have cost a bit).

[Mezzie]

I made some stock from the bones of a chicken I cooked a few days ago. Turns out that was perfectly timed to coincide with my current illness. Now I'm drinking mugs of homemade stock instead of buying plastic containers of neon cold & flu medicine to get through this bout. A win for the environment and my health, I'm sure.

[SaveSpendGiveALittle]

I am all for if its yellow let it mellow . That's my rule of thumb at home. It drives me crazy when at work, folks walk up and flush before using the urinal, then also afterwards.

I only shower on days that I have gone to the gym.

[Poundwise]

Set up a carpool for another kid activity.  Everybody seems really glad when I ask, but why am I always first to initiate? Is everyone so shy? Or just so careless with their time that they will happily lose hours driving around and around?

[GuitarStv]

I am all for if its yellow let it mellow . That's my rule of thumb at home.

Our beagle would not appreciate your addition to her water dish.  Or maybe she would.  Beagles are weird.  Either way, this is a non-starter in our house.  :P

[HappierAtHome]

So far this Summer we've used 40% as much electricity as we did last Summer. WTF, but in a good way! I didn't realise that our thermal efficiency measures were making THAT much difference.

Yes, it really is amazing that you can spend very little to get that kind of efficiency (however, I think I remember you putting in double glazing, which would have cost a bit).

You're correct - double glazing was $4.2k for two windows, and we spent $5k on outdoor blinds which have made a huge difference to how much light and heat hits the large room at the back of the house with glass walls / doors. It was so, so worth it :-)

[HappierAtHome]

Mostly normal / boring things today:

Taking public transport and walking instead of driving.

Reducing food waste by planning meals around what's in the house already, and what needs to be eaten soonest.

Eating vegetarian today, like most days.

Watering my garden with 'warming up water' from the shower.

Pulling weeds rather than spraying them with poison.

Slightly more exciting things:

Getting organised to start my first worm farm! I'm starting with an in-ground farm, because that's meant to be easiest and I'd rather not bite off more than I can chew.

Researching bokashi bins.

[Fresh Bread]

I have an inground bokashi bin - basically the same as a inground worm farm (it IS actually an inground worm farm from bunnings) but the waste gets a sprinkle of bokashi and then a layer of dirt each time you add it to make it anerobic I guess. It needs a sprinkle of water I think too but we've had so much rain recently I'm sure that's enough. I haven't really been caring for it very well but the contents seem to have shrunk down so must be working.

[Loretta]

Haven't driven since Friday.  Have curtains and windows open to let in the nice unseasonable temps.

[HappierAtHome]

I have an inground bokashi bin - basically the same as a inground worm farm (it IS actually an inground worm farm from bunnings) but the waste gets a sprinkle of bokashi and then a layer of dirt each time you add it to make it anerobic I guess. It needs a sprinkle of water I think too but we've had so much rain recently I'm sure that's enough. I haven't really been caring for it very well but the contents seem to have shrunk down so must be working.

I've heard really great things about the in-ground bokashi bins! My sister uses one for dog poo and swears by it.

[HappierAtHome]

Ordered seeds, nuts and spices in bulk to minimise packaging.

Used reusable shopping bags and fabric produce bags.

Froze smaller portions of basil pesto to preserve basil from the garden.

[Tyson]

Walked around the local lake to the park with my daughter rather than drive somewhere for a play day.  I love how frugality and environmentalism overlap so much with MMM.

[frooglepoodle]

Bought a number of staple foods in bulk from the store that lets you bring your own containers. Unfortunately it does cost a bit more as it's all organic for items I typically buy conventionally, but not enough to make a big impact to the bottom line.

Bought veggies without packaging them in plastic bags since I haven't made the time to sew cloth produce bags yet. My new goal is to stop buying bags of washed spinach and buy the bunches instead (which does have a cost savings, yay!) Used cloth bags to cart everything home.

DH wanted to go out for coffee yesterday morning. We took our travel mugs and saved $.10 each in the process.

We took a long walk with our toddler and saw the nesting pair of bald eagles that live in the neighborhood. He is too young to appreciate them, but it was magnificent.

Dinner used just one pound of ground beef and a load of veggies to make about 6 servings (and we are hearty eaters, so the recipe may be more like 8 servings for more typical appetites.

[Fresh Bread]

Today I was walking locally and saw vast piles of stuff on the side of the road for Council's twice annual clean up day. They were not big, not large, they were VAST. Amongst it all I spotted, one perfect IKEA poang chair, 2 ride on kids toys, 8 white plastic garden chairs (and old guy from over the road snaffled 4 of the nicest, good for him!), a front door, garden pavers etc etc etc. Some of the stuff was genuinely broken rubbish, old sofas and the like, stained mattresses that no-one would want, but I felt physically unwell at all this waste.

One of the things I've thought about doing in retirement is setting up some sort of not for profit organisation to collect useable things from these clean up days (I think they are specific to Australia??) and make efforts to rehome them via a website and FB groups, freecycle etc. I could start in our garage and then possibly rent a warehouse space if necessary.

So... today I sent an enquiry to Council asking them whether it is legal to recover stuff from the side of the road on clean up days. I have heard anecdotally that it is not allowed (because it belongs to Council or some such blah). THIS STUFF (except metal which is recycled) GOES TO LANDFILL!! So anyway, I'm checking the situation. If it's not permitted, that will be my first task, to change that.

Wish me luck!

[deborah]

We don't have clean up day. And our tip has a recycle place attached to it, so the first thing you do is identify what you are getting rid of, and it probably goes to the recycle first.

[Fresh Bread]

We don't have clean up day. And our tip has a recycle place attached to it, so the first thing you do is identify what you are getting rid of, and it probably goes to the recycle first.

We have to pay to take anything to the tip now, excl. recyclables of the paper/plastic bottle variety so it's all getting dumped on the street, sometimes randomly!

[Anatidae V]

Our clean up days rarely result in anything except ACTUAL rubbish left on the side of the verge. The pickers go around the week or two before to grab anything they want or can re-sell (we picked up a nice bench for outside that way), and then the broken scraps that are left is what the council ends up picking up. I've yet to hear that we weren't allowed to do that! Maybe your pickers are less efficient or your council has different rules.

[Linea_Norway]

Joining this thread, because it will give me inspiration to find a small thing to contribute with every day.

Every day:
- Warming up last degrees of the house with firewood from our own garden. We central heating in the living room is on 18 degrees C. Any additional warmth is created by wood in a modern, closed wood stove.
- Our relatively new washing machine has large capacity. I tend to wait until I have enough clothes to wash before I wash.
- I run the dishwasher every other day, if possible. I don't run it half full.
- When washing my hair in the shower, I wet it first. Then I turn off the shower and soap in my hair in the time that I need. Then I turn the shower back on an remove the shampoo. In the past I let the shower run all the time.
- After a sports activity, we hang the sports clothes to dry in the bathroom. When used on Saturday, many of the clothes can be used again on Sunday for the next activity. If we didn't do a very sweaty activity, I tend to smell the clothes after they dried, to check whether they all need to be washed or whether they can be reused during the next sporty activity.

Last weekend:
- Went cross country skiing on foot, not by car. Got some extra training that way, as I had about 10km transport in total.
- I didn't wash my hair after training. It still looked acceptable, so I can postpone a day or 2.
- Didn't shower this morning. I washed myself with a cloth.

[deborah]

I just received an e-mail from a blog that I like about this subject. He is closing it down because he didn't get much interest, so you only have a short time to look at it. It is British, but the stuff in it is universal.

http://shrinkthatfootprint.com/

[frooglepoodle]

I just received an e-mail from a blog that I like about this subject. He is closing it down because he didn't get much interest, so you only have a short time to look at it. It is British, but the stuff in it is universal.

http://shrinkthatfootprint.com/

Thank you for sharing this, it looks very informative! How disappointing that more people aren't interested in these things.

Today I made an effort to reduce our food waste by adding some random extra veggies and some corn tortillas that had broken apart to my enchilada soup for dinner. I also made a batch of yogurt using milk that came in a glass bottle that I will return to the store.

This weekend we were given a number of large Mason jars for canning and shopping from bulk bins.

Does anyone else often find themselves conflicted between saving money and making purchasing decisions that align with their values (be it environmental or otherwise)? They often line up (buying secondhand, and just buying less overall), but I increasingly find myself opting to spend more for a values-aligned purchase like purchasing pastured meat and grass-fed dairy and just eating less of it, buying the clothes I do buy new from companies that make a point of manufacturing high quality goods in an ethical and/or environmentally friendly manner, and so on.

[GreenQueen]

Started elimination communication with our 4-month-old. Using lots less cloth diapers so less laundry.

Also waiting 2 days to do laundry in case it goes above freezing and we can hang wash outside on the clothesline.

[HappierAtHome]

Does anyone else often find themselves conflicted between saving money and making purchasing decisions that align with their values (be it environmental or otherwise)? They often line up (buying secondhand, and just buying less overall), but I increasingly find myself opting to spend more for a values-aligned purchase like purchasing pastured meat and grass-fed dairy and just eating less of it, buying the clothes I do buy new from companies that make a point of manufacturing high quality goods in an ethical and/or environmentally friendly manner, and so on.

Yes. All the freakin' time, if I'm being honest.

As you say, much of the time these values line up. But much of the time they don't. For a long time I focused more on the saving money side of the equation, so now I'm trying to swing more towards spending that bit extra and having it be the 'right' choice.

Realistically, my lifestyle is always going to be a compromise between mainstream consumer culture and the 'green' values I hold dear, so part of this journey is learning the balance.