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

[Raenia]

Just ordered several more pairs of Thinx.  When they arrive, I'll be able to switch entirely to reusable period products, instead of using pads as backup to my cup.  I ordered everything I think I'll need in one go to save on shipping materials (and $).  I'll donate the rest of my supply of single-use products to a women's shelter in my city.

[Boofinator]

I snuck around my office last week and raised the thermostats from 68°F to 72°F. I'm still wearing my jacket, but at least I've eliminated the possibility of frostbite.... (Plus I bike or ride the bus to the office most days of the week.)

[Dollar Slice]

I just read that above post and cringed because my apartment is currently being overheated to 72F (I don't control my own heat) and it seemed like such a terrible thing to do! But I guess you were talking about air conditioning... :-)  I wish I had a better tolerance for warm indoor temps, I find 72 very stuffy and unpleasant. I don't even start putting clothes on at home until it's down to 68 or so. (Reason #1,928 why I don't have a roommate...)

Win of the day: I hung on to that silicone zip-top bag that had a little hole in it for ages, hoping I could come up with some use for it... and today I realized it makes a perfect grippy thing for opening stuck jar lids. I was just about giving myself a stroke trying to open a factory-sealed screw-top lid and then I thought of that, tried it and it opened instantly. Score! I think if I cut it up I could make two or three of them.

[middo]

I work as a school teacher.  I did "yard duty" today - actually patrolling a classroom building and kicking the students out into the yard.  I spent the first 10 minutes walking into each room and turning off the heaters that were often set to 30 degrees C, and turning off the lights. 

[trashtalk]

Dragged my kids on a nature walk and picked up a bag of trash while we were there.

[Dollar Slice]

Dragged my kids on a nature walk and picked up a bag of trash while we were there.

Username checks out... :-)

I got sick last week right after a big grocery shop but managed to cook up everything and not waste all the perishable ingredients. In a previous life I might have said "fuck it" and ordered out for a couple of meals when I was sick instead of cooking. Instead I roasted a chicken and used it for chicken caesar salad, chicken fajitas, and chicken soup, plus I put a container of stock in the freezer for the next time I am sick and need soup.

[TrMama]

This isn't my win, but DH's. He's been a committed meat eater forever. After many years of me, and then ODD, gently nudging him to just try to eat a little less meat last weekend he announced he'd eaten vegetarian for an entire day.

Last week I went to take the garbage can out to the curb only to discover it was empty. That won't happen every week, but I was actually kind of shocked that it happened at all.

[StarBright]

Subbed in Beyond Beef this week for taco night and the kids thought it was better than the usual mix (ground turkey supplemented w/ very finely diced mushrooms).

it was pretty good- but also pretty pricey.

[Tyson]

My old water heater died.  Had it replaced with a new tankless water heater.  Now water only gets heated as I use it, and there's not 40 gallons sitting around in need of constant heating 24/7 like with the old system. 

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Walked my kids to school in the snow. Saves a tiny bit of gas and hopefully makes that their normal in life.

I did drive to work, BUT I always drive to work if I am going to the gym, and I cleverly took a too-snowy-to-bike day and made it my gym day, killing two birds with one stone.

[trashtalk]

Picked up some bottles and cans and other trash while walking yesterday, while visiting a natural area today and on a secluded area of our street. I love detrashing!

[middo]

Caught the train to the shops rather than drove. 

[Raenia]

Walked to the hardware store instead of driving.

Changed my default search engine to Ecosia.

[TrMama]

Biked with my oldest to her orthodontist appointment last week.

Biked to the gym and then for groceries this weekend. I'm on track to bike 3700km this year. According to this calculator, I've apparently saved 0.8 metric tons of CO2 from the atmosphere.

https://calculator.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx?tab=4

Apparently my usual grocery store already has Flashfood. I've been wondering what the funny shelf at the exit was about. I thought it was some kind of quick serve option, but was confused about the odd selection of available items.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

I had made a green bean casserole for Thanksgiving even though I am the only one who likes it who was present. (We love it in my family of origin, but my husband and kids, not so much.)

So there was a ton left and I knew I couldn't eat it all myself. Brought it to work, left a note on the fridge (written on scratch paper, of course) and it is all gone! Food waste avoided! (I work with a bunch of underpaid 20 somethings who are basically trash compactors.)

[Trifle]

We've been enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday by staying home.  By Sunday I will not have gone anywhere for 5 days straight.   

[Loretta]

I got new windows installed in my condo and they are making a huge difference already in the coziness department.  Will be using my HVAC much, much less.  I have also been using up random small toiletries and recycling the bottles as I go.  I really need to quit buying some of this shite.  So much packaging! 

[MonkeyJenga]

I brought a bag for my bulk bin snacks.

[TrMama]

Went to take the garbage to the curb this morning only to discover the bin was empty. 2nd time this has happened. It's frankly a little weird since it doesn't feel like we've changed much about how we live.

[Frugal Lizard]

@TrMama - bravo you.

Yesterday I took the train to my meeting and this morning I walked to the market.

[Hirondelle]

We greatly reduced meat consumption for the holidays for my family. It used to be a big meat fest with lots of beef/pork. Now there were only one fish and one meat option as main dishes. I guess the environmental impact of the meal must've been reduced by at least 75% if not more and everyone was completely content with the options offered.

[MonkeyJenga]

I picked up corporate leftovers to bring to a potluck.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Biked to work and rescued some recyclables from the trash can. Also, I have successfully trained my husband to drain bacon on cut-up flour bags that I save for this purpose instead of paper towels.

[Buffaloski Boris]

Rode my bike to the gym rather than driving. 8 miles round trip.

Question for all. CFLs versus LED bulbs. Worth swapping them out?

[TrMama]

Rode my bike to the gym rather than driving. 8 miles round trip.

Question for all. CFLs versus LED bulbs. Worth swapping them out?

I just swapped out our CFLs as they died and needed to be replaced. Just make sure you get LEDs bulbs for each fixture that you'll be happy with. Those suckers last up to 20 years, so you'll have each one for a loooong time.

We've had all LEDs for a number of years now. I had a bulb die last year and my kids had no idea why the light wouldn't work or how to fix it. They were 10 and 12 at the time. It was an odd sign of the times. Pretty sure I'd changed tons of bulbs by the time I was 12.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Brought my Contigo mug to the Target Starbucks. Bonus: They give you a lot more that way and it stays so hot.

[trashtalk]

Did all yard work with manual tools; more energy from me, less energy from non-renewable fossil fuels.

[Chaplin]

Or maybe not.  I had a light flickering like an old school incandescent ;).  It suddenly died like one too.  And this at about 16 months.  If you see on the package they last 13 years.  Nope!

I'd still do exactly what you recommended though.  I love the LEDs.

I love LEDs too. LEDs pointing downwards can be susceptible to premature death due to overheating though if the pot has no hole at the top.

Question for all. CFLs versus LED bulbs. Worth swapping them out?

The math still says yes in most cases, but more than any other bulb type, make sure that CFLs are recycled properly. IKEA takes them back (even if not bought there) among other places.

[alewpanda]

-- Made vegan jambalya for dinner and lunch leftovers
-- lost my reusable water bottle :( but found a giveaway one that DH got at a conference and am using it instead of buying another one
-- Decorated the tree with vintage ornaments collected over the years.  The tree was still kind of bare, so I sliced and dried a bag of oranges -- compostable Christmas decor that doesn't need storing later!
-- DH is starting a new job that will require him to go into the office rather than worling from home.  He will be able to take the bus though, and it may help reduce electricity usage (sort of?  I guess the lights will be on and running at the shared open office whether he is there or not, right?)

[stacheasaurus]

Used chinese food containers to store corporate leftovers from a Monday lunch meeting for lunch the rest of the week!  Much less food waste, plus meals for me!

[TrMama]

Fixed my work headphones with coffee stir sticks and duct tape instead of buying a new set. I'd managed to snap the plastic over the ear part when I was adjusting them.

Wrapped presents using a combination of plain brown paper bags and wrapping paper I found for free on the side of the road last summer.

Also fixed my bike after snapping the rear axle this week. That was an easy fix though since I simply replaced the entire wheel. When the axle snapped, the hub was also damaged, plus I've ridden it enough that the rim was also pretty worn. The bike shop will recycle the old wheel for me. So I'm still riding a 10+ yo bike I bought used. I've put 3600km on it so far this year.

[dashuk]

Switching over from using tinned chickpeas in various recipes (probably at a rate of 3-4 tins a week depending what meals we're having) to dried carlin peas.

Don't even know where UK supermarket chickpeas are grown (would guess southern Europe). Label says "produced in the UK", but that'll be cooked and canned, not grown*. Much shipping, much packaging.

Carlin peas are an old British variety and come from an organic farm about fifty miles away (although they've probably actually done a couple of hundred miles to get to us via the distributor). The small bag I bought to try out is plastic, but their bigger quantities are paper sacks.

Bit more thinking ahead to get them soaked and cooked, but otherwise a straight swap.




* I know they're not because it's only this year that someone has grown the first commercial scale crop of chickpeas in the UK. They've just come on sale through the same distributor we bought the carlin peas (and a big sack of UK grown green lentils) from. I'll probably buy some of those as well, because I think shifting farming to more locally grown plant protein is something to be supported.

[Dollar Slice]

My nephew asked for an Xbox game for Chanukah, and I was able to find a local store where I could order it online and pick it up at the store. Same price as all the major online retailers and I was able to get it with no extra packaging/bag/box/receipt/etc. and no wasted delivery truck fuel. Bonus: I supported a local business instead of an international megacorp :-)  I'm going to try to do as much holiday shopping at local stores via public transit as possible.

[Frugal Lizard]

Swept and dusted the floors instead of vacuuming.   

[EscapedApe]

I'm never having kids. That is the single, greenest thing a person can do, because you're not leaving a footprint of carbon emissions that grows like a binary tree over generations.

[Tyson]

I'm never having kids. That is the single, greenest thing a person can do, because you're not leaving a footprint of carbon emissions that grows like a binary tree over generations.

Except that in first/second world countries, once people hit middle class, population growth drops to almost zero.

[Boofinator]

I'm never having kids. That is the single, greenest thing a person can do, because you're not leaving a footprint of carbon emissions that grows like a binary tree over generations.

I'll respectfully disagree. Having or not having kids is not a "green thing".* It's a biological imperative for the species to survive.

There are a lot of reasons one may choose for having or not having kids, but judging others for having children is as equally wrong as those who might judge people for not having kids.

*Or, if you insist that it's "the single, greenest thing", my counterargument would be that suicide is greener (and homicide even greener, and genocide even greener, and extinction the greenest). (Not making light of these concepts, just following the logic train.)

[Frugal Lizard]

I booked a train ticket for my travel on Thursday.  Commuter rail won't work for a holiday lunch time.

[EscapedApe]

I'll respectfully disagree. Having or not having kids is not a "green thing".* It's a biological imperative for the species to survive.

There are a lot of reasons one may choose for having or not having kids, but judging others for having children is as equally wrong as those who might judge people for not having kids.

*Or, if you insist that it's "the single, greenest thing", my counterargument would be that suicide is greener (and homicide even greener, and genocide even greener, and extinction the greenest). (Not making light of these concepts, just following the logic train.)

I'm mostly being facetious. I think the whole "environmentalism as a moral stance" matter is ridiculous.

People who whine about the environment, but who also have children, are hypocrites to their own cause. As you pointed out, the fact that they don't commit suicide is further indication that there are some things more important than the environment. The fact is, if someone has kids, and I do not, then my Porsche is greener than their family Prius.

People who whine about the environment, but who then demand the adoption of inferior technologies (hydro, wind, and other sources that depend upon gravitational energy) as a "substitute", are scientifically-illiterate busybodies who want to use government policy to interfere with everyone else's lives just so that they can feel better about themselves.

I don't doubt the facts about the greenhouse effect. What I am skeptical about is whatever moral imperative or government solution people try to shoehorn in along with their righteous indignation. The challenge of preserving the environment will be achieved by scientists developing better energy-generating and energy-storage technology in the laboratory, not by moral zealots.

Half the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm; but the harm does not interest them. Or they do not see it, or they justify it because they are absorbed in the endless struggle to think well of themselves. - T.S. Eliot

[EscapedApe]

I'm never having kids. That is the single, greenest thing a person can do, because you're not leaving a footprint of carbon emissions that grows like a binary tree over generations.

Except that in first/second world countries, once people hit middle class, population growth drops to almost zero.

So what?

[Dollar Slice]

Don't you love it when some child with nothing better to do shows up in an internet forum, posts off-topic and openly admits to trolling, and continues to act entitled to people's time and attention? LOL

I picked up another wishlist gift for Chanukah with no bag/box/etc. via public transit, and combined five different stops into one trip (even though public transit uses minimal energy per person, it still uses some fuel to carry the weight of each person). I also picked up some things for my mom that would have been either picked up by her in a car or ordered on Amazon with all the associated packaging waste.

And when the lady at the liquor store offered to gift-wrap the bottle of wine I intended to drink immediately, I said no, even when she tried to convince me because it's free and it's fun to unwrap gifts you buy for yourself. Weird. I saved the plain paper she wrapped it in (to protect the bottle) and will draw on it and use it to wrap something for my brother, who will find it amusing.

[Boofinator]

Don't you love it when some child with nothing better to do shows up in an internet forum, posts off-topic and openly admits to trolling, and continues to act entitled to people's time and attention? LOL

Considering the only off-topic comment I see on this page is your notably ironic one, would you care to enlighten us as to which child you are intending to insult with your comment?

[TrMama]

Biked into work again today, despite some rain. Tomorrow I'm skipping the bike due to weather (this is rare for me). We're supposed to get 50-75mm of rain. For people who live in drier areas, this is what I jokingly refer to as "build and ark" amounts of rain.

On the weekend I made some vegan sausages that are supposed to resemble the apple sage Field Roast ones my daughter and I like so much. I also used some tamale corn husks I had laying around to steam them, instead of using tinfoil. The commercial ones are usually $8/4, so the homemade ones saved some cash too.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

It was actually Monday. But I finally got around to starting the project of cutting up scrap flannel that I have (worn out PJ pants, the leftovers from pillowcases that I converted from king to standard) into usable rags/hankies. The library has a serger!

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

...

Edit: Escapedape is suggesting that there is no need to reduce our environmental impact, because science will magically save the day AND that we're self-important fascists for trying.

Emphasis mine.

I just finished Lindy West's new book The Witches Are Coming and a lot of it had to do with how we find ourselves in a culture where it isn't cool to care too much about anything, at least among certain segments of the population. She's making an impassioned plea for, well, not being like that.

I forgot another thing I did Monday. I finished the set of cloth napkins that I am giving my nephew for Christmas. They are made from licensed fabric because he's nine. Now he will have his very own cool set to use in his 100% cloth-napkin house. I hope that both he and my kids will grow up to be vaguely horrified by the idea of paper napkins, as they are not something they've been exposed to regularly.

[EscapedApe]

Edit: Escapedape is suggesting that there is no need to reduce our environmental impact, because science will magically save the day AND that we're self-important fascists for trying.

I remember politicians and the media in the 80s telling us that we would be spiraling towards environmental disaster within the next ten years.

They said the same thing in the 90s.

And in the aughts.

My mum tells me they were saying it in the 60s and 70s.

And they're saying it again now. But no disaster yet. Just a lot of panicked people voting more nonsense into law.

We've banned plastic bags and straws here and there, and admonished ourselves in front of the world. Meanwhile, countries like China and India are somehow free to throw global consideration to the wind and continue at a pace which suits their them, global environmental treaties be damned.

I care what happens to the planet too - it's where I keep all my stuff.

I'll take personal steps to lower my footprint the same as anyone else. The operative idea here is that they will be personal steps. They will be voluntary. I will not use the law to twist people's arms. I will let the demand for greener solutions guide the market to providing solutions, rather than creating incentives for abuse by entrusting the whole process to elected officials.

[Imma]

It's a sunny day, so I opened the curtains on the south facing windows as soon as the sun came up instead of turning on the heating. The house was a bit chilly at first so I put on a sweater.

I've spent this morning shining our shoes and mending our clothes so they will last us longer. Next up is altering a dress so I can wear it to a Christmas party.

I'm having leftovers from a lunch place for dinner (there's an app in my country that allows you to buy leftovers from restaurants for 1/3 of the regular price) I will either walk or bike there to pick it up, depending on the weather.

[Hirondelle]

Last night I had a Christmas dinner with my sports club. We had a handful of vegetarians, one vegan and one extremely complicated case of allergies. The host wanted to make seperate batches, but I stepped up and suggested a dish that would suit everyone with one minor tweak for the complicated allergy case. In the end everyone LOVED my dish (as in, literally fighting over the last bits) and we had about 25 people eat a full vegan 3 course dinner (although some desert options had dairy), being much more environmentally friendly than the original beef-heavy idea. 

[mountain mustache]

I ran out of raw sugar, so I took the jar I normally store it in, and brought it to my little neighborhood health food store. Turns out they let you fill your own jars with bulk products! (most places here will not, health code or something). It was barely more expensive per pound than buying the big plastic bag at Costco, and it feels so much simpler to just empty the jar and take it back to the store and fill it back up again. They have a huge variety of bulk goods too, bulk coffee and bulk spices. I am especially excited about the spices, as my last town had an apothecary with 100s of spice jars, so I've already transitioned to 100% refilling jars with bulk spices, and I'm happy to be able to continue that now!

Also I found that we have a little eco goods type store here, and they have bulk cleaning products, toothpaste, body wash, etc. They have the laundry and dish soap I already use, so I'm stoked to be able to just refill my bottles/jars and finally stop having to recycle those giant laundry soap bottles every few months

[diapasoun]

The shop right next door to me has bulk sugar and spices and flours too. I love it. The spices are reasonably priced (and really good), but the bulk sugar and flour -- alas, very expensive. I still get it rather frequently because it's a 30 second walk from my house to a lovely little shop and I can just bring my glass jars instead of getting into a car and driving to a big box store to get a big paper bag of things, but one of these days I need to see if I can just order a 25 lb bag through them at wholesale price. That's what they empty into the bulk bins anyways. ;)