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

[pancakes]

I used my reusable cup today :)

Since I got it I've only slipped up once which isn't bad because I (rather unmoustachingly) go for a walk to get coffee everyday. Drinking from a cup in the cafe isn't exactly practical with a baby strapped to my chest.

[HappierAtHome]

I used my reusable cup today :)

Since I got it I've only slipped up once which isn't bad because I (rather unmoustachingly) go for a walk to get coffee everyday. Drinking from a cup in the cafe isn't exactly practical with a baby strapped to my chest.

As someone with a tiny baby, I do not think this is antimustachian at all. At all.

[Linea_Norway]

I used my reusable cup today :)

Since I got it I've only slipped up once which isn't bad because I (rather unmoustachingly) go for a walk to get coffee everyday. Drinking from a cup in the cafe isn't exactly practical with a baby strapped to my chest.

As someone with a tiny baby, I do not think this is antimustachian at all. At all.

But spending money on coffee in a cafe everyday is in my opinion very unmustachian.
Just calculate how much money those coffees could have been worth if you would have invested that money for 25 years into an index fund. ;-)

[Anatidae V]

I bought more cloth nappies second hand, and am asking about postage costs for another two lots. Should be able to almost eliminate use of disposables with this, possibly until bub is ready for toilet training if they are as size adjustable as they claim :)

[frooglepoodle]

I bought more cloth nappies second hand, and am asking about postage costs for another two lots. Should be able to almost eliminate use of disposables with this, possibly until bub is ready for toilet training if they are as size adjustable as they claim :)

That is fantastic! We dropped off on cloth diapers when our son went through a phase of fighting diaper changes like his life depended on it. Being able to get the diaper on and off quickly, and being able to have fewer changes through the day, was worth it. Now, unfortunately, he prefers the disposable diapers and if I try to use a cloth one he will say, "No! Other diaper!". :-(

I used my reusable cup today :)

Since I got it I've only slipped up once which isn't bad because I (rather unmoustachingly) go for a walk to get coffee everyday. Drinking from a cup in the cafe isn't exactly practical with a baby strapped to my chest.

As someone with a tiny baby, I do not think this is antimustachian at all. At all.

+1 to this. Especially if you're not buying fancy expensive coffee drinks, it's worth it to have a routine that gets you out of the house consistently.

[mustachepungoeshere]

Ran a couple of errands down the street, no plastic bags.

We're away for a few days, brought our steel water bottles in the car and have been refilling them as needed.

And the friends we're staying with recycle and compost, so it's been easy to keep our waste down.

[Fresh Bread]

As out coffee machine is broken, I walked the dog to the local cafe and home again with a reuseable cup. We walked home really fast so he didn't poo because I didn't want to carry a full baggie and two pies AND the coffee. Only took one cup for the same reason but I guess that meant a cost saving (I can manage on instant but DH is hungover and cannot).

[Linea_Norway]

I painted the lower part of the inside of the windows in our mountain hut. In the winter there is a lot of condensation on the windows, so we don't want them to fot away.

[VeggieTable]

I bought more cloth nappies second hand, and am asking about postage costs for another two lots. Should be able to almost eliminate use of disposables with this, possibly until bub is ready for toilet training if they are as size adjustable as they claim :)

Nice! My son is almost 3 and we are still going strong with cloth diapers. Only thing is, as he's gotten older, he has started to pee a lot more, so we switched to using disposables overnight about 6 months ago. Before that, I was able to layer in hemp inserts (3...the kid can pee!), put him in loose clothing, and he'd be ok. Soon he was leaking every night though, so we made the switch.  One thing I love about cloth diapers is how adaptable they are - we use flats, so I can easily change how I fold them or add in an extra insert as he grows. It's pretty amazing to look at 30 pieces of cloth and realize they've made it through 2.5 years not much worse for the wear!

[iceberg8]

Driving slowly 60mph on 80mph, and started a compost. Not buying much clothes (GF hates me for this), not buying much anything. Do not kill insects (unless they are intruders into food).

[mustachepungoeshere]

Driving slowly 60mph on 80mph...

So you're a road block for other drivers?

This is dangerous and not something to advocate.

[Anatidae V]

I bought more cloth nappies second hand, and am asking about postage costs for another two lots. Should be able to almost eliminate use of disposables with this, possibly until bub is ready for toilet training if they are as size adjustable as they claim :)

Nice! My son is almost 3 and we are still going strong with cloth diapers. Only thing is, as he's gotten older, he has started to pee a lot more, so we switched to using disposables overnight about 6 months ago. Before that, I was able to layer in hemp inserts (3...the kid can pee!), put him in loose clothing, and he'd be ok. Soon he was leaking every night though, so we made the switch.  One thing I love about cloth diapers is how adaptable they are - we use flats, so I can easily change how I fold them or add in an extra insert as he grows. It's pretty amazing to look at 30 pieces of cloth and realize they've made it through 2.5 years not much worse for the wear!

I was tempted by flats, but decided they were too much of a learning curve for myself & DH. We've gone with prefolds and some all-in-twos. The cute patterns on the waterproof covers are definitely a fun bonus for using cloth!

[stashgrower]

Just normal things. Fed the compost. Took the bus. Borrowed books from the library.

[iceberg8]

Driving slowly 60mph on 80mph...

So you're a road block for other drivers?

This is dangerous and not something to advocate.

Min two lanes, so they can overtake easily (left = faster, here in EU. But it is not faster by law, just by unwritten "law" among peple). I am not overtaking trucks at 60mph, if so - I always check space behind me, on average, once per 10second. Trust me, I am not a roadblock, I can handle it as you would not even notice me on the road ;)
I am also willing to go 55 on 50 (general roads between small cities), but not faster.
But here, in my country, Slovakia (or Czech, Checkia, thats north neighbor) , there are tremendously lot fools who are pushing in city limit 30mph like 40mph, that is too much, I'm willing to go 35. Thats why I would love to buy Ford F650 - they would not suck my a** or tailgate me under like 5 yards.. What is dangerous.
You NEVER know, what I am shipping. Whether it is my family, or small kid, or simply a soup or cake from my grandmom, and I do not want to spill it all over the cabin. That is why I hate superheroes aka tailgators - my password is "if you want to overtake, just do, i will move to right as much as possible" - if you don't dare, then do not tailgate. Having a small car with 260bhp, I strongly believe this rule is fair for both sides.

[Anatidae V]

I *finally* have my very own old holey sheet! Currently cutting it up to sew into mitts for dusting :)

[HappierAtHome]

Used reusable produce bags instead of disposable plastic ones.

Applied 'worm wee' to my plants as fertiliser.

Walked and took public transport.

[Trifle]

We are in the middle of a major construction project -- gutting and renovating a falling-down house and yard. We are trying hard to send as little to the landfill as possible.  We have repurposed about two tons of crushed rock and mortar into gravel road fill for the access road.  We are saving all pieces of wood that are still usable/not insect eaten. We'll either sell them or use them ourselves.   We removed some old koi ponds, and we took pains digging out the HDPE liners that we didn't crack them.  It was extra work, but we got them out intact and sold them on Craigslist today for $125.  That feels really good on all fronts. 

Next up:  We are taking down a huge old chimney, and removed the cast-iron wood-burning fireplace insert. We will try to sell it. That thing weighs between 400 and 500 pounds.  The logistics of getting that monster out of the house and into a buyer's truck are going to be interesting!

[jengod]

* Cargo bike kids to the local library branch - perfectly quiet and cool on a summer afternoon
* Line-drying laundry including cloth diapers
* Fed the baby homemade applesauce (less packaging and she scarfs it down)

[HappierAtHome]

It's just occurred to me that we moved into this house just over two years ago and decided not to buy a drier straight away, but instead to wait and see if we really needed one. Apparently we don't! Sheets and towels are line dried; clothes are dried inside on racks.

It's starting to warm up, so I'm back to collecting shower water for my garden.

I've started a heap of plants from seed over the last few weeks, rather than buying seedlings in small plastic pots from Bunnings (Australian home and garden superstore).

As always, I'm feeding kitchen scraps to the worms. They provide me with garden fertiliser in return.

[Monocle Money Mouth]

I inflated the tires on our cars this morning. We're taking a road trip today so that should help minimize fuel consumption. You said small things :)

If you take the time to inflate your tires, make sure you check the tire pressure on your spare tire too. Even if you take your car to a shop for regular maintenance and they inflate your tires, they will probably not check your spare. Last year, my wife noticed she was losing tire pressure while driving home from work. I found a small tear on the tread that probably also had a hole. I put the spare tire on so we could get the car to the shop to replace the tire. Imagine my surprise when the spare was almost flat too. The recommended pressure for the spare is 60psi and the spare was down to 20psi. This was after several years of taking it to a dealership for regular service.

[frooglepoodle]

YAY!!! So exciting to see new posts on my favorite thread.

We just moved into a house with a yard, so we bought a reel lawnmower instead of a gasoline or electric powered one.

I've been saving compostable food scraps in the freezer in anticipation of starting compost. Need to decide what kind of compost system to use - since we rent it needs to be something easy to move. I'm thinking that simple stacking bins or a rotating composter might be good options.

DH's new job is about 30 miles away and he's been unable to find anyone to carpool with, so we're trading vehicles. My compact car gets almost double the gas mileage of his truck. If this ends up being a long-term home/job situation for us, the truck will be sold and replaced with a used hybrid.

[HappierAtHome]

Mr Happier walked to and from the shops yesterday for a few items we'd forgotten.

Today I'm posting a heap of unneeded baby things on Buy Nothing. Reducing consumption for the win!

One of our goals has been to find more vegetarian meals we both enjoy. So we're making our favourite pasta bake and substituting cannellini beans for the diced chicken. It tastes pretty good!

[HappierAtHome]

YAY!!! So exciting to see new posts on my favorite thread.

:D

[JLR]

The usual stuff. Washing on the line. Leftovers for lunch for most of us. Reused my tea bag from yesterday. Filled my Thermos with the small amount of excess water I accidentally boiled. Wearing thermals and Ugg boots to cut down on heating costs. My husband got out our worn out shoes and glued where the soles are coming away.

[Linea_Norway]

This afternoon and again tomorrow morning I will need to visit Oslo, 35 km away. I have decided to take the train. There is toll money to get into the city by car and I would need to pay for parking. This afternoon I want to read my study book that I will be tested on tomorrow morning. The train provides a place to sit and read and it costs about the same as the car. Tomorrow morning driving into Oslo in rush hour will not be an option anyway. The train is a much better alternative.

[Tyson]

You can't use bags at Costco because the items are too big to fit.  So they give you shipping boxes instead at checkout.  I've kept the boxes they gave me the last trip and will re-use them when I go to Costco from now on.

[seattlecyclone]

We hosted a party yesterday. Unlike pretty much every other party we go to, we used real dishes. Not sure why people think that going to the store to buy paper plates is more convenient than running a couple loads of plates through the dishwasher, but they do.

[mm1970]

Just found this thread after reading "Zero Waste Home".

Anyway, yesterday -
Started buying bulk items in bulk bins, even though can be more expensive per pound.  Saved and reused the baggie/ twist tie for the oats (& will for the beans, quinoa, etc.)

Hit up the olive bar, and just washed and reused last week's container.

Opted for a cantaloupe (no packaging) instead of strawberries, and got a whole pepper instead of a plastic bag of baby peppers.

Re-starting the compost bin.

Stitched up a hole in my shirt.  So it can live another 5 years.

[frooglepoodle]

Sketched out plans to build a stacking compost bin from cedar boards. Will likely cost more than buying a plastic stacking bin, but will look nicer and not be plastic.

I've been saving my compostable scraps in the freezer and they're starting to take up an inconvenient amount of space, so this will be getting built this weekend.

Working on eating up leftovers before going grocery shopping again to limit food waste.

All outings under 2 miles round trip (and some longer ones!) are happening on foot.

[Fresh Bread]

Sketched out plans to build a stacking compost bin from cedar boards. Will likely cost more than buying a plastic stacking bin, but will look nicer and not be plastic.

I've been saving my compostable scraps in the freezer and they're starting to take up an inconvenient amount of space, so this will be getting built this weekend.

Working on eating up leftovers before going grocery shopping again to limit food waste.

All outings under 2 miles round trip (and some longer ones!) are happening on foot.

We have a stash of hardwood decking boards, fencing and that sort of thing that people have thrown out that we use to build things. I got them through our version of Craigslist. Cuts down the cost if you have that option.

[frooglepoodle]

Sketched out plans to build a stacking compost bin from cedar boards. Will likely cost more than buying a plastic stacking bin, but will look nicer and not be plastic.

I've been saving my compostable scraps in the freezer and they're starting to take up an inconvenient amount of space, so this will be getting built this weekend.

Working on eating up leftovers before going grocery shopping again to limit food waste.

All outings under 2 miles round trip (and some longer ones!) are happening on foot.

We have a stash of hardwood decking boards, fencing and that sort of thing that people have thrown out that we use to build things. I got them through our version of Craigslist. Cuts down the cost if you have that option.

That's a great idea, thanks! We're in a small town and the surrounding area is fairly spread out, but if I can find some nearby that would be great. If it's free or cheap that makes up for being able to have most of the cuts done for me at Home Depot!

[Thinkum]

Walked a couple of miles RT to go to the store.

Used my backpack and reusable bags as well.

Eating up more tomatoes, trying not to let them go bad.

 

[horsepoor]

The other night I plucked a perfectly good, 2-handled wicker basket from my neighbor's trash can.  I'll probably donate it next time our employee association does a gift basket auction fundraiser.  It's annoying seeing people tossing things that at minimum should be taken to the thrift store.

This weekend I'll be digging up and transplanting volunteer plants in my front yard, so my xeriscaping will be even more bird and pollinator-friendly next year.

[Thinkum]

It's annoying seeing people tossing things that at minimum should be taken to the thrift store.

I could not agree more! Such wastefulness always boggled my mind. I feel a lot better though when I go to donate and see there is always stuff to be sorted and sometimes overflowing outside the sorting area.

[jengod]

Just found this thread after reading "Zero Waste Home".

Anyway, yesterday -
Started buying bulk items in bulk bins, even though can be more expensive per pound.  Saved and reused the baggie/ twist tie for the oats (& will for the beans, quinoa, etc.)

Hit up the olive bar, and just washed and reused last week's container.

Opted for a cantaloupe (no packaging) instead of strawberries, and got a whole pepper instead of a plastic bag of baby peppers.

Re-starting the compost bin.

Stitched up a hole in my shirt.  So it can live another 5 years.

WHOO! Love #zerowastehome. We are far from perfect especially when it comes to kid food and school lunches but it's changed my thinking in so many ways!

today:
* menstrual cup
* bar soap instead of body wash in a plastic bottle
* currently cooking dried garbanzos from the bulk bins so I can have them ready for this week's "crispy paprika chickpeas" dish
* place French press coffee grounds and dried eggshells directly under our growing California black walnut tree
* riding bike and then ridesharing to a friend's birthday later today

recently:
* instead of driving private car, took train and bus (with three kids and luggage) to cruise port for a vacation. saved $ and carbon emissions.

[HappierAtHome]

We're back to the time of year where it makes sense to capture shower warmup water for the garden.

I've started seeds for a range of homegrown veges - my gardening skills are very much beginner level, but hopefully I can get a few things growing well. You can't get more local and ethical than your own garden!

Signed up for a local produce and plant swap, and a local workshop on making beeswax wraps (free, of course!).

[Linea_Norway]

As I need to have new tires put around wheels, I had to drive a bit to deliver the tires. When collecting them, I'll combine it with visiting 2 shops in the same vicinity that I want to visit to buy some cheap articles.

[HappierAtHome]

Used worm wee and castings as fertiliser for my plants.

[stashgrower]

Dodged the rain and cycled.

Made homemade goodies and packed in recycled glass.

[frooglepoodle]

Making applesauce today for my first attempt at canning - 5lbs of apples from the farmer's market are cut up and cooking in the crockpot, with cores going to compost. If it goes well, I want to try canning watermelon rind pickles and a few more batches of applesauce this fall.

[birdie55]

frooglepoodle, you might try making apple cider vinegar from the apple cores, etc.   Some recipes call for a little sugar, some just use water and the apple remnants.  Google it if you are interested. 

[BuildingFrugalHabits]

Great thread!

Good things I do now:
No kids
Home is 100% solar powered
Bike to work
Hybrid car for errands and general transport
Line dry clothing
I try to limit meat consumption to a few times per week,
Consume grass feed, pasture raised and buy fresh/local produce when in season
Compost all food scraps
Recycle
Limit my consumption of new items as much as possible
We generate about one kitchen bag of trash per week. 
Repair things when possible, source items from craigslist instead of new
Try to avoid single use items when possible
Use the library
Low flow shower heads
No bottled water
Switched from packaged tea to loose

Stuff I need to work on:
I fly often for work
I fly about 2x per year for personal (carbon offsets??)
Carpool for mountain trips
Go back to full vegetarian again
Would like to eventually replace one of our vehicles with an electric car
We use a lot of water for our yard and garden
Trying to lower my garbage output further towards zero waste
Try to avoid all food waste
Downsize to smaller house or RV (stretch goal)

[HappierAtHome]

Great thread!

Good things I do now:
No kids
Home is 100% solar powered
Bike to work
Hybrid car for errands and general transport
Line dry clothing
I try to limit meat consumption to a few times per week,
Consume grass feed, pasture raised and buy fresh/local produce when in season
Compost all food scraps
Recycle
Limit my consumption of new items as much as possible
We generate about one kitchen bag of trash per week. 
Repair things when possible, source items from craigslist instead of new
Try to avoid single use items when possible
Use the library
Low flow shower heads
No bottled water
Switched from packaged tea to loose

Stuff I need to work on:
I fly often for work
I fly about 2x per year for personal (carbon offsets??)
Carpool for mountain trips
Go back to full vegetarian again
Would like to eventually replace one of our vehicles with an electric car
We use a lot of water for our yard and garden
Trying to lower my garbage output further towards zero waste
Try to avoid all food waste
Downsize to smaller house or RV (stretch goal)

Inspirational! Thanks for sharing!

[HappierAtHome]

Zero-waste slug deterrents: could I just scatter crushed eggshells in a ring around my tender little seedlings?

Today:

Used empty wine bottles, scavenged from neighbours, to bottle homemade blackberry liqueur. This is a much greener option than buying special bottles (and free!).
I'm eating leftovers from a family party before they go bad. It necessitated a little juggling of the meal plan, but I hate food waste.
Using shower water on the plants in my garden that the rain doesn't reach.
Made plans to meet friends at a cafe within walking distance.
Dressing the baby in hand-me-downs and using cloth nappies.

[HappierAtHome]

Walked this morning to pick up Buy Nothing items.

Walked to and from mums' group.

Loaning some party items to a neighbour, reducing the volume of consumer goods we all own by sharing those that are used less frequently.

[Linea_Norway]

Walked to work today and will walk back in the afternoon.

Asked colleagues who live near me if I can sit in their car when we have a work event far away.

[Anatidae V]

We have started using compostable bin bags. Inching closer to not needing or using plastic bags.

[Linea_Norway]

We have started using compostable bin bags. Inching closer to not needing or using plastic bags.

We have gotten these from our community for free for many years, to use for the green kitchen garbage. Those are pretty small bags and I have found that they are a good size to use in bathroom bins. Also, as we are given new ones long before the old ones are used up, I have started to bring them along on hiking trips to put in used toilet paper. You can even throw the whole bag on a campfire at the end of the day.

[Thinkum]

More of the same. Walked to the market and to get pet food. While at the place we buy our pet food, the woman said "Getting groceries in the morning and getting your pet food while walking!" She had a big smile as she said so and we talked about how great it is to be able to walk everywhere.

[HappierAtHome]

We have started using compostable bin bags. Inching closer to not needing or using plastic bags.

Did you find these at Coles / Woolies?