Environmental good deeds....what have you done today?

[mistymoney]

So - in contrast to the "we can't make a meaaningful environmental impact" thoughts, I wondered - what are we doing right?? And maybe we can put in daily things and think about how that multipled across people and across time adds up?

(if there was a previous thread on this, I didn't see it on first 5 pages....but can delete and add on to an existing thread if someone can find it.)

For me:
Right now I am sitting in a rather uncomfortable warmth in the house and not turning on the aircon - will see if I can make it through the day. Based on forecast, will have to turn it on Tuesday-Thrusday this week. Tomorrow should be ok, I think. Seeing if I can make today a no aircon day too.

In addition to my own, supplying 3 additional households with tomatoes for the week from the garden. Half of the plants and about 75% of the harvest I have this year were from volunteer plants. Next year, I might just pop some cold frames over the tomato area in april and take what comes up rather than starting from seed.

[Kris]

We don’t have central air. We only have two window units, one in our bedroom and one in the room where we do most of our living. We generally don’t turn on an AC unit until it gets unbearable (upper 80s at minimum with high humidity), and when it does get that hot, we only cool one of the rooms. So, during the day we cool the sun room, and if we’re in other parts of the house we go into the sunroom to cool off periodically. At night, we turn off the AC in the sunroom and turn it on in the bedroom.

[YK-Phil]

We are very fortunate that our summer rental in Mexico is not only very cheap (we lucked out, the place rents for a few thousand dollars a month in the winter but otherwise sat unoccupied from May 1 to October 31 until we struck a deal with the owner that we couldn't refuse) but it has a large solar panel system on the rooftop (but no battery bank) that takes care of all our energy needs, including all appliances and AC (we only have one mini-split in the bedroom). The last power bill was 0.16 pesos for 60 days. The house also comes with an electric golf cart that we rarely use since we walk everywhere, but it is very useful to get around the village. We haven't used our old diesel-guzzling campervan for over two months and will use it only on November 1 when the snowbirds come back here for the winter and we have to find somewhere to go for the season. We try not to fly anywhere for pleasure but our van, even with so little use, is probably the largest ticket item in our environmental footprint. It is also the single largest ticket item in our budget, but that's a can of worm I try to ignore.

[Ron Scott]

So - in contrast to the "we can't make a meaaningful environmental impact" thoughts, I wondered - what are we doing right?? And maybe we can put in daily things and think about how that multipled across people and across time adds up?

When I was working I spend years educating insurers, civic associations, governments, politicians, and contributors to political campaigns on the need to strengthen and enforce building codes to protect homes exposed to natural catastrophes in the United States. Over time many states did just that, in part I believe because of our efforts, and insurance companies were able to use pricing to encourage this. It became good politics in many areas of the country. Not having to rebuild homes saves a significant amount of energy and materials and cost…a big environmental plus.

But that said, whatever I accomplished is less than a literal drop in the bucket compared to the big items and leads me to believe that little things don’t add up to much. We have a problem that requires going for the jugular and not a capillary in your little toe.

So it’s not that “we can’t have a meaningful environmental impact”; we can and should attend to waste in our personal lives for many reasons. But big problems like reducing large-scale industrial coal usage in developing countries, other fossil fuels across the planet, and mass deforestation will not be addressed by hosting a PTA booth on homegrown tomatoes or walking to Dunkin’s after church. We don’t have the time.

The little stuff might feel good but it’s not moving the needle.

[RetireOrDieTrying]

Same as every day - I pick up litter anywhere and everywhere I go.

I also choose, best I can, stuff at the store with minimal packaging waste. Granted, this is partly because I'm lazy and don't want to haul it all to the dumpster.

[tygertygertyger]

Today we got ready for some 100 degree days coming up… normally our front bay window gets super hot. So we found our transparent curtains from our previous place and taped them up for the week… nothing new to buy and we’ll use less electricity than we might otherwise.

[Chris Pascale]

Tapping @JoshuaSpodek. As I recall, he went from being a world traveler to refusing to fly anywhere, or drive alone.

[Must_ache]

To offset these good deeds I just crumpled up a piece of paper and threw it in the trash.

[Catbert]

More Hurricane Hilary than anything I did today[/i but I now have three 50-gallon barrels of free rain water.  The rain will give my summer garden a second wind.  It usually doesn't rain at all in Southern California in July and August.   

Half a dozen Middle Eastern cucumber plants have been chucking out enough cukes to supply me and surrounding families with cucumbers.  It's gotten to where neighbors turn away if they see me coming because they don't want any more.

[GuitarStv]

Since my dog likes to eat garbage, I've been regularly picking up trash on our walks each day.  And since she needs 2-3 hrs of walking a day, it's adding up to be a fair amount of trash.  I really don't understand people who throw crap on the ground when we've got a garbage can they could use every few hundred feet.

[mistymoney]

So - in contrast to the "we can't make a meaaningful environmental impact" thoughts, I wondered - what are we doing right?? And maybe we can put in daily things and think about how that multipled across people and across time adds up?

When I was working I spend years educating insurers, civic associations, governments, politicians, and contributors to political campaigns on the need to strengthen and enforce building codes to protect homes exposed to natural catastrophes in the United States. Over time many states did just that, in part I believe because of our efforts, and insurance companies were able to use pricing to encourage this. It became good politics in many areas of the country. Not having to rebuild homes saves a significant amount of energy and materials and cost…a big environmental plus.

But that said, whatever I accomplished is less than a literal drop in the bucket compared to the big items and leads me to believe that little things don’t add up to much. We have a problem that requires going for the jugular and not a capillary in your little toe.

So it’s not that “we can’t have a meaningful environmental impact”; we can and should attend to waste in our personal lives for many reasons. But big problems like reducing large-scale industrial coal usage in developing countries, other fossil fuels across the planet, and mass deforestation will not be addressed by hosting a PTA booth on homegrown tomatoes or walking to Dunkin’s after church. We don’t have the time.

The little stuff might feel good but it’s not moving the needle.

so......there is already a thread on the "little stuff is not moving the needle" theme.....started by yourself..... this thread concerns a different theme....

[mistymoney]

More Hurricane Hilary than anything I did today[/i but I now have three 50-gallon barrels of free rain water.  The rain will give my summer garden a second wind.  It usually doesn't rain at all in Southern California in July and August.   

Half a dozen Middle Eastern cucumber plants have been chucking out enough cukes to supply me and surrounding families with cucumbers.  It's gotten to where neighbors turn away if they see me coming because they don't want any more.

Nice!

And - I'd love some cucumbers! My cukes are long gone to some wilt - likely brought on by cucumber beetles.....is that not an issue in socal?

[Ron Scott]

So - in contrast to the "we can't make a meaaningful environmental impact" thoughts, I wondered - what are we doing right?? And maybe we can put in daily things and think about how that multipled across people and across time adds up?

When I was working I spend years educating insurers, civic associations, governments, politicians, and contributors to political campaigns on the need to strengthen and enforce building codes to protect homes exposed to natural catastrophes in the United States. Over time many states did just that, in part I believe because of our efforts, and insurance companies were able to use pricing to encourage this. It became good politics in many areas of the country. Not having to rebuild homes saves a significant amount of energy and materials and cost…a big environmental plus.

But that said, whatever I accomplished is less than a literal drop in the bucket compared to the big items and leads me to believe that little things don’t add up to much. We have a problem that requires going for the jugular and not a capillary in your little toe.

So it’s not that “we can’t have a meaningful environmental impact”; we can and should attend to waste in our personal lives for many reasons. But big problems like reducing large-scale industrial coal usage in developing countries, other fossil fuels across the planet, and mass deforestation will not be addressed by hosting a PTA booth on homegrown tomatoes or walking to Dunkin’s after church. We don’t have the time.

The little stuff might feel good but it’s not moving the needle.

so......there is already a thread on the "little stuff is not moving the needle" theme.....started by yourself..... this thread concerns a different theme....

LOL!  I wrote a whole paragraph on that! ^^^!

I really enjoy doing environmentally sensitive things. We have flower and herb gardens, keep our cars forever, beat our neighbors on the utility companies’ conservation ratings every time for fun, use electric garden equipment, and have pretty much gotten off the air-travel “vacation” bandwagon (boring) for life. We are eclectic decorators too: We buy quality modern and keep forever, and have multiple pieces from great grandma’s house.

I just don’t think any of this stuff has an impact on big environmental problems.

[Cassie]

I use washable cloth potty pads instead of disposables for my 2 5lb dogs because we live in a condo.

[RetireOrDieTrying]

I just don’t think any of this stuff has an impact on big environmental problems.

Times 7 billion people?

I'm (virtually) giving you the same look I give people who tell me their vote doesn't count, so they don't bother.

[RetiredAt63]

I just don’t think any of this stuff has an impact on big environmental problems.

Times 7 billion people?

I'm (virtually) giving you the same look I give people who tell me their vote doesn't count, so they don't bother.

I think we need both.  The more people do as individuals the more it will also motivate them to push for larger-scale actions.  If politicians see it happening they will do their usual lead from behind, knowing they have support.  Because it does need to become the socially acceptable thing.  I am old enough to remember people smoking like mad and thinking nothing of driving after 4/5 drinks.  Neither is really socially acceptable now.

Looking at people from a planetary viewpoint - the world's population has basically doubled since 1960 - so in less than my lifetime.  That is like the penny doubling each day for a month - 1960 was day 30, we are day 31.

Those of us in developed countries are not that numerous, relatively speaking, but we use a lot of resources.  Most people in undeveloped countries are super poor and don't use a lot of resources individually, but use a lot simply because there are so many of them.  And of course they would like some of the "good life" that we have.

Some technologies have helped, because intermediate steps are skipped - when a villager can have an electric light and an inexpensive cell phone, run off a solar array on the roof, all the wires and power generation we used just are not needed.  Better market gardening practices, better stoves to reduce fuel use, are all relatively easy to implement and make a big difference.  Places like the Brace Research Institute help.

[draco44]

I taught three people how to do basic hand sewing to repair various clothing and household items. And I repaired a torn camping chair someone gave me for free using fishing line and a needle to stitch it back together again. Here's to comfortable seating and a little bit less stuff in the landfill!

[HenryDavid]

No driving day, just bike to swimming place. No AC despite 39 degrees out (shutters work.) Bought some food but walked to market and bought hyper-local.
Kinda like . . .  a lot of days.
Good quality of life, low footprint. It’s fun.

[Ron Scott]

I just don’t think any of this stuff has an impact on big environmental problems.

Times 7 billion people?

I'm (virtually) giving you the same look I give people who tell me their vote doesn't count, so they don't bother.

I think we need both.  The more people do as individuals the more it will also motivate them to push for larger-scale actions.  If politicians see it happening they will do their usual lead from behind, knowing they have support.  Because it does need to become the socially acceptable thing.

I am unfazed by the virtual look, only partly because the notion of getting 7 billion people singing kumbaya seems more than a little wack, but I like the argument that action is essentially political. That rings true.

Problem is there’s no time for these tactics. Earth will look like Mars if we rely on old fashioned grass-roots coalition building. And forget about growing your own zucchini,  hoping you’re “leading by example”. LOL

I prefer the 2 tried and true approaches: Political back scratching, that gave us build-back-better, the Chips Act, etc., and unapologetic greed. Shoving electric cars down people’s throats and shifting electricity production to green sources is making some companies fabulous profits and success is provocative.

Give politicians a timely excuse to spend trillions on corporate contributors and capitalists sweet odds at huge returns, then sit back and watch the magic.

EVERYBODY knows the environmental shit is hitting the fan. But massive money is still the only change agent.

[Ron Scott]

I just don’t think any of this stuff has an impact on big environmental problems.

Times 7 billion people?

I'm (virtually) giving you the same look I give people who tell me their vote doesn't count, so they don't bother.

I think we need both.  The more people do as individuals the more it will also motivate them to push for larger-scale actions.  If politicians see it happening they will do their usual lead from behind, knowing they have support.  Because it does need to become the socially acceptable thing.

I am unfazed by the virtual look, only partly because the notion of getting 7 billion people singing kumbaya seems more than a little wack, but I like the argument that action is essentially political. That rings true.

Problem is there’s no time for these tactics. Earth will look like Mars if we rely on old fashioned grass-roots coalition building. And forget about growing your own zucchini,  hoping you’re “leading by example”. LOL

I prefer the 2 tried and true approaches: Political back scratching, that gave us build-back-better, the Chips Act, etc., and unapologetic greed. Shoving electric cars down people’s throats and shifting electricity production to green sources is making some companies fabulous profits and success is provocative.

Give politicians a timely excuse to spend trillions on corporate contributors and capitalists sweet odds at huge returns, then sit back and watch the magic.

EVERYBODY knows the environmental shit is hitting the fan. But massive money is still the only change agent.

Funny how the "massive money" is also influenced by the trends and preferences of the public...

It's not about getting 7 billion people to all act selflessly, it's about enough of the market share caring about this shit in ways that are identifiable through market research for politicians and corporations to see us as an undertapped market.

There are only enormous efforts to promote vegan products because people wanted vegan products in the first place and then in an effort to target the existing vegans, marketers created more demand.

It's a symbiotic relationship. The more the public demonstrates a will towards ecological-mindedness, the more the "massive money" will target that public will.

This is literally what the SDGs are all about, and if you look at some of the research on corporate social responsibility you will see that it's all about increasing market share through responsible business practices. A lot of European companies are embracing this as their growth mechanisms because they see the demand changing.

So yeah, the more people like us write online about what kind of lifestyles we live and want to be living, the more data gets collected by companies looking for growth opportunities.

It's not about the public going against the grain to magically solve things, it's about the public showing that there is money to be made by taking an SDG style approach to business and getting elected.

You are right. It is certainly advantageous to have popular vocal support and receptive customers. But change still comes from the supply side—from the risk takers and creators who have demonstrated time and again they can literally create demand for things that never existed and no one asked for.

It is a matter of emphasis. Focus on greed to get things done. It’s just the way the world works.

[cupcakery]

I've been using resusable cotton rounds instead of cotton balls for a few years now.  The other day I convinced two friends to give them a try.  It says one pack replaces 2000 cotton balls. 

[Just Joe]

Our house and its HVAC equipment is reasonably efficient. Our utility bills are not especially high even at the seasonal extremes.

Did a little experiment and discovered the downstairs was quite bearable without the a/c on even with ~95F weather. It runs less than I assumed during the day when we are not home. The smaller upstairs a/c runs a bit more if we do this. The upstairs system is smaller and this is its first cooling season so it may be more efficient than the downstairs air.

I think next step is geek out and find even more efficient settings - either let the temps rise inside the house by a couple of degrees - or find smarter thermostats.

Good deeds? We avoided flying another day. Haven't flown in years. We simply don't travel that much. Every day I make choices to make things we already have at home and work last longer so it is replaced less often.

Unfortunately the rest of the world seems to be very impulsive and likely cancels out these efforts many magnitudes over.

[Metalcat]

I just don’t think any of this stuff has an impact on big environmental problems.

Times 7 billion people?

I'm (virtually) giving you the same look I give people who tell me their vote doesn't count, so they don't bother.

I think we need both.  The more people do as individuals the more it will also motivate them to push for larger-scale actions.  If politicians see it happening they will do their usual lead from behind, knowing they have support.  Because it does need to become the socially acceptable thing.

I am unfazed by the virtual look, only partly because the notion of getting 7 billion people singing kumbaya seems more than a little wack, but I like the argument that action is essentially political. That rings true.

Problem is there’s no time for these tactics. Earth will look like Mars if we rely on old fashioned grass-roots coalition building. And forget about growing your own zucchini,  hoping you’re “leading by example”. LOL

I prefer the 2 tried and true approaches: Political back scratching, that gave us build-back-better, the Chips Act, etc., and unapologetic greed. Shoving electric cars down people’s throats and shifting electricity production to green sources is making some companies fabulous profits and success is provocative.

Give politicians a timely excuse to spend trillions on corporate contributors and capitalists sweet odds at huge returns, then sit back and watch the magic.

EVERYBODY knows the environmental shit is hitting the fan. But massive money is still the only change agent.

Funny how the "massive money" is also influenced by the trends and preferences of the public...

It's not about getting 7 billion people to all act selflessly, it's about enough of the market share caring about this shit in ways that are identifiable through market research for politicians and corporations to see us as an undertapped market.

There are only enormous efforts to promote vegan products because people wanted vegan products in the first place and then in an effort to target the existing vegans, marketers created more demand.

It's a symbiotic relationship. The more the public demonstrates a will towards ecological-mindedness, the more the "massive money" will target that public will.

This is literally what the SDGs are all about, and if you look at some of the research on corporate social responsibility you will see that it's all about increasing market share through responsible business practices. A lot of European companies are embracing this as their growth mechanisms because they see the demand changing.

So yeah, the more people like us write online about what kind of lifestyles we live and want to be living, the more data gets collected by companies looking for growth opportunities.

It's not about the public going against the grain to magically solve things, it's about the public showing that there is money to be made by taking an SDG style approach to business and getting elected.

You are right. It is certainly advantageous to have popular vocal support and receptive customers. But change still comes from the supply side—from the risk takers and creators who have demonstrated time and again they can literally create demand for things that never existed and no one asked for.

It is a matter of emphasis. Focus on greed to get things done. It’s just the way the world works.

I
Yep, this is the area my spouse worked in for the last many years before he moved into more direct emissions reduction policy.

I've reviewed and edited many, many papers on strategies for governments and businesses to move on more sustainable directions. That's why I'm so cognizant of the consumer role in the whole thing.

[FIRE Artist]

put on a sweater instead of turning on the heat for the first time of the fall season.
Not driving anywhere today.   The biggest impact of working from home.

[Just Joe]

Fall? Please - could you share a little?

[draco44]

Gave myself extra lead time this morning and walked to an appointment I would normally drive to. The stroll was refreshing.

[meall earraich]

I sold my car! I am a one bicycle household now, I hope that makes a difference.

[draco44]

I sold my car! I am a one bicycle household now, I hope that makes a difference.

Nice! Bike-focusing your life is a classic MMM strategy.

[EchoStache]

We hang dry some of our clothes.  Wife usually uses the electric dryer for towels because she likes them softer.  She asked me to dry the laundry today while she cooked.  So I hung all the towels on our indoor drying rack.  I'm going to encourage her to hang more/most/all of our laundry from now on.  The kids too.  My son did so with his last load, just have to get the girls on board now.  I figure another benefit is its a bit less heat in the house while the AC is running.

[Kris]

Just realized today that DH and I almost always shower together. Saving water for the win!

[draco44]

Today I took an accumulation of glass bottles to the special place where you can recycle glass in my area (no curbside glass recycling). It was along the way to another errand I was running.

[Anon-E-Mouze]

Stayed vegan (for the animals, but also for the environment).

[Metalcat]

Kind of funny, but I'm planning to go back to meat eating, which will be environmentally friendly.

I'm looking to get my moose hunting license and having a buddy hunt moose for me. The introduced moose in Newfoundland are VERY good breeders and have no predators and the population needs to be managed, so managed/licensed hunting here is actually a critical public service. Also, I'm on an island with minimal local food production and most food needs to be shipped in from the mainland, so locally hunted moose would be ecologically beneficial and reduce the carbon footprint of my food.

Then I could subsist on a largely meat and potatoes diet, which is traditional for this area because of the lack of agriculture aside from root vegetables. A single moose provides around 500lbs of meat.

[GuitarStv]

Kind of funny, but I'm planning to go back to meat eating, which will be environmentally friendly.

I'm looking to get my moose hunting license and having a buddy hunt moose for me. The introduced moose in Newfoundland are VERY good breeders and have no predators and the population needs to be managed, so managed/licensed hunting here is actually a critical public service. Also, I'm on an island with minimal local food production and most food needs to be shipped in from the mainland, so locally hunted moose would be ecologically beneficial and reduce the carbon footprint of my food.

Then I could subsist on a largely meat and potatoes diet, which is traditional for this area because of the lack of agriculture aside from root vegetables. A single moose provides around 500lbs of meat.

I think this is a great idea.  Moose is the tastiest game meat - way the heck better than rabbit or deer at any rate.  Makes good sausage, stews, and ground meat in recipes.  It's a bit of a PITA to dress and butcher them though.

[Metalcat]

Kind of funny, but I'm planning to go back to meat eating, which will be environmentally friendly.

I'm looking to get my moose hunting license and having a buddy hunt moose for me. The introduced moose in Newfoundland are VERY good breeders and have no predators and the population needs to be managed, so managed/licensed hunting here is actually a critical public service. Also, I'm on an island with minimal local food production and most food needs to be shipped in from the mainland, so locally hunted moose would be ecologically beneficial and reduce the carbon footprint of my food.

Then I could subsist on a largely meat and potatoes diet, which is traditional for this area because of the lack of agriculture aside from root vegetables. A single moose provides around 500lbs of meat.

I think this is a great idea.  Moose is the tastiest game meat - way the heck better than rabbit or deer at any rate.  Makes good sausage, stews, and ground meat in recipes.  It's a bit of a PITA to dress and butcher them though.

Moose hunting is incredibly common in Western NL because there are twice as many moose there as there are people, and there are no deer for anyone to hunt, so everyone hunts moose. I've been told that there are plenty of people who are available to dress and butcher, so it shouldn't be an issue.

Moose is really delicious, a lot like bison.

It will be weird going back to a meat-heavy diet, but tasty as hell.

[Siebrie]

Supporting my dds (15 and 12) to cycle to school. DD1 has a 16km commute and uses my electric bike; dd2 has a 7km commute and uses dd1's old bike. If the weather is really bad, they can take a bus, but the commute will roughly double in time.

More people on bikes means the government will see a need to improve biking facilities, and herds of bikers are safer than single bikers, more easily spotted by car drivers.

The various local/regional/federal governments around us have been making huge improvements for cyclists in the last 10 years.

[Just Joe]

This isn't much but for my lunch hour today I'll ride my bike the 4 miles each way to pay our water bill. Could mail it. Could drop it off in the car on the way home from work. Want to stretch my legs a little though today. Did the mortgage payment yesterday.

[windytrail]

I threatened legal action against my apartment building manager for not providing food waste composting services to the 200+ tenants that live here, despite being required to by law, while simultaneously charging us $40/month each for trash services. (In my area, composting is very cheap, recycling is free, and garbage is very expensive.).

It surely wasn't the best way to build a bridge with management, but all of those climate emissions make me really upset.

[ghsebldr]

Just picked up 500 recycled 3 gallon nursery pots that I will be planting Leyland Cypress hedge plants in for my retirement nursery. Hate buying new pots while there are billions of used not so shiny ones out there.