The World's Largest Coalition of Nontheists and Nontheist Communities!

So what are you doing to lower your carbon footprint?

So what are you doing to lower your carbon footprint?

How active are you in environmental issues?

As for me:

I just (finally) switched to wind powered energy for my condo. I also replaced all but the light over the dining room table with a CFL. I wash all my dishes by hand now. I wash my clothes in cold water and air dry as often as possible. I also keep all my appliance unplugged when I am not using them, and I try to limit my AC/Heat until I really need it. Since my condo doesn't have many windows, I keep night lights plugged in so that I can go to the kitchen or bathroom when I need to, and I don't have to turn on the lights.

I sometimes walk to do an errand if the place is close enough. I use reusable grocery store bags, and I'll choose low-packaging options when possible (I never buy single-serving items, for example).

At home, I recycle all my paper, tin, glass, and plastic. I reuse all plastic bags to carry things in, or pick up dog waste when I walk my dogs. I no longer trash vegetable waste, but instead throw it behind the bushes so that it can biodegrade.

I also started a green group at work. We planted 8 trees last year, and plan to do more this spring. I also found an independent recycler to come pick up paper, plastic, and aluminum cans for the entire office building. We have about 8 companies that participate. We also watch environmental documentary DVDs, and schedule guest speakers.

I also moderate a green Yahoo! Group for Dallas, and I'm signed up for every email/distribution/newsletter list you can imagine. I do take the time to respond to action alerts and letter writing campaigns as time allows, and I always try to catch the environmental radio shows on PRI. I also watch every documentary I can get my hands on.

Last fall, I attended the Green Jobs Now rally here in Dallas, and I attend the local environmental/alternative energy groups (as often as I can) that I found on Meetup.com. I also print out flyers, posters, and brochures on environmental issues and take to the local library for display on their public bulletin board/display center.

I'm sure there are a few other things as well, but this is all I can think of at the moment.

Of course, there are many things I can't do because of the costs involved, such as buying a different car, make my condo more energy efficient, or install solar panels, etc.

So what are you doing in your own life? Do you have any ideas or experiences you would like to share with other AN members?

Tags: activism, carbon, carbon-footprint, climate-change, energy, environment, global-warming

0 members like this

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Simon JM on March 10, 2009 at 1:48am

I do little things but in the end I don't think it will matter. Most people won't do anything until it is too late anyway.

Before you do anything major find out as much as you can about the book Climate wars, by Gwynne Dwyer.

Permalink Reply by Dallas (on hiatus) on March 12, 2009 at 5:36pm

Thanks. I don't donate at all. I can't afford it, especially with five dogs (and the fact that the take home pay of the average American has decreased in value dramatically in the past 8 years).

I'm sure there has to be a website out there that already does that school thing, that you can sign up or volunteer for. I'm sure there has to be. These links are just copied from a list, and I didn't look at them, but they might help.

Adventure Ecology
http://www.adventureecology.com

EPA Climate Change Kid's Site
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/

It's Getting Hot in Here
http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/

Keep Oceans Clean
http://www.keepoceansclean.org

SustainUS
http://sustainus.org/

Yeah, I never see anyone using reusable bags, and I think a week ago some guy was laughing at me for using mine. I'm not positive that that was it, but I think he was laughing at me.

No Impact Man looks neat. I'll check it out in more detail.

Permalink Reply by Dallas (on hiatus) on April 30, 2009 at 5:14pm

Danny and Sydni: When I have a sec I'll go through these comments you made. I'd like to read them, but I have not had a decent block of time to really focus on it.

Permalink Reply by Juliet Defarge on June 4, 2009 at 11:53am

I'm looking into building a pet waste composter, so I don't have to send plastic-wrapped kitty poo off to our land fill. I'm planning to "greenovate" my house so I can sell it in 2 years. It's not just something I'm doing because I'm a parent who wants their kid to have a fighting chance at survival, it's also a way to make my house stand out in a glut of cellotex and vinyl-sided Mcmansions. I've reduced my energy use in a variety of small ways in the meantime. I TALK to people , in a tactful way, about the consequences of our actions.
Now, I know this is going to get a lot of people upset, but I think we really need to consider aggressive campaigns to spay/neuter cats and dogs, and a variety of legal actions to prevent breeding without a license, neglect, having too many pets (if you can't afford regular veterinary care for all of them, you have too many,) and turning them loose in the wild. I have six cats, all strays who found there way to my house in sad condition. Until we can grow muscle tissue in a vat, meat production is going to remain a strain on the environment, and cats and dogs are part of that strain. Not all pet food comes from byproducts of human consumption, such as some of the fish used in cat chow.

Permalink Reply by Dallas (on hiatus) on June 4, 2009 at 12:04pm

I'm looking into building a pet waste composter

How do you do that? I have 5 dogs and just put their waste in the dumpster. Since I'm in a condo I can't really have a composte pile (and you're not supposed to put waste in them anyhow), but I do throw veg/kitchen scrap behind the bushes. I have thought about buying one of those small, self-contained composters, but haven't had time to look into it. I could place that on my patio, I suppose.

I'm all for the S/N. Did you know that putting euthanized pets in landfills also kills wildlife?

Permalink Reply by Joan Denoo on March 18, 2012 at 12:32am

I have a worm farm in my kitchen that has no smell at all, everything goes in except proteins and fats. Coffee and tea goes in, newspapers, egg cartons, unglossy cardboard, and the worms chew them up, release a liquid that I put on my house plants. The worms climb up a story leaving the bottom level full of castings and then I empty the worm castings around my indoor and outdoor plants. Your bushes of the condo would be very happy to have that rich food. There are many sources; a catalog came today, "Gardener's Supply Company". Shop online gardeners.com. #39--424 Worm Factory $110.00 and red wiggler worms #02-232 $39.95.

Or, you can make your own farm for about $10.00 but it smelled and so I had to keep it in part of the garage that doesn't freeze, which meant I had to put a light bulb source of heat. The commercially made ones don't smell at all.

For instrutions, I Googled FYI worm farm and got several hits (About 245,000 results

https://www.google.com/search?q=DIY+worm+farm&hl=en&prmd=im...

https://www.google.com/search?q=DIY+worm+farm&hl=en&source=...

For pet waste, I dig a hole in the back yard next to my huge garden compost and put a lid on it. I put waste in and nature takes care of it. You don't want to use it on your vegetable garden however. There are buckets you can buy to bury in the ground, but I didn't want to spend the money and there is really no need. There are no flies with this method. I Googled dog doo composting:

https://www.google.com/search?q=dog+doo+composting&hl=en&pr...

http://millsriversidepark.org/index.php?title=Dog_doo_composting

Permalink Reply by Dallas (on hiatus) on June 4, 2009 at 12:23pm

Thanks. I'll check out this site more when time allows. I've been wanting to read more about Deep Ecology.

Permalink Reply by Gecko, Seth...brother of Richie! on June 7, 2009 at 10:57pm

We do the recycling ( which is common sense and should be required by law), wash cloths in cold water only and air dry weather permitting. Very interested in how you converted to wind power, I think that is a great "transitional" power source. But honestly I don't think if every person in America does this it will make a big enough difference.
I think what is needed is Manhattan Project to tap our greatest natural resource ..the Sun. Of course a fundamental re-thinking of the transportation in the U.S., as well as community building.

Permalink Reply by Dallas (on hiatus) on June 8, 2009 at 10:00am

Wind can't satisfy all US power needs because of how and where the wind blows. But it should be part of a multi-faceted approach. Same with solar. There are places where it works better than others. Same might be said with geothermal, depending on what the ground consists of, e.g., whether it is permafrost, sandstone, bedrock, etc.

So true about the transportation and building. There are several sites dedicated to the New Urbanism. Good idea, actually.

Permalink Reply by Gecko, Seth...brother of Richie! on June 8, 2009 at 10:22am

O yes geothermal!! I'm always saying the sun is our greatest power source, but geothermal could also have great potential. Tapping and dispersing needs mega research.

Permalink Reply by Dallas (on hiatus) on June 13, 2009 at 7:26pm

I downloaded it, but not sure when I'll have time to read it.

Permalink Reply by tjnobody on July 19, 2009 at 12:49am