Entries in environmentalism (1)

The Plan

So here's the plan. Every week, I will adopt or eliminate two new behaviors, and then write about how these changes are affecting my life. Now, this plan is not set in stone! Do you have any helpful suggestions, or other things that you would like to see me attempt??

WEEK 1

  • Get rid of 5 3 things a week via craigslist.org, freecycle, etc.
  • Gather all waste I create (whether it will be thrown out or recycled) and display it in my house for 1 week

WEEK 2

  • Only spend money one day a week (probably either Saturday or Sunday)
  • Recharge as many of my electronics as possible with solar power  (Sadly, my solar power recharger doesn't seem to work, I'll have to look into this...)
    • So, instead!  I will turn off artificial lights at night, and instead go by candlelight

WEEK 3

  • No more paper napkins, disposable plates/cups, or tissues
  • Use my bike as my main transportation

WEEK 4

  • No TV (egads!) except on Sunday
  • Limit my use of elevators (>5 floors only)

WEEK 5

  • Delivery of local, organic produce
  • Make use of the library, no more buying books!
  • Again:  Gather all waste I create and display it in my house for 1 week

WEEK 6

  • Reuse envelopes, use scrap paper instead of post-it notes and note pads
  • Take navy showers

WEEK 7

  • Use Lunapads rather than disposable pads
  • Unplug everything when not in use

WEEK 8

  • Reuse/repurpose items as much as possible before recycling/throwing away
  • Stop reading junk mail & e-mail, and clean-up stored e-mail

WEEK 9

  • Switch most appliances to non-electric
  • Get rid of paper towels (including in public restrooms)

WEEK 10

  • Dumpster Diving
  • Using rechargeable batteries

WEEK 11

  • Letting my clothes air-dry on a rack, not in the dryer
  • Make my own house cleaning products

WEEK 12

  • Shop at farmers markets
  • Showering in lukewarm, rather than hot, water

 

I give a big nod to the Green as a Thistle blog, as I stole many of these ideas from her.  Thanks Vanessa!

Posted on Thursday, March 13, 2008 by Registered CommenterThe Useless Consumer in | Comments3 Comments | EmailEmail | PrintPrint