green is the new black

[snugglekitty]

Green is in. If the fact that the Oscars were produced as a green show isn't enough to show you that loving the environment is the new hip thing, consider the fact that Glamour, that girly rag often showing less than 10 brain cells per issue, devoted 50 pages this month to how to live greenly. Amazing. In fact, just enough to get me to renew my subscription for the year. But I digress.

Here is a list of some things that I do to live more greenly.


- Walk, or take the T, to get where I'm going.
- Recycle.
- Buy everything used where possible.
- Host swaps.
- Use the library!
- Buy a reusable water bottle.
- No air conditioning.
- Enable sleep and hibernation on my computers.
- Buy local.
- Buy organic.



There are other things that I should do but often don't. Such as: unplugging my cell phone charger and laptop when not in use, asking to have my name taken off mailing lists rather than just recycling the flyers, turning off lights in rooms I'm not using at night, and so on. And then there are things that I would do if I owned my own house, like buying an energysaving washer and dryer, installing better insulation and windows, etc.

A few suggestions in the Glamour struck me. First, has anyone who is reading this post tried to buy green power for their electricity? There's a list of green power resources in Massachusetts, but I don't know how I would switch to them, or even if I can switch to them. Before I butt my head up against the wall of NStar, anyone want to share their experiences?

Second, what about the new compact flourescents? (New to me, okay?) The kind of flourescent lights I'm used to are the long tube sort that you often find in offices and basements. However, those make a hum that gives me a nasty headache. Do the new lights do that, too?

What do you do to sustain the Earth? What resources do you want to tell me about?

Comments

[chienne-folle.livejournal.com]

We have some compact flourescents in my house, and they bend that long tube into something that's approximately light-bulb shaped. I haven't noticed any humming, but then, I'm hard of hearing, so I may not be the best source of information in this area.

[klingonlandlady.livejournal.com]

The new compact fluorescents are good. They are a much more natural color than the old ones, and you can even get them in contractor economy 12-packs. They don't take a long time to switch on anymore, and they are silent- just like a regular bulb.

[nepenthedreams]

I don't do enough - but I did see a show tonight on Global Warming and I'm sure now that my next car will be a hybrid.

* try to turn out lights and computers
* recycle recycle recycle
* try to buy safe cleaning products and our maid service only uses environmentally friendly cleaning products
* re-use things for multiple purposes
* we use some kind of special long-lasting lights.
* organic and local where possible - to the point where I didn't buy any veggies this winter because none were local. local over organic, actually - if I know the farm.
* walk & take the T, when it wouldn't triple the time to get there. I.e. if I'd have to switch buses multiple times, basically - if it's 30 minutes drive or two hours to get there by T, I drive. That's where I say - I'm not really THAT good.

[moominmolly.livejournal.com]

local over organic

Seconded. I'd rather have produce brought to me from somewhere in New England than an organic grape flown to me all the way from Chile or whatever.

I also love compact fluorescent bulbs, but I find that if they've been off for a while, they take a minute or two to warm all the way up to full brightness. They flick on immediately and don't have the awful flicker (to my eyes) that the old ones do, but I am more likely to leave them on if leaving the room for a short while than I am with incandescent bulbs, purely because I hate that warmup time.

But, seriously, they're awesome. Love love love.

[teratomarty.livejournal.com]

I combine my eco-friendly habits with my cheap habits. I buy clothes at Goodwill (also not creating more demand for sweatshop companies, triple play!), re-use nearly everything (plastic sanwich bags, twist ties, etc), repair rather than buy new appliances, and clean my house with baking soda rather than industrial-chemical cleansers. Oh, and I installed a digital thermostat with a programmable timer, so I'm not heating the house when I'm out or asleep.

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

That's really cool. Thanks for the info - we'll have to try them!

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the additional comments on CFLs. Good to know. :)

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

I combine my eco-friendly habits with my cheap habits.

Good point. It's amazing how often economic and environmental concerns conjoin that way. :)

I wish we had a THERMOSTAT. After that, the apartment can stop being 90 degrees in February, and we can start worrying about stuff like a thermostat timer. Le sigh.

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Thanks. :) This makes me think that we already have at least one CFL in the house, because I've seen that bendy lightbulb thingee.