We can't all become President or find the cure for a disease, but we can all be a part of the solution to the BIGGEST problems facing our world. Here's what I've done so far and a few next steps...
1. I've replaced most of the light bulbs in my house with CFL's using about 75% LESS energy, I've also replaced a few with LED's, this technology seems to be the future, but for now it needs a little more work before I go changing everything to it. The advantage of LED is that they are about 3-4x's more energy efficient than CFL's and they are more environmentally friendly due to no Mercury being used in them, the only place I've found that sells these new bulbs at "reasonable" prices is Wal-Mart. I'm also a bit of a tyrant when it comes to making sure we turn off lights when leaving the room(ERIKA!).
2. I now take a reusable shopping bag to the store and refuse paper or plastic and try to encourage others to do the same. I also am trying to be less of a consumer, I have plenty of clothes already!
3. When our water heater and Heat pump/a/c went out earlier this year I replaced the water heater with a Tankless Gas unit that uses less than half the energy and upgraded the new heat pump to a high efficiency unit saving about 40& in energy USAGE and COST.
4. We keep our tires properly inflated, combine trips, and generally drive less aggressively. This has helped to improve gas mileage, saving money and CARBON output. I've also tried to travel less for work, though this has been a challenge I find I can do a lot through phone, email, and webex, and then make fewer longer trips rather than weekly ones.
5. Trying to eliminate junk mail and magazines! At the start of this year I had nearly a dozen monthly magazine subscriptions, I'm down to one, GOOD, a couple others I've switched to electronic delivery, but most I've cancelled entirely.
1. I've replaced most of the light bulbs in my house with CFL's using about 75% LESS energy, I've also replaced a few with LED's, this technology seems to be the future, but for now it needs a little more work before I go changing everything to it. The advantage of LED is that they are about 3-4x's more energy efficient than CFL's and they are more environmentally friendly due to no Mercury being used in them, the only place I've found that sells these new bulbs at "reasonable" prices is Wal-Mart. I'm also a bit of a tyrant when it comes to making sure we turn off lights when leaving the room(ERIKA!).
2. I now take a reusable shopping bag to the store and refuse paper or plastic and try to encourage others to do the same. I also am trying to be less of a consumer, I have plenty of clothes already!
3. When our water heater and Heat pump/a/c went out earlier this year I replaced the water heater with a Tankless Gas unit that uses less than half the energy and upgraded the new heat pump to a high efficiency unit saving about 40& in energy USAGE and COST.
4. We keep our tires properly inflated, combine trips, and generally drive less aggressively. This has helped to improve gas mileage, saving money and CARBON output. I've also tried to travel less for work, though this has been a challenge I find I can do a lot through phone, email, and webex, and then make fewer longer trips rather than weekly ones.
5. Trying to eliminate junk mail and magazines! At the start of this year I had nearly a dozen monthly magazine subscriptions, I'm down to one, GOOD, a couple others I've switched to electronic delivery, but most I've cancelled entirely.
Next steps
1. I'm going to purchase surge protectors to plug in anything with an off switch, this will eliminate the stealth power use that is estimated to be between 5-10% of your monthly electrical usage.
2. I'm replacing my toilets and shower heads with low usage models this will cut our water usage by about 30%. I'm also going to take shorter showers...a real sacrifice for me!
3. Switch ALL of my bills to online delivery, virtual eliminating my usage of the postal system. This will save paper, but also the Gas it takes to deliver all that mail coming and going.
4. Buy local! The more exotic fruits and designer clothes we buy, the more transportation is involved. I'm working on a few ideas here, but a great place to start is looking for locally grown produce at your grocery store. If you're ready for the next step, I'd recommend checking out Local Harvest. If you have the land, plant a garden, or you could even go the route I'm trying to convince my wife of...I want to get a Chicken to produce our own eggs!
5. I will do my best to be an encourager and have a positive, friendly attitude! We can save the world but if everyone is depressed that doesn't sound like much fun! I'll also look for opportunities to share what I'm learning as I "GO GREEN".
In the Future
These are ideas that I'm monitoring and hope to be able to implement as the technology improves and prices come down.
1. Solar Power for my home. This technology is available, but it's still very expensive. My hope is that as I continue to simplify and eliminate unnecessary expenses I will be able to implement sooner.
2. Take care of current vehicle so the next one can be electric! I hope to keep my current car running long enough to save up for a next generation vehicle or at least the best hybrid available at the time, probably 2-3 years.
Finally
Give away half of my income. To make this happen I must do a couple things, eliminate debt and as many recurring expenses as possible, and simplify my lifestyle so I don't have the need/desire to eat out all the time and spend spend spend. The more you focus on making a difference, you realize that even as we in America try to simplify and conserve, we have WAY too much!
SO...what is my motivation for all this?? I believe that we were CREATED and that one of our core responsibilities is to leave this place better than we found it. I also have the extra motivation that I will leave a few people behind when I go and I want to set a good example and ensure that the world they inherit is better than the one I inherited.
Let's BE the CHANGE!
1 comment:
That's awesome, all of it. :) We've been trying to simplify too, and it seems like even as we simplify I realize there's still so much more we could do, and still so much that we don't need.
-Jenny
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