To begin, a quote from Helen Keller:
"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do."
Last Earth Day, I made three resolutions involving making my life a little more green; I thought I'd update you as to how I was doing on last year's resolutions, and make three more for this year!
Last year, I resolved to . . .
~ air-dry, as opposed to machine-dry, most of my laundry. I was not terribly successful at this resolution, as I have a very teensie apartment and grew tired of dodging partially dry laundry all of the time. So, this is a resolution for another year -- a year when I have more outdoor space available to me. For now, I will continue to machine dry most of the time, and air-dry occasionally. Alas.
~ sign up for WindSource, a program offered by my energy company that allows participants to pay a little extra each month towards research and development of clean, wind-based energy. I did this right away, and still continue to contribute each month -- it's only increased my power bill by about a dollar a month!
~ think more about and research possibly selling/getting rid of my car and being carless for a while. This has, in my opinion, been my area of hugest success -- although I hung onto my ancient, fuel inefficient, Chevy Blazer until the early fall, when it finally died, I donated it, and haven't looked back. I now walk and take the bus/light rail most of the time, (I occasionally carpool with friends,) and have not once missed having a car. I've saved a huge amount of money, and prevented a huge amount of pollution this past year!
So, all in all, last year's Earth Day resolutions felt successful, for me. When I thought about what little changes I could make this year, I came up with the following:
1. REDUCE PAPER/JUNK MAIL: Research and sign up for online bill-pay. About half of my monthly bills are paid electronically, but I still receive a few paper bills each month, and then have to turn around and write out a few checks each month (more paper! And more gas for the post office, delivering those bills and payments.) I only have three more to switch over, so that should be a piece of cake. :) I also plan on contacting several companies who religiously mail me catalogs that I do not look at and asking them to remove me from their mailing lists.
2. SAVE ELECTRICITY: Buy and install compact fluorescent bulbs in every light fixture in my home. I have them in a few . . . but those bulbs are so darn expensive, I've been dragging my feet on replacing all of them. Slowly, over the course of the year, I hope to replace them all! I also need to purchase an air conditioner again this spring, (I got rid of my old, inefficient air conditioner last spring, and suffered greatly last summer,) and hope to buy a small, efficient, EnergyStar appliance. Anyone have window units that they really like/recommend?
3. GREEN TRANSPORT: Since I no longer have a car and walk or bus almost everywhere, I transport myself in a pretty green manner already, but I'd like to pull my bike back out, tune it up, and hop on this summer -- it can't hurt to have a third green transport option!
Let me know (leave me a comment or shoot me an email,) if you decide to make one, or several, Earth Day Resolutions this year, and I'll make a post linking all of our blogs, so people can check out what we are all doing to be a little bit greener!
Happy Belated Earth Day!