sustainability

What have you done for Mother Earth lately?

After I toured the NorCal Transfer Station (the garbage dump), I thought long and hard about my daily habits. They are pretty good but could be much better.

Garbage is a big part of sustainable living. I recycle and throw out very little garbage (I take plastic bags to grocery stores and packing pellets to mail stores). After this Thursday, I'll throw out almost no garbage as my building joins the compost service (green bins that take away food scraps).

I bring my own bags to stores. It throws the clerks off to not bag, but I insist on not creating more waste.

I bring my own coffee mug to cafes. Think about how many cups you throw away on a weekly basis, so just recycling paper at the office is not enough.

I keep metal utensils at work, so I don't have to use plastic forks, knives, and spoons.

Once a week, I have my no-car day. This is a day (it'll be Sunday this week) in which I get around by walking or public transit or carpooling. I also walk to the gym and one of my grocery stores.

Food turns out to consume the most energy, even more than driving because so many items have to be trucked in. Also, some items take much more energy to produce than other items. Red meat is the worst. The rule of thumb in the sustainability movement is that if you cut down the red meat that you eat by half, you will save more resources than giving up a car. Who knew!

Also, eating locally helps. My try to not eat food that come in a package and shop at farmers' market. It's also better for our body and tastier.

It's not hard to be environmentally conscious, but it does take a conscience. So get on it already!