I'm a bit of an environmentalist. I hang my laundry to dry, rarely drive if I can walk, and many other things. So I've been reading a book called "Sleeping Naked Is Green" by Vanessa Farquharson. She wrote a blog about doing something small each day for the environment. Each chapter starts with a list for the month about what she will attempt each day. I'm thinking as I read this that there are 365 days in the year how will she ever remember all those things and keep doing them? Or is she only going to do each thing for one day and then go back to her old ways? I think not. So even though I'm not far into the book I'm thinking it's kind of a silly idea. Not the doing good for the environment part but the doing something each day part. Maybe once a week or once a month would have made more sense and then they could be something bigger than buying recycled paper towels or not buying bottled water. I rarely buy bottled water and buy paper towels but only use them for nasty messes like... well, you can imagine what a nasty mess is.
I'd like to learn some new tricks though. Something that is bigger and more interesting than buying local and organic. I'd like to know how to get a loan so I can convert my house to solar panels or how to make a compost bin that the bears can't rip apart. Or how to convert my car to one that burns vegetable oil or even how to buy an electric or hybrid car when they cost more than I make in a year. If I could do just one of those things I'd make a much larger impact than doing 100 of the smaller things. I know cause I already do 100's of the smaller things. All my light bulbs are CFL bulbs but now I hear they have mercury in them and if one breaks you have to air the room out and clean the broken parts up and double or triple bag them. If they are that dangerous I don't really want them in my house. Who needs mercury poisoning when you are trying to be more environmental.
So now the big thing is LED lights but can you buy those anywhere? Yes if you want to put them on your Christmas tree you can buy them but I haven't seen a bulb for my house yet. I'd like to get some more energy efficient appliances but who can afford them? And then our furnace is as old as the hills but we can't afford to get a newer more energy efficient one. Why doesn't someone come up with a program to help low income families buy energy efficient cars, appliances and heating and cooling systems for their homes? I know there are some out there but the paltry amounts offered is so small as to be laughable. The only people who benefit from these programs are the ones who don't need the rebate in the first place. The rest of us can't even imagine being able to pay over 30k for a new hybrid car or 5k for a heat pump.
So doing small things is all I can do and even though I know they do count for something and do help it's disappointing to be locked out of the bigger things because of cost. Maybe I'll become a vegetarian although I hear that being vegan is the new thing but I've had vegan stuff and it tasted bad plus all the vegan recipes I've seen take way too long to prepare and I'm not spending that much time in my kitchen. I'd rather just eat an apple or carrot and be done with it.
Maybe you have to be weathly to be a true environmentalist to buy all those energy saving appliances, hybrid cars and solar powered houses. Must be nice cause I'm stuck in this 100 year old uninsulated house with cruddy windows freezing in the winter and sweating in the summer.
I'd like to learn some new tricks though. Something that is bigger and more interesting than buying local and organic. I'd like to know how to get a loan so I can convert my house to solar panels or how to make a compost bin that the bears can't rip apart. Or how to convert my car to one that burns vegetable oil or even how to buy an electric or hybrid car when they cost more than I make in a year. If I could do just one of those things I'd make a much larger impact than doing 100 of the smaller things. I know cause I already do 100's of the smaller things. All my light bulbs are CFL bulbs but now I hear they have mercury in them and if one breaks you have to air the room out and clean the broken parts up and double or triple bag them. If they are that dangerous I don't really want them in my house. Who needs mercury poisoning when you are trying to be more environmental.
So now the big thing is LED lights but can you buy those anywhere? Yes if you want to put them on your Christmas tree you can buy them but I haven't seen a bulb for my house yet. I'd like to get some more energy efficient appliances but who can afford them? And then our furnace is as old as the hills but we can't afford to get a newer more energy efficient one. Why doesn't someone come up with a program to help low income families buy energy efficient cars, appliances and heating and cooling systems for their homes? I know there are some out there but the paltry amounts offered is so small as to be laughable. The only people who benefit from these programs are the ones who don't need the rebate in the first place. The rest of us can't even imagine being able to pay over 30k for a new hybrid car or 5k for a heat pump.
So doing small things is all I can do and even though I know they do count for something and do help it's disappointing to be locked out of the bigger things because of cost. Maybe I'll become a vegetarian although I hear that being vegan is the new thing but I've had vegan stuff and it tasted bad plus all the vegan recipes I've seen take way too long to prepare and I'm not spending that much time in my kitchen. I'd rather just eat an apple or carrot and be done with it.
Maybe you have to be weathly to be a true environmentalist to buy all those energy saving appliances, hybrid cars and solar powered houses. Must be nice cause I'm stuck in this 100 year old uninsulated house with cruddy windows freezing in the winter and sweating in the summer.
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