Reduce my ecological footprint

This is an ongoing goal, but I feel that I have done everything possible towards it, at this time. I will continue to look for other ways to consume less and improve the natural environment. Our province has a good recycling program. We are upgrading the insulation of our little house to save heat. We avoid using chemicals (substituting natural-source products where available) and drive as little as possible.

I would like to be able to get rid of the car, but we live 50 km. from town in an area with no public transportation. I think that as fuel becomes more scarce, our small villages (which are within bicycling distance) will revive their small stores and businesses will become more local just as they were 50 years ago. At least I hope so. We are looking at growing more of our own food, and bartering more with neighbors. Presently about half our food is locally grown; I’d like to expand that to at least 90%, even if it means less variety, especially in winter.

1. They are environmentally sustainable
2. They last a long time
3. They hold as much weight as you can carry, without tearing, unless you put bricks in them
4. You can use them for many purposes, such as library books, beach gear, etc.
5. Our store gives a credit of 5 cents per cloth bag used, instead of their plastic ones
6. They are easy and inexpensive to make, from recycled fabric; you can choose the color and size to suit your style
7. Homemade bags make a nice gift for friends or relatives who don’t sew: I’ve given away quite a few, and know they are being used
8. You can even make an insulated bag for cold foods
9. They can be washed when they get dirty
10.It reduces the amount of plastic waste created

I have become more aware of how much I use of various things, and have set a goal of using less (a little less, at the moment, and perhaps a lot less in the future).

Here is my list so far:

1. Water: Take smaller baths and short showers. I can still get clean this way. I don’t own a dishwasher, so hand-washing the dishes uses very little water. Turn off the tap when brushing teeth, except when actually using the water. Use recycled water from washing veggies, to water houseplants.

2. Cleaning Products: Switched to vinegar/water for many tasks. Using less laundry detergent, with good results. I have stopped using makeup and most ‘skin-care products’ because I found I did not need them since I began eating healthy food. My skin has its own glow from within. I wash it with vegetable glycerin soap (made from seaweed, and available at the bulk-food store) and one bar lasts for several months.

3. Heating/cooling the house: We let the house be cooler in winter (wear a sweater instead of turning up heat). In summer we just open windows and turn on a fan. We are in Canada, so we don’t have to cope with extreme heat very often.

4. Wearing out the old product before acquiring a new one:
Now I try to only buy things which are well-made, even if they cost more. Hopefully, they are repairable, as well, so their life can be extended a bit further. Maintaining things helps them last longer. So we need less pairs of shoes, for example, if each pair lasts longer before being discarded. I especially like older, solid-wood furniture, which can be refinished, and which should last a lifetime. It’s more beautiful, in my eyes, because the wood from that tree will never be wasted. Perhaps I should write a whole entry about the joys of older vintage products… it might inspire someone to rescue a nice old item from the curbside!

5. Less imported foods: I am noticing where food (especially fruits and vegetables) comes from, and consciously choosing the locally grown products. Other than things like citrus and bananas, we can buy a wide variety of local foods, knowing that they have not consumed huge amounts of fuel to ship them across the world. We also grow a vegetable garden.

I have found some ways to reduce or eliminate packaging:

1. Bringing reusable cloth shopping bags to the store.
2. Buying flour, and other baking supplies, at the bulk store. This does use some thin, lightweight bags, but it eliminates cans, jars, and multiple small packages. I store the food in 2-liter or 4-liter glass jars that originally contained pickles. Spices go into small, clean baby-food jars. I write little labels using a calligraphy marker.
3. Buying at the farmers’ market, where the produce is not usually packaged.
4. Using reusable gift bags instead of paper gift-wrap which gets thrown away. Less expensive, too!
5. Choosing products that have less packaging (unless they are fragile and the package is really needed.)

Because I love trees, I am finding ways to consume less paper.

1.No more paper towels: recycled pieces of tee shirts for cleaning and wiping up spills, and cloth hand towels. All can be washed and re-used.

2.Instead of subscribing to a paper copy of newspaper, we can read it online.

3.Writing on both sides of a sheet of paper, and using the back of envelopes for lists and notes.

4.Bringing a travel mug in the car, to save using a paper coffee cup at work or at the coffee shop.

5.Looking for products which have minimal packaging, at the store.

This is my list so far; I’ll add to it as I think of more ideas.