Reduce your daily impact
Discussions on how we can live responsibly and save the environmentGrowing your own food
Lately I’ve been thinking about how I can grow some of my favorite foods like spinach and herbs like rosemary. I’ve been slowly growing my avocado plant in a pot, but have started collecting aluminum cans in hopes that one day I can grow some seedlings in it.
I came across this local Orlando organization called Simple Living Institute, and they hold organic growers meeting every month. I think I’m gonna check them out and hopefully learn a thing or two about growing my own food!
Does anyone else grow their own food and have had success with it?
What is the greenest way to cool your home?
Summer is coming, and here in Florida, I feel that it’s already upon us. High temps are going up in the 80s almost everyday – and it’s only April!
Our central air conditioning system needs to be replaced. It’s about 10 years old and the air handler is not functioning properly. I can’t decide whether to replace the unit or find another solution. Is there a better solution than just buying a new central a/c system?
Lights off today, March 29th from 8PM to 9PM
Let’s all join in this effort to save energy, even for just an hour. More information can be found at Earth Hour site.
Thom Yorke on being a climate optimist
Was browsing around the web tonight and saw this article from the frontman of one of my favorite bands – Radiohead. I didn’t know he was an environmentalist. On his take on climate change, I love the last line on his article.
“You should never give up hope.”
I agree. Whether this climate change is something that’s supposed to happen, that it’s cyclical, we can never be sure that it can balance itself again. People become hopeless because they don’t think that the small stuff counts. Well, the small stuff like changing out your lightbulbs, or recycling – if everyone does this, then it adds up and we’re all able to save the environment just by doing these small things.
Who has time to be “green”?
People are busier more than ever these days. We are working more hours, doing more than two things at the same time, and so forth. Still, whenever there’s an opportunity, I always talk to people about what I do to be more environmentally friendly. However, one person noted that it looks like I have a lot of time in my hands since I’m able to hang-dry my clothes instead of putting them in the dryer.
At that point I wasn’t sure how to react. But the more I think about it, it’s not about having time. It’s about caring. Like anything else, if you care a lot about something or someone, you put more effort and thought to it. And that’s what I try to do, everyday. I try to be more conscious about what I throw out, what I buy, what I eat.
Being green is not a trend, or a hot new topic that the media is riding out. It’s a mindset change. It’s a lifestyle change. Being green is not easy, but when does doing the right thing ever is?
Whole Foods pays you back by bringing your own bag (BYOB)
Ok, they’re not giving you back THAT much, but it’s something! I must’ve been living under a rock since I didn’t know this, but last night I went to Whole Foods and saw on my receipt that they deducted $0.40 from my purchase for using my own green bags. Way to go, Whole Foods !
I wonder if/when mall retailers will follow?
Reheating food without using the microwave
While I was preparing dinner tonight, I was about to pop in a bowl of last night’s leftovers in the microwave when I heard that click that signaled me that the rice is done. It usually takes an additional 5 minutes before the rice is really done (at least for me, I like it slightly dry and the grains not mushy). So I thought, why not let it cook but use that heat to warm up my leftovers as well? So I placed the bowl in the rice cooker, on top of the rice (making sure the bottom is clean first), and put the lid back on.
Five minutes later, the food is nice and hot throughout and my rice is perfectly done! And no tongue burns from the microwave!
Christmas tree dilemma
It’s that time of year to start putting your decorations, and perhaps the most important of them all is your Christmas tree. This year, I’ve been debating whether to put up our old fake tree or get a real, fresh pine tree. Growing up in San Francisco, we always had a real tree and I will never forget the wonderful pine smell that fills up the whole room. I’ve been researching on what would be the best green option and was surprised that many recommended getting a real tree (see here, and here).
Here’s the best reason to get a real tree – fake trees are not biodegradable, and will fill up landfills. Granted, most people will keep their fake trees for years, but eventually it will still be thrown out. Real Christmas trees, on the other hand, can be recycled, or replanted. Those that sell these trees will plant another tree to replace the ones they’ve cut down, making it a sustainable business.
In the end, I’ve decided to look for a potted pine tree, one that I can keep and take care for years to come. If you need help locating a Christmas tree lot, check out the National Christmas Tree Association web site at http://www.christmastree.org/home.cfm.
Can you recycle used cooking oil?
Last week I made a huge batch of egg rolls that left me with a lot of oil leftover. I reused some of that, but now I have no idea what to do with it. I did some research and only got information about restaurants recycling large amounts of used oil for biodiesel, but no information for regular consumers like myself. Unfortunately, my current location (Orlando) does not recycle used oil.
Any ideas on how I can repurpose leftover cooking oil?
Earth Day is April 22
If we can make New Year’s resolutions, maybe we should start making Save the Earth resolutions as well. Since this coming Sunday is Earth Day, I came up with a couple of things we can do in our daily lives to help our environment.
Some easy ones to get started with:
- Turn off the faucet when brushing your teeth.
- Use ceiling fans instead of the a/c if possible. You can open some windows to cool rooms at night.
- Place curtains on windows that receive a lot of heat during the day.
- Use cold water instead of hot water when washing clothes if possible.
- Bring your own coffee mug to fill up with water or coffee in your office instead of using foam or paper cups
I think these resolutions are easier to keep than say, reducing your carb intake 
What other planet saving tips can you suggest?
By the way, here’s a list of Earth Day events happening around the Orlando area this weekend. Check out the 10th Annual Earth Day Expo at the Winnie Palmer Auditorium this Saturday.
