How to save the planet without turning into a bleeding heart

February 16, 2007 at 6:14 pm · Filed under Environment, Global warming

What’s my excuse for being late to the global warming game? It’s not politics or will power, but the lack of real actions steps – short of selling my soul and installing solar panels on my balcony. After checking out my friend Al’s site about an Inconvenient Truth (that he likely discovered), I found a few things that I can, have, or won’t do.

What I can do… today (or tomorrow):

1. Buy more cups and coffee mugs so I don’t have to run a 1/2 load dishwasher.
2. Bike or walk the 1.4 miles to work. (And take my lunch to work more often so I don’t have to drive home just to look for food).
3. Buy more produce from the farmer’s market.
4. Try to cook in season. Also, get more organic foods at the regular grocery store.
5. Recycle paper and cardboard, (instead of just cans and glass).
6. Use the programmable thermostat to set the temperature to 65º while I’m not at home and at the night.
7. Buy some CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulbs.

What I have already done:

1. Eat less meat. Methane bad. Dairy good. Since I’m already a vegetarian, I can almost ignore this one, but I guess the same could be said for dairy products as they make the cows work, but alas, I <3 dairy!
2. Buy an almost “green” car. According to FuelEconomy.gov my car has a 3/10 air pollution score and 5.7 ton/year of greenhouse gas emissions. It’s even on the “Greenest Vehicles of 2007″ list.
3. Keep my car tuned up. Thanks Toyota.
4. Buy fresh foods instead of frozen.
5. Use less hot water. Wash clothes in cold water instead of hot.
6. Turn off electronics that aren’t in use. This seems blatantly obvious to me.

What I just can’t (or probably won’t) do:

1. Plant a tree.
2. Buy Green or Wind Power certificates.
3. Sell my car. Flexcar is a great concept, but not realistic for me personally. My monthly transportation expense: $70 gas + $65 insurance + $159 car payment = $294… much less than a $74 bus pass +$65/day for Flexcar.
4. Telecommuting. I only live 1.4 miles from work, so the only time I telecommute is when I have the sniffles.
5. Fly less. It’s not like I fly every week, so I’m entitled to a yearly flight on a vacation!
6. Check my tires weekly. Seriously?
7. Get a home energy audit.I can’t help but think that the waste of tax payers’ money out-ways the energy saved.
8. Use a clothesline. Maybe in the summer, the Pacific NW wasn’t meant to be a clothesline zone from about October to May.
9. Unplug electronics from the wall. Once again… seriously?

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