Make a new plan Stan…

It all starts with a plan. Pick one goal. Outline the steps it will take to get there, and get moving!

11) Get motivated by cold hard facts. If stats are your thing, spend an hour finding your carbon footprint (how much carbon-based fuel you use.) It’s intriguing and inspiring.

12) Then pick just one thing to do from this list of ways to offset your carbon footprint.

13) Reprogram your heater now to run 1-2 degrees lower whenever it kicks in. Ditto with the air conditioner, keep it 1-2 degrees warmer this Summer.

14) Make a bike your second car. The new Townies are super hip and designed for mild city riding, and if you live in a hill-heavy city like mine, an electric assist bike like this beauty can help you get around for less than a second (or first!) car.

15) Share. Only need a car (or a second car) occasionally? Join a club like Flexcar. You’ll be tempted to drive less and you’ll save money to boot. Some even offer small trucks which will help with that strip to by organic produce for your “slip out the back, Jack” projects.

16) Fix your flight consumption. Flying for travel or business? Offset your flight’s carbon emissions by donating to a CO2 reduction program like this one. For instance, $13.60 will offset a short-haul flight by funding reforestation in the Great River Valley in Kenya. How cool is that?

17) Reach for the Sun. Live in a sunny clime? Time to think about solar panel, especially if you have a pool. Start here and see what you can figure out.

18) Don’t get into hot water. Turn down your water heater 3 degrees and reduce your carbon load in seconds. You can also check your local utility to see if they offer cost incentives to household who switch out old waterheater for more energy effecient models.

19) Unplug appliances when not in use. Electric appliances draw a small amount of energy even when they are not on. Unplug your blender, toaster, and coffee pot. Get really ambitious and unplug the microwave, TV, and computer printer as well.

20) Don’t overcharge. Once your computer or cell phone battery is full, you can unplug it and save energy.

“Just slip out the back, Jack..”
Backyard ideas for going green(er)!

1) Use organic plant food and fertilizer in your backyard. I like these guys.

2) Grow steppable ground cover instead of grass, which demands lots of water, fertilizer, and weed work. I like “pygmae” which has yellow flowers. I put in a half dozen each year to gradually (and economically) replace some of our turf. My local garden store carries this line , but why not go all out and find an organically grown alternative? (Tell me if you find one!) Read the rest of this entry »

For more posts about the Mother Love habitude for April, click on the “habitude” category above.
It’s April, time for earth day! Let’s love our mother by taking on some earth-friendly practices for the month of April.

In college I had a job on the student council that allowed me to put on cultural and political events. This was right after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and there was a hot band on campus that was wildly popular and I, for once, was “friends with the band.” This inspired me to put on an earth day fundraiser/awareness concert with the December boys. I contracted with the on-campus food service to do the barbeque portion of the event. They served the entire non-vegetarian shindig on STYROFOAM PLATES! By the end of the event there were garbage cans all over the field filled to over flowing with styro plates, plastic cups, and disposable cutlery. Quelle une désastre!

The school paper wrote an editorial, and I felt like crap. After that, in an internally motivated frenzy, I became the master of environmentalism. I cleaned my student apartment with baking soda, bought organic produce, and gave my family 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth for Christmas.

Since then my devotion to short showers, vegetarianism, and vermiculture has waned somewhat. I tend to leave the water running while I brush my teeth, and I’ve long ago returned to Comet. (Have you seen what happens to your sink after months of cleaning with baking powder?) Still, I love my mother and I try to give her some good vibes. We use earth friendly laundry detergent , organic shampoos, and tree-friendly toilet paper. We recycle like maniacs and compost every scrap available. I’ve stopped short of spinning my dog’s hair into yarn, but really, I’m pretty good at this earth stuff. Still, I’d like to get better.

So this month, I’m giving up my car. Yep, except for taking the kids to school in the morning (they bus home) and the rare mid-day doctors appointment that just can’t be bused to, I’m à pied for April. I know I won’t be able to totally give up the car, but I’m hoping to get my one-tank-a-month habit down to a half tank.

What do you say? Wanna try to go au naturel avec moi? The first two people who commit to cutting their gasoline consumption in half get a free cloth shopping bag from my favorite natural market! Ready, set, comment!