Saving the planet?
Treehugger recently ran a fun series of echo self-help tips: 25 Ways to Save the Planet (25-16), (11-15), (6-10), (1-5). I'm surprised at how many of these ideas we do. So I decided to fill out a scorecard:
- a programmable thermostat
Maybe. We have one upstairs and a dumb one downstarts. We don't use the upstairs one. Instead we just live without heat. And since we have two heaters we save even more energy than we would by programming. - Draft excluders at the base of your doors
No. And we need it on one of our doors. - Use "Tupperware"-style reusable food containers
Yes. - get a rainwater storage tank
No. Not sure it makes sense in SF, unless the fog drizzle would yield enough water in the downspout to help the garden. I'll have to look into this. - use a water filter
Yes. - A low-flow showerhead
Yes. - go for a potted flower (not cut)
No. And we've been buying cheap Trader Joe cut flowers that I bet come from Mexico, which probably has a worse eco footprint than most cut flowers. - you can't beat filtered tap water in a reusable bottle
Yes. - replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents
Yes. - place a brick or similarly voluminous object in the tank of your toilet
Maybe. We have a low-flow toilet. Displacing any more water from the tank would make it even more feeble. Bad idea. - we can still make a difference with the rugs and carpets we put down
No. We have a few area rugs, but this item is really for homes in colder climates. - Use recycled paper
Yes. - a spinning clothes dryer that uses centrifugal force
No.?? - Get an efficient space heater to cut down on the cubic area you need to heat
No. But again, who needs heat in SF? - Fill your kitchen with bamboo
No. - [Buy and eat] local food movement.
Yes. - If given the choice, go for organic fruits, veggies, meat and dairy over conventional food
Yes. - Use rechargable batteries instead of single-use batteries
Sort of... in some cases. - Skip the energy-hogging clothes dryer for a drying rack or clothes line instead
Sort of... Most clothes go in the dryer, but we do have a rack we use sometimes. - Eschew air conditioners
Yes. - Use eco-friendly household cleaners
Yes. - Ride a bicycle
Mostly no... I need to get a new one... - Buy clothes and other linens made from organic cotton
No. - Compost your garbage instead of throwing it all away
Yes. - Get a reel (human-powered) lawn mower
Not relevant.
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