The Green Things I Do: Part 2

            To continue a recent blog post on The Green Things I Do, I will list and discuss other ways I try to lessen my negative impact on our planet. In an effort to cut down on the amount of goods I use I do not use “post it” notes and have requested that I not get new business cards because I have so many old business cards and scrap paper that I use instead of post it notes. I wouldn’t use any paper products if possible, but this is a good way to get another round out of the products. For my printer I use paper that has already been used once. I take paper that goes into the recycling bin at work for this cause. I have an extreme annoyance at junk mail and I attempt to recycle every possible part of the wasteful solicitations. This includes ripping the plastic windows from the rest of the envelop. When shopping I use canvas sacks and I ask store clerks to not give me any extra packaging for my purchases, such as tissue paper.

            This Christmas I am repurposing ball jars as candy containers and giving them as gifts. My mother had a bunch of old canning jars stashed away, so I just bought new lids and I’m giving the jars a new life. I often give my books as gifts and this Christmas I plan to do no different. I will likely wrap the book gift in newspaper. I also reuse all Christmas boxes and decorative bags. Fall/winter is a great time for beer drinking, and when possible I get a draft beer instead of a can or bottle, so I can cut down on waste (even though these products can be recycled, the first R of the 3Rs is to reduce).

            While out and about in my car I attempt to hyper-mile to save fuel. It is better for the environment and your wallet to drive the speed limit, avoid jackrabbit starts, and jerking halts. Driving smoothly helps maximize fuel economy. I also combine errands into sections of town so I can reduce the number of trips I have to take and I carpool when possible. Also, I usually have my cell phone plugged into a car charger when I’m on the road. It is more energy efficient to charge while in the car than to charge at home with a traditional outlet.

When at work I clean up after my green-resistant co-workers by trash diving. I walk around the room looking for paper and other recyclables that have been thrown in the garbage. I also bring my own lunch in reusable containers and regular metal utensils. I bring a water bottle and my own coffee mug so I don’t have to use paper and Styrofoam products.

My list of green activities is quite long and I continue to add to it time after time. Doing all of these green things becomes second nature after a while instead of burdensome as it may seem. Each year for Earth Day I come up with a resolution. This can be a one-time activity like planting a tree, or making a donation to a green charity or it can be something I resolve to keep doing. It gets a little harder to accomplish this every year because I want to select a new action that is substantial or at least several smaller actions. A good way I can try to find resolutions is reading my green handbooks. They remind me of things I should be doing to help the planet and help me realize more ideas to lessen my impact. These are books I’ve perused before, so by reading them I am reassessing my progress. There are things I forget to continue and things I could do better. Additionally, there are things I have not yet been able to do because of financial and logistical circumstances. This is a list of some of those options:

- Filling fridge with wine bottles so there is less empty area to cool

- Invest in a compost bin for kitchen scraps and other items

- Grow small garden herb or otherwise

- Plant a tree myself

- Commute by bike to work