Today I want to write just a snippet on each of the 7 areas where we're reducing our consumption. See the Riot for Austerity page to learn more.
1. Electricity. No major sacrifices. We're still watching TV a little and I'm online way too much trying to keep up with this group (my latest obsession), but we're now turning both off at the power strip when they're not in use, instead of just at night when we go to bed. Also, many more appliances are getting unplugged when not in use.
2. Heating and Cooking Energy. We are using the a/c today due to temps in the 90s and very high humidity. That is my general rule for a/c use and always has been-it has to be over 90 degrees F. and humid. Tonight when the predicted cold front passes through we'll turn it off for at least the next week of predicted 80s.
3. Gasoline. I'm biking the 2.5 miles to work every time I work, Monday, Wednesday, Friday. George is biking the 3 miles to the health club for his aerobic workout then lifting weights there (which he needs as physical therapy right now). We're seriously considering our driving needs more and planning for the fall when the kids are being driven to school again and George is driving to school to teach, too. He (and they in the afternoon) will take the city bus as much as possible, for sure 3 days a week.
4. Garbage. We figured out we're already close to the 90% reduction goal here. We simply throw out much less than the average American--yay! However, we do recycle a lot. Banning any new plastic from entering the house will help a great deal. We're also making iced tea and don't drink much soda, etc. anyways. George still has that beer, however, but that's worth sinning for, right? We also need to call catalog companies and get off their list, as well as return junk mail when it comes in "return to sender" or in their postage paid envelope, which they'll just love, I'm sure!
5. Water. Okay, here we've made some major changes. We have a bowl in the kitchen sink to catch running water (when it's warming or we're washing hands, etc.)--we're using to water the gardens now. In winter I guess we'll have to figure out what we can do with it, besides flushing the toilet with it. We're also catching shower water with a bucket and last night the kids and I shared our bath water. Rose took the first bath, then Eli showered quickly in the tub full of water, then I got in. Maybe a little gross to many of us, but the water wasn't exactly dirty, just a bit soapy. It reminded me off Little House on the Prairie! We're still way over our 10 gallon per person per day limit, I'm sure, but we're taking many conscious steps to reduce...
6. Consumer goods. We're buying used or doing without right now. Also, no new plastic is entering the house (well, as much as we can, see Food section below). I figure we, like most Americans, could live for years and years without any new consumer goods. Only the kids outgrow their clothes (well, if we adults keep our waistlines trim!), and there is access to lots of used kid's clothes out there. We have games and toys to high heaven. Still thinking on the Christmas gifts from relatives thing. I think I may have to actually tell them what we're doing here and start begging them to help us out on that one...
7. Food/Body Care/Cleaning. This is the most easy for us. I work at a co-op full of bulk bins of most any food we need. We are only eating locally, sustainably raised meat and eggs of which there are many sources here in Central Minnesota. The fruits and veggie thing is the hardest to give up as we've had it pounded into our heads that we need oranges and apples and bananas and salad all year. We still have to work on that one, however, the 40 pounds of local strawberries we picked, froze and canned last week is a good start. We'll do the same with blueberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, and hopefully more this summer and fall. We have decided to allow meat packaged in plastic as that's the way most do it these days, and we can't live without our local meat. I have been walking around at work looking at what I can still eat. I'm enjoying my last bag of corn chips and Minneapolis-made Homos Tahini very much and will be sad to see that go. I can't eat my plastic-packaged macaroons anymore, boo hoo! We'll have to learn to make them...But, I did bring a jar for bulk trail mix to work yesterday and that's my snack from now on, I guess. Thank goodness for bulk snacks!
That's enough for today. Today I'm cleaning while Rose and George are at school. Oh, and I'm sweeping all the hard floors with human power and just vacuuming our four room rugs, which is very quick.
1. Electricity. No major sacrifices. We're still watching TV a little and I'm online way too much trying to keep up with this group (my latest obsession), but we're now turning both off at the power strip when they're not in use, instead of just at night when we go to bed. Also, many more appliances are getting unplugged when not in use.
2. Heating and Cooking Energy. We are using the a/c today due to temps in the 90s and very high humidity. That is my general rule for a/c use and always has been-it has to be over 90 degrees F. and humid. Tonight when the predicted cold front passes through we'll turn it off for at least the next week of predicted 80s.
3. Gasoline. I'm biking the 2.5 miles to work every time I work, Monday, Wednesday, Friday. George is biking the 3 miles to the health club for his aerobic workout then lifting weights there (which he needs as physical therapy right now). We're seriously considering our driving needs more and planning for the fall when the kids are being driven to school again and George is driving to school to teach, too. He (and they in the afternoon) will take the city bus as much as possible, for sure 3 days a week.
4. Garbage. We figured out we're already close to the 90% reduction goal here. We simply throw out much less than the average American--yay! However, we do recycle a lot. Banning any new plastic from entering the house will help a great deal. We're also making iced tea and don't drink much soda, etc. anyways. George still has that beer, however, but that's worth sinning for, right? We also need to call catalog companies and get off their list, as well as return junk mail when it comes in "return to sender" or in their postage paid envelope, which they'll just love, I'm sure!
5. Water. Okay, here we've made some major changes. We have a bowl in the kitchen sink to catch running water (when it's warming or we're washing hands, etc.)--we're using to water the gardens now. In winter I guess we'll have to figure out what we can do with it, besides flushing the toilet with it. We're also catching shower water with a bucket and last night the kids and I shared our bath water. Rose took the first bath, then Eli showered quickly in the tub full of water, then I got in. Maybe a little gross to many of us, but the water wasn't exactly dirty, just a bit soapy. It reminded me off Little House on the Prairie! We're still way over our 10 gallon per person per day limit, I'm sure, but we're taking many conscious steps to reduce...
6. Consumer goods. We're buying used or doing without right now. Also, no new plastic is entering the house (well, as much as we can, see Food section below). I figure we, like most Americans, could live for years and years without any new consumer goods. Only the kids outgrow their clothes (well, if we adults keep our waistlines trim!), and there is access to lots of used kid's clothes out there. We have games and toys to high heaven. Still thinking on the Christmas gifts from relatives thing. I think I may have to actually tell them what we're doing here and start begging them to help us out on that one...
7. Food/Body Care/Cleaning. This is the most easy for us. I work at a co-op full of bulk bins of most any food we need. We are only eating locally, sustainably raised meat and eggs of which there are many sources here in Central Minnesota. The fruits and veggie thing is the hardest to give up as we've had it pounded into our heads that we need oranges and apples and bananas and salad all year. We still have to work on that one, however, the 40 pounds of local strawberries we picked, froze and canned last week is a good start. We'll do the same with blueberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, and hopefully more this summer and fall. We have decided to allow meat packaged in plastic as that's the way most do it these days, and we can't live without our local meat. I have been walking around at work looking at what I can still eat. I'm enjoying my last bag of corn chips and Minneapolis-made Homos Tahini very much and will be sad to see that go. I can't eat my plastic-packaged macaroons anymore, boo hoo! We'll have to learn to make them...But, I did bring a jar for bulk trail mix to work yesterday and that's my snack from now on, I guess. Thank goodness for bulk snacks!
That's enough for today. Today I'm cleaning while Rose and George are at school. Oh, and I'm sweeping all the hard floors with human power and just vacuuming our four room rugs, which is very quick.
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