It's just one more reminder that Earth Day is really important.
Anywho, what I really wanted to focus on is a little reader poll. As you may know, the last two weekends Mr. Spice and I were traveling to two VERY different parts of the Country. Our first trip to Kansas left us a bit shocked and awed. Shocked at the amount of polystyrene (aka styrofoam) and the lack of recycling, and awed at the Earth Day exhibits at the big chain stores, such as Starbucks and Barnes and Noble. The second trip, down to a farm in Santa Ynez, made us want to permanently retreat out to the Country. Every. Single. Item was recycled or composted. The scraps were fed to the chickens, the flowers fresh cut from the garden only to be put in the compost bin at the end of their life, the pool was heated via solar panels, and the strawberries, artichokes, and eggs were grown on site.
Ahhh. It was heaven.
These two weekends left Mr. Spice and I wondering- how much of a bubble do we live in?? So, here's a list of 10 items that seem basic, but I'd love to know how many of you actually do them.
Each item is one point, tally up the points and let me know where you fall. OR since this list is just a start- let me know what you do to be green.
1. Recycle.
2. Compost.
3. Bring bags to the grocery store. An extra point if you keep an extra bag in your purse for quick shopping trips. Half a point if you have a big purse and skip the bag by shoving everything in it.
4. CFL. When a light burns out in your home, do you replace it with a Compact Florescent Light Bulb?
5. Use public transportation. Half a point if you drive a hybrid or high miles per gallon car or carpool.
6. Buy local and/ or organic produce. An extra point if you buy organic clothes or house items.
7. Take short showers and turn off the water when you brush your teeth.
8. Only run the dishwasher or washing machine when you have a full load.
9. Reduce your footprint by living in a smaller house or apartment.
10. Using or replacing appliances or windows with energy efficient appliances.
I am really interested to know how my readers rate on this poll. Being eco-friendly is really important to Mr. Spice and I, and yet at the same time, I feel like I often ignore the 'organic' in Organic Modern Living.
SO, my pledge to you, the reader- to bring back the organic. Tomorrow I'll reveal my score, and how we incorporate 'eco-friendliness' into our lives.
What do you pledge to do today?
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8 comments:
I admit that I only scored 3 points (and 1 of those is from living in a smaller place - but that's out of financial necessity more than the footprint issue). I'm from Philadelphia, so not sure how that fits into the "bubble" theory, but I'm pretty sure we're not the greenest place.
I got a five, maybe 4.5 because I buy local/organic when I can, but I can't always. It's nice to live somewhere eco-friendly like Portland that does support recycling and stuff like that. I lived in LA for two years, and they did not have recycling bins anywhere. it was torture! I struggle a lot to balance the eco-consciousness with convenience, since I work so much. I like to think I do an okay job!
I got 8 points. Our house is huge and we try to buy local/organic but a lot of the time, our final decision comes down to price.
I'm a 9. When I get my own appliances (right now I rent) getting energy-efficient appliances will be a big deal. I'm not sure whether I should give a point for having a smaller residence -- if you're not building, why is that important? Is it for the energy to heat/cool/light, or something else too?
I left a comment before but somehow it got lost in the internets! :)
I'm an 8. I love reusable shopping bags. Reusable doesn't mean crappier anymore, which is such a nice bonus. They're so much better in every way than the "old" shopping bags. Although sidebar, I'm not sure what the rig explosion exactly has to do with Earth Day?
I got a seven and need to do so much more! the little steps that make a huge impact ;)
We're at a 9. We strike out on the small house front. Yet, our new home is much more energy efficient than many of our friend's sub-2000 sq ft homes due to its construction and layout. We have friends who purchased a 1400 sq ft home built in the 1930s, and their heating and a/c bill is usually 50% more than ours, and we have double the square footage.
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