As promised, I said that I'd reveal our eco-score. And I hope you aren't surprised when I say, even we don't get a perfect 10. Being eco-friendly is tough, and it often leads to trade offs and compromises. This is Modern Organic Living- meaning- I am a women living in modern times with modern constraints. Sometimes going organic or eco-friendly can sometimes cost a whole hell of a lot more!
And again, if I am honest, I am just starting to learn that sometimes the extra price is worth it. Unless I think that buying non-organic is going to kill me- I usually use a 30% rule. If going organic is going to cost me over 30% more, I often throw the non-organic stuff in the cart. (By the way, this KILLS Mr. Spice, for better or worse, he'll always go organic! Gotta love that man.)
So here's the break down of 'quiz':
1. Recycle. +1. We recycle every chance we get. Luckily, we live in a city where I can recycle at home, at work, and even on the go. This is one of those eco-friendly freebees. There is no reason not to do it.
2. Compost. +1 Thanks to the City and County of San Francisco, we JUST started doing this. It's mandatory by law for our apartment complex to offer compost. Thank our lucky starts for our bubble. For us, another eco-freebee.
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.
+1. I am going to admit that we don't always bring our bags. Sometimes you just can't plan when you are going to go to the store, BUT even if you bring your own bag 50% of the time- you are again doing another eco-freebee. I can't stress this enough- KEEP a bag in your purse. And when faced with the option- paper or plastic. Choose Paper.
+1. I am going to admit that we don't always bring our bags. Sometimes you just can't plan when you are going to go to the store, BUT even if you bring your own bag 50% of the time- you are again doing another eco-freebee. I can't stress this enough- KEEP a bag in your purse. And when faced with the option- paper or plastic. Choose Paper.
4. CFL. When a light burns out in your home, do you replace it with a Compact Florescent Light Bulb?
+1. Here's another eco-confession, I like traditional lights over CFLs. That said, Mr. Spice and the environment win out on this one too. Whenever a light burns out in our apartment- a CFL finds a home. And honestly, it's reflected in our energy bill. This isn't an automatic eco-freebee, but over time the planet and your pocket book will love you.
+1. Here's another eco-confession, I like traditional lights over CFLs. That said, Mr. Spice and the environment win out on this one too. Whenever a light burns out in our apartment- a CFL finds a home. And honestly, it's reflected in our energy bill. This isn't an automatic eco-freebee, but over time the planet and your pocket book will love you.
5. Use public transportation. Half a point if you drive a hybrid or high miles per gallon car or carpool.
+1 for me, and +0.5 for Mr. Spice. Again, living in a City with awesome public transportation saves me. Unfort, when Mr. Spice was working- he was driving, but I will say that he almost always picked folks up along the way.
+1 for me, and +0.5 for Mr. Spice. Again, living in a City with awesome public transportation saves me. Unfort, when Mr. Spice was working- he was driving, but I will say that he almost always picked folks up along the way.
6. Buy local and/ or organic produce. An extra point if you buy organic clothes or house items.
+0.5, +0.5. As I stated above, I don't always buy organic. EKK. I try my best, and sometimes that's just as good as it gets.
+0.5, +0.5. As I stated above, I don't always buy organic. EKK. I try my best, and sometimes that's just as good as it gets.
7. Take short showers and turn off the water when you brush your teeth.
+0.75. Growing up during a major drought in LA in the 80s, I am the queen of short showers. But every now and then, I love a nice long shower. Sometimes it's just good for the soul.
+0.75. Growing up during a major drought in LA in the 80s, I am the queen of short showers. But every now and then, I love a nice long shower. Sometimes it's just good for the soul.
8. Only run the dishwasher or washing machine when you have a full load.
+1. Since we have to trek all of our stuff down to the basement to do laundry and we pay for it- we only do laundry when we have a huge stack. And waiting to run the dishwasher until it is full- well, that's just common sense. This is an eco-freebee that everyone should be doing.
+1. Since we have to trek all of our stuff down to the basement to do laundry and we pay for it- we only do laundry when we have a huge stack. And waiting to run the dishwasher until it is full- well, that's just common sense. This is an eco-freebee that everyone should be doing.
9. Reduce your footprint by living in a smaller house or apartment. +1. Just like, E from Philly, we get this one more due to our financial status. We live in a one-bedroom apartment because that's what we can afford. Yet, since we know that we can live in a small space- we really don't ever see ourselves in a huge McMansion.
Jessica asked why this is such a big deal, well, let's start with the obvious, bigger house- more stuff and the higher cost to heat, water, operate, etc. I hope to expand on this in the future.
Jessica asked why this is such a big deal, well, let's start with the obvious, bigger house- more stuff and the higher cost to heat, water, operate, etc. I hope to expand on this in the future.
10. Using or replacing appliances or windows with energy efficient appliances. 0. We get a big fat zero for this one. I hope that one day when we own a home we'll buy energy efficient appliances, but right now we are stuck with what our landlord has to offer. A big fat downside to renting.
So drum roll, 8.5. I am well aware that we could do better, but I try. My very best. I am a modern girl, living in a modern material world.
A huge shout out to S from Habit for coming in at a big, fat 9 points!! Hop on over and check out her awesome blog.
So honestly, is there an eco-friendly item on the list that you could be doing that you don't? Any green or eco-friendly tips that you want to know more about??
So drum roll, 8.5. I am well aware that we could do better, but I try. My very best. I am a modern girl, living in a modern material world.
A huge shout out to S from Habit for coming in at a big, fat 9 points!! Hop on over and check out her awesome blog.
So honestly, is there an eco-friendly item on the list that you could be doing that you don't? Any green or eco-friendly tips that you want to know more about??
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5 comments:
Thanks for the shout out, love!
I was just talking with my husband about your survey & he let me know that our city (Vancouver, BC) is just implementing a composing system to that everyone (including us apartment dwellers) can compost. I think it's awesome when cities take on these kind of green initiatives!
So glad I've discovered your blog :)
Thanks for addressing my question. I feel like the big old-style houses with high ceilings, large windows, and the central chimney with fireplaces on each floor are pretty energy-efficient when it comes to heating and cooling. I don't have any evidence to support that. I think my little 1950s house is tough to cool without using the a/c.
For me, the hardest thing to do is reduce. I think that's most important, but I still drink from individual beer bottles (but not water bottles!). Also, there are materials that can't be recycled, like #5 plastics (I know some Whole Foods have bins to accept them) but it just seems like there's so much stuff.
I just want to jump in and try to dispell the "You Must Replace Old Windows" myth. Compare wood windows to modern vinyl:
Old wood windows are made of sustainable materials; usually old-growth harwoods, glass (sand), and putty. They're single paned, and actually pretty simple construction, pieces of glass sandwiched between two pieces of wood, with some putty to seal off the joints. Since they're such simple construction, they're pretty simple to fix too: putty, wood repair, glazing repair etc. If you break one pane of glass, you can replace the pane without having to replace the entire window. Oddly sized window? No problem; it's pretty easy and inexpensive to have someone mill the right size out of wood.
A single pane window has an R value of 1 or 2, which can usually be upped by installing a storm window (which also protects the wood window) to an R 3 or 4. Again, reputty-ing helps a lot too. Rehab of exising wood windows preserves a lot of embodied energy; the energy used in 1906 to harvest the lumber to supply the wood, make the glass, transport the materials to the window manufacturer, and then transport them for sale and installation into the cira 1906 house.
Now consider vinyl replacement windows. Made of plastic coated in chemicals, which takes forever to decompose. Usually manufactured, again, far from where they are installed, meaning we're burining fossil fuels to move them to the point of installation. If a piece breaks, you usually have to replace the entire window... which means the vinyl ends up in the dump. And they're not really "more" energy efficient. Like an R 4 or an R 5.
One measure of R value... when most people are spending $20,000 on new windows (for one unit of R value), but not insulating their attic. It's like replacing your mittens, but not putting on a hat.
Sorry. That was a rant. I just run into this particular issue a lot in my profession (historic preservation).
Thanks for today's post!
Courtney- Thanks for all the great info.
S- Congrats- composting and Vancouver Rock.
Jessica- I'll try to do a bit more research on the house efficiency thing and get back to you! And yes, reducing is tough stuff.
CFLs are so 2000s. LEDs, here we come! (and hopefully you will like the lighting better)
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