No pain, lots of gain...
Mon, August 4th, 2008 @ 11:19AM
Look, I’m not a zealot about this, and neither are you. I accept that there are environmental consequences to my actions, but I want to strike a balance, not turn my life into a field trip to the 18th century.
I like my electronic toys. I will drive my car (usually by myself, thank you very much). There are limits to how far I’ll bump the thermostat.I’ve paid little attention to environmental worries. I have a spouse who’s more attuned to these things than I am, and I’ve abided her suggestions and changes, with only occasional skirmishes -- thermostat management mostly.
There are no apologies here. As I become more aware about these issues, maybe I’ll want to do more. (If you’re more aware already, good for you. I’ll appreciate any support and ignore any criticism.)
With those credentials, let me suggest painless things we all can do to start...
Turn things off. Duh. Don’t waste electricity (or water).
Recycle. Really, you live in California -- could anything be easier? Start by putting your trash in the correct container. Be mindful of the trash can when you buy something. (Better to buy things with less packaging.)
Walk. When you can, it saves you money and is good for you, not to mention good for the air and easy on the fossil fuels. On a nice day, make the couple of extra minutes. You’ll find it’s a good thing, not an imposition.
Light bulbs. Swap a couple of incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescent lights. CFLs last forever and consume less electricity. Over the long haul they’ll save you money.
Pay attention. You’re probably doing this already. When you buy a car, pay attention to the mileage. When you buy an appliance, compare the energy efficiency of different models.
Thermostat. But let’s be reasonable here. Find your tolerances. Make it a little warmer in summer, a little cooler in winter. The betting here says you won’t notice two degrees of difference. After two, try three. After three, four.
Are there other things we can do? Looking around this site, I’m seeing things that will work for anyone. More about those later.
Do you have suggestions?
