Blog Action Day: Stepping Lightly on the Earth

In honor of Blog Action Day, I wanted to do a little write-up on the things John and I do around the house (beyond the basics, like recycling) and in our lives to help the environment. But before I get started, let me say this: the environment shouldn't be a partisan issue. It doesn't matter whether you believe in climate change and global warming, or if you think it's complete bunk. It doesn't hurt anyone to step a little more lightly on the earth. And, hey, you might even save a few bucks in the process! Here we go:

• Method detergent and environmentally-friendly hand soap. This stuff is awesome! We use Method laundry detergent. It washes just as many loads as those huge bottles of Tide sitting in your laundry room, but it takes up about a quarter as much space AND it's biodegradable and free of phosphates. It doesn't get better than that! We also use Natural Spa hand soap. Granted, you can't buy it at Target. Yet. (Though you can buy Method hand soap, which is just as good!) This stuff is all-natural, non-toxic, and biodegradable. Plus, it leaves your hands feeling and smelling great. Everyone wins.
• Appliance replacement. A year ago, we replaced our heating and cooling system. Then, this past April, we replaced our refrigerator and dishwasher. Don't even get me started on how much quieter these new machines are than the old ones. The more important thing, for my purpose here, is that we've cut our electric bill in half, folks. IN HALF.
• Know what else we've cut in half? Our junk mail. Earlier this year, we signed up for Green Dimes. The service costs pennies a day and it rids you of the bulk of your junk mail. Most importantly, though, the money that you spend on the service ( just $15-- think about how often you spend $15 without batting an eye) goes to plant trees. In the United States, 100 million trees are cut down annually just to make junk mail. 100 million trees for JUNK MAIL. If that doesn't make you sick, I don't know what will.
• Native shrubs and flowers. We plant native Florida shrubs and flowers because they demand less water and zero fertilizer. Most of the time, we don't even bother watering them, frankly. They do just fine with the amount of rain we get here.
• Flor. I have a minor stroke when I think about how much carpeting is sitting in landfills, taking up space, not an ounce of it recyclable. So, as we rip out our old carpeting, we're replacing it with Flor. By and large, Flor squares are made from recycled or renewable materials. They're also easy to clean. With soap and water. No harsh chemicals needed here, no sir. If you get tired of your Flor design and want to try something new, just send them back to the company and they'll recycle them for you. Easy as pie.
• Cutting consumption. We try really hard to think about what we bring into the house. Not just in terms of, is it environmentally-friendly, but also, is it something we REALLY want? Our house is crowded enough. Do we really need more books? Do we really want more clothing? Learning to live with less is, I think, an important part of stepping a little more lightly on the earth. It's not easy, I'll say that. It's especially hard with birthdays and Christmas coming up, since we live in a country of such rampant materialism. But definitely worth it. It gives you more room to breathe in your house, and it gives you greater peace of mind.
• Buying locally. Starting soon, we're going to invest in a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). We'll pay a certain amount of money and in return, every week, we'll get fresh, locally grown produce. Buying locally like that is important not only because it supports local farmers, but it's also important because it reduces the number of food miles your groceries have to travel. What does that mean? It means that when you buy from a huge grocery store, you're buying produce that traveled thousands of miles and burned gobs of fossil fuels just to get to your refrigerator. Sure, we can buy beef from New Zealand and artichokes from Chili. But what's the unspoken cost?
• Carbon offsets. Unfortunately, because we live so far away from our families, John and I do a lot of air traveling. Starting this year, though, we're going to buy carbon offsets to compensate for all that air travel. Basically, you calculate your carbon footprint and then buy carbon offsets to counterbalance those emissions.

These are just a few things we're doing in our daily lives to help minimize our impact on the earth and save our planet for the next generation. I've left out things like recycling cans, turning off lights, and using compact fluorescent bulbs because hopefully we're all doing those sorts of things (right?).

Now it's your turn: What kinds of things do you do around the house to step a little lighter on the earth?