Hey there, in case anyone reads this. I haven't updated in a long time, so I'm going to rectify this right now and talk about what I've been up to politically
( Read more... )
What didn't you like about your CSA? As someone in that line of work, I'm curious. Most of these steps I already try to follow, except for the solar panels (I don't have my own home) and the junk mail (voluntarily call strangers? me?). I also drive way too much, but I try not to drive locally when I can walk or bike. I really would love it if the train were more convenient and didn't take twice as much of my already limited free time.
What are you missing? Obviously, I would recommend growing your own food and making your own compost, but if everyone did that I would be making even less money. :) I keep a worm bin in my kitchen. I also line-dry my clothes when it's not freezing outside. Little things.
The CSA sent us a very very wide variety of vegetables, but way too many turnips, and too many other weird vegetables. We loved the onions, broccoli, radishes, carrots, etc., but we realized we needed to choose which veggies we got.
I'd love to have Laura grow our food, but we have no land. We'll grow some spices in a planter, but that's about our capacity unless I want to get lamps to grow stuff in the basement.
If/when you get around to doing solar thermal (rather than PV) let me know. I was just at the ASHRAE trade show, and saw a really cool solar thermal setup that's designed for integrated domestic hot water and space heating. That's something that I have traditionally said is not practical, or not worth doing (too complicated, for too little return) but they have a solution that might well change all that. Details when/if you want them.
For junkmail, use Catalog Choice. They rock. Much easier than contacting everyone individually. (Of course, you also want to sign up with the DMA, etc on their do-not-mail list, but that only cuts out maybe half of the junkmail.)
For ethical meat, Dawn recommends checking out the Eat Well Guide. BTW, we recently got to see Joel Salatin speak, and are now more impressed than ever with his methods. I've joked about his beef being carbon negative, but I actually am starting to think that it might really be true. He's building a lot of soil in the process of producing his beef, and he said that
( ... )
You could always live in a place where temperatures rarely drop below the mid-60s at night, and where you hardly ever really need an air conditioner. That will cut way down on your energy usage. (Assuming you never take the minimum 5 hour flights to go anywhere else.)
For junk mail -- http://www.ecocycle.org/junkmail/index.cfm -- see #1 and #4. I used these to opt out several years ago, and that actually cut way down on the crap I received. Nowadays I just put "return to sender" on junk mail and bounce it back, hoping it will piss off both the sender and the postal service. I'm also registered with Catalog Choice (#6), which has mixed results so far.
Buying and improving a home is probably a source of many choices to make. But you've already made them!
Catalog choice did not do a whole lot to cut down on junk mail for us. Only a few companies were registered with them at the time and those that weren't didn't stop mailing us.
Comments 7
What are you missing? Obviously, I would recommend growing your own food and making your own compost, but if everyone did that I would be making even less money. :) I keep a worm bin in my kitchen. I also line-dry my clothes when it's not freezing outside. Little things.
Reply
I'd love to have Laura grow our food, but we have no land. We'll grow some spices in a planter, but that's about our capacity unless I want to get lamps to grow stuff in the basement.
Reply
Reply
Reply
For junkmail, use Catalog Choice. They rock. Much easier than contacting everyone individually. (Of course, you also want to sign up with the DMA, etc on their do-not-mail list, but that only cuts out maybe half of the junkmail.)
For ethical meat, Dawn recommends checking out the Eat Well Guide. BTW, we recently got to see Joel Salatin speak, and are now more impressed than ever with his methods. I've joked about his beef being carbon negative, but I actually am starting to think that it might really be true. He's building a lot of soil in the process of producing his beef, and he said that ( ... )
Reply
For junk mail -- http://www.ecocycle.org/junkmail/index.cfm -- see #1 and #4. I used these to opt out several years ago, and that actually cut way down on the crap I received. Nowadays I just put "return to sender" on junk mail and bounce it back, hoping it will piss off both the sender and the postal service. I'm also registered with Catalog Choice (#6), which has mixed results so far.
Reply
Catalog choice did not do a whole lot to cut down on junk mail for us. Only a few companies were registered with them at the time and those that weren't didn't stop mailing us.
Reply
Leave a comment