Al Gore, You Speak the Truth

I've never really been a car person. So long as it doesn't cost more to fix it than the cost of the actual car and it fits my children better than a can of sardines, I could care less what it looks like.

But I'm in the minority, at least in this country.

Cars equal status around these parts. The bigger and faster it goes, the better it is -- and the cooler you are. And really, who am I to tell you what kind of car you drive.

But as a zipped around in my mom's Prius last week, I felt really good. (Gotta love the extent of my activism -- Green Peace I am not).

And then I got behind a Hummer, and I felt really bad.

The excess. The pollution. The earth.

I admit to not being the greenest person in the universe. In fact, when I sat and thought about it (inhaling the fumes of the Hummer), I realized I pretty much suck. Diapers, way too much running water, disposable plates, plastic bags, TONS of wash... The list went on and on and on.

I honestly don't think about it much -- maybe it's to avoid the guilt. Or maybe it's because it never really mattered to me.

But when I sat there, I realized that we're in deep trouble. The earth is a mess. We've spent way too much time not giving a crap -- just living out of total convenience and utter disregard for the earth.

But it's catching up to us. And I'm worried. Not for myself, but for my kids.

How much would it cost for us to all drive hybrids? Or turn off the water? Or use paper instead of plastic?

Time and convenience, YES. But in the long run, the return is enormous.

I'm saying I'm going to live without electricity, but I am going to make an effort.

Turn off the water while I brush my teeth.

Choose paper instead of plastic.

Hang dry some of my clothes instead of drying them to a pulp all the way.

Hiring a nanny (heh -- saves energy, right?) -- just kidding.

How do you still save time but save the earth? Got any great tips? Share your thoughts, or write your own post about "Where Does Your Time Go?" It's part of a Blog Blast sponsored by Light Iris, a new site for moms that's all about saving us time. Check it out -- and join us! You might just win a Blogher 2007 conference ticket.

Comments

[dcfullest]

a really easy thing to do is to use reuseable shopping bags to do your grocery shopping. my challenge is to actually remember to take them to the store with me.

[dana]

My fave coffee shop offers a discount on your next cup of coffee if you bring in your old cup to use. It's really great! I wish more places did that!

[KristenM]

I use the reusable shopping bags and bins, I just keep them in my trunk and they are always there. Buy local produce, you are not only helping out the local farmers,less gas is used to transport. I used cloth diapers and use washable pads. Compact florecent bulbs, now this really saves time, money and the environment, they are good for 7 years!

[Joceline]

I am going to second the reusable bags suggestion. I have bought some at Trader Joe's and some at www.reusablebags.com. I'm getting better at remembering to take them to the store--almost all the time now. And the bonus is that they are sturdy and big. I can get the groceries up to the house in fewer trips.

[Dawn]

kristen, your typos are too funny..

"I'm saying I'm going to live without electricity, but I am going to make an effort."

hahahaha maybe the sinlaws will help you w/that lol

[B]

I gasp at the lack of stewardship of this earth. I'm not really a Go Green kind of girl, but really, how hard is it to be conservative on your energy use? It saves you money too. BONUS!

I hang dry a lot of things because we have a privacy fence and sheets just smell so good when they have hung dry. I have heard that neighborhood associations prohibit this practice, so I guess I'm lucky to have that fence.

But I still don't get how CO2 is bad for the environment or how "carbon credits" are the answer. Anyone?

[AbsolutelyBananas]

Good thoughts- I love your take on this topic. Here via PBN Blog Blast.

[Queen Heather]

Well, I did do the cloth diaper thing with my youngest. And during that time, i got into lots of cloth products. No more paper napkins or plates. Sadly, I got slack on that. I really miss the cloth napkins. I had a drying rack so I didn't run the dryer all of the time. I stopped that too.

I switched from pads & tampons to the Diva cup too. Love that thang!

We did purchase a honda civic last year instead of a larger car for the better gas mileage. That counts as something, right? I still drive the van, which doesn't get so great of a gas mileage but I don't do a lot of driving as a wahm anyways. But it's paid for and my next vehicle will be more gas efficient for sure.

[Christina]

I've started switching all our lightbulbs to the energy-saving ones.

I wish we could have a hybrid, but they're too expensive for us at the moment.

[Fairly Odd Mother]

I've gathered every crappy little canvas bag in my house and will use those for groceries now instead of plastic. I also try to fill up water bottles instead of using bottled water although I'm transitioning here too. Little things, like shutting off lights, using less water, changing light bulbs to energy-saving ones---I hope they all help a bit.

[Indigo]

There is a great book that just came out: A Slice of Organic Life. This book has ideas on going green--from apartment dwellers to those with plenty of yard--it has tips for all of us. I like it because I can pick and choose what works for my lifestyle. I try not to feel guilty for the things I am not ready to change.

[jaelithe]

I bought a package of cheap dishrags and I now use those a lot instead of paper towels when cleaning. I bought enough so that I can just use one once to clean the table or my kitchen counter, and then I throw it right in the laundry (this solves the germs staying on towels problem that drives so many people to stick with paper). I just put them in with whatever laundry loads I am already doing, so they don't add appreciably to my washing machine use.

Lately my husband and I have started recycling our plastic grocery bags (one of the local grocery stores has a large grocery bag recycling bin out front). But doing this has made me realize how many of the freakin' bags we are actually using, and so I am starting to think reuseable grocery bags are the way to go (though I am certain I'll forget them half the time).

Also, if your cheapskate in-laws are not already using them, compact fluorescent lightbulbs can save you a fair bit on electricity usage. (You might want to wait on buying those until after you move, though).

[adey]

Depending on where you shop you may also get a bag credit for reuseable bags. It's not an earthshatering about but its nice.

Over the years I've collected a ton of canvas bags and I keep a few in the car so that they're always ready. I also find myself shopping at the places where they dont give you dirty looks for bringing your own bags more.

[Cara]

I would love to drive a hybrid. But both our cars are paid off now, so hopefully the next one we buy will be hybrid.

I do hang all my laundry out to dry. I heard on Martha Stewart that the dryer is the 2nd biggest energy sucker in your home (I assume next to your a/c). I just posted about this recently on my blog: cara75.blogspot.com/2007/06/dirty-laundry.html

As a WAHM, I tend to leave everything on in the house. So lately, I've really been concentrating on turning off lights, tvs, etc. when we're not using them.

Living in Austin, it gets super hot in the summers. We leave our a/c on 78* all the time instead of moving it around which is supposed to save $ and energy.