The world being what it is, I've been thinking a lot about the consumables I use and how much I waste. Quite frankly, I use more stuff than I should and find myself throwing away a lot of things that I know will end up in landfills for years to come. So, I've developed a plan, of sorts, to change my habits.
We begin with electricity. I've begun making sure things that are not in use are not on -- lights in unused rooms, the computer over-night or during the day when we're not home, the TV. Even things that appear to be off can consume electricity, like cell phone chargers and baby monitors. These things I try to unplug when not in use.
Step two is water usage. I'm trying very hard to turn down the water when I wash dishes and not to leave it running while brushing my teeth or cleaning the kitchen. I'm also turning it down in the shower, a sacrifice to be sure because I love the feel of hard, pounding water on my skin.
Step three is to transition away from paper goods, like paper towels and paper napkins. We already use washcloths for Angie after meals, instead of paper towels or napkins, but I use too many paper towels to clean up everyday messes, when a cloth or sponge would be a perfectly reasonble alternative. And the number of plastic grocery bags stuffed between the refrigerator and the wall is overwhelming. Perhaps some canvas grocery bags are in order? My Shoprite gives you $.02 back for every plastic bag you reuse and $.05 for each canvas/reusable bag you use. That could add up over the long haul.
Of course, when you stop using these consumables, you have to consider the impact, too, of what you're replacing them with. And while saving electricity and water requires no "replacement" cost, switching from paper goods does. But I'm going to assume that the long term costs of using non-consumables is far less than that of consumables, both in conservation and cost. Two of my initiatives are directly measurable by the bills I receive every month. The other is not so easy to quantify...but I hope I can make an impact.
Won't you join me?
2 comments:
It takes me six months to finish a roll of paper towels. I haven't used a paper napkin in 6 years. If I could convince He-Who-Is-Squeamish to give it a go, I'd replace the toilet paper, too. :-) I use canvas grocery sacks, though there's no financial benefit for me. My A/C and my dryer use up the lion's share of my electricity (I checked!) and the AC is already to set to 78 and the dryer, well, disuse of that is not an option. I am a bit wasteful of the water, but I prefer the softer showers and don't turn it on all the way and do turn it off for tooth brushing. I buy things second hand whenever I think newness doesn't matter (ie: NOT underwear!), though I can improve in this area for sure.
So when are you switching to cloth diapers? :-)
lol...I'm not ready to give cloth dipes a go. I just don't think I'd be on top of it as I should and Miguel would nix the idea for sure!
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