Another unrelated post but hey, it's a special occasion. So in the spirit of Earth Day I have decided to enumerate how I, as an individual, can help Mother Earth.
1) When shopping, I refuse plastic bags and put items in my "man bag" (or as I call it, the Jack Bauer bag) instead. I especially do this in National bookstore and Fully Booked since they insist on thermo sealing the bag - as if the customer that just bought something from their store is going to sneak some unpaid item into the bag. . . . . (and back to mother nature). Sealing the bag makes it useless for recycling since you need to destroy it to get the item out.
2) I still use plastic in the grocery store since there is no way I can fit all that stuff in my man bag but all bags get recycled as lining for trash cans in the house.
3) All vampire electronics get pulled out of the plug at night time. This includes cellphone chargers, DVD players, computer monitors, speakers and CPUs.
4) All AA batteries that seemed drained get stuck in my wireless mouse which magically drains it even more. Good for a couple of weeks.
5) My daughter gets into the act by wearing hand me downs thanks to me and my wife's friends and family. Of course my wife can't help herself every now and then when she sees something cute.
6) My dog eats table scraps and the leftovers from when we eat out.
7) All the bulbs in my house are now the low consumption fluorescent type.
8) We use bio degradable soaps and cleansers in the house.
9) We use both sides of the paper for printing. Needless to say we print only the necessary.
and that's about it. Doesn't seem like a lot but every little bit helps. Drop me a line if I should be doing more. But in the meantime, have a "happy" Earth Day.
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6 comments:
Hello, fellow Earth-lover! Glad you also "reduce, reuse, recycle." Am totally with you on your entire list, particularly #1. On days when I go shopping, I leave home with a large LL Bean tote stuffed with extra cloth bags, and then only buy what I can fit into them.
Got two more, though they're admittedly far easier to do here than there: (1) Take public transportation; and (2) Actively participate in the neighborhood's recycling program. And one more for anyone, anywhere: Don’t leave the water running while brushing your teeth, shampooing/ conditioning your hair, lathering your hands with soap, etc.
How about:
a. Using a glass for brushing your teeth
b. Setting the aircon on timer mode
c. Selling your old stuff on ebay
d. Limiting your TV viewing, especially refraining from watching B movies? :)
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Thanks for the additional tips D and "Anonymous". I was going to add use balde and tabo (pail and . . . . dipper?) but some may not be aware of the concept.
There is no scientific proof that B movies consume more power than any other movies and so I shall continue to watch B movies until the ice caps melt. (especially B movies with Mark Dacascus, Eric Roberts and my all time favorite B movie actor Michael Pare in it).
Joey, here in the States it seems like the option for baths is either shower or tub. But I have taken the balde and tabo option, especially for my kids, who otherwise would waste so much gallons of water playing in the shower or tub. So can you imagine the weird reactions my family had when I specifically asked my mom to bring me "tabo" when she came here last summer? Haha! But it is well used my friend. You will be proud.
Delayed reaction here. It's fantastic that you and your wife are happy to have Eve wear (presumably) gently used clothing. Does she entertain herself with hand-me-down toys and books as well? I thought folks with your net worth would go out and buy the princess all-new everything, and am thrilled to be proven wrong by your progressive-thinking selves.
ALT - tabo is the best. Nothing like making yourself pour water over your head, especially if it's a bit cold . . . .
Sweet D - All the clothes handed down to her are almost new anyway (some coming as far as HK - Thanks Ri) so there's no reason to buy new clothes which will be used for 2 months at the most before they're stored away. Even the more affordable clothes here in the Philippines come from China which means there's still a carbon footprint left for the transpo over not to mention that you're not sure under what conditions those things were made. And in any case, we can get away with it now, just try handing her hand me downs when she is pre teen . . . good luck to us all!
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