Ecological Crisis

Every day it seems that we have a new crises to worry about. The trash crises; the South American Rain Forests; air pollution; water pollution. The list goes on and on and on. If you're anything like me, you really want to do something to help, but don't know what to do. Besides, what difference can one person make?

The magazines, newspapers and television have been full of helpful hints on this subject lately. Unfortunately, most of their suggestions seem to apply to homeowners. They always seem to keep mention things like re-insulating the attic, or starting a compost heap in the back yard. I doubt if the landlords would appreciate it if we all did this sort of thing.

So, what can we do to help out? How can we make our world a little bit better place in which to live? I asked myself these questions, and came up with a few simple changes to my lifestyle which not only help the environment - they also save me money.

Garbage

I began by looking at the things that I throw away every day. Things like paper cups, paper towels, junk mail, newspapers, magazines, soda cans, disposable razors and so on. Then I asked myself, how can I stop throwing so much away?

First, I went out and bought a twelve pack of dish rags. These are very cheap, and last virtually forever. This eliminated the paper towels. At the same time, I bought some reusable, solid plastic cups (dishwasher safe) - this eliminated the paper cups. Since this eliminated the purpose of one pack of paper cups per week (at about $1.50 a pack) and two rolls of paper towels (at about $.60 a roll) it saved about $2.00 a week. That's over $100.00 a year!

As for newspapers, I simply stopped getting one at home. Instead, I asked some friends at work if they wouldn't mind sharing. So, each of us began chipping in a few dollars a month to get a subscription. The paper is brought to work each day, where it is shared by about a dozen people. Thus, we only throw out one newspaper each day instead of twelve. This obviously helps the environment, and saved us all a little money at the same time.

Soda cans are saved in a box under the sink. When that box is full, I carry it to the recycle booth next to the Ralph's down the street. Not only is this very convenient, I also make a couple of dollars every time I turn in a box full of cans.

Junk mail took a bit more work. I sent a postcard to every place from which I receive junk mail asking to be removed from their list. Note that this was not very expensive, since the bulk-mail return envelope enclosed with many mailings can be used. For example, if "Greenpeace" sends you a solicitation, they'll probably enclose a postage-free envelope for your check. If you want to be removed from their mailing list, it is perfectly okay to use their envelope to let them know. They'll pay the postage instead of you. (If they keep sending you junk mail after a couple of attempts, attach their bulk return envelope to a large brick. Put a nice note in the envelope asking to be removed from their mailing list. This brick will cost them five to twenty dollars in postage. You can bet that they'll remove your name very quickly after that.)

Shopping

Another sure way to help out the environment is to "be a smart shopper". This can save you a whole lot of money each month, and you'll eat better than ever.

Smart shopping, in this case, does not mean clipping coupons or taking advantage of special sales (although that certainly is smart). No, what it means is refusing to purchase

Water

Conserving water is extremely important these days, since California is in the midst of a severe drought. It's simple to save water without affecting your lifestyle at all.

First, get a glass bottle of about a quart. Fill it with water and put it in the toilet tank. (Don't use a brick - bricks wil hurt the plumbing). This means you will use a quart less water every time you flush the toilet.

Next, either take shorter showers, or use a little bit less water in your bath. Also, don't let the water continue running while you are brushing your teeth or washing the dishes.

Finally, try not to waste water when washing your car. Instead of letting the water run from a hose while washing, fill a bucket with water. Your car gets just as clean.

Electricity

Cutting your use of electricity not only helps the environment, but it will save you lots of money. Several very simple and relatively cheap steps can make a very large difference in your electric bill.

I began cutting my electric bill by finding out how I use electricity. I discovered where I was wasting electricity, and took steps to correct the problems.

I began with the air conditioner. Instead of running it all day, I now run it just long enough to get the house cooled down. Then I open up all of the windows to let the air flow, and set up a couple of small fans to keep it flowing. I've found that buy doing this, I'm only need to run the air conditioner for an hour or so on a hot day, instead of all day.

Next, I cleaned the coils in back of the refrigerator. This was a very simple job, and it seems to make a big difference in the amount of electricity used. The compressor doesn't seem to come on anywhere near as often as before.

Next, I concentrated on the lights. I replaced most of the light bulbs with fluorescent bulbs (which you can buy at any hardware or lighting store). The light from fluorescent bulbs is a little softer and easier on the eyes, and they save tremendous amounts of electricity.

Finally, I resolved to turn off things when I'm not using them. I only keep the lights turned on in the rooms that I'm occupying. I turn off the TV when I'm not watching it. I don't leave the air conditioner on when I'm not at home.

When I was finished, I reduced by electric bill from about $30.00 a month, to its current level of $15.00 a month. That works about to a savings of about $180.00 a year!