How much do you care about your impact? (Poll)

I'm beginning to see the numerous ways a home and piece of land can have a great (or horrible) effect on the environment in general.

From cutting down trees, chemically treating lawns, water consumption from pools, non efficient windows/appliances/insulation causing more oil/gas usage...

Do you think about these things before you do things to your home or your property? I asked someone this who I'm close and her response was basically "It's my house, I can do what I want with it. One person can't make that much of a difference anyway."

What do you all think? What are some things that you do or don't do to preserve our environment?

Re: How much do you care about your impact? (Poll)

I voted medium to high, but I wish it was even higher, being that I work for an environmental engineering firm. It's my job to tell companies how to follow environmental regulations and such.

We recycle everything possible. We use energy star appliances. We replaced our 20 year old furnace last spring to a much more efficient one. Our house burns gas. We don't use harsh chemicals to clean, not do we use anything chemical to kill bugs or on our lawn. We re-insulated our whole house and put in new windows.

There tons more, but you get the idea.

Re: How much do you care about your impact? (Poll)

i voted low. doing some things, and i have to admit i'm kind of embarrassed about it.

what can we do to change?

Re: How much do you care about your impact? (Poll)

Sadly, I fell in the "low" catagory. I would like to say that I am concerned about the environment, but at this moment in my life, it's just not a priority. Would I love to replace all the windows in my house b/c they're terribly drafty? Of course! But we just can't afford to do that right now so it sits on the back burner.

I am, however, trying to make a difference (as little as it is) by buying florescent light bulbs instead of the old incandescent ones. I know they're more energy efficient and supposedly last longer. So I'm trying I guess!

Re: How much do you care about your impact? (Poll)

i voted medium because i'm presently renting, and there are some things that i'm limited to do... can't wait to move to my own house next month.

to answer the question of what we can do...

*use energy-saving appliances and lightbulbs.

*when at the store, and you buy something small, say "no bag" or use a mesh bag that can be re-used

*turn lights off when not in the room

*hang your clothes to dry

*walk instead of drive to places that are close by

those are a few

Re: How much do you care about your impact? (Poll)

Medium-high.

We decided not to cut down the trees
We use energy efficient apliances, turn off lights when not in the room, keep things unplugged, etc. We save as much energy as possible. We also do a lot of re-using and recycling. No more plastic bags either.

Re: How much do you care about your impact? (Poll)

Medium to High

1) We changed out the lamps to Compact Flourescent Bulbs (plus this saves $$$)

2) I insist on recycling - I clean out my recyclables and remove the labels. I yell at DH if I ever see a can in the trash

3) Don't plan to treat my lawn.

4) Have a pile of paint cans the old owners left behind waiting near my car so I can bring them down to the town dump where they are recycled accordingly due to their toxic nature (and thus won't leach into the ground or get into runoff)

5) Energy Star Appliances

6) WHen possible don't get bags at stores (or reuse)

I feel like I can't say high high. Just owning a house and driving a car and owning furniture makes me feel like I have had such a negative impact on the environment throught the production.

Message edited 3/21/2007 2:32:18 PM.

Re: How much do you care about your impact? (Poll)

Message edited 3/21/2007 2:43:31 PM.

Re: How much do you care about your impact? (Poll)

Re: How much do you care about your impact? (Poll)

Posted by chmlengr

I voted medium to high, but I wish it was even higher, being that I work for an environmental engineering firm. It's my job to tell companies how to follow environmental regulations and such.

Posted by julz33

We decided not to cut down the trees

Re: How much do you care about your impact? (Poll)

I voted medium to high. I try to do all that I can. I recycle everything. I try to bring my own bags to the grocery store. I buy energy efficient appliances. I try to wear my clothes more than once to reduce my laundry. DH and I use are towels more than once. I try not to use ziploc bags to often. I don't use paper plates or napkins or plastic cups.

Unfornutately, we didn't buy a fuel efficient car but I wish that we would have.

Re: How much do you care about your impact? (Poll)

I'm medium to high as well.

We recycle everything we can

We don't use any pesticides on the lawns - too paranoid about my daughter

We use flourescent bulbs for the lights that are on almost all the time

we never use plastic cups/plates, etc. I am actually surprised at how many do!

I reuse plastic bags from the supermarket

Re: How much do you care about your impact? (Poll)

High and looking to improve!!

Great Thread!! I posted my thoughts on the matter in a similar thread a few months back. DH is a sustainable architect, so not only do we improve our own home, but he is building LEED certified homes and offices throughout the country!

We recycle EVERYTHING! (I even brought paper home from my old office b/c they did not recycle).
We use energy saving appliances and lightbulbs and energy saving features (no heatdry on the dishwasher).
We bring backpacks to the supermarket and only use (and re-use) bags when we have to.
I bring my lunch bag home every day to re-use.
We purchase local, organic produce.
We use public transportation (we live in NYC). We would only buy a hybrid.

These are only a few things. Every little thing counts!

Re: How much do you care about your impact? (Poll)

I think I do my best to be responsible.

*We do not use any chemicals of any kind on our property-no pesticides or fertilizers needed. Instead we have a flock of chickens that produce fertilizer & eat every bug in sight. My house is across the street from a fresh water lake & we drink well water....I would never want those toxic lawn chemicals running into to either.

*I use my own shopping totes made from recycled plastic when I shop.

*we use energy star stuff whenever possible, we don't have central air & RARELY use our wall a/c units. All of our bulbs are compact flouresent.

*I try to use less toxic chemicals in the house.

*The nimrods that lived here before us cut all the trees down, we are working on adding new ones. I have lots of birds that I feed in my yard.

*I grow a pretty big organic garden & we eat the organic eggs my chickens lay

*we compost our yard waste to use in the garden

*lately I've ended subscriptions to magazines & we are only get the paper on weekends now. Although we recycle them it takes lots of energy to turn all the old paper into something new. I'm really working on cutting back the amount of trash we produce.

*I buy as many local & organic products as I can.

*DH & I both bring coffee, breakfast & lunch in reusable cups & lunchbags almost everyday.

*I dry laundry out on a line in the summer often.

*we love the trash to treasure theory, we have many used or recycled things & I freecycle a ton of stuff when we don't need it anymore.

My biggest problem with our lives is our transportation-we both drive 100 miles a day. My car is VERY good on gas, my DH has a big work truck that isn't. Neither of us can take public transportation. However we do keep our cars for years & years.
My goal for the near future is to improve that area of our lives.

Secondly, I'm a little ashamed of the size of my house...we could live comfortably in something much smaller.

I posted this a while ago...its REALLY interesting
Footprint quiz

Re: How much do you care about your impact? (Poll)

Re: How much do you care about your impact? (Poll)

Posted by greenfreak

Posted by chmlengr

I voted medium to high, but I wish it was even higher, being that I work for an environmental engineering firm. It's my job to tell companies how to follow environmental regulations and such.

Now that's a company I'd love to work for. They looking for anyone?

Posted by julz33

We decided not to cut down the trees

YAY!! I love hearing that. I'm a birdwatcher and know many others, some of them local. One woman I know used to watch the same pair of birds come back to nest each year, sometimes raising more than one clutch of eggs.

New neighbors moved in and cut down all of the trees in the backyard. The birds never came back.

There's so many things cutting down even just one tree affects, and I hate hearing that they're being cut down for the wrong reasons.

Obviously, if there are too many creating a mold problem or if the tree is dying or disease or pest ridden, those are all good reasons.

Re: How much do you care about your impact? (Poll)

Re: How much do you care about your impact? (Poll)

Re: How much do you care about your impact? (Poll)

I'm in the low category.. i do what i can. I recycle, I turn lights off, and unplug appliances when not in use. I will be replacing my windows on the top story of my house this spring. But I have to admit that is more a selfish reason, being I wont use that much oil next winter.. I'll save $$. I guess its good for both though. And I also shut the water off while brushing my teeth. I guess thats my part.

Re: How much do you care about your impact? (Poll)

I picked high...

I only use organic stuff on the lawn and in the garden.

Recycle everything, including food waste in the summer.

Turn off lights, etc.

Use biodegradable garbage bags and paper bags at the grocery store.

Use non-chemical cleaners in the house...either Method or Seventh Generation.

Turn off water when doing dishes, brushing teeth, etc.

Only water the lawn once a week in the summer.

Try to buy used big ticket items if we can.

Take the train instead of driving when possible.

That's all I can think of right now...

Re: How much do you care about your impact? (Poll)

Very high - this is a big concern of mine, and a large part of why we don't eat meat.

We always recycle - ALWAYS. We use energy efficient appliances, and energy efficient light bulbs. In the summer we never use the a/c - we open the windows and use the ceiling fan. I walk as much as possible instead of driving, and while we have an SUV, I use it to drive .8 miles to the train instead of my husband using it to travel 40 miles to work.

I re-use every plastic container that comes through our house. I return all of the plastic bags from the supermarket to the supermarket, or I use a mesh bag instead. I turn off the lights when we aren't in a room. I never let the faucet run unnecessarily while I'm doing something.

All the little things really add up in the end...

Next step for us is to replace the windows so we don't waste as much heat during the winter.

Re: How much do you care about your impact? (Poll)

I'm so happy with all the responses, I'm getting great ideas. Thank you all so much!

We do reuse the plastic bags & containers we get from the market but I think I'm going to start bringing our own bags. That's such a great idea.

We shop at Fairway, which has a ton of organic and fresh items. So much, that we had to change our way of thinking and stop expecting food to last a week. Imagine our surprise when our fresh burritos molded over in 4 days. You just don't realize how unnaturally long preservatives make things last until you experience that.

We never had AC in our place, till last year when my sister gave us a small one just for our bedroom. We used it three times last summer, on energy saver mode, only for the hottest days and we shut it off when we went to sleep.

I've stopped all paper statements for the bank, car payment, etc and switched to online statements instead. I have automatic debit from my account to make me feel better, so I don't forget to pay them!

I stopped getting coffee from my deli every day and instead bought their grinds. We make coffee at home now and reuse the same coffee travel mug.

We get a lot of empty boxes at work which we reuse for shipping but the ones that are damaged, I bring home with me and leave in the kitchen to put our recycling in during the week. Then we put the whole thing in the recycle bin.

Our car isn't that great on gas. We bought it right before the gas prices went sky-high. We love VW's but they don't have hybrids yet. I hope they come out with a Rabbit hybrid before we're ready to buy a second car - I'd love to get it!

Also for anyone who has plants or a garden. Consider soaker hoses, that you snake through your planting beds. They deliver the water directly where they're needed so you don't have to use your sprinklers that tend to not be as efficient (and that are subject to more evaporation or getting windblown). Plus, no hand watering!

Re: How much do you care about your impact? (Poll)

I think even one home can make a difference. DH is always researching the possibility of making our home more "green" and of the ways to get it done in our municipality.

Re: How much do you care about your impact? (Poll)

We're medium to high, we do alot of the items mentioned above and I am always looking for new ideas.

So glad to see that alot of people are concerned about the environment as well.

One of the things I am doing recently is phasing out my harsh cleaning products, I used them here and there but am more serious now, I bought a slew of Seventh Generation and their credo really sticks with me....

"In our every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations."
-From the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy

You can get coupons at their website and sign up for a Non-toxic Times newsletter.
Link

Re: How much do you care about your impact? (Poll)

I would like to think I'm pretty close to the high category.

We actually went green with LIPA and I feel pretty good about that. Most of the elctricity we use come from landfill gases that would be toxic if they were released, but instead they are converted to electricty!

I have to get enough canvas bags to do grocery shopping, but I do reuse any bag I do get or recycle it at the grocery store.

We compost and recycle - compost is free to make and buying soil seems so silly!

flourescent bulbs are everywhere (for those who wonder how they can make a difference - they say that just replacing 5 bulbs has a HUGE effect of the environment)

DH calls me a heat nazi - b/c I really have our heat programmed pretty low.

We don't eat much meat (another way that one person can make a huge difference)