How green are you?

What do you do to be environmentally responsible? I just replaced incandecent bulbs with spiral fluroucents which got me thinking about this. When I bought my car milage was my first priority, I wanted a car that got at least 30Mpg. The thing is both those things save me money in the long run. I just came in from putting out my sorted garbage, something I'm pretty scrupulous about. Paper in on container, metal and plastic in another, and a third for nonrecyclables.

How are spiral fluroucents bulbs better than incandecent bulbs? Seriously, I don't know.

Fuel efficiency is the second concern for a vehicle beyond crash test data for me. Our diesel Jetta gets 49mpg highway, and my V6 Camry gets 32 mpg highway. In a couple years I'm going to have to upgrade to a truck, so I've been trying to find fuel efficient trucks. I'd prefer diesel, but that locks me into trucks that are too big or have crappy reliability.

We also recycle here, if anything is remotely recyclable, we put it in our recycle cart (we don't have to sort thank god).

We also try to plant native plants which cuts down on the need for watering and fertilizer. We also try to garden as organically as possible. We're going to start up a compost bin soon too which will cut down on our non-recyclable trash.

How are spiral fluroucents bulbs better than incandecent bulbs? Seriously, I don't know.

in theory, they use less energy to produce the same amount of light, and they also last much longer, so there's less waste in the long term.

In a couple years I'm going to have to upgrade to a truck, so I've been trying to find fuel efficient trucks.

by then, there might well be a hybrid engine truck, which, from what I understand about hybrids, would also be considerably more powerful than the current all-gas trucks.

in theory, they use less energy to produce the same amount of light, and they also last much longer, so there's less waste in the long term.

Not just in theory... in practice.

-- recycling: aluminum and bi-metal cans and paper through township program, glass and scrap metal on our own

-- compost bin

-- organic vegetable garden (when we plant one). often water garden and lawn with "gray water" from laundry.

-- frequently buy organic produce, meats, coffee and baked goods

-- regularly use biodegradable, non-petroleum-based (i.e. plant-based) laundry detergents, soap, household cleaning products, and shampoo

-- have fluorescent light bulbs installed in areas where lighting quality is not an issue. (for heavy-use living areas I need incandescent natural-spectrum bulbs for their anti-SAD effects.)

-- low-flow showerheads and toilets

-- hot water pipes are insulated

-- energy-efficient front-loading washing machine; only run full loads

-- re-use plastic bags, bottles and other "disposable" containers when plausible

-- look for organic cotton or hemp clothing, with natural dyes, although these are hard to find at a reasonable price. we also do a fair amount of thrifting for clothing and other items.

-- 10% of our electricity is wind-generated, and another percentage derives from other renewable sources. yay for energy-company choice in PA! :)

-- mileage is a factor in choice of new vehicle, but not the only one. that said, when it's time to get another car (knock on wood, probably not for at least another year) hybrids are definitely going to be major contenders. currently the Subaru gets @31mpg highway, the dinosaur of a minivan @27, depending on the load.

I don't drive at all. Im lucky enough to live in a city where you can live central verry cheaply. I also try not to use products from companies which are not enviromentally friendly. These are usually produced by big companies so I get to kill two birds with one stone!

1 rubbish bag in wellington costs me about two hours wages, so I also recycle.

it's not easy being green....

;)

Having to spend each day the color of the leaves...

"It's not easy being white."

--The Capitol Steps parody of Trent Lott.

reusable feminine protection.

RIGHT ON GELLA!!!!!!

:)

...When it could be nicer

Being red, or yellow, or gold

Or something much more colorful

Like that...

We compost, we recycle.� And I've spent my entire professional life in hazardous waste site cleanup.

That said, I drive an SUV...�one that gets 20 mpg, not bad for an SUV, but nothing to brag about for sure.� My other cars get 40 mpg and 30 mpg, so I guess it averages out respectably.

+ no car, ever

- no recycle, unless i can find�a place

+ don't wash or show often

- smelly little twerp