- Got my daughter in a daycare close to home and started walking 4-5 days a week to work (a bad winter with a couple of falls on unshovelled sidewalks had me taking Trax through much of the winter).
- My husband and I bought large hooks which he installed on our bathroom wall. There's one for each of us, and we each get one towel to use for the whole week. It's helped us cut back on laundry.
- Bought a bike, helmet and lock and will be using it shortly.
- Helped lead a book group that explored the environmental impacts of our food choices, which has helped inspire me to eat more vegan meals (I've been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for 13 and a half years).
- Have a complete set of reusable grocery bags and have been making improvements on remembering to use them.
- Made a concerted effort to wear items of clothing (with the exception of underwear and socks) at least twice before putting it in the wash.
- Purchased our first ever CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share and will be picking up a friend's CSA share as well this summer to save car trips.
- Purchased and have been using a stainless steel drinking bottle, and despite my fears of over-fluoridation have been drinking more tap water. (Gotta save up for a purifier that takes the fluoride out . . .)
This story just came up on Yahoo! and I had to comment:
Senate panel votes to block money for Iraq reconstruction.
"The efforts are part of the latest push on Capitol Hill to get Iraq to spend more of its own money and spare U.S. taxpayers. Democrats and many Republicans say it is unfair that Iraq is looking at pulling in as much as $70 billion in oil revenues this year while Americans grapple with soaring fuel prices at the pump."
Umm, excuse me? Who's idea was it to bomb the hell out of the country? Yup, it was us. Sorry folks, you wanna go to war, you gotta pay for it. War is expensive, and the 60% or so that were in favor of going to war back in 2003 can't complain now. The least we can do is fix what we've broken. Too bad we can't compensate the Iraqis for the over 600,000 deaths that were caused by our blood-lust.
And what's with the "poor us" stuff? We have only ourselves to blame for our fuel woes. We haven't planned for alternative energy, just gobbled up more than our fair share of the world's finite oil supplies. We tore down railroad tracks and built roads. We gave up smaller cars for SUVs and Hummers and haven't complained when congress won't hold our automobile companies to higher fuel standards. We gave up walkable communities for urban sprawl and small homes for McMansions miles from grocery stores. I could go on all day.
I usually cringe when the Republicans talk about personal responsibility (mostly cause they only apply it to the underprivleged) but I gotta say that it's time that we take responsibilty - both for the war in Iraq and for our own wastefully oil consumption.
A lot has changed since then. Now the green movement is becoming mainstream, which has its upside and downside (but mostly up).
As the movement becomes trendier, lower middle-class to poor greens are starting to feel left out. We can't afford clothing made with bamboo fiber or hybrid cars or energy star homes. I took an online test to see how green I was and did rather poorly, because the test was geared to people who buy green (consumption!) and totally leaves out those of us who are reducing our footprint by reducing and reusing. My family, for instance purchases almost all our clothing second hand. While I'm glad that eco-friendly products are becoming more widely available, I'd like to acknowledge those who consume less or reuse more before those who buy the latest green goods.
That's why I love the book The Complete Tightwad Gazette. I'm not an especially frugal person, but I find (as the author does on page 222) that there's a lot of overlap between tightwaddery and green living. The Complete Tightwad Gazette has great ideas on how to reduce and reuse, and if nothing else inspires me to come up with my own creative solutions. I like to think of this book as the "Poor Green's Bible".
Even those with plenty of money could always use some tips on reducing consumption!
Happy Earth Day!
I'm feeling especially happy about walking these days.
In the winter I got tired of trying to traverse all the ice on sidewalks which was especially bad this year since we had so many snow storms. After taking two falls on unshovelled walks that had turned into solid ice, I ended up spending most of the rest of the winter taking Trax with the occasional walk home from work.
I'm now back to walking to and from, and I'm now doing so every day with the exception of every other Thursday when my job requires me to have the car.
I'm especially enjoying the 2 walk block to my 4-year-old's pre-school. Now that it's spring there's so much to look at and talk about. We've seen little buds appearing on branches one day, and tiny leaves sprout out of those buds the next. We noticed that daffodils came out first, followed by the tulips. This morning we noticed some wildflowers, and even more wonderful -- the blossoms on cherry trees are now out. Even though we are paying quite a bit more to have her at this daycare near our home, these walks make it so worth it.
Some of the walking challenges at this time of year include trying to predict the weather -- it can sometimes be hot enough that a jacket is a burden when I walk home in the evening,, or cold and windy ( and a couple of times it has even snowed) when a winter coat is more appropriate. I'm trying to remember a sun hat and a knit hat daily, trying to protect my skin from excessive sun or my ears from cold wind depending on what's happening. I also just bought some facial suncreen from Alba which is paraben free.
Supporting local agriculture is a no-brainer for most greenies. The average distance an item of food on your plate has traveled is approx. 1500 miles -- that's an awful lot of fossil fuels. Supporting local agriculture is also an investment in the future. As we reach and pass peak oil, it's simply going to cost too much to import all of our food.
CSAs - Community Supported Agriculture allows consumers to team up with individual farms. You pay up front for a share. The farmer uses the money to buy seeds and materials to grow that season. You get weekly or monthly boxes of food - very fresh food as most farmers will pick your food the day before or the morning of your share delivery.
Here's a listing of area CSA farmers that are selling shares:
East Farms http://www.eastfarms.net/
Share price: $395 full/$205 half
Feeds: half feeds 1-3
Weeks: 18 (Jun-Oct)
SLC pick up: yes
Borski Farms http://www.borskifarms.org/csa.html
Share price: $190 full
Feeds: 2 adults
Weeks: 15 (Jul-Oct)
SLC pick up: yes
Copper Moose Farm http://coppermoosefarm.com
Share price: $800 vegetable
Feeds: family of 4
Weeks: $800 vegetable
SLC pick up: no - Park City only
Bell Organics 801-571-7288
Share price: $800 full/$400 half
Feeds:full 4-5; half 2-3
Weeks: approx. 20
SLC pick up: Draper (may have SLC pickup)
Zoe's Garden http://www.zoegarden.com
Share price: $736 -$2182 (3 share sizes)
Feeds:full 4-5; half 2-3
Weeks: approx. 20
SLC pick up: yes
In addition, the Crossroads Community Co-op offers a "Farmer's Market Share" which is usually available June through October. 2007 prices were $18 a month for about 1 to 1 1/2 weeks worth of mostly vegetables. Crossroads co-op info available at http://www.crossroads-u-c.org/cfc/
UPDATE: Thank you Brian of Brian's Utah Weblog for posting this in the comments:
Chad's winter CSA
It's April once again and again I will be ramping up my green efforts and looking for new ways to live even greener. I'll be posting all about those efforts during the month.
Today's Good Green Thing: Watched the film "The Future of Food" -- it has energized me to be less haphazard about my food activism and personal shopping habits. If you have kids or care about what happens to the human race, this film is terrifying, but very important. We all need to be aware of the corporate domination of the food supply so we can work against it.
"Earth Goods is sourcing larger quantities of useful products in order to pass on “bulk” savings to you. Visit our store with an old bottle or container you’d like to repurpose or reuse. Don’t have one? No problem! We have a variety of low-cost, refillable containers you can use to dispense just the right amount for you of your favorite items like:
- bath and body shower gels
- bath salts
- laundry detergents
- all-purpose cleaners
- bathroom cleaners
- castille soaps"
Earth Goods is located at 1249 S. 900 E. in Salt Lake City.
It's been a while since I've toyed with the look of this blog/journal. This look is a bit messier than I usually like, but I think I'd like to try it for a while. It also looks great with all my sunflower user pics . . .
Livejournal is sponsoring a style contest and it's possible something even more interesting will come out of that.
Let's see -- I've already changed all my light bulbs for compact fluorescents, cut waaaay back on using the car, cut meat out of my diet (years ago), we use environmentally friendly products, buy 93% of my (and family's) clothing at thrift stores, buy wind-power shares for our electricity use, recycle, buy bulk when possible -- now it's time to up my green-ness to the next level. My plans for Earth Month include:
1. Tuning up and start using the bike I bought off Craig's List last fall -- I haven't owned a bike since I was in my early 20s and I'm hoping the old saying is true, that I'll remember how to do it once I get on it. I know that there's someone just a few miles from my house that tunes bikes up for about $15 at his home. Just need to find him again.
2. Continue to down-size our "stuff" -- even just holding on to it all can keep me in the materialism world. I've been giving some stuff away on freecycle, and will continue to do so.
3. Turn off computer strip when not using the computer and the strip for T.V. -- I keep forgetting about this one.
4. Purchase a wheeled basket/cart to carry groceries in -- I keep taking the car to do the shopping because I don't want to walk the groceries home and do damage to my back. I see older people with this type of thing and I'd like to have one, too. Hope it doesn't make me look too old . . .
I'm sure I'll add more goals as it gets closer to April. Always looking for good suggestions -- what green goals are you working toward?
If you need a laugh today, watch this clip. Very clever editing, especially for the time period.
" . . .On the front page above the fold was a story with the headline, “Utahns back nuclear power,” about a new Dan Jones poll showing 57% of Utahns in favor nuclear power as part of Utah’s energy mix--something the paper called a “strong majority.”
But is this really front page news or just nuclear boosterism?
What the paper fails to mention, or deliberately omits, is this is the third Dan Jones poll on nuclear power conducted for the Deseret News, and results have varied widely. From a high of 63% of Utahns favoring nuclear power last July, support then plummeted to 38% in November after it was revealed that Representatives Aaron Tilton and Mike Noel, chairs of the legislative committee that oversees Utah’s energy policy, were working behind the scenes to build Utah’s first nuclear reactors in Green River.
The paper also fails to mention that Dan Jones polls have found 92% of Utahns support increased government incentives and investment in solar power, 90% support the same for wind power, 80% support geothermal power, and 94% support energy efficiency and conservation. That’s a strong majority, but apparently overwhelming support for clean energy is no longer newsworthy." (emphasis mine)
(snip)
"While we can’t say for certain why the Deseret News has given over so much of its content to the nuclear industry in recent months, editor Joe Cannon’s ties to the industry have been quite strong in the past.
Between 2005 and 2006, Mr. Cannon was paid $150,000 by EnergySolutions to lobby in Washington, DC(1). And five years ago, he and EnergySolutions CEO Steve Creamer plotted an effort to hijack the Goshutes' nuclear storage proposal with "Plan B," which would have had the state build and operate a high-level nuclear storage site near Canyonlands National Park(2).
We don’t mean to suggest that Mr. Cannon has carried his past positions into his current job as editor. But we do think the nuclear industry has plenty of money to buy its own ad space, and doesn’t need the help, unwittingly or not, of one of Utah’s largest newspapers.
(1)For Joe Cannon’s federal lobbyist disclosure form, click here: http://sopr.senate.gov/cgi-win/m_opr_viewer.exe?DoFn=3&LOB=CANNON,%20JOSEPH&LOBQ UAL==
(2) Fahys, Judy and Dan Harrie. 2003 ‘Plan B’ Aims to outbid Goshutes’ N-waste site-Legislators see little hope to stop toxic materials, want to ‘deal with reality;’ Lawmakers push alternative to Goshutes’ Site. Salt Lake Tribune, February 6."
We'd like to take advantage of the fact that we'll be away from our usual choices while at the premier, but I've only been to Ogden a handful of times and I'm not very familiar with it. Can anyone recommend a nice Ogden restaurant not too far from the University that serves at least a couple of vegetarian dishes and is not a chain restaurant?
Darwin? No, It's Sheldon.
The clip can be seen on the Senate Site: http://senatesite.com/blog/2008/02/darwi
I have an uncle with the name Darwin Killpack. After doing a quick google search I found that he'd been inducted last year into the U of U's Crimson Club Hall of Fame, so he may be well enough know that it was a simple error. He's a copy and paste from the Alumni site:
Darwin Killpack
Killpack learned to swim simply by trial and error while growing up in Montana. But when Utah coach Don Reddish watched him compete at an AAU meet, Reddish was so impressed that he invited Killpack to join the Ute team on the spot. Little did he know that he had recruited an eventual All-American.
As a sophomore, Killpack placed seventh in the 1,500 meters in the NCAA Championships. His junior year, Killpack won three individual conference championships in record time, winning the 200 and 400 yard freestyle events, and the 1,500 meter freestyle. In the NCAA’ s, Killpack earned All-America honors by placing fifth in the 1,500 meters and sixth in the 200 yard freestyle. Killpack defended his conference title in those same three events as a senior, setting the conference records once again.
After helping Reddish as an assistant coach for two years at Utah, Killpack became the head swimming coach at Cyprus High School. His high school coaching success was legendary. In 26 years, Killpack’s teams won 12 boys’ state titles and three girls’ crowns. He also directed 10 boys teams and two girls teams to state water polo championships. He also coached five All-Americans in swimming.
Looking on the Utah Bloghive, us girls are definitely out numbered by the guys. I've always wondered why.
In recognition of Women's History Month there's a chance to vote for your favorite women bloggers. Voting ends March 21st. Click on the photo button below to fill out your ballot.
And yet, they are heartless enough to believe that those in the GLBT community should have no rights when it comes to their families: Senators unveil bill to dismantle Salt Lake City's domestic registry
Mr. and Ms. Utah Senators supporting this bill,
If you don't like gay partnerships, don't have one. If you think that GLBT folks are sinners, don't become one (personally, I think you need to find a new religion - one that teaches something basic like . . .oh, loving your neighbor as yourself and not casting stones if you have your own "sins" to worry about).
It's obvious you can't leave this alone. It's obvious that you are not loving, tolerant people. It's obvious that you are at war with something you don't understand.
I call that FEAR. I call that HATE. You fit the definition of people who are HOMOPHOBIC.
Love,
Green Jenni
(Bill's chief sponsor: Sen. Greg Bell, R-Fruit Heights - sponsored by all 21 Senate Republicans )
Mayor Ralph Becker will hold a media roundtable tomorrow morning at 10:30 a.m. to discuss the City’s plans for building a Broadway-style theater in downtown Salt Lake City . The Mayor will also announce the appointment of a new leader to spearhead the capital city’s theater development plan.
Mayor Becker will be joined by representatives from the downtown business community who have been working in partnership with Mayor Becker to move forward on the downtown theater development project.
WHO: Mayor Ralph Becker
WHAT: Media Roundtable Discussion of the Downtown Theater Project
WHERE: Utah Theater
148 South Main Street
Salt Lake City , Utah
WHEN: Thursday, February 28, 2008
10:30 a.m.
Mayor Becker and other community leaders will discuss and answer questions from the media.
Profile
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green_jenni- Jennifer Killpack-Knutsen
- I'm on Common Circle.net
Syndicate
It's a little late to sign up for a Winter CSA, but you can visit the stand.
Every Winter and Spring Saturday he sells produce in front of Avenues Bakery 500 E South Temple in Salt Lake city from 10 till 2. It's like getting farmers' market veggies early in the Spring. Ask to sign up for email alerts.