(maybe these sites will help . . . )
I use rain barrels. Not as much as I should. http://www.springfield-twp.us/documents/Rainbarrelsfinalbrochure.pdf
I recycle tin (http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf001320.tip.html), cardboard (http://www.ehow.com/how_9161_recycle-cardboard.html) and plastic (http://www.responsiblepurchasing.org/purchasing_guides/bottled_water/). Although not everything makes it to the “blue bin”.
I compost by throwing organic materials right into the garden. Not in a compost bin. The dogs usually eat what I throw out . http://vegweb.com/composting/
I turn the heat down to 60 during the winter nights. http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-thermostat-tips-save-money.html but use an electric blanket turned on “high” http://home.howstuffworks.com/question91.htm each night.
I’ve driven a Prius since 2003 (http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/2001-to-2003-toyota-prius.htm) but prefer my Ford Taurus Wagon (http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/overview.aspx?year=2003&make=Ford&model=Taurus%20Wagon)and my bigger Ford F50 Truck for work http://www.fordvehicles.com/trucks/f150/
I’ve installed a native rain garden that is only 80% native. It’s the only place that gets sun in my yard and I love lavender and other sun- loving ornamental plants that have been imported from beyond state lines and need fertilizer and water. http://www.socwa.org/nature/PDF/RainGardenBrochure’09.pdf
I prefer to fly than to drive anywhere (although I do limit my flights to 5 hour drives or more). http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2006/sep/21/travelsenvironmentalimpact.ethicalliving
I love meat, veggies and fruits but mostly do not buy organic. http://www.rsc.org/Chemsoc/Chembytes/HotTopics/Organic/Index.asp
In summer, I let the lawn brown but water my heirloom tomatoes and favorite plants daily. http://en.allexperts.com/q/Lawns-725/Michigan-lawn-care.htm
I limit my shower times but my daughter does not. http://www.showermanager.com/index.shtml
Our family buys “to keep” but we find that nothing “keeps” so we end up ‘throwing away’, only to buy again. http://www.nau.edu/~soc-p/ecrc/recycle.html
I feel ever more guilty despite my increasing attempts to ‘conserve’. http://www.businessweek.com/careers/managementiq/archives/2009/01/can_the_world_l.html
I wonder where should I be at environmentally and feel that I am below where I should be average. http://blog.seattlepi.com/boomerconsumer/archives/174324.asp
I would like to do a little more to ’save the planet’ but “life gets in the way”. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=climate-change-begins-at-home
Anybody else feel like this? If so go to the blue articles I found on-line. They address some answers but still leave me feeling insufficient. If you have some links to share PLEASE PLEASE do!!!!
And, just for the record, I cannot believe that Ben and Jerry’s, Zingermans, Assaggi (with Mark as your server), or Josefs Bakers do anything bad – EVER!!!
Garden Well,
e
Hortulus Gardens 