Blog action day; the environment

Do you see the light?




Hi all,

Today October 15th is blog action day. About 15.000 bloggers around the world will take part and are all publishing about the same subject today; the environment. I was planning to take part in the action too. Talking about saving energy and supplies...well now I am out of energy myself! I slept too short last night. So this will probably be a short post. For obvious reasons I will not explain the importance of this subject; perhaps other bloggers do. Let's just see what I still can do today to save our environment and perhaps there is something that you can do too.

1. Plastic Bags

From now on I will keep two plastic bags (neatly folded) in my bag, so I don't need to take anymore plastic and paper bags from the shop into this house. I wasn't buying those plastic bags in the supermarket anymore already, but from now on I will refuse those bags in shops like shoe shops, where they never ask if you want to have a bag, you just get one. I will only accept a new plastic bag if it's a very very nice one. Then I will save that bag the rest of my life...do you know I still have lovely plastic bags from Mac & Maggie's, my favourite fashion shop in the early 80-ties? My husband gets one plastic bag (also neatly folded) in his coat. He doesn't know yet that he is subject of my very good plans.

* Looking for one of these nice Mac & Maggie bags from the 80ties, I found out that I even saved some ugly Mac& Maggie bags from that era too!!



2. Don't computer all day

I will not keep the computer in sleeping position all day (and peeking every 10 minutes). I will do lots of craftwork while I don't computer that much anymore. Let's warn the children as well. Just use that off-button!

3. Save energy by using the right lightbulbs

*Do they exist? Energy saving lightbulbs that really look like these?

I'm going to buy more of those long lasting and energy-saving light bulbs. Nowadays there are soft toned ones and these don't look as hideous anymore as before. And I am going to find out if there are these kind of bulbs that will fit in a chandelier AND fit with that chandelier considering looks. If I cannot find these I will write a letter to at least one long lasting light bulbmanufacturer to ask when we can expect those beautiful longlasting bulbs disguised as flames. That's a promise.

* 30-ties lamp with new softtoned energy-saving light bulb. We replaced 4 today

4. Recycling
*before
*after

I just love recycling. Making new out of old. I hate throwing away things. I guess I was a very poor girl in a former life. I love about everything and almost everything has some potential to me. I have to force myself to throw away used paper from packages. I always save every matchbox and every shoebox and to be frank every other box as well. I even want to save those nets from oranges, you can use them to wrap gifts. And of course we use things other people just throw away. I always use empty jars and empty bottles. I pick up things from the street as well. I've found a lovely table and I took it home by bike. It looks lovely in the garden. Picking up isn't fun only, it's free and it downsizes that enormous garbage mountain we are all contributing to.

*free table!

5. Let's save energy by lowering the temperature in our house

If we can ever find out where the manual of the central heating system is and b. how you can program our thermostat then we will try to program it minus 0.5 degree, so instead of 20 degrees Celsius we will program the thermostat at 19,5 degrees. Perhaps it will hardly be noticeable. It could save us all a lot of energy. I'll keep you informed about this one.

6. Vegetarian meals

I will try to eat at least one vegetarian meal a week. Did you know that a vegetarian meal will cost about 8 times less ground, energy and supplies than a portion of meat for one person? So a cow has to eat 8 times as much as you would, if you just could ate that grass, so to speak, but of course you can eat other vegetables. Did you know that if we were all vegetarians there wouldn't have to be a food problem in the third world? Mmmm something to think about....

7. Cars and groceries

A lot of people I know just use their cars for doing groceries at these cheap large stores at the end of the town. I guess it would be much cheaper and much more friendly to our environment if they all went more often to their little supermarket in their neighbourhood. Of course I'm talking now about the dutch situation in towns like my town and I am talking about people who don't work full time. When I quit working I still did my groceries once a week. But after a while I started visiting my small 'Spar' shop around the corner almost everyday. I just love it. Everybody knows you. The boss Simon is a person who will answer your questions, help you, order for you or explain to you why he hasn't got that large jar of peanutbutter anymore. He never pretends that he doesn't see you, nor will he answer your question with; "If it's not on the shelf, we don't have it anymore." Now one of the shopassistents is going to marry and she has hung her wedding announcement at the cashiers corner. I like that. Perhaps you can consider to visit your shop around the corner more often, they will appreciate your visit and every time you don't use your car, it helps because that time you will not warm up the earth more. It really isn't that more expensive...you should calculate what that drive to the cheap megastore really costs! And I as I shop more often I don't throw away as much AND I use a freezer and a fridge less than I was used to. All contributing to saving on energy.

*Do you still have those jars Simon? I need them in my little studio.

8. Cut down that paper hill...

I was talking about the garbage mountain already. Part of that is paper hill. I will try to register to as many email newsletters as possible and put a sticker on our postbox that I don't want to receive those paper bulletins anymore.

*Once a cardboard shoebox, now a memento box for baby J. who sent us almost the same birth announcement.

Well 8 is my lucky number...

I'm done, I'm going to sleep...

All bloggers unite, we can change the world!!! Let's make it a better place!