to the masses

[Joe Harper]

Hey I'm Joe

 

I'm the one who was all about the "enviromasses"   haha
 

I collected ten easy tips for being more eco-friendly.  I mentioned some at the meeting, and got ideas from a few of you as well.  This list caters more to the people who might not be quite ready for veganism, or to work on a perma-culture farm, or live by candlelight just yet (eh, we'll all come around...).  

While a google search gave me extensive avenues for research that you might want to explore yourself, I kept this list relatively simple, for everyday people doing everyday routines. 

 
 

1.  Stop buying paper towels and use a rag.  Perhaps in the beginning you can buy just one roll per market trip, rather than a 12-pack.  This way you will use them more sparingly.  Being only a modern phenomenon, you'll eventually realize how needless they are and it will be one more item off of that pricey grocery list.

 

2.  Bring your own bags to the grocery store.  All of those plastic bags, derived from crude oil, are also a modern phenomenon.  Take it a step further and petition for your local grocery store to charge 10-20 cents per bag.  Businesses are always willing to accept more money, especially if their customers are asking them to.

 

3.  Save paper, stop junk mail.  Most companies don't want to spend the money sending you junk mail if they know that you're not gonna take the bait.  With the internet at hand, do you really need that many L.L. Bean or Victoria Secret Catalogues? (www.victoriasdirtysecret.org)

Here are some websites that can help you limit the amount of junk mail you receive: www.directmail.com (junk mail) www.optoutprescreen.com (credit card offers)

 

4.  Be a vegan for a day!  When I lived in Italy, my Italian friends were always amazed by how much meat us Americans ate.  They were not vegans, nor vegetarians, but did not need meat every time they wanted to feel full.  Although it is by far one of the best ways to be environmentally progressive, you don't have to become a vegan or vegetarian if you're not ready.  You can simply limit your meat consumption to a few times a week, not every meal.  Little steps...little steps ;)  Now if the whole country were to think this way.......

 

5. Recycle your pharmaceuticals.  Although I'm sure the fishies love Xanax as much as the next guy, these drugs should never be flushed.  In an ideal world, we probably wouldn't even want them joining our rivers from the dumpster run-off either.  I mean as much as a pain-killer might help out a tired octopus, I think an African gangrene patient might need it a bit more.  Check out this site: www.thestarfishproject.org

 

6.  Save energy! Save Money! Besides the obvious GO OUT AND BUY ECO-FRIENDLY APPLIANCES, there are a few things you should know.  For example, if you don't use the "drying cycle" on your dishwasher, the dishes will still dry.  You are wasting a TON of energy everytime you simply open your refrigerator or freezer door.  Do you really need an electric can-opener? Really?  Try fluorescent, or eco-friendly lightbulbs.  Is your house continuously letting a percentage of the heat or ac outside?  The list goes on and on...just google it.

 

7.  Save energy! Save Water!  Most cities use a majority of their energy just from the systems supplying and removing our water.  While some might not be ready for the "soap-down-then-rinse-off" method, you'd be amazed by how quickly you are motivated to clean yourself when setting a five to ten minute timer.  And then there is the obvious: don't leave the water running when brushing your teeth or shaving.  Water your plants/lawn in the morning or evening, when the heat of the day isn't evaporating it all away.  The list goes on and on....water rights are a growing issue as our Earth Mama seems to be drying out...just google it. 

 

8.  Don't Drive! Just Kidding!  It will be beautiful when bicycles make their huge comeback, when cities have quiet, efficient bike paths that don't even use stop signs.  But for now, we cannot expect everyone to simply stop driving; especially in a car-dependent place like America.  We can, however, really reflect on the necessities in our driving routine.  Can I take the bus instead?  Do I have time to walk on this beautiful day?   One of my buddies has a sign in the center of his steering wheel that says "Do you really need to be driving right now?"  A more reasonable idea is to reset your odometer every day or week, just to see how many miles you are using in general.  Try to cut that in half.  Another thing; every bit of weight in your car affects your miles per gallon.  You know what, just buy a bike and tell your local government to give you back your city, town, villa.   (search "critical mass" at wikipedia.org)
 

9.  Buy bulk if you're gonna buy anything at all.  You can send your child off to school with a reusable juice container, reusable sandwich container, in a reusable lunchbox and you are no longer buying all of that instant garbage with every meal.  Why would you buy 24 seperate water bottles when you can just buy a gallon of it and a sport bottle.  Better yet, why are you paying a factory to manufacture all of those water bottles, waste energy filling them with water, and gas-guzzle truck them across the country to you when you pay taxes for your city to use all of that energy supplying you with water!?   

10. Every dollar you spend is a vote.  While that organic lemon might be a little more expensive, you are telling the corporation that you are willing to pay extra for a more healthy, quality food.  You are voting for the organic lemon.  Books like "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser can help you realize just how powerful the consumer really is.  As the corporations continue to control our government, the consumer becomes the voter.  Furthermore, we slowly lose our tax-paying control over public issues like water purification when we vote our dollars away on privatized water-bottle dependency. Finally, although local products are always the best way to go (less transport energy), I sometimes buy Skippy organic peanut butter just to let them know that we will buy it.   
 

 

Here are some other ideas that came up during that memorable weekend:

 

Some people might think a few of these ideas really do nothing.  You can tell them that they are exactly correct.  You are trying to take every opportunity to "do nothing" more to damage our Earth Mama for that moment.  The collective sum of "doing nothing" is better than the collective sum of routinely "doing something." Don't damage her youthful complexion...love your Mama, she treat you so good....

 

Don't let people call you a "hypocrite."  The term is irrelevant in the environmental movement. We're just trying to clean up the house a little bit for Mama.  If a person cleans up a portion of your house, you gonna call him a hypocrite because he missed a spot, or got the sink dirty from cleaning the dishes.     Come on...she so good to us...it's the least we can do.  Love your Earth Mama.    

 

 

FEEL FREE TO ADD TO THE LIST

DROP SOME RESPONSES, IDEAS, DOSES, WHATEVER

 

[Cliff Winton]

Wow Joe, great list! I'm happy to say I'm already exercising all of those things on that list (although the link for the credit card offers is a new one to me- I'll definitely opt out of that!) Great reminders for lessening our environmentl impact.

 

Theres not much I can add, just as an extra tip for #6: saving energy- Not only buy energy efficient appliances, make sure you turn them off when you're not using them. I get so irritated that so many businesses and educational institutions leave rooms full of computers on 24/7. Another thing to note is that a lot of appliances still use energy when they aren't switched on but still plugged in to an outlet. In those instances I use a power strip with a master on/off switch to make sure none of those appliances are able to suck power when not in use.

 

Also an addendum to #8: cars. It really is possible for a lot of people to get by without a car without too much difficulty. If you have to commute to work, consider relocating to a residence that is as close as possible to your workplace. If you live in the suburbs where you have to drive everywhere, consider relocating to a part of town that is pedestrian friendly. I sold my car almost a year ago after I moved from the Tucson suburbs to downtown Tucson (10 minute bike ride to everywhere I need to go), and since then I've enjoyed life more, spent more time out with people, and I am more in-shape than ever. Oh yeah, and I saved $1000s.

 

Regarding the reusable materials, I'm surprised so many people still subscribe to the disposable consumerism with plastic bags, disposable water bottles etc. I take pride in having a nice shopping bag I use every time I go to the store and a nice water bottle I take with me everywhere. Over time they gain a special personal attachment. Disposable products don't have any spirit to them, but a water bottle that is used every day becomes something that is cherished as an extension of the self, and some would say that positive energy can energize the water in a similar way.
 

[Joe Harper]

 

 

Hello Afterculturists,

 

Thanks Cliff!  I'm gonna send this list to some not-so-environmentally-inclined friends and family.  I took your advice and added this sentence to #6:

"Some appliances, like cell-phone chargers, still use energy when left plugged in."

(got the cell-phone fact from al gore)

 

I also noticed that my link for ending junkmail was not quite direct

here is the correct link everybody:

https://www.directmail.com/directory/mail_preference/

 

In a sense, isn't all information stolen?  Either way, I have "copyLEFTed" this information, so you should all feel free to crop it for your own mass email, infobooth pamphlet, office memo, conversation. 

 

If you simply want to forward mine, I pasted a more "forward-friendly" version with the corrections and updates.   

 

Thanks,

_joe nobody 

 

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

     I collected ten easy tips for being more eco-friendly.  This list caters more to the people who might not be quite ready for veganism, or to work on a perma-culture farm, or live by candlelight just yet (eh, we'll all come around...).  

While a google search gave me extensive avenues for research that you might want to explore yourself, I kept this list relatively short and simple, for everyday people doing everyday routines. 

 

1.  Stop buying paper towels and use a rag.  Perhaps in the beginning you can buy just one roll per market trip, rather than a 12-pack.  This way you will use them more sparingly.  Being only a modern phenomenon, you'll eventually realize how needless they are and it will be one more item off of that pricey grocery list.

 

2.  Bring your own bags to the grocery store.  All of those plastic bags, derived from crude oil, are also a modern phenomenon.  Take it a step further and petition for your local grocery store to charge 10-20 cents per bag.  Businesses are always willing to accept more money, especially if their customers are asking them to.

 

3.  Save paper, stop junk mail.  Most companies don't want to spend the money sending you junk mail if they know that you're not gonna take the bait.  With the internet at hand, do you really need that many L.L. Bean or Victoria Secret Catalogues? (www.victoriasdirtysecret.org)

Here are some websites that can help you limit the amount of junk mail you receive: https://www.directmail.com/directory/mail_preference/  (junk mail) www.optoutpresreen.com (credit card offers)

 

4.  Be a vegan for a day!  When I lived in Italy, my Italian friends were always amazed by how much meat us Americans ate.  They were not vegans, nor vegetarians, but did not need meat every time they wanted to feel full.  Although it is by far one of the best ways to be environmentally progressive, you don't have to become a vegan or vegetarian if you're not ready.  You can simply limit your meat consumption to a few times a week, not every meal.  Little steps...little steps ;)  Now if the whole country were to think this way.......

 

5. Recycle your pharmaceuticals.  Although I'm sure the fishies love Xanax as much as the next guy, these drugs should never be flushed.  In an ideal world, we probably wouldn't even want them joining our rivers from the dumpster run-off either.  I mean as much as a pain-killer might help out a tired octopus, I think an African gangrene patient might need it a bit more.  Check out this site: www.thestarfishproject.org

 

6.  Save energy! Save Money! Besides the obvious GO OUT AND BUY ECO-FRIENDLY APPLIANCES, there are a few things you should know.  For example, if you don't use the "drying cycle" on your dishwasher, the dishes will still dry.  You are wasting a TON of energy everytime you simply open your refrigerator or freezer door.  Some appliances, like cell-phone chargers, still use energy when left plugged in.  Do you really need an electric can-opener? Really?  Try fluorescent, or eco-friendly lightbulbs.  Is your house continuously letting a percentage of the heat or ac outside?  The list goes on and on...just google it.

 

7.  Save energy! Save Water!  Most cities use a majority of their energy just from the systems supplying and removing our water.  While some might not be ready for the "soap-down-then-rinse-off" method, you'd be amazed by how quickly you are motivated to clean yourself when setting a five to ten minute timer.  And then there is the obvious: don't leave the water running when brushing your teeth or shaving.  Water your plants/lawn in the morning or evening, when the heat of the day isn't evaporating it all away.  The list goes on and on....water rights are a growing issue as our Earth Mama seems to be drying out...just google it. 

 

8.  Don't Drive! Just Kidding!  It will be beautiful when bicycles make their huge comeback, when cities have quiet, efficient bike paths that don't even use stop signs.  But for now, we cannot expect everyone to simply stop driving; especially in a car-dependent place like America.  We can, however, really reflect on the necessities in our driving routine.  Can I take the bus instead?  Do I have time to walk on this beautiful day?   One of my buddies has a sign in the center of his steering wheel that says "Do you really need to be driving right now?"  A more reasonable idea is to reset your odometer every day or week, just to see how many miles you are using in general.  Try to cut that in half.  Another thing; every bit of weight in your car affects your miles per gallon.  You know what, just buy a bike and tell your local government to give you back your city, town, villa.   (search "critical mass" at www.wikipedia.org)
 

9.  Buy bulk if you're gonna buy anything at all.  You can send your child off to school with a reusable juice container, reusable sandwich container, in a reusable lunchbox and you are no longer buying all of that instant garbage with every meal.  Why would you buy 24 seperate water bottles when you can just buy a gallon of it and a sport bottle.  Better yet, why are you paying a factory to manufacture all of those water bottles, waste energy filling them with water, and gas-guzzle truck them across the country to you when you pay taxes for your city to use all of that energy supplying you with water!?   

10. Every dollar you spend is a vote.  While that organic lemon might be a little more expensive, you are telling the corporation that you are willing to pay extra for a more healthy, quality food.  You are voting for the organic lemon.  Books like "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser can help you realize just how powerful the consumer really is.  As the corporations continue to control our government, the consumer becomes the voter.  Furthermore, we slowly lose our tax-paying control over public issues like water purification when we vote our dollars away on privatized water-bottle dependency. Finally, although local products are always the best way to go (less transport energy), I sometimes buy Skippy organic peanut butter just to let them know that we will buy it.   
 

 

Here are some other thoughts that have come up:

 

Some people might think a few of these ideas really do nothing.  You can tell them that they are exactly correct.  You are trying to take every opportunity to "do nothing" more to damage our Earth Mama for that moment.  The collective sum of "doing nothing" is sometimes better than the collective sum of routinely "doing something." Don't damage her youthful complexion...love your Mama, she treat you so good....

 

Don't let people call you a "hypocrite."  The term is irrelevant in the environmental movement. We're just trying to clean up the house a little bit for Mama.  If a person cleans up a portion of your house, you gonna call him a hypocrite because he missed a spot, or got the sink dirty from cleaning the dishes.     Come on...she so good to us...it's the least we can do.  Love your Earth Mama.    

 

PLEASE

FEEL FREE TO ADD TO THE LIST, STEAL IT, GIVE OR EXTEND ON IDEAS, DROP SOME RESPONSES

 

- _joe nobody (aka _joe mama, aka anonymous _joe)