#6 was cloth wipes instead of paper. Well those who have had dinner in our house or have stayed any length of time with us know we gave up paper towels, and napkins long long ago. I know it sounds scary. . .and I get questions all the time. But after while, you don't even miss it. Plus, you save a TON of money on something you just throw away anyhow.
We all have those towels that start looking a little dingy right? Well, to keep my nice towel supply looking nice, I make a point to turn those old towels into cleaning towels. Even cleaning towels have a life limit, so don't worry you will not be over run by cleaning towels!
Old flour sack cloths, flannel sheets, and t-shirts make awesome glass cleaning towels!
#7 was no TV. Unfortunately, July was probably a month were I felt like we watched more TV than ever! I know we probably didn't, but the one week we were in Ft. Laurderdale staying in the timeshare, the TV was always on in the morning before we left and it was always on in the evenings just before bed. Of course the rest of the time we didn't watch any, but it just seemed like a lot. For me anyhow.
Our son is 2 yrs. old, and we decided before he was born that we would not encourage TV. This was easy for my husband in the beginning, but has become a bit more difficult I think as time has gone on. Only because my hubby loves to watch it!
I on the other hand wouldn't blink an eye if we got rid of it tomorrow. It is such a waste of time for me. I was able to cut cable for us almost 7 years ago, but that is about as far as it goes. Our son doesn't watch much, maybe 30 minutes a whole month. Our reasons are a whole blog post themselves, so I won't go there.
So why would no TV be an eco resolution? One they burn energy. Two, I would pay money on it, that the TV could be proven to be the cause of so many changes in our culture, one being kids playing inside. Sure we all enjoy the comfort of our homes, but children who are kept inside do not connect with the world the sacred, part of our beings, if they don't go outside. What does this do long term? I think we are often seeing the results of what this does long term. . .what we do to our food supply, our bodies, our landscape.
#8 was green transportation. Oh how I wished for a more reliable mass transit system in our area. There is a bus system, but you would need to wake up at 0'dark thirty to get to work, walk most of the way, and then plan to get home early because it doesn't run into the evening. Not very practical for most working folks. . .hmmm, and we wonder why it is hard for people with out cars, and material values to get ahead sometimes. I regress, I am lucky enough to live in a small community though where I can walk to many things. We walk into town (~a mile), and do most of our grocery shopping, can walk to dining, movies, our local playhouse, soda shop stand (yep, we even have one of those), and many other things. We used to ride our bikes more, but now with our son, walking is easier. Now that he is a wee bit bigger he is able to walk more too! I do only live a block from where I work, but because daycare is 10 min. by car and not safely walk-able, I have to drive. This summer though, while my husband was home with our son, I walked. It was glorious. Sadly, people stopped in the neighborhood to see if I needed a ride. It was nice they were being considerate, and courteous, but it was sad that it seemed so out of place for someone to be walking. . .and I don't get dressed up for work. . .so I couldn't have looked to out of place.
If possible, and can be done safely, I urge you to take a look at what you can walk to, say within a mile radius, and just do it. It's good for your health, the pace of the world slows down a bit, you save some gas money (maybe for new clothes if this gets those last five pounds off), and you will burn less fossil fuels. Save the dinosaurs!!! Just kidding :).
Good luck with #9! Can't wait to hear how it is working for you!
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