Sunday, December 27, 2009

Do one thing a week

The new year is just a few days away. That always makes me think about what I have accomplished this past year and what my goals should be the next year. Over the last few years I have done many things to reduce my carbon footprint from buying a hybrid when I needed a new car to installing a dual flush kit. But I still have a carbon footprint.

So, I need to keep up the trend of making those changes. Some have been small, some large. As long as we continue to make those changed, eventually, we will be living a lot more sustainably. For example, this year, I will make the effort to take the bus or ride my bike to work at least once a week. If I am successful for three months, I will increase that to twice a week.

The changes we make do not have to be ground breaking, or wallet breaking. I'll be the first to admit that I am too cheap to install solar panels on my house. I have, however, changed all of my lightbulbs to CFL's, bought LED holiday lights, and unplug everything that does not need to be plugged in. When solar panels or VAWT's become economically viable, i.e. they cost less than the cost of electricity over their life spans, then I will buy them.

So, look at what you do everyday and try to find little things that can reduce your carbon footprint. You may find, as I did, that taking the bus is a great time to catch up on some reading.