A few weeks ago, I had a fortuitous encounter with a most sincere environmentalist who was in our friend’s wedding along with my husband, Matt. Elizabeth, who partook in the wedding as the maid of honor, was seated at our table for the rehearsal dinner and to my delight gave me a mini-lesson on how to pick, jar, and then can my own tomatoes. As a busy, traveling consultant, Elizabeth’s efforts to live environmentally are astounding, and more so, inspiring, especially for those of us, myself included, who are getting started with a real commitment to a green lifestyle. Here are some of the outstanding ways that Elizabeth lives in an eco-friendly way:
1. Start with the standards. Elizabeth changed her lightbulbs to CFLs, recycles, freecycles, BYOB (bring your own bag) when shopping, and shops on Craig’s List to reuse and repurpose old items.
2. Take the K.I.S.S. Approach to Cleaning. In other words, keep it simple, silly. When Elizabeth tackles cleaning projects in her house, she uses a basic recipe of vinegar, water, and a few drops of tea tree oil in a spray bottle. She also scrubs her bathtub with baking soda and water. She notes, “You don’t have some strange foaming, strong smelling substance all over.” For dishes and laundry, she recommends Seventh Generation products.
3. Line em up. By air drying your laundry, the prize is that your clothes dry for free (with a savings of up to $135 per year), and your clothes last longer and aren’t static electric. For more tips on line drying your laundry, click here to check out Ideal Bite.
4 . Declutter in the tub. Elizabeth remarks on her old habit of collecting multiple bathing products, “I don’t know why I ever thought I needed 5 different body washes.” Again, reduce and simplify. One quality body wash that is good for your body and the environment is better than 10 products that contain cancer causing agents and parabens. Elizabeth checks beauty product ratings on the Cosmetic Safety Database.
5. Offset Your Carbon Footprint. Since Elizabeth needs to travel for her job as a consultant, she purchases carbon offsets. To calculate your carbon footprint and purchase carbon offsets, visit TerraPass and help fight global warming.
6. Scale Back. One of the advantages to traveling for Elizabeth is that she is able to see firsthand how the rest of the world lives. Comparing the lifestyles of folks from around the globe to those living here in the states, Elizabeth says, “I am just astonished at the amount of clothing, household items, and just stuff that we have!” She now finds visiting shopping malls to be “a complete hassle,” even though she, like many Americans, is from a family of shoppers. Elizabeth also gives away items that she no longer needs, and is making efforts to help restore regional diversity in the U.S., which is largely nonexistent thanks to large corporations.
7. Walk and Bike. To save energy within her home, Elizabeth sold her treadmill to a woman who needed one for medical reasons, and then purchased a used bike off of Craig’s List. Elizabeth now commutes to work by biking to the train and walking (what would otherwise be a transfer) to the building where she works. Not only does she save gas and energy, but Elizabeth also saves time that she might spend working out at a gym: with all the biking and walking, she bikes 3 miles each day and walks another 3. Phew!
8. Participate in a C.S.A. or Community Supported Agriculture. Elizabeth invests $500 and participates in a local, organic C.S.A. that provides her with crates of food through the summer and fall. Since Elizabeth is a true foodie who loves to experiment in the kitchen, she loves to cook, hates processed foods, and above all, loves to support the local farmers who grow her food. Participating in a C.S.As though is just the beginning for Elizabeth; in order for green Americans to make a real difference in the way food is produced and consumed in our country, we need to participate in making major changes. She explains:
“America needs a full overhaul of our pattern of food consumption and that will entail a return to growing some food, buying from local small farms, truly understanding where our food comes from, and regaining awareness of how it impacts our bodies and the planet. We are so detached from nature that significant weather events in our own regions rarely impact what we eat.”
To reconnect with nature and how we consume food, Elizabeth finds that consumers can start to make a difference simply by participating in a C.S.A. To find a local C.S.A., visit Local Harvest.
9. Grow your own food. Elizabeth and her husband own no land and still manage to grow their own tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, cabbage, herbs, sunflowers, and whatever else strikes their fancy in 20 large containers on their patio. A self-described gardener who has a “black thumb of death,” Elizabeth laughs off the naysayers and says, “If we can do it, really anyone can.” After meeting and talking with Elizabeth, my family got its act together and started digging out our raised bed vegetable garden to start growing tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, hot peppers, and a number of herbs.
10. Can it. Because Elizabeth produces so much of her own food and the C.S.A. she participates in provides ample food as well, she has learned to preserve her food for the cold months. Look for a later post with Elizabeth’s recipe for picking, jarring, and canning your own food.
Thank you Elizabeth for sharing your lifestyle with me and everyone else at Green Mamma. You truly are an inspiration. Once my tomatoes ripen, I will try your canning recipe. Other changes our household will make is to support a C.S.A., which is a green act that we’ve yet to take. Thanks again, and gosh, I’m so glad to have met you.
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