Greening Our Lives, 2018 Version

Continuing my annual tradition.
Happy Earth Day! Happy park or river cleanup or whatever project you are doing today!

A couple of years ago, I started an annual Earth Day post on things we were doing to make our household greener. In looking back, I may have skipped a year or two there, but now seems like a very good time to revive the tradition. Some of these things may be useful to you and yours if you're looking to get greener. I also do it for me since it's a way to remind myself of what we've done so far and what I'd like us to tackle next.

It is worth noting that we've spent years on this, making a few changes every year. My goal has been to add something new every year, which we are on track for. I will also note that most things on my list have had a direct cost savings in the longer term, particularly the ones with start up costs. But there are also things we can't do because of finances or the state of our yard and so forth, such as growing our own veggies (our trees shade much of the yard) and there are things that stay in the planning stages for years at a time while I figure out budgeting and so forth. We also own our own home in a very urban environment in a city which supports a lot of green programs and I've done quite a bit of research and planning on all of this to approach greening holistically.

What we've done so far:

• Switched light bulbs to compact fluorescents and LEDs as they burn out.
• Switched to reusables for coffee cups, drinking cups with straws and yard waste disposal.
• Had extra insulation blown into some of the walls.
• Replaced the interior windows throughout the house.
• Committed to buying the bulk of our groceries at the local coops and farmer's markets.
• As each appliance died in our 100 year old house, we upgraded to a more energy efficient version. In the course of 20 years, that's the washer and dryer, the stove, the AC, the fridge and the water heater. We're eyeing the ancient octopus furnace for the future.
• Installed a solar-powered fan in the attic which keeps the house at a more even temperature so we use less AC in the summer.
• Replaced old electric and plumbing setups with more efficient ones. Last year's much needed new bathroom sink and shower cut our water and gas bills, for example.
• Organized our reusable bags, put a set in each car and committed to using them for nearly all shopping.
• Recycling and composting. Minneapolis has really ramped up their recycling program and added a new citywide composting program. We already did some at home composting and are continuing to do that while participating in the city-wide programs. In addition, we look for reuse and donation opportunities for everything we want to get rid of that's usable: clothes go to clothing swaps as well as donation bins, books go to libraries and benefit auctions, jewelry to benefit auctions, reusable computing equipment to organizations that refurb and donate it, etc. At this point, we compost and recycle much more than we throw out.
• Replaced our collapsing front retaining wall with medium-sized rocks and bee-friendly organic plants. We hired a local woman-owned green landscaping firm for this and they did a terrific job.
• Committed to not using pesticides or herbicides on our yard.
• Switched to green de-icer and grit in the winter to melt ice.
• Committed to not driving anywhere a few days out of the month, carpooling more and taking public transportation when we can. We also have meat-free days once a week or so. Biking is not a option for us physically or scheduling-wise, we still need two cars for the moment, but I hope to go down to one car and car sharing in the future and we do walk a fair amount.
• Carbon offsetting, particularly for plane flights and longer road trips. We started including this in our trip budgets - when we went to New Zealand last year, for example, New Zealand Air and one of the B&Bs we stayed at offered some options for local organizations doing tree planting and environmental restoration so we kicked in some money toward those. When we take road trips or fly anywhere, I donate a few bucks to the Nature Conservancy or Minnesota Tree Trust to offset the gas that our relatively-efficient roadtrip car burns off, etc.
• Installed a rain barrel for the nonwinter months (yes, we have one). Also multiple bird feeders and a bird bath.
• Switched our electric bill to 100% wind power (check out utility programs and solar garden shares in your area if you're not in MN or Colorado).
•  Had our yard dedicated as a "Pollinator Friendly Patch" by the City of Minneapolis - we'll be planting more bee and butterfly-friendly plants this year.
• Hired a green cleaning service that hires local artists to come in once a month and clean the house.

What we've done since last Earth Day:

• Replaced our ancient toilet with a new water-efficient one.
• Starting work on refurbishing our attic to make it into an office space and make it more energy efficient.
• Replaced our driveway pad to improve rain run off and drainage.
• Switched to CREDO Mobile for my cell phone - CREDO plants trees, uses green energy, coordinates various progressive political and environmental campaigns.
• Switched my main credit card to one that benefits Green America through a B-corp bank that reinvests in affordable housing and green projects. Green America focuses on building green businesses, fighting environmental racism, sustainability and long term green planning.
• Dug up a couple of more yards of our remaining lawn and began replacing it with native plants.
• Switched from single use paper tissues to cloth handkerchiefs (this has been surprisingly great - much more comfortable!).
• Added a "leftover" night to our dinners to reduce food waste (generally, leftovers are also lunch).
• Started bringing a refillable water bottle or equivalent (and a traveling tea cup set) with me when I go to conferences so I use fewer disposable plastic cups.

Next up:

• More work on the attic.
• Rehousing our extra window unit air conditioner because we haven't needed it since we put in the solar fan.
• Replacing the utility sink in the basement to improve drainage and reduce leaks.
• More native plants and bee and butterfly friendly plants in the yard
• Other things as I discover them.

And that's it for now. Feel free to share the things that you're trying!