Becoming a minimalist
26/08/09 03:11 AM
I have been striving to live "green" for well over a year now and it has come with some successes and many failures. Along the way I have found that one of the pleasant side effects on trying to reduce my consumption is that I have indirectly started to live a much more minimalist lifestyle. It wasn't a conscious decision on my part, instead it just sort of happened. In time, I have slowly eliminated things from my house for a multitude of reasons. I stopped buying as many groceries and food items that were individually wrapped because I didn't want to create as much waste from packaging. I stopped using as many appliances and electronics in an effort to save electricity. I quit buying unnecessary things because I realized that I didn't need them.
As far as living a green lifestyle goes, this has definitely had a positive impact. But there have also been some unplanned benefits to this switch:
1. Having less "stuff" has enabled me to focus on the things that I care about.
2. Refusing to buy everything that mass marketing has tried to sell me, I have saved a good bit of money.
3. The mindset has started to flow over into other areas of my life and I find myself trying to simplify other areas of my life.
These additional benefits have made a significant impact on my life. I would almost even go as far as calling myself a minimalist. Perhaps being a minimalist is much closer to living a green lifestyle than I had realized. I'm not advocating that everyone needs to make the decision to get rid of all of their possessions but I think we all could learn a lesson from a minimalist.
As far as living a green lifestyle goes, this has definitely had a positive impact. But there have also been some unplanned benefits to this switch:
1. Having less "stuff" has enabled me to focus on the things that I care about.
2. Refusing to buy everything that mass marketing has tried to sell me, I have saved a good bit of money.
3. The mindset has started to flow over into other areas of my life and I find myself trying to simplify other areas of my life.
These additional benefits have made a significant impact on my life. I would almost even go as far as calling myself a minimalist. Perhaps being a minimalist is much closer to living a green lifestyle than I had realized. I'm not advocating that everyone needs to make the decision to get rid of all of their possessions but I think we all could learn a lesson from a minimalist.
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Share a ride, save the earth!
11/01/09 04:30 PM
Its well known that one of the best things that we can do to help the environment is to reduce our dependence on gasoline powered vehicles. Of course most people can’t just give up their vehicle dependency so solutions must be devised to enable us to use alternative transportations methods. These methods vary from public transportation to the development of vehicles that use alternate energy sources for power. Another popular method has long been to carpool and share some of the empty seats in a vehicle with people that have similar transportation needs. Carpooling of course has mixed results but when it is properly used it can drastically reduce the amount of vehicles on the road. But what if you could mix some of these methods? What if there was a way that you could have access to a vehicle when you need it, while still using some alternative transportation methods?
Enter “ride sharing”. Ride sharing is a fairly new idea that could not only reduce the amount of vehicles on the road but also has the potential to save many people the costs associated with vehicle ownership. The idea behind ride sharing is that a company has a pool of vehicles that are located throughout communities that are available for hourly (rather than daily) rental by members of the ride sharing group. You phone or use the internet to schedule when you will need a vehicle and reserve it. When your rental time comes you go to the nearest vehicle and use your membership card to open the door and you are on your way. When you are done you simply return the vehicle to where you picked it up, lock it, and leave it for someone else to use at a later time.
Using the ride share system of course isn’t for everyone and would require careful planning. The system seems best suited to people who live in large cities or work from home and have little need for a car. By creatively using this system driving could be reduced by combining tasks in groups and renting a vehicle to take care of all of the tasks at once rather than taking multiple short trips to accomplish the tasks. This might even free some individuals from the need of owning a car and eliminate the costs of ownership.
Ride sharing may not be the final answer to solve the global warming issue. What it is, however, is another inventive way to take action now and reduce our carbon emissions. It’s also might be a great way for people who keep a car around for occasional trips to finally be free of the requirement of owning a vehicle. Sounds like a win from any angle.
Enter “ride sharing”. Ride sharing is a fairly new idea that could not only reduce the amount of vehicles on the road but also has the potential to save many people the costs associated with vehicle ownership. The idea behind ride sharing is that a company has a pool of vehicles that are located throughout communities that are available for hourly (rather than daily) rental by members of the ride sharing group. You phone or use the internet to schedule when you will need a vehicle and reserve it. When your rental time comes you go to the nearest vehicle and use your membership card to open the door and you are on your way. When you are done you simply return the vehicle to where you picked it up, lock it, and leave it for someone else to use at a later time.
Using the ride share system of course isn’t for everyone and would require careful planning. The system seems best suited to people who live in large cities or work from home and have little need for a car. By creatively using this system driving could be reduced by combining tasks in groups and renting a vehicle to take care of all of the tasks at once rather than taking multiple short trips to accomplish the tasks. This might even free some individuals from the need of owning a car and eliminate the costs of ownership.
Ride sharing may not be the final answer to solve the global warming issue. What it is, however, is another inventive way to take action now and reduce our carbon emissions. It’s also might be a great way for people who keep a car around for occasional trips to finally be free of the requirement of owning a vehicle. Sounds like a win from any angle.
Disposing of CD's and DVD's
04/01/09 07:05 PM
I recently began to make an attempt at living a more peaceful life by taking up a minimalist approach to many things. In doing so I really decided that there are many areas in my life that could use some de-cluttering. Naturally I started by looking around the house for all of the things that I have accumulated that I just don’t use any more (and I definitely found more than I was bargaining for).
One of the first things identified in my “hunt for the unused” was my rather large collection of CD’s, including music and data CD’s whose contents are now stored on an external hard drive. These CD’s will be around for a very long time if they end up in a waste stream so I have stored them waiting for some inventive way of repurposing my disc collection to come along.
Well, I finally decided that I can wait no longer. I’m not really into using CD coasters and I don’t scrapbook so I was basically out of options for repurposing my collection. A quick internet search landed me on http://www.cdrecyclingcenter.com. For the cost of postage you can send in all the discs you want for recycling. The condition of the discs isn’t an issue so if you have secure data you can cut them up or shred them prior to shipping. The center will also accept the paper inserts and jewel cases. It is a simple and environmentally responsible way for disposing of your unwanted CD’S, DVD’s, and their respective packaging..
If you are looking for a green way to dispose your old discs please visit the CD Recycling Center and send your discs in to be recycled. It’s far better than throwing them in the trash but almost as simple. I can’t say that getting rid of my old discs solved all of my clutter problems but it’s a step in the right direction. Small changes like this in multiple areas will add up to a big change overall.
One of the first things identified in my “hunt for the unused” was my rather large collection of CD’s, including music and data CD’s whose contents are now stored on an external hard drive. These CD’s will be around for a very long time if they end up in a waste stream so I have stored them waiting for some inventive way of repurposing my disc collection to come along.
Well, I finally decided that I can wait no longer. I’m not really into using CD coasters and I don’t scrapbook so I was basically out of options for repurposing my collection. A quick internet search landed me on http://www.cdrecyclingcenter.com. For the cost of postage you can send in all the discs you want for recycling. The condition of the discs isn’t an issue so if you have secure data you can cut them up or shred them prior to shipping. The center will also accept the paper inserts and jewel cases. It is a simple and environmentally responsible way for disposing of your unwanted CD’S, DVD’s, and their respective packaging..
If you are looking for a green way to dispose your old discs please visit the CD Recycling Center and send your discs in to be recycled. It’s far better than throwing them in the trash but almost as simple. I can’t say that getting rid of my old discs solved all of my clutter problems but it’s a step in the right direction. Small changes like this in multiple areas will add up to a big change overall.
The site is still alive
15/12/08 02:08 PM
Well, three months without updating and I am sort of surprised to see that the site is still getting some traffic. I have been having some technical difficulties in my life, both with my computer and with finding a decent place to host the site that doesn’t cost me much, if anything, out of pocket. For the last couple months I have honestly been ready to just give up on blogging and move on....but I miss having an outlet to share my experiences.
After some soul searching I have decided that I am going to begin posting here again and just bite the bullet and pay for a reputable host. I am also going to make over the site and see if I can make it more appealing and provide more content focused on living green. I also plan to expand the site a bit and talk about more aspects of living a green lifestyle than I have in the past.
Anyways, expect to see some changes and a resurgence of regular posting very soon. Cheers.
After some soul searching I have decided that I am going to begin posting here again and just bite the bullet and pay for a reputable host. I am also going to make over the site and see if I can make it more appealing and provide more content focused on living green. I also plan to expand the site a bit and talk about more aspects of living a green lifestyle than I have in the past.
Anyways, expect to see some changes and a resurgence of regular posting very soon. Cheers.
Pickens Plan
07/09/08 03:58 PM
Ok, so I think the site is finally complete again, or close enough to it that I feel comfortable and safe spending time doing a lot of writing again. While I was building the new one I really strayed from posting because I didn’t want to lose any work if I somehow dorked up the site. But I have certainly not stopped living green or trying innovative new ways to become even more green than ever before.
With that being said I want to jump right back into the swing of things by bringing up the Pickens Plan. While not necessarily aimed at finding a green oil solution I was intrigued by the plan because it is green in nature, regardless of motive. The motivation for the plan of course is to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil. The plan will use wind and natural gas not only to reduce America’s dependence on oil but also to create new jobs for Americans and slow the transfer of money to foreign countries. This will in theory help America’s economy and help stop the transfer of wealth to countries that aren’t necessarily favored by the US.
If this plan sounds at all familiar to you, it should. T. Boone Pickens actually spoke to both John McCain and Barack Obama and portions of the plan were presented by both candidates in their nomination acceptance speeches. Both candidates spoke of the need to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil. The Democrats want wind and the Republicans favor drilling and nuclear power. Neither of them credited T. Boone Pickens with the idea of course but the basic premises are the same.
The thing that I personally like about the plan is that reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil also favors more environmentally friendly solutions such as wind and natural gases. This will in turn reduce carbon emissions and help to slow global warming. Anyway, if you hadn’t noticed I have placed a Pickens Plan banner in the right hand column of the site. Please head over to the website and check it out. You can also sign up to support the plan. I did, any plan that helps the world find a smarter energy solution for the future is a good plan to me. Cheers.
With that being said I want to jump right back into the swing of things by bringing up the Pickens Plan. While not necessarily aimed at finding a green oil solution I was intrigued by the plan because it is green in nature, regardless of motive. The motivation for the plan of course is to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil. The plan will use wind and natural gas not only to reduce America’s dependence on oil but also to create new jobs for Americans and slow the transfer of money to foreign countries. This will in theory help America’s economy and help stop the transfer of wealth to countries that aren’t necessarily favored by the US.
If this plan sounds at all familiar to you, it should. T. Boone Pickens actually spoke to both John McCain and Barack Obama and portions of the plan were presented by both candidates in their nomination acceptance speeches. Both candidates spoke of the need to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil. The Democrats want wind and the Republicans favor drilling and nuclear power. Neither of them credited T. Boone Pickens with the idea of course but the basic premises are the same.
The thing that I personally like about the plan is that reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil also favors more environmentally friendly solutions such as wind and natural gases. This will in turn reduce carbon emissions and help to slow global warming. Anyway, if you hadn’t noticed I have placed a Pickens Plan banner in the right hand column of the site. Please head over to the website and check it out. You can also sign up to support the plan. I did, any plan that helps the world find a smarter energy solution for the future is a good plan to me. Cheers.
New site up and running
20/08/08 06:24 AM
Hello! Well after some work the new site is up and running. I know it looks almost exactly like the old one except for the layout of the pages. Getting a very similar look was one of the goals I was strving to attain. I am glad to finally have it up and running again and hosted in a different location. I hope you like the new site.
Blog update
14/08/08 07:27 PM
Just wanted to post a quick update on the status of the blog. If you have visited the blog lately I am sure you have noticed that I have not been posting with any sort of regularity. This is because I am having an issue with Movable Type, which is the blogging software I use to manage the site. I have been working with my hosting company, which in turn elevated the issue to the folks at Six Apart, the makers of Movable Type. I had assumes that they would be addressing my issue but it has been weeks and I still haven't heard anything from either my hosting company of from Six Apart. I have been hesitant to move forward with the site/blog in case they need to reinstall the software or do some other troubleshooting measures that may affect my content.
After weeks of waiting however, their lack of action of any sort has led me to decide that I am no longer going to be using Moveable Type as my blogging solution. I am instead going to be developing the site using Rapid Weaver and hosting it on my Apple Mobile Me account. This should only take a week or so and the site should be in its new home and fully functional. My goal is to make the site look and function very similar to it's current version.
Anyways, long story short, I just wanted to let everyone know that I am still making green improvements in my life every day and can't wait to get back up and running so that I can share my experiences. Cheers!
After weeks of waiting however, their lack of action of any sort has led me to decide that I am no longer going to be using Moveable Type as my blogging solution. I am instead going to be developing the site using Rapid Weaver and hosting it on my Apple Mobile Me account. This should only take a week or so and the site should be in its new home and fully functional. My goal is to make the site look and function very similar to it's current version.
Anyways, long story short, I just wanted to let everyone know that I am still making green improvements in my life every day and can't wait to get back up and running so that I can share my experiences. Cheers!
Brighter Planet launches a new campaign
31/07/08 10:39 AM
Brighter Planet has introduced their new campaign aimed at increasing awareness of climate change. The are calling it the "Climate Matters Video Contest" and are inviting individuals to create a 30 to 60 second video that would help to inspire the next president of the US to take action on climate change. They have teamed up with 1 Sky and created an amazing panel of judges that will help to divvy out the $4500 in prizes. The top ten videos will be shown to Congress so if you desire to send a message that has a definite chance of being heard, pull out your camera and start recording. You can get more info at http://vimeo.com/climatematters.
Harrison Ford gets waxed
25/07/08 10:38 AM
I saw a very funny television commercial today. It started out with Harrison Ford sitting in a chair in a spa with the spa employee applying wax to Mr. Ford's chest. He begins by talking about global warming being the result of deforestation. He then goes on to say that "every bit of rain forest that gets ripped out over there, really hurts over here". After that statement the spa employee rips a huge patch of hair off the chest of the clearly pained celebrity.
The commercial sends a strong message, bravo Mr. Ford. Definitely worth a watch, catch it on YouTube.
The commercial sends a strong message, bravo Mr. Ford. Definitely worth a watch, catch it on YouTube.
Are gas prices driving America Green?
25/07/08 10:38 AM
Driving to work earlier this week I noticed something that made me smile ear to ear. It has been building up for a while but for some reason this week it really struck me. Everywhere I look I am starting to see a change in the way people commute. Then I came to the realization that the incredibly high gas prices that we are all experiencing is causing a very positive side effect for eco-minded people.
I think I first started thinking about this trend when a neighbor came to me talking about his recent Prius shopping trip. It struck me as odd because this same neighbor has never mentioned trying to do anything that is remotely related to green living. In fact, this neighbor has thrown odd-glances my direction when the topic of my green lifestyle has been discussed. So why then was this non-green neighbor out shopping for one of the greenest cars on the market? To save money on gas.
My neighbor is not alone in this endeavor. The market is being flooded with gas guzzling SUV's as more and more people are heading to car dealers looking to get into more fuel efficient cars. I have even started to notice quite a few people commuting on bicycles and mopeds/scooters. The cost of fuel has become enough of a burden that these people are trying to save money by changing the way they commute.
What does this mean to the green community? Well, it's great news if you ask me. Actually, gas prices may even be helping us to attain a goal that we are all seeking on some level or another and that is the reduction of greenhouse gases. In the end it doesn't matter how we attain the goal of reducing these greenhouse gas emissions, only that we do in fact reach that goal. If all it takes is a little economic pressure for us to make this change then I'm all for it.
I think I first started thinking about this trend when a neighbor came to me talking about his recent Prius shopping trip. It struck me as odd because this same neighbor has never mentioned trying to do anything that is remotely related to green living. In fact, this neighbor has thrown odd-glances my direction when the topic of my green lifestyle has been discussed. So why then was this non-green neighbor out shopping for one of the greenest cars on the market? To save money on gas.
My neighbor is not alone in this endeavor. The market is being flooded with gas guzzling SUV's as more and more people are heading to car dealers looking to get into more fuel efficient cars. I have even started to notice quite a few people commuting on bicycles and mopeds/scooters. The cost of fuel has become enough of a burden that these people are trying to save money by changing the way they commute.
What does this mean to the green community? Well, it's great news if you ask me. Actually, gas prices may even be helping us to attain a goal that we are all seeking on some level or another and that is the reduction of greenhouse gases. In the end it doesn't matter how we attain the goal of reducing these greenhouse gas emissions, only that we do in fact reach that goal. If all it takes is a little economic pressure for us to make this change then I'm all for it.
