changes

if you know me at all, you'd know how i feel about lists - i love them. i make lists of just about anything. to-do lists, books i want to read, books i have read, grocery lists, things to sell list, a research list, holiday lists, birthday lists...you get the point. well yesterday, while i was sitting in a forum, i decided that i would make a list of my behaviors as an environmentalist and a list of my behaviors as a consumer. it would be wrong of me not to mention that the idea of this list came from a recent meeting with No Impact Man. i wouldnt say that i am "new" to being an environmentalist (my mom claims she started the whole thing by using cloth diapers when i was wee), but i will admit that since moving to NYC i've had a much more difficult time. i could say it was a function of my busy lifestyle, or various roommate situations, or being surounded by a society that is, generally speaking, consumed (no pun intended) with the ease and convenience of take-out, or the fact that there is always some newer, hipper, sleaker model of everything. but this is just a cop out and the only way that things are going to change is for us each to take some responsibility for our actions as individuals. i continue to fear the collective apathetic.

here are the lists (in no particular order).

ENVIRONMENTALIST
vegetarian
keeper --- check this out
i use cloth bags - no plastic bags
hankerchief
use natural cleaning products
short showers
choice flushing (if its yellow let it mellow; if its brown flush it down)
use of public transportation
bike to work
use blackle
asking the janitor at work to only empty my trash when its full
using both sides of paper
limiting printing of reports at work
reuseable waterbottle
reuseable coffee mug
no air conditioner
no paper towels
buy dried goods in bulk
abide by reduce, reuse, recycle
attempt to reduce junk mail here and here
sign up for paperless billing
internet banking
freecycle
member of the public library
online magazine subscriptions instead of paper
buy local - farmers market
cold wash clothes
donate old clothes to orgs i dig: Ali Forney Center, Medical Missionaries, Inc

CONSUMER
things i own/do that increase my carbon footprint
ipod w/ rechargeable battery
laptop and external harddrive
digital camera w/ rechargable battery
blackberry w/ rechargeable battery
blender
alarm clock
clothes
shoes
bags
books
cds
dvds
movies
limited air travel
i order take out on occassion

SO NOW WHAT???
here are some steps i plan on making to further my commitment to helping out mother earth

consider every purchase by asking:
1. do i need this;
2. what waste is involved in the purchase;
3. what will happen to the waste upon purchase;
4. is there another item with less waste involved;
5. where did this item come from, can i get it locally;
6. what will happen with item when i am finished with it, can it be recycled,
reused, passed on to someone else who can use it;
7. would the money be better spent by making a donation

urban composting(convince my roommates to join me)
plant my rooftop garden or get a plot in a community garden
reduce the amount of plastic in my life
continue bringing my lunch to work and cooking instead of ordering out
talk to people - not in that preachy annoying sort of way
recommend books to people (here are 3 for today):
Common Wealth
Collapse: How Societies Chose to Fail or Succeed
Making Globalization Work