Dude! You Can't Listen To Music On A Water Bottle

Fact:

• In 2007 we spent $16 billion on bottled water. That’s more than we spent on iPods or movie tickets.*

So put down that disposable water bottle and go buy yourself an iPod . . . just kidding . . . buy yourself a recyclable water bottle.

*from Earth911.com

Take a Breath

Dr. Rob Gilbert: 
First we form habits, then they form us. Conquer your bad habits, or they'll eventually conquer you.

A Nudge Here, A Nudge There

When I went to pick up a pizza yesterday, there was a sign on the napkin holder that said, “remember paper comes from trees. Please conserve.” It actually made me take less napkins than I normally would. Sometimes we do things so unconsciously--like my grabbing gobs of napkins when I pick up take-out orders and then stuffing the extras in my glove compartment. A little reminder can go along way to remind people like me that I already have three trees of napkins stuffed in my car!

So, on that note what do you think about us adding this to our emails?

P Save A Tree- Don't print this if you don't have to.

Take a Breath

Harold Wilson:
He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery. 

Unplug. Conserve. Save.

Even when powered off, appliances from air conditioners to DVD players draw power. Called "stand by power," it enables devices to be ready to spring into action when we turn them on. Unfortunately, the most inefficient of these electronics and appliances can draw 15-30 watts of power when off! Stand by power is 5% of the residential energy used in the United States every year. If you multiply even a low estimate of 5 watts by the amount of devices you have in your house by days of the year . . . are we on the same wavelength about this?

And let's keep it real--my Tivo takes about 10 minutes to restart anytime it's unplugged, so I'm not even going to pretend that I'm going to unplug that even when I have nothing scheduled to tape. But, just looking around my home I've already found five things I can easily unplug until I need to use them such as my toaster, coffee maker, printer, desk lamp, blow dryer . . . Look around. How many do you see?

Habit Breaker Check In

It's been a few months. It's a good time to check in and see what habits you're been able to adopt this month, what new information you've learned, and what you're struggling with. Habits are hard to break. So it's really important to pat yourself on the back for any little improvement. Not only is it reinforcement, it begins the domino effect of doing more and making it feel more convenient/easy to do so.

My report card:
I've ramped up my reusable bag usage. I'm great at grocery, pharmacy and farmer's market. For some reason, I still forget when I go clothes and shoes shopping. I'm working on that.

I'm reading labels more, conscious of times my son and I leave the water running, and always have lemons in the house. I've stopped leaving my car idling unnecessarily.

My biggest struggle has been standby power. I plug things out. I plug it in to use it. The next time I go to use it, I realize it's still plugged in. I'm not sure why it's a battle for me to remember this, but at least I'm conscious of it.

So some good, some weak areas, but I'm proud of a lot of new consciousness and new information. Being informed makes me feel good and able to change. I hope you're feeling the same way.

Aggressive Driving = Aggressive Fuel Use

Why's everyone looking at me when I post this? I know, I know, I'm the worst offender here. Yes, I know moderate driving can save me an average of 31% on my fuel consumption (and possibly up to 37%)--at least, I know that now.

I'm taking my pedal off the metal. I promise. Will you?