Dungreen

There have been references lately to Al Gore, and the inconvenient truth about his lifestyle choices relative to being more environmentally conscious. I guess I don't really have any fingers to point... I think he raises questions on the issues of resource conservation and that alone warrants a certain amount of respect. From what I read, Gore's household is making ongoing choices to reduce their "footprint", and also maintaining the lifestyle that allows him to be in the public eye. Let's face it, no one cares where the Beans of Egypt Maine are living today. That in itself may be an inconvenient truth, but what we all need to be accountable for is making personal decisions in our lifestyle choices that allow us to live as effectively as possible. It's hard to make a difference if you spend all your time making your own soap and waving palm fronds to keep yourself cool. So, instead of pointing fingers at what Gore, or anyone else ISN'T doing, what are YOU doing to conserve resources? That's what I ask myself.

One thing I've become aware of over the past few weeks is how often I reach for the hot water faucet in the kitchen. Perhaps because I'm right handed, my automatic response to rinsing anything off is to hold the item in my right hand, and use my left hand to turn on the water... the hot water because it's on the left side of the faucet. No matter how I try, this is what I instinctively continue to do. Today as I was cleaning out the cabinets, I found a pile of "butter-ware" without covers. "Hmmm" I thought to myself as I once again used the HOT water to rinse something off... "Self, what if the HOT water was unavailable?" Well, I'd be happy to use the cold water. Here's my Green tip of the day... cover your hot water faucet. Simple, easy, and highly effective. The hot water is still accessible when needed, but this gentle and continual reminder throughout the day has surely helped me be more conscious and resourceful.

I've had a spring-cleaning urge to go through our first floor living spaces... cleaning and organizing, and looking for things that can be eliminated from our home because it isn't used, isn't necesary, isn't functional, or just isn't "US". I put culled leaves & organic matter into the compost... and came up with a few items that were garbage (in the bag), burnable (paper etc) and recyclable (coated paper). Not too bad for an entire day's worth of cleaning. I also have a box of stuff to go to GoodWill... clothes, cups, etc. We didn't use any gasoline today, didn't make any purchases, and didn't burn any firewood for fuel. Instead, we stayed home, played music, did chores & cleaned, and basked in the warmth of the sunshine. It's been a good day :)

Dungreen comes from the Lighthouse Collection.