Smells Like Green Spirit

I grew up in Houston, and then lived in Atlanta for 8 years before I lived in Chicago. One  of the biggest reasons I moved here was so I could live in a city that had viable public transportation, which is so minimal in southern cities, it may as well be considered almost non-existent. In the south, I had to drive EVERYWHERE, and didn’t flinch at driving upwards of 50 miles a day.

It’s funny to think about it now, but when gas starting approaching $2 a gallon in Atlanta, about 3.5 years ago, I decided I was going to move to a city where I didn’t need to drive. $2 A GALLON!  What I wouldn’t give to pay $2 a gallon now!!

The only cities that I really knew of in America where public transit was an option were San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City, and so I chose Chicago.

NOW, 3.5 years later, gas has reached stunning  heights, coming up on nearly $5 a gallon.

I can’t believe it.

I still own a car, which I use for huge grocery runs, to take several loads of laundry to the laundromat, to take paintings to an art show, etc, but I’ve decided to sell my car once it permanently tops $5 a gallon.

That is just too much money.

I now own a lovely bike that looks something like this (sorry for the stolen pic)  

I live right by the blue line train, and right by several major bus lines, and I got two feet in damn good working order…so, yeah. If you know anyone who wants a cute, silver Toyota Rav4…it gets good gas mileage! But at 5+ dollars a gallon…

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I began Smells Like Green Spirit as part of an internship with Sarah Lewis from Blogging Expertise, but I had selfish reasons too. I wanted to have motivation to educate myself about living conscientiously. When I started this blog I didn’t even know what a carbon footprint was. I was hoping that along the way, some people might stumble upon this and learn something themselves, or teach me something, because heaven knows I have a long way to go! Here I’ve compiled a list of “green goals” I’m slowly working towards. The only one I’d been doing before starting this blog was breaking my dependency on cars by moving to Chicago, and using public transit, bikes and my two feet….here goes…

Stop driving gasoline powered cars, or drive infrequently and conscienciously.

Stop eating meat, or eat only meat from humanely, locally raised animals.

Stop eating any animal products, or eat only humanely, conscientiously derived animal products.

Ride bicycles whenever possible!

Help to make your community more bike friendly.

Walk somewhere whenever possible.

Buy locally made, locally grown products whenever possible.

Support companies with conscientious business practices.

Use as much green power as possible.

Work to spread awareness of green power.

Live your life to create as little a carbon footprint as possible.

Support public transit programs.

Register your address to stop receiving wasteful junk mail.

Purchase cleaning products that aren’t harmful to the environment.

Reuse products instead of recycling.

Take part in or help implement local recycling programs.

Purchase personal care products that aren’t harmful to the environment.

Stop buying bottled water.

Don’t be preachy!

Turn off lights and appliances when you leave the room.

Take shorter showers.

Use native plants in your landscaping and gardening, as they need less water to live.

Plant some trees!

Donate some money to a charity or non profit that is working towards these same goals (be sure they’re responsible, honest, and well-managed.)

Volunteer your time at a charity or non profit that is working towards these same goals.

Build a rooftop garden.

Start composting.

Use Energy Star Appliances.

Get a low-flush toilet.

Use natural or compact fluorescent lighting whenever possible.

Make sure your home is well insulated.

Buy products made from recycled materials.

Take care not to over-water plants.

Collect rain water to water your plants.

Recycle the water from your laundry for your yard.

Go to a green dry cleaner.

Buy clothes from thrift stores and vintage resale shops.

Use recycled materials when building or remodeling.

Request to be taken off catalog lists.

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Hey there, internet friend and/or creepy stalker.

It’s been almost a month since I started this here blog as a way to encourage me to be good, to encourage me to make some changes, to jump start me in making a change to either help the earth, or at least stop doing my worst to ruin it.

So, how have I done? Well, thank you for asking! The main changes I’ve made have been in eating vegetarian-ly, educating myself about all the green issues you probably already knew about because yes, actually, I have been living in a cave, and taking little baby steps to reduce my carbon feetprints.

Vegetarianism

I’ve tried twice before to be a vegetarian.

The first time, all I ate was cookies and grilled cheeses, and that lasted about 6 months before I got really ill, and ran into a hamburger joint in near tears.

The second time I knew what I needed — actual vegetables — but the only vegetable I liked was broccoli. All I ate was broccoli and rice and beans for another six months. I had no energy what so ever, and again, I ran back to my old friend the hamburger.

I couldn’t give up though. I was telling my fella one night how I felt like vegetarianism was a better choice for me morally because I don’t want to support the meat packing industry, and really it makes me sad to think of eating cute little animals. He pointed out that I was obviously a liar, since I ate cute little animals about every time I opened my mouth. He had challenged my honor to a duel and I couldn’t just sit back and let him!

This time, I’m taking it slow. I’m letting myself eat meat still once every week or two. It feels like I’m addicted to meat, because after a week or two of veggin it up…I start to obsess over eating a huge chunk of animal. I must be vitamin deficient, or maybe my body is seriously addicted to meat. We’ll see how this develops.

Carbon Feetprints

Call me stupid (Hey, stupid!), but I somehow didn’t know that the energy we use in our homes and stuff contributes to our carbon footprint. So, one big change I’ve made is now turning off lights and fans and air conditioners when I leave the room. Not exactly an earth shattering change, but it’s a little something.

I’ve also been using my hair dryer less, letting my hair air-dry for a while and then using my dryer minimally, just to make sure it doesn’t dry all wavy and crazy looking. (Believe me - not a pretty sight.)

I’ve been good about not using my car very often, but I still need to get a bike. I was mugged walking home from a bar a few weeks ago, and so my fella’s been making me take taxis home at night, not something I like to do. But, if I had a bike…

Edjumakation

The greatest change I’ve made is learning more. Learning how to contact my alderman to let him know of things that I think need to be changed. Learning about making conscientious shopping choices to help make a tiny change in what businesses rule our world. Being able to tell my friends where to go in Chicago to recycle.

Final words of Wisdom?

I still have a long way to go. I need to buy a bicycle. I want to learn more about the business and politics that really affect our life and environment. I want to learn more about the people in our world who have made a difference, and about what different cities do. I want to get more involved either in a volunteer or non-annoying activist capacity.

Wish me luck?? Hey, thanks! And thanks for reading!!

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