Usually these Best and Worst lists come out at the end of the year, but there’s no time like the present, right? As I was checking out at the grocery store earlier today, I was thinking about the odd assortment of items (organic bananas, organic fortified soy milk, and … Drano ?) I had packed into my weather-worn canvas bags. I’m not perfect, by any means. I do my best to make good choices that are environmentally and socially responsible, but like just about everyone else, I’m also sometimes a sinner. It got me to thinking about the 6 best and 6 worst things I own or purchase regularly.
So, without further ado….
Worst
- Automobiles (we have a 2001 Subaru Forester and a 2001 Ford Focus wagon that we inherited from my FIL). The Subaru (our primary commuting vehicle – my husband, daughter and I car-pool to work/school) has 36,000 miles at 6 years old, so we drive a LOT less than average (about 12,000 miles/year). But still, cars are evil.
- Gasoline – we usually fill up about once every two weeks
- Antibacterial soap – my hubby is something of a germ-phobe
- Computers and accessories – we are nerds
- Clothing mostly made from conventionally-grown cotton – for the life of me, I cannot kick the cheap clothes habit
- Batteries (we don’t use a lot, but I do like my portable radio and my night-time reading light is essential – though I think I have found a much better alternative in the Aeonic LED lamp). In my defense, I saved spent batteries to recycle at IKEA.
Best
- Our home – an EarthCraft green-design award-winning house originally built in 1950 and renovated by the previous owner who is a green-building consultant.
- My enormous collection of canvas bags which have been re-used umpteen times for grocery shopping and other purposes over a decade or so.
- Our 100% vegan kitchen
- Environmentally-friendly cleaning products (Biokleen laundry detergent, Ecover dishwashing powder, Simple Green all-purpose cleaner)
- 100% recycled, 1-ply, 1000-sheets per roll toilet paper from Seventh Generation
- Compact fluorescent bulbs (which I use to replace bulbs as the burn out throughout the house) and recycle at IKEA when they do eventually burn out
I’m right there with you on the car thing… I am just counting the days until I get my Prius for my birthday!
And what a great thing about your house! Did you buy it specifically b/c it was eco-friendly, or is that just a fantastic coincidence?
The house was actually a fantastic coincidence. When we moved to Atlanta, I searched for houses online and found this one and loved it immediately from the photos. Then I read on about the Earthcraft awards, etc. After touring it, I was completely sold; there were no comparable houses in the area in our price range. I’m extremely happy it worked out that way, and it truly is more energy-efficient and the air is MUCH cleaner than any other house I’ve lived in.
Lori: P.S. I have a constant internal struggle about what to do about the cars. Part of me wants to ditch one of the cars and get a Prius, but the frugal “drive-it-into-the ground” part of me says that would be a zero-sum (or worse) solution since someone else will just be driving the old car (probably more miles than we did) instead. And I’ll admit to not having purchased carbon-offsets for our driving because I am still skeptical of them.
I love this, because we all have our worst-and-bests. (our worsts: cars – we drive tons, b/c we live in the country, and hybrids aren’t an option b.c we need awd, and can’t afford the new SUV versions; house- probably more than we need; non-energy star appliances, because they were all there when we got there. Best: we’re making the move to the fluorescent bulbs, we support local, sustainable farms wherever possible, and I’m trying to buy most things used at this point).
cleaner: thanks! Maybe we need a kind of “environmental confessional”. With everyone running around making a point about how “green” they are, you have to realize that we still have a long way to go. Examining and prioritizing the things that are still having a negative impact and what we are willing and able to do to make it better is an important first step.
[...] 13th, 2007 by river2sea72 Somewhat related to my post a few days ago (Best and Worst) , I’ve been thinking about some of my other favorite possessions that over the years have [...]
I just ran across your blog in a web search. I assume that your house is the one you bought from me a few years ago. I am glad that you are enjoying it so much. Hope things are going well for you. There is a page about the house on my website: http://www.sevilleconsulting.com
Carl
Carl: Yes, this is your house and we love it.
I’ll be in touch with you soon.
I loved your blog! I have a question, if you could help me with that. I was thinking about buying the “simple green all purpose cleaner” but I still don’t know if it is vegan. I have found it on a vegan website but when searching on simplegreen.com, they mentioned they have tested on animals before, just not right now, as the non-toxicability of this cleaner has been proofed. Isn’t that to say that they tested until they didn’t have to anymore? I ask you because I noticed you mentioned this cleaner as one of your best.
Hi Tatiana,
Thanks for the comment. No, I don’t know if Simple Green is vegan, but I have no reason to suspect that it wouldn’t be. Depending on your definition of vegan, that is. I doubt it contains animal products, but it may have been (probably was) tested on animals. Ecover discloses its animal testing practices and is working with the Vegan Society to minimize animal testing as much as possible. The only way to be sure the cleaning products you’re using are not tested on animals is to make them yourself.
HTH,
Sara