UltraRob's Adventures

Today is Earth Day and a day to focus on loving our earth. Big things tend to get the attention but everybody doing little things every day have a huge impact on the earth. Here a few simple things that make a huge difference over time.

• Commute or run errands by bike
• Don't buy bottled water. The bottles use a huge amount of oil and many of them end up in landfills.
• Use reusable shopping bags. If you need some motivation to switch, take a look at this video
• Recycle and upcycle
• Turn off water while brushing teeth
• Use a programmable thermostat
• Turn off lights when leaving a room
• Switch at least your most used lights to CFL
• Take a walk and pick up trash along the way

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Labels: environment

Today Kent posted a link to the Story of Stuff website. It has a 20 minute video. It's long but well worth watching. Most of the facts I basically knew already but it does a really good job of tying everything together and explaining what we're doing to the planet.

I believe in cutting down my impact on the environment. I don't totally buy into the green movement. It's partly because it's now become popular and companies are using it to market even more stuff. I also think there are so many simple things that can easily be done that get ignored because they aren't something big and radical. A couple months ago I wrote about some ways to help the environment for Blog Action Day.

Of course we're in the biggest stuff buying month of the year. I even have a cycling and outdoor gear search on this site. I also have a cycling and outdoor deals blog so you can buy even more stuff with the money you have. If you're going to buy it, just make sure it'll get used and then use it until it's worn out instead of just out of fashion.

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Labels: environment

Today is the first annual Blog Action Day. The idea is that each year they'll pick a topic for bloggers to write about. This year they pick the environment for the topic.

I started writing a post about the green movement a couple months ago before I knew about Blog Action Day. I never finished writing it. I started writing it after I'd seen yet another company using the green cause in its marketing. I no longer remember what it was for.

I recycle. My wife will throw an aluminum can in the trash because she just wants it out of the way and I'll pull it out and put it in the recycle bin. I sometimes commute by bike although I should do it more often. My excuse is it isn't far enough to count as good training but long enough that I need a shower. I feel bad driving my SUV and take our mini-van if my wife isn't using it.

The thing that annoys me about green becoming popular is that now companies are using it in their marketing. There are very few cases where buying something is greener than not buying it. Just think about what you buy and just how much of it do you really need?

One thing that is green to buy is compact fluorescent light bulbs. Although they cost more, they last longer and save you a lot more than the extra cost. I have switched almost all of my bulbs to fluorescent. Some have said they aren't better because they have mercury in them. Power plants spew out mercury when they burn coal so the electricity compact fluorescent bulbs save actually reduces the mercury. The best thing is to not throw them in the trash but to recycle them.

Another thing that is green to buy and save you money in the long run is a programmable thermostat. I like it cool when I sleep but warm when I get out of bed in the morning. We have the temperature automatically drop 5 degrees about the time we go to bed and then back to normal an hour before we get up. We used to drop the temperature during the day too but now that we have kids, Julie is normally home.

Some of the best ways to go green don't cost and are easy to do. Things like recycling, water your lawn in morning or evening when it's cooler, turn the water off when brushing your teeth and turn off lights. Oh, and if you don't need it, don't buy it.

Other Blog Action Day Posts

• Walking and Biking: Better For People and the Planet
• The Adventure Blog: Blog Action Day!
• Some Notes on the Environment: Why I Care And Why An Inconvenient Truth Doesn’t Matter
• 10 Simple Ways To Save Money And The Environment
• It's Easy Being Green

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Labels: bike commuting, Blog Action Day, environment