What is the most RADICAL environ. thing you've done?

[SquirelNutkin]

SO,
i Have been worrying a lot about all the choices we make as a family, and what it means for the environment.- Basically our consumtion. But I am working on having a positive attitude about things, so I thought a list of all the radical things families do to support the envionment would cheer me up, give me ideas, and help support all of us.

SO, what is the most RADICAL action you have taken to help preserve the environment>?

Fo us, I think it was that I took old baby flannel blankets and sewed them into small sqaures to use as toilet paper for pee. So I wash them weekly. I felt like this was a worthy thing of my time and energy because it is somethign that we use regualrly, and not only cuts done trees, but uses dioxin in its production.

I also ahve gone to a few rallies. It makes me really ahppy when my 3 year old as pretend play marches around the house chanting for peace or something.

thnaks
brenda

[member234098]

I rerouted my dryer outlet into my living space, put a nylon on it to catch the lint, and thereby adding to the heat in my living space.

I used diapers of all four of my children, and used the diapers that were left for rags for washing the car, etc.

[hydrangea]

We're building a compost toilet. The idea still kind of weirds me out, but I am sure it is the right thing to do.

[princess buttercup]

Not radical but here's my additions:
Line dry laundry
minimal cleaning products (use a tiny amount of detergent, or natural)
quit buying paper towels (use the cheapo pre-fold cloth diapers)
quit buying napkins (use cloth)
cloth diapers
cloth wipes
bf (no formula cans or extra dishes)
black trash bag composting
walk around the village to do errands instead of drive to town (bank, pharmacy)
Re-use the childrens school papers in my home printer.
Use cereal and cracker boxes turned inside out and retaped to ship items I sell on ebay.
Try to be creative reusing things around the house.
Proudly trash pick and yard sale(to my DH's dismay)

[Gemini]

nak

i don't know about radical, but i feel pretty good about this. i'm slowly buying vintage pyrex off of ebay to replace all my plastic containers. i just won something today in fact! crazy daisy avacado green! i really like not using so much plastic anymore, and my hubby even said today how he likes it too!

i'm wanting to buy a clothes line this summer too. never had one before.

i really like the idea of using washable wipes for pee! (poo might gross me out)

i also just shopped at the local co-op in my neighborhood. it's very small, but sweet and i feel good about supporting not only local, but organic! I'm for sure going there more for like eggs and bulk stuff.

[cielle]

Bought a house in a location that allowed us to drive 50% less.

All the day to day stuff is still a work in progress...

[gurumama]

Sold our house and moved into an apartment!

Seriously. We now share all our land with other tenants and live within walking distance of various places (DVD rentals, laundromat, bank). We use 1/3 the space now (from 3700 sf to 1200 sf living space) and find ourselves using community amenities more (parks, pools etc.) whereas if we'd had a house we might have spent more resources ($ and material) on duplicating things that already exist in our new community (like a backyard playground, our own pool, etc.).

Other things:

* cloth diapers
* just bought a share in an organic CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). 16 weeks left in the season for our share of fresh produce! Organic and we're supporting a local farmer.
* buy many things used
* turn our underwear inside out so we get two wearings out of the same pair (Ok, kidding on that one...except for that horrible week when I didn't get to laundromat )

[Cloverlove]

We try to tread lighty- a lot of the stuff people mentioned.

Bulk everything- I have not bought a new bottle of shampoo, conditioner or cleaning products for over 2 years! We also save glass jars for bulk grains and things and cook mostly from scratch.
Buy local and organic
"Hippy Tupperware" ie: saving plastic containers (yogurt, etc) for food and toy storage.
Cloth diapers/pads/napkins/towels
Front-loading washer/line-dry
Push mower/compost/organic garden (before we moved)
1 car family- ride bikes
vegetarian/ebf
research and buy quality- so it lasts

The most *radical* environmental thing I have done was live off the grid for about a year.

Dh and I are really working towards our solar home and hybrid car(and raising environmentalists).

[zealsmom]

We are trying to live a car-free life and bike whenever humanly possible. Although it's nice to have the car for camping trips, etc, we felt it was the best thing we can do at this point in our lives.

I would like to move towards wind-power in this lifetime, since we are now living in the Pacific Northwest and solar may not be the best option for us up in the shady trees.

[DaryLLL]

Not too radical, but

Bf my kids til ages 2 1/2, 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 respectively.

Cloth diapered #3 (finally got it).

Recycle and compost.

Don't buy lots of new clothes. My kids were almost entirely clothed in thrift store/consignment store clothing when they were young.

Joined Sierra Club.

Buy organic milk, some veg.

Vaxed each kid less, #3 got nuthin (except natural vax, ie: breastmilk). Use homeopathy and herbs instead.

[BowenTherapist]

Originally posted by gurumama
* turn our underwear inside out so we get two wearings out of the same pair (Ok, kidding on that one...except for that horrible week when I didn't get to laundromat )

you joke, but my dh turns his socks around to get another day out of them :Puke

we don't use diapers on our dd and when we do we use cloth prefolds
we don't use paper towels (except to clean up really nasty things, but i have had the same roll of towels for over a year!)
i reuse the glass jars that sauce and pb come in to store bulk foods and left overs
i go by the motto "if it's yellow let it mello, if it's brown flush it down" to use less water. and i will occationally use cloth wipes to wipe up after i pee
i do wish i used the car less... something to work on

[EnviroBecca]

Mostly, I think little changes in your everyday lifestyle are the way to go. They add up! I wrote an article about some habits I've changed over the years--maybe it will help to inspire you.

For my most radical thing, see the thread on RECYCLING that I just started in this forum.

[Gunter]

:

[Silliest]

probably not driving.
My partner does, but we're getting a bike for him, soon, and the car will be relegated to heavy-hauling and really-foul-weather transport.

not driving is normal in some communities, but here (Near Dallas Texas) you'd think it was heresy <LOL!> We live about 500 yards from the elementary school, there are 3 families in the houses surrounding ours with kids who attend there, and they *all* drive to the school twice a day, every day.

Why?!?

We do a lot of the household and personal hygeine stuff mentioned elsewhere.
Still working on non-plastic storage contaners and stuff, but we don't use hardly any disposable products, and very few "cleaners". Mostly BS&V.

We're also "wildscaping" our property, using native plants and providing habitat for native critters. We're still extablishing things for the next year or so, but by the time we're done, we shouldn't need any power lawn-care gear. No mowing. No weedeating. No hedge trimming... maybe a little pruning and weeding. No watering unless there's a *serious* drought, and even our water supply is supplemented with rain barrels, which is making the neighbors really wonder about us <LOL!>

[Down_under]

You all Inspire me

My new years resolution- to start thinking more about the impact I am making on the environment and to DO something about it

[AngelBee]

I was suspended in teh 6th grade for protesting styrafoam lunch trays.

Then on the day we were suspended, we cleaned the local park.

It was covered by all of the local TV stations ( I called them before the protest )
They all covered the protest and one channel followed us to the park the next day.

We were in the newspapers and have stories in a couple of books

As a result, the entire district switched to washable trays the following year. :

[Down_under]

Angelbee that is SO COOL!!!!

[rmzbm]

Originally Posted by AngelBee

I was suspended in teh 6th grade for protesting styrafoam lunch trays.

Then on the day we were suspended, we cleaned the local park.

It was covered by all of the local TV stations ( I called them before the protest )
They all covered the protest and one channel followed us to the park the next day.

We were in the newspapers and have stories in a couple of books

As a result, the entire district switched to washable trays the following year. :

You Rock, AB!!!!!

[teacup]

AngelBee, I hope my daughter does something ballsy and awesome like that when she's that age. Any age!

My husband and I kept a dying recycling program going at our workplace. It sucked, having to haul a bunch of unrinsed soda cans in a ripped plastic bag that barely fit into the trunk, but it was worth it.

[AngelBee]

: Thanks mamas!