OK- I’m getting plenty of emails “Mat, the place sounds great but what can we do now to promote a better lifestyle etc”

Let’s start with a few basics, the easy green ones that anyone living just about anywhere can do:

- Have a 20 gallon bucket in the shower, collect the cold water that comes out while you wait for it to get hot. This water can either go onto you plants or throw it into the top of your toilet cistern for the next flush.

- Do the same as above for your sink with a smaller bucket

- Change all your light bulbs out for the energy efficient Compact Fluorescent Bulbs (CFL’s), not only will they reduce your monthly electricity bill but will cut back on the amount of pollutants going into the atmosphere to generate that electricity

- Buy in bulk to reduce the amount of packaging. Bulk is generally cheaper on a per item/quantity and it should save you a trip to the grocery every month or so… more money in your pocket and less gas in your tank.

- Recycle, recycle, recycle. Everything from your plastic bottles to paper. Most towns have a recycling depot, some even offer road side collection… doesn’t matter how you get there just do it!

- Ride your push bike to work. Not all areas are set up for cycling (I struggle in Houston!) but if at all possible give it a go. There’s the obvious exercise benefits and once again the car stays in the garage. Carpooling has a similar effect but the exercise aspect will be missed…unless we’re talking jaw aerobics!

- Buy local, whether it be a hardware store, Ma & Pa’s grocery or the local farmers market… money exchanged within the community stays in the community and promotes a micro-economy. Farmers markets are so much fun, the kids will enjoy it and the produce is generally organic or minimal pest/herbicides used.

- Return coat hangers to laundry/dry cleaners…it’s easy and makes a difference.

- Leaving the clothes drier off and hang ‘em up. In Australia we had the ‘hills hoist’, a back yard clothes line that would be included in every house plan. If you’re in an apartment and don’t have the luxury of a patio or yard for an external clothes line, use a clothes horse- one of those folding plastic coated wire racks. Saving energy is the primary purpose and a fantastic bi-product is your clothes lasting longer (and not shrinking!) having not been exposed to the heat and turmoil of a drier.

- Take your own re-useablebags to the grocery, the hardware, local markets… anywhere a plastic bag would be required. I always have a few of these hanging around the car.

- Dishwashers make for great storage places in the kitchen- Enough said on that one.

- If you use bottled water buy it in bulk and decant into a glass bottle… plastic permeates.

- When leaving the house for work or play, turn the AC up (warmer)… you wont notice a big difference when you walk in from 100++ outside if the place is 70 or 80, it will still feel cooler initially and you can turn it down (cooler) once inside.

- Check, or have a professional check, your AC ducting for leaks etc. Make sure all the energy going to create that cool air is reaching the vents for distribution and not cooling the attic!

- Close the blinds/curtains on eastern side of the house in the morning and western in the afternoon. It minimizes the heating of your house through convection  and will reduce the amount your AC has to work. A tree planted or some greenery outside the window providing shade can do the same… preferably a perennial to let the warmth (sun) back in during the cooler months.

- Eat more salads and raw foods, again plenty of health benefits and it combines a lot of the points above. Minimizes the dishes, no cooking (energy efficient), local produce and the ’scraps’ can go into the compost bucket…we’ll touch on that when we go to the next stage.

There’s a handful of things that will make a difference and can be implemented immediately. I’ll a be adding another blog soon taking it to the next level incorporating composting, rain barrels etc.