I do use toilet paper. Perhaps the fact that I have an environmental studies degree has made me a cynic and bitter about saving the environment. I respect what everyone does in their own houses to feel like they are helping the environment but those little things don’t allow me to sleep at night. I do bring my cloth shopping bags to the store, I do recycle (if it actually gets recycled is another story), I do shut off lights, I hang my clothes outside all year long, I haggle litterers and then pick up their trash, etc, etc. But I am an environmental cynic.

The problems are big business, the government, and consumer demand. It is my opinion that large scale environmental changes will not happen without the government and big businesses stepping in to take action. And with our current president nothing will be done. Hello, Kyoto Protocol? Our current smoking ban laws are proving to show that people are becoming less and less tolerant of smoking and that fewer people are starting to smoke.

I use rags and dishclothes….paper is expensive in Ukraine. I don’t want to waste money on paper towels.

Tags are cut up Christmas cards, and we just put them back in the tin box, because “the elves” always bring presents, Santa visits, and Mom give gifts to J-man and the daughter, etc.

Two years ago, I took it one step further. As my husband has only the use of one hand, I’ve started making Christmas bags with drawstrings or some other closure for him to receive his gifts, or wrap for us. Each year, I add more sewn bags. We’ve never given fabric-wrapped gifts outside the family, but I’m thinking we may start using simple fabric bags for that purpose as soon as I get enough made up. Maybe that will encourage our friends and family to start doing the same, and save the trees cut for wrapping paper.

And I’m sure that not using plastic bags is better than letting the dump burn them; I doubt they could possibly produce as much energy as it requires to produce them in the first place.

Glad to know that some dumps are doing that, though, for everybody that does use the plastic bags.

Unfortunately, it’s not a viable option for many people–especially those who don’t live in major metropolitan areas with extensive public-transportation systems.

Outside of big cities, most people in this country live in decentralized settings. Grocery stores, libraries, schools, places of worship, workplaces, etc., usually aren’t within walking distance of peoples’ homes. Sure, sometimes you can cobble together three or four bus routes to get where you’re going, but a one-way trip of ten miles could take two hours, and time has value, too. And in some places (where I live, for example) using public transportation can cost significantly more than owning a modest car that’s infrequently used.

Sure, people who don’t really need cars to get around (like a crazy friend of mine who insisted on owning–and paying to park!–a car while he was living in MANHATTAN!) should give serious thought to getting rid of them if they can. For those who are car-dependent, however, there are lots of other things they can do: choose smaller, fuel-efficient cars; consolidate trips; don’t use the air conditioner; use fuel-efficient driving techniques; share rides with others; etc. Yes, they are small things. But small things–that are meaningful–DO make a difference.

*It’s interesting to note that small-combustion engines (particularly home lawnmowers) generate far more greenhouse gases than automobiles. Manual reel push-mowers for everyone!

What about all the plastic you consume at the grocery store that your products come in? What about all the gas you used to get to grocery store?

I used to work at the dump and half of what people thought was able to be recycled was not.

Saving the planet is going to require strong sacrifice and the majority of the people in this world just won’t. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard people tell me I am crazy and ridicilous for hanging my clothes outside in the dead of winter, “I’m just too lazy” or “They won’t dry” is what I hear all the time. Yes, they will dry and that proves my point that people don’t want to sacrifice their comforts to save the environment. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “I can’t use the bus because [insert valid excuse].

Here’s a challenge for green week. Give up your car.

A thought about the plastic bags…if you live in an area that incinerates garbage and turns it into electricity rather than landfilling it the plastic bags create more energy than paper bags.

So unless people are ready to give up their cell phones, computers and gadgets, televisions, air conditioners, cars, toilet paper, shopping at the mall, washing machines and dryers and start living in areas where they can access public transportation (or demand better public transportation) not much will be done.

Also, I buy used books, CDs, etc. whenever I can & try not to be too picky about what I read or listen to — it’s a kind of shopping serendipity that forces me to shop locally more often & rely less on transportation to ship my things around the globe.

plus, our municipality doesn’t recycle paper or cardboard so i occasionally smuggle a bag of recyclable paper into work with me (where they do recycle paper)!

Anyway, we use mostly use cloth diapers. We do use some disposables for night time and traveling, but we rock the cloth at all other times. I don’t have any other examples that haven’t been mentioned, but I’m inspired to cut more paper out of our house. I really need to kick my paper towel addiction. Maybe if I make cute cloth napkins it’ll be easier! Oh, and I also try to use as little TP as possible. That counts, right?