52 Weeks Down...Week 1

As a stab at offering a guide to the basics of energy consumption reduction, I offer here a Monday morning, weekly suggestion for fairly simple changes that can be integrated into daily life. My worry about doing this is that it will duplicate too many other things on the web, but it I also don't want to disappear into arcana. So let us see how this goes.

My theory about this is that once you try something for a week, you have a fairly good idea as to whether you can hack it or not, so it might actually end up in your daily life.

Week 1: I bet you thought I wanted you to change all your lightbulbs to CFs. But no, I'm going to assume you've already done that one.

My first suggestion: Stay Home! We spend a lot of time on the road running errands or back and forth to places. Pick one day this week (and every week ideally), and don't drive that day. Out of milk? Make something without it. Having a tough time picking a day because there's soccer practice one day and school the next? Think about whether you could consolidate activities or give some of them up.

Now while you are home, have some fun. Everyone in America claims that they never have any time to just relax. Well, now's your chance. You aren't going anywhere. Picnic in the yard. Take a nap. Work in the garden. Cook a nice dinner. Read a book. Play catch with your kids. All those good life things take time at home - with everyone there. Not only do you not pollute for a whole day, but you get a little slice of the stuff that we all say we want more of.

More next Monday!

Sharon