Blog Action Day!

photo/Rob Partington for openphoto.net CC:Attribution-ShareAlike

I have to admit, I forgot about Blog Action Day in which participants would blog about environmental issues on October 15, 2007. Fortunately, as karma would have it, this weekend, my significant other and I made some environmental pledges to ourselves. Baby steps, as we say. It seems appropriate to discuss some of them on Blog Action Day. There are more than 16,000 blogs participating, and that doesn't include people like me who never registered their blog. The resources for Blog Action Day are excellent. I particular like TreeHugger's How to Green Guides, including How to Green Your Pet; How to Green Your Meals; and How to Green Your Sex.

So what are we doing? We are riding bikes or public transportation at least 3 days a week to work. Furthermore, same rules apply for anything within 5 miles of our house. No more running out for milk in the car. If we have more shopping than can fit on a bike, we plan it around other car activities, such as a day when someone might be driving to work. We are no longer using disposable napkins or sponges. We have cloth napkins, and I am knitting washable cotton cloths for cleaning dishes. We will hang up a clothesline instead of drying our reusables in the dryer. Finally we joined the new Pinellas Sweetwater farm, community-supported organic farming.

Is this all that can be done to promote a sustainable lifestyle? Not by a long shot! But with smaller goals, we can work toward a greener way to live. Once we incorporate a few lifestyle changes, perhaps others will become easier. We have decided on a reward if we stick to our goals. If it works, I will report in about 4 months.

I would love to hear some of the things Eckerd students are doing to keep the campus green.