Read 'n' Seed #4

This week I read chapters 7-9 of Do One Thing Green: Saving the Earth Through Simple, Everyday Choices, pages 91-139.

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Chapter seven, "Lighting", talked a lot about using Energy Star-approved CFL or LED bulbs and fixtures instead of incandescent lightbulbs.  CFLs are 75% more efficient and last ten times longer than incandescent bulbs, and LEDs are three times more efficient than CFLs, and they last up to ten times longer than CFLs, and one hundred times longer than regular bulbs (p.94).  Using these types of bulbs will save you a lot of money because they last longer and don't use as much energy.  When reading this chapter I was thinking that I needed to change my lightbulbs RIGHT NOW, but the truth is I'm only going to live in my house until June so buying new lightbulbs isn't really the smarter thing for me to do right now.  When I do move somewhere where I will be living for a long period of time it will be beneficial to my wallet to spend a little more money on these types of bulbs at first so that I don't have to buy new ones as often and my energy bills will be lower.

Chapter 8 is titled, "Saving Water", which basically came down to taking a shorter shower.  The chapter was short and sweet and I hated it.  The "Choose it's" included: taking a shower instead of a bath (done), keep showers to five minutes or less (not happening, especially in the winter, I'm soaking up every minute in the nice warm shower), use a low-flow shower head (I like my showers to have so much pressure they almost hurt), turn off the water when you soap yourself and shampoo (so I can freeze between rinses?  not happening), and turn down your hot water heater thermostat to 120 degrees (I think I can live with this one).  Okay, taking shorter showers is really good for the environment, I get it.  We are running out of clean water, but there are other ways that we can save water that are described in this chapter that I will follow through on.  The first is watering your lawn and garden in the early morning and late evening, this way you won't have to use as much water because the sun won't be evaporating the water right away.  The other thing you can do is buy a water-sensible toilet.  This isn't practical for me to do right now because I live in a rental house but I could mention it to my landlord.  I can also be sure to put these in my home when I buy one some day.

Chapter 9, "Simple Green Housekeeping", is something that my old roommate was really into but I never really knew what she was doing or why.  The chapter explains that by using a small list of simple products, that you might already have around the house, and mixing them together different ways, you can make your own cleaning supplies.  The list includes things such a baking soda and lemon juice.  By  not using most of the cleaners your probably buy in the stores, which contain toxic chemicals, you will be improving the air in your house, which in turn will improve the health of those living there.  Non-green, conventional ingredients include VOCs, which evaporate from products, filling your indoor air with fumes, these VOCs have been shown to cause skin, eye, nose, throat, and lung irritation; asthma attacks; headache; and dizziness (p. 120).  Starting on page 123 of the book there are recipes for making cleaning products, I am very interested in starting to make these things, I always get a headache when I use cleaning supplies so I think that using these things will help a lot.  This chapter also talks about things in your house, such as your mattress, paint or wood floors, and what to do to make sure they are best for the air in your home.


Chapter One: Free yourself from the bottled water habit (p. 3).
Chapter Two: Chose organic and locally grown produce (p.16).
Chapter Three: Eat small fry like sardines, rather than big hunks, like bluefin tuna (p.35).
Chapter Four: Skip red meat at least one day a week (p.56).
Chapter Five: Never microwave food in plastics. Use tempered glass or ceramic instead (p.65).
Chapter Six: Wash most of your laundry in cold water (p.81).
Chapter Seven: Switch to a green lightbulb (p. 92).
Chapter Eight: Take a shorter shower (p. 109).
Chapter Nine: As you use them up, replace conventional cleaning products with green formulas (p. 117).