Who:
Bonnie Yelverton
Member
Where:
Upland, CA
Today I have been thinking about how much we do, and still have to do, to reduce our environmental footprint.
While John drove off in one of our two hybrids to run a 5-K race, I did a full load of laundry using a new sustainable washing method, hanging it to dry on a rack outside, even though our condo association doesn't approve of using hot, dry Southern California air for drying! I showered using sustainable products and ate a breakfast of organic cereal, milk, and green tea. Then I walked with my shopping cart to the nearby supermarket, where I bought organics whenever possible among the milk, eggs, vegetables, and packaged products available there. I would rather walk to this store than drive 20 miles to the nearest Whole Foods store.
We use a small rotating barrel composter for all vegetable wastes. Our tiny condo patio is crowded with two bikes, the composter, the laundry drying rack, three fruit trees, and many large pots filled with compost soil that we use to grow a variety of vegetables and a few flowers. It's fun to eat our own produce when it's available!
We have, of course, installed low-energy bulbs in most of our lights, use recycled paper products and sustainable household cleaning products, and keep the AC at 80, but we know there is more we can do.
After recently deciding not to move to a larger condo, we have been redoing this one to fit our needs, reducing the junk in storage space by taking things to the Goodwill, adding more shelf space, installing wooden indoor shutters on all the upstairs windows and a wonderful ceiling fan in the bedroom. To come are a new refrigerator, low-flush toilets, and maybe a new heating/cooling system.
