Project environmental countdown

hello all.

So since my project (to see how much of a negative impact i have on the planet and what i can do to reduce this) begins tomorrow i have been preparing myself to what will be coming.
I have created a type of research sheet where i can record my use of various things. It's hard to think about absolutely everything that one does so if you see any gaps give us a holler.
i will initially only record my home and freetime and not work or school because i haven't yet figured out how to calculate energy etc at such places.

I appologize for the dryness of this post. i don't want to scare anyone off. i promise that more interesting posts with findings and musings around this subject will be posted later. i will also try to get photos of various aspects of this life research.
lots of love

testing peter's newest invention. pedal powered power station. hopefully this will supply us with energy for the computer and a light.


Year 2010
environmental countdown
Weekly log

Week date to date_____________________

Groceries used: mon tue wed thu fri sat sun weekly
local?
How far did they come
organic?
wrapping?

New tips and ideas:



Clean/Hygiene: mon tue wed thu fri sat sun weekly
Local?
Organic products?
Wrapping?
Non animal tested?

New tips and ideas:


Transport: mon tue wed thu fri sat sun weekly
What mode of transport?
How far
How much fuel?
How many people?

New tips and ideas:



Electricity; mon `tue wed thu fri sat sun weekly

Lightbulb ceiling_________________________
Lightbulb standing___________________________
TV________________________________________
DVD player________________________
Computer_________________________
Stereo ___________________________
Appliances ________________________
Fan__________________________________
Xmas lights________________________
Humidifier______________________________

Kitchen; mon `tue wed thu fri sat sun weekly

Lightbulbx1______________________
Ceiling light__________________________
Fan_______________________
Stove________________________
Bread maker __________________
Kettle ___________________________
Microwave ___________
Fridge _____________________________
Freezerx2_______________________
Clock________________________________________
Appliances extra _____________________
Out door light x 2 light bulbs ___________________________


Bathroom
light bulb_________________________________
Extra appliances ___________________________

Bedroom
Light bulbs bed small________________________
Light standing tall_________________________
Light ceiling_____________________________
Clock ____________________________________
Heater __________________________________

Washing machine ______________________
Oven _____________________________

New tips and ideas:




Rubbish/Recycle (record if possible to recycle) weekly
Glass__________________________________________
Soft paper ex toilet paper/tissue_______________________
Hard paper ex cardboard_________________________________
Paper ex newspaper/printed material______________________
Hard plastic ex containers___________________________________
Soft plastic ex plastic bags___________________________
Aluminium ex cans________________________________
Metal ex steel______________________________
Wood___________________________________________
Biodegradable ex food scraps____________________________
Electronic _____________________________________
Batteries_______________________________
Biohazards ex paint_____________________________
Other_________________________





Recycle myself weekly
Soft paper ex toilet paper/tissue____________________________
Hard paper ex cardboard______________________________
Paper ex newspaper/printed material_________________________
Hard plastic ex containers_________________________________
Soft plastic ex plastic bags_______________________________
Aluminium ex cans________________________________________
Metal ex steel_____________________________________________
Wood_____________________________________________________
Biodegradable ex food scraps_______________________________
Electronic _________________________________________
Batteries____________________________________________
Biohazard ex paint___________________________
Glass________________________________________
Other________________________________________

New tips and ideas:




Water usage mon tue wed thu fri sat sun weekly
Shower_________________________________________
Washing hands___________________________________
Toilet flush_____________________________________
Bath________________________________________
Dishes___________________________________________
Drinking__________________________________________
Cooking_________________________________________
Laundry______________________________________
Plants____________________________________
Humidifier_________________________________

Energy to heat water________________________


New tips and ideas;

Purchases mon tue wed thu fri sat sun weekly


New tips and ideas:

Wood used in wood stove per week/ amount used during the winter will have to equal the amounts of trees i will have to plant come spring time.

what are we going to do about global warming?

Lately my mind revolves around the state of this planet.
I am worried about mother earth and what is happening to her. With copenhagen meeting been and gone without much being decided i am feeling a little bit anxious about what us humans are doing and our slow beauracrazy that can't get the things done that is needed.
Part of my problem is that i feel so helpless, what can little i do to change the effects.

I am only one but i am one. i can't do everything but i can do something.And i will not let what i cannot do interfere with what i can do.

this is the mantra peter repeats over and over when i feel overwhelmed and sad and just want to give up on this supposedly clever race of homo-sapiens sapiens.

So with a new year coming i have decided that anything i buy will have to be locally produced. If it isn't within the hundred mile range than at least that it's been produced here in BC. If that can not be achieved than at least within Canada.
i will record how well this can be followed. I also want to look closer at any rubbish that i am left with and determine if any of it can be taken out completely from my life and if not...can i myself recycle it instead of sending it with a big stinky truck to be recycled. If that is not possible, see how much of a houshold's garbage can be recycled. Would love to learn more about where in fact the recycle material goes.
went and talked with one company that does recycling today and they seemed open to have visitors after new years.

another aspect of this quest to find out how i can be responsible for each and every action that i make in this world is to record how much energy i consume, be it, electricity for lights, cooking, heating etc. usage of car and buses and their petrol consumption.
I would like to minimize my impact but how can i do so when i don't have a clear idea of what my impact really is.
true that in the past i have lived in a tipi without electricity, which surely must be a small impact, but then I flew extensively to various countries around the world and probably ended up with a bigger carbon footprint than someone who commuted in a gas guzzler each day and had all their meals at mc donalds.

Each decision is fraught with doubt...am i doing the right thing, have i considered everything,what crucial information am i lacking to make the right decision and so on and so forth.
as you can see taking responsibility for each and every action can turn a woman crazy. lucky for me that i was crazy before i started this quizzing of every day existens otherwise i might be missing my sanity.
i at the same time do not want to be one of those angry, zealous types who bark at people for minor slip ups in the getting green regime. i can already feel me slipping in to that mode at work in the herbal store. I am now known as the bag nazi i am sure. it is very hard to get a plastic bag out of me at check out.
if a person comes with a small plastic bag and want to get a bigger plastic bag to carry it in, i meet and greet them with the catchy phrase of..
..oh yes a plastic bag to put that plastic bag in will be just what the landfill needs.
sometimes it puts a smile on peoples faces and other times they get offended. it could of course have something to do with how i say it, and if i am feeling particularly angry with the world on that day.

so for my own mental happiness i do not want this to consume me and make me angry and upset with people who do not feel the same way i do.
so therefore..instead of changing the world as used to be my stubborn headbutting way. i will this time only try to change myself.
if that works then at least one person is less of a problem for our planet-in-need.
so if you have ANY tips on sustainability please post some comments here.
i will try to get this page so that anyone and everyone can comment.