One Small Change: January 2010

Interspersed in this post will be photos from December! Because I didn't get around to sharing!

Today I was directed to Hip Mountain Mama's blog where she's hosting a challenge - One Small Change. I don't know how I missed it before!

~ morning Sun through ice covered trees ~

It is easy to downplay the choices that we make each day and convince ourselves that one small act will not make a big impact on the Earth. While true, the collective impact of a globe full of individuals can and does have dramatic effect. Our family, compared to the average middle class family in the United States, is quite environmentally friendly. We compost, recycle, breastfeed, cloth diaper (or did!), reduce waste, buy local - however, we have so much room for improvement!

~ Daddy-made wooden kitchen ~

The challenge is to make one change each month until Earth Day on April 22nd. My family had already decided to do this as a family "resolution" and ours will be each month of the year.

~ busy hands ~

For January, we decided to further reduce our energy consumption. Here's the plan of action to this point:

1. Reduce daytime heat from 67 to 65. Wear an extra layer and socks in the house. Hopefully we can bump the heat down another degree as we acclimate. I would like to see if we can do 63 in the house over time.


2. Reduce nighttime heat from 68 to 67. This is a tougher one since my children are chilled easily at night, even in layers, since they kick off blankets. We have already added another blanket to the beds. I would like to get our heat down to 65 at night.


3. Be vigilant about turning off lights, opening/closing drapes, closing doors, etc. This is something the children can really be involved with. We are already very good about this, but I think the girls will enjoy "owning" this one. :)


4. Carpool to Waldorf co-op with Daddy. Limit driving during the week to grocery shopping on Sunday and one outing during the rest of the week.


5. Keep computer turned off during the day. (This will have multiple benefits!)


6. Reduce our laundry load so the washer runs less.


7. Wash large items by hand so the dishwasher doesn't fill up as quickly. Our old dishwasher uses a lot of energy and water, I'm sure! (Many thanks to my friend Cookie for the inspiration to do this one!)

~ on our drive to VA, we had to stop and play in the snow ~

There are plenty more! I am planning on updating weekly with how our changes are progressing.

~ marking the December New Moon with a fire ~

Thanks for hosting this, Hip Mountain Mama!

Peace,

Carrie