This Is Me Maria

Despite my cult like addiction to all things organic, energy saving and, reusable products, our carbon footprint is still huge. If everyone lived like I do - we would need 4.81 planets. While my carbon footprint is less than the national average - it is still huge.

So I am reevaluating some of our plans, making a list of everything we already do as well as everything that we could do.

Some of the more affordable things are walking and biking to the store more since it is so close, buying in bulk more rather than the individual sized things. We just used our last ziploc bag the other day, and I purchased some good reusable tupperware that we can use instead. I am also thinking that with as much as it rains here, we could collect a lot of water with a rain barrel.

A lot of the places where we could make a big difference are expensive, like an eco friendly remodel, like new windows and more insulation, and even paper products made of recycled paper. I don’t often buy paper products made of recycled paper because they are so expensive. As a kid, my dad always bought paper products made of recycled paper. We used to joke with him that our toilet paper was like wiping your ass with tree bark.

The guilt of not doing the downstairs more eco friendly is going to haunt me for a long time. The good news is that we did use products that are long lasting and sturdy as well as neutral and not trendy, so they should not need to be replaced for a long time.

Today I have to go to a store that is 3 miles away. I was thinking that we should try taking the bus but I don’t have any cash on me. I rarely have cash on me so I would have to drive over a mile to get to my credit union’s ATM. Also public places like buses are a breeding ground for germs and my kids like to touch everything. I think we’ll have to drive but I still have guilt.

With winter hitting us hard here in the Pacific Northwest, I’ve noticed an increase in fireplace burning in my neighborhood. One of the reasons I see fireplace burning more than some others is that I live in an old neighborhood where nearly every home has a “working” fireplace.

Admittedly we use a wood burning fireplace to heat our old inefficient home to save money with our natural gas heater set to kick on at 68 F. With many old single pane windows sadly both the fireplace and the heater don’t rest for long.

While I certainly sympathize with those who also burn wood to heat their homes, there are a few guidelines we should all follow to make sure that our burning has the lowest impact possible on our environment and air.

1) Check your Air Quality reports. In the Pacific Northwest you can go HERE.

2) Don’t burn in just a plain fireplace or old stove. Please seriously consider upgrading to an EPA certified insert, especially if you a frequent burner.

3) Be sure to build your fires properly to limit the amount of smoke output.

While wood burning is not necessarily an ideal way to regularly heat your home, responsible burning can reduce impact to the environment, heat more efficiently and lessen aggravation to your neighbors.

-maria