My brother, Bruce is a know it all that can get under people's skin easier than anyone I have ever met. That includes a couple of my former bosses so that is saying alot. The thing that probably get under our skin the most is that he is usually right. I remember going to a trivia night one time with him. I am very poor at trivia so when he asked me to go along with him I knew it was merely to fill an empty seat. That is all right with me. I am not a brain and have no aspirations to change that. Bruce answered question after question while the other participants observed until a question was asked about an old black and white movie. I love old movies so I gave an answer. Bruce promptly told me I was wrong. How could I possibly be wrong? This was a subject I loved so my answer stood. Unfortunately Bruce was right once again and I was wrong as usual. As Eeyore would say, "Oh bother".
Brother Bruce is also a handy man to have around so last week I loaded my lawn mower into the back of my truck and took it over to Bruce for a tune up. While Bruce was working on my lawn mower he was talking. Another thing Bruce does very well. I truly believe he can out talk me and all my friends know I can really gab. This day's subject was climate changes. I have tossed this subject around and never was convinced that man was causing such a big impact on the climate. Bruce is a high school science teacher and after his explanation I believe he is a very good science teacher. After Bruce drew a couple of simple charts for me the whole picture came into view. (It has to be very simple for me to understand) Wow, it is really scary. Not so much for me but definitely for my children and grandchildren.
So what can we do to reduce our carbon footprint? My parents grew up during the Great Depression. They really knew how to Go Green. We simply did not get new things because there was something better out there. If it's not broken we use it until it does break and who knows, we might find a new use for the broken item. Dad was and still is an expert at repurposing broken items. Here are a few suggestions that I already do to reduce my personal carbon footprint..
1) Set your thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer.
2) Install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) when your older incandescent bulbs burn out.
3) Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible.
4) Stop using disposable plastic bags. Bring your own bags when shopping.
5) Stop buying disposable plastic water bottles. Buy reusable water bottle.
6) Turn off lights when you leave a room. Don't turn on lights for as long as you can. Open the curtains and enjoy natural light.
7) Drive the speed limit (Bruce's favorite) and combine all your errands for the week into one trip.
8) Pay as many bills as possible online.
9) Support your local economy and shop at your farmers market.
10) Use cloth instead of paper to clean your kitchen.
This is just a few suggestions. You can subscribe to good eco-friendly blogs such as The Daily Green, Tree Hugger, Keeper of the Home and Simple Organic for other environmentally friendly ideas. Another good reason to go green is that 9 out of 10 time practicing green alternatives are more frugal options.
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