Walking My Talk

HOW DO I WALK MY CONSERVATION TALK?

Maintained a mostly Pesco-veggie diet

pre 1978 and on

• Shopped regional and seasonal.
• Used wax paper lunch bags.
• Used refillable drink bottles and thermoses.
• Made all meals from scratch. -no trash.
• Bought bulk in paper bags at crate and barrel stores.
• Cleaned with vinegar; baking soda; and Dr. Bronner’s liquid soaps.
• Refilled bottles at our old-fashioned ‘health food’ store with:
  • Vinegars
  • Dr. Bronner’s Soaps
  • Dr. Bronner’s Liquid Mineral Bouillon
  • Bragg’s Liquid Amino Acids.
• Used washable rags to clean.
• Used washable linen napkins.
• Made rag rugs for floors.
• Used no air conditioning.
• Owned no refrigerator. (I was talked into a small Energy Star one later on.)
• Owned no dryer or dishwasher.
• Hung all clothes to dry, either outside or inside.
• Recycled / reclaimed old wood furniture.
• Had a garden.
• Rode motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles and walked a lot.
• Drove a manual 5 speed 1978 Toyota Celica GT, 24-34 mpg. (77-90, 13 yrs)

1979 on

• Gutted and insulated all walls in our masonry home with an R16 value.
• Insulated crawl space and attic.
• Used thermal or wool window drapes, kept cold out and heat in.
• Used passive solar energy -opened curtains to let heat in during day.
• Used fluorescent ceiling light fixtures, with full spectrum grow lights for our indoor plants: 2 bedrooms; 2 bathrooms; 2 hallways; 1 kitchen; 1 laundry; and 1 office (the plants provided us with clean filtered air). Note: by 1990 all but 2, 1 hall and 1office, had been replaced, however, we still use grow lights plus large south and east facing windows for our plants to give us fresh indoor air.
• Recycled everything:
  • Clothes -repaired, refashioned, recycled by using in sewing and craft projects, made cleaning rags, or donated.
  • Furniture -revamped, or donated.
• Used refillable product bottles:
  1. Water
  2. Vinegar
  3. Deodorant
  4. Bronner’s soaps
  5. Bronner’s or Bragg’s liquid amino acids; etc.
• Leftovers and scraps:
  1. Froze bits and pieces for soups.
  2. Fed to animals: dogs, cats, rabbits, turtles, birds: parrots, chickens and wild.
  3. Last but not least Compost.
• Maintain several large Oaks for Wildlife. *They provide Our family’s share of Oxygen, and they’re natural air filters.
• Planted apple trees, grape vines, blueberries and raspberries. We do share with wildlife.  *More Oxygen.
• Planted a lot of Wildlife cover and hedgerows. *More Oxygen.
• Encourage Birds for Pest Control, by providing Food, Water, Shelter.
• Use Ladybugs, Diatomaceous earth and Milky spore for pest control.
• Fought to keep our food CLEAN (Pesticides Out of the Food Stream) –Mothers & Other, with Ralph Nader.

1980 on

• Breast fed babies.
• Used cloth diapers, sanitized in the sun.
• Used low watt, timed motion sensor lights in all rooms.
• Used some compact fluorescent and a few LED’s in lamps.
• Used dimmable white Christmas lights on the ceiling perimeter in many rooms.
• Used Recycled grey water for garden.

1982 on

• Installed a new efficient oil burner.

1985 on

• Recycled an old tub as an in-ground pond, and water for wildlife.
• Recycled an old bathroom sink as a in-ground drip fountain for birds.
• Reclaimed outdoor cedar plank siding and reused as attic flooring.
• Reclaimed outdoor cedar plank siding and reused for Bunny hutch.
• Reclaimed outdoor cedar plank siding and reused for Chicken coop.

1986 to 1998

• Drove a 1987 Manuel 5 speed Hyundai Excel 25-31 mpg (1986-1998, 12 yrs)

1990 on

• Installed new dual pane windows.
• Installed new Insulated siding on 2nd floor of house.
• Use a water-saving tumble washer. On our second one.
• Replaced the dimmable white Christmas lights on the ceiling perimeters with dimmable LED rope lights.

1992 to 2005

• Drove a 1993 Manual 5 speed Pontiac Grand Am GT 21-31 mpg. It got 34 mpg on long trips w cruise control and overdrive.(1992-2005, 13 yrs)

2002 on

• Drive a 2003 Pontiac Aztec, 18 – 24 mpg. We get up to 25- 31 mpg with cruise control. (2018 – still driving 16 yrs)

2005

• Installed a water saver dual flush toilet.
• Installed a water flow control shower.
• Recycled an old bathtub into a raised bed herb garden.

Note: In 2009, we started using a room air conditioner due to doing home dialysis. The windows were not allowed to be opened, we needed to keep the room aseptic.

2010

• Installed new reflective insulating roofing shingles.
• Installed triple pane, glazed windows on north and northwest of house.

2013

• Installed triple pane, glazed windows on the south and southeast.

2015

• Installed a water saver dual flush toilet in 2nd bath.
• Installed a water flow control shower in 2nd bath.
• Recycled another old bathtub into a raised bed garden.

There have been so many projects, hopefully I will be able to cover them and more in upcoming posts.

I hope you join me on my journey, as I recount many things from my past, and explore the many other creative possibilities in my future. – OmaEagle