My Sustainable Home: Turn off the Lights.... Turn on Your (significant other)!

Is my home an oasis of sustainable love?

We live in a nice, mid-rise apartment. I already have points going for me here because multi-family housing is more sustainable than large, single-family homes. This is simply because less-energy, space, and water is being used per person. (Some of you may be thinking- well that is nice for you, but we have kids, so we could never live in an apartment, but it's OK... we have kids too!) Read why single-family homes are obsolete here.

The other great thing about apartments is: no lawn care! No mowing= more free time. If I feel like I need a yard I can go to a park or forest or hike up a nearby mountain.

My apartment is located in walking/biking distance to the grocery store, post office, library, hair salon, schools, work, movie theater, thrift store, subway station, bus stops and restaurants. We don't even need to own a car. We chose our location well.

Inside my home; however, I could do better. All of our furniture was new when we bought it. Sustainability didn't cross our minds during our furniture buying frenzy. It would have been better to buy used furniture. However, my husband would sooner set himself on fire than sleep on a used mattress, or own a used couch. So, what to do? We could shop from a store that uses wood from sustainable sources and other recycled materials such as Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams or the Inhabitat Shop or 2modern. We could also look into refurbishing old furniture.

Next, lets move into my kitchen and bathrooms. A great resource for greening your kitchen is here. So... are we equipped with all energy and water saving appliances?... NO....why not? Because we don't own our apartment or our major appliances- so our hands are tied in many respects. As far as our small appliances (mixer, blender, toaster)... I try to keep them unplugged and to limit their use. We would love a more energy-efficient refrigerator and dishwasher, but we have to endure the status quo. We even have a funky water faucet that doesn't fit any water-saving faucet aerators. Nor can we switch out our current top loading washing machine for an energy-efficient front-loading one. Nor can we install an awesome new eco-friendly toilet...

BUT we can try this and I will have to look more into this.

Also, I need to replace our bathroom shower heads with these. (Hmmm...Christmas wish list?). A great website of information to really green your bathroom is here.

Another thing for my wish list is a dryer rack for our balcony- this would cut down our use of the dryer, which is a huge energy-suck!

Since we don't own our apartment, we also can't install a programmable thermostat for our home. However, we can dress appropriately for the weather and manually keep the heating and cooling down a bit. Another thing that helps us is closing the blinds when it is really hot or cold.

Other items on my wish list are some power-saver strips (such as these). These devices are great because they connect to computers and TVs getting rid of phantom power that is totally useless anyway!

Moving on through my home, we do have sustainable lighting throughout. It was very easy to replace all of our burned out light bulbs with new energy-efficient CFL lights. We also try to keep the lights off when not in use. It's more fun in the dark anyway!

Other factors that affect sustainability is water pollution. How do I pollute water? By using chlorine bleach and toxic cleaners in my home. There are so many eco-friendly cleaners out there that it really isn't a problem, except when you have a house cleaner who insists on toxic crap and when you give her eco-stuff she complains and complains. So, then perhaps you put your foot down, but your husband rebels and secretly goes out and gets her what she wants. So that's my house, but when I clean- it's vinegar and lemon juice or just plain water.

The other thing I plan on doing to be more sustainable is start a small organic fruit and vegetable garden out on my deck. This will be completely experimental- and I plan on watering with left over bath or shower water. In the future I'd like to hook up a drip water system using gray water. One step at a time I suppose.

Even if I can't do everything I would like to do now, there are some things that I can do and at least I know what to do when we own our future home. See below for my check list....

Buy Now

• more dishrags, so I don’t need paper towels
• more cloth napkins, so I don’t need paper napkins
• reusable plastic covers (they resemble shower caps), so I don’t need plastic wrap
• reusable lunch sacks and containers, so I don’t need disposable items
• four large trash cans to separate my glass, aluminum, paper, plastic
• small glass containers and cups, so I don’t need plastic ones that don’t recycle easily
• extra thrift store dishes and silverware, so I don’t ever need disposable stuff
• SIGG water containers for adults and kids
• “green” cleaning products for general cleaning, dishwasher and washing machine
• more compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), replace all old kind
• low-flow showerhead
• tank bags for toilets
• organic shampoos, conditioners, soaps, deodorants and lotions (no petroleum)
• reusable toothbrushes and razors (only replace the head)
• organic cotton towels, curtains and clothes
• recycled toilet paper
• organic, local food
• in-shower timer to keep showers short
• dryer racks, so I can use the dryer less often
• organic seeds and fertilizer
• cloth grocery bags
• smart strips (power-saving strips)
• recycled paper

To Do List

• repair leaks
• stuff cracks for better insulation
• recycle everything that I can
• close blinds in winter and summer
• unplug small appliances
• use tap water (filtered if needed), instead of bottled
• reuse towels a few times before washing
• lower the temperature of hot water heater
• use natural light whenever possible
• buy in bulk and items with low-packaging
• compost and garden
• use microwave over using an oven
• don’t wash dishes by hand, use a sponge before filling dishwasher instead of rinsing
• reuse paper and don’t print unless you have to
• don’t buy it
• get energy from a renewable source

Buy Later (when we own our home)

• energy and water efficient (Energy Star) large appliances, including convection oven, dishwasher, refrigerator, front-loading washing machine
• faucet aerators
• eco-toilets or adjustable flappers/dual-flush
• tankless hot-water heater
• bamboo, cork or sustainable wood flooring
• VOC-free paints, stains, caulks, grouts
• formaldehyde-free cabinets
• secondhand fixtures and accessories
• window caulk, door snakes, heat-trapping blinds or curtains
• used, refurbished or sustainable furniture
• programmable thermostat
• trees for around our home for cooling shade

Environmental Sustainability: Changing the World in my Pajamas

Honestly I used to be better at changing the world in my p.j.s - spending great amounts of time writing to congressmen and signing petitions online... and I need to start doing that again, but this is what I am doing now...

I click here ... every day to help save the rain forests. But I could do more.
We need to support organizations that are working to restore the earth through protecting forests, conserving and rebuilding soils, regenerating fisheries, and protecting plant and animal diversity.
The following organizations could use our help in creating a sustainable world...
(Pick your favorites!)

Audubon Works to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats; aka The National Audubon Society Bluewater Network Champions protection of ecosystems by reducing fossil fuel use and eradicating other causes of air and water pollution, global warming, and habitat destruction Center for a New American Dream Helps Americans consume responsibly to protect the environment, enhance quality of life and promote social justice EarthJustice Public-interest law firm dedicated to protecting the magnificent places, natural resources, and wildlife of this earth and to defending the right of all people to a healthy environment Earth Rights International Activists, organizers, and lawyers working on human rights, environment, and corporate/government accountability Environmental Defense Works to link science, economics and law to create innovative, equitable and cost-effective solutions to society's most urgent environmental problems Environmental Working Group Environmental research organization that uses the power of information to improve public health and protect the environment by reducing pollution in air, water and food Friends of the Earth US | Friends of the Earth International Campaigns on the most urgent environmental and social issues of our day while simultaneously catalyzing a shift toward sustainable societies GRACE - Global Resource Action Center for the Environment Links with the research, policy and grassroots communities to protect the quality of the environment and preserve the future of the planet Greenpeace Focuses on the the most crucial worldwide threats to our planet's biodiversity and environment National Environmental Trust Informs citizens about environmental problems and how they affect our health and quality of life Natural Resources Defense Council Uses law and science to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all living things National Wildlife Federation Unites individuals, organizations, businesses and government to protect wildlife, wild places, and the environment Resources for the Future Works to improve environmental and natural-resources policymaking worlwide through objective social science research Sierra Club Mission: to educate and enlist humanity to enjoy and protect the wild places of the earth, its ecosystems and its resources Union of Concerned Scientists Alliance of more than 100,000 concerned citizens and scientists; pursues scientific analysis and innovative thinking to build a cleaner, healthier environment and a safer world Wilderness Society Protecting America's wilderness since 1935 through the potent combination of science, advocacy and education World Resources Institute Develops solutions to move human society to live in ways that protect the earth's environment and improve people's lives Worldwatch Institute Analyzes interactions among key environmental, social, and economic trends to promote transition to an environmentally sustainable and socially just society World Wildlife Fund International | WWF US Committed to saving endangered species and the wild places that are so vital to our planet's health and survival

I am also partial to giving to adoption programs because we adopted an orphan from Russia in 2007. If everyone adopted one child in place of having one biological child we would no longer have an orphan problem in the world.
Reece's Rainbow: Help's down syndrome kids get adopted
Sweet Hope The proceeds from the sale of all of the candy (super yummy!) goes directly to Baby House (orphanage) #2 in Khabarovsk, Russia.

Spreading the word is another way to change the world in my pajamas: Writing this blog is a way to get the message to readers around the world about the importance of sustainability. Sustainability is IMPORTANT. It's vital for our future survival.

Homes and Communities: An Oasis of Sustainable Love

I think building and designing sustainable cities and homes needs to go hand in hand with building clusters of strong, close communities. We can retrofit suburbia with an updated sustainable design.

A library, food co-op, tool bank, churches, book store, community garden, police, post office, parks, day cares, cafes, thrift store, recycle center, local grocery, work places, community center and schools can all be built close together for individual communities inside the larger city.

Housing can be built up around these services- building up instead of out.

The goal is to get the maximum amount of people in the smallest amount of space without sacrificing comfort- all in walking distance to needs and services. Using space better will enable more people to access renewable sources of energy. For those times when people must leave their community- a system of fast trains, buses and subway trains should be available everywhere- all interconnected. The city needs to be designed with people in mind. Strong, close, interactive communities is the goal.

The streets should be walkable and narrow. There should be bike lanes and streets just for bikes. The city should be designed around walking and biking and using mass transit- not around cars. So parking lots could be converted into building space. Also, the buildings need to be designed with sustainability in mind- using recycled or other sustainable materials. Building or retrofitting buildings to become LEED certified would need to be mandatory.

Other important initiatives would be reducing urban water use and creating areas for farming and gardening inside the city. There would also need to be an extensive recycling program.

More and more cities are becoming sustainable. Check them out here.

Also- check out the video above to see a newly retrofitted sustainable community.