When I ran across Vanessa Farquharson’s book, Sleeping Naked Is Green: How an Eco-Cynic Unplugged Her Fridge, Sold Her Car, and Found Love in 366 Days, I was intrigued.  While I don’t think I’ll be unplugging my fridge anytime soon (is that even possible in this heat?), selling my car (sorry, Jnai!), or looking for love (my husband wouldn’t approve), I am interested in living a greener life without going insane (or appearing that way).

I have tried to make small changes at home to be more green.  My husband and I haven’t done anything too drastic–although our families think our recent decision to cloth diaper our twins is a little extreme–but we’ve made minor adjustments here and there that (we hope) will reduce our carbon footprint and maybe save a polar bear or two from extinction.  We changed all our lightbulbs to compact flourescent bulbs, swapped to cloth napkins for everyday, replaced paper towels in the kitchen with dishrags and towels, and put a bucket in the shower to catch the water as it heats (which we then use to water our garden).  We also recycle and compost when we can.  But do we really have to stop eating at restaurants that use styrofoam take-out containers or stop using antiperspirants?

Although afraid of losing her cool hipster status and being mistaken for a hippie, or worse yet, a blogger, Ms. Farquharson took the plunge and began a daily blog about her changes in an effort to provide a humorous real-life view on the effect that living green might have on a regular everyday person.  All the while bearing a tiny, imaginary Al Gore on her shoulder,  she makes changes both small and large:  ”Switch to recycled paper towels,” “Lower the temperature on my water heater,” or “Sell my car.”  Some changes are a little more unusual (or just plain odd), such as “Skip gown at doctor’s office” or “Drip-dry dishes in dishwasher rack above houseplants.”

If you’d like to follow Ms. Farquharson’s continuing journey on the road to being green, check out her blog Green as a Thistle.  Interested in finding out your own carbon footprint and your impact on the environment?  Go to the EPA’s Household Emissions Calculator or The Nature Conservancy’s Carbon Footprint Calculator and get a personalized estimate.  Then maybe you, too, will decide to carry a totebag and give up on pajamas…

Now that the drought in Georgia is officially over, residents may have a few questions concerning post-drought water usage. Is there still a schedule for specific days during which we can water our lawns? What about washing our cars outside? Can our kids break out their slip n’ slides yet? Well, do not fret – there are answers to all those questions and your good friends at the DeKalb County Public Library have compiled a short list of resources to help. (The answer to those three questions, by the way, is now yes, but please read on).

• The Georgia Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division provides a site that includes water usage rules for both drought and non-drought periods. It also features a link to drought studies conducted by The University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
• Coping with Georgia’s drought is the name of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s wonderful page offering gardening and water-saving tips, as well as plenty of links on articles relating to the former drought. The aerial photos of Lake Lanier from October 2007-April 2009 are particularly interesting to see.
• If you are looking tips on water saving products such as high-efficiency shower heads or toilets, Conserve Water Georgia provides a site full of valuable consumer information. There are also handy tips on water conservation for teachers, home owners, and corporations.

And don’t forget:  Leonard Anderson of the DeKalb County Extension Service will give tips on how to conserve water at the Doraville Library on Wednesday, July 29th at 6:30pm.  More info here.

April the 22 is Earth Day and nowadays, more than ever, many of us are looking for ways to be more environmentally conscious. Going Green is the popular phrase for all things earth-friendly and eco-chic but the movement to protect and preserve the environment has been going strong for decades.  Today’s the perfect day to consider ways in which we all can do our part to conserve our earth. At the risk of getting all Leonardo DiCaprio-preachy, I’ll stop here and just highlight some of the Library’s great resources on Earth Day and environmentalism in general.

A Few Books That I like:

Living Like Ed: Actor Ed Begley, Jr. has been at the forefront of environmentalism in Hollywood for over 30 years. In his book, he shares his practical and reasonable tips for being more environmentally sound.  Everything in this book is doable but the lickety-split “navy shower” idea is gonna take some getting used to for me. But the planet is worth the sacrifice…I guess (sigh).

Celebrating Earth Day: A Sourcebook of Activities and Experiments: Here’s a good book for any junior ecologist. Author Robert Gardner discusses the impact of enivironmental deterioration and offers insight into how we can perhaps turn the tide. Check it out for great earth-friendly projects and ideas.

Ecological Intelligence: How Knowing the Hidden Impacts of What We Buy Can Change Everything:  “Going Green” is a good start, but author Daniel Goleman explores how ecologically unsafe many of our purchases–even the “green” ones–can be. This book encourages consumers to dig deeper and make a greater commitment to environmental consciousness.

There are several other incredible books and resources exploring the environment and the crusade to preserve it.  Even if you don’t drive a hybrid car or make your own compost, there are little, practical and inexpensive things that we all can do.

To quote one of my favorite environmentalists: “The power is yours!”–

(so wise yet so awesome!)

If you forgot about the Decatur Electronics Recycling Day, there’s no need to worry–due to bad weather over the weekend, the event was rescheduled for late April.  Recycling Day is held outdoors, and the weekend weather presented a safety hazard for volunteers.

Electronics Recycling Day has been rescheduled for Saturday, April 25, 2009 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the Decatur High School parking lot.  Visit www.decaturga.com for a list of electronic items that may be recycled and more details about the event. You may also call 404-377-5571 for information.

Are you looking for inventive and resourceful ways to save money? Perhaps you’ve resolved to be “greener” and more environmentally friendly this year. If any of these apply to you, there is a great book here at DCPL that could help you along that path. Don’t Throw It Out: Recycle, Renew and Reuse To Make Things Last (Rodale) is a treasure trove of ideas combining two of my favorite things: being economical and being creative.

This book offers numerous tips and ideas for conserving common household items and getting the most out of your appliances, furniture and gadgets. Do you have an old nightstand that’s becoming an eyesore? Why not turn it into a hideway/sleeping spot for your cat?  Perhaps you can salvage an old nightstand or end table by decoupaging it with pressed flowers (I’m not that crafty but it sounds like a great idea).  Page 84 of this book lists six great ways to repurpose your old dresser drawers, including yet another sleeping spot for your cat (pets make out like bandits when it comes to reusing old items!).

One of the main reasons that I like this book is that not only is it informative but it’s also kind of inspirational. Reading about how to turn a vinyl LP into a wall clock (!) made me really start thinking of ways that I can make the most out of the stuff that I’ve got lying around the house. Each item–whether it’s an old work boot, a stack of worn-out CDs or an out-of-commission baby crib–can be given a new purpose or function. And during cash-strapped times such as these it’s a nice reminder to look at the things we have with an open mind and a little imagination.

I don’t have a car. And I live in Atlanta.

Those are two sentences that, to the casual observer, should not be uttered by anyone…in a single breath.  But they are true of many Atlantans, myself included.  Whether one is willfully car-less in our fair, sprawling city or whether one is financially restricted to public transportation (or a combination of both, such as I am), being without a car in Atlanta is not easy…but not impossible.

The most obvious and well-known option throughout Metro Atlanta is MARTA, with service in Dekalb and Fulton counties. MARTA isn’t perfect–limited bus services in many areas–but it is a feasible option. Planning ahead is imperative but, thankfully, that has gotten much easier with their website’s Trip Planner feature.  Other mass transit options have come about over the past few years and, in conjuction with MARTA, can really help you navigate around the city.  Buslines serving the Buckhead district (the Buc) as well as university communities such as Emory and Georgia Tech can also be a big help.

A great place for information about alternative transportation is the website for Citizens For Progressive Transit.  Here you’ll find all the latest news about developments in Atlanta’s transit system (for example, What is Concept 3 and what does it mean to Atlanta?  There’s a meeting about it tonight!).  You’ll also find links to informative websites about other means of car-less transportation, such as the Path foundation for bikers, runners and walkers and P.E.D.S, a site about pedestrianism (is that a word?).

I’ve been surviving carlessly here in A-Town for about 5 years now…and I’m strongly considering giving up the ghost and getting my own set of wheels.  But until I do, the aforementioned methods and sources are decent ways to get where you need to go without a car or at least getting close enough and hoofing it the rest of the way–thanks, MARTA.

Seriously…I am curious about Concept 3.  I should try and get to that meeting.  Could someone give me a lift?

THIS Saturday, October 25, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Decatur High School Parking Lot (Corner of N. McDonough Street and Howard Avenue), come recycle your cell phones, televisions, and other electronic components.

For the first time at this event, TV’s will be recycled for a minimal fee of $10 cash only per TV set with exact change. There is no charge to recycle other items.  For more information, please visit the City of Decatur Website.

If you’re looking for more ways to save gas (and thus, money!), then here is something you’ve probably never thought about before, but can make a big difference.  Cars have an optimal speed for gas efficiency, and that speed is around 60mph or less.  “In a typical family sedan, every 10 miles per hour you drive over 60 is like the price of gasoline going up about 54 cents a gallon,” according to this CNN article.  The reason is simply air resistance!  The savings can really add up, especially if you do a lot of highway driving.

Interested in other ways to save gas?  Check out these older (but still relevant) blog posts:

• Make Money By Not Driving
• Got The Gas Pump Blues?
• Learn How to Fix Your Bicycle

Among the most useful websites I found lately is this one: catalogchoice.org. It is a one-stop site for stopping unwanted catalog mail and help save natural resources. After you sign in, you get to choose which catalogs currently being sent to you should be stopped and which ones to allow in the future. Catalog Choice is a sponsored project of the Ecology Center, a non-profit organization.

Here’s a fun idea for all those odds and ends you have laying around the house. Use them in a crafts project! Recycled crafts involves taking items that would otherwise end up in the trash and using them to create something new. This includes pieces of paper, scraps of fabric, cereal boxes, bottle caps, plastic jars and whatever else you have.

If you’re having a hard time imagining how to turn that empty laundry detergent bottle into something else, have no fear. The library has several books to help you get started. Recycled Crafts Box has ideas for things like puppets, jewelry, and castles (toy castles, of course). Ecology Crafts for Kids shows you how to use items from nature as well as household items. Earth Friendly Crafts for Kids is arranged by material (glass, plastic, etc.) and demonstrates how to use these things to make something beautiful.

The message in all of these books is largely an environmental one. They each offer suggestions for how children (and their parents) can reduce, reuse and recycle and to think twice before throwing something away. However, these are also good books for those on a budget. Buying crafts supplies is expensive. A lot of the suggestions in these books require nothing more than the “trash” and some glue and scissors, things most people have on hand. Whether you’re looking to save money or save the environment, these books will help you turn your “trash” into “treasure.”