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June 13, 2007
It IS Easy Being Green
When it comes to memes, I'm generally in the "been there, done that" camp. However, yesterday I read a meme over at Kristi's and I just can't resist this one. It's pretty simple: make a list of the things you're doing to help our environment.
~I knit with green yarn. Okay, so this isn't really an environmental thing but I wanted to show you how the Early Spring Maple yarn I dyed is knitting up. And let's face it, all that wool I have around my house must be acting as some sort of insulation. Right?
~ I signed up for Green Dimes. Not only are they reducing my junk mail but they are also planting a tree in my name every month.
~I use a company called Green Earth Cleaning for my house cleaning services. This company is owned by my two sisters-in-law Mary (the one I knit socks for) and Jen (the one who finds spinning wheels at yard sales). They use only natural cleaners and essential oils and everything is environmentally friendly. No harsh chemicals for my home, thankyouverymuch.
~Dale wrapped our hot water heater in an insulated blanket.
~We switched to compact fluorescent light bulbs. This one is a no brainer, people.
~We wash only full loads of laundry, in cold water, and hang things outside on a clothes line whenever possible.
~We recycle everything that can be recycled. Curb side recycling in our town has made this very simple.
~Dale installed a digital programmable thermostat for our furnace but we primarily heat with wood. And our wood stove has a catalytic converter. We also have ceiling fans.
~Our refrigerator and dishwasher are both new and have great energy efficiency ratings.
~We joined a CSA this year. We expect to pick up our first share next week and are really excited about this. We also eat local beef as we have friends who raise their own beef.
~Dale and I work to make our schedules compatible in the summer months so that we can carpool to work. This one involves some sacrifices on both our parts but it really helps with the gas bill.
As you can see, most of the things we do at Chez Carole Knits are very basic and pretty simple. But, there might be something new to you on this list and that's why I think this is a really worthwhile meme. So go on, show me your green list. I bet I'll get some great new ideas.
Posted by Carole at June 13, 2007 7:00 AM
Comments
You're a good grrl, Carole;-)
Posted by: margene at June 13, 2007 7:45 AM
Love how those socks are knitting up!
Posted by: Kelly at June 13, 2007 7:45 AM
You're a good grrl, Carole;-)
Posted by: margene at June 13, 2007 7:47 AM
There are some really good ideas in there that I hadn't thought about.
The sock yarn looks great knit up!
Posted by: Kirsten at June 13, 2007 7:55 AM
Good on you guys!
Posted by: Carol at June 13, 2007 8:03 AM
Great post, that's definitely a meme I can get behind.
Posted by: Julie at June 13, 2007 8:11 AM
Lots of great ideas :-).......so important in today's world to treat our earth the best that we can.
Posted by: Kim at June 13, 2007 8:13 AM
Great ideas...and links! I'll be checking out those I haven't already started!
Thanks!!!
Posted by: Robin in VA at June 13, 2007 8:17 AM
Uh oh. I have really bad timing.
Posted by: Deb at June 13, 2007 9:20 AM
you rock. your post has encouraged me. I was reading No Impact Man yesterday and got totally discouraged and freaked out. I get the feeling that there are a lot of people who are doing NOTHING and some who feel that this is their god-given right to do whatever the hell they want. I'm trying to be in the optimistic do-er camp rather than the entitled jerk camp.
Posted by: kate at June 13, 2007 9:26 AM
Now this one's a great meme!
Posted by: Birdsong at June 13, 2007 9:39 AM
You have a good list there! And your yarn is incredible! You did such a nice job dyeing it and it looks great knit up.
Posted by: Beth at June 13, 2007 9:47 AM
Oh you are soooo good! I can totally get with the green wool thing.
Posted by: hillary at June 13, 2007 9:50 AM
You rock grrl. - you're doin' great with the green :-)
Love how your sock yarn turned out - it's knitting up so sweet.
Posted by: Teyani at June 13, 2007 10:01 AM
Pretty yarn!! Do you use electricity to cook? I think that's pretty "green" though I use gas myself.
Love that Green Maple yarn Carole!! :)
Posted by: Laura at June 13, 2007 10:34 AM
I am not green! Oh no! Well, maybe green with envy over those socks!
Posted by: Heather R. at June 13, 2007 10:45 AM
Firstly I have to say I love the yarn Carole; the dyeing you did looks superb in the pattern. I am definitely going to check out the Green Dimes site. Congrats on the greening....it's amazing how each little thing helps.
Posted by: Cynthia at June 13, 2007 11:31 AM
I admit, we tried CF bulbs about 5 years ago and we all agreed that we HATED the quality of the light. The color, the extremely long time it took for them to come up to "speed," the color, the level of brightness, the color . . . and really, most of all, the color of the light, so artificial and really hard on the eyes. Have they improved since then? Because I'd give them another try, but . . . headaches! Eyestrain! Much as I love the planet, constant headaches are not a good tradeoff.....
Posted by: --Deb at June 13, 2007 12:14 PM
I'd like to know where to go to buy locally raised beef. We're in southern NH.
Posted by: Cymru Llewes at June 13, 2007 12:24 PM
Hi Carole- thanks for mentioning GreenDimes in your post! We really appreciate your taking the time to tell your readers about our service. Make sure you check the site from time to time and see what new ideas and projects we are working on to help make a difference in this world. Take good care and thanks again for your post!
Best,
Kendra
www.greendimes.com
Posted by: Kendra at June 13, 2007 12:28 PM
Hi Carole- thanks for mentioning GreenDimes in your post! We really appreciate your taking the time to tell your readers about our service. Make sure you check the site from time to time and see what new ideas and projects we are working on to help make a difference in this world. Take good care and thanks again for your post!
Best,
Kendra
www.greendimes.com
Posted by: Kendra at June 13, 2007 12:42 PM
Some great and important tips. You are right, the CFLs are such an easy step. I wonder if we have a green cleaning service around here... that is cool!
Posted by: Lolly at June 13, 2007 1:02 PM
Now *that* is a totally delectable colorway! I love it. :)
Posted by: Romi at June 13, 2007 1:03 PM
Way to go, Carole! Your post is the perfect reminder that going green doesn't need to be difficult. And to answer Deb's question, the CFLs have gotten a LOT better. Look for ones that are marked 'warm' and have more lumens. It also may help to move up to a higher wattage equivalent to get the same light (you're still saving because CFLs use 1/4 the electricity of incandescents!)
But, it also shows how far we have to go before all these green activities are more normalized.... 49 comments for some lovely mansocks, but only 23 to save the planet? sigh. ;)
Posted by: Liz at June 13, 2007 1:16 PM
Oh, you're so good. I'm terrible actually. Well not terrible, but not as good as you. I need to go get some bins so I can start recycling. I don't have curbside anything, but still.
Posted by: Stephanie at June 13, 2007 1:24 PM
I love how that yarn is knitting up.
I also love me some little fluorescent bulbs. Great list, Carole! Thanks.
Posted by: Cookie at June 13, 2007 3:00 PM
I'd come knit at your library, but I'm in Washington State. My sister is a librarian and I'm going to suggest a knit night to her, if hter isn't one already. Thanks for the great idea!
About the man socks on size five needles, I need to find that pattern. I wear a women's size ten (men's nine) shoe, and want some (almost) instant gratification with the sock knitting. My first sock took ten years!
Keep up the great green work.
Erica
Posted by: Erica at June 13, 2007 3:33 PM
Do you suppose your SILs would consent to let you list the cleaners they like? I have a private individual who cleans our place, and we provide the cleansers. I dunno what works and what doesn't, green-wise, and since a lot of that stuff is uber-expensive, trial and error (and having to throw away a bunch of crap that doesn't work) seems counterproductive.
Posted by: Carrie at June 13, 2007 3:53 PM
I think it's great that your SILs have a green cleaning business! I've been reading up on natural household cleaners, because some of those chemicals are really scary. Thanks for sharing your list.
Posted by: Rachel at June 13, 2007 4:22 PM
My DirecWay connection is being completely stupid today so I don't get to see the colorway *sniffle* Stupid internets.
This is one of the few memes I don't mind doing. Thanks for the good ideas!
Posted by: JessaLu at June 13, 2007 4:51 PM
Fantastic! I think we do mostly the same as you, though our dishwasher isn't new. But we don't use the dry cycle on it and with two of us it is only run a couple times a week. Thanks for making us stop and think about this!
Posted by: Kristi aka Fiber Fool at June 13, 2007 5:18 PM
Hey - cool green beans Carol - thanks for spreading the green ;)
Posted by: kristi and otis at June 13, 2007 6:41 PM
Good for you! I'm definitely wanting to get a cleaning service and so I'll find one that is "green". I never thought of it until you mentioned it. Thanks!
Posted by: ~Kristie at June 13, 2007 8:37 PM
That IS a great meme, and you have quite an impressive list with which to answer it. It's amazing how easy some of the changes are...I think I need to go get an insulated blanket for our water heater.
Posted by: Rachel at June 13, 2007 9:11 PM
Great green tips! I've belonged to a CSA for three years and I love it. Almost veggie time of year again! I get so excited every week when I pick up my share.
Posted by: brenda at June 13, 2007 9:53 PM
Great post Carole!
I'm gonna join Green Dimes! With the amount of crap I get I think I can personally stop global warming!
I hope there is no one NOT using compact fluorescents - like you said a total no brainer and totally easy for EVERYONE to do!
My fingernails are green, does that count? :)
Posted by: Debi at June 14, 2007 7:07 AM
I live in Germany and everything (almost) is recycled. Separate bins for paper, glass, plastic/metal is in one in our town, but separated in other places and a bin just for compostable stuff. What isn't is incinerated (black bin) is used to make steam heating and electricity (15% of the electricity in our Large town - Würzburg). When we're back in the States in the summer, the amount of recycling kind of pales. A note about the compost bin. We actually pay to have them haul it away as 'trash' and then go to the compost recyling place and pay to buy it back as compost...amusing. Who says you can't make money with trash? I've taken some of my students through the various recycling/trash services and its pretty interesting.
As to the socks and your early maples color...wonderful. I've been thinking about those shades in yarn, will try at a workshop this summer. Anyone know that there is a Midwest Fiber and Folk Fest in Crystal Lake, Illinois this summer in July (19-21). (Just outside Chicago is a place called Illinois.) This is the first (hopefully) annual festival. The main organizer is the lady who makes the 'lollipop' drop spindles. Hope to see you there. Sorry this got long.
Love your yarn. Go Green Girl.
Posted by: Helen at June 14, 2007 7:19 AM
i love that sock yarn; it's knitting up to be gorgeous!
Posted by: anne at June 15, 2007 10:05 PM
