Small Steps 2

Wednesday, September 20th, 2006
As you would expect, the small steps we will explore will require you to take some type of action. The steps might be small (and do able) but they will require some of you to adjust your behaviour, habits and/or thinking. It won’t be easy but most valuable impact doesn’t come without effort.

The easiest approch would be to use the 4 R’s approach and we will focus next week on Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Recover but this week’s two posts I would like to focus on a fifth R; Rethink. The impact of some of our other actions will be compounded if we begin with a ‘rethink’ attitude. For example; we wouldn’t need to recycle as much plastic from our homes if we purchased products that came with less packaging or non-plastic packages (I know this will be inconvenient). I was looking at new earbud headphones for my iPod last week and the blister pack could have held 100 pairs rather than one. Besides making it exceedingly difficult to get the package open, it also wastes feedstocks to make the pack (that I pay for), fills up my recycle bin or eventually fills up our landfills with virtually indestructible material (which my grandkids will pay for). I took a moment and ‘rethought’ and then asked the guy at Source if they had another set of buds without the packaging. He reached under the counter and took out a miniscule hard plastic box with one set inside. I saved $3 and have a box to store the buds in (or other small stuff) when I’m not using them.

What other areas can we rethink? Transportation? food selection? family activities? home heating/lighting? employment? I realize that the further this idea gets pushed the more inconvenient and difficult it might become but if you push your limit until you are just feeling uncomfortable, you will have created a ripple.

Today - transportation and food selection.

Transportation

How do you get to work? Single Occupant Vehicle (SOV), public transit, walk, cycle, car pool? Could you use a more friendly mode once a week? Would it save you cash? improve your fitness?

How often do you go shopping?( with your vehicle) monthly, weekly, daily? How many trips could be consolidated? How much fuel coulf you save with fewer trips($)? Where are you travelling to shop? Is there a location closer? Are you really saving $ by driving further?

Food Choices

Do you buy locally produced fruits and vegetables? Do you support the local economy and reduce transportation of goods? Is your food fresh or processed? Can you buy local ingedients and treat yourself to a home cooked meal instead of a fast food prepackaged one?

Local merchants have a greater stake in the local economy and should be supporters of social and environmental causes in your neighbourhood. They are likely more responsive than a box store to your concerns about Genetically Modified plants, packaging, selection. They can also advice you on local alternatives to the expensive California casaba melons or New Zealand kiwis( or any other product that needs to be shipped from afar). Check labels to see where your meat, cheese, milk, cereal, canned goods are produced and do the best job you can of selecting products from your region.

These actions may seem small but they can all add up and in lots of cases save you money.