Using Less Electricity - How To, Bonuses
Jan. 18th, 2008 10:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
helwenOkay, yesterday I was saying we needed to work harder on using less electricity. To most folks that probably sounds like no fun at all (although seriously, I'd rather have less fun so that someone else can have a yard with a garden in it, instead of toxic dirt....)
But, it can be hard to keep those folks we've never met in mind at times so, how hard is it to cut down on electrical use?
1) Turn it off when it isn't in use. Unless you're coming back to a room within 20 minutes, turn the lights off. Turn off things like the microwave oven unless you're actually using it.
During the day, try to do your activities in the best lit rooms. This may change throughout the day, which may change the order in which you do things.
BONUS: Save $$ (on this and most of the other suggestions). And, discover your home all over again, as you learn which rooms have the best light and when. This may change throughout the year, so you get treated to seeing your place differently on a regular basis.
2) MAKE SURE EVERYTHING THAT'S OFF IS REALLY OFF! Lots of modern equipment is constantly using a small amount of energy, just so you can see what time it is (that clock on the microwave or vcr), and so you can turn it on quickly. We have battery-powered or wind-up clocks, so we really don't need these other clocks. The microwave doesn't get used very often anymore -- and really, even if you used it three times a day, do you really need it on the rest of the time? If you only have one item that has these 'convenience features', it may not make a significant difference, but most of us have a tv, a stereo, a microwave, a modern oven..... it adds up. And yes, it actually adds up to $$, for those working on lowering their bills. Put these things on powerstrips and then you can turn them off without having to unplug them every time. Usually entertainment equipment's all in one place, so only one strip is needed.
BONUS: And, once you get used to the difference in the sound/feel of the room, you may actually like being in certain rooms more than before.
3) Spend less time on the computer (mostly that's me, since L makes his living on the PC). I've decided that I know enough of the big picture that I'm going to spend less time doing research. I'll leave that to other folks like Sharon Astyk, Greenpa, and the good folks at Energy Bulletin. Whatever new stuff comes along, I already know what the general trends will be. Although I do like to keep tabs on the glacial sheets, but that's hardly a daily activity.
BONUS: More time to do things around the apartment and farm. Got plenty of that!
4) Spend less time watching tv. If you're up for it, quit watching entirely. We watch more than I'd like, although I do often get other things done at the same time, the music player would use less electricity, and there's nothing wrong with "silence" either. Silence is relative, especially in warmer weather, if you have any birds around ;)
We got a tv service when we moved up here because it helped out L's mom financially with her tv service -- she's elderly and not in the best of health, so it's one of her great pleasures in life at this point.
But before that we'd gotten rid of cable because after a two-week camping vacation we'd discovered that we really didn't miss it all the much. And in fact I've decided to cut another show after last night, as it no longer engages me the way it used to.
BONUS: More time to do things that can't be done in the room that has the tv. Also, maybe we'll get back to playing some games like cribbage and backgammon -- more quality time with family and friends. If you're musically inclined, more time for making your own entertainment. More time for reading books (used, borrowed, already owned)
5) More on Lighting (multiple bonuses!).
** If you like candlelight (beeswax or other nonpetroleum candles are best, but we use what we have), and don't need lots of light for a specific task, consider that instead of an electric light. Tapers provide a steadier light than pillars. Reflectors behind the candles can double their effective light.
I like to use 2-3 candles plus reflectors when I'm reading or doing handwork. In cold weather it also adds some more heat the room.
BONUS: Ambiance that you'll never get with an electric light, no matter how pretty the lamp is. Calm and relaxing, sometimes almost healing in its presence in the room.
** There are now some camp lights that can be hand-cranked for a minute and give you an hour of light. Uses LED lights, that how it lasts so long. Not the best light for artwork, however. I try to do at least some of my artwork during the day, but if I have to, I will use electric. Interestingly though, I prefer candlelight for embroidery and handsewing.
BONUS: Useful for emergency lighting if the power goes out. Remember the preparedness posts from awhile back? This would be great for those folks who can't have a lot of fire sources indoors because of breathing issues (and because in winter-time emergencies candles and such require you remember to have a fresh air source, if you close off most of your house/apartment for heating purposes).
** Fluorescent (usually CFLs) vs. incandescent... there are different types of fluorescents, with different light effects. They're most useful in places where the light will be left on for a while. For lights that are used rarely and are only on for short periods of time, incandescents are better. This is because the CFLs take more energy to ignite than the incandescents; their energy savings is after ignition.
We use incandescents in the barn because they aren't often in use, and because if one should get broken, we don't want to risk contamination of the hay or feed for the cows and chickens. CFLs can be cleaned up safely by regular folks, but it is more tricky than cleaning up after incandescents.
**Our apartment has a long dark hallway. I'm still working on some ways to lighten it up -- we have a mirror that still needs to be put up opposite the doorway for the livingroom, to share the light, for instance. But rather than constantly turning on overhead lights if all we need is to fetch something from another room, we sometimes use flashlights (mini mags with LEDs). I sometimes use a candle instead -- you have to travel at the speed of the flame because of draft from motion, but in a world where everyone is constantly hurrying and scurrying, sometimes it's a good thing to be forced to a slower pace (BONUS).
** GO TO BED. That's right, get up earlier, do more things during daylight hours, go to bed earlier. Maybe even actually get the 7-9 hours of sleep/day a healthy person is supposed to get....
6) Use fewer powered appliances and tools.
** Instead of a powered mixer, a whisk or hand-turned mixer. Instead of a mixer w/dough hook, mixing by hand. Instead of a food processor, use a knife, peeler, grater, whatever is appropriate to the task at hand -- Although you can get a hand-cranked food processor if you hunt around -- I only find food processors useful when I'm cooking a feast for more than 40 people. Hand-sewing instead of using a sewing machine. Washing/drying by machine or other.
BONUS: Much quieter and easier on the ears. Time to really get the feel for what you're making, to understand the nature of the materials (plant or animal) with which you're working.
Dough hooks are too impersonal for me; I really like to work the dough and feel for myself when it's ready to be set aside to rise, or is ready to be rolled out. When you are truly in touch with making your own food, you have a greater appreciation for where the ingredients came from, what's involved in the preparation, and the experience of eating is enriched with thankfulness to the providers (the plants and animals) and appreciation of the labor in crafting the finished food, even when it's as simple a thing as a loaf of bread.
** Reel mowers instead of powered mowers (altho' for the less able I like the electric tools over the gas-powered), shovels/hoes/hands instead of rototillers, hand saws and drills over powered ones, etc.
MINUSES and BONUSES:
-- Reel mowers are very easy to learn to sharpen the blade (which takes very little time), they don't need as much maintenance as powered mowers, and usually take less space to store. L likes doing it for the exercise and as moving meditation time.
-- We've tried rototillers a couple of times and it seemed at first that it would be a timesaver, but really we still had a lot of work to do by hand afterward, so I'm not impressed by them. So, might as well save the gas and/or rental fee, and do the job by hand. Realizing that you can only do so much per day and scheduling the time accordingly, will make the task of breaking new ground more pleasant and much less back-breaking. Oh, that's another thing -- you have to be strong to use one of the darn things or it'll take you for a ride.
-- I'll confess that sometimes electric drills and such are nice to have around. But we don't _need_ any of them. We're toying with maybe picking up a wood lathe, but I'd like to have the option of converting it to being powered by something other than plugging it into the wall.... And in my dreams, I'd rather have something like a pole lathe (foot-power!)... meantime, most of the time we use regular hammers, screwdrivers, etc. for projects around the house/farm. They're quieter, take less space for storage, easier to cart around, we don't have to go looking for wherever the charger for the cordless has gone _this_ time -- they're just better.
The rare occasions I've thought the power tools more useful is when we have a large project like building the studiolo last year. Our renoferret Scott was doing most of the work, but I could see how the specialty nailer he had saved him a lot of physical effort (and stores the nails for use, which was great when he was squeezed in under the floor), and for cutting up all the boards. But if we just slowed down a little, took our time more, would that be the worst thing in the world? We have tools, even some complicated ones, that we can use. It's one of the reasons I'd like to find land that has a good stream/small river on it, because I'd like to be able to do some very small-scale water-powered stuff at some point... and play with other water-based projects too :)
-- Sewing. Well, that's kind of a tough one for me at the moment, because I make juggling critters and book covers for sale, and nobody's going to pay me for the time it would take to do these by hand (altho' all the finish work on them is by hand of course). If I could get the old foot-powered machine working, I be able to switch over to using that, which would be kind of cool actually. At least I'm using an old machine (1974 Sears Kenmore), so when it's off, it's really off -- no computer parts, no need for a power strip.
My other choice would be to stop making those things, and that day will probably come, at least for the critters, because of the type of fabric I use for them (polar fleece and poly fleece) -- but I'll probably keep going for a while, until I've used up a good portion of my stock, or found something other project to on which use that fabric.
I also use the machine for making some clothing, altho' again I do the finish work by hand whenever possible. I have experience, so I'm very fast on the machine and can minimize the time I'm on it. I line up the parts of the project first, figure out what will be the most time effective way to do things, then hit the power and do it.
I also do hand-sewing on seams at times -- I'm not as speedy as![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ellid, but if I'm travelling or sitting in front of the lovely television w/L, I can keep making progress on my projects because for handsewing the only tools I need are a needle, a pair of snips, and thread -- and my hands of course, but they don't need packing. :D
Some people don't like hand-sewing because it takes longer. And I do sympathise with my SCA friends who choose to make dresses with very full skirts, because hemming isn't my favorite thing either. But, practice will increase speed, and if you can get together with some friends to hang out, it can become a pleasant enough way to spend time, in truth.
** Washing/Drying Clothing.
-- I don't have my marvy handwasher yet, and I'm still doing PT for my shoulder anyway. But I do have a wringer to try out, and if L can build a platform for it, I'm going to go for it again. It wasn't the worst thing in the world washing by hand when I tried it this past summer. The hard part was wringing the water out. The washing part was very easy and kind of fun actually, plus it took less time than the machine took to do it. So I'm actually looking forward to trying this again, once we have the system set up. Also, I think handwashing wasn't as hard on the fabric as the machine sometimes is, so our clothing, towels, sheets, etc. will last longer.
In the meantime, we use the machine, with cold water to the appropriate level for the amount of fabric in it (usually full), and this is still an improvement over what many people do, oddly enough.
ellid goes to the laundromat instead, which isn't a bad choice either -- the machines see more use than they would in a private home, which means fewer machines are needed. Plus her laundromat is sort of a social hangout for the community, she gets in some reading time when she isn't chatting with someone, and she's using their already-in-use heating/cooling (like the library or mall, above).
-- We're back to hanging clothing up to dry. During the move we couldn't do it as much because sometimes laundry days conflicted with showing days or there was dust from mudding/sanding everywhere, etc. Hanging clothing instead of drying saves huge amounts of energy use. We dry most things outdoors in warm weather, and everything indoors during cold, dry weather so we can humidify our home. My lungs and the plants all appreciate this :) For the people who don't like stiff jeans or towels, you have two (sometimes three) choices. (1) take items down before they are completely dry and throw them in the dryer (2) Beat the cr*p out of them against a doorway or laundry post; great for stress relief (3) do laundry on a really windy day, so the wind can beat the cr*p out of them.
7) GO SOMEPLACE ELSE. If you want to save on heating/cooling, and light, go to a public place. Assuming of course that you don't have to use a car and go 20-40 miles to get there... Libraries and malls are open anyway (some more than others, I'll grant you, but even the Ashfield library in town has regular, posted hours). So, why not share in what they're providing? A friend of mine told me that when she was a grad student down in DC she would take her books and laptop, bop down to the library on the bus or subway, and use their AC instead. Most malls have benches for resting and public eating areas too, so you can take a lunch with you, a book and/or small (neat) projects, and work there.
8) INSULATE!! The thicker your walls are, the more you save on heating and cooling, which means the more you don't have to use electricity. Doesn't matter if you can only insulate part of the walls, or only put warm window shades on some windows, or only put a towel at the bottom of drafty windows. If you can do it (and don't have really stupid apt. complex management), then go for it. I've posted more than once on this, because it really does make a difference. Heck, if we had the space and ability, I'd make all the insulation on the outside walls of the apartment one foot thick. In fact, if I could turn off the radiator in the weaving room and insulate it with fabric and wool to that thickness, it would probably be more effective than the silly radiator.
As someone I know online says, it's actually pretty easy to cut 50-70% of your fuel/electricity usage (based on average American usages) without really having to make huge life changes. If we want to truly help and be good citizens of the world, it will have to be more than that in the long run, but really, it isn't hard to make most of the changes I noted above, some of them are quite enjoyable in fact, and most of them don't require spending lots of money, especially if you're creative.
And now, I need to post this and get off the PC, speaking of saving electricity!
But, it can be hard to keep those folks we've never met in mind at times so, how hard is it to cut down on electrical use?
1) Turn it off when it isn't in use. Unless you're coming back to a room within 20 minutes, turn the lights off. Turn off things like the microwave oven unless you're actually using it.
During the day, try to do your activities in the best lit rooms. This may change throughout the day, which may change the order in which you do things.
BONUS: Save $$ (on this and most of the other suggestions). And, discover your home all over again, as you learn which rooms have the best light and when. This may change throughout the year, so you get treated to seeing your place differently on a regular basis.
2) MAKE SURE EVERYTHING THAT'S OFF IS REALLY OFF! Lots of modern equipment is constantly using a small amount of energy, just so you can see what time it is (that clock on the microwave or vcr), and so you can turn it on quickly. We have battery-powered or wind-up clocks, so we really don't need these other clocks. The microwave doesn't get used very often anymore -- and really, even if you used it three times a day, do you really need it on the rest of the time? If you only have one item that has these 'convenience features', it may not make a significant difference, but most of us have a tv, a stereo, a microwave, a modern oven..... it adds up. And yes, it actually adds up to $$, for those working on lowering their bills. Put these things on powerstrips and then you can turn them off without having to unplug them every time. Usually entertainment equipment's all in one place, so only one strip is needed.
BONUS: And, once you get used to the difference in the sound/feel of the room, you may actually like being in certain rooms more than before.
3) Spend less time on the computer (mostly that's me, since L makes his living on the PC). I've decided that I know enough of the big picture that I'm going to spend less time doing research. I'll leave that to other folks like Sharon Astyk, Greenpa, and the good folks at Energy Bulletin. Whatever new stuff comes along, I already know what the general trends will be. Although I do like to keep tabs on the glacial sheets, but that's hardly a daily activity.
BONUS: More time to do things around the apartment and farm. Got plenty of that!
4) Spend less time watching tv. If you're up for it, quit watching entirely. We watch more than I'd like, although I do often get other things done at the same time, the music player would use less electricity, and there's nothing wrong with "silence" either. Silence is relative, especially in warmer weather, if you have any birds around ;)
We got a tv service when we moved up here because it helped out L's mom financially with her tv service -- she's elderly and not in the best of health, so it's one of her great pleasures in life at this point.
But before that we'd gotten rid of cable because after a two-week camping vacation we'd discovered that we really didn't miss it all the much. And in fact I've decided to cut another show after last night, as it no longer engages me the way it used to.
BONUS: More time to do things that can't be done in the room that has the tv. Also, maybe we'll get back to playing some games like cribbage and backgammon -- more quality time with family and friends. If you're musically inclined, more time for making your own entertainment. More time for reading books (used, borrowed, already owned)
5) More on Lighting (multiple bonuses!).
** If you like candlelight (beeswax or other nonpetroleum candles are best, but we use what we have), and don't need lots of light for a specific task, consider that instead of an electric light. Tapers provide a steadier light than pillars. Reflectors behind the candles can double their effective light.
I like to use 2-3 candles plus reflectors when I'm reading or doing handwork. In cold weather it also adds some more heat the room.
BONUS: Ambiance that you'll never get with an electric light, no matter how pretty the lamp is. Calm and relaxing, sometimes almost healing in its presence in the room.
** There are now some camp lights that can be hand-cranked for a minute and give you an hour of light. Uses LED lights, that how it lasts so long. Not the best light for artwork, however. I try to do at least some of my artwork during the day, but if I have to, I will use electric. Interestingly though, I prefer candlelight for embroidery and handsewing.
BONUS: Useful for emergency lighting if the power goes out. Remember the preparedness posts from awhile back? This would be great for those folks who can't have a lot of fire sources indoors because of breathing issues (and because in winter-time emergencies candles and such require you remember to have a fresh air source, if you close off most of your house/apartment for heating purposes).
** Fluorescent (usually CFLs) vs. incandescent... there are different types of fluorescents, with different light effects. They're most useful in places where the light will be left on for a while. For lights that are used rarely and are only on for short periods of time, incandescents are better. This is because the CFLs take more energy to ignite than the incandescents; their energy savings is after ignition.
We use incandescents in the barn because they aren't often in use, and because if one should get broken, we don't want to risk contamination of the hay or feed for the cows and chickens. CFLs can be cleaned up safely by regular folks, but it is more tricky than cleaning up after incandescents.
**Our apartment has a long dark hallway. I'm still working on some ways to lighten it up -- we have a mirror that still needs to be put up opposite the doorway for the livingroom, to share the light, for instance. But rather than constantly turning on overhead lights if all we need is to fetch something from another room, we sometimes use flashlights (mini mags with LEDs). I sometimes use a candle instead -- you have to travel at the speed of the flame because of draft from motion, but in a world where everyone is constantly hurrying and scurrying, sometimes it's a good thing to be forced to a slower pace (BONUS).
** GO TO BED. That's right, get up earlier, do more things during daylight hours, go to bed earlier. Maybe even actually get the 7-9 hours of sleep/day a healthy person is supposed to get....
6) Use fewer powered appliances and tools.
** Instead of a powered mixer, a whisk or hand-turned mixer. Instead of a mixer w/dough hook, mixing by hand. Instead of a food processor, use a knife, peeler, grater, whatever is appropriate to the task at hand -- Although you can get a hand-cranked food processor if you hunt around -- I only find food processors useful when I'm cooking a feast for more than 40 people. Hand-sewing instead of using a sewing machine. Washing/drying by machine or other.
BONUS: Much quieter and easier on the ears. Time to really get the feel for what you're making, to understand the nature of the materials (plant or animal) with which you're working.
Dough hooks are too impersonal for me; I really like to work the dough and feel for myself when it's ready to be set aside to rise, or is ready to be rolled out. When you are truly in touch with making your own food, you have a greater appreciation for where the ingredients came from, what's involved in the preparation, and the experience of eating is enriched with thankfulness to the providers (the plants and animals) and appreciation of the labor in crafting the finished food, even when it's as simple a thing as a loaf of bread.
** Reel mowers instead of powered mowers (altho' for the less able I like the electric tools over the gas-powered), shovels/hoes/hands instead of rototillers, hand saws and drills over powered ones, etc.
MINUSES and BONUSES:
-- Reel mowers are very easy to learn to sharpen the blade (which takes very little time), they don't need as much maintenance as powered mowers, and usually take less space to store. L likes doing it for the exercise and as moving meditation time.
-- We've tried rototillers a couple of times and it seemed at first that it would be a timesaver, but really we still had a lot of work to do by hand afterward, so I'm not impressed by them. So, might as well save the gas and/or rental fee, and do the job by hand. Realizing that you can only do so much per day and scheduling the time accordingly, will make the task of breaking new ground more pleasant and much less back-breaking. Oh, that's another thing -- you have to be strong to use one of the darn things or it'll take you for a ride.
-- I'll confess that sometimes electric drills and such are nice to have around. But we don't _need_ any of them. We're toying with maybe picking up a wood lathe, but I'd like to have the option of converting it to being powered by something other than plugging it into the wall.... And in my dreams, I'd rather have something like a pole lathe (foot-power!)... meantime, most of the time we use regular hammers, screwdrivers, etc. for projects around the house/farm. They're quieter, take less space for storage, easier to cart around, we don't have to go looking for wherever the charger for the cordless has gone _this_ time -- they're just better.
The rare occasions I've thought the power tools more useful is when we have a large project like building the studiolo last year. Our renoferret Scott was doing most of the work, but I could see how the specialty nailer he had saved him a lot of physical effort (and stores the nails for use, which was great when he was squeezed in under the floor), and for cutting up all the boards. But if we just slowed down a little, took our time more, would that be the worst thing in the world? We have tools, even some complicated ones, that we can use. It's one of the reasons I'd like to find land that has a good stream/small river on it, because I'd like to be able to do some very small-scale water-powered stuff at some point... and play with other water-based projects too :)
-- Sewing. Well, that's kind of a tough one for me at the moment, because I make juggling critters and book covers for sale, and nobody's going to pay me for the time it would take to do these by hand (altho' all the finish work on them is by hand of course). If I could get the old foot-powered machine working, I be able to switch over to using that, which would be kind of cool actually. At least I'm using an old machine (1974 Sears Kenmore), so when it's off, it's really off -- no computer parts, no need for a power strip.
My other choice would be to stop making those things, and that day will probably come, at least for the critters, because of the type of fabric I use for them (polar fleece and poly fleece) -- but I'll probably keep going for a while, until I've used up a good portion of my stock, or found something other project to on which use that fabric.
I also use the machine for making some clothing, altho' again I do the finish work by hand whenever possible. I have experience, so I'm very fast on the machine and can minimize the time I'm on it. I line up the parts of the project first, figure out what will be the most time effective way to do things, then hit the power and do it.
I also do hand-sewing on seams at times -- I'm not as speedy as
ellid, but if I'm travelling or sitting in front of the lovely television w/L, I can keep making progress on my projects because for handsewing the only tools I need are a needle, a pair of snips, and thread -- and my hands of course, but they don't need packing. :DSome people don't like hand-sewing because it takes longer. And I do sympathise with my SCA friends who choose to make dresses with very full skirts, because hemming isn't my favorite thing either. But, practice will increase speed, and if you can get together with some friends to hang out, it can become a pleasant enough way to spend time, in truth.
** Washing/Drying Clothing.
-- I don't have my marvy handwasher yet, and I'm still doing PT for my shoulder anyway. But I do have a wringer to try out, and if L can build a platform for it, I'm going to go for it again. It wasn't the worst thing in the world washing by hand when I tried it this past summer. The hard part was wringing the water out. The washing part was very easy and kind of fun actually, plus it took less time than the machine took to do it. So I'm actually looking forward to trying this again, once we have the system set up. Also, I think handwashing wasn't as hard on the fabric as the machine sometimes is, so our clothing, towels, sheets, etc. will last longer.
In the meantime, we use the machine, with cold water to the appropriate level for the amount of fabric in it (usually full), and this is still an improvement over what many people do, oddly enough.
ellid goes to the laundromat instead, which isn't a bad choice either -- the machines see more use than they would in a private home, which means fewer machines are needed. Plus her laundromat is sort of a social hangout for the community, she gets in some reading time when she isn't chatting with someone, and she's using their already-in-use heating/cooling (like the library or mall, above). -- We're back to hanging clothing up to dry. During the move we couldn't do it as much because sometimes laundry days conflicted with showing days or there was dust from mudding/sanding everywhere, etc. Hanging clothing instead of drying saves huge amounts of energy use. We dry most things outdoors in warm weather, and everything indoors during cold, dry weather so we can humidify our home. My lungs and the plants all appreciate this :) For the people who don't like stiff jeans or towels, you have two (sometimes three) choices. (1) take items down before they are completely dry and throw them in the dryer (2) Beat the cr*p out of them against a doorway or laundry post; great for stress relief (3) do laundry on a really windy day, so the wind can beat the cr*p out of them.
7) GO SOMEPLACE ELSE. If you want to save on heating/cooling, and light, go to a public place. Assuming of course that you don't have to use a car and go 20-40 miles to get there... Libraries and malls are open anyway (some more than others, I'll grant you, but even the Ashfield library in town has regular, posted hours). So, why not share in what they're providing? A friend of mine told me that when she was a grad student down in DC she would take her books and laptop, bop down to the library on the bus or subway, and use their AC instead. Most malls have benches for resting and public eating areas too, so you can take a lunch with you, a book and/or small (neat) projects, and work there.
8) INSULATE!! The thicker your walls are, the more you save on heating and cooling, which means the more you don't have to use electricity. Doesn't matter if you can only insulate part of the walls, or only put warm window shades on some windows, or only put a towel at the bottom of drafty windows. If you can do it (and don't have really stupid apt. complex management), then go for it. I've posted more than once on this, because it really does make a difference. Heck, if we had the space and ability, I'd make all the insulation on the outside walls of the apartment one foot thick. In fact, if I could turn off the radiator in the weaving room and insulate it with fabric and wool to that thickness, it would probably be more effective than the silly radiator.
As someone I know online says, it's actually pretty easy to cut 50-70% of your fuel/electricity usage (based on average American usages) without really having to make huge life changes. If we want to truly help and be good citizens of the world, it will have to be more than that in the long run, but really, it isn't hard to make most of the changes I noted above, some of them are quite enjoyable in fact, and most of them don't require spending lots of money, especially if you're creative.
And now, I need to post this and get off the PC, speaking of saving electricity!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-01-18 09:11 pm (UTC)There's an LJ community for people interested in treadle machines, but I don't think anybody's ever posted to it
http://www.livejournal.com/interests.bml?int=treadle+sewing+machines
We have no dryer, but in our climate, you have to have space in your house for drying racks.
My late grandmother-in-law had a thing in her NYC apartment that was suspended from the kitchen ceiling and could be lowered and raised with a pulley (I think. That was nearly
30 years ago).
no subject
Date: 2008-01-19 02:55 am (UTC)Yeah, I've heard of the ceiling drying racks -- and I think they're coming back in some places... there might even be one for sale through Lehman's. We have a metal frame 4-poster bed, so I use that as my extra drying rack most of the time :)
no subject
Date: 2008-01-19 08:55 am (UTC)I talk about that stuff on my greenish blog here (http://greenwithagun.blogspot.com/2007/12/inconvenient-sacrifice-of-not-polluting.html).
no subject
Date: 2008-01-19 02:34 pm (UTC)Seriously, if everyone had foot thick (or more, like in an earthship) walls, heating/cooling would be much less of an issue.