A Green Checklist

The more I talk to people about my book, Thrifty Green, the more two themes emerge in their questions for me. First, what was it like to live off the grid? (Answer: relaxed, stress-free, connected with the natural world, and extraordinary overall.) And second, what can an average person do in his or her everyday life to be kinder to the environment, given that most of us can’t chuck it all and move to Taos?

What they are looking for is a list. A step-by-step checklist for living a greener life. Yet I don’t think a list quite serves the purpose of creating lasting change in people’s lives. Instead, I offer the general principle that conservation is the key to responsible stewardship of the earth. But what you choose to conserve, and how, is up to you. Whatever it is, it shouldn’t feel like a sacrifice, or I guarantee you won’t keep it up. Similarly, trying to follow somebody else’s rules eventually will become too inconvenient to continue.

It is impossible to provide boilerplate guidelines that apply to everybody. For example, some ideas (buy a new hybrid car!) might involve spending money, but maybe you don’t have any. Others may involve improving the energy efficiency of your house, but perhaps you are a renter. I could wax rhapsodic about the merits of taking public transportation, but what if it doesn’t exist where you live? Or I could advise you on environmentally-friendly ways to stay warm in the winter, but they won’t apply if you live in southern Florida.

There is no one-size-fits-all method for greening up your life. You are the expert on how you currently live and what options are available to you. The point of my book, and of this blog, is to offer examples of authentic ecological living to inspire green changes in anyone’s life. You might read a blog post and think, “I can do that,” or you may conclude, “No way.” Either way, the decision is yours. I simply hope to help you come up with your own solutions. I may include a list here or there, but it will typically consist of general principles (e.g., sharing is good) or some off-the-wall ideas (e.g., drink only water) to jumpstart your own thinking.

For those of you who absolutely must have a list, there are plenty out there beyond this blog. For example, the Department of Energy lists standard tips for saving energy in the home, located here: http://www.energy.gov/energytips.htm. If you want a list of ways to conserve water, check out FEMA’s “Are You Ready” guide at http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/appendix_a.shtm. To save gas without shelling out money for a hybrid car, follow Edmunds.com’s road-tested tips at http://www.edmunds.com/fuel-economy/we-test-the-tips.html?articleid=106842.

Lists may have their place, but creating solutions for your own situation will make you more apt to turn them into lifelong habits – the best way to truly practice conservation without it feeling like a sacrifice.