One of my readers commented the other day about issues surrounding the “if it’s yellow, let it mellow” rule, which is a great way to conserve water. In case you are wondering why this is such an important rule to try and employ in your home, 30-40% of the water used inside the average home is flushed down the toilet. If you own a standard toilet that has any age to it, you are likely flushing a couple of gallons of water with every flush. If you drink as much liquid in the summer as I do, that can add up to 30 gallons or more every single day. I recommended cleaning with and sprinkling baking soda in the toilet to help alleviate odor issues. It made me think of the problem I have when visiting family. Do I just continue with my yellow/mellow rule? What about when visiting friends that think like I do? Have we finally gotten to the point where we can look past these issues and concentrate on the fact that water is a precious natural resource that should be conserved? So are your cool friends the one who have the lovely scent of lilacs in the bathroom, or the ones with the box of baking soda on the back of the toilet tank? This spun off into a whole line of thoughts:
How old can your clothes be before they are simply not good enough to wear anymore? I own a few suits, and they are a decade old now. So do I look out of place for having a jacket that is slightly out of style, or do I look cooler for wearing a suit whose life sycle has been extended by much more that most? What about my shoes? At what point is it not cool to keep polishing my old shoes that look like they were my grandfathers? So are your friends cooler for having the latest fashions, or for not having bought a new pair of jeans in this millennium?
Then there is my lawn. I never fertilize. Ever. I do not water. Ever. In Cleveland, when we get to those hot dry months with no rain, then my lawn just starts to look brown and crispy. I do not care. A lawn can soak up a few thousand gallons of water every year. Why? Native plants are perfectly suited to the Ohio environment and adept at surviving the harsh winters and hot summers. So why should I waste water on making a patch of grass look good in front of my home? So do you look at the nicely manicured green lawn and think, wow-how great? or wow-I hope they have a rain barrel?
My mother is a product of the 50′s mentality. She has always been the queen of whiter whites. She made sure that the lawn was always green. Her flowers were always the best bloomers. I think a little differently. If my whites are not quite as white, I can stand proud knowing that I washed with cold water and skipped the bleach. If my lawn is brown or my flowers less bloom filled, I can stand tall knowing they are organically grown with no chemicals and as little water as I can get away with. I use less cologne. I iron less frequently. So, can I finally relax and know that I am cool? What do you think?
Tags: conservation, environment, Go Green
I solve this problem by not being cool, even a little. Then I may do as I please and think right without worry.
I do flush socially, though (at others’ houses/when others visit). I figure we save so many resources with our filthy private habits that it evens out.
I’m not one for keeping up with the lawn. I’ll mow when I have to, but not until then. I use mulch made from fallen trees to keep things looking tidy, but when it’s dry I’m excited because I don’t have to mow the yard.
I’ve never been much of a “go out of your way to be green” person, but it’s not to say I’m not green. I use what I have or re-purpose things because I’d rather spend my money elsewhere. I like when my energy bills are down, I hate paying for excessive water and feel we just waste so much.
I own a convenience store currently and marvel at the amount of waste my store produces every week from cardboard and plastics. People tell me I waste so much time hauling my cardboard to the recycling center, but I’d rather do that than fill my dumpster and waste money on an extra pick up to go to the landfill. It also helps that the local recycler gets money for certain tons of cardboard, so I’m helping a small business out as well.
As far as clothes go, I’m never in fashion when my clothes are new, so I don’t really worry about it too much. When my clothes wear out I turn them into cleaning rags that I can reuse for years to come.
Who knew that our style would become eco-chic instead of lazy or out of date!