Shrink Wrapping Windows

Winter has officially arrived in the northeast, along with our first snow storm. But the cold temperatures greeted us weeks ago. In order to save energy, and mostly, keep my bedroom warm, today I 'shrink wrapped' the bedroom windows. Anyone who lives in cold climates probably knows about this energy saver tip and way to keep cold drafts out.

I was amazed at how much of a draft was coming in through the window, which you can see when you put up the plastic and before you 'shrink' it. The loose plastic moves in and out with any drafts.

As I'm not one for sleeping in a cold room (give me warmth), and since it's hard enough some mornings when I have to get the wood stove going again to heat up - covering the windows in my bedroom was a priority. I happened to have plastic left over from years past. But you can buy it at most any hardware store, Lowes, Home Depot, etc.

Yes, yes, it's plastic and made from oil. But, some things make more sense to use than not. Besides, I reduce my plastic useage in other ways, mostly by using recycled bags when grocery shopping, and I wash/reuse most all of my plastic baggies (much to the horror of more than one family member.) But, many of those baggies are sturdy and last multiple washes, and I save a lot of money by only having to buy a few boxes of plastic baggies a year.

So, if you're looking for a relatively low cost way to reduce cold drafts and save some on energy and energy costs - go out and buy some shrink wrap for windows. A few hints - if you've got blinds on the windows, be sure to take those down first. And, the plastic shrinks best when the blowdryer is on high. Be sure to have a pair of scissors on hand, and if you have a second set of hands - it goes quicker with two people. Well worth the time spent!

A Holiday Muse - 'Tis the Season to be Jolly and Stressed?

It is the season to be jolly and merry, but also busy with all the seemingly endless 'holiday' tasks - make my list, buy my gifts, follow up on gifts like the txt msg to my sister in law 'Got Game of Life', or urgent voice msg from my sister 'Beyblades on sale at Target today and tomorrow only.' But wait, I'm in the middle of making homemade truffles this lovely Sunday afternoon, and besides - the bus doesn't stop at Target!!!

Fortunately the Beyblade crisis was averted (that was after my sister had to spell 'beyblades' 3 times on the phone for me and a google search - obviously I don't have 8yr old boys in my household.) So, I called Target and indeed, they were already out of stock, so my sister stopped at another Target and the crisis was averted. All will be well when my nephews open this gift on xmas eve, and I was saved from figuring out how to get from the Bon Ton to Target (on foot, no sidewalks.)

Yes, I admit. I do shop at the mall, on occasion. I mean, I remember as a kid wanting that fabulous toy (for my sister and I, it was the Barbie Camper - how cool was that?) So, when I buy for my nieces & nephews I tend to buy them the current trendy toys. It is the holiday afterall.

But if I can I prefer to buy local or make handmade. This year I discovered my Christmas dessert 'thing', or what I might call my 'holiday muse' - chocolate truffles. I gave them as gifts to some siblings and they were a hit. The best part, I clipped the recipe from the Sunday Albany Times Union about 3 or 4 weeks ago. Yes, I do still read the paper in print (and then use the paper to light the fire in my wood stove.)

With my big family Christmas behind me (I think we maxed at 30 adults & children in my parent's house), I'm left with a more low key xmas eve preparation.

There are so many things we can all do to be 'green' this Christmas, use recycled paper, buy biodegradable paper plates & napkins, shop local or purchase as much of your holiday food as you can from the farmer's market. So I encourage you to pick one thing. And, relax if some things are out of your control. For years I've been trying to get my mother to save, wash and reuse plasticware at family gatherings.

A small aha moment came this past weekend when I was clearing my plastic fork and plate after our early xmas dinner, and my sister-in-law said, 'save your fork, MaryAnn (my mother), is washing and reusing them.' I guess sometimes our 'green' habits do rub off on others, often in subtle and pleasantly surprising ways.

So, I hope you can find your 'green' thing for the holiday, and remember to also relax and enjoy this busy time of season. For me, on to decorating my tree.

Have a Happy, Jolly, Stress-free Holiday and Great New Year! And as always, 'think green'.

Amy

Committment and follow through

I've been thinking a lot about the word 'committment'. I am living without a car at the moment, and thus, I'm committed to riding the bus, walking or biking on warmer days. This is sort of a forced committment to be auto-free for a while. Overall, it's great. Too often I meet people who really care about the earth, are worried about climate change, and yet don't seem to connect their everyday actions (driving everywhere) to their values (care for earth/support reducing greenhouse gas emissions.)

A friend on facebook a few months back posted a saying (by whom I can't recall), which basically said 'within committment there is great freedom.' I know this to be true. Homeownership requires a major committment, but in that is a wonderful freedom to have my own garden, and create my own space in the way that I want.

Committment helps set boundaries. I think we are so overloaded with technology, access and choices that too many people either avoid committment or they over-committ and then don't succeed at anything.

Right now, one of my committments is living car-free for a while. Within that, my life has slowed down. I am spending more time at home focusing on projects I've wanted to get to for months. And, I'm designing other goals, like exercise regularly, into my regular 'commute' regime.

One of my other committments is also following through. Even here on my blog - by following through with updates on events or things I post.

So - How was the Sustainable Saratoga meeting you ask? Great! One of the best potluck's I've been to in a long time. Something about breaking bread with other people creates an openness and willingness for people to connect and share. And that's what seemed to happen. We followed the potluck by watching a film I use in my Global Climate Change course called 'Recipes for Disaster'.

The film 'Recipes for Disaster' is hardly as ominous as it's title. It's a funny, engaging, interesting documentary following the life of a Finnish family that goes on an oil-diet for a year. It's great to watch the parents and two young kids give up driving and things like plastic wrap and toothpaste. And it shows how deeply reliant we are on oil - whether in household products made from oil byproducts (ie. plastics), or to gas up our cars, boats, trains and yes, buses.

At one point the young sons are talking about 'what would Christmas be like without plastic'. It just wouldn't be Christmas. But in the end the father (who produced the film), shows how much greenhouse gas emissions the family saved in one year (52%). ( to calculate your own greenhouse gas emissions click here.)

And so I ask you, what can you commit to? Are you willing to 'walk the talk'?

I was reminded of this saying a few months back at Jeff Olson's talk at Skidmore on 'The Future is Riding Bicycles'. I ran into Jeff, a local resident who works in transportation and community planning, a few weeks ago and told him what a great reminder it was for me - and he said, 'yeah, one day a week - if people got out of their cars one day a week that would be great.'

So - if you want to help minimize climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions - is there something you'd be willing to commit to?

Could you go one day a week without driving your car? Convert your household bulbs to CFL's? Plan and grow a garden? Switch to 'green' energy?

There are so many things we could all do. It just requires... committment and follow through :) Let me know how you do!