Personal behavior change is so subtle you don’t see it happening, and can forget how far you’ve come. There are thousands of tips for reducing your impact and living the green and good life, but realizing which you are really doing and what that means can be difficult to pin down. Your efforts deserve to be recognized, monitored, and charted over time. We'll even throw in some reader prizes eventually, too!
Here’s how to start your own sustainability journal, which you can use to set goals and to look back on as you change your lifestyle. We'll bring you more features weekly, including printable guides to a home waste audit, travel diary, games for kids and a home energy analyzer, all from our green living guides. I’ll also be doing this all myself, and roping in guests from the EcoMetro staff and friends, so we can both gripe and high-five together. Ready? Read on...
Get a grip on your habits
Take a few minutes to think of the actions you do now, and then think
back just three years. Which of these describe you, and how were you
different then?
• You buy green power from your utility
• You unplug electronics
• You insulate your home to prevent energy loss
• You take an annual home water audit and installed aerators
• You drive less by biking, busing, or walking
• You choose local foods and products
• You eat less meat, and check the source of the fish you buy
• Your recycling bins overflow, while your trashcan seems to always have room
• You garden without chemicals, and use a push mower
• You offset your flights
Get it in writing
Now to assemble a journal to keep track of all this and set
future goals. I’ll use a recycled three-ring notebook from ReBinder in addition to this blog. You could also use a bound journal
of recycled paper, like my favorite from EcoJot, which uses 100% Post
Consumer Waste fibers. Or head into your local arts & crafts shop and ask for recycled paper. Or start a blog and leave a note in the comments so I know to check in on it!
Divide the journal or binder into 6 action areas:
1.) Quarterly Carbon Footprint
2.) Home Energy
3.) Driving Less
4.) Recycling & Composting
5.) Organic & Local Food, Less Meat
6.) Supporting the Local Economy
Home Energy will be our focus for the month of October, since it’s the
greatest source of carbon emissions in the average person’s life. Each
of these sections will eventually have a prioritized to-do list and a
completed goal list.
Pat on the back and doable goals
In the Home Energy section, write down the top 3-5 actions you
currently take, and how long you have been doing this. Next you’ll
write the top 3-5 goals for improvement in this category, and when-ish
you intend to complete them. Make the goals short, specific actions you
will take, not a description of the results you wish to see. Use verbs!
Your goals may change as you learn about home energy, that’s all
part of monitoring yourself.
Tips and local resources
10 actions that cost nothing.
Use energy at off-peak hours, 9pm-6am M-S and all day Sunday. Energy is cheaper at these times.
Homeowners, this one’s for you. The top action you can take is
insulating your home to prevent heat loss. This guide compares
loose-fill, batts, sprayed insulation, and foam board.
PG&E online has free energy analyzers and appliance calculators, which are especially helpful if you are unsure about an Energy Star model's higher price point.
Alameda Power offers free energy meters to monitor a home appliance and residential audits (call 510-748-3947 to schedule).
Flex Your Power is the place to search for energy rebates for purchases and home upgrades.
My sustainability journal
My Current Actions for Home Energy:
1.) Connected all my living room electronics (TV, DVD player, stereo, printer etc) to a
power strip that I turn off when I’m not using the devices. This
prevents phantom energy loss. Time: 1 year
2.) Installed CFLs in most of my lights (one is very hard to reach!). Time: 2 years
3.) Complete an annual home energy audit with my utility’s free tool (everyone has them, these days). Time: 2 years
4.) Turn off lights when I leave the room. Time: My whole life!
My Goals:
1.) Insulate leaky old windows for winter months. Time: Before November
2.) Install CFLs in the remaining lights: the tall hall light, the
impossible to remove bathroom light, and the porch light. Time: Before
Halloween (I’ll remember when I see the jack-o-lanterns come out!)
3.) Check my hot water tank temp, and reduce it to 120 degrees. Time: This week
4.) Remember to unplug my phone charger (I always forget!). Time: Tomorrow
Next week
For week 2 we'll use the
Energy Star Home Energy Yardstick to compare our
home energy efficiency to similar homes using the last 12 months of
utility bills, and we'll do the first of the quarterly carbon footprint
tests for section 1.
Get your sustainability journals started and I’ll see you then!
You will have very different goals depending on the size of your
household, whether you own or rent, and your day-to-day lifestyle. I’d
love to hear your actions and goals in the comments. In the future we'll have drawings for readers who share their goals, keep an eye out!