I used this bumper sticker to introduce our “green” household audit and to relate taking more responsibility for the environment to taking more responsibility for the 2,770 sq. ft we occupy …our house. Perhaps not as compelling a message to my kids as “Save the Earth … it’s the only planet with chocolate,” but …

Our audit started with “energy use” and a tough reality check. We had been ignoring our immediate environment a lot, and no room in our house was immune.  Lights were left on (even in closed closets), doors were left open, and windows were not insulated.  A room by room check revealed appliances routinely left plugged in (including heated mattress pads because the cats like to sleep on them during the day), computers and TVs left on, clothes washed in small loads, the thermostat set too high, obstructed heating vents, the fireplace damper left open 24/7, a furnace filter not replaced in months, old appliances without automatic shut-offs, and bath towels used just once. There was also my pet peeve: clothes piled on the floor that need to be ironed, requiring electricity and human energy … usually mine.  

One thing we are doing right is using compact fluorescent bulbs throughout the house … admittedly not a huge plus when those lights are left on day and night. The connection between leaving a light on and depletion of the world’s energy resources has eluded my kids, so I declared that until science finds a way to convert my daughter’s half-used lip gloss containers and my son’s singleton socks into alternative energy sources, we are going to start doing our parts to save energy ... or else. My husband’s only comment was that my tirade sounded like leftovers … at best warmed over, usually forgotten entirely.

Undeterred, I went into action, pulling out our electricity, utilities and heating oil bills from the past year. What we spend is staggering, almost as much as the prospects of crude oil approaching $100 per barrel and a colder-than-normal winter. We talked about how much power, oil, and water we use, and specific ways to reduce all three. (Showering with a friend was vetoed by management.) We also agreed on penalties and rewards. Wasting energy incurs a fee (a reduction in allowance), but money saved on energy costs we’ll use for a family trip. We may get only as far as the nearest Starbucks, but it’s progress.
 
An audit of household waste and how we dispose of it is next. I haven’t come across an appropriate bumper sticker for that yet; suggestions are welcome.