Layer, layer, layer! October 19, 2008

I generally consider myself to be a pretty bad gauge of temperature, because when other people are comfortable in a room, I’m most likely freezing cold.  Alex jokes that I could live on the sun, and sometimes I feel like he’s right!  It’s great in the summer, because it’s no problem for me to cut down on my electricity usage by leaving my thermostat at 80 degrees.  But in the winter months, I really struggle!  Last year I kept the temperature at or above 77 degrees all winter long.  I was (mostly) comfortable, but this year I’m compelled to change.

I already wear sweatshirts around the house to keep warm, but this year I’m determined to keep the thermostat no higher than 74.  It doesn’t sound like much, but I’ve got to start somewhere!  I have a feeling I’ll be spending lots of time upstairs in order to cope with this decision!  (Our first floor is easily 5 to 10 degrees colder than our upstairs, despite having all upstairs vents closed and all of the downstairs ones open!)  I’m making a conscious decision to put on an extra sweatshirt, robe, or whatever in order to keep myself warm instead of going to the thermostat!

Even on tour. October 12, 2008

This week begins the craziness of The Walk Around The World Tour, for me at least!  I’ll be attending 9 shows in the next three weeks!  Often tour means many meals eaten on the road in a hurry, equating with lots of trash created.  My resolution for this week is that even on tour, I’m going to do my best to stay ‘green’!

Probably the biggest way we’ll be green this year is to carpool to every show.  I’m not attending any shows alone, and for most of them, I’ll be riding with two or more people.  Not only does this strategy allow us to split the cost of gas and share the driving time, but we’ll also cut the amount of gas we would use in half or more!  Carpooling to shows is definitely the way to go – besides, it makes tour extra fun!  This week I have to credit everyone I plan to ride with this tour: Ashley, Chrissy, Emma, Erin, Karen, and Kim – you guys are the best!

Lather, rinse, repeat. October 5, 2008

I recently purchased one of those Reynolds handi-vacs to use when I freeze food.  It’s an awesome little machine – there is virtually no freezerburn on anything I use it on!  I frequently freeze meat since Alex & I can rarely finish an entire package before it would spoil.  I could see, though, how this handy little machine could easily create a lot of waste.

The plastic bags used for vacuum sealing have a double layer on part of the bag, which means more plastic in the landfill for every bag thrown away.  The bags are also a little more pricey than regular freezer bags.  Solution?  I never thought I’d say this, but I’ve resolved to wash and reuse plastic freezer bags.  *Gasp!*  It sounds like a lot of extra work, but it really shouldn’t be.  And even if it is, it’s worth it to do a little to save the planet.