Next Step Energy

I am saving money every month on my energy bill so can you. The next stride towards taking care of our environment is monitoring energy usage. Water conservation ties in with energy, as energy (charges on your sdge bill) is used to heat your water for the shower or washer. Everything we do for our planet is interconnected and we need to reduce, reuse, and recycle in many areas of our living.

To begin, I interrogated my local gas and electric company's website, San Diego Gas and Electric, sdge, and found out how I could reduce my energy usage/lower my bill. They have tons of rebates and other ways to get discounts on your bill. I ordered a free kit that we can install on our shower to reduce water usage. This is just a small fraction of the many kits or options you have when looking at your bill and conserving energy.

There is also many energy saving tips form the government. A few simple and easy changes I made were: made sure I didn't have any incandescent light bulbs. I found a couple and switched them out to CFLs. These energy efficient lightbulbs are better for the environment and last ten times longer! So why not switch? Next item on the list, I don't always shut down my computer at night so now I am more aware and I unplug other unused items. There are tons of ways to save energy and money. Just pick a few changes one or two at a time, and be conscious of your surroundings.

Water is Limited

What if when you went to get a drink of water, do laundry, or take a shower there was no water? Dry tap, none left! This is the harsh reality we will all face if we don't take necessary precautions.

San Diego is a desert and we do not have a little lake in our backyard to continually drink out of. We get our water from different sources, one being the Colorado River. This river supplies many areas and fluctuates in water capacity, during drought it runs at only 59% capacity. We are at its mercy for our water. If we do not come up with other plans of sustainable water plans the message will hit close to home. So we need, on a large scale, to push for sustainable water plans.

I am pretty sure everyone can agree that water is a valuable resource that shouldn't be wasted. Yet, we in America waste more water than any other country (we also have the biggest carbon footprint). We need to find a sustainable water plan as a whole, but individually we can still conserve. We shouldn't be the biggest wasters in the world so everyone, including myself needs to be held accountable. That is why I have been consciously monitoring my water usage. Everyone should be following the mandated San Diego water conservation requirements. It is the law so don't mess around! I have been watching my showers, laundry, dishwashers and everything else that takes water, to make sure I don't waste. Which means Aiden, my son, can't take long showers even though he wants to (so he can use his pretend shaver.. ha ha!). When I explained to him why we have to take short showers he was more than happy to oblige.

As always, we need to be aware. Just talking about it, puts it on your mind and on the forefront to action. Monitor, conserve, and spread the word. We don't want to wake up and have no more water coming out of our tap. The time is now while we have options, and not later when it is all dried up...


Helpful Links


10 Easy Tips to conserve
http://greenlifestylemagazine.net/issue-3/10-easy-ways-to-save-water.php

100 tips/ways to conserve water:
http://www.wateruseitwisely.com/100-ways-to-conserve/index.php

San Diego Water department:
http://www.sandiego.gov/water/

Rethinking Recycling

Recycling is vital but should not be treated as one dimensional. After all, it is a Reduce-Reuse-Recycle triangle. Not everything can be recycled indefinitely, and recycling still uses energy and resources. So lets focus on another important aspect of the recycling triangle, the Reduce aspect, or in other words BUYING LESS. This topic is something we should all remember and keep in the front of our minds. For one, it helps the environment and two it helps your bank account. Not to mention it describes what almost every American needs to be doing... Buying Less..


Whenever we buy something, resources are extracted and used to create a product. All of this has an impact on the environment, including depleting the resources we have left for the future. Every product has a journey and you can find some of those stories on the website, The Story of Stuff. Our current shopping habits and rampant consumerism aren’t sustainable - one day the resources will run out. When we buy something new, waste is created and our landfills already have limited space. We do not need most of the stuff we buy so why waste money and hurt the environment. We need to change our habits and the way we live. 


So let us try and be conscious consumers, aware of what we are buying and why we are buying it. Let us buy less, after all we do not need that many pairs of shoes (you know who you are!). I am not talking about going off the grid with no cell phone and rags as clothes, that is a little extreme. We have had a growing trend to buy more and that more is better, but now that needs to shift the other way. We need to buy less, because less is cool! Also, buy or sell used stuff: craigslist, freecycle, or thrift stores. 

The Recycling Investigation

This is the Miramar Landfill in San Diego, visible from google earth. It is getting bigger everyday. It is expected to be filled up by 2019 according to the city of San Diego. I am a new comer to being green as a lot of us are, so where do we start? We have to make little changes.

Step One: Recycle. We are a very busy family so the easiest and fastest route is usually the road most traveled. In the past, in my house we recycled some cans, but not all and not all the time. It wasn't a high priority. Which meant, if it wasn't convenient, perfectly good recyclables were doomed for the landfill.. Well, no more. To make it convenient and easy to do, I bought a medium sized $3.99 trashcan. Now we have two trash cans, side by side, one for trash, and one for recycling. It makes it easy to recycle and my kids can participate. They now put plastic and paper in our recycle trash can and are learning valuable habits for later in life.

We live in a townhouse and have a recycle dumpster outside for the complex. If you live in a house, you should have the labeled recycle containers that you can cram full of recyclables. The City of San Diego has phased in recycling mandates. If you live in a home or business that has blue recycle trashcans it is the law to recycle. If you live in an apartment/or townhouse you should have a recyclable dumpster like the one I have. If you do not have a convenient recycle trash can at your residence, you can collect your recyclables and drop them off at a recycle center.

Furthermore, it is of importance to note that some plastics or other items are not recyclable. When recycling you should look to this reference list of what is and is not recyclable. Also it helps to know tips of the trade, or instructions and descriptions for recycling. Other items that are not recyclable in the regular old containers may recyclable elsewhere. Computers, cell phones, or other e-waste items can be recycled at various locations. Also, plastic bags can be recycled at your local grocery store. There are many options and ways to help. Through the website, I love a clean San Diego, you can find a local recycle drop off center using your zip code. More important than the logistics of recycling, is the attitude we should have. We need to realize we have the control and power to make a difference. That attitude and combined voice of the people can power the bigger changes we need to help our planet. 

Recycling centers:

http://www.sandiego.gov/environmental-services/recycling/miramarrecycle.shtml

E-Waste Recycling Information and centers:
http://www.supereco.com/glossary/ecycling/

Where you can recycle other materials, carpet, etc:

http://citymaps.sandiego.gov/imf/sites/cdf/index.jsp

The map of locations:

http://citymaps.sandiego.gov/imf/imf.jsp?site=cdf&cert=true

Climate Change is Happening-Time for Action

  

Incorporating my whole family in our change for environmental preservation will root the changes and pass them to my kiddos!

Certain little factual pieces of information I have learned this past year have forced me to take on a moral stance that I am encouraging others to do. The facts are clear. We have one earth and we have all been taking it for granted. Fresh water is limited, population is rising, and our carbon dioxide levels are the highest they have ever been. Scientists do not argue this. There has been, and still is, denial of these facts. Thus, we as individuals, need to address them and make changes. A great talk by by University of California San Diego, Sixth College Provost Naomi Oreskes, on American Denial of Global Warming gives a clearer picture of the facts. Also, National Geographic gives a nice synopsis of current facts of global warming. I am a normal busy student/person/mom who works and tries to have a life, but can't ignore my impact on the environment. I want a future for my planet. I want my grandchildren and great grand children to have a world that includes the things we have taken for granted. Fresh water, beautiful forests, these will be gone unless we make changes. Through this blog, I will move towards greener pastures through simple steps. When we change our lives in little ways and put the future of our planet in higher priority we can influence bigger global change. Its does matter what the people want and what they believe is acceptable. People can be a strong force if we work together towards a common goal. The tricky part is implementing all of this. I am the busiest of the busy, so if I can incorporate changes and make it happen so can you! I will try my hardest, as I am not the most environmentally savvy person in the world, which is why I am the perfect example! Lets learn together! We can find the easiest route to making it a part of life. This blog journey will begin in my community in San Diego and see what I, little me, can change and what positive consequences I can have.