My near panic attacks about the health of our world are coming with increasing intensity. I don’t know if it’s the fact that I’m a new mom worried about my son’s future, Al Gore’s ubiquitous doomsday predictions, or because I feel intensely guilty that I’ve purchased not one, but two SUVs (albeit small ones) in the past year.
Regardless, I’m calculating my carbon imprint on various Web sites, and I don’t like it.
So I’m trying to be green, and feel a special kinship with Kermit: it’s just not easy.
I canvassed friends around the country to find out what thirty year-olds are doing to make sure our children and our children’s children don’t have to live in a treeless, scorched-earth bubble.
A common thread is that people have an increased awareness of their earth-unfriendly activities. Long, hot showers and roomy SUVs are still facts of life, but they’re increasing looked upon as a vice. Some of the most common green activities include switching light bulbs to energy-saving compact fluorescents lights, turning off lights, moderating use of air-conditioning and heating, and recycling.
Sarah Montilla, an accountant who lives in Denver and works hard on being green, confesses to some weaknesses.
“I should actually take a bus when I go downtown for play, but I don’t. I suck,” said Sarah. “I think the worst thing I do is I love taking long showers. I think Americans have no concept of the amount of water we are constantly wasting!”
On the green-positive side, Sarah wears her clothes until they are “disgusting” before washing them. She drives a Volkswagen Jetta that gets good gas mileage, uses green cleaning products, buys organic food and clothes, sweeps instead of vacuums, and carpools with friends whenever possible.
Katrina Shonbeck, who works for Google and lives in Chicago, has a personal Top 10 list for being green. Here it is:
1. Turn off AC before I leave the house
2. Ride my bike to work
3. Use high efficiency (fluorescent) light bulbs—the GE ones
4. Use old newspapers as packing material for my next move
5. Only run the dishwasher/laundry when the load is full
6. Take lukewarm showers instead of really hot ones
7. Turn off lights whenever I leave a room
8. Reduce the AC usage by running ceiling fans and drawing curtains and blinds
9. Turn off computer whenever I’m done using it (not standby or hibernate)
10. Turn off the TV/music when I’m not watching/listening to it
