How much do you care about environment?

RuralIma

Thu, Jul 09 2020, 1:37 pm

We try to reduce our waste and use reusable instead of disposable as much as possible, buy in bulk and bring our own bags/containers instead of plastic, recycle, our son is very much into upcycling so during quarantine he made a lot of toys for himself out of cardboard from deliveries. We try to buy high quality things that will last longer, avoid plastic as much as possible, repair things instead of replacing when possible (the majority of the time it's possible to repair, even toys). We compost and garden. We try to be as environmentally friendly as we can and it does factor into our decision making as much as possible.

Neither my husband or I were raised to be environmentally conscious, it was just something that made sense to us as adults.

ETA: I don't know if I would describe myself as apathetic or skeptical. I don't really think about it much, we don't make a huge stink about it and couldn't possibly care less about how other people live. They're just little changes we implemented and they don't really warrant much thought. I don't know, I don't know how to answer that haha.

amother

Hotpink

Thu, Jul 09 2020, 3:26 pm

I grew up in a family of very humble means, one might even say "poor," so thrift is something I grew up with. Back then nobody thought in terms of environmental responsibility, but waste was something to be avoided because the more you waste the more it costs you. I was rather embarrassed to go on class trips with an apple for refreshment rather than the can of soda and bag of potato chips, and I was frankly envious of kids whose schoolbooks were covered with store-bought laminated covers. Mine were covered with brown paper grocery bags. I yearned for store-bought Purim costumes when mine were cut from old sheets.

But I came of age together with the environmental movement. The region went through a prolonged drought when I was in middle school and we had multiple class projects on water conservation. I was in HS on the first Earth Day and in college during the energy crisis of the 1970s. I'm not terribly concerned about the whales, which have come back from the brink of extinction, but I am concerned about people and the air, water and soil upon which we depend. I am horrified by the wholesale deforestation that is exacerbating global warming and is threatening to turn our planet into a desert.

Reduce, reuse, recycle is my mantra. Am I fanatic? No. I think disposables have their place, but I use them as seldom as possible and reuse them as long as possible. Yes, Virginia, I wash out foil pans and plastic bags for reuse. I'm proud of my grocery-sack bookcovers, coffee-jar food storage and old-sheet Purim costumes. I crush eggshells to enrich the soil in my flowerpots.

I try to conserve energy by switching off lights when I leave a room for more than 10 minutes, using natural cooling as much as possible and a/c as little as possible, letting the bottom outer surface of my pots turn black to absorb heat rather than reflect it, unplugging appliances that are not in use (a safety measure as well as a conservation measure), making sure that the flame on the stove doesn't extend up the sides of the pot, putting small pots on small burners and large ones on large burners, cooking stovetop instead of in the oven as much as possible, and if I'm already using the oven, filling it up. You'll seldom find me baking a single pie. For the same quantity of fuel I can bake four to six pies, and I will. When shopping for a new appliance--only because an old one died--I look for EnergyStar models. I shut off the water in the shower when shaving and I keep my showers short and on the cooler side.

I try to use less toxic chemicals when possible. Vinegar and baking soda are my staples, but there are occasions when they just don't do the trick and a commercial product is needed. I use a silver polishing cloth rather than chemical polish most of the time, and in general prefer to do most jobs by mechanical rather than chemical means. Does this mean that I never buy a dry-clean-only garment? No, but only if I can't find an acceptable washable alternative.

My shopping lists and to-do lists are written on the backs of envelopes--we get so much junk mail that the supply is unlimited. I save and reuse clean gift wrap, ribbons, boxes and containers of all kinds. I would grow my own veggies if I could but my sunless apartment isn't conducive. I grow plants--such few as will survive in low light--not only because I love them but also as my tiny contribution to the fight against greenhouse gases and the deoxygenation of our atmosphere.

Which is a very long and roundabout way of saying, yes, I care about the environment and I try to protect it. Still, there are still many things I could do better, like remembering to use the rinse water from hand laundry to water the plants. I'm always collecting ideas.

amother

Vermilion

Thu, Jul 09 2020, 3:38 pm

I live in a pretty "green" city, so I do pretty much what everyone around me does, but I do try to make a conscious effort to avoid creating unnecessary waste and pollution.

We recycle everything. I try to avoid single-use plastics wherever possible. I buy mainly fresh produce loose from the farmer's market and take it home in a granny-cart.

I clean my house with white vinegar and bicarbonate of soda. We also try to spend on good quality, durable items - especially clothes and shoes. Even furniture! I'd rather buy a secondhand solid wood table than something made from particles brand new that will need to be replaced in just a few years.

My husband is even more into it than me - he times his showers to avoid wasting water, and uses a bar of soap instead of shower gel.
He also buys laundry soap etc from a weigh-out place where you take your own container.

amother

Hotpink

Thu, Jul 09 2020, 4:59 pm

amother [ Vermilion ] wrote:

My husband is even more into it than me - he times his showers to avoid wasting water, and uses a bar of soap instead of shower gel.

We use bar soap--I never thought of that as an especially "green" thing to do. We have a bottle of body wash in the shower for guests and for our children who are too lahdidah to use bar soap. I blame yeshiva and seminary for that--till they went away, bar soap was fine with them.

I put all the little impossible slivers of bar soap that are too small to handle into a wide-mouth jar (saved from some skincare product, of course) and add water to make "soap soup" for hand laundry.

I also time my showers, though to save time more than to save water. I shower in the morning before work, and before shabbos, and lingering could make me late.

amother

Thu, Jul 09 2020, 5:54 pm

RuralIma wrote:

I really like your attitude regarding your actions and the actions of others.

Bulk bins at the stores not Costco, correct? Costco uses so much packaging! DH loves Costco and I don’t partly because of the packaging.

amother

Thu, Jul 09 2020, 6:01 pm

amother [ Hotpink ] wrote:

Love this post. There are so many ideas here. Some are applicable and some are starting points for someone else to find an alternative that works for them and their situation.

As for growing, we had success with the AeroGarden for herbs and for lettuce AYLOR but they don’t need checking.

aliavi

Thu, Jul 09 2020, 6:10 pm

amother [ Indigo ] wrote:

I know I should care more, but life gets in the way and we are not that environmentally friendly in my home.
We do always use real dishes for eating meaty as we have a dishwasher, but for pareve or dairy its usually on paper as there is no dish washer.
Now go ahead and throw tomatoes. This is my answer. We use plastic for our shalom bayis otherwise the dishes would always be done by me(my husband is hopeless when it comes to cleaning them well).
Other than that, nothing really. Its not on the top of my list.

No tomatoes at ALL. There are other things you can do instead of plastics at a meal that won’t have you choosing between Shalom Bayis. Actually hand washing uses so much water and energy that it may not be better than plastics 😉 There are good ideas on this thread already. I’ll give some more

-hang dry laundry
-wash only full laundry and dish loads
-repurpose items
-buy only the things you love with clothes toys decor. You will keep them longer.
-combine errands
-limit food packaging and waste

amother

Thu, Jul 09 2020, 6:17 pm

RuralIma wrote:

Thanks.
Right, we go to stores that have large bulk bin sections. I know there's a place a few hours away that does bulk soap/detergent/shampoo and stuff but we haven't been there yet and who knows when it will open again. I've been making laundry and dishwasher detergents from stuff we can find either in bulk or cardboard packaging but I haven't found a solution for my stupid hair product yet. Rolling Eyes

I just ordered a shampoo and conditioner bar from Ethique yesterday. Their site has a product finder. I have long dry itchy coarse curly (Impossible) hair. I’m going to try it. I switched to a bar for my face wash and it lasts and works.

Sunscreen is my no solution product. It needs the packaging to maintain product integrity. I switched to tinted and don’t need makeup or concealer (yay fewer products) but need a setting powder/spray.

Have Soap Nuts worked for your laundry? I’ve used Nellie’s soap. It’s super concentrated and the tin is reusable.

amother

Thu, Jul 09 2020, 6:23 pm

amother [ Hotpink ] wrote:

Yes!! Bars!! Most of the plastic bottle is water! They need chemicals to keep the product from separating and to be shelf stable.

I’m guilty about showers. We have a timer for kid showers but I don’t use it. I should except for when I need extra self care. Thanks. Saving time for things you want to do is important.

amother

Thu, Jul 09 2020, 6:28 pm

LovesHashem wrote:

So much of recycled items go to the trash. Anyway. I try to buy quality items, reuse bags, and I don’t litter.

Plastic can be conveient and if that what enables you to be a better mom or wife than go right ahead! I think I would be concerned if I wasn’t frum. Moshiach will come for sure in less than 200 years will my plastic ruin the world before then? I don’t think so.

Either way I did grow up with less so I don’t throw away items freely. I reuse a lot of stuff.

Reusing and repurposing is one of most environmentally friendly actions. I hear about the plastic and Moshiach. I don’t think of any of it to be more important than the things that actually are. I would like to be appreciative of all that HKBH gives to me including the Earth so I try.