With all this talk lately of climate change and environmental issues I started to think of all the things I do to conserve and minimize my pollution footprint. Here is a quick short list:

1. I plant low water demand plants for my yard so I don't have to water. I get enough rain to keep them going.
2. I purposely bought the smallest vehicles I could do with and with the smallest engines available.
3. I drive reasonably to increase my gas mileage.
4. I recycle all my cans, plastic and glass.
5. I read and pay attention to what I can place in my recycle bin at home. You won't believe how much recyclables you may be throwing into the dump.
6. I give away things I no longer want or need instead of throwing them away. I have reduced the amount of trash I dispose of by a large amount.
7. I don't take my time in the shower. I have a bad back and I used to let the hot water run on it a lot. I found other, better treatments for my back.
8. I re-purpose all sorts of plastic and glass containers as well as other household and clothing items. Including plastic and paper bags, cardboard, etc.
9. Whenever possible I don't buy new. I buy used. There is a lot of good stuff on Craigslist and Freecycle.
10. I bring re-usable bags with me to the grocery store and Costco.
11. I bought energy efficient appliances and learned to use them properly and buy the soaps/detergents and whatever to take advantage of their energy efficiency and lower pollution properties.
12. I don't dump gray water into the drains that go straight to the ocean.

A lot of these things I do because they also save me money. And while saving money I am not adding more stress on the environment than I have to.

I'm probably missing some things. So what do you do to make yourself a good environmental citizen?

The last few years separating recyclables really surprised me how much I was throwing away.That blue can is nowhere near as big as it should be.

The last few years separating recyclables really surprised me how much I was throwing away.That blue can is nowhere near as big as it should be.

I learned how to fold stuff and combine pieces that fit together well in order to minimize the amount of room they take up so I can pack more into the blue container. I also learned if I pack the container too tight sometimes it does not all fall out when the trash truck comes to empty it.

I have held on to items for an extra two weeks because I couldn't fit them all into the blue container one week. The only other alternative was to throw them away so they get put into the dump.

There is a financial cost to every decision.  For instance, if you recycle aluminum and cardboard, there is more energy and time used to process those materials than purchasing new raw materials.  When recycling was first proposed, it was cost prohibitive.  Now, taking that to the landfill or burning costs more as those businesses raised rates and get gov't subsidies to motivate recycling.

Look at the HI-5 program.  We pay 18 cents per container for the privilege of having a canned or bottled refreshment.  We get 5 cents back to motivate us to return the empties.  The other 13 cents pays for the gov't program and private recycler's costs.  Cost of recycling is pushed to the consumer to offset the extra cost over using new materials.  Then the recycled material is sold to other businesses that use it to make new products.

Recycling itself has limitations: Unless the materials can be economically recycled in Hawaii, they must be shipped at least 2,500 miles to Asia or the mainland,
which adds costs and carbon footprint. Nonetheless, shipping Oahu’s lower-value recyclables, such as waste paper, across the ocean for recycling has substantial
global environmental benefits, according to a 2005 study commissioned by the Honolulu Department of Environmental Services’ Refuse Division. The global benefits
would include an overall net reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions and a net energy benefit of 330,000 megawatt/hours a year, versus a net energy benefit
of 49,000 MWh for processing that waste into energy at H-Power (both figures are compared against a baseline of putting those materials in a landfill).

However, shipping materials overseas to recycling centers has only nominal economic benefit for the Islands, while recycling them locally, either as materials or through
conversion to energy, clearly creates more economic activity in Hawaii.

http://www.hawaiibusiness.com/the-economics-of-recycling-in-hawaii/

There is a financial cost to every decision.  For instance, if you recycle aluminum and cardboard, there is more energy and time used to process those materials than purchasing new raw materials.  When recycling was first proposed, it was cost prohibitive.  Now, taking that to the landfill or burning costs more as those businesses raised rates and get gov't subsidies to motivate recycling.

Look at the HI-5 program.  We pay 18 cents per container for the privilege of having a canned or bottled refreshment.  We get 5 cents back to motivate us to return the empties.  The other 13 cents pays for the gov't program and private recycler's costs.  Cost of recycling is pushed to the consumer to offset the extra cost over using new materials.  Then the recycled material is sold to other businesses that use it to make new products.

http://www.hawaiibusiness.com/the-economics-of-recycling-in-hawaii/

I am fully aware of the financial costs of my decisions. I was just curious as to the lengths some of us go to conserve, save a little money and keep as much as we care to out of the dump.

For instance, I drink a lot of bottled water because the bottled water is convenient for me to use. So I reuse the bottles once or twice by refilling them. But I don't stop buying the bottled water completely. I can't just buy a cooler and refill it. The problem for me is that I can't carry a cooler with me every where I go at work. A bottle is the perfect size. So I don't hesitate to buy water in bottles. I know it is better for the environment to not buy it in the first place. So as long as I am buying it I might as well get a little bit of my money back or throw it in the recycle bin. It is as you said, my choice. My decision.

I'm not really sensitive to Hawaiian gods.
Our whole trash problem is easy to solve.
Use an Archimedes screw and feed all the trash into
Puu Oo.  It makes new land that someday someone can
live on and plant food.
Win - win!

I'm not really sensitive to Hawaiian gods.
Our whole trash problem is easy to solve.
Use an Archimedes screw and feed all the trash into
Puu Oo.  It makes new land that someday someone can
live on and plant food.
Win - win!

I think we can improve the gene pool if we throw in a few sacrifices, too!!! 

I'm not really sensitive to Hawaiian gods.
Our whole trash problem is easy to solve.
Use an Archimedes screw and feed all the trash into
Puu Oo.  It makes new land that someday someone can
live on and plant food.
Win - win!

Not trash but if we used geothermal power we could cut our dependence on oil for energy.  Look at greenland.

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saving the planet 1 brass case at a time.   

Good list Inspector. I could probably learn a few things from it.

I think living simple and curbing wants helps a lot. Don't buy things that you don't need.  (Ya right, mr prepped).

I guess, what I mean is don't waste things and think through purchases if you really need it or not.

Be happy with what you have and don't buy things you don't need.

Fix things.

Not trash but if we used geothermal power we could cut our dependence on oil for energy.  Look at greenland.

The problem with geothermal is that you cannot just tap into the ground any where. There are areas mapped out where there are favorable areas. But there are also a lot of unfavorable areas. I don't know why we don't do more of it like on the BI. I believe cost is a huge factor as it is still cheaper to burn oil/coal than it is to build a geothermal plant. Besides cost and some accidents I don't see much of a downside for this.

I unplug things not in use at home to save electricity.  Xbox, microwave, fans.  Things I cannot unplug are stove, fridge, TV (cable box takes 10 mins to reset other wise).

Noticed savings of $20 a month by not having xbox plugged in when not in use.

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saving the planet 1 brass case at a time.   

Oh man, I forgot to put that one on the list. Good one. 

Also, is using solid lead for bullets instead of jacketed okay now? Is that environmentally friendly now that the ban on lead for bullets has been lifted? 

I unplug things not in use at home to save electricity.  Xbox, microwave, fans.  Things I cannot unplug are stove, fridge, TV (cable box takes 10 mins to reset other wise).

Noticed savings of $20 a month by not having xbox plugged in when not in use.

Those are called "vampire loads", as in, they suck energy without you noticing. 

Some Home Theater devices -- TV, projector, Audio woofer -- can all be "on" and pulling energy even when "off" (which is more like "standby").  Some TV's have settings to disable "instant on" or "standby mode" to stop that device from being on.

Game systems are really bad, as are new smart TVs and disc players, as they are network-enabled.  While off, they can be polling for updates or simply maintaining the DHCP IP address when it expires.

You can get smart power strips and smart UPS power batteries to help with this.  You plug a "master" device into the master plug, and all the associated devices (audio, DVD/BluRay, game console), in the controlled plugs.  When the master device drops below a set level of power use (basically off), all the controlled plugs are turned off.  So, by turning off the TV, everything else would be disabled at the strip.

One of the very worst devices is your Cable DVR.  It stays on all the time for recording and updates.  Some companies have been working on more efficient versions.

For about $10, you can get a single-plug energy monitor.  If you plug that into a device, you can tell if there is any power usage while it's off.  The monitor can also record the energy used by a device over time to identify heavy load appliances.

Lastly, if you have an electric water heater, you should look at converting to a solar heater.  That's the number one energy consuming appliance in almost every home.

...I think living simple and curbing wants helps a lot. Don't buy things that you don't need.  (Ya right, mr prepped). ...

...Be happy with what you have and don't buy things you don't need....

...Fix things.

My wife and I had a long talk about living a more minimal lifestyle in order to move here. I can honestly say she has done a good job with that. I on the other hand have been hoarding away powder and bullets. I finally decided I better stop and start using up what I have. With few exceptions we don't waste much. I found my blue recycling bin is pretty full every two weeks and my trash can has very little in it every week.

Oh, I can add to the list:

13. I shred my documents that have personal info on them. I save the paper and use it as packing material for shipping items.

Other than powder and bullets I am living a minimal lifestyle compared to what I was living on the mainland.

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saving the planet 1 brass case at a time.   

Save water, drink beer! 

When I lived in WA, recycling became a habit.  We would actually get a credit based on what he put in the recycle bins.  Sort of shocked me when people didn't recycle much when I moved back in 2004.  Getting more common and I still try to recycle as much as I can.

I also donate as much as I can to a local church, but that's more about charity and supporting community than being good for the environment.  I try to reuse things, like shipping boxes and shopping packages.  I do appreciate companies that try to encourage recycling and sustainable efforts, but I generally like the company for the quality of their products and appreciate the environmental consideration as a plus. 

I guess I personally don't do anything to help reduce my personal carbon footprint.  I would pursue PV if I had a house, but primarily for the longer term cost benefit as opposed to environmental considerations. 

A HS friend started an eco group for kids and he and his family participate.  Beach cleanups, community facility improvements, etc.  All with the goal of educating to be good stewards of the land.  I've been meaning to go and support in person, but have only supported with some donations here and there.

Those are called "vampire loads", as in, they suck energy without you noticing. 

Some Home Theater devices -- TV, projector, Audio woofer -- can all be "on" and pulling energy even when "off" (which is more like "standby").  Some TV's have settings to disable "instant on" or "standby mode" to stop that device from being on.

Game systems are really bad, as are new smart TVs and disc players, as they are network-enabled.  While off, they can be polling for updates or simply maintaining the DHCP IP address when it expires.

You can get smart power strips and smart UPS power batteries to help with this.  You plug a "master" device into the master plug, and all the associated devices (audio, DVD/BluRay, game console), in the controlled plugs.  When the master device drops below a set level of power use (basically off), all the controlled plugs are turned off.  So, by turning off the TV, everything else would be disabled at the strip.

One of the very worst devices is your Cable DVR.  It stays on all the time for recording and updates.  Some companies have been working on more efficient versions.

For about $10, you can get a single-plug energy monitor.  If you plug that into a device, you can tell if there is any power usage while it's off.  The monitor can also record the energy used by a device over time to identify heavy load appliances.

Lastly, if you have an electric water heater, you should look at converting to a solar heater.  That's the number one energy consuming appliance in almost every home.

When I lived on the BI I had a timer which turned my water heater on and off. No use having it on while at work. I must say electricity was damn expensive over there. It is expensive here too but my bill now is constantly $75-$100 less than when I lived on the BI.

Recycling aluminum is one of the few things that save money and energy.  It's a common ore, but difficult to extract.  Probably better off throwing cardboard into the trash for HPower as it's not valuable, bulky, and have to ship it elsewhere to recycle.  I read an article about HPower where the director said they're not operating at 100% capacity so they could use more trash to burn.  Also depending on the demand, sometimes the city loses money recycling cardboard.

You can add composting to your list of things to do.  Also ride a bicycle or walk instead of driving for short distances.

Probably better off throwing cardboard into the trash for HPower as it's not valuable, bulky, and have to ship it elsewhere to recycle.  I read an article about HPower where the director said they're not operating at 100% capacity so they could use more trash to burn.  Also depending on the demand, sometimes the city loses money recycling cardboard.

i have a patient that works in the city with the refuse/recycling
he is an environmentalist, but tells me it's better as taxpayers to throw as much stuff in the trash as possible
the green waste and cardboard paper go to a vendor that we pay to have the stuff recycled
trash goes to H-Power, where it is burned and turned to energy, which we sell to HECO

Look at the HI-5 program.  We pay 18 cents per container for the privilege of having a canned or bottled refreshment.  We get 5 cents back to motivate us to return the empties.  The other 13 cents pays for the gov't program and private recycler's costs.  Cost of recycling is pushed to the consumer to offset the extra cost over using new materials.  Then the recycled material is sold to other businesses that use it to make new products.

I don't know where you got 18 cents, the beverage container is 5 cents and there is an extra 1 cent to cover processing.

http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2007/bills/SB1026_cd1_.htm

Recycling aluminum is currently profitable on its own but the law gives us an incentive to do it as individuals.