Think about these two words: fossil fuel.
Fossil fuels were made millions of years ago, from dead plants and animals crushed under extreme pressure and heated over a millions of years to produce this material. Fossil fuels are finite.
Think about the words natural gas.
Natural gas is not so natural. Our only truly renewable resources are the sun, the wind and plants. It is predicted that at the present rate of consumption, oil will be depleted in 49 years, gas in 53 and coal in 114 years.
The climate crisis is here and now. Consider and adopt new habits and a lifestyle that leads to less consumption.
Do your part for our kids and grandkids. We all have and will have a carbon footprint, but reducing that footprint is easy and essential.
USE ENERGY CONSERVATION MEASURES. Simple things like turning off unnecessary lights and gadgets. Add motion-sensing lighting indoors and out.
ONLY USE FABRIC BAGS WHEN SHOPPING. Encourage online businesses to use packing materials made of corn starch pellets instead of Styrofoam pellets. Corn starch pellets make great compost.
MAKE HOMEMADE MEALS. They are often cheaper, more nutritious and use less packaging than prepared meals. Make right-overs from leftovers.
COMPOST. it doesn’t need to be a scientific laboratory. Layer your leaves, grass clippings, food waste and water like a lasagna in a composting tub. Avoid adding meat scraps to compost as doing that attracts critters.
MOW NOT BLOW. Leaves ground up by your mower make the best and cheapest fertilizer for your lawn. Raking also helps to improve your upper body strength
INSULATE YOUR HOME. Call Mass Save for a free energy audit. Mass Save offers a huge incentive for air sealing and cellulose, which is recycled paper and fire retardant materials. You need about 14 inches-plus of insulation in your attic. Think about a Styrofoam cup of coffee. It might be 200 degrees inside your cup and hand temperature outside. Insulation works! Think about a blown-up balloon and piercing it with a pin. It deflates. Likewise, leaks in your house allow heat to escape.
ONLY FLY ON A PLANE OUT OF NECESSITY. Cluster the trips in your car. Walk and bike whenever possible. Idling your car wastes energy; shut it off and restart your car,
BUY SLIGHTLY USED CLOTHING. There are often great bargains on quality items.
SOLAR PV PANELS ARE A WIN-WIN. Typically, a solar install pays for itself in 5-plus years, and you have free electricity for another 15-plus years. Yes, solar panels can and will be recycled. We need to save all the trees we can to work towards a net zero balance. Every possible rooftop should have solar panels. Vote for rooftop and brownfield installations rather than solar farms that can reduce farmland and woodland.
DITCH YOUR DRYER: Buy a drying rack or a rope to hang wet clothes on. Yes, it takes a few minutes to hang clothes up but check out your reduced KW usage to see a great savings.
INVENTORY YOUR TRASH. See what you can reduce or recycle better.
BUY ITEMS THAT ARE MORE SUSTAINABLE. Don’t opt for throwaway items. Stainless steel bowls are forever, while plastic bowls have a life.
GROW MORE. A small garden of basil and tomatoes is pretty yummy in August. A large garden offers more delicious food. Support your local CSA for a truckload of great food.
SUPPORT LOCAL. Local produce and handmade items might be a touch more expensive but these folks are our friends and neighbors, and local items are not transported hundreds of miles.
Send your additional suggestions and stories to the Greenfield Recorder as they help to educate us about climate crisis concerns.
(Virginia) Jinx Hastings lives in Northfield.