The flowing entry describes some of the steps I’m taking to participate in the Carbon Fast for Lent.
1. Coffee Mug at Work.
I’d been meaning to bring a ceramic coffee mug to work for a while. I usually drink my morning coffee out of a large travel mug. A couple days a week, I either drink my coffee at home or skip it. Then I don’t bring my travel mug to work. And sometimes I want a cup of coffee at work. My travel mug doesn’t fit into the little coffee machine at work so I had to use the little paper cups. No more. I finally got it together and brought a trusty ceramic mug to work. Sometimes it’s the little things…
2. No Taxis.
Living in New York City, I normally walk or take the subway just about anywhere I go. The one major exception is when I’m in a rush. It is easy to jump in a cab and get to where you need to be in only a few minutes. The only problems are that cabs are extremely expensive and extremely inefficient.
On Sunday, I was waiting and waiting on a subway platform. I was late to my friends’ house. I wanted to take the easy way—the quick way—and take a taxi instead of waiting. I resisted the temptation and waited another 15 minutes for the train. It was hard, but it was the right thing to do.
3. Go Paperless.
While I was paying my bills on-line this week, I realized I hadn’t signed up for the “paperless” option on all my bills. Many of us pay out bills online. But we still get mailed bills. I’ve been receiving bills, checking them for a moment, and throwing them out for longer than I can remember. This is a waste of paper and energy.
I signed up for paperless billing for all my bills. This is so much better on so many levels. My statements are sent to my email and I pay online. Now I don’t have to come home and find a stack of bills on the kitchen table.
4. Walking to Work.
Friday was as nice if a day as I’ve seen in a while. So, I walked to work. This was no real sacrifice. I just know if everyone walked a little more, the subway system could send fewer trains and save some energy. But, really I just wanted to walk in the warm weather.
5. No Beef.
Beef cattle produce an alarming amount of methane each year. The United States has about 100 million cattle, responsible for about 18% of our greenhouse gasses. Worse yet, these 100 million cows burp up a great deal of methane (our largest source). Methane is a more potent greenhouse gas than CO2, warming the atmosphere 20 to 50 times more.
While I will (and have) eaten some other meats, I will not eat beef during Lent.
6. Turned Down the Heat.
My apartment has been to hot. Rather than opening a window, I simply turned down the heat. I have a steam radiator so turning down the heat really means turning off the heat. That’s fine. One radiator is off, one is still on. The apartment is still warm but now uses half the heat.