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Instead of buying (recycled) paper towels, I've been using reusable cloth towels and napkins. I'm using cloth instead of disposable products whenever possible (not just paper towels). It would definitely be much easier if I had my own washer and dryer but cloth is softer and better for the environment so it's still worth it.
The good thing about living in the middle of the city is I can walk to multiple grocery stores and other places to do errands instead of always driving. Being vegan for the last 10 years has also helped the environment. When I move soon, I'm going to install blackout curtains, which should hopefully cut down on a/c usage this summer.
The things I did, at home and work, is about saving money. I started by DIY installing Gila heat reflective window tint, set water heater to around 120 degrees, and all light bulbs at home CFL (back in early 2000). As I got more money, I installed solar screens on all Windows for further heat reduction (live in south Louisiana). As my old TVs began to die, I replaced them with LED TVs for less heat generated. As my CFL bulbs die, I replace them with LED. When we replaced our old leaking central air unit, we installed an automatic thermostat (automatically switches between heat and cool). With drastic overnight weather changes, this saves money. Cheaper to maintain than manually switch to heat in a 50 something degree home. Installed ceiling fans in living room and all bedrooms. Use rechargeable batteries for my work flashlights. I work in a hospital boiler room. I got the ball rolling to gradually switch out all exterior lights to LEDs. I take the stairs as often as possible when physically able. I find problems with the HVAC system and take corrective action either on my own or by bringing it to the attention of supervisors if it's beyond my capabilities or lack of materials to make correction. We waste huge amounts of water per safety regulations. For each electric fire pump we have, they must be run for 10 minutes a week. We have a diesel fire pump and it must be run 30 minutes a week.this isn't hospital regulations, this is government regulation. We try to stay strictly within that time limit.
My highest electric bill was around $120. My lowest was $38. I drive a 2015 Hyundai Elantra SE around town and average over 30 MPG and go over two weeks between fill ups.
When we replaced our clothes washer and dryer, we got a top load high efficiency washer and only wash in cold water. The dryer has an automatic setting that turns off the dryer when it senses the clothes are dry. For most loads of similar fabric clothes, it works fine. If mixing thicker fabric with thinner fabric, we take out the thinner fabric and run the thicker fabrics for a bit longer.
I didn't do this myself but some guy married (and thus recycled) my ex-wife when I was done with her, perhaps feeling there was still some mileage left there. I got a newer (much younger) and more efficient (very slender) model.
I reduced the length of my commute to a wonderful 3 miles. At one point in my life, I was driving 120 miles per day just to go back and forth between the office and my house. I did my best to use as little fuel as possible and my hybrid was able to get me there and back on just 3 gallons a day, but now I use less than a tank per month. More recently I was commuting about 20 miles per day and though it only took 15 minutes each way, I was still using probably close to a gallon per day since it was mostly inefficient "warm up" driving which is when hybrids are at their worst.
It also has other positive impacts in my life, like being able to wake up at 8:30 and still be at my desk by 9:00 and being able to enjoy more time with my young kids while they are still awake, but the environmental benefit is palpable.
I'm shredding old paper as I write this, by hand. I was informed by my local green living group that paper shredded through a paper shredder often could not be recycled. After my shredder broke down, I never replaced it.
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