This past weekend I moved to my new apartment in Delmar. It's been a challenging experience, learning how to live on my own and find my own way. It also has left me to question the world and my impact.

Turning Down the Heat

The simple act of turning on the stove and boiling has left me looking at the burner and thinking about the coal that's being burned in a distant massive plant, to produce this heat that has been transmitted by electric.

Or simply turning up the heat. It's electric so it's expensive to use, or as I like to think of it, realistic to what impact of energy consumption really is to our society. So I choose to use less—not just to save money but to avoid pollution.

I leave my main heat at 50 °F, and when I am cold I turn up the heat in my bedroom for a few minutes. When I'm going out camping or to the conference for an extended weekend, I turn off the hot water heater to save energy. I've replaced every single light with compact florcents with the lowest possible wattage to save further energy. I also make sure lights are off as soon as I leave a room.

The difference might only be a few bucks a month, but I know I'm saving far more then just money. I am reducing my greenhouse gas emissions, and the other pollutants that are made every time we turn on the lights or turn up the heat. It might not seem like much, but it adds up, and we can all make a difference. I am planning on getting renewable energy as my power source starting next month.

Taking the Bus

I also live within a short walk to both the Route 18 Delaware Ave and Route 19 Voorheesville Express bus. I usually take the Route 18 bus in, and then either carpool home or take Route 19 back home. I not only save fuel, but also are reducing my impact on my planet.

The amount of miles I save by taking the bus and living in the suburbs is utterly amazing. From my parent's house it's 24 miles to the city or 13 miles to the Delmar bus stop. That meant I was driving to work 120-240 miles a week previously, using $3.30 gasoline. That's between 6-12 gallons of gas or $18-$36 dollars a week commuting. I still drive around town about 20 miles on weekdays on average. On weekends, I can easily drive another 100 or so miles. Yet, that's still more then 75% the driving I was doing when I was regularly commuting.

I look forward to the summer next year, when I can take vacation and make up for all the miles I've missed, driving, and exploring new places. Combined with paid vacation, my conservation of resources and living simply, I should have amble resources to go where I want and explore where I want. In particular, I want to see more of Western New York, Rural Pennsylvania, and the Tugg Hill Plateau. Those are the trips I plan for next year.

Choosing What I Buy

I do not have trash pick up at my apartment. This is a conscience choice on my behalf, and it’s not just to save money. I try to avoid things in excessive packaging, particularly those things in non-recyclable plastics, and vinyl. I have four cans for recycling and trash. Food scraps are frozen until I can take them to my parents’ farm for the chickens. I will haul my own trash and recyclables to the Transfer Station on Rupert Road about once a month.

Most people would just pay to have one of those big trash containers out front along with a little tiny recycling can. They wouldn’t consider what they bought. It’s probably not that expensive to do that, but what does that say about your own consumption choices? Doing what is right is more important then mere convenience.

One thing that is more difficult is getting used to using only reusable bags at the stores. Some places are less then friendly about this, especially the big box stores. But being determined, and making sure that you don’t forget them makes it possible to not waste so much plastic. Those plastic bags that I do pick up, I try either to reuse for trash bags or to take them back to the store for recycling.

Today I will be shopping at the Empire State Plaza farmers market and seeing what I can get locally to eat.

Personal Choices: First Week

I’ve only been in the apartment since Sunday. Yet, I’m still trying to make the right choices, and do better then I have done in the past. It will be a learning experience, and I will grow over time. Yet, I hope to do more, and be more sustainable in my life.