12 Steps to Reduce Waste

Easy ways to live an eco-friendly life
by Sara Eckel

You turn out the lights when you leave the room, and diligently set your bundles of newspapers and rinsed bottles on the curb. But are you doing everything you could to reduce waste? Allen Hershkowitz, PhD, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, says that living an eco-friendly life is easier than you might think. "If you operate efficiently, you both reduce waste and save money. There's really no reason not to do it," says Hershkowitz. Convinced? Here are 12 great ways to get started.

1. Buy a battery recharger. "Batteries contain dangerous metals that aren't combustible and shouldn't go in a landfill," says Hershkowitz. Over time, the charger will pay for itself, since you'll no longer shell out for new batteries every time your Walkman runs out of juice.
2. Ditch the paper towels and napkins. Hershkowitz says that the paper industry is the number-one consumer of fresh water and the number-one industrial cause of deforestation. Do your part by using cloth napkins, dishtowels and sponges in the kitchen and dining room.
3. Keep your tires properly inflated. Your car will run more efficiently, using less gas and emitting fewer pollutants.
4. Patronize local businesses. When you buy from stores that get their products locally, like farmers markets and food co-ops, you're supporting companies that don't waste precious natural resources by shipping products across the country. "You're also supporting your local economy," says Jim Merkle, author of Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth (New Society Publishers, 2003).
5. Pack refillable juice boxes in your kids' lunches. "You can buy them for $1 at bargain stores, instead of using disposable juice boxes," says Hershkowitz. "It saves paper, plastic and money." Set a good example for the kids by bringing a coffee cup to work, or finding a coffee shop that will refill a travel mug.
6. Keep your lawn pesticide free. You won't pollute water, and you may safeguard your children's health. "There's a documented increase in child leukemia in homes that use pesticides on their lawn, and there is an even greater incidence in homes that use them indoors," says Hershkowitz, who has maintained a healthy lawn for 15 years without pesticides.
7. Shop at thrift stores and tag sales. Whenever you opt for used clothing, appliances or furniture, you're not just saving cash. You're also reducing the demand for newly manufactured products. "We're a wasteful society, and it's good to make use of that waste," says Merkle.
8. Install a low-flow showerhead. "This is a high-efficiency showerhead," says Hershkowitz. "It will perform as well as a standard showerhead but uses less water."
9. Reduce the office paper jam. One-third of all our garbage is paper, says Hershkowitz. Making double-sided photocopies and printing on the back side of used paper goes a long way.
10. Get a bike. Do you drive five minutes to pick up a loaf of bread at the supermarket? Hershkowitz says that 25 percent of all car trips are less than a mile. By riding a bike or ‑- egads! ‑- walking for short trips, you'll save energy and money, and you just might slim down in time for swimsuit season.
11. Put a big shade tree in front of your house. "It will keep your home cooler, and you won't need to use the air conditioning as much," says Merkle.
12. Look for the recycling symbol on toilet paper and tissues. The manufacturing process for making paper from other paper products is less wasteful than making it straight from trees. "Don't buy Kleenex that's made from 100 percent virgin trees," says Hershkowitz, who points out that Marcal, Seventh Generation and CVS are all made from post-consumer recycled paper.

Fifty Ways to Help Save the Planet (part 7)

48. Green Grilling

If you have a charcoal barbecue grill, make sure your charcoal comes from a sustainable source. Enormous areas of tropical rainforest are destroyed every year to produce the 900,000 tons of charcoal burned annually in the U.S. Chimney starters are the most environmentally friendly solution to lighting charcoal. They use only a couple of pieces of newspaper, meaning you can avoid the gas-flavored meat that accompanies barbecues started with lighter fluid or fire starters. If you are replacing your grill, remember that using a gas, rather than charcoal, grill is the most environmentally friendly way to barbecue. It avoids forest destruction and doesn't add to local air pollution.

49. Re-gift Gift Wrap

Help cut down on the consumption of paper and plastic by re-using wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, and gift bags. These items should be good for at least one more wrapping. If you are feeling creative, use old calendars, pages from magazines, or even newspaper to wrap gifts.

50. A Green Ending

Green funerals don't just mean a woodland burial. Very few people actually know about the green alternatives to steel or hardwood coffins. Many private funeral homes present green alternatives to traditional coffins, including wicker caskets and shrouds. Currently, 89 percent of coffins sold are made of chipboard that is manufactured using formaldehyde. When chipboard coffins are cremated, they can release toxic gases. If buried, they disrupt local ecosystems; as the chipboard decays, the formaldehyde and glue leach into the soil and groundwater. Finally, most people opting for a green good-bye will choose a meadow or woodland burial, with only a memorial tree marking the grave. For more information, visit fullcirclecare.org.

Fifty Ways to Help Save the Planet (part 6)

40. Avoid Pesticides

Use natural methods of pest control. Form a log pile—dead wood provides a habitat for many kinds of wildlife, such as snakes and ground beetles. Both are natural predators for snails and slugs. If you create a small pond to encourage frogs and toads, they will help mop up the rest of your slug life. In the short term you can get rid of slugs using beer traps (slugs are attracted to yeast). To get rid of whiteflies, buy Encarsia formosa, small parasitic wasps that eat whiteflies. Grow flowers such as marigolds to attract ladybugs, hoverflies, and lacewings, all of which protect against aphids.

41. Bat Boxes

Want to reduce the number of mosquitoes in your backyard? Then invest in a bat box. One bat can eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes a night. You will also be making a contribution to our country's temperate biodiversity: bat populations in America and around the world are declining, especially in urban areas, where they have few roosting spaces. Ideally, group two or three boxes together, place them as high as possible, and face them so the sun directly heats them for six to seven hours each day. If you are making a bat box yourself, use untreated and unpainted wood. It is essential that bats not be disturbed, so make certain your bat boxes cannot be reached by any local cats. For more information, visit batconservation.org.

42. Walk or Bike

Always consider alternatives to driving, especially for journeys under two miles. It's better for the environment to walk, cycle, or even take the bus than to hop in your car. Currently, only 2 percent of employed adults walk to work in the U.S. Walking adds to life expectancy, is safe, helps with mental and physical health, and, best of all, is completely free. Cycling is another way to get around and has recently become more popular, what with more bike paths and cool new gadgets like L.E.D. lights for riding in the dark. New kinds of folding bikes have been specially developed for the commuter. Surprisingly, recent studies have shown that bicyclists in cities are less exposed to air pollution than people in cars and taxis.

43. Buy a Hybrid

Hybrid cars, which run on a combination of a gasoline engine and an electric motor, are all the rage these days. They get up to 50 miles per gallon, while a typical S.U.V. might travel around 15 m.p.g. Hybrids can offer substantial savings, and you may qualify for a one-time tax credit of up to $3,400. For information on U.S hybrid-car incentives, go to hybridcars.com.

44. Biofuels 101, Part 1

Have you heard of biofuels? Biodiesel and bioethanol are alternative fuels derived from crops such as sugarcane, oilseed rape, and used cooking oil, which are generally blended with diesel fuel or gasoline. Biofuels are available in a range of different blends—for example, 30 percent biofuel and 70 percent gas or diesel. Biodiesel is generally appropriate for any diesel vehicle designed to run on low-sulphur diesel. Biodiesel blends are becoming more widely available in the U.S. Check biodiesel.org to find out about local availability.

45. Biofuels 101, Part 2

Bioethanol is an alcohol-based fuel. A 5 percent blend of bioethanol can be included in ordinary gas and used by any car in the U.S. that runs on unleaded gas. You may already be using bioethanol-blended gas, as the 5 percent version is now being sold in the U.S. through unmarked unleaded-gas pumps. Saab and Ford both have a flex-fuel model available, which can run on bioethanol-based fuel or on straight gasoline. If you drive an older model, you can still use biofuel if you are willing to have your car converted to flex-fuel.

46. Discover Your Carbon Footprint

If you think you're already pretty green, determine your carbon footprint: a measurement of how your lifestyle choices affect carbon emissions. Your footprint will take into account your habits, the food you eat, your gas and electricity usage, your car and air mileage. Your score will be compared to the average figures for your county. These online tests aim to help you estimate your own carbon emissions and calculate how much of the planet's resources are required to sustain your lifestyle. They may motivate you to make changes, helping you set simple goals to reduce your negative impact on the planet. To learn about your carbon footprint, go to carbonfootprint.com.

47. Get an Electric Lawn Mower

Surrender your gas lawn mower. Gasoline lawn mowers are among the dirtiest of modern machines. A study funded by the Swedish E.P.A. found that using a four-horsepower lawn mower for an hour causes the same amount of pollution as driving a car 93 miles. The trouble with gas lawn mowers is that they not only emit a disproportionate amount of CO2, they are also responsible for releasing carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons into the air. Retire the noisy monster and buy an electric or manual model. Better still, reduce the number of times you mow per season and let some of your lawn grow wild, which has added benefits for bugs, butterflies, and birds. For more information, visit greengrasscutters.com.

Fifty Ways to Help Save the Planet (part 5)

32. Recycle Your Batteries

Although the number of electrical gadgets that use disposable batteries is on the decline, each person in the U.S. discards eight batteries per year. Overall, Americans purchase nearly three billion batteries annually, and about 179,000 tons of those end up in the garbage. Batteries have a high concentration of metals, which if not disposed of properly can seep into the ground when the casing erodes. Avoid disposable batteries by using your outlets whenever possible. If you can't do without batteries, use rechargeable and recycled ones. You should also have your batteries collected and recycled. Go to rebat.com for a list of companies that participate in battery reclamation.

33. Turn Off Your Computer When You Leave at Night

While computers do require a power surge when you first turn them on, they don't need enormous amounts of electricity to function for lengthy periods. Also, you can set your computer on "sleep" mode, which uses about three watts per hour, if you are going to be away from your desk for more than 15 minutes.

34. Get Involved

Recycling at home doesn't get you off the hook at work. If your office doesn't recycle, or recycles only paper, find out why. If you work in a small office, call your local authority to discover what recycling equipment and services are available. These may include storage containers and compacters as well as collection. If you work in a larger office, ask your building-services coordinator why there are no recycling facilities and whom you would need to speak to about starting a recycling program for paper, glass, metal, and plastic. For more information, visit earth911.org.

35. Print Double-sided

American businesses throw away 21 million tons of paper every year, 175 pounds per office worker. For a quick and easy way to halve this, set your printer's default option to print double-sided (duplex printing). This has the added advantage of halving the paper pile on your desk. To further cut your paper wastage, make sure you always use "print preview" mode to check that there are no overhanging lines and that you print only the pages you need. Other ways to cut down on paper before you get to the printing stage include using single or 1.5 spacing instead of double spacing, and reducing your page margins.

36. Conserve Water in Your Garden

Attach a barrel to your downspout that will collect rain from your roof's eaves. Your plants will thank you: rainwater is better for your garden, as the chlorine in tap water can inhibit plant growth. You can also save six gallons every minute of watering simply by attaching a trigger nozzle to your hose so that you use water only when it's needed. In addition, if you grow your grass a little longer, it will stay greener and require less water than a closely mowed lawn.

37. Create a Living Fence

When replacing yard fences, instead of building a wooden fence, opt for a living fence. A living fence is a hedge or row of trees, which can be groomed to maintain appearance. Not only is a living fence less expensive than a traditional fence, it also never needs to be painted. This saves you money and time and keeps harmful chemicals out of the environment. Try to use native flora and to avoid hedges comprised of only one species.

38. Recycle Your Newspaper

There are 63 million newspapers printed each day in the U.S.; 44 million, or about 69 percent, of these will be thrown away. Recycling just the Sunday papers would save more than half a million trees every week.

39. Plant a Tree

It's the simplest thing in the world to gather acorns, chestnuts, sweet chestnuts, and sycamore seeds in the autumn, plant them immediately, and forget them until the following spring. The success rate for acorns is not as high as for the other three, but in a good year about 40 percent germinate into oak trees. There's little that will stop the others from growing into healthy trees within the first year. Start saplings in Styrofoam coffee cups, which can be split with a knife so that the roots aren't disturbed when you plant them outdoors. Keep the saplings for four or five years, then plant them in your own garden, offer them to friends, or return them to nature. It may seem like a very small contribution, but if 5 percent of the U.S. population were to germinate one tree in one year, there would be almost 15 million extra trees absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. For more information, visit arborday.org.

Fifty Ways to Help Save the Planet (part 4)

24. Avoid Disposable Goods

Institute a mug policy in your office. Americans throw away some 25 billion polystyrene cups every year, most of which end up in landfills. Refill your water bottles once or twice, and make your coffee in a ceramic mug. If you bring in cutlery from home, you will also cut down on those pesky plastic forks, knives, and spoons.

25. Grow Your Own Garden

In 1826, J. C. Loudon wrote in An Encyclopaedia of Gardening, "For all things produced in a garden, whether salads or fruits, a poor man that has one of his own will eat better than a rich man that has none." To start a vegetable garden costs nothing but a few packs of seeds and rudimentary garden implements, and it saves enormous amounts of money, to say nothing of the food miles and the packaging that go into supplying you with fresh fruits and vegetables. Of course, a vegetable garden is only productive for part of the year, but it is amazing how long that growing season lasts and how much you can produce from one small patch.

26. Buy Recycled Products

There has to be a market for products made with recycled goods. Support this movement by purchasing recycled goods—you will save virgin materials, conserve energy, and reduce landfill waste. Recycled paper products include toilet paper (which is no longer scratchy, like it used to be), copy paper, paper towels, and tissues. Look for garbage bags and bin liners labeled "recycled plastic," and buy recycled toner cartridges for your fax machines and printers.

27. Plane Better

Air travel is currently responsible for 3.5 percent of the global-warming gases from all human activity and is growing fast. Cargo transport by air is increasing by about 7 percent annually and passenger air travel is up in the last few years by between 4 and 7 percent. The impact of air travel is enormous; a round-trip between New York and Los Angeles emits one ton of CO2 per passenger. (To determine CO2 emissions for your next flight, go to co2.org.) Try to limit the number of flights you take. If you're traveling within a country, why not take a train? (Air travel releases at least three times more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than rail travel does.) If you're planning a business trip, consider whether a video linkup or a conference call will suffice.

28. Carbon Offsetting

Air traffic is the fastest-growing source of greenhouse-gas emissions, so when you do fly, consult a carbon-offsetting organization such as Climate Care to "carbon-offset" your journey. Climate Care determines your flight's emissions and the cost to offset the CO2. For example, to offset that round-trip flight between New York and Los Angeles, you would pay about $10 to Climate Care, which invests in forestry and energy-efficiency projects. For more information, visit climatecare.org.

29. Switch to Green Power

The leading cause of industrial air pollution is electricity production. According to the American Lung Association, more than 50,000 Americans die each year from air-pollution-related causes. If available, get your electricity from renewable energy sources such as wind, sun, water, and biomass, all of which generate electricity with fewer environmental impacts. With utility companies in 35 states offering green-power pricing plans, around half of all electricity consumers could buy green, yet only half a million do. Does green power cost more? Yes, but barely. For example, New York's Con Edison charges an additional one-half cent per kilowatt-hour for its green-power products. To see if your energy provider offers green-power options, visit eere.energy.gov.

30. Standby No Longer

Electricity "leaks" are no laughing matter. Televisions, video and DVD players, cable boxes, and other electronic equipment found in nearly every American home are wasting huge amounts of energy. When these devices are left on standby (the equivalent of "sleep" mode for computers) they use about 40 percent of their full running power. Every year, the energy wasted in this way is the equivalent of the annual output of 26 power plants. To avoid the drain of these "energy vampires," plug them into a power strip and turn it off when they are not in use.

31. Turn Off Your Chargers

Most cell-phone chargers continue to draw electricity even when the phone isn't plugged into it. If your cell-phone charger averages five watts per hour and is plugged in all the time, that means a total of more than 40 kilowatt-hours every year, or about 93 pounds of CO2. The same problem applies to your other electronic equipment—your laptop, iPod, digital camera, and BlackBerry. Unplug all your chargers when they are not in use.

Fifty Ways to Help Save the Planet (part 3)

15. Buy Eggs in Cardboard Cartons

Cardboard egg cartons are normally made from recycled paper, which biodegrades relatively quickly, and are also again recyclable—Styrofoam or plastic cartons take a much longer time to biodegrade and their manufacture produces harmful by-products.

16. Drink Shade-Grown Coffee

Shade-grown coffee is for the birds, literally. According to coffeeresearch.org, about 150 species of birds live on shade-grown-coffee farms, while only 20 to 50 inhabit full-sun farms. With increased demand for cheap coffee, many Latin American growers have moved toward full-sun plantations, clearing the habitat of numerous native birds and increasing the use of pesticides and fertilizers. By drinking shade-grown coffee, you can help bird habitats and reduce the need for farming chemicals. Shade-grown coffee beans can be purchased at many grocery stores. Starbucks offers shade-grown coffee as well.

17. Save Water Indoors

A typical American household uses 350 gallons of water each day. About half that—175 gallons—is used indoors (toilets consume about 30 percent of the indoor total). Unnecessary water usage comes in the form of leaks. Fixing leaky faucets and toilets is a quick and easy way to conserve water. A steady faucet drip can waste 20 gallons of water a day. Leaky toilets are even worse, wasting upward of 100 gallons a day. Since toilet leaks are generally silent, check for them regularly by removing the tank cover and adding food coloring. If the toilet is leaking (and 20 percent of them usually are), color will appear in the bowl within 30 minutes.

18. Take Showers, Not Baths

The average American household consumes about 60 gallons of water a day from showers and baths. To reduce this number, take quick showers and install a low-flow showerhead that uses fewer than 2.5 gallons of water per minute, as compared to about 5 gallons with an older showerhead. Baths are relaxing, but it can take 50 gallons of water to fill a tub.

19. Stop the Water

By leaving the water running while you brush your teeth, you can waste 150 gallons of water per month—that's 1,800 gallons a year! Turning the water off while you brush can save several gallons of water per minute. Also pay attention to this water-saving principle while shaving or washing your face.

20. Insulate Your House

Good insulation is one of the best ways to reduce your heating bills and cut your CO2 emissions. Heating and cooling make up 50 to 70 percent of energy use in the average American home. Also, replace old windows and be sure to seal holes and cracks in your house with weather stripping or caulk. A well-insulated house can prevent hundreds of pounds of CO2 emissions per year and can cut your heating and cooling bills by up to 20 percent. For more information, visit eere.energy.gov.

21. Turn Your Thermostat Down One Degree

If you turn your thermostat down by one degree, your heating costs will decrease by about 3 percent. Turn it down five more degrees for four hours a day and reduce your heating bills by almost 6 percent. If you're going to be away for the weekend or out in the evening, turn your thermostat down. It's not true that reducing the temperature means it will take more heat to bring it back up to a warm level (unless you have a heat pump in your home). Also, turn the heat down if you are throwing a party—every guest will be the equivalent of a 100-watt heater.

22. Don't Be a Butt Tosser

About 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered worldwide each year—making them the most-littered item. The myth that cigarette filters are biodegradable is just that, a myth. Although the filters do eventually decompose, they release harmful chemicals that enter the earth's land and water during the decaying process. There is nothing earth-friendly about the breakdown. If you must smoke, carry a 35-mm. film canister to store your used butts in until you can properly discard them.

23. Don't Just Dump

Envelopes come in huge quantities for free every day. If you are careful when opening letters, you can use the envelopes again by simply putting a label over the original address. This saves money and trees, while reducing waste. Try to re-use jars and plastic containers—for example, when taking your lunch to work. (Doing so prevents waste, and making your food at home is less expensive than the alternative.) Ask your office manager to buy re-usable mesh coffee filters instead of bleached paper ones, which may contain dioxins. They are tree-free and should save your company money

Fifty Ways to Help Save the Planet (part 2)

7. Hang Up Your Dryer

It goes without saying—clothes dryers are huge energy gluttons. Hints to reduce energy use: Clean the lint filter after each load (improves air circulation). Use the cool-down cycle (allows clothes to finish drying from the residual heat inside). Better yet, abandon your dryer and buy some drying racks, if you don't have a clothesline. Generally, clothes dry overnight.

8. Get a Gold Laundry Star

An Energy Star–qualified washing machine uses 50 percent less energy and could reduce your utility bills by $110 annually. Standard machines use about 40 gallons of water per wash; most Energy Star machines use only 18 to 25 gallons, thus also saving water. Whenever possible, wash your clothes in cold water using cold-water detergents (designed to remove soils at low temperatures). And do your laundry only when you have a full load. If you must do a small load, adjust the water level accordingly.

9. Green Paint

Most paint is made from petrochemicals, and its manufacturing process can create 10 times its own weight in toxic waste. It also releases volatile organic compounds (V.O.C.'s) that threaten public health. (V.O.C.'s are solvents that rapidly evaporate, allowing paint to dry quickly.) They cause photochemical reactions in the atmosphere, leading to ground-level smog that can cause eye and skin irritation, lung and breathing problems, headaches, nausea, and nervous-system and kidney damage. The best alternative? Natural paints. Manufactured using plant oils, natural paints pose far fewer health risks, are breathable, and in some cases are 100 percent biodegradable. Remember: Never throw your paint away. Check out Earth 911's "Paint Wise" section for re-use programs in your community; earth911.org.

10. Build Green

Before embarking on any home remodeling, make sure your architect has green credentials. Although there is no national organization of green architects in the U.S., that doesn't mean you can't get an architect who will build along sustainable lines. Ask where he or she sources materials, and request that energy-saving devices, such as solar paneling, be installed. Visit directory.greenbuilder.com or environmentalhomecenter.com for more green-building information.

11. Get a Green Roof

A green roof is more than simply a roof with plants growing on it. It functions like a "breathing wall," consuming carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and emitting oxygen. Green roofs generally use low-maintenance, drought-resistant plants. Vegetation is planted or laid down as pre-vegetated mats on a thin layer of soil. More intensive green-roof systems may contain trees and larger plants, but these require deeper soil and are more expensive. One of the biggest benefits of a green roof is water management: it can absorb more than 50 percent of rainwater, thereby reducing runoff, a major source of pollution in our waterways. Plus, it can help reduce air-conditioning costs during the hot summer months. The vegetation looks after itself through the seasons and creates a habitat for insects, which, in turn, provide food for birds. Green roofs can also last more than twice as long as conventional rooftops. They look better too. For more information, visit greenroofs.com.

12. Play It Cool

Avoid placing your air conditioner next to a TV, lamp, or other electrical appliance that generates heat. A heat source will confuse the unit's thermostat, causing it to misread how hot the room is and make the air conditioner run longer than it should. You can also program an air conditioner to start running 30 minutes before you arrive home (as with heating). There is no need to cool a home if no one is in it.

13. Food Miles Matter

Food is traveling farther than ever. Once upon a time people ate seasonally—artichokes in the winter, cherries in June. Now you can buy most fruits and vegetables practically year-round. The average American meal contains ingredients produced in at least five other countries. The transportation of food and agricultural products constitutes more than 20 percent of total commodity transport within the U.S. To help reduce CO2 emissions (released from trucks, airplanes, and cargo ships), it's best to buy food that's in season, organic, and grown locally. Go to ams.usda.gov to find the farmers' market nearest you.

14. Go Vegetarian One Day a Week

To produce one pound of beef requires 2,500 gallons of water—that's 40 times more water than is used to produce a pound of potatoes. Before buying beef, think about the immense cost of energy used to raise cattle and to transport meat to your supermarket shelf. Besides all this, cows consume enormous amounts of antibiotics and are a prodigious source of methane, which is the number-two greenhouse gas; livestock are responsible for almost 20 percent of the methane in the atmosphere.

Fifty Ways to Help Save the Planet (part 1)

What you can do.

introduction by Henry Porter May 2006

The problem is so vast and the urgency so great that advice which suggests you turn off the tap while brushing your teeth or switch off lights and standbys when they are not needed or go vegetarian for one day a week seems, well, ridiculous. Global warming is probably the greatest threat our species has ever faced. The sheer scale of the processes under way in the atmosphere and the oceans makes it hard not to view anything an individual does to reduce emissions as being too little too late. Not true. The astonishing fact is that each of us can have an immediate impact on the production of greenhouse gases, and if enough of us act together in these minor ways, the cumulative effect will be dramatic. That's because so much of the way we live our lives is wasteful and, to put it bluntly, thoughtless. It takes nothing to switch off a lamp, unplug the phone charger, take a shorter shower, cook without pre-heating the oven, skip the pre-wash part of the dishwasher cycle, or, often, walk or bike instead of drive. And they all save money, which is one of the rather striking things about reducing your carbon footprint—the standard way of measuring the CO2 emissions each person is responsible for.

Some of the suggestions that follow may involve a little more effort—recycling, ditching plastic bags, and fixing leaky faucets and toilets; others require you to spend money—insulating your home, installing solar panels, or buying a fuel-efficient car. Even with these, however, there is almost always an eventual payback in terms of reduced bills.

The overwhelming and heartening point about the ideas here is that, if adopted by large numbers of people, they will have an immeasurable effect. When it comes down to it, the continued rise in carbon emissions is a matter of individual conscience: each of us can and should do something, however small. In 5 or 10 years' time that thought, together with everything written here, should be second nature to us. Ladies and gentlemen, this little booklet is the future—a more ingenious, more satisfying, and less wasteful future. Welcome to it.

Reporting for V.F.'s Green Guide by Daisy Prince and Emily Butselaar.

1. Lightbulbs Matter

Switch from traditional incandescent lightbulbs to compact fluorescent lightbulbs (C.F.L.). If every American household replaced one regular lightbulb with a C.F.L., the pollution reduction would be equivalent to removing one million cars from the road. A 30-watt C.F.L. produces about as much light as an ordinary 100-watt bulb. Although the initial price is higher, C.F.L.'s can last 12 times as long. C.F.L.'s are available at most home-improvement stores and at bulbs.com.

2. Ditch Plastic Bags

Californians Against Waste (cawrecycles.org), a nonprofit environmental advocacy group, estimates that Americans use 84 billion plastic bags annually, a considerable contribution to the 500 billion to one trillion used worldwide. Made from polyethylene, plastic bags are not biodegradable and are making their way into our oceans and waterways. According to recent studies, the oceans are full of tiny fragments of plastic that are beginning to work their way up the food chain. Invest in stronger, re-usable bags, and avoid plastic bags whenever possible.

3. Rinse No More

According to Consumer Reports, pre-rinsing dishes does not necessarily improve a dishwasher's ability to clean them. By skipping the wash before the wash, you can save up to 20 gallons of water per dishload. At one load a day, that's 7,300 gallons over the course of the year. Not to mention that you're saving time, dishwashing soap, and the energy used to heat the additional water.

4. Forget Pre-heating

Ignore cookbooks! It is usually unnecessary to pre-heat your oven before cooking, except when baking bread or pastries. Just turn on the oven at the same time you put the dish in. During cooking, rather than opening the oven door to check on your food, just look at it through the oven window. Why? Opening the oven door results in a significant loss of energy.

5. A Glass Act

Recycle glass (think beer bottles, jars, juice containers) either through curbside programs or at community drop-off centers. Glass takes more than one million years to decompose; Americans generate almost 13 million tons of glass waste a year. Glass produced from recycled glass reduces related air pollution by 20 percent and related water pollution by 50 percent. Go to earth911.org for local recycling information.

6. Banking on the Environment

Want to have a more energy-efficient home or office? Save green by being green. Purchase appliances and electronics with the Energy Star certification. Begun in 1992 by the E.P.A. to rate energy-efficient computers, the Energy Star program today includes more than 40 product categories, and it also rates homes and workplaces for energy efficiency. Energy Star estimates that, with its help, Americans saved enough energy in 2004 to power 24 million homes, amounting to savings of $10 billion. To learn more about Energy Star, visit energystar.gov.

Exercising Outside

Reviewed by: Marc J. Sicklick, MD, FAAAAI, FACAAI

With a little care, exercising outside is possible for people with allergies. Follow these tips for a more enjoyable workout:

Pay attention to your local pollen reports. If allergen levels are high, it’s probably an indoor exercise day.


Choose the right activities. Continuous exercises (long-distance running, soccer) often trigger more allergy symptoms than stop-and-go activities (swimming, tennis, basketball).


Don’t exercise when you’re sick. Let your body rest and recover. If you force yourself, your allergy symptoms are likely to be much worse, and you’ll take longer to feel better.


Cover up. Wear eyeglasses or sunglasses to protect your eyes from airborne irritants; if pollen counts are high, wear a mask designed to filter allergens from the air. A mask or scarf can also be useful on cold days, because it warms the air that you breathe in.


Find good locations. Avoid areas with traffic and air pollution. If you know that plants you’re sensitive to grow nearby, find another place to exercise.


When you’re finished, wash up. Wash your hands and face as soon as you finish exercising, and wash your hair and bathe as soon as possible. This will get the allergens off of you, so you’re not carrying them around.


Exercise safely. Warm up and cool down for at least 15 minutes before and after any strenuous activity. Pay attention to your body and allergy symptoms. If it feels like you should slow down or stop, do so

Hidden Dangers in the Kitchen ( bahaya tersembunyi di ruang dapur )

Sometimes with environmental hazards we can feel like we know too much — like if we hear one more thing, we're going to buy a big bubble and live in it. But before you turn the page in fear of the unknown, you need to read this: These six things are easy to get rid of — so they can stop making you and your family sick.

Teflon-Coated Cookware

Fumes from overheated Teflon-coated cookware have been known to kill caged birds. Studies conducted by the Environmental Working Group have shown overheated nonstick pans emit a toxic mixture of chemicals that may cause cancer, birth defects, immune system suppression and increased risk of heart attack and stroke. The chemical culprits are fluorine compounds, which are used in water-and stain-repellent coatings on carpets, clothing, ironing boards, ovens and pots and pans. What should you cook with? Keep reading.



Aluminum Pots and Pans

You just ruled out Teflon, now you need to get rid of any aluminum pots and pans because that aluminum has been linked to Alzheimer's disease. These pans are light, often cheap and are reactive. Storing salty or acidic food in an aluminum pot will pit the surface of the metal and contaminate the food with aluminum. Instead, use clay, stainless steel, ceramic, glass, porcelain or cast-iron cookware. One of the advantages of cast-iron is that it can actually provide small amounts of iron, a necessary nutrient.

Plastic Utensils

Get rid of anything plastic in your kitchen. It melts when it gets hot, and, well... cooking often involves heat! A hot frying pan is an unsuitable location for a plastic spoon or spatula (as I have demonstrated on more than one occasion). Instead use stainless-steel spatulas, wooden spatulas, bamboo spatulas, wooden spoons, stainless-steel spoons, stainless-steel ladles, and glass or metal measuring cups.



Plastic Containers

Many plastics start to break down as they age and when they are heated, scrubbed or subjected to harsh detergents. Bisphenol A is the main ingredient in polycarbonate plastic, which is commonly used to make baby bottles, reusable milk bottles and reusable water bottles. Bisphenol upsets natural hormone levels and causes genetic damage and miscarriages in lab mice. To minimize your exposure to the chemicals found in plastics, when you bring groceries home, remove the plastic packaging and wrap all your cheeses and meats in freezer paper or waxed paper before putting them in a plastic bag or container.


Raw Meats

Diners who eat raw or undercooked meat, fish, shellfish, or poultry can end up with tapeworms, toxoplasmosis or trichinosis. Avoid cross-contamination by using different cutting boards for meat and produce, preparing your produce before you prep meat and laundering all dishtowels you use after cooking. Also try this homemade spray system: Take two spray bottles and fill one with distilled white vinegar and the other with hydrogen peroxide. After washing meats and produce, spray vinegar first and then the peroxide on your countertops — no need to rinse.

Metal Containers

# Acidic foods such as tomatoes, sauerkraut, fruit, lemonade, fruit punches, carbonated beverages, tea and wine can react with metal in containers and become poisonous. Avoid these and use glass instead: Zinc: Galvanized metal containers may leach toxic amounts of zinc into the food.
# Copper or brass: Makes lemonade, wine, tea, coffee and tomato sauce toxic.
# Lead: Traditional pewter contains 25% lead and 75% tin. Many antique ceramics have lead glazes. Avoid using them for serving food. Also be wary of lead crystal.

green_Tips

Carbon Reduction Tips

Car

• Walk, ride a bike, or combine trips to reduce driving. If you stopped driving just 20 extra miles per week for one year, you could save about 900 pounds of CO2.

• A well-maintained car is more fuel-efficient, produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions, is more reliable, and is safer. Keep your car well tuned, follow the manufacturer's maintenance schedule, and use the recommended grade of motor oil. Also check and replace your vehicle's air filter regularly.

• Check your tire pressure regularly. Under-inflation increases tire wear, reduces your fuel economy, and leads to higher greenhouse gas emissions. If you don't know the correct tire pressure for your vehicle, you can find it listed on the door to the glove compartment or on the driver's-side door pillar.

• Combine trips more often. It's easy! Chances are, you're already doing it -- combining your errands into one trip. It helps you get things done and it helps reduce traffic congestion and air pollution. When you first start a car after it's been sitting for more than an hour, it pollutes up to five times more than when the engine's warm.

• Take mass transit, share a ride, or car pool. Even if you do it just once or twice a week, you'll reduce traffic congestion and pollution, and save money. The average driver spends about 56 cents per mile including ownership and maintenance.

• Have fun! Ride your bike. It's a great way to travel and it can help you and the air get into condition. Vehicles on the road create more than 25% of all air pollution nationwide.

• Get fuel when it's cool. Refueling during cooler periods of the day or in the evening can prevent gas fumes from heating up and creating ozone. And that can help reduce ozone alert days.

• Don't top off the tank. It releases gas fumes into the air, which cancels the benefits of the pump's anti-pollution devices. So, stopping short of a full tank keeps gas off of you, is safer, and reduces pollution.

• Telecommute. Work at home sometimes. You'll save time and money, and reduce emissions and traffic congestion.

• Know before you go. If your area has a travel and transit information network, use it by calling, visiting the web site, or tuning into the cable station. Get travel and transit updates before you leave home and you won't get stuck in a jam.

• Idling gets you 0 miles per gallon. The best way to warm up a vehicle is to drive it. No more than 30 seconds of idling on winter days is needed. Anything more simply wastes fuel and increases emissions.

• Avoid high speeds. Above 60 mph, gas mileage drops rapidly. The http://fueleconomy.gov/ web site shows how driving speed affects gas mileage.

Home

• During winter, dense, low-lying trees and shrubbery on the north and northeast sides of your home can help protect your home against wind chill.

• Moving your thermostat down two degrees in the winter and up to degrees in the summer saves 2,000 pounds of CO2.

• Replacing each regular bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb saves 150 pounds of CO2 a year per bulb.

• Planting shrubs, bushes, and vines next to your house creates dead air spaces that insulate your home in both winter and summer. Plant so there will be at least 1 foot (30 centimeters) of space between full-grown plants and your home's wall.

• Wash clothes in cold or warm water and save up to 500 pounds of CO2 per year. After washing your dishes in hot water, rinse them in cold water, and wait to run the dishwasher until it is full.

• Simple steps like cleaning air filters regularly and having your heating and cooling equipment tuned annually by a licensed contractor can save energy and increase comfort at home, and at the same time reduce greenhouse gas emissions. When it's time to replace your old equipment, choose a high efficiency model, and make sure it is properly sized and installed.

• Plant trees to shade your home, reducing your cooling costs in the summer months. Typically, newly planted trees will begin shading windows in their first year and will reach your roof in years 5-10.

• Landscaping your home for energy efficiency can reduce your heating and cooling bills, the largest component of your home's energy use. Your overall landscaping strategy will depend on your regional climate.

Life

• By purchasing a 100% new renewable energy product for a year, an American household using an average of 938 kWh per month could help avoid contributing over 15,600 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.

• Of the 25 billion single-serving plastic water bottles Americans use each year, 80% end up in landfills. Recycle your water bottles and, better yet, choose to re-use a refillable water bottle made of a refill-safe material.

• Plant a tree. Over an average lifetime of 40 years, one tree absorbs about 665 pounds of carbon dioxide. Trees have other benefits too, like reducing stormwater runoff and providing wildlife habitats. Visit the BeGreenNow store to purchase a Gift of Green, which plants native trees in United States ecosystem restoration projects.

• Consider buying a laptop for your next computer upgrade; they use much less energy than desktop computers.

• There is a common misconception that screen savers reduce energy use by monitors; they do not. Automatic switching to sleep mode or manually turning monitors off is always the better energy-saving strategy.

• ENERGY STAR computers and monitors save energy only when the power management features are activated, so make sure power management is activated on your computer.

• To maximize savings with a laptop, put the AC adapter on a power strip that can be turned off (or will turn off automatically); the transformer in the AC adapter draws power continuously, even when the laptop is not plugged into the adapter.

• Unplug battery chargers when the batteries are fully charged or the chargers are not in use.

• Look for the ENERGY STAR® label on home appliances, electronics and other products. ENERGY STAR® products meet strict efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

• "Phantom" loads occur in most appliances that use electricity, such as VCRs, televisions, stereos, computers, and kitchen appliances. In the average home, 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. This can be avoided by unplugging the appliance or using a power strip and using the switch on the power strip to cut all power to the appliance

Pikun di Usia Lanjut bukan Hal Wajar

AMA ini, sebagian besar masyarakat cenderung menganggap pikun pada orang lanjut usia sebagai suatu kewajaran. Itu keliru sebab dalam dunia medis, pikun merupakan satu hal yang tak wajar dan berhubungan dengan penyakit. Salah satu penyakit yang berkaitan erat dengan kondisi pikun adalah demensia alzheimer. ''Penurunan kemampuan dan kecepatan mempelajari hal-hal baru memang wajar terjadi pada orang tua. Namun, kepikunan pada usia berapa pun bukan sesuatu yang wajar. Kepikunan biasanya timbul karena adanya gangguan fisik maupun psikis, seperti depresi atau karena demensia alzheimer,'' kata spesialis kesehatan jiwa dari FKUI/RSUPN Cipto Mangunkusumo, dr Suryo Dharmono, dalam peringatan Hari Alzheimer Sedunia, pekan lalu di Jakarta. Hari Alzheimer Sedunia diperingati setiap 21 September. Menurut Suryo, demensia alzheimer didefinisikan sebagai suatu sindroma penurunan kemampuan intelektual secara progresif yang disebabkan merosotnya fungsi kognitif. Akibatnya, fungsi sosial, pekerjaan, dan aktivitas sehari-hari seseorang terganggu. ''Pada orang dengan demensia alzheimer, sel-sel otaknya mengalami gangguan dan kerusakan secara progresif. Akibatnya, timbul berbagai gangguan perilaku di luar kebiasaan,'' tambahnya. Demensia, lanjut Suryo, umumnya dialami orang berusia 60-an tahun ke atas. Hingga saat ini, penyebab demensia alzheimer belum diketahui secara pasti. Diduga, penyebabnya berkaitan dengan faktor genetik, penyakit-penyakit kardiovaskular, zat beracun, sejumlah penyakit infeksi virus, parkinson, dan penyakit-penyakit lain yang menyebabkan rusaknya fungsi sel otak. Penderita demensia alzheimer, kata dr Suryo lagi, akan kehilangan kemampuan untuk berpikir logis. Akibatnya, timbullah perilaku yang terkesan aneh. Antara lain pikun, lupa dengan diri, keluarga maupun lingkungannya, tersesat meski berada di sekitar rumah, paranoid, cemas dan cemburu berlebihan tanpa alasan, berhalusinasi, serta bertindak di luar kebiasaan, seperti menjadi jorok dan berperilaku tak sopan. Bisa dihambat Selain berperilaku 'aneh', penderita demensia biasanya juga mengalami gangguan fisik, seperti nyeri kronik, konstipasi atau susah buang air besar, dispepsia urine atau buang air kecil tak terkontrol. Sayangnya, masyarakat masih menganggap pikun maupun perilaku aneh pada orang lanjut usia sebagai kewajaran. Masyarakat cenderung menganggap pikun sebagai bagian dari proses penuaan. Padahal, itu terjadi karena kerusakan sel-sel otak yang progresif dan itu sebenarnya bisa dihambat dengan obat. ''Kerusakan sel otak yang sudah terjadi pada penderita demensia alzheimer memang tidak dapat disembuhkan. Namun, proses kerusakan fungsi otak selanjutnya dapat dihambat dengan obat-obatan dan terapi nonobat sehingga tidak bertambah parah,'' ungkap dr Suryo. Lebih lanjut, ia mengemukakan makin cepat penderita demensia alzheimer dideteksi dan diobati, hasilnya akan semakin baik. Karena, pengobatan yang dilakukan lebih awal berarti mempersempit kemungkinan rusaknya area otak yang lebih luas. Sering lupa pada hal-hal sederhana merupakan gejala awal demensia alzheimer. Diagnosis awal terhadap penderita demensia alzheimer dilakukan melalui sebuah tes penyaring (mini mental state examination/MMSE). Seseorang yang menjalani tes tersebut akan diberi sejumlah pertanyaan sederhana, seperti nama hari/tanggal, nama musim, dan berhitung mundur. Bila hasil tes menunjukkan indikasi demensia alzheimer, akan dilakukan pemeriksaan lebih lanjut untuk memastikan diagnosis. ''Orang yang sering lupa pada hal-hal kecil, suka mengulang-ulang suatu cerita seolah baru bercerita untuk pertama kalinya, dan mengalami perubahan perilaku dianjurkan untuk mengikuti tes ini. Demikian juga dengan orang-orang yang punya riwayat keluarga penderita demensia alzheimer,'' tutur dr Suryo. Pada kesempatan yang sama, pembicara lain, yakni konsultan neurologi RS Islam, Jakarta, dr Samino menjelaskan selain terapi obat-obatan, penderita demensia alzheimer memerlukan dukungan orang-orang sekitar untuk menciptakan lingkungan yang nyaman dan aman. ''Suasana aman dan nyaman itu diperlukan untuk mencegah keparahan lebih lanjut dan mencegah agresivitas penderita,'' ujar dr Samino. Lingkungan yang cenderung tetap/stabil sangat diperlukan penderita. Sesuatu yang baru, meski sederhana, bisa dianggap sebagai sesuatu yang asing dan mengancam bagi penderita. Tak jarang, penderita tidak mau makan siang karena corak piring yang dipakai berubah atau tak mau masuk kamar karena susunan interior atau cat kamar berubah. Dokter Samino menegaskan dalam menghadapi penderita demensia alzheimer, baik keluarga maupun tenaga medis harus menghindari perdebatan dengan penderita atau menyalahkan secara langsung perilaku penderita yang tak wajar. ''Percuma saja berdebat dengan penderita karena logika penderita sudah tidak normal lagi. Selain percuma, perdebatan bisa memancing agresivitas penderita,'' ujar dr Samino. (Nik/S-4)

"SAVE PAPER - THINK BEFORE YOU PRINT! "

Mari kita lebih peduli pada nasib Bumi kita !
Save the Nature, Save the Earth !!!

Harta Karun untuk Semua
oleh Dewi Lestari

Hari ini kiriman buku yang saya pesan dari Amazon.com datang. Ada satu
buku
yang langsung saya sambar dan baca seketika. Judulnya: "Stuff - The
Secret Lives of Everyday Things". Buku itu tipis, hanya 86 halaman,
tapi
informasi di dalamnya bercerita tentang perjalanan ribuan mil dari mana
barang-barang kita berasal dan ke mana barang-barang kita berakhir.

Dimulai sejak SD, saat saya pertama kali tahu bahwa plastik memakan
waktu
ratusan tahun untuk musnah, saya sering merenung: orang gila mana yang
mencipta sesuatu yang tak musnah ratusan tahun tapi masa penggunaannya
hanya dalam skala jam-bahkan detik? Bungkus permen yang hanya bertahan
sepuluh detik di tangan, lalu masuk tong sampah, ditimbun di tanah
dan
baru

hancur setelah si pemakan permen menjadi fosil.

Sukar membayangkan apa j adi nya hidup ini tanpa plastik, tanpa cat,
tanpa
deterjen, tanpa karet, tanpa mesin, tanpa bensin, tanpa fashion. Dan
sebagai konsumen dalam sistem perdagangan modern, sejak kita lahir
rantai
pengetahuan tentang awal dan akhir dari segala sesuatu yang kita
konsumsi
telah diputus. Kita tidak tahu dan tidak dilatih untuk mau tahu ke mana
kemasan styrofoam yang membungkus nasi rames kita pergi, berapa banyak
pohon yang ditebang untuk koran yang kita baca setengah jam saja, beban
polutan yang diemban baju-baju semusim yang kita beli membabi-buta.

Untuk aktivitas harian yang kita lewatkan tanpa berpikir, yang terasa
wajar-wajar saja, pernahkah kita berhitung bahwa untuk hidup 24 jam
kita
bisa menghabiskan sumber daya Bumi ini berkali-kali lipat berat tubuh
kita
sendiri?

Untuk menyiram
200 cc air kencing, kita memakai 3 liter air. Untuk
mencuci
secangkir kopi, kita butuh air sebaskom. Untuk memproduksi satu lapis
daging burger yang mengenyangkan perut setengah hari dibutuhkan sekitar
2,400 liter air. Produksi satu set PC seberat 24 kg yang parkir di atas
meja kerja kita menghasilkan 62 kg limbah, memakai 27,594 liter air,
dan
mengonsumsi listrik 2,300 kwh. Bagaimana dengan chip kecil yang bekerja
di
dalamnya? Limbah yang dihasilkan untuk memproduksinya 4,500 kali lipat
lebih berat daripada berat chip itu sendiri.

Mengetahui mata rantai tersembunyi ini bisa menimbulkan berbagai
reaksi.
Kita bisa frustrasi karena terjepit dalam ketergantungan gaya hidup
yang
tak bisa dikompromi, kita bisa juga semakin apatis karena tidak mau
pusing.

Yang jelas, sesungguhnya ini adalah pengetahuan yang sudah saatnya
dibuka.
Pelajaran Ilmu Alam, selain belajar penampang
daun dan membedah jantung
katak, dapat dibuat lebih empiris dengan mempelajari hulu dan hilir
dari
benda-benda yang kita konsumsi, sehingga tanggung jawab akan alam ini
telah
disosialisasikan sejak kecil.

Pernahkah kita merenung, saat kita memasuki gedung FO empat lantai,
Pasar
Baru, atau berjalan-jalan ke Gasibu pada hari Minggu di mana ada lautan
PKL: tidakkah semua baju dan barang-barang itu mampu memenuhi kecukupan
penduduk satu kota ? Tapi kenapa barang-barang ini tidak ada habisnya
diproduksi? Setiap hari selalu ada jubelan pakaian baru yang
menggelontori
pasar. Pernahkah kita merenung, saat kita memasuki hypermarket dan
melihat
ratusan macam biskuit, ratusan varian mie instan, dan ratusan merk
sabun:
haruskah kita memiliki pilihan sebanyak itu?

Pernahkah kita merenung, apa yang kita inginkan sesungguhnya jauh
melebihi
apa yang kita butuhkan?

Atas nama
kecukupan, satu manusia bisa hidup dengan lima pasang baju
dalam
setahun, bahkan lebih. Atas nama fashion, jumlah itu menj adi tidak
berbatas. Atas nama kebutuhan, satu manusia bisa hidup dengan beberapa
pilihan panganan dalam sehari. Atas nama selera dan nafsu, seisi Bumi
tidak
akan sanggup memenuhi keinginan satu manusia.

Permasalahan ini memang bisa dilihat dari berbagai kaca mata. Seorang
ekonom mungkin akan menyalahkan sistem kapitalisme dan globalisasi.
Seorang

sosialis akan mengatakan ini masalah distribusi dan pemerataan. Tapi
jika
kita runut, satu demi satu, bahwa Bumi adalah kumpulan negara, negara
adalah kumpulan kelompok, dan kelompok adalah kumpulan individu,
permasalahan ini akan kembali ke pangkuan kita. Dan kesadaran serta
kemauan kitalah yang pada akhirnya akan memungkinkan sebuah perubahan
sejati.

Belum pernah dalam sejarah kemanusiaan keputusan harian kita menj
adi
sangat menentukan. Tidak perlu menunggu Amerika menyepakati protocol
Kyoto, tidak
perlu juga menunggu penjarah hutan tertangkap, setiap langkah
kita-memilih
merk, kuantitas, tempat, gaya hidup-adalah pilihan politis dan ekologis
yang menentukan masa depan seisi Bumi.

Saya belum bisa mengorbankan komputer karena itulah instrumen saya
bekerja,
tapi saya bisa lebih awas dengan jam penggunaan dan mematikannya jika
tidak
perlu. Saya belum bisa mengorbankan kebutuhan akan informasi, tapi saya
bisa memilih membaca berita lewat internet atau membaca koran di tempat
publik ketimbang berlangganan langsung. Bagaimana dengan fashion?
Di dunia citra ini, dengan profesi yang mengharuskan banyak tampil di
muka
publik, saya pun belum bisa mengorbankan keperluan fashion (baca:
membeli
busana lebih sering dari yang dibutuhkan), tapi saya bisa membuat
komitmen
dengan lemari pakaian,
yakni baju yang saya miliki tidak boleh melebihi
kapasitas lemari saya. Jika lebih, maka harus ada yang keluar. Dan
setiap
beberapa bulan saya dihadapkan pada kenyataan bahwa ada baju yang tidak
saya pakai setahun lebih atau baju yang cuma sekali dipakai dan tak
pernah
lagi. Bukan cuma baju, ada juga buku, pernik rumah, alat dapur, bahkan
sabun dan sampo yang utuh tak disentuh.

Alhasil, dalam rumah saya ada semacam peti-peti 'harta karun', yang
berisikan barang-barang yang harus keluar dari peredaran, karena jika
dipertahankan hanya menj adi kelebihan tanpa lagi unsur manfaat. Harta
karun ini lantas harus dic arik an lagi outlet untuk penyaluran.

Pada waktu perayaan 17 Agustus, di kompleks saya diselenggarakan
bazaar.
Para warga menyewa stand untuk berjualan. Saya ikut berpartisipasi, dan
sayalah satu-satunya penjual barang bekas di antara penjual barang-baru
baru. Karena bukan demi cari untung,
barang-barang itu saya lepas
dengan
harga sangat murah. Yang membeli bukan cuma warga kompleks, tapi juga
dari
kampung sekitar. Hari pertama, saya sudah kehabisan dagangan. Terpaksa
saya
mengontak saudara-saudara saya yang barangkali juga punya barang bekas
untuk disalurkan. Sama dengan saya, mereka pun punya timbunan harta
karun
yang entah harus diapakan. Stand saya menj adi salah satu stand paling
laris selama bazaar berlangsung. Dan kakak saya terkaget-kaget dengan
penghasilan
yang ia dapat dari tumpukan barang yang sudah dianggap sampah.

Berjualan di bazaar tentu bukan satu-satunya jalan, ada aneka cara
kreatif
lain untuk memanfaatkan harta karun kita, termasuk juga disumbangkan ..
Namun yang lebih sukar adalah memulai membuat komitmen-komitmen
pembatasan
diri. Berkomitmen dengan rak buku, dengan lemari pakaian, dengan rak
kamar
mandi, dengan laci dapur, dan
pada intinya... dengan diri sendiri.
Siapkah
kita menentukan batasan dan berjalan dalam koridor itu?

Dan, yang lebih susah lagi, adalah pengenda lia n diri dari awal bersua
aneka pilihan yang membombardir kita setiap hari, lalu sadar dan mawas
akan
rantai sebab-akibat yang menyertai pilihan kita. Membuka diri untuk
info
dan pengetahuan ekologi adalah salah satu cara pembekalan yang baik.
Walaupun sekilas tampak merepotkan dan bikin frustrasi, tapi kantong
kresek
yang kita buang t adi pagi tidak akan hilang oleh sihir, dan hamburger
yang
kita makan tidak dipetik dari pohon. Rantai yang menyertai
barang-barang
itu tidak akan hilang hanya karena kita menolak tahu.

Banyak orang yang berkomentar pada saya, " Aduh , Wi . Kamu bikin hidup
tambah susah saja." Dan mereka benar. Hidup ini tak mudah. Untuk itu
kita justru
harus belajar menghargai setiap jengkalnya. Memilih hidup
yang lebih
sederhana, hidup dengan tempo yang lebih pelan, hidup dengan pengasahan
kesadaran, tak hanya membantu kita lebih eling dan terkendali, tapi
juga
membantu Bumi ini dan jutaan manusia yang dij adi kan alas kaki oleh
industri demi pemenuhan nafsu konsumsi kita sendiri.

Lingkaran setan? Ya. Tapi tidak berarti kita tak sanggup berubah.

Selama ini kita adalah pembeli yang berlari. Dalam kecepatan tinggi
kita
bertransaksi, sabet sana sabet sini, tanpa tahu lagi apa yang
sesungguhny kita cari.
berhentilah sejenak. marilah kita berjalan