Earlier this month I published a diary for the Climate Brief that included a calendar of things to do each day to help resolve the climate change crisis.
How did I do?
1. I am eating all vegetarian meals.
2. I turn off the shower when soaping up to save water.
3. I collected rainwater for my plants, but had to stop that as it became a mosquito nursery.
4. I only run errands one day a week.
5. I shared my calendar with friends and family.
6. I ordered three boxes of fruit and veggies from Misfits Market.
7. I browsed my local second-hand store and found a like-new Corning Ware dish for $1.50 to replace the one I broke.
8. I signed up for installing solar on my house!!!
This was a big deal and I crunched the figures and thought about it for a few days before making the plunge. When I saw that the incentives reduced my cost by more than half, my electric bill would reduce by two-thirds and that the interest rate for financing came to 2.99% when I allowed automatic payments from my checking account, it was a no-brainer.
For a $24,156 cost, I will pay $10,824 over ten years plus interest at 2.99%. The solar company will include a charging station in my garage, an electric outlet in my kitchen for an electric stove and the installation begins in 2 weeks! The payments don’t start until after the project has been running for six months. I live in New York state, so these numbers may be different in other localities.
I may have been a little premature in asking for the charging station. I learned that NissanUsa had a lease offer for a LEAF with $89 monthly payment. I looked into it and found that if I borrowed from my grandchildren’s savings plan (paying back, of course), I could afford the $4000 deposit and definitely the monthly payment. But then I read on TechCrunch that driving an electric vehicle could cost more in the long run (including production and mining for battery elements) than my 2008 Saturn Astra that clocks in at 33.6 mpg. The Tough Calculus of Emissions and the Future of EVs That was a little disappointing and I have postponed buying an EV for a while as I learn more about the costs to our environment.
Nevertheless, here’s another calendar for the month of September. You can see that I took some of your suggestions from last month. One calendar is in list form (with links) and one is a screen shot of my spreadsheet calendar. See how many days you can check off to demonstrate kindness to our planet. And remember to take the poll!
September 2021
day |
task |
Check
|
1- W |
Eat a Vegetarian meal |
|
2 - Th |
Change light bulbs to LEDs |
|
3 - F |
CLIMATE FRIDAY Eat a vegetarian meal |
|
4 - Sa |
Take Public Transportation |
|
5 - Su |
Walk or bike locally |
|
6 - M |
Reheat leftovers |
|
7 - T |
Share this list with a neighbor or friend |
|
8 W |
Eat a vegetarian meal |
|
9 - Th |
Designate a space to save things to donate |
|
10 F |
CLIMATE FRIDAY Eat a vegetarian meal |
|
11 Sa |
Make a sign supporting the climate |
|
12 Su |
Turn on the shower only to rinse |
|
13 M |
Make a commitment to go all-electric |
|
14 Tu |
Order groceries from Misfits Market |
|
15 W |
Eat a vegetarian meal |
|
16 Th |
Research tax credits for an Electric Vehicle |
|
17 F |
CLIMATE FRIDAY Eat a vegetarian meal |
|
18 Sa |
Call or write your representatives |
|
19 Su |
Write Postcards to Voters |
|
20 M |
Stop eating beef or lamb or feeding it to your pets |
|
21 Tu |
Talk to your hair stylist about donating hair to absorb oil spills |
|
22 W |
Eat a vegetarian meal |
|
23 Th |
Spend one hour decluttering |
|
24 F |
CLIMATE FRIDAY Eat a vegetarian meal |
|
25 Sa |
Hang clean clothes on a rack or clothesline to dry |
|
26 Su |
Start a compost bin |
|
27 M |
Write a letter to the local newspaper editor |
|
28 Tu |
See the Alternative Fuels Data Center to make comparisons |
|
29 W |
Eat a vegetarian meal |
|
30 Th |
Hang tote bags on the door and take them to the store with you
The writers in Climate Brief work to keep the Daily Kos community informed and engaged with breaking world climate crisis news while providing inspiring stories of environmental heroes, opportunities for direct engagement, and perspectives on the intersection of climate activism with spirituality, politics, and the arts.
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