Before I reveal Viridorari’s fifth challenge, I’d like to
share the results of my driving log from last week's challenge. I’m not particularly proud of how my
driving went this week. There were several wasteful trips and I think it will
be interesting to see how much gas and money I would have saved had the week
gone better. In total, I drove 149.80 miles, used 6.27 gallons of gas, and
spent $23.96.
Date
|
Start
Place
|
End Place
|
Miles
Between
|
Car
|
MPG
|
Gallons
Used
|
Cost of
gas/gallon
|
Money
spent
|
4/7/13
|
Home
|
Steve’s
|
2.8
|
A
|
24
|
.12
|
$3.87
|
$0.46
|
4/7/13
|
Steve’s
|
Gas
station
|
2.8
|
A
|
24
|
.12
|
$3.87
|
$0.46
|
4/7/13
|
Gas
station
|
Home
|
1.4
|
A
|
24
|
.06
|
$3.87
|
$0.23
|
4/7/13
|
Home
|
Donna’s
|
4.7
|
A
|
24
|
.20
|
$3.87
|
$0.77
|
4/7/13
|
Donna’s
|
Home
|
5.2
|
A
|
24
|
.22
|
$3.87
|
$0.85
|
4/7/13
|
Home
|
Barnes
& Noble
|
14.4
|
A
|
24
|
.60
|
$3.87
|
$2.32
|
4/7/13
|
B&N
|
Steve’s
|
15.8
|
A
|
24
|
.66
|
$3.87
|
$2.55
|
4/7/13
|
Steve’s
|
Home
|
2.8
|
A
|
24
|
.12
|
$3.87
|
$0.46
|
Total
|
49.9
|
2.1
|
$8.13
|
|||||
4/9/13
|
Home
|
Dress shop
|
11.5
|
A
|
24
|
.48
|
$3.83
|
$1.84
|
4/9/13
|
Dress
|
Home
|
11.5
|
A
|
24
|
.48
|
$3.83
|
$1.84
|
Total
|
23.0
|
.96
|
$3.68
|
|||||
4/10/13
|
Home
|
Dunkin’
Donuts
|
2.5
|
A
|
24
|
.10
|
$3.79
|
$0.38
|
4/10/13
|
DD
|
School
|
4.8
|
A
|
24
|
.20
|
$3.79
|
$0.76
|
4/10/13
|
School
|
Steve’s
Work
|
.80
|
A
|
24
|
.03
|
$3.79
|
$0.11
|
4/10/13
|
Steve’s
Work
|
School
|
1.1
|
A
|
24
|
.05
|
$3.79
|
$0.19
|
4/10/13
|
School
|
Victoria’s
|
1.0
|
A
|
24
|
.04
|
$3.79
|
$0.15
|
4/10/13
|
Victoria’s
|
Home
|
5.1
|
A
|
24
|
.21
|
$3.79
|
$0.80
|
Total
|
15.3
|
.63
|
$2.39
|
|||||
4/11/13
|
Home
|
B&N
|
14.4
|
A
|
24
|
.60
|
$3.79
|
$2.27
|
4/11/13
|
B&N
|
Dress Shop
|
6.9
|
A
|
24
|
.29
|
$3.79
|
$1.10
|
4/11/13
|
Dress
|
Bruno’s
|
3.7
|
A
|
24
|
.15
|
$3.79
|
$0.57
|
4/11/13
|
Bruno’s
|
Steve’s
Work
|
16.1
|
A
|
24
|
.67
|
$3.79
|
$2.54
|
4/11/13
|
Steve’s
Work
|
Home
|
5.0
|
A
|
24
|
.21
|
$3.79
|
$0.80
|
4/11/13
|
Home
|
Steve’s
|
2.8
|
A
|
24
|
.12
|
$3.79
|
$0.45
|
4/11/13
|
Steve’s
|
Home
|
2.8
|
A
|
24
|
.12
|
$3.79
|
$0.45
|
Total
|
51.7
|
2.16
|
$8.18
|
|||||
4/12/13
|
Home
|
School
|
4.7
|
A
|
24
|
.20
|
$3.76
|
$0.75
|
4/12/13
|
School
|
Melissa’s
|
.50
|
A
|
24
|
.02
|
$3.76
|
$0.08
|
4/12/13
|
Melissa’s
|
Home
|
4.7
|
A
|
24
|
.20
|
$3.76
|
$0.75
|
Total
|
9.9
|
.42
|
$1.58
|
|||||
Week
Total
|
149.8
|
6.27
|
$23.96
|
Improvements
4/7/13
Instead of stopping home, Steve and I could have driven straight to Barnes & Noble. In fact, it wasn’t necessary for me to go to Barnes & Noble that day. I actually ended up buying Stephen a book that he already had, and had to make a second trip to return it. I was there with the intention of buying three books for English class, and they only had two, which also required me to make a second trip on a later date. Steve and I had dinner in the same plaza that the bookstore was in. Instead, we could have had dinner at a local restaurant closer to home.
4/9/13
This trip to the dress shop to pick up my prom dress was a total waste. A false advertisement about what hours the shop was open caused me to drive all the way out only to find they were closed.
4/10/13
It was not necessary for me to get up early, buy doughnuts for everyone in first period, and drive to school. So, I could have avoided driving entirely on this day as well. Instead of Dunkin’ Donuts, I could have baked something at home the night before to bring my friends.
4/11/13
I got a little lost in the trip between Barnes & Noble and the dress shop, and ended up taking a longer route than I needed to. Had I prepared better, I would have been able to navigate correctly. Besides that, there isn’t much else I could change about this trip. Of course, I could have not spent time with my boyfriend that day, but we’re not seeing each other at all next week, so I’d consider that important.
4/12/13
Again, this day could have been avoided entirely. I drove to school because I woke up late and missed the bus.
Results
I’ll spare you from another chart: I followed my improvements and created a second ideal week, and then did the math. In my ideal week, I would have traveled 73.6 miles, used 3.08 gallons of gas, and spent $11.73. So, I would have driven 76.2 less miles, used 3.19 less gallons, and saved $12.23. I would have almost exactly halved my expenditures. If $12.23 was my average weekly savings from driving more consciously, I could save $48.92 a month, and $587.04 a year. To put that in perspective, I bought my car for $600. In short, being environmentally conscious pays off.
How did your driving log go? What were your potential savings? Share your results by commenting below or emailing me at viridorari@yahoo.com.
Although my driving was quite wasteful this week, I did have a couple of successes I’d like to share with you!
Today, I got the opportunity to make double dark chocolate cupcakes with my new reusable cupcake liners! They are delicious!
My dad and I also repurposed some old Folger's coffee cans to hold baking ingredients like flour and sugar. We are using another coffee can to collect our used cooking oil and grease. To learn about recycling used oil, read Viridorari's third "Ecofriendly Economics" post.
I installed my second plastic bottle bird feeder!
I found Scott Tube-Free toilet paper at my Wal-Mart! Can't wait to start purchasing this brand.
This week, I challenge you to reject all wasteful products. What constitutes as a wasteful product? Here’s a list:
• Plastic eating utensils
• Paper/Plastic/Styrofoam plates, bowls, cups, containers, etc.
• Plastic bottles
• Aluminum cans
• Napkins, paper towels, and wet wipes
• Seran wrap
• Aluminum foil
• Disposable products (i.e. razors, lighters, pens, cupcake liners, etc.)
• Paper and plastic shopping bags
• Plastic Ziploc bags, brown paper bags
Well, you get the point.
So, how do you survive for a week without using any of these common, but inefficient products? It’s actually pretty easy to do without them, and I think you’ll find that you can continue to reject these products after this week is over.
In my opinion, paper, plastic, and Styrofoam utensils, plates, bowls, cups, and containers are one of the easiest to do away with. Just break out your good china, suck it up, and wash the dishes. Maybe you’re luckier than me and you have a dishwasher. Are you having a party with more people than you have silverware and plates? Not a problem. Ask people to bring their own. Invest a small amount of money into a reusable plastic water bottle and a sturdy travel coffee mug. I suggest stainless steel, so that it doesn’t get rusty after a few washes. Chances are you already have one of these, or both.
Pictures courtesy of: http://www.enlagomdosgront.se/2010/08/29/slack-torsten-med-stil-har-ar-de-basta-vattenflaskorna/ and http://www.buzzmug.com/
If your school or your child’s school is anything like mine, it probably uses plastic “silverware” and Styrofoam cups and containers. This is easy to avoid as well. Pack a lunch in a reusable lunch bag, or go to school with bowls, a reusable bottle, and silverware so the wasteful products can be avoided. You can convince your friends to do the same. Are you going out to eat? Bring some Tupperware containers with you and ask the waitress or waiter to put your leftovers in there, rather than use a Styrofoam take-out box.
The use of plastic bottles and aluminum cans can also be solved with a reusable water bottle. Instead of buying bottled water, drink from your tap. If you have well water, like my mom, invest in a water dispenser like the kind they have in offices. My mom gets hers through Lowe’s, and when we finish a large jug, we can return it to Lowe’s and get a new one. Lowe’s doesn’t throw them out: they refill them. Do you have a craving for soda? Take your reusable bottle to a fast food joint or a restaurant and fill it with a fountain drink.
Napkins, paper towels, and wet wipes are also pretty easy to do away with. You probably already have wash cloths in your bathroom and rags in your kitchen. Next time a mess occurs, attack it with a wash cloth, rag, or sponge. For dinner, bring a slightly damp wash cloth to the table to wipe your mouth with. When we think of handkerchiefs, we tend to think of our grandparents. Elderly stigma aside, handkerchiefs are an effective way to eliminate one-use tissues and napkins. You don’t even have to buy them. Just take an old t-shirt and cut a bunch of squares out of it. Make a few of them, so that when one goes in the wash you have another to replace it.
Picture courtesy of: http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3pbmc8/
Instead of using Saran wrap and aluminum foil to preserve your leftovers, put them in a Tupperware container with a lid. You can also purchase reusable food covers to put over your bowls and plates. They kind of look like hairnets, but for leftovers. These two items can also help you eliminate plastic sandwich bags and brown paper bags, which are typically one-time use items.
Picture courtesy of: my step dad
My mom and step dad found this pack in Wal-Mart for a $1.98. It includes one small, four medium, and three large covers. Mom says she's found larger multi-packs at dollar stores for cheaper.
Disposable products like razors, pens, and lighters are inadequately named. I guess you can really throw out anything you want, save for harsh chemicals that have restrictions attached to them, but that doesn’t mean we should junk millions to billions of these items every year. “Disposable” products don’t necessarily decompose. Instead they just sit and build up, taking decades, hundreds, even thousands of years to break down. Instead, why not look into buying razors that you can re-sharpen, refillable pens and lighters, and reusable silicon cupcake liners? Using reusable and refillable products will actually save you money over time, because you won’t be repeatedly buying the same item. Check out Viridorari’s first “Ecofriendly Economics” post to see how quickly reusable cupcake liners pay for themselves.
Paper and plastic bags are easily and cheaply replaced with reusable cloth bags. Plastic bags are lucky to be used twice- maybe they carry your groceries and sleep-over items for your child before they rip and are retired (hopefully to the recycling bin, not the trash bin). Nowadays, most grocery stores sell inexpensive, durable cloth bags. Cloth bags can be reused again, and again, and again, and again, and again… You get the point. They can carry heavy-duty items like milk jugs repeatedly and still last for years. Check out Viridorari’s second “Ecofriendly Economics” section to learn more about cloth bags.
I truly believe that this “Green Challenge” is an easy one, and I hope you will consider undertaking it this week. I hope this will show you how simple it is to be greener. Green habits aren’t invasive and cumbersome; many can be incorporated into your life so easily you won’t notice a difference.
Remember, Viridorari wants to hear about your “Green Challenge” experiences! Leave a comment about your challenge on a “Green Challenge” post or email me at viridorari@yahoo.com
Good luck!
Animal of the Month Update
The snow leopard's scientific name is Uncia uncia. These super cats can jump twenty feet into the air vertically. They stand only two feet tall, but can bring down prey three times their weight. However, they cannot roar because they lack the thick pad of elastic tissue in their vocal tracts that allows other big cats to roar.
Pictures and information from:
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