January 1996
How to Get Started
Environmentalists aren’t born, they’re made. Just as you may practice piano or karate or dance, living lightly takes practice, discipline, and patience with yourself. Give yourself time to put new actions to use. Go slowly. Remember that the greatest changes come from many accumulated small actions.
To reduce waste, practice the tried and true axiom: "Reduce, reuse, recycle." Recycling is good. Reusing is even better. But best is to reduce the overall waste you produce. That usually means not purchasing items with excessive packaging. Check out a food cooperative where you can buy in bulk and store your food in your own containers. Buy dry goods at the local grocery store and bring your own containers instead of using their plastic. Bring your own canvas or net bags when you shop. When someone offers you (another!) bag "just say no!" These small actions add up.
Compost your biodegradable waste. Peels, shells, cores, spoiled food — those are nutrients your garden, plants, or yard can use. Have a separate bin near your kitchen to scrape scraps. Dump these in a compost of leaf mulch and dirt. Keep damp. Turn. Voilà: rich soil. If you live in the city, see if you know someone who can help form a "compost cooperative." You could donate or sell the soil.
Keep your paper waste to a minimum. Reuse paper. Borrow the daily paper if you read it. Do you have a stack of barely touched magazines and papers? Time to winnow out the less necessary.
Do you really need to dry your clothes in a dryer? Lowe no longer owns one. You may not have to go that far, but air-drying is an energy saver. (Your mom’s mom no doubt never had a Maytag. She lived!)
Do you get in your car for every trip you make? The single greatest cause of air pollution is car exhaust. So it’s not the chug-chugging factories, it’s us. Take public transportation. Better yet, walk and bike. Start with small trips. An added benefit is you are forced to slow down and experience your world.
Consider being a vegetarian. Many are already living a meat-free lifestyle, so there is a community to draw upon. Eating meat requires so much more land to feed livestock, land that could be used for an abundance of food crops. Eating lower on the food chain means living more lightly and with more reverence. (Not to mention lower grocery bills.)
If you have land, why not grow your own organic produce? It may not cost as much as you think. Lowe started his entire garden with about $50. If you have a "green heart" you may want to pass on the golf course lawn and grow native prairie grasses. They are more resilient and decorative as well.
Remember to have fun. Keep it simple. As Lowe says, "Enjoy!"
— Sharon L. Comstock
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