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I don’t know how I am not on the “informed” list for things like DeLurking or Blog Action Day or something like that. I am typically a day late and borrowing from one of my more in-the-loop friends (Thanks Janet and Aly). At any rate, here it is, just a teeny bit late, but I suppose it’s the thought that counts. Right? Right.

Blog Action Day:
Several months ago I wrote about not using plastic bags at the grocery store. I must admit, I have been trying this – but am only partially successful. I only tend to go grocery shopping once a month or every six weeks – and it’s difficult to fit all of that booty in a single canvas bag, no matter how roomy. Recently I have made a renewed effort to take the trip up the street a little more often, and keep my purchases to a more compact level.

Stop using non-recyclable plastic bags. Check.

Then there is the latest move for a halt on bottled water and the enormous amount of empty plastic bottles that are created/left/unattended. I am not a bottled water whore, in fact, I am usually happy with tap water. My hometown’s water supply came directly from a mountain spring a few thousand feet above us and, it has been said, my hometown has the best water in the world. Which, frankly, I will agree with. That being said – Salt Lake City doesn’t have quite as lovely-tasting water. In fact, it isn’t anywhere close to as fantastic. But, when it is cold it is still refreshing and I drink it like crazy. I keep a water bottle in the fridge and am constantly refilling it.

Use a refillable water bottle. Check.

This next part is probably going to be the trickiest for me, the reduction of my own personal auto emissions. I don’t have a cranky car that billows toxins, Miss Daisy is quite shiny and clean and gets good gas mileage, thankyouverymuch. However, I live downtown Salt Lake and my last employer was a solid 23 miles away with virtually NO convenient (or inconvenient) access to public transportation; which put me to a 47 mile roundtrip commute everyday. Which, no matter how many times I walk the 2 blocks to the grocery store, or the post-office, or the bank, that 47 miles is a killer! Times have changed a bit for me in that department (more on this coming later) and I no longer have the commute, but my eco-footprint is still considerably larger than I would like it to be. I took a quiz on ecofoot.org that left me a little surprised at myself, and frankly, a little embarasssed. I feel like I need to do more to conserve and renew, because if everyone lived like I do we would need 3.8 planets. That’s a little greedy of me, don’t you think? So, because (for me) Fall is about recharging and restarting, I am going to try and lessen my eco-footprint. At the moment my largest areas for change are in my living arrangements and in my travel/transportation. I’m in love with my house and, as far as my neighborhood goes, it is fairly well insulated and uses radiant heat during the winter – so I’m ok there until it starts getting hot again. But I will try and do something about the transportation thing.