Pete Seeger-Inspired Tip of the Week

Ever hear “if it’s yellow let it mellow?” Not very practical with a toddler running around!

I’ve been thinking a lot about something Hudson Valley native Pete Seeger said in a recent interview: “If the human race is still here in 100 years, it will be because of lots of people doing lots of little things.” This statement is both terrifying and empowering. One hundred years. Not really such a long time when you think of how long we humans have been around. Not to be a total downer, but I find it mind-numbingly frightening to think that — with the way things are going, at the rate our environment is declining — our planet could stop supporting life sometime in Coraline’s lifetime. Or the lifetime of her (hypothetical) children. This harsh reality is difficult to accept.

So what do we do? What little things make a big difference? Over the months I’ve offered a lot of suggestions as to how you and your family can live a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle — from obvious choices like using cloth instead of disposable diapers, to more community-based approaches like participating in a CSA. Like Seeger, I really do believe that change begins at home, and I’m compelled to do as many of those small things as I possibly can, because it’s all I can do. So to encourage you, my readers, to do this as well, I’m going to offer a new “green living” tip each week. I’d love to hear from you — use Facebook or comment in the space below to tell me about the ways you reduce, reuse, and recycle at home, how you get involved in your community, or ways you minimize your carbon footprint.

Green Living Tip of the Week:
Ever hear “if it’s yellow let it mellow?” While this approach certainly saves water by reducing the number of times you flush the toilet in a day, it’s not practical when you have a young toddler at home. Toddlers love toilets, which need all the help they can get to stay clean and minimally germy. Try placing a sealed plastic bottle of water (with a little sand) in the tank; this can save up to a gallon of water a flush.

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