So what have you done for Mother Earth, lately?

I switched about a year ago from using the dryer exclusviely to hanigng clothes on the line when possible. I love doing it and feel like I’ve both gotten from and given a freebie to Mama Earth. (In addition, those phantom sock losses have stopped occurring. Coincidence or….?)

Before i moved here 7 month ago, i used to recycle all paper and cardboard things. That was convenient though because we’d drop off our stuff at my husband’s mum’s house and the recycle people would collect it there. There’s no such service where we live now, unfortunately. Once i find a recycling dump area i’ll take my stuff there.
I try not to use aerosols (spelling?), but i’ve been cheating a lot lately. :/
I also want to get a solar water heater (our water heaters use electricity) one day, but they’re a tad expensive for the initial outlay.
I don’t eat meat (apparently factory farms are bad for the environment too), but that’s not the reason i actually quit eating meat.
I need to do way more as well.

I ride my bike to work three or four days a week. It’s only 7.5 miles each way, so it doesn’t take too long. I get some nice exercise, feel great all day and my car stays in the carport.

Recycle.

I serve mother earth and her inhabitants daily.

Keeping the tree frogs hide aways watered and cool around my house.
The birdbath full of cool water for my daily afternnoon visits of a lovely Coopers hawk.
Fresh water on the hill for the thirsty deer and other visitors in this heat wave out west.

No pesticides or herbicides ever go into my property and I left a huge pile of juicy watermelon rinds with lots of fruit intact out for my mama raccoon and her 3 new babies that she brings round every night.

My little mountain is thriving under my stewardship.

I, for years, separate my waste (paper, glass, plastic, food waste).
And lately i have been picking up empty soda cans, plastic wrappers and the like, from the ground in the park i sometimes go to.
There are waste bins, but some people seem to have difficulty with their tiny openings, because a lot of the times the stuff lies close to them on the ground.

I buy as much of my food locally as I can. I support the local farmer’s market as well as growing some of my own. I compost everything I can.

My commute to work is 5 miles, in a fuel efficient car, with someone else who works at the same place.

The thermostat is kept just warm enough in the winter to where the pipes don’t freeze (60–65) and the summer AC is either off, or kept at 80, so we don’t just die.

We buy used things when there is an option to do so. This includes clothes, books, housewares, the car, and even our gold wedding rings.

We reuse as much as possible. We keep leftovers in glass jars (reused) or the plastic fake-tupperware that other products came in. We also drink out of glass jars. I spin my own yarn, including reclaimed fiber, on a real wooden spinning wheel.

Recycling, yeah, but it’s a last option when I can’t do anything more with something.

I recycle cars and computer components. Why go through all of the hassle and create the pollution of either making another new one and/or tearing an old one apart when it’s still serviceable?

Switching to CFLs to drastically reduce energy consumption and thus power generation related pollution also helps.

I pretty much keep/recycle everything. I don’t have a car, a dishwasher, a dryer, I have a tiny washing machine and only use it for the essentials, I take showers etc. I’m not really doing it on purpose, I just grew up without a lot of the creature comforts, and am happy living like that still

We are doing the best we can. But we are far far from enough! Unfortunately there is millions of people who don’t even know there is such a thing as ENVIRONMENT! Therefore we can only slow down this irreversable process, but never stop it. But I say don’t give up! ;)

Switched from chemical to digital photography.
But to be honest, I didn’t do it for Mother Earth.
I did it because I like the results just as well, with less time.
Anyway, I suspect that Mother Earth, being so vastly huge, old and cosmic, does not even know or care that I am here.

Nothing but planting lots of plant in my yard(I did that because I love gardening). I think I just waste my efforts to ‘save the earth’,I mean,some people keep greening this planet but many others try to exploit the mother nature. Illegal and ‘legal’ logging’ are usual in a developing country with dense woodland,not just that,as the country of the biggest palm oil producer the government have destroyed most nature wonders here.

In September will be my 3rd annual “Friends of the “River” up event where about 50–60 Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts team up with me to collect, sort, record and recycle the trash we collect. Data from our cleanups is sent to the Coast Guard who charts the amount of trash in our waterways! The kids love this event!

Am I supposed to be doing something?

@Cruiser
Oh yeah…have a freinds of the river conservacy in my town too..I love my beautiful river!
There is an old guy that walks the highway daily in his little orange reflective vest and safari hat picking up trash. Always makes me smile when I see him!

Recently stopped buying plastic containers of any kind. Don’t know why it took me so long to catch on.

I also ride my bike to work every day.

@plethora

Maybe you are what is called ( in metaphysical lingo ) a ‘frequency holder.’ lol

Meaning..just the fact you exist in some sort of peaceful manner is your contribution. haha

I recycle paper, cardboard, plastic containers, milk jugs and cartons, pop bottles and cans (even pick up roadside littered bottles and cans) plastic bags, metal cans and jar lids, glass jars, wine bottles, newspaper, computer parts,

We use cloth grocery bags instead of plastic or paper
We wash dishes in basins 1 for wash, 1 for rinse savings gallons of hot water and energy.

We filter our own tap water instead of buying bottled water.

We keep our thermostat at 19 C in the winter (67 F) during the day and 16 C (60F) at night
We run no air conditioning even when it gets really warm like 35C (95F)

We drive at or below the speed limit to conserve fuel.
All our lights are compact fluorescent.

We compost all our vegetable and fruits scraps

Five out of six weeks, there is not enough trash to out it at the curb!

I recently started buying some biological food, but only those which aren’t extremely expensive, the rest I really can’t afford with my student income. And I’m trying to hold Meatless Mondays (well, not on Monday per sé, but one or more meatless days a week).

And of course the usual: recycle when I can, turn of the lights when not needed, only buy compact fluorescent lamps, etc.

I do think the biggest change has to come from politics, in which I put some effort too (e.g. prohibit incandescent light bulbs like they luckily did in the E.U.).

@janbb The hilarious thing about having a clothesline is that many homeowners associations, who push being green and recycling and whatever else, have made them against their rules because they’re “ugly.”

@Coloma I think that’s it. A “frequency holder”?

On this issue I am @Dr. Lawrence’s doppelganger (except I keep my winter thermostat at 62 F during the day).

I am going out to pick my first tomato of the season.

Hey, those of you who line dry your laundry: this sounds like a great idea, and I’d like to give it a shot. Do any of you also handwash your clothes?

Recycle.
Reuse as much as possible (like plastic food containers or bottles, bags, etc).
Use CFLs.
Only have lights on in the evening when absolutely necessary, otherwise have all the blinds open to let in the natural sunlight.
Have the AC set at 80.
Unplug electronics when they aren’t in use (except the DVR because I have shows that record when I’m not home).
Only run the washer when we have a full load.
Wash clothes in cold water.
Only run the dishwasher when we have a full load.
Pick up trash that we see outside.
Save leftovers to eat at a later time.
Bake in bulk and freeze to reheat later.

That’s all I can think of off the top of my head. There probably is more we could do.

@nikipedia I’m not sure that hand washing clothes would save much water. In any case, it is a pain in the neck; I had to do it when we lived in England years ago. However, we switched to alway washing in cold water about 2–3 years ago and I have not noticed any difference in the cleanliness of the clothes.

@nikipedia

I used to handwash all of my daughters baby clothes some years ago.

Now that I am single and the offspring has flown the nest I do minimal laundry and often only wash and then hang dry many of my clothing items.

I have a great deck that gets sun and breezes so things dry in a flash at this time of year.

Is “Mother Earth” kind of the same kind of character as Santa Claus? Am I supposed to believe in him/her/it? Am i evil if I don’t?

@plethora

Just take it at face value, an affectionate term for the earth.

The earth as ‘mother’ to all it’s ‘children’. ;-)

Same thing I’ve always done, Reuse, Make do, Do without.

I only go out once a week . Car stays in garage.
I wanted a insecticide for the veggies. I saw on tv a brand that only uses spices; the first one listed is rosemary. So I pulled out some of the rosemary bush that came w/the house (some branches) and threw them at the base of the peppers and tomatoes. Guess what? In no time they’ve gotten 30% taller, fuller and the new growth has no holes from insects. ((-:

One Man’s Junk is Another Man’s Treasure:
* A pair of old eyeglasses went to a charity that uses the frames/lenses for people in need
* An old cell phone went to a charity that fixes/reprograms them to just dial 911 and are given to women who cannot afford to own one but may need one in an emergency
* Almost all work clothes have been donated to a charity that helps women get back on their feet and find a job
* All board games were donated to a retirement center
* Almost all books were given away to friends who had a personal interest in a particular topic, and the rest were donated to the local library

Recycling:
* A couple of canvas bags are kept in the car for when only a couple of things are needed at the store. If it is a major trip, the plastic bags are then returned to the store which has a recycling box at the entrance.
* The city doesn’t offer recycling pick-up, so items accepted at a recycling center are dropped off.
* All metal clothes hangers were given to a dry cleaner who recycles them

I’m a big recycle freak and managed to get everyone in the building to do it, plus we also set up a compost bin in the backyard, but otherwise, indeed, I probably don’t do as much as I probably could.

I don’t drive. The last time I was in something with a motor was 15 days ago. I took the bus to my bank on the 2nd.

I’m 32 and have only driven a car about 20 times. I’m pretty sure that I will never get my license.

I recycle and I never really buy stuff. Everything I own fits in the back of a Volvo wagon. Most of that is clothes and bedding. The only things I purchased since I went to the bank on the 2nd besides food and beer are toilet paper and a new toothbrush.

And my belt broke. I have been using a cable tie to hold up my pants until I make it to the Goodwill.

I have always done what @YARNLADY does.

We have done much over the years, I think. But, more recently, we became vegans, started composting and growing some of our own foods. We should and always can do more. In the future, we plan on joining a local food co-op and I am happy that Alex is deepening his interest in becoming a teacher of Ecological Ethics at a high school or college level.

I realized that I need to leave the poor old girl alone. She can take care of herself.

Mankind on the other hand . . .

@Blondesjon Yeah. My dad used to tell me that whatever we do to the Earth, it’s gonna manage. We’re the ones we should worry about the most, since we’re destroying the resources wee need in order to live.
Where the hell’s Vin Diesel’s philosophy when we need it haha.

I rode my bike to my friend’s house instead of driving! Except I almost died on the way home, because my street is a slight uphill for about a half mile.. my legs were jelly. It’s not a very visible incline but, oh, you can feel it. The ride there was very pleasant though, I practically glided.

recycle…...pick up dog poo.
grow some veggies.
live simply.
hug a rock.
love a tree.

Supported Atmosfair.

https://www.atmosfair.de/en/about-us/what-is-atmosfair/

My money is invested in solar, hydropower, biomass, or energy-efficiency projects in developing countries.

Not a dang thing.
My natural inclination is to be horribly self-centered and more than a little cynical, and that impacts every facet of my life. I don’t recycle to save the planet, I recycle because it saves money and because there’s a limited amount of aluminum out there. I want a car with good gas mileage not to stave off global warming, but because gas is expensive. I support alternative energy research because one day, we’re going to run out of fossil fuels and I want to be able to check Fluther. I compost yard waste because it’s less of a hassle to leave my grass clippings in a pile in the corner of the yard than it is to bag ‘em up for the collectors, and this way I’ll always have potting soil handy.

In short, I’m with the “this is the only Earth that we have” crowd.

@Nullo That’s the most awesome thing I’ve ever heard.

I wanted a table so we could eat breakfast in the sun on the front porch. I wanted one that was long and narrow. Most tables for eating are not shaped like that, I only found one and it was ridiculously expensive, so I made one out of scrap timber. Part is an old skid, part came from a dismantled fence and the 2×4 legs were reclaimed as well. It is almost finished and it is looking good. Course I did have to purchase a 55 gallon drum of plastic wood to fill in the gaps made by not having a compound saw to use, but when it is painted, no one will be the wiser!

@Nullo Well, at least you admit to your self-centeredness – that, too, these days is rare

@Nullo If only others would act in their own best interest, we wouldn’t have a problem.