Earth Week

From Carnival of the Green at The Evangelical Ecologist comes this link to National Downshifting Week.

'Slow Down & Green Up - A Beginners' Guide to Downshifting'

If you are fed up running the rat race in search of a happier, more fulfilled existence, slowing life down a gear could hold the solutions for you.

It's packed with ways to simplify and enrich your life simultaneously and reduce your impact on the planet all at the same time. You can download their new twelve-month planner (designed to start in May) to encourage you to try new things and break old habits. [People like me, with modems, should plan to go take a walk while it downloads.]

Last week, on my regular grocery shopping day, I found I didn't really need anything. Since then I've been thinking about cutting my regular shopping down from once a week to once every three weeks. Bill and I go to the Public Library every third week. The grocery store is only a few blocks from the Library but both are about ten miles from home. So cutting out thirty-four trips a year is nothing to sneeze at.

In the 1980's I used to shop once a month. I must say we were more food self-sufficient then. The biggest factor was buying milk from neighbors. On the other hand, we had kids at home then. Seems like it will be lots simpler now that I'm just planning for myself.

So, let's see... I'll be saving twenty miles and two hours of shopping and driving for each trip I skip. Not to mention that I'll probably avoid two-thirds of all impulse items. Then I can use the two hours a week to bake bread more often or grow more fruits and vegetables. Or, hey, just read a book. And the $$ I save? Hmm....