I'm tracking how much energy my family uses, and how fit I am. And I'm (ahem) sharing this with the whole world.
Scooting to school on the beach path
First a bit of history. Back in 2006 I commuted a long distance to take my son to a very wonderful Waldorf preschool, unfortunately located twenty miles from our house. I drove 1250 miles per month.
I had to make a decision about what I was prepared to do to improve the health of my family and that of the planet. I was ready to Give Up The Car.
Here's what we've changed:
- I don't commute anymore. I now work part-time from home (since 2005)
- We withdrew our son from private school. We now walk to the school near our house
- I don't do all the grocery shopping in the car. Instead I do some on my bike
- We stopped using the dryer. Instead we use sunshine
- We don't live in a house with a backyard anymore. Instead we live in an apartment
and my son, age five, now begs to travel by bike, scooter of bus because he wants to save the polar bears.
Polar bears enjoying the snow (courtesy of National Geographic Kids)
We're making some progress, but we could make more. I want to measure.
Here's where we stand:
My current weight: 166 lbs
My goal: 130 lbs
My car mileage: 650 miles driven in January 2009 (down from 1250 in January 2008)
My goal: Reduce by 50% to reach 300 miles per month
My electricity consumption: 225 kilowatt hours in January 2009 or $28.05
My goal: Reduce by 25% to reach 170 kilowatt hours per month
My natural gas consumption: $46.63 (sorry, no measurement available) in January 2009
My goal: Reduce by 50%
Here's my plan of attack:
Car usage
- Do all the grocery shopping on foot, by bike or on the bus
- Experiment with public transport here in L.A.
- Keep a log of car travel
Electricity
- Unplug the TV
- Unplug the laptop at night
- Experiment with a few electricity-free evenings
Natural gas
- Take shorter showers. Get a shower timer
- Wash some of our laundry in cold water
My weight
- Eat less
- Exercise more
We'll report how I do on March 1.
