Comments on: 5 Fastest Ways to Reduce Your Footprint

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:45:11 +0000

My score was 30 (woot!!) and I could only take it down a few more points. We’re poor, have no vehicle, live in a fairly small apartment. I agree with Kathy, they need to factor in self-sufficiency–that would take our score down some for sure. I just recalculated to account for the riding in cars we do and it was still 30. There are definitely good things about being low-income.

By: Kathy Murphy

Kathy Murphy — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:02:00 +0000

I wish they would factor things in like growing/canning your own food, chickens for eggs, making your own soap, buying local, cooking from scratch, etc. These are huge ways to cut down on fuel costs, processing and needless trash. Unfortunately most of the projects cost huge amounts of money

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:16:32 +0000

Well that sucks. If we lived on a half-acre plot, we’d be at 85. But because we have 6 acres, our score is 109.

By: Leah S

Leah S — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:25:58 +0000

Mine popped out to a lovely 43. Ironically enough, we don’t recycle a thing. Unless you count donations to the thrift store. But I also don’t have a dishwasher, we’re north facing, no AC, and live in the desert where turning on the heater is a rarity.

Moving to our current apartment was one of the best moves we’ve made!

By: Kat

Kat — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:30:50 +0000

I scored a 62. Looking through the projects suggested, there’s very little I can do to bring that number down, since we already do so many of them (furnace on a timer, native vegetation, etc.).
I was surprised they didn’t ask for heater settings. Does that mean I’m not making a large difference with the furnace at 68 instead of 74?
I’m glad to see the sacrifices we make are paying off, though. Just wish the next projects weren’t so dad-gum expensive…

By: Zorak

Zorak — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:33:26 +0000

wow, and i was feeling pretty good about my 71 (before projects). y’all are awesome!

By: bushidoka

bushidoka — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:42:29 +0000

I disagree completely on #1 – though it is a far-too-common misconception.

A full recycling bin is only slightly better than a full garbage can.

Reduce, reused, recycle, in that order. We want empty garbage cans AND empty recycling bins. We want to REDUCE consumption of anything that could end up in either place.

By: Carla

Carla — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:35:39 +0000

Hmmmm… without going to the site I can tell you that we won’t score all that well in spite of doing some recycling, a low-flow shower head and me not flushing more than a few times a day. I think maybe we made a mistake when we built a lovely house 15 miles from town. And we, too, live in Texas, the home of hundred degree summer days. (Sometimes 80 degree days in the winter.) I hate to say it, but I would be sick without my air conditioner.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:32:09 +0000

Thanks for this! I”m on my way to see how we’re doing…

By: Meagan

Meagan — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:10:34 +0000

I only got a 58! I guess being married to a med student and therefore dirt poor really helps with your carbon footprint! WOO! It’s also amazing how much being frugal is actually environmentally friendly.