The $64K Question

At the market on Wednesday this week, a farmer and I were talking about canning, as I was purchasing potatoes, beans, and garlic in mass quantities for 'putting up'. She asked me what else I was doing to be sustainable, and I felt a little stumped by her question.

I answered with a list of things I considered to be sustainable, like saving food to prevent buying out-of-season, cooking every meal from scratch at home and buying in bulk to save costs on ingredients, and making gifts during the holiday season. But her question stayed in my mind for the rest of the week, and I really examined what I was doing in my life to be sustainable- to utilize resources at hand without depleting or exploiting them. What could I improve on? Where could I make a change?

As the winter begins its advance on us with cooler temperatures, I would like to believe that every single person in Lansing is asking themselves that exact same question: What am I doing to be more sustainable? We use more of everything in the winter, from gas and electricity for heating and lighting to food consumption to gasoline for our vehicles to get through those snowy streets. Where could you make a change at home? What tiny step could you take to use less, save more, and be more efficient?

I'd like to compile a list of easy, money- and resource-saving ideas to post here, so if you've got one you'd like to share, send them to me, and I'll put up the list in another month or so, right as we move into the Holiday Gear-Up, when saving  is most important.