Poolside

Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort, swimming pool
Originally uploaded by Michelle Middleton Photography

We live in a condo, squished in amongst lots of other condos. One of the features we have is a community pool, open for about six months of the year. Until this weekend, I'd only made it there once. I was away most of last summer, so I never really got around to it. Recently I'd thought about it again, and the new environmentally conscious side of my brain pooh poohed the pool - full of nasty chemicals, wasting water, so on and so forth.

Then I thought about it again. We've lived here for over a year now, and the guy across the street just introduced himself for the seventh time. My husband just met the neighbor next door last week. We don't know anybody who lives around here! If I needed a cup of sugar, I'd get in the car and drive to the store, or do without it, before I'd ask any of my neighbors, for the simple reason that for the large majority, I don't even know their names.

I also thought about the environmental impact of the pool a bit more. It does get really hot around here in the summer, and I suppose it's better that a community of people share a pool rather than each of them having their own or driving somewhere every time they want to swim. Plus, whether I use it or not, it's there. I also have to give our HOA credit for deciding last year to pull out the fountain at the entrance to our community and replace it with some nice, at least semi-native landscaping (it's more native than a fountain, that's for sure).

So I packed my book and my towel and headed up to the pool. Actually, I packed my ipod too, but I didn't end up needing it. Although I wouldn't say I made any lifelong friends by hanging out in the sun and water for an hour and a half, I did get the chance to chat with people who live all around me, and learn a little something about a few of them.

It's weird, because I talk a lot and am very outgoing when I know at least one or two people in a group - but if I don't have that minimum safety blanket, I am pretty shy. I am sure that people will look at me funny and wonder why I am talking to them if I just strike up a conversation. Last weekend at the pool though, as is usually the case once I actually start talking with somebody, I found that they were all pretty nice, and I could find something in common with all of them.

It was nice to see the little kids having so much fun being outside, not watching tv or playing video games. I'll admit I could have done without the pack of scary pre-teenagers - they were making me blush with some of the things coming out of their mouths - but what was even nice about that was that a dad showed up with his daughter and was playing some games with her, and all the other kids flocked to him like rats following the Pied Piper. I guess they just wanted somebody to pay attention to them.

I've been to the park nearby my house a few times, but this was different. I think maybe it's because everybody hanging out at the pool knows for sure that these are their neighbors, so there's almost an implied introduction that's already been made, so it's not as scary to strike up a chat with a stranger.

It would be really easy to continue hiding in my condo - nothing would ever force me to come out and talk to anybody else ever if I didn't want to. That's not the kind of community I want for myself. I'd like to know a neighbor or two well enough to invite them over for a drink or a game night if we're having a lazy weekend, rather than staying home watching tv because my closest friend is a twenty minute drive away. I think I'll opt for knowing something about the people who live around me though - and if I ever need to borrow a cup of sugar, I'll have a door or two to knock on.

Extreme Green

I’ve been writing about all the little things I’ve been doing to lead a slightly greener life. There are some who are taking some rather extreme measures, however. They've all recognized that to make lasting changes, we need to start by reducing: what we buy, what we throw away, and what we use. So next time I think that it’s too tough to take a really quick shower or make my own yogurt, I’m going to think about one of these people:

1. No impact man: Colin Beavan lives in NYC and is seeing if he, along with his wife and daughter, can live an entire year without making any net impact on the environment.

2. 365 Days of Trash: Dave has decided that in order to really be accountable for our impact on the planet, we have to first acknowledge how much waste we really do create. So he's saving all of his trash throughout the year.

3. Fake Plastic Fish: One woman in Oakland, CA documents her attempts to rid plastic from her life (this is a lot tougher than it might sound!)

4. Riot 4 Austerity: Based on the premise that for long-term sustainability, those of us in the rich world must cut our emissions by 90%. They have a group of participants who are actively working to do this in seven different categories and track their monthly progress towards this goal.

5. The Compact: The participants in The Compact have all pledged to buy nothing new for one year. They can beg, borrow, or buy it used.

6. Waste Wear Daily: This woman has pledged to wear only clothing she finds in dumpsters for a whole year.

Most (OK, all) of these efforts are far more than I am willing to undertake right now, especially since there are two of us in my home, but I think what I find valuable in all these sites is the example of people REALLY practicing what they preach. That is what I find inspiring.

It's new to me!

Free hugs, anyone?
Originally uploaded by huong-lan

I think most of us are in the habit, when we need something, of jumping in the car, running to the mall, and buying it. When we don’t need something anymore, we either stash it away in a closet, garage, basement, or attic to collect dust, throw it away, or maybe, if we’re really good, donate it to a thrift store.

I’ve been doing some massive de-cluttering lately – more on this in the near future. For now, I have a HUGE pile of stuff that I need to deal with.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with donating to charity shops, but I do feel like it’s kind of still the "out of sight out of mind" mentality. I did a quick search to find out what happens to stuff that doesn’t sell and am uncomfortable with shipping more stuff we don’t want off to third world countries. I do some volunteer work with the IRC, an organization that helps refugees get resettled in the area when they arrive here. They host an event each Thanksgiving where they set their offices up like a store, with sections for clothing, kitchen items, linens, toys, etc. and their clients come in and “shop” at no charge for items they need. That’s where I’m donating many of my unwanted items this year. I know it will be going to somebody who can really use it.

Of course, if you find something that has some significant value that you don’t need, there’s e-bay or craigslist. I currently have a few items listed there. Getting the stuff mailed out though can be a pain, and there has to be a certain minimum value to the item to bother selling it in the first place, so I’ve chosen to limit my use of these types of site.

Then there’s freecycle. Made up of small groups all over the country, members post items they are willing to give away, and people who are interested reply that they are willing to give the item a new home. There’s no monetary incentive, but you are ensuring that the item goes to somebody who actually wants it, and you’re preventing the production of a brand new item that person now does not need to purchase. I put together four boxes of like items yesterday (clothes, garage, office, and kitchen) listed them last night, and they’re all gone already! I got tons of responses from people who really wanted the things I don’t have any use for. Since there's no money exchanged, you don't have to hassle with coordinating schedules. I just replied to the takers that I'd leave the items outside, and they came and took them while I was out.

There are other websites that do more or less the same thing. I haven't tried them, but they include the ones that are linked to here, here, and here. Let me know if you have tried them, or do so in the future.

In the last few weeks, I’ve also come across some really creative, innovative sites that offer simple new ways for you and others to buy less. One that I’ve already mentioned is paperbackswap. Two others I’ve come across recently that are really neat are Neighborrow and Nuvorent.

Neighborrow is a site that allows you to list items that you’d be willing to loan to your neighbors – books, movies, cds, or anything else. Maybe you’re just not ready to freecycle it and say goodbye forever, but you don’t use the item all that often. You list your item, and others browse for things they’d like to borrow that they don’t necessarily think they’d use often enough to justify purchasing. I’ve listed about ten books and dvds so far, and hope my neighbors start borrowing soon! I think this site could be especially cool for those of us who live in relatively dense areas where we may not personally know many of our neighbors.

Nuvorent is similar, but with a cool added opportunity to make a little cash. You list items you would like to rent to people in your area. In my case, I’m listing items here that are more expensive, such as tools and camping gear. Again, I don’t want to get rid of this stuff, because I do use it occasionally. These things will need to be replaced after a certain amount of use, so I may not necessarily want to just loan them out to strangers, but I can rent them, earn a few dollars, and save somebody else the expense of buying their own (or renting from a rental store, which is almost guaranteed to be more expensive). I’ve listed my cordless drill, a pet taxi, an air mattress, an internal frame backpack, and a few other items.

What I like about these two sites (as well as freecycle) is that in addition to helping us all consume less, which saves us money and conserves resources, it offers a great opportunity to interact more with my community. That’s something that is always positive.

One final option to consider is a tool lending library. I read about this on the fake plastic fish blog. I don’t have one in my community, but there is a list of places that do on wikipedia.

Reducing our consumption is like everything challenging in life: there are no easy answers. In trying to consume less, borrowing or renting from a neighbor is a great option for an item I might want to use once or twice a year. Realistically though, I can’t just say I’ll borrow everything. There are some things people won’t want to lend. Sometimes I’ll want an item to keep. Freecycle is a great option for these sorts of things, as are ebay and craiglist if I’m not able to wait.

What is clear is that with a little effort, homework, and thought, I can easily find ways to reduce how much I buy. None of these alternatives is more expensive than my current habits, and most will save, or even make, money. Best of all is knowing that all will reduce my impact on the planet.