Re: the carbon footprint – I see that as a given on pretty much anything we buy, be it in-store or online. Both still require transportation to get to you, either freight to the store or UPS/USPS to your house if you buy it mail order.

Maybe I’m looking at it wrong – I frequently do!

We replaced all our light bulbs with CFLs, then moved to a different house and took them with us. I’m currently saving up for some of the more attractive CFLs to go in some light fixtures with open shades (ceiling fans & bathroom lighting). I’ve been bringing my own canvas bags to the grocery for a few months, but I have to admit that I sometimes miss the plastic bags I’d bring home. They’re quite useful for using as bathroom trash bags and scooping the litter box (does that count as recycling?).

Kristen inspired me to get some Nalgene water bottle instead of schleeping home a 24 pack of water each week.

My best “eco-nerd” moment to date was moving. I’m now less than 5 miles from work instead of 18. One tank of gas lasts me 9 days instead of four!

(Sorry…I had no idea this would be as long-winded as it turned out to be. My apologies!)

And don’t get after my carbon footprint for mail order. I don’t own a car!! :)

The clothes drying idea I like. An added bonus of not using your dryer in the winter is far fewer static cling issues.

When I was a kid in the 60s all the houses on our block had those outdoor drying racks and everyone used them. I don’t know when dryer drying became the norm. Of course for city dwellers it is a different story. I live in an apartment now so the rack is the best solution for me.

CFs do contain a small amount of mercury — not as much as an old thermometer or thermostat, but still, some — which means they have to be recycled by an appropriate facility, and very few of them exist currently. And I don’t even want to think about what would happen if I broke one of these bulbs.

Anyway, here’s a pretty good site for getting LED bulbs: http://www.ccrane.com/lights/led-light-bulbs/index.aspx

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