Reducing My Footprint One Change At A Time

I have becoming more and more aware of my own environmental footprint.

I have stopped using paper towels and use cloth, which adds to my laundry - but I have found it more convenient and definitely less expensive in the long run.

I have also slowly been getting rid of all of the plastic everything in my life if possible. When I do have to buy something in a plastic container, I save the container and reuse it for many purposes rather than throwing it back in the landfill if possible.

I have started getting my water directly from the spring over near Buckfield. Cooper Springs I can't even tolerate any *Town* water, anymore. The next time you pour yourself a flesh glass of water out of your tap, give it a big whiff? All I can smell is chlorine. Even when I feed my plants, I fill my water bucket at least a day ahead and let it sit and let some of the toxic stuff evaporate out of it, so it doesn't burn my tender plants leaves.

I am now walking distance from most everything that I could need in the course of a day living near Norway Downtown, so I don't drive nearly as much as I used to. For the last 10 years at least I have been doing nothing but driving from one end of state to the other literally. Practices in Mars Hill, Houlton, South Portland, and my big triangle for the past few years has been Cornish to Stow, Maine to Norway Maine, sometimes daily. So - I am feeling really good about the amount of driving a car that I'm currently doing.

I have also started buying bulk spices and herbs from my local organic Co-op which for me is Fare Share Co-op in Norway. Cornish has one too, Amolette Herbal Apothecary. Fare Share also takes back my clean empty glass jars that I no longer need so their customers can reuse them. That's another thing, I save my glass jars that I have to buy in the store and I store leftovers, fruit, etc in the refrigerator - or some of my dry goods in the pantry.

This holiday, I ordered *one physical thing online, and...haha... honestly it's not even here yet, the mail system is also overtaxed and burdened. I could have ordered it from amazon, the beast, but I didn't, I ordered it directly from the creator of the product.

Over the past few months I have also grown a zero tolerance policy to spending my money with companies that are making the world a more difficult place to live in. As much as humanly possible I am only going to spend my money locally, and even locally I'm going to make my choice as to who I want to align with. I think we all feel like there's nothing we can do about what's going on in the world because it's too immense. But I for one feel like we can place a valid vote with our money. Where you spend your money, the powers that be behind running that company, is what you are voting for more of, IMHO. You can also help clean up the environment through your own day to day choices.

Now, what to do about the toilet paper situation? I have found resources to order better stuff, but you know I'm wondering if the Europeans being older and wiser than we are have it figured out with the bidet?