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4 Simple Strategies to a Sustainable Spring
It’s a cold Thursday morning here in Northwest Ohio. As I write this, the snow is coming down and we had a winter weather advisory last night. (Thankfully, we didn’t get as much as predicted…we rarely do!) While it’s technically spring now, you wouldn’t know it by the temperatures until early to mid-April around here. But that doesn’t stop us from preparing for the warmer weather and attempting to break free from our cabin fever.
As the weather breaks and you begin to get out and about more, it’s a great time to think about how you can personally live with the intention to be more environmentally conscious this year. Below are a few examples of changes you might consider.
Take Fewer Road Trips
We’re very fortunate at Lyon Software that because of the nature of our work, we’ve been able to remain a work-from-home company since 2020. Because of this, we’ve been able to significantly reduce the amount of pollution we’re putting out through our vehicles. It’s also helped us to cut out a lot of unnecessary spending.
Not everyone has this opportunity to work from home though, and I get that. Especially our amazing clients in the healthcare field who are at their hospitals every day caring for their communities. While you may not be able to work from home, you can reduce some of your drive time.
One practice I have done for years (well before the pandemic) is to batch my trips. If I have to be on the far end of town for an appointment, I’ll make sure to make additional stops with it. Even if it means waiting a week or two. No sense in driving across town twice!
Mow Less
Last year in my neighborhood, there was a house that didn’t cut their grass for the entire month of May. They called it “No Mowing May”. They even had a sign in their yard that they were observing this to allow bees to pollinate the flowers. As you can imagine at the height of growing season, their lawn was a disaster from an appearance perspective. It was refreshing to see someone who wasn’t worried about what others thought about that.
This was their way of encouraging positive growth in the animal kingdom. Maybe you’re like me, and aren’t ready to commit at that level. That’s OK. Instead of skipping for a month, we can commit to one mow per week from April to July, then shift to once every other week from August to November.
Donate Your Old Clothes
One popular springtime activity that you may be doing soon is going through your closet and updating your wardrobe. Whatever clothing is still usable, make sure you donate it instead of throwing it away. Whether you’re taking it to Goodwill, Salvation Army, or giving it to a friend, giving your clothes a second life is always a great, environmentally conscious idea.
Set Up an eBay Account
I’ve written about this before, but selling on eBay is a great way to live sustainably by giving your items a second home. It’s also a great way to boost the economy, since you’re earning extra coin and spending with a shipping service. You’re also keeping old items out of the landfill.
If you’ve never done this, you would be amazed at what will sell on Ebay or Facebook Marketplace. When I first started at Lyon Software, we had 15 old multi-line phones sitting in a cabinet that could have easily been thrown away. I offered to sell them on eBay. A week later, I shipped them off to their new owner after receiving a bid of $287.
What Will You Do?
This is a fairly surface level overview of a few simple ideas for living a more environmentally conscious lifestyle this year. I hope this gives you some motivation to participate. I’d love to hear what else you would add.
Please leave a comment letting all of our readers know what you plan to do to be more sustainable this spring. I look forward to reading about it!
Wind Farms: A Win-Win for Energy and Population Health
August 5-11, 2018 was the second annual American Wind Week, a week celebrating the United States leadership in creating this low cost and reliable form of energy.
I remember the first time I came across a wind farm. I was driving from one client site in Indianapolis to a second client in northwest Indiana. As many of you know, the Midwest is flat! You can literally see for miles and miles. However, the road I was traveling was “long and winding” and as I turned a corner the wind farm came into view. There’s something very majestic, awe inspiring, and a little futuristic the first time you see a wind farm. I quickly turned off the radio, unrolled my car windows and slowed down to see if I could hear the sleek blades cutting through the air. The quiet that filled my car was unexpected and amazing. How could so many wind turbines be so quiet? It’s an experience I will never forget.
According to the American Wind Energy Association U.S. wind farms are some of the most productive in the world and employ over 105,000 workers dedicated to bringing this clean, cost efficient energy source to homes and businesses throughout our country. And another fact near and dear to my heart, “using wind energy created $8 billion in public health savings during 2017 alone, by avoiding air pollution that creates smog and triggers asthma attacks.” So these wind farms are creating energy and improving population health! Sounds like a “win win” situation to me.
Seeing the wind farm also brought me back to my senior year in high school and my Spanish class project, telling the tale of Don Quixote and tilting at windmills….but that’s a different blog for another day.
To read more about the American Wind Energy Association and American Wind Week, click here.
A Friend to Flint
I’ve been a sports fan my entire life. Having grown up about an hour from Detroit, Michigan, I have been a loyal Detroit Pistons fan for years. I still remember standing at the games and yelling “Sheeeeeeeeeed” when Rasheed Wallace would block a shot or hit his famous fade-away post shot. As I have grown up and gotten a little more into “real life” social issues I have another reason to stand and yell “Sheeeeeeeeed”.
Sitting is the New Smoking
It seems that at every conference I attend, webinar I watch, or article I read that remotely deals with “health”, someone states that “Sitting is the new smoking”. I’ve been thinking a lot about that statement and what it means in my life personally and at work.