A.J. Jacobs writing for the New York Times - January 11, 2023
A.J. Jacobs is a journalist and author known for writing about lifestyle experiments. Some of his better-known books include The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible and The Know-It-All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World, which chronicles his unsuccessful attempt to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica from A - Z. Humble and hilarious, Jacobs illustrates the ubiquity of plastic in our lives. After consulting with numerous environmental experts, he discovers that the real issue is single-use plastic, then explores ways to mitigate it's use. It’s a great article. Click on the photo above to read the whole thing.
Living Lighter Locally
If one of your 2023 resolutions is to live a little lighter on the planet, here are some local resources that can help.
Every winter I wonder if there's a way to save the water flowing through my back yard for the summer months when I really need it. If you live in Marin County, Marin Water offers free rain barrels and cisterns to capture and hold rainwater and even offers a rebate for each gallon stored! San Francisco Water Power Sewer has a similar program where SFPUC customers can receive $100 for each rain barrel or up to $350 for the installation of a cistern. I'm going to check it out! Click the links below for details.
Rising Sun is a Bay Area-wide organization working at the intersection of economic equity and climate resilience. They offer free Green House Calls where young adults are trained to come to your home and provide energy and water efficiency services. In addition to the free assessment, you receive the following items at no cost:
- Up to 16 LED light bulbs, standard and floodlight
- High-efficiency bathroom and kitchen faucet aerators and high-efficiency showerhead(s) (same pressure, less water)
- A smart power strip ($70 value)
- A toilet leak detection test
- Information about other energy-saving programs
Click the link below for details and to schedule a visit.
The Bay Area Recycling Outreach Coalition (BayROC) is a collaboration between over 40 San Francisco Bay Area cities, counties and other public agencies working together on waste reduction. The website is packed with resources, including an easy way to stop junk mail, reducing single use plastics, and resources for reducing food waste. Click the link below to see some quick videos on how to store and use up extra food.
Whatever you do this year, remember that every little bit helps and it can even be fun. Like A.J. Jacobs, we don’t have to take ourselves too seriously in our quest for a more sustainable planet. Happy 2023!
