Riding with Strangers in Perth, West Oz

For around 6 months of the year, I am one of the sheep in business shirts you see entering their rectangular working receptacles in Perth CBD, Western Australia. Every morning traffic is backed up over the narrow bridge that crosses the river into the city.

I watch the people talking on their phones, picking their noses, and swearing at the cars in front of them as I look up from the book I'm enjoying on the bus. As I walk over the pedestrian overpass I see them circling the carparks and oneway streets looking for the ever dwindling parking space.

I feel a little bit smug as I calculate that parking for one day in the city is $12, while busfare is about $5. Nevermind the fuel and running costs of your average 6-cylinder family wagon.

Watching a bus pass me while walking down the terrace, I notice that it is running on gas not diesel, and I am reminded that the 30-40 other people on the bus with me have saved a heap of carbon monoxide being pumped into the air.

Cameron
Perth, WA

imdoingit... IN SUDAN!!!

Alissa took imdoingit to Sudan on her trip in late May to research issues such as:
-the lack of clean drinking water as the foremost health issue in Sudan
-the growing relationship between environmental degradation and conflict
-reforestation as a potential income stream for the country

Thanks to the Christie Comm Global Betterment Network!

see The Ripple Effect.

Green Living by Merry

A few things I do:

Live TV-Free
-save energy (big screen TVs can use more energy than a refrigerator)
-save money (no cable or electric bill)
-save your sanity

Bring my own water bottle
-less garbage, save money on buying water (next step is bringing my own
coffee mug)

Buy local food, in season
-supports local farmers, sustainable farming
-while specialty foods can cost more at the farmer's market, most in-season
produce costs just as much, if not less than the regular grocery store. And
buying local, even organic, and cooking at home is still cheaper than going
out to a restaurant.
-less transportation required to ship the goods
-fresher, healthier, tastes better

other stuff:
Use eco-friendly household products (check ingredient labels)
Line-dry laundry
Walk or ride bike whenever possible
Buy/sell used stuff (craigslist)
Share a small, fuel-efficient car
Go camping...enjoy the outdoors

Plus, I work for The Green Guide, so I'm always learning new ways to make a
difference. Check out www.thegreenguide.com ,
a huge resource for environmental health and green living information.

-Merry, Santa Barbara

Do Paperless Banking!

I would also like to share with you some of my little efforts on paper/trees saving...

Most banks are offering a "go paperless" option on getting your monthly statements.
I've gone paperless some time ago.
And what seems like "my little effort" seems huge when I think what HUGE savings there would be if LOTS of people also went paperless, only by not receiving their monthly statements in the mail.
Statements that they probably put away in a drawer or simply throw away without even looking at them as you can check everything online much faster.

GO PAPERLESS!

1. Improves our quality of life because we don't have to spend time organizing and trashing stuff.
2. Helps the environment because of obvious saving of trees
3. Increases the wealth ... of the banks system! Oh well... idealistically, someday it might come back to the customers somehow...

Susie Beadle

Living without a Car

Living without a car has improved my life. I have lived without a car for almost four years now. The initial reason for my transition from car dependence to freedom was financial. I could not afford to buy a car, pay for insurance, maintenance, or the increasing price of gasoline. After selling my car I realized that there are many other benefits to not owning a car, including minimizing my ecological foot print, feeling healthy and fit, and the exciting possibility of meeting a cute guy on the public transit system, or on a kayak!

Katiyana Williams