What are you not willing to give up for green lifestyle?

[possum]

Be honest.
There are many things I can do with out and not replacing them when they wear out is definitely an option. But there are somethings, I have no intention of doing without
1. The fridge - with our summer temperatures, it just is not an option
2. The washing machine - it saves me more work than any other gaget.

[Bonniegirl]

As above, plus

3) Freezer

[possum]

I guess freezer too, though I have managed without one in the past, but I can't think of any other easy way for preserving meat. If we get a couple of pigs, I plan on salamis and air dried hams etc, but I don't know of similar involving lamb

[Jandra]

The above and also...
State of the art health care, even though it is not environmentally friendly.

And lots of other comforts which I wouldn't want to confess Oh, all right: computer, tv (not necessarily my device, but the entire fenomenon/industry), my cats, traveling. Probably more if I think a while.

Regards, Jandra

[Stonehead]

Does the question mean "you" as an individual or "you" as part of a family.

If the former, I'd be more than happy to go very, very minimalist - I'd probably keep a laptop with solar charger and a phone line but most of the other electrical and mechanical stuff could go. I've lived like this before and it's no great hassle.

But with the family in tow, I have to consider their needs and their comfort zones. I have been working (successfully) to whittle these back but there's still the TV, freezer, refrigerator, washing machine, electric oven and hob, hot running water, central heating etc. We use these less than we did last year, the year before or the year before that, but not sufficiently less for my liking.

As for "modern" health care, it seems to have largely departed Scotland anyway...

Hmm, thinking about it some more, I guess the answer is "I wouldn't be prepared to give up the family for a (hardcore) green lifestyle". Except, that I don't consider what we do to be a lifestyle - something to be adopted, changed, bought, followed on a whim or a budget. What we do is our life first, foremost and always.

[ina]

Couldn't have put it better myself, Stoney. As I live on my own, I have in the past often lived without most of the mod cons that everybody has. There were long periods without washing machine, without fridge or freezer or phone. Even now I turn the fridge off half the year ( in winter), and the freezer for several months (once there's not enough left in it to make it worth while, and until the new harvest starts - which is this week). I don't have a TV anyway, nor do I have a mobile; I mostly use a wind up/solar radio for "entertainment and information". Oh, and the computer, of course... I think that would be the hardest to give up. I'm hoping to have a woodburning stove for heat and cooking eventually (don't own the house I live in, so that's a bit difficult to achieve at the moment). The car would be difficult to do without, but I could greatly reduce it's use if I got my a*** in gear and used the bike to go to the village - there are buses from there (not a lot, though). And car sharing would be a good concept out here.

[Jarmara]

as stoney has already said if it was just me on my todd a would be a lot greener than i am with family in tow For me i wouldnt be able todo with out a radio or computer and a telephone i could use via the computer. veggies can be stored in ways with out a freezer bottling and sand boxes earth clamps etc meat is a bit harder with out a freezer but not impossible but if i had to choice between my family an agreen life style family would come first every time.

[possum]

hmm you have got me thinking. there are a lot of things that I could quite happily do without, but that OH couldn't. I didn't have a tv for years before we met, but now he wants sky, even the freeview box we bought isn't good enough.

[Thomzo]

I have no one else to blame either as I live on my own but I must confess that I would find it difficult to live without a lot of my gadgets. The washing machine and the dishwasher, for example. I guess it would be different if I didn't work full time and had a bit more time to spare. The vacuum cleaner is also a must as I'm allergic to dust.

I could probably do without things like the hairdryer and straighteners as I don't use them much.

I have just aquired a bicycle but I'm not tempted to give up my car just yet. I need to learn how to ride the bike first!

Zoe

[chadspad]

Im very bad for gadgets and things - I love my tumble dyer Im sorry to say and even use it on sunny days. I cant stand the hardness of jeans hung on a line. Im doing a days weeding in exchange for a dish washer - how cool is that We have washing machine, fridge/freezer and chest freezer, car, hubby has van for work. Having a young boy (or am I just using him as an excuse ) we have several games consoles, Sky, 2 DVD players, 2 video recorders, 2 TVS and obviously the computer. Not very good am I?

[ina]

The vacuum cleaner is also a must as I'm allergic to dust.

I'm trying to get rid of all carpets, eventually... Much more economical to use the broom! And small rugs can be washed; either in the machine (while we've still got one ), or in the bath.

[Thomzo]

The vacuum cleaner is also a must as I'm allergic to dust.

I'm trying to get rid of all carpets, eventually... Much more economical to use the broom! And small rugs can be washed; either in the machine (while we've still got one ), or in the bath.

I'm not sure on this one. There was a school of thought that said remove carpets to keep the dust down. The good point about carpets, though, is that they actually trap the dust while hard floors allow the dust to fly up into the atmosphere if it's disturbed. So now the thinking is that carpets, vacuumed regularly, might actually be better than a hard floor.

Sweeping with a broom is no good for me as the dust just flies up in my face so I still have to vacuum.

Zoe

[ina]

Sweeping with a broom is no good for me as the dust just flies up in my face so I still have to vacuum.

Well, in that case you are excused for keeping your vacuum cleaner!

I think it might depend on the material of the carpet as well, how much dust it attracts and "stores" or releases. I remember the time when we had large rugs, and no vacuum cleaner... No, I'm not that old, it's just that my mum got every mod con about 30 years after everybody else! So the rugs got taken out once a week and beaten properly. Now that was dusty... But a good way to let off aggression.

[red]

my computer
the freezer
healthcare is a really good one - (even if you think its absent its there really.. )
contraceptives
books
sugar (not just that i have a sweet tooth, but all that winemaking, jam making, preserving would be gone without it too)

[Cassiepod]

Doesn't it also depend on the definition of a green lifestyle?

If you run exisiting effecient electrical appliances until they die/become useless using electricity from a green source that might be better in lifecylce analysis than returning to potentially ineffeicent but older technologies (ie washing mahine with no soap does as good a job as hand washing with soap but you have the detergents to consider in the 'greener' alternative.)

In my mind it is living the best life that I can with as little impact as possible. I commute to work but I do it in the most ecofeindly way I can (share an effiecnt car) work as many things into one journey rather than many. There is no correct green lifestyle to subscribe to, by living we have an impact ont he evniroment around us and we have to make it as little as possible.