The Plan

Here is a compendium of sustainable practices which are currently in place in our home, and some ideas for further improvement. The suggested changes are colour coded to indicate whether their implementation was successful, partially successful or not at all.

Personal
______________________________________________________________ Current

Short Showers
Take the bus occasionally
Carpool with Dad
2nd Hand Clothing
Donate clothes
Recycle Paper
Double sided printing
______________________________________________________________ Changes

Asian shower - too cold! Better suited for summer months.
Take bus more often
Carpool with friends
Ride bike to shops - rain made this impractical at times.
Stop using electric blanket - it has been placed back in the cupboard.
Snack on whole foods - lack of organisation limited the feasability.
Eat together - minimise reheating


Household
______________________________________________________________ Current

Short Showers
Steam Mop
Light globes
Solar hot water
Heater set at 17 degrees
Cold water washing
Efficient washing machine
Air dry clothing
Freezer located in a cool room
Buy local
Green shopping bags
Buy bulk
Donate clothing to Charity
Sell things on Ebay
Soap refills
Ink cartridge
______________________________________________________________ Changes

Grey Water use - limited time to investigate this option, as building the deck has been the primary focus.
Low Maintenance Garden - rosh bushes, native plants and mulch galore!
Computers set to sleep mode - except for Dad's work computer which needs to remain on overnight.
Use lamp instead of down lights
Meat free Mondays - lack of coordination made this a challenge, however, when required to 'fend for myself' I would cook without meat.
Grow own food - Yay! The pumpkins are growing!
Use oil burner instead of air freshener in the toilet - It appears that we have previously purchased airfreshener in bulk, and therefore are obligated to use it up.
Energy saving lights for decking
Environmentally friendly deck oil - at almost double the price it was deemed impractical in light of the budget.
Use 'Green bags' more often
No junk mail - hearty objections to this proposal from other house members.
Purchase enviro-friendly products - some products such as dishwashing detergent proved to be ineffective, however I have switched to an alternative, using bicarb soda and vinegar for most cleaning jobs.