Planet Green / DCL
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Style over Substance or as I call it:
Rebel with a Cause
For me, one of the big achievements in working with Dean and James, was that I successfully resisted the temptation to make a James Dean joke.
Compost this!
We gave Dean and James numerous options on the composting question. For many people, having an apartment composter won't seem like a practical solution. When I lived in NYC, I lived in an apartment so small that you could lie in bed, answer the door, fry and egg all at the same time, so that wouldn't have worked for me. However, James and DEan really wanted to compost at home, although we did give them a choice, right down the street from James and Dean is a community garden which accepts compost, so if this is something you want to explore, check out your local resources, help may be avail, and if there isn't one, this is a great community builder too.
Mr. Clean
One of my no-cost solutions for the guys was the good old fashioned smell test- I don't wash everything after one use, but I know the guys are professionals and want to look sharp and had a little more exacting standards than I. However, it can be one step forward two steps back...
I switched to a PERC free cleaners and found to my surprise that my wash and fold comes wrapped plastic, its so frustrating, but I think if we all keep speaking up, we will get the businesses we give money to to respond to us. I call this: voting with your dollars.
Recycling
James and Dean really took charge and got their building recycling, that's one of the most exciting things that came from this experiment. The guys not only changed their lives, but really implanting my hope of creating viral social change- the whole building benefited.
Acceptable losses
I knew it would be unreasonable to expect that Dean would curtail his use of cabs altogether, so when I challenged him to cutting them out completely, I knew that wouldn't stick, however, he really did cut back significantly. It was a big savings that the guys are also considering using to hire a dog sitter. To me that's a great trade off. By saving money in electricity costs and cab rides, the guys had extra cash to either put in the bank or invest in hiring a dog walker to keep him company - if you're heard the phrase the green economy but wondered how that worked - that's the green economy creating jobs on a micro level.
Because the compost was a big part of the show, just a little note:
Americans throw away an average of 122 pounds of usable food per month., I'm trying to buy smarter so the food I purchase doesn't go bad and I have to throw it away. This does require more trips to the market, so I do have to plan better and try to stop in and shop on my way home from work so I'm not adding an extra trip.
I'd like to recommend this week: Michael Pollan's Omnivores Dilemma
A great book. His message in a few words: Eat food, not too much, mostly plants... Read it and it will make sense.
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