My carbon tiptoe.

It is easy being green. You just have to do it. Being "fiscally responsible" made me look very closely at my expenditures. I found that most of what I could trim would also reduce my so-called carbon footprint, which gave me double the satisfaction. I realize some people might find some of these measures draconian. I, personally don't and have even found the tertiary benefit (after frugality and environmentally conscious) of making me physically and mentally stronger. Here are the the macro details:


No air-conditioning.
I did use a window unit 4 days in early august when it was touching 107º outside. That's it. By toughing out the heat and humidity, I could take more of it and found that I could remain comfortable without problem or complaint up to the mid-90's with relatively high humidity.
I do have an attic fan to help me thru the tough spots. That draws a fair amount of electricity, but not anything like the compressor of a 110 window-unit. My lights don't dim when I turn it on.


Mellow Yellow
I don't flush every time. I know this may sound repugnant to some, but the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks, which I admit exist. I estimate that my toilet tank holds 5 gallons of water since I do not have a low-flow. On average, I flush 1 out of 6 "visits". Estimating a dozen visits a day for 18 hours, I potentially save 50 gallons a day. On my own.
As far as the drawbacks, I do have to clean the toilet more often and occasionally get hit with that ammonia smell, but living with a cat (box) for 20 years got me used to that. And cat pee is way worse smelling than people pee.
I flush when I feel I need to, leave the house and go to bed… or the smell is too pungent. The brown always goes down.


Low light.
I don't keep many lights on. The only full-watt bulb I routinely use is my front porch light, which is 40w and has a light-sensor that turns it off automatically in daylight. I am somewhat fortunate that my eyesight works best in low and non-direct light conditions. This means at night, I am able to use mere 4w plugin lights (and desk lamp) to see very well. Each of these have automatic light sensors too. I even have the ability to use a 4w in my bathroom on the wall switch. The rest of my lamps contain only 40w bulbs, are on dimmers, and are only used when needed and not for longer.


Lowest settings
Both my refrigerator and my hot-water tank are on the lowest settings manageable. This summer, I was able to turn my water tank to "vacation" with no loss of comfort and remains there today. The refrigerator currently stands on #3, which only affects the duration of milk storage. I simply do not buy any more milk than I can use in the time it remains potable, which can stretch to a week and a half. Easily done. The pilot on central heat will remain off until it is needed.


Ye olde clothesline
Generating heat is a big draw on electricity. While I do dry shirts and underwear in the dryer (medium setting), I dry towels and jeans on the clothesline. I sacrifice fluffiness and speed for frugality. I don't miss it.


Power down
Leaving the house or going to bed always gets the "power-down" routine. That means the computer (and monitors) get put to sleep and the speakers get turned off. My secondary computer monitor is switched completely off when one monitor will do nicely. I listen to NPR a lot, so I use a mono clock radio most of the time instead of my surround sound system, which draws at least 50w for the subwoofer alone. Doing this along with the other practices of no air conditioning, low lighting and low refrigerator settings keeps my electricity bill slightly over $50 per month. I doubt many other Americans can say the same.


Pedal power
When I need to run to the convenience store or somewhere local, I pedal. It's great cardio. I see much more and get to experience the outside. It heightens my balance, endurance and stamina and strengthens my legs, heart and lungs. It's fun. I estimate I ride about 25 miles a week and saves me a tank of gas a month. If I bike to the store, I take a backpack and don't buy more than I can fit in it.


Most of it is common sense duh. Some of it is a little sacrifice well within tolerable limits. I could always do more. Eventually, I'd love to have some things like a waterless urinal that uses a chemical filter to contain smells. Even a regular urinal would save hundreds of gallons of water a month, since it only takes a splash to clear it and leave my bathroom much cleaner to boot. I'd like a wood-burning stove for heat. Farther out, I'd dig a solar water heater and a wind generator. Wouldn't it be great? What if everyone did the same? It could be done. We could bring our power usage down to the point to where we only generate what we need ourselves. I want to live as cheaply as possible and find that doing that makes me environmentally conscious as well.