Wellness #41 - Going Green - Part 2

My husband and I already do quite a bit of these suggestions. We recycle as much as we can, although we are looking into recycling more. I walk to the grocery store and Walgreen's as much as possible while he rides his bike. I bring my lunch with me to work despite the fact that I live very close. Every time we have a light burn out we try to replace it with an energy efficient one. Aah, the joys of having a leftover hippie who works in the energy sector as a father.

My husband and I are considering changing to Reliant's 100% wind energy plan. It's about a cent more a kilowatt then what we're paying now but if it reduces our carbon footprint, it would be worth it. I looked at Green Mountain Energy but their cheaper plans had a tendency to fluctuate too much.

I try to hyper-mile my car as much as possible. I try to drive the speed limit and coast as much as possible. I suppose I could do more. I drive with my cruise control on the freeway too much, I'm sure. I realize when I do that, I put my car in control of my speed and it is probably harder on it's insides then I am. I use it because I acknowledge I have a lead foot and I am trying to go the speed limit. I will try to drive without the cruise control when I go up to my in-laws next Christmas. I will also try to drive 55 the next time I get on the freeway here in town (if I can get up to that speed). I understand the need to drive slower. I allowed my sister-in-law to drive my car back to Houston from Bowie, TX the last time we went up to Oklahoma. She drove 80 nearly the entire way back, getting us to Houston an hour and a half early. She also used nearly a 1/4 of a tank more of gas than I usually use driving that same distance at 65-70. That just proved to me that hyper-miling a car is the way to go.