For starters, I won't be using the elevator anymore. (Unless we're moving a large piece of furniture in or out... or a big suitcase.) But the point is, on a regular basis, regardless of my energy levels, I will dutifully walk up to the 4th floor with the use of my legs. This shouldn't be too hard unless I happen to be way too focused on what I can do to change my ways and happen to take the elevator while I'm deep in thought... only to realize it too late.
In terms of transportation, I'm going to minimize my usage of the bus and start riding my bike to work. If it rains, I'll probably take the bus, but if I'm going for a full day, I'll ride my bike there. The 7km should help get me into shape and by the time I'm ready to come home, I always had a nice semi-downhill ride to look forward to. As for traveling between Helsinki and Tampere, there isn't much I can do about that during the school year. I have to go to class and the train will have to do. International trips are a huge issue I haven't yet decided on... but baby steps.
Paper towels: we never buy them so that's easy. But we have them at work and in just about any public bathroom. I've stopped using them. It's really not that much more time and energy consuming to take a few extra seconds to shake my hands around a bit and then dry them on the way to my desk or table or where ever I'm headed. This brings me to another interesting topic which took all the attention of Colin Beavan's book, and that's the usage of toilet paper. Here's the deal: women use a lot of toilet paper. We realized this in university when I was living with 2 other girls. We went through toilet paper like nobody's business. But the point is, if you reduce your regular usage of it, for example, by using 2 squares instead of 4 or 1 instead of 2 (depending on its thickness and your needs) you've already halved your consumption. You just have to stop meditating before you reach for the roll and make sure to remember to use less :) (And by you, I mean me.)
Tissues, or Kleenex as we call it, has also never been apart of our regular shopping. Toilet paper is usually a substitute but here's an idea: blow your nose in the sink with a bit of water or use a handkerchief. Easy.
I've never been a huge fan of bottled water. I usually just get a glass and drink but especially in the summer, I get really hot and start to feel whoozy if I'm not constantly sipping water. I went out a couple weeks ago and bought myself a stainless steel (I think?) water bottle. As soon as I find a nice mason jar at some second hand store, I'll start carrying that around (since I can put a few more things in it) but for now, this works great! Speaking of water, as our detergent, body wash and shampoo progressively run out, I'm gonna replace them with alternatives that do not contain chemicals and are not harmful in any way. No need to race to the store for those products until I've used what I have now but I've already bought a few things with that in mind and it's no harder than just knowing what you want and when you'll need it.
Also, I'm going to start bringing my cloth bags with me everywhere even if I'm not intending on doing any grocery shopping... since I always end up wanting something and I hate having to use a plastic bag just for that. Again, easy. I also happen to have a super stylish one, courtesy of my friend Emilia who works at Marimekko ;)
(The above pattern is one of the ones on the bag, because it's actually a mix of a few.)
Now comes the tough part and this is a phase I haven't quite figured out yet: reducing the use of plastic. I don't mean that I buy plastic spoons and use them once only to throw them away. I mean the plastic that wraps almost every single thing we buy: from yogurt containers to milk to frozen pizzas to juice to fresh vegetables and salads! So yeah, the plastic that wraps just about everything. To be honest, I'd never considered that stuff plastic before and I realize how idiotic that sounds. But I was just recently tuned into the fact that it actually is plastic... and it's EVERYWHERE. So now comes the hard part... finding food without it. I have to start researching (in Finnish) local farms and other providers of milk in glass bottles, cheese without plastic around it, fruits and vegetables from market stands... and all that jazz.
But for now, one thing at a time! I think your head must be spinning right now, but mine's been spinning for a week now with all these thoughts and I just needed to write it all down somewhere.
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