| This week was my turn to talk about environmental problems, and we asked you to tell us how you are helping dig us out of the climate change hole. We linked to stories about travel, food and clothes, and suggested ways to cut back on single-use plastics and personal trash production. Then we sat back and waited to hear your thoughts, as well as your favorite meatless meals. Right out of the box, we got great ideas: Karla humidifies her home as she dries her washed clothes. Elizabeth suggests tackling school bag lunches in the hopes of getting the little kids on board. Charles attends Repair Cafe events where people learn to fix their things rather than throw them away, and Jean buys local and seasonal. Ruth, Charles, Margy Lee and Liese, well, if this was really a school, they would be teaching this class. (Have more tips to share? It's not too late! Tell us how you how you live greener here. We may feature it.) Keep reading for more brilliant, ecologically friendly ideas and some meal planning. Comments have been edited for length and clarity. When to repair, and how to replace"We have periodic Repair Cafe events, based on a program started in Amsterdam. Other groups around the world run cafes, Fixit Fairs, or similar events, repairing clothes, jewelry, small appliances, furniture and other things, keeping items out of landfills and avoiding buying new items. Not only does teaching people how to fix things have the direct benefit of reducing waste, it also provides opportunities for building stronger communities." — Charlie, 69 "I replaced almost all of our lightbulbs with four- or five-watt LEDs, which reduced electric consumption by a factor of 10. I installed a 'smart' thermostat. We replaced our cooktop with an induction model (up to 90 percent energy efficient) rather than conventional electric (75 percent) or gas (50 percent). I use clothing for as long as I can and then donate everything for the less fortunate. I look for Energy Star ratings on appliances. I try to repair appliances that fail — electric toothbrushes, espresso machine, furnace, coffee grinders, drills, etc. (I'm an engineer so that helps … plus I'm very patient!). We eat organic as much as possible, with far more fish and poultry than red meat (we look for sustainably raised). When replacing a fireplace, I went to a very-high efficiency gas model with a recirculating fan so the heat stays in my home. When remodeling, we installed very low flow toilets and shower heads throughout. We got rid of a hot tub as too energy intensive and got rid of a jetted bathtub for the same reason." — Charles, 71  | Walking the walk "I've been vegetarian since 1984. I drive a Prius. Been making yogurt and granola for several years (homemade granola is a fabulous gift!). I use beeswax wrap instead of plastic wrap. We have solar panels and collect rainwater. I carry refillable jars to markets that have bulk sections. I discard food scraps, tissues and paper towels at the industrial compost facilities here in Austin. I've recently started looking for kitchen items at Goodwill and yard sales to avoid buying new." — Ruth, 69 "We went vegan. There is a lot of animal suffering in dairy, which I saw working in a goat dairy in 2008. I make seitan as one protein source and dairy substitutes from cashews. We read wonderful vegan food blogs with great, interesting dishes. I buy clothes at Goodwill if I really need to replace what I have. We drive a Prius that gets 45 mpg in the winter and plan to move to a place with good public transit after retiring; our goal is to have no car. We keep the house at 65 daytime, 60 nights in winter, only use the A/C when it's really necessary and make a game of getting the electric bill as low as possible! We're also very aware of water usage, I collect the water from washing vegetables and waiting for the shower to warm up to use in other ways, like rinsing bottles and cans for recycling. I sold our dryer and use a clothes line (living in North Carolina makes that possible even in the winter). We also have a line inside for when it rains. This may sound inconvenient, but it's easy once it's a habit and you realize that convenience and comfort comes at a cost to this world. Seeing the bees, birds and other creatures in my naturalized yard makes me feel so happy, but I know without doing our part, they will go extinct." — Liese, 60 "My friends and I are all in our 70s and 80s. We are the ones who recycle almost everything possible. My children and grandchildren cannot seem to be bothered. Even my siblings who are 10 years younger do not see the need." — Donna, 74 Get the kids involved"Have you thought about doing an article about the amount of waste in school bag lunches? From juice boxes to snacks, single-use plastic packaging used for items such as yogurt and string cheese, the amount of trash generated is enormous. Some of this is a convenience for the packer. Use reusable lunch boxes or bags, cloth napkins and sandwich tins instead of sandwich bags. Also, schools could teach about how using reusable containers could help to save endangered species. The World Wildlife Fund helped Ecuador build a waste management system to clean up the plastic on the beaches that was making animals sick. If children knew they could help save endangered species, I think they would want to limit the amount of trash in their lunches." — Elizabeth, 69 It's sew simple"I started making fabric shopping bags for my family and friends. I sew with used 'Cortes' which is a length of cloth that Mayan women in Guatemala wear for skirts. They are beautiful and useful." — Valerie, 68 "One of the things that I'm passionate about is sewing. It started out as needing a costume for a sci-fi event more than 10 years ago. With that skill, I can fix or refashion clothes instead of buying new pieces. Costuming does require buying fabric, but I accept gifted fabric and dig through estate sales to find fabric going for almost nothing. Leftover fabric scraps have been donated to school teachers and other crafters on Freecycle. Habits are easy to change. I started saying "water-no-straw" in restaurants and now it just rolls off my tongue like it was one word. I bring my beat up Thermos everywhere I go and I have not bought a bottle of water in years. It usually takes a few attempts for the cashier at fast-food places to understand that I will pay for the drink but let me use my water bottle instead of their disposable cup. I keep a collapsible container in my purse for leftovers at restaurants. And speaking of restaurants, I write Yelp reviews calling out places that are not recycling and using disposable plastic utensils. It's been encouraging to hear managers respond to these reviews saying that they will work on it." — Margy Lee, 48 | | Say goodbye to static cling"We no longer use the dryer, except in emergency situations (note: NO emergency situations have presented themselves). We purchased a drying rack that we use in the living room where the propane fireplace is located. Air drying humidifies the air, which is welcomed in the winter and eliminates static cling. We wash the clothes with the least amount of laundry detergent we can, and use white vinegar for fabric softener and freshener. I love comparing my previous laundry day energy usage to now." — Karla, 65 Shop local "I encourage people to try to buy locally produced, seasonal food. Small amounts of locally produced meat, preferably purchased from a nose-to-tail butcher cuts down on greenhouse gases and decreases the transportation costs as well as food waste." — Jean, 59 Meatless Monday motivation "Chiles rellenos." — Karla, 65 (Here's Food Editor Joe Yonan's recipe!) "I love pasta primavera. I use carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes. I do use goat and Parmesan cheese. Does that still count as meatless?" — Chris (Yes, Chris, although check out Liese's helpful tips for cutting out dairy, above.) "Meatless sandwiches! Recently, I've been loving sandwiches with broccoli or cauliflower. When roasted with some salt, pepper and just about any other spice, these veggies are mighty delicious in a sub roll or a ciabatta roll." — Caroline, 28 On Monday, we grapple with grief. Suzette talks to experts and about how she has dealt with her own profound loss. In the meantime, be sure to forward Bold School to a friend (or three?) and invite them to join us. They can sign up at anytime and start with Lesson 1 the following Monday. | 
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