I have to say that I did very well on the first two goals last week. I had my computer off and unplugged all day while I was on campus and turned it off and unplugged it before bed each night. I noticed that not having my laptop on all the time made it less easy to access which also meant that I spent less time on myspace and facebook and was more focused on school as well as actually hanging out with friends rather than hiding away in my room. I still checked my e-mail in the morning before class and when I got home at night but I wasn't stuck to my laptop like I usually am. I think spending more time with friends, worrying less about what was happening online, and doing other activities also improved my overall happiness for the week. By using my laptop very minimally throughout the week, I only had to fully charge my lap top ONCE! I got through the entire week on one battery charge. This was shocking to me because normally I use it throughout the day on battery and then plug it in to charge at night so I never really drain the battery completely. I didn't realize how long my battery actually can last. That was a real eye opener for me and I am continuing to keep my laptop unplugged this week.
The second goal was to not charge my cell phone at night and unplug the charger from the wall when I wasn't using it. I also followed through with this goal and did not leave my phone plugged in once overnight. I also let my phone die completely before charging it a few times. In the morning I would assess how much battery I had left and whether it would last me through the day or not. If I didn't think it would last, then I would plug it in while I was getting ready for school. That seemed to be a long enough time period to restore full battery and last me through the day. Again, by not charging my phone every night I found out how long my phone actually lasts. Over the weekend I let it die completely and then charged it fully so it would be ready for the school week. I think by these two actions alone I saved a lot of energy that I normally would have just wasted each week.
My third goal was to take the bus to my evening events or if I had to drive I would car pool. I definitely could still improve on this goal. I took the bus to my events at night but I found people offering me rides home and took them up on it instead of just taking the bus back. I also found that I did a lot less driving but other people drove me around more so that kind of defeats the purpose. One small improvement was that I did more car pooling. Sometimes my friends and I will agree to meet someplace and each take a car. The last week we did a lot more coordinating so that we could car pool places and cut out on taking two cars when it wasn't necessary. I know that when it's cold and dark and wet and I have to walk up the hill from the park and ride I am more likely to take a ride than volunteer to take the bus so I still need to work on that.
Even though I know I still have more to work on, I feel like having these three goals made a difference in my footprint this week. Also, because I was so focused on these three goals it made me more aware of turning off lights, water, recycling, etc. I found myself being an advocate for these things around my apartment and even at friends' houses which was a little surprising to me. I know what I'm doing or not doing anymore is not much, but it's a start.
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