Submitted by Jackie Judd (not verified) on 18 April, 2008 - 21:39.
I live alone and am confined to a motorized wheelchair, so I don't even own a car. I am lucky in that I can get anything I really need in my neighborhood. Thus my response to this week's query is that I believe "bricks and mortar" is greener. I have a large cloth bag on the back of my chair, and I don't let anyone give me plastic (or even paper). I do SOME online shopping, but I am adamant about supporting my local book store and my smaller local pharmacy. I can get on the bus and metrolink with my chair if I must go out of my neighborhood. I buy organic and reusable products if I have a choice, even though they are inevitably more expensive (why??). I support local growers whenever possible, but I would like to know if restricting oneself to buying locally has a negative effect on the economy of third-world countries. I want to do the more globally humane thing. Recently, I have begun cleaning with vinegar and lemons, and I am pleased with the results. That would be my tip: cleaning "green" with lots of cheap vinegar and a few lemons. One doesn't need to buy the new, very expensive "green" cleaning products.
I live alone and am confined
I live alone and am confined to a motorized wheelchair, so I don't even own a car. I am lucky in that I can get anything I really need in my neighborhood. Thus my response to this week's query is that I believe "bricks and mortar" is greener. I have a large cloth bag on the back of my chair, and I don't let anyone give me plastic (or even paper). I do SOME online shopping, but I am adamant about supporting my local book store and my smaller local pharmacy. I can get on the bus and metrolink with my chair if I must go out of my neighborhood. I buy organic and reusable products if I have a choice, even though they are inevitably more expensive (why??). I support local growers whenever possible, but I would like to know if restricting oneself to buying locally has a negative effect on the economy of third-world countries. I want to do the more globally humane thing. Recently, I have begun cleaning with vinegar and lemons, and I am pleased with the results. That would be my tip: cleaning "green" with lots of cheap vinegar and a few lemons. One doesn't need to buy the new, very expensive "green" cleaning products.