c/climate-action

19

the_emma•2d ago

Hit 80% less plastic waste this month by switching to bar soap and shampoo bars, but my spouse thinks it's just a trend that won't stick

After tracking our household trash for three months I got the number down from 12 pounds to 2.4 pounds by changing just those two products, but now I'm wondering if the convenience of liquid soap is worth the extra waste in the long run - what's your take on how much personal habits actually add up?.

12

milap35•2d ago

Everyone talks about recycling right, but I keep seeing people toss greasy pizza boxes in the paper bin

At my station we sort our own waste, and I can't believe how many cardboard boxes get ruined by cheese and oil that can't be processed. Have any of you had luck convincing your local recycling center to accept them, or do you just compost them too?

13

brooke_nguyen65•2d ago

Shoutout to my neighbor for convincing me to ditch single-use water bottles

I used to go through a 24-pack of plastic water bottles every week, figured it was just convenient. Then my neighbor across the hall, retired environmental engineer, showed me her Brita filter setup and how she fills a reusable Hydro Flask every day. We did the math together - that's 1,248 bottles a year I was tossing into the landfill. She lent me her old filter pitcher for a week and now I've got my own, haven't bought a plastic bottle in 3 months. Anybody else have a small change that totally shifted their waste habits?

20

linda305•3d ago

Tried to compost my coffee grounds. Ended up with a raccoon party in my backyard.

Left a bucket of grounds by the back fence in Austin. Next morning, three raccoons had tipped it over and were rolling in the mess. Had to re-bag everything and move it to a locking bin. Anyone else have wildlife ruin their compost plans?

5

lucas_grant83•6d ago

Talking to a retired farmer in Iowa changed how I think about carbon credits

I was out near Des Moines last month trimming trees for a guy who used to run a corn operation. He told me he signed up for a carbon program and got paid $28 an acre just for planting cover crops. Said the first year he actually saw his soil hold water way better after a dry spell. It made me realize there's real money in doing stuff that helps the climate if you know where to look. Made me wonder if any of you have worked with farmers or landowners who are actually cashing in on these programs.

17

karenhenderson•6d ago

I saved $45 a month on my electric bill just by swapping to LED bulbs in my apartment in Denver

I finally counted all 14 bulbs in my place and swapped them out one Saturday afternoon, and my bill dropped from $98 to $53 the next cycle - has anyone else noticed that big of a difference or was I just running really wasteful old lights?

29

averym82•8d ago

Just realized my neighborhood composting bin cut my trash by 30% in two months

I started putting kitchen scraps in the community compost drop at the park near 5th street. Problem was I kept forgetting to take it out, but then I set a Sunday night reminder. Has anyone else tried a simple system like that for cutting waste?

13

andrew693•9d ago

Wasted $200 on a cheap air-to-water heat pump that barely heated my basement

I thought I was saving money by getting a no-name heat pump off an online marketplace for my crawl space in Portland. It claimed to be 3.5 kW and cost me $200 including shipping. After 2 months of struggling with it, my electric bill actually went up $30 and the space never got above 55 degrees. I finally had a local HVAC guy look at it and he said the compressor was undersized and the refrigerant charge was wrong from the factory. He quoted me $3,500 for a proper Mitsubishi unit that would actually work. Has anyone else gotten burned by cheap heat pump gear that seemed like a steal at first?

16

singh.jessica•10d ago

My block had a zero-waste week challenge and it went way better than I expected

Last month our neighborhood in Portland tried to produce zero trash for 7 days (compost and recycling allowed) and I was honestly shocked we hit an 80% reduction by day 3. The biggest surprise was how much we cut down on food waste just by planning meals together - has anyone else tried a community-wide waste challenge and seen real changes stick afterward?

5

spencer_thomas4•10d ago

Used to compost all wrong until a neighbor showed me why

For years I just tossed kitchen scraps in a pile and hoped for the best. Ended up with a stinky mess that attracted raccoons and never broke down. Then my neighbor Steve in Ohio walked me through his system last spring. He told me I needed a 3:1 ratio of browns to greens and to turn the pile every 2 weeks. After 4 months following his method, I had actual dark soil instead of slimy garbage. Has anyone else had to totally redo their compost setup after thinking they had it figured out?

26

davis.gavin•11d ago

Can we talk about how much money I wasted on a cheap smart thermostat?

I picked up a no-name smart thermostat for like $35 on Amazon last year. Thought I was being clever and saving cash. Set it up myself, watched a YouTube video, felt like a pro. But after 6 months, my electric bill actually went up by about $15 a month. Turns out the thing had a faulty sensor and was running the AC way more than needed. I finally swapped it for a $80 model from a known brand at Home Depot. My bill dropped $25 the first month. Has anyone else had a cheap gadget backfire on them like this?

29

laura_white99•11d ago

PSA: Switched to a programmable thermostat and cut my electric bill by $30 in one month

I live in Phoenix and my AC was running all summer. I kept cranking it down to 70 when I was home. Then I set it to 78 during the day when I'm at work and 72 when I'm home. First month after I programmed it, my bill dropped $30. I didn't think such a small change would do that much. Has anyone else seen that kind of savings just from adjusting temps?

5

oscarh16•11d ago

TIL shipping one container across the ocean pollutes as much as 50 cars driving for a year

I was reading through some random climate stats on a site called Our World in Data last night. They broke down emissions per container ship trip, and I had to double check the math a few times. Turns out a single big cargo vessel can burn through 150 tons of bunker fuel a day, which is basically the dirtiest stuff left on the planet. Has anyone else looked into what shipping companies are actually doing to clean this up?

19

spencer_thomas4•11d ago

Tried a bamboo toothbrush for a month and ended up with a plastic one again

I gave bamboo toothbrushes a solid 30 days thinking I'd cut down on waste, but mine got moldy after week two and the bristles fell out. Anyone else find these things just don't hold up in a humid bathroom?

15

rivera.simon•13d ago

Just realized how much heat my attic stairs were leaking

I was up there last week swapping a filter and felt a draft around the pull-down ladder. Got a cheap insulated cover for 40 bucks and my furnace runs way less now. Anyone else sealed up one of these and noticed a difference?

6

allen.william•13d ago

A neighbor told me my compost bin was attracting rats so I switched to a sealed tumbler last month

They pointed out my open pile had food scraps right near the fence line, and now with the tumbler I haven't seen a single rodent - anyone else had to change their whole setup after someone called them out?

26

taylor_mitchell80•14d ago

Switched to rain barrels and saw my water bill drop $22 in three months

I installed two 50-gallon rain barrels off my garage gutters back in April, and by July my summer watering bill went from $67 to $45. The change was pretty clear once I stopped using the hose for my garden and flower beds. Has anyone else tried connecting multiple barrels together to store more water for dry spells?

18

simon_coleman•14d ago

Tried to start a community compost bin at my apartment complex and it backfired hard

I got permission from the manager to set up a small compost bin behind building C at my complex in Portland. After about 2 weeks, some tenant threw a full bag of rotting meat into it and the smell got so bad they shut the whole thing down. Has anyone actually gotten a community composting setup to work without issues like this?

0

hill.jade•15d ago

Debate: Is personal carbon offsetting actually helping or just making us feel better?

I was buying offsets for my flights for years, thinking I was doing my part. Then I read that some offset programs in Brazil double-counted credits and did little for local communities. So what do you all think are offsets worth it or just a way to ease our guilt while we keep flying?

27

thomas_brown•16d ago

Got told my solar panels were basically useless without battery storage

Guy from the local co-op in Portland said I was exporting 80% of my generation during peak sun hours when my house barely draws anything. Has anyone else found that a small battery bank made a bigger difference than adding more panels?

13

rayc89•17d ago

Went to the local landfill and it totally shifted how I think about food waste

I dropped off some old furniture at the transfer station in Burlington last Saturday and while I was there, I walked past the dumpsters. I couldn't believe how much perfectly good food was tossed-whole bags of apples, unopened yogurt containers, still-sealed bread loaves. It hit me that my little efforts at home like composting feel pointless when grocery stores and restaurants are throwing out thousands of pounds daily. Has anyone else had a moment like that where you realized the scale of the problem is way bigger than individual habits?

6

colesanchez•17d ago

My parents' neighborhood in Phoenix used to have grass lawns everywhere back in the 90s

I drove through their old street last month and almost every single front yard is now rocks and cactus. The HOA finally gave up on fines after the water bills got too crazy around 2015. Has anyone else seen whole blocks just swap out their turf in a decade?

23

the_miles•18d ago

Bought a $40 compost bin from the hardware store and it actually works better than the fancy one

I was pretty skeptical about the cheap tumbler style compost bin from Home Depot after reading reviews online. But I've been using it for 3 months in my backyard in Austin and it breaks down kitchen scraps way faster than the $200 unit I had before. Has anyone else found that simpler designs just work better for small scale composting?

13

evac72•19d ago

That $30 eco-friendly laundry kit was a total dud

I bought one of those plastic-free laundry sheets from a shop in Portland, supposed to save water and energy. Spent $30 on a three-month supply, but after two washes, my clothes came out smelling like wet cardboard and the sheets just clumped up in the machine. Now I'm back to regular powder, but I feel guilty about the waste. Has anyone else tried these and found a brand that actually works?

1

jessew83•19d ago

My little rain barrel project paid off way faster than I expected

I put in a 55-gallon rain barrel under my downspout back in April, thinking it would take a whole season to see any real savings. But after just one decent storm in June, I had enough water to keep my vegetable garden going for two weeks without touching the hose. Ended up saving about 30 bucks on my water bill that month and my tomatoes never looked happier. Has anyone else noticed a big difference from something simple like this?