Keeping My Pledge - What I'm Doing to Go Green

The pledge that I took last week over at Design Can Change was pretty simple.  It goes like this:

In my professional practice, I will endeavor to:
Learn:  Engage in the topic and seek to understand the issue
Think: Make a sustainable mindset second nature
Act: Put my knowledge to use in my daily work
Inform: Share information and build awareness for sustainability
Unite: Spark change through collective strength.

I encourage you to visit the Design Can Change website, read the resources and pdfs and take the pledge.

I've been thinking about what it is I can do as an individual toward being a more responsible designer. Because I work from my home, I'm also including items I can do as a homeowner. Here's my list:

1. Use both sides of the paper from my printer. Reusing paper as scrap for notes, sketching etc.
2. Ride my bike to the post office.
3. Instead of using plastic bags at the grocery store and the office supply store, I'm committed to bringing the lovely tote given to me by my friend Pirjo Loisa for bringing home purchases. As a fellow tree lover, I think Pirjo will like this idea.
4. Replacing those old fashion lightbulbs in my office with CFL energy saving bulbs.
5. I'm faced with having to replace some appliances in my home, I'll be replacing all with energy star models which will also save some bucks on my electric bill.  Energy saving insulation, exterior doors and windows will also help.  According to Time Magazine's issue "The Global Warming Survival Guide," April 9, 2007, you can also get a tax break for going green. "This is the first year you can take advantage of incentives built into the landmark 2005 Energy Policy Act, which will reduce your tax bill if you simply buy a fuel-saving car or install energy efficient appliances."
6. I'll be including those Design Can Change PDFs in my proposals and client materials.

Comments

[Eric Karjaluoto]

Hi Lisa,

Just a quick note to say how happy we are to read posts like yours. It's great to see people not only visiting the website, but making steps to change.

It's not always easy. During the project, we often were at odds with certain points; nevertheless, there's something nice about thinking that you are part of a solution.

Thanks for posting about your efforts and sharing. If we can keep attention on this topic, I think we can really make things happen.

All the best!

Eric