We spent this Saturday in our typical way. Get up in the morning, prepared breakfast and lunch. After breakfast, we took the bus to Golden Gate Park. We brought food with us so we can picnic in the park. We had a great time inside the park. We returned home in the afternoon. While the kid was taking her nap, I prepared for dinner and my husband was doing some reading. After she woke up, we walked to the library near by with her. She enjoyed looking at different books and playing with other kids there. In the mean time, we dropped off books and picked up the ones that we had reserved. Dinner was several home cooked vegetarian dishes. Some vegetables were from our back yard. Lentils were pre-soaked since the morning and they were cooked in a pressure cooker along with some rice. Using a pressure cooker saves energy and cuts down on cooking time. All the scrap from the cooking went into a composting container. It makes our veggie garden grow well. After dinner, we played with our daughter and read stories to her. We haven’t watched TV for years. We spent more time playing and reading stories to our daughter. By reading to her more, we hope to cultivate her interest in reading which will benefit her lifelong.
We are happy with this life style because it takes us closer to nature, less consumption and waste, and more importantly it allows us to spend more time enjoying things that we value the most, like family.
Have a great Green Day!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Solar Energy
When we traveled to China, everywhere we went, from cities to villages, we saw solar powered water heaters on every roof. It is very amazing that China has utilized solar power so widely and it has penetrated into ordinary people’s daily lives. In contrast, the high set up cost in the U.S still prevents us from using this generous gift of nature. It also makes me wonder how the Chinese are able to drive down the cost so even ordinary families can benefit from solar technology. It is a shame that our more developed country is not as energy efficient as China. It is not surprising to me that China will out run the U.S in the foreseeable future.
Fortunately, we still can utilize the sunlight in our daily lives. I have not used my clothes dryer for years. After laundry, I hang the clothes on a line in the backyard and let them dry in the sun. For darker colored clothes, I will turn them inside out so the color doesn’t fade in the sunlight. Drying clothes in the sunlight not only saves energy, but also kills more germs. Sun dried clothes also smell fresh and feel very comfortable when worn. Whenever possible, I also put my comforters and blankets under the sun for a few hours and it feels so fresh and comfortable when using them at night. Modernization provides convenience but not necessarily increases our quality of life.
Fortunately, we still can utilize the sunlight in our daily lives. I have not used my clothes dryer for years. After laundry, I hang the clothes on a line in the backyard and let them dry in the sun. For darker colored clothes, I will turn them inside out so the color doesn’t fade in the sunlight. Drying clothes in the sunlight not only saves energy, but also kills more germs. Sun dried clothes also smell fresh and feel very comfortable when worn. Whenever possible, I also put my comforters and blankets under the sun for a few hours and it feels so fresh and comfortable when using them at night. Modernization provides convenience but not necessarily increases our quality of life.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Go Hybrid ?
When it was time to buy a new car, we were thinking to buy a hybrid. But we were concerned about the cost of the battery replacement down the road. My husband happened to try a Hyundai in his car rental and he fell in love with it. So we decided to buy a Hyundai instead. But we encountered a very bad service at the Hyundai dealership. We didn’t get a chance to test drive any car. So we went to the Honda dealer right across from the Hyundai dealer and found out by surprise that the Accord’s price is even cheaper than the Hyundai. We got the Accord right there and are still very happy with it.
The Accords’ mpg is not bad but still makes us fret when the gas price keeps going up. It turns out that it was a good move to skip the hybrid. A friend who bought a Prius found a bunch of problems later. See his interview in the LA times. To live green, we try to drive less. We cut down our driving trips to do groceries by either combining the groceries buying with other errands, or simply walk to the stores that are near by. Sure it requires better planning but it saves gasoline and more importantly saves our time.
The Accords’ mpg is not bad but still makes us fret when the gas price keeps going up. It turns out that it was a good move to skip the hybrid. A friend who bought a Prius found a bunch of problems later. See his interview in the LA times. To live green, we try to drive less. We cut down our driving trips to do groceries by either combining the groceries buying with other errands, or simply walk to the stores that are near by. Sure it requires better planning but it saves gasoline and more importantly saves our time.
Healthier Living
It is already February! Are you on track of your goals for the year? If being healthier is one of your goals, how do you want to achieve it? I am trying to become healthier by doing small things each day, with relatively painless effort. Why? Like any other process, persistence is the key. And being persistent is much harder and far more important than the action itself. I found that by minimizing stress and enjoying the process helps me stay on track with my goals.
1. Minimize stress by starting small and being flexible
Starting small means less stress. I want to start with one small thing at a time so that my body and mind don’t get disturbed too much and hence there is less resistance to the change. Once I become comfortable with this change, I start a second one or increase the degree of change gradually. For example, I started eating less salt by reducing my usual salt intake bit by bit. Gradually I hardly use any salt in my cooking. This happened so gradually that I didn’t feel any pain. Now I have become so used to the low salt cooking that any restaurant food is a bit too salty for me.
Being flexible can eliminate a great deal of stress. For example, instead of dropping dessert completely, I will eat yogurt instead. My body is satisfied with this healthier replacement and I don’t feel stressed at all. The bottom line is not forcing my body to let go of a desire, instead, direct it towards a healthier choice. Life is full of choices after all.
2. Enjoy the process and keep yourself motivated
The more I enjoy the process, the more I get motivated. To enjoy the process, I keep my expectations low so any improvement becomes a bonus. Keeping track of even the smallest improvement helps me stay motivated. Even something as small as a good night’s sleep is worth noticing and celebrating. Life is full of pleasant surprises – only when you pay attention to them.
Being creative adds fun into the process. I had lots of fun when trying to modify a recipe to be healthier without compromising the taste. Being able to find fun in the process is a big motivation to keep myself going.
Being healthier is not as hard as most people think. It can be very enjoyable. Wish you all a year of good health.
1. Minimize stress by starting small and being flexible
Starting small means less stress. I want to start with one small thing at a time so that my body and mind don’t get disturbed too much and hence there is less resistance to the change. Once I become comfortable with this change, I start a second one or increase the degree of change gradually. For example, I started eating less salt by reducing my usual salt intake bit by bit. Gradually I hardly use any salt in my cooking. This happened so gradually that I didn’t feel any pain. Now I have become so used to the low salt cooking that any restaurant food is a bit too salty for me.
Being flexible can eliminate a great deal of stress. For example, instead of dropping dessert completely, I will eat yogurt instead. My body is satisfied with this healthier replacement and I don’t feel stressed at all. The bottom line is not forcing my body to let go of a desire, instead, direct it towards a healthier choice. Life is full of choices after all.
2. Enjoy the process and keep yourself motivated
The more I enjoy the process, the more I get motivated. To enjoy the process, I keep my expectations low so any improvement becomes a bonus. Keeping track of even the smallest improvement helps me stay motivated. Even something as small as a good night’s sleep is worth noticing and celebrating. Life is full of pleasant surprises – only when you pay attention to them.
Being creative adds fun into the process. I had lots of fun when trying to modify a recipe to be healthier without compromising the taste. Being able to find fun in the process is a big motivation to keep myself going.
Being healthier is not as hard as most people think. It can be very enjoyable. Wish you all a year of good health.
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