Stand For Less

Bicycling is key, it keeps me out of the automobile, which in turns keeps me more focused on my own neighborhood. The farmer's markets of HILLCREST, Little Italy, and North Park keep me supplied with 70% of my groceries. Money direct to the farmers and they allow me to use my own containers for everything I do have to purchase to keep my energy levels at optimum. Our front and back yard gardens provide more and more of what we eat. Wholesome and nutritious and delicious. A bucket in the shower keeps the garden watered and flushes the toilet. Never bottled water. Never a need for a bag. A meticulous recycling commitment at the house, limited lighting, composting of food scraps, and sharing ideas with my neighbors. It's a situation in constant flux, always changing for the better, for a simpler way of living. These are a few of the ways I STAND FOR LESS.

I started a company with 4 other people that supplies an additive to the plastic industry. This additive biodegrades plastic in a landfill within a year. we now have an amazing ceo that is in front of kraft, kellogs and heinz. One step at a time we hope to help solve the landfill problem.

As a family we continue daily to be mindful and committed to sustainability. My husband bikes to work several days per week. I do errands by foot or bike. I drive a car which ran on Bio-diesel for two years. I began a compost program for the kitchen waste at my son's elementary school. Our house has the following sustainable features: We have a Solar Power grid tied Net Energy Metering system. It was installed and in use since May 2001 for all of our electric power needs. Energy Star and Low Energy appliances and light bulbs. Low E windows. Water efficiency is supported with low flow sink and shower aerators, low flush toilet, also a water-wise yard. Our house was built in 1934. We are keeping it repaired and conserving by using and maintaining original features as long as possible. We have composted kitchen and yard waste for over 14 years. City recycling pick up for paper, bottles and cans. We do not buy plastic drink bottles and try to keep purchases with excess packaging to a minimum. Of course we use canvas bags for groceries, buying local and in bulk as well as organic. We reuse clothing and furniture. It matters because we have one earth.

I stand for less by composting trash, recycling, telecommuting when I can. Working toward redoing our landscaping to use less water. We turn up our therm. in summers and down in the winter. At work, I encouraged all of our staff to only print on double-sided paper. I bring in my resuable cup to Starbucks! I try to buy as much organic that is available. Every little bit helps. The key for me is to take it one action at a time and not be overwhelmed by it all.

1. Turn off all power execept what is being used. 2. Use energy efficient devices and bulbs. 3. Offset all carbon via carbonfund.org certified offsets 4. Purchase green and recycle via city of san diego bins 5. Eat local food 6. Research new solutions and share them - insulative covers for doors and windows; coolerado 90% efficient air conditioner; turbocor 40% energy saving a/c for large buildings; "airius" blow warm air down to floor area and mix cool air even; bloom box low cost and carbon natural gas fuel cell to electric safe and reliable power; solar thermal air and water heating direct and fluid radiator systems; home solar and wind electric;bio-based and degradable plastic to replace fossil plastic; reycled or resource recovered content materials; sustainable virgin materials; green chemical rating system like "green screen" and others. 7. Non-profit net zero co2(e) 1 cent per meal, 25 cent per 10 gallons of gas, more coming...to meet <350 ppm Co2(e) international goal. 8. Design board games to stimulate human growth and development that are fun to combate unsustainable behavior. 9. Design food products low cost, high nutrition with long shelf life to combat hunger. 10. Track drinking water treatment low cost to combat thirst.

Our entire family stands for less by considering zero-waste practices in our everyday decisions. Both our daughters pack zero-waste lunches for school everyday, and my husband packs his own zero-waste lunch for work daily too. We bring reusable tubberware with us when dining out and we send letters to restaurants that use styrofoam to switch to biodegradable to-go storage containers. We installed synthetic grass to reduce water consumption, along with drip irrigation, low flow showerheads and a shower timer for our daughters. We also use our shower water to flush our toilets 3-4 times a day. We recently installed a white, reflective roof and solar power on our home. We have power strips in place for our electronics to minimize energy use. We belong to a CSA and go to the farmers market every Sunday. We also have 22 fruit trees and an organic garden. We regularly shop at thrift stores. We compost all of our fruit/veggie scraps and recycle everything. We drive a Prius and frequently walk to our neighborhood market, post office, etc. We provide reusable water bottles to all of our daughter's sports teams and refill them throughout the season. And much, much more!

As a private chef/caterer I am all about protecting our natural food cycle and accountable for the flow of food in and out of our home/business kitchens. At home and with clients I am committed to serving specific portion sizes (like lunch entree 3 oz, dinner entree 4 oz), shop farmers markets & local providers first and organic product is always preferred. I divert 100% of food prep scraps and strive to divert 100% post scraps at home and with clients to organically generating top soil & plant food using compost/worm bins. Finally, as a San Diego Master Compost Educator (@ Zoo, Fair, Neighborhood Gardens...) I motivate friends, family, clients and more to do the same by sharing how basic it is and how cool it can be ...Yeadude!

Living in a beach community has opened my eyes to the natural beauty that surrounds me daily and I believe it is important to keep our beaches, forests, and deserts beautiful for generations to come so they may experience the lush American landscapes I have been lucky enough to call home. Thankfully, in my current workplace I hold a position that has provided me with the opportunity to increase awareness and knowledge regarding sustainable and ‘green’ lifestyles. In addition, I am very passionate about reducing my carbon footprint and assisting others around me to do the same. Therefore, I have started a recycling program, began the process to eliminate the use of Styrofoam in our office cafeteria, and have introduced smarter and more efficient work instructions to reduce the use of power in our manufacturing facility. These initiatives are only the beginning of my personal “Stand for Less” campaign as I hope to organize similar community events in the future as well.

I stand for less by recycling, composting and increasingly reusing things that I used to just throw away--this cuts down on my "need" for new things. I also am uber-conscious about my driving. When fuel prices spiked two years ago I had to be extra careful. Increasingly I am in the habit of planning my travel more carefully. I am also making plans to get a more fuel efficient vehicle--trading my truck for a Honda Fit. Need to sell the truck first. I also walk and bike more.