I’ve been slowly catching up on all my regular blogs over the last several weeks. Taking a break from the computer over the holidays will set you pretty far back, especially if one of those holidays is New Years. So many people blogging their resolutions! Apparently, I missed the “One Green Thing” moment, where we all committed to doing one green thing to help the planet in 2010. The commitments over at Current vary from trollish anti-commitments to ambitious and far-reaching goals. Hip Mountain Mama is also hosting a One Small Change event on her site – one small change a month, beginning in January and running through Earth Day. A quick survey of the web indicates that I pretty much missed the ball on making public my green resolutions for the New Year.
I have a bunch of goals this year that include growing some of my own food, eating more consciously, acquiring and utilizing a bike for transportation, and continuing to participate in local and national environmental advocacy and activist efforts. But I found myself lacking any “one green thing.” And sure, my goals collectively probably have a greater impact than this particular “light green” one green thing, but there is no reason I can’t do both.
Goodbye, Dishwasher
That’s right. No more dishwasher. Which is too bad, because I love dishwashers. They’re convenient and helpful and I really don’t like washing dishes. But there is no good reason for me to use a dishwasher. So last week I went out and got rid of my one excuse: my plastic dish drying rack. (And by mine, I mean my husband’s. And by got rid of, I mean stored safely. Hi, honey. Don’t worry – I’m not getting rid of your stuff.) A trip to the thrift store and $1.03 later, I now have this cool new thing. Rad and frugal, huh?
I felt instantly inspired to wash dishes. Sort of. Not really, but I did it anyways.
My Caveats
I know, terrible. But here they are. [insert something here about the uncompromising strength of your convictions.]
- Big groups of guests. I have a hard enough time being social. The last thing I need is a disincentive for inviting people over. If I have a huge group of guests and end up with tons of dishes, I may use my dishwasher.
- Sickness or injury. I’m not talking about, *whine* I’m just so tired and can’t possibly wash my dishes *whine.* But if I have a killer fever or am puking my guts out, I may use my dishwasher. I also will not balance on crutches and try to wash dishes. If I break something, I’ll use my dishwasher.
- My husband. Readjusting to marriage post-deployment is hard enough. My marriage is an important part of my personal balance and I’m not going to engage in any unnecessary battles about dishwasher use.
So there you have it: one green thing + caveats. I ran the dishwasher for the last time on January 17th, but better late than never, right? To be honest, it seems like a pretty small change to me. But I also know that the little things do add up.
For one reason or the other, I haven’t had a dishwasher in at least 15 years. I find myself wishing for one–especially when every piece of silverware we own is dirty. But washing dishes isn’t so bad. It can actually be sort of meditative.
I signed up for one small thing…thanks for posting about it!
This is actually the first time in a few years that I’ve had a dishwasher that was “mine” to use freely (or had one at all). So clearly the only logical response was to swear off using it! I’m not loving doing dishes, but it hasn’t been as bad as I thought it would be in my little whiny head.