Baby steps to habituation

I’ve spent roughly half a lifetime living in a disposable nation. I’m accustomed to convenience and waste. It’s all I really ever known. If it doesn’t work then throw it out and get a new one. I never realized how much waste I produced. I’m trying to habituate myself to living green, or at least living more green. I do slip up from time to time though. One of the ways I’m trying to conserve water is to not flush the toilet every time. I read that 75% of water waste in the average American home occurs in the bathroom. By not flushing the toilet after every use I’m saving gallons of water each day. Sometimes I forget and reach for the handle to flush. I’ve done it all my life so it’s a hard habit to break.

One website I saw suggested that by not rinsing my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher I would save water. That may work for many people but I have a habit of leaving dishes out over night so sometimes food remnants get stuck to my dishes. I really need to rinse my dishes before they go into the dishwasher or they’ll likely need two or more runs to get them clean. Instead of leaving the water running while rinsing my dishes I now fill the sink with hot water and let them soak a bit. I’ve found that I can rinse about two sinks full of dishes with one sink full of water. I roughly timed how long it took to rinse all of my dishes and compared it to how long it takes to fill the sink. I would estimate that I’m using about 70% to 80% less water this way.

This morning as I was making my second cup of coffee I threw the coffee grinds from the first cup in the trash. This is another habit I’m trying to break. I keep a container on the counter for my coffee grinds. Worms love them and now that I’m composting my food scraps I need to habituate myself to putting the grinds in the container and not the trash. I instinctively throw the cardboard tube from toilet paper and paper towels in the trash. Since it’s recyclable I need to remember to put it in with the recycling or save it for worm bedding. I’m sure that after doing these things for a while they will become habit. As I start to develop better habits living a greener lifestyle will likely seem effortless.