[Our frequent column appears in the Herald-Independent.]

By Heather Gates

Saving has not always been a hip endeavor, and saving money certainly goes against mass media marketing efforts. Yet, with the current economic crisis, saving has a new seal of approval from formerly non-frugal fashionistas and famine-forecasting futurologists alike.

Many money-saving actions—cutting energy use, eating fewer processed foods, biking rather than driving—also help our environment and health. Lowering fuel consumption by changing how, what, or if we drive, means less degradation of our planet and fewer harmful pollutants to breathe. Taking Doritos off the shopping list means less packaging added to our landfills and fewer inches added to our waistlines. Frugality offers win-wins galore.

How did your great- or great-great-grandparents live? Not with bottled water, pizza delivery, or plastic containers of potato salad. Instead they pumped or toted water and made their own meals. They didn’t have energy-guzzling televisions, MP3 players, or computers. Instead they played instruments, sang, read, and conversed. Some of our late great relatives didn’t drive autos. They drove horses, rode trains, and used feet. As we strive to save, it might help us to think about how resourceful they were with what they had.

Some ways to save are easy. Forget the commercials showing a toothbrush with a bouffant of toothpaste. Use a pea-sized amount and cut use by two-thirds, saving money and preventing the environmental costs of processing, packaging, and shipping two tubes you didn’t need.

Use vinegar to clean a teakettle or coffee pot. Reuse the vinegar to soak a clogged showerhead, and reuse once more to clean the bathroom floor or toilet.

Save face. Instead of running the tap while shaving, put some water in the basin to rinse your razor.
Bulk buying saves money. Using reusable produce/grain bags for bulk granola, nuts, and other foodstuffs saves resources.

More than foodstuffs are available in bulk at Willy Street Co-op. Buy items like laundry detergent, peanut butter, and shampoo, saving the containers to use over and over. Reuse—the second best R of the Three R’s of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Save for a rainy day. A few years ago, I dramatically reduced my driving—improving my bank balance and the environment. My insurance agent changed my policy to reflect this, putting me into a lower-mileage category and lowering my insurance rates, as well. Win-win-win!

These Little Steps can spark critical thinking about what more we can do. Most steps, small and large, rely on our taking time to think, to consider the impacts each of our choices has on our environment, economy, and society. Start Little, but think Big. And use your ancestors as inspiration.

Park Pride
The Natural Step Monona cleaned up Schluter Park last month for the new Park Pride program. We thought you might be curious as to what we found.

In the parking lot were: a glove, dozens and dozens of cigarette butts, small and large pieces of snack bags, one unused condom, the sole of a child’s shoe, part of a tampon, and many torn up bits of paper.

In the park we found: a woman’s sock, a long length of monofilament fish line, numerous candy wrappers, plastic water bottles, food wrappers, cigarette butts, soft drink containers, and a film canister containing a treasure-hunting GPS tracking game. That last item was put back where it was found.

Along the shoreline and in the water were: plastic bottle tops, fast food cup lids, a Sharpie pen, pencils, golf tees, lots of plastic shopping bags jammed in the rocks, beer cans, 40 or so dead fish, lots of plastic straws, bits of plastic, and about 25 plastic cigarette tips.

Why? I will never understand why some people treat the outdoors as a garbage can.

We also raked up 33 bags of leaves, many of which were then whisked away to be used by our resident Permaculture expert in her garden.