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Visions: Victoria L. Cerinich and Peter Wyatt

http://www.wyattsgallery.com

Today, I read that another ice bridge broke off the Antarctic quickening the pace of polar destruction. Between that and the horrifying news of shootings by desperate people, my husband and I settled in for a serious discussion on the sustainability of the planet.

What we do at home:

• Recycle everything eligible to local waste managers

• Collect electronic items and batteries that may be recycled with the county program in the fall

• Reuse, a simple form of recycling: both sides of a page for printing; glass jars for food storage, not plastic bags or boxes; stainless steel water bottles, not plastic; cloth bags for shopping

• Buy locally made products such as soap, produce, bread, wine, and dairy

• Buy from locally owned and operated businesses

• Replace existing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs and when available at reasonable prices upgrade to LED bulbs

• Use natural products, like white cider vinegar (a great cleaner for removing grease, cleaning glass and countertops), as a liquid fabric softener vinegar removes soap and hard water residue from your clothes and washer

• Use products that are certified as “environmentally safe” by a trusted source for other cleaning

• Use power strips for electronics that have “always on” features, and turn them off when not in use

What we may do in the future is dependent on what is available in our area and what we can justify on fixed incomes. Geo-thermal home and hot water heating seems like one of the simplest ways to reduce our carbon footprint. Energy from photovoltaic (solar) remains more expensive than we can justify right now. Setting up a cold frame for vegetables and herbs looks like it might be in our future.

In our immediate sights, however, is the care and operation of a sailboat, man’s earliest wind-power vehicle. That is, if the water is wet; if not, some sailing vessels glide on hard surfaces, such as parking lots and ice.