Laura Louzader

As an urbanite, I'm accustomed to living carless, so that requires no adjustment. If a person lives close to good, public transit, it is easy to ditch the car. I do my marketing once per month and have my groceries delivered by the store, which makes many deliveries along one route, thus saving several consumer car trips. Switching to CFL bulbs has reduced my average monthly electric bill from $30 to $19, which is a 33% reduction.

When I purchase a condo, I will seek ways to reduce the heat bill. I wash all clothing in cold water, which not only saves energy, but is much kinder to fabrics- hot water sets stains and fades fabrics. I will further reduce energy consumption this year by eliminating meat from my diet and by purchasing more used clothing, and by eliminating 'silent' watts such as those we use without thinking about it, on unnecessary items such as surge protectors left on, night lights, and other small drains that add up over time. Am looking for ways to shop locally, and interest others in Chicago in organizing food co-ops that buy from local farmers.