Raye

So far, I have adopted the following steps: use a bar shampoo or baking soda solution to wash my hair; increasing the size and variety of plants in my gardens (food and medicinals), recycle all I can; increased attic insulation to 1 foot; new siding with high insulation value; lowered the thermostats/added 2 zones for heat; installed a rain barrel; buy organic, local, bulk; weaning myself off long-distance foods; opening more direct conversations with friends, neighbors and family about peak oil issues; reducing car use; composting; solar cooking; make my own cosmetics and some medicines with natural, local ingredients; use more wood from my property in the woodstove, which I use for cooking instead of the electric stove when possible; switched to renewable source (hydro) electricity; dry clothes on the line most of the time; chop wood with hammer and maul.

K. Chamberlain

I live in a Victorian cottage in the English countryside and while there is still much to do in terms of insulation( there is none in the walls) we have made a good start towards living with peak oil. We have greatly increased the insulation in the attic and added double glazing throughout. Our heating is 100% renewable from a woodburner and we try to get as much wood from our land as possible. Our water is from our own borehole though we purchase electricity from the grid ( from a green supplier). We have only low energy bulbs, turn off the lights/appliances when not in use, have no clothes dryer or dishwasher and only put the hot water on for an hour a day. Dishes and clothes only get washed when there is enough to make up a load. We planted over 500 trees on our land about 7 years ago not only to help counter climate change but for wildlife and the sheer beauty and enjoyment that it brings. We also have an organic fruit orchard that we are adding to every year. I monitor our electric usage everyday and try to keep under 7-8 units in the winter( less for summer). I have reduced my trips into town and try to plan multiple tasks when I do go to make it worthwhile. We have an organic vegetable garden and compost pile, recycle where we can, try to buy local where possible and I am a vegetarian. All garden items are watered from our waterbutts( collects rainwater). I have seriously reduced my consumption of "things" . I love to read and now get virtually all of my books from the library system . My husband gets most of his clothes used, from friends and I sew as well. I also cut our hair and try to save money/ resources in other ways where I can. We decided not to have children and we have a rescue dog. We have joined a local transition town movement. Unfortunately, my husband is self-employed and needs to drive to his work which does add to fuel consumed. I used to fly abroad every year to my native Canada (not for a holiday per se but to visit family and always stayed for at least a month) but now I go every two years. While we have made great strides, I feel there is still so much more to do.

Robert J.

Our car burns less than four gallons of gas each week, and many weeks, it's less than three gallons consumed. We live in a small home where utilities are kept in the thirty-to-sixty dollars a month, according to season, also by conservation (non-conspicuous consumption)including compact florescent lights in every socket. Our entertainment is socializing with friends, the museums on free admission days, and items from the library. My wife and I share domestic chores, instead of hiring an ego-boosting servant (who would doubtless burn gas to travel to and from our home). We live next to a suburban complex of stores, restaurants (seldom visited by us), and a big-box grocery store. We walk to do our shopping, striding past the parking lots. A short walk away is a small woods where I commune with nature. My favorite poem is Wordsworths;

The world is too much with us.
Getting and spending,
We lay waste to our powers.
Little we see in nature is ours.

Steve S.

Among other things, I use Amtrak to commute even though I COULD fly. Ever think about energy use at airports and terminals? Also, I do spend time in Mexico where local agriculture is often the norm, i.e. tropical fruits and vegetables and even seafoods are transported much smaller distances. Fresh isn't the word for it!

Mexicans now have solar powered payphones (actually cell phones) on poles at corners that accept coins and cards both. When there I am saving money by paying the customary Mexican bonus to my housekeeper as she finds fresh fruits and veggies for me and brings them as she cleans. I should mention that local water supply guys often use electric trucks to deliver water in downtown areas. Many trucks use natural gas for fuel. The biggest savings for me is to not indulge in pointless driving as in the US. Taxis are cheap and a way to discover that the drivers brother does electrical work. Mexican recycle and seldom throw out anything usable.

David Miller, Canada

I've already picked the lowest fruit off the tree in regards to reducing my energy consumption e.g. insulating, weatherstripping, fluorescent light bulbs, programmable thermostat, servicing my furnace, etc. etc. Now I am reaching higher into the tree.

I've installed 2 solar collectors (Apricus - 'cuz they're the best!!) which should reduce my energy needs for home heating (I'm Canadian, eh!, and winters get cold) and water heating by about half. What I like about my solar collectors is that they collect heat even when the outside temp. is minus 20 celsius. I ditched my Ford Ranger and my Ford Windstar in favour of a Hyundai Sonata for my wife and a Hyundai Elantra for me although we car pool whenever we can. In this way we have managed to cut our gasoline consumption in half.

Outside I've planted hundreds of trees to help the environment in general. Double rows of white cedars along both sides of my house serve as effective windbreakers while a small but growing maple tree planted on the south side will help keep my house cool in the winter time. My garden is large and growing in an effort to minimize food transportation.

My future plans are to replace my windows and install a few solar panels for electricity. And, like most of the visitors to this site, I am keeping myself informed and trying to get ahead of the curve.

Phyllis Davies, San Luis Obispo, CA

I am fascinated by the fact that solar cooking is so rarely mentioned as part of the solution to avoiding oil dependency. For 20+ years I've been cooking virtually all our food in a solar oven. This cooking requires no fuel. Uses your normal recipes except when cooking vegetables, in that case no water is needed.

It is encouraged to see solar cooking used increasingly as a method used across the world in sun-rich countries. Yet, I am keenly aware of the fact that until cooking with the sun rather than with petroleum derived energies, becomes a common method here in the US it will not be used
extensively used across the world. The world watches what we do here in the US, especially in California.

I would love to see a calculation of how much oil would be saved if people in sun rich areas would use the sun to cook their food. I suspect someone in the Post Carbon Institute could figure out that projection.

http://www.solarovens.org/AudioVideo/SolarWapi-1.wmv
http://www.jewishworldwatch.org/refugeerelief/womenofiridimi.html
http://energyseeds.com/2008/04/15/arnold-schwarzenegger-tastes-solar-cooking-“fabulous”/

Thank you for all you are doing to help people make the transition to less petroleum based life styles!!

S. Gadsden, Canada

I now have a hydro "smart meter" to help me monitor and reduce electricity consumption. We use energy-efficient light bulbs, use cold water as much as possible, use air-conditioning only on the hottest, most humid days, recycle 90% of our garbage, avoid excessive packaging and operate a 4-cylinder auto for work. Our second small car goes back to the lessor in December and I now operate a motorcycle. Many other "to do"s to follow.

Justin S., NY, USA

I got my ideas from my wife's culture... they all use tankless water heaters and/or solar to save energy. I live in upstate NY, we don't always have sun, so I went tankless. I also bought a scooter for any in-town trips, eventually want to expand it to my 20 mile commute or purchase a slightly more powerful one to go 55 mph long range. I grow vegetables and I am cutting out meat.

Steve M.

A few of things that I have done:
1. Stack bags of leaves against the north and west sides of my house during winter to increase the insulation. In the spring, I compost the leaves and store the bags to use again.
2. Planted a garden. I started small and have expanded each year.
3. Bought a rain barrel made from recycled materials. In fact, I plan to buy a few more because they collect a lot of rain for me use on my vegetables.
4. CFLs everywhere.
5. Got a new job that reduces my commute from 100 miles a day to 30 miles a day--and I hope to eventually find a job that I can walk to.
6. Use the clothesline.
7. Make a conscious effort to buy more food made closer to home.

Kelly Boedigheimer, Minnesota
We had groundsource heat installed in our home in northern Minnesota. Rather than burning fuel oil we now heat and cool with dirt and minimal electricity. We are going into our 11th year of growing our own vegetables. We pressure can and dehydrate as much as possible for the year. This year we are expanding and adding navy type beans to dry, strawberries, raspberries and possibly apples. Next step will be chickens for eggs. We replaced all lightbulbs in our home with compact flourescent bulbs and put water saving filters on all faucets and a water saving shower head in the bath. We are trying to combine trips on the weekend so we use the car no more than necessary.

Ross Buchanan, Canberra, Australia
I am now trying to replace as many commutes by car with my pushbike - cycling to work, friends places and the like. I did not appreciate what a horribly wasteful and stupid thing is modern traffic congestion until I started regular cycling. And believe me - Canberra is a city totally built around the motor car. I have also been organic vege gardening for a while now - I'm gradually learning the hard way about gardening in a city that experiences 4 distinct and at times extreme seasons!! I've avoided large debt - not a good thing to have as the cost of everything progressively goes through the roof. I'm working towards living a predominantly localised life that is as cheap as possible and totally within my means... and talking with as many people as possible about the peak oil issue.

Gerry Evans

What I have done is to design and patent a concept that will reduce the world's dependence on oil, reduce energy usage, fossil fuels, water, chemicals, plus cut pollution of all kind including the ever growing problem of landfill sites. It is called Reusa-Can www.reusacan.com. It will cut the equivalent of 4% off the UK's energy demand. Basically I have found a way of refurbishing (not recycling)such everyday items as baked bean, soup and pet food cans without shortening them or damaging them in any way so that they can be use up to ten times before they require replacing. See my website and let me know what you think.

Will Childs, Dorset, GB

I guess I arrived long ago at a reduction in oil by-product usage by being:

1) Ultra health-conscious

2) A nature-loving eco hippy!

Having had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, I found I could no longer wear items containing polyester, vinyl and other sythetics. Nor could I wash myself, my clothes or my house in petro-chemical based detergent products. They steal your energy away, damaging organs and natural hormones. Imagine what they do to plants and creatures! We need to start buying these things in health-food stores. And smokers, do you realise how much toxic chemical trash goes into your cigarettes? Let's just say they are only 30 to 40% actual tobacco! Quit now and spend more money on being ORGANIC! Then get more energy to ride a bike and save on fuel. Let's get re-cycling, re-using and mending things. Going shopping? Take a bag along. Thirsty? Buy a glass bottled drink. It's easy when you try. Just think about it! I'm now off to live in a forested region of Croatia and grow food and firewood, funded by trading in eco-hardwoods. Bye bye city life! Anyone need some sustainably grown hardwoods? 

Karoline G.

1. I sold my car and rely on walking, biking, bus, BART, rides, City Car Share (San Fran)

2. Got rid of my TV

3. Bring bags to stores or say "I don't need a bag" to the clerk.

4. Trying to Re-use sandwich bags - but I at least clean them out and recycle them.

5. Got the bulk mail people at UCS F to send out department 100 less copies of bulk mailings.

6. Go to the Civic Center Farmer's Market on Sundays - it's better than Safeway!

7. I don't waste food like I used to.

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.

Rebecca Bozarth, DVM

To help decrease our petroleum usage, my husband and I both drive biodiesel fueled vehicles, using biofuel from our local co-op (recycled fryer oil). Of course we buy organic, recycle, etc. But the #1 way that we decrease our use of oil is one that I think needs to have a lot more attention from any group that wants to address sustainable living/peak oil/quality of life.

The primary cause of our current crisis is really human overpopulation. To address this issue my spouse and I have chosen not to have children. To us, it seems that human overpopulation is the "elephant in the living room" that nobody really wants to address.

If we fail to address this issue, we will continue to treat symptoms without curing the disease. Eventually we will be unable to address all of the symptoms and the patient may become uncurable. Increasing energy efficiency will only take us so far. Human beings are supposedly unique in the animal kingdom for our ability to extrapolate from our current circumstance and our experiences and so better plan for our futures. Clearly the earth is a finite space with finite resources.

We cannot continue to grow as population for ever and ever into infinity. Yes, we can grow until we've used up all of our resources and are drowning in our own wastes. Or, we can choose to limit our reproduction and our population, decrease our environmental damage, and have a wonderful quality of life. A serious paradigm shift is in order....quickly!

Tom Ruen, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

I've not changed anything in response the the ODP, but gone without a car now for 18 months and made it through one Minnesota winter so far between a bike and bus for commuting, ride-sharing to events outside my range as possible, and generally moving about less than I did when I had a car.

I've had a backyard garden and local community garden plot now for somewhere around a decade and figure my local veggies save money and energy. Composting yard and kitchen wastes is also an easy compliment to gardening, and reduces the silly wasted energy to carry around yard waste to compost sites elsewhere. I'm not a vegetarian, but don't really cook meat, and can put out my trash seasonally. Reducing trash seems pretty easy, buying bulk at the co-op, and 99% of the recycling I put out comes from what I carry home from work since our office building only recycles aluminum.

My house is heated by natural gas and when the 40 year old furnace had a cracked heat-exchanger, I replaced it with a 94% efficient model. I'm not sure what's the next best investment - insulation or energy efficient windows perhaps, although paying down my mortage seems the best conservative investment for now.

I appreciate the perspective of Wendell Berry more than abstract protocols, and E.F. Schumacher too. Good stewardship starts in the home, simple is better, and good relations with neighbors and community beats a well furnished home or large bank accounts.

In practice it is not easy to do everything alone, and I can run a low-key household, but not a very interesting one, and I'm too busy to connect more than randomly with neighbors. Time debt at least something limited, and I guess I do value keeping up on sleep over keeping up on gossip. STILL, I'm SURE there's much financial savings/security available with improved social networking!

For me money debt is the scariest issue, considering the view that harder times will come, and whose going to help make ends meet when the middle class squeeze finally can no longer live as they are accustomed with ever expanding debt payments, much less the lower class who may be luckier if they've lived without debt.

I'm not even sure a -3% oil usage is the right answer for individuals, even if a correct approach at a collective level using tax
incentives/discentives. For individuals it is about INVESTING in ways that reduce the need for FUTURE consumption when prices rise further. Easy for me to say, and harder for many with more financial demands than me.

Shodo Spring 

I still have a car, but upgraded my bicycle to one that's easier to ride - and I ride it for most of my business. Last summer I used Greyhound for what would have been a 7-hour car drive to see my parents. I've discovered Megabus and hope to use it soon. I don't mind saving money while I save the planet.

I've been aware for a long time, but it got really serious after I visited my 5-month-old grandson right after hearing Richard Heinberg talk. I do not want to betray that innocence! I do not want him to be killed in the food riots that follow peak oil. So I am getting more and more active in the movements that will create food and shelter for people, through community.

Edward Metcalfe

All our vegetable scraps go into a container of yeasty water and are dug into the soil once a week. We will be getting a smaller car and I also use a push-bike quite a lot. Living in a desert I am growing olive trees and blue bush and let the garden grow wild. Will fatten up a goat on this from time to time.

Karl and Robin Frank

Robin and I teach middle school science for the obscenely rich. We're naturalists and our fascination with the wild world has fostered a strong commitment to minimal fossil fuel usage, but this summer we switched over to waste vegetable oil for about half of our combined 10,000 or so miles a year. It feels good, and it seems that many around us are doing the same.