90 Percent Project - Week 1

I’ve completed my first week of the 90 Percent Project. Actually, I’m into day 3 of the second week, but it took me a couple of days to figure out my bookkeeping methods. Below are the values from my first week. They aren’t too bad, really. Much room for improvement, but that’s what the next year is about. Most of all I want it to be fun and interesting. I’m not into living like an ascetic, but I do recognize that I still consume way too much. I am interested in discovering ways to have a good life and a fun one, too, without being a prodigal consumer of precious resources. Fun is important. I think fun can also be pretty inexpensive, both in terms of resources and dollars.

Electricity:
US Average: 11,000 kWh per household per year (avg. of 900 kWh per month, 211 kWh per week)
Week 1:  63 56 kWh (I counted wrong the first time)
The goal is 21-25 kWh per week.

Gasoline
US average: 500 gallons per person per year, 41.6 per month, 9.6 per week)
Week 1: 16.5 gallons (for two people)
My figures in this category are gallons purchased per week.

Water
US average: 100 gallons per person per day, 700 gallons per week)
Week 1:  262.36 gallons (for two people)
The goal would be 140 gallons per week for two people.

Natural Gas
US Average: 1000 therms per household per year
Week 1: Don’t know yet, the meter is really hard to get to. Will wait for monthly bill. Probably won’t like what I see, either.

Trash
US Weekly Average: 31.5 pounds per person per week, 4.5 pounds per person per day)
Week 1: 12 pounds (for two people)
Yes, I weighed my trash.

Consumer Goods
US Average: $10,000 spent annually on items like gifts, toys, music, books, magazines, newspapers, tools, household goods, cosmetics, toiletries, paper goods.
Week 1: Total: $44.15: $27.98 (Kill-A-Watt), $16.17 (Barbara Kingsolver’s book: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life)
Goal is $1000 per year, with trading or buying used goods counting for anywhere from 20% to 0% of value or total spent in the consumer goods purchasing category. I’m not off to a good start. This is also going to be a challenge. I’ve joined FreeCycle.

The idea, of course, is that purchasing brand new consumer goods represents a lot of natural resources used in the item’s manufacture, plus the gasoline or diesel required to transport it from factory, to warehouse, to store, to consumer. (And, also, keeping as much stuff out of the landfill as possible.)

Food
I haven’t spent enough time to figure out exactly how the food category works, other than the broad outline of buying locally (or eating from one’s own garden) as much as possible. I didn’t grocery shop this week. Just purchased the few local items at the farmer’s market. That’s a step in the right direction. I don’t know how to categorize what the lad eats while at work (which is where he is 8-12 hours a day). I suppose he’s to be added into the equation while he’s living under my roof during vacations, even when he’s not here. Some of the food prepared there is local produce, but I don’t know about the rest of the food. I will be planting some stuff this week, but not even close to a sustainable living type of garden. Every little bit helps. This will probably be my most challenging category. Eating locally is a *lot* harder than it should be.

Initially borrowed through the library, I found Barbara Kingsolver’s book (Animal, Vegetable, Miracle) an excellent How To in eating locally, month by month. The book started from scratch and followed a year in their life of building a sustainable food network. It has a ton of useful information, so I’ve purchased it. I expect to have it dog-eared in no time.