9 Feb 2010
Top 10 eco mistakes stupid boyfriends make!
Letting the water run while doing the dishes drives me mad
Of course, women make these mistakes too, but since I am a woman and well, this is my blog, I’m talking about my experience! And before you “stupid boyfriends” get mad at me, I don’t actually think you’re stupid, I just think you need a little whip in the green direction. 
Let’s face it, relationships are hard. When things can already seem tumultuous, having a partner that’s not as “green” as you can drive you over the edge for something as menial as letting the water run. It shouldn’t be a deal breaker but rather a chance to teach someone about your values and how they can make a difference in the world.
So I’ve rallied up my past experience and that of my girlfriends to compile this list of 10 things partners do that drive us mad.
- Boiling water on a stove without a lid – I’ve never understood why people do that. Besides waste energy, it simply takes more time to cook your food.
- Throwing away recyclables – The last thing I want to see when I come home from work is pasta sauce jars, cat food tin cans and toilet paper rolls in the garbage. These things are so easily recyclable. They just need a quick little rinse and they’re good to go into the recycling bin.
- Buying non environmentally-friendly cleaning products – I’ve been trying so hard over the past 2 years to use up all my old cleaners and replace them with eco-friendly versions. So although I appreciate the effort of someone picking up dish soap when I’m out, it’d be nice if they could pick up an eco-friendly one so I don’t have to stare at Mr. Clean for another year!
- Leaving the lights on -Plain and simple; if you’re not in the room, turn the lights off. Not only will you reduce your monthly energy consumption but you’ll also lower your energy bill. Every little bit helps to reduce our demand so we don’t have to build more dams.
- Leaving the heat on (or air-conditioner) – I unfortunately don’t have an automatic thermostat so I make sure that when i leave for work in the morning, I turn the heat off in every room. Otherwise, it’ll keep heating, regardless if the room needs it or not and that’s a real waste. And if it gets too hot in one room, please turn down the heat as opposed to opening the window while the heat is still on. Oh yes, I’ve seen this happen. It aggravates me like nails down a chalk board, nails down a chalkboard!
- Letting the water run while they brush their teeth or wash dishes – Ooh this one drives me mad. Seeing someone foam up their mouth with toothpaste while the water just pours down the drain makes me want to pull my hair put. Same thing for dishes. A quick solution is either to soak all dishes then rinse one by one or to turn the water off while you scrub the dishes. The goal is not to have water going down the drain for nothing. Water is a precious resource, people who have been to Africa or heck, gone camping, understand this very well.
- Running the dishwasher or washing machine with half empty loads – This is a big no-no! I’ve gone 2 or 3 days before turning on a dishwasher just because I was waiting to fill it up. If you need some dishes right away but don’t have enough for a full load, try washing the necessary ones right away in the sink so you can at least wait to turn on the dishwasher when it finally fills up. Same thing for washing machines and dryers, try to wait for full loads, and don’t forget to wash in cold water.
- Leaving the TV or radio on in an empty room – I get leaving them on for background noise if you’re in the same room, but if you’ve left the room, please turn your electronic devices off. This can especially be a problem with children so make sure to teach them young so they don’t grow up with this bad habit.
- Buying water bottles instead of using a water filter – Ok, once in a while it happens that we buy bottled water, but please, at least recycle the bottle after. If you find yourself continually buying them for transportation purposes, invest in a $15 BPA-free sports bottle that you can cart around. Don’t forget to fill it up with filtered water from home or TapIt while out and about.
- Letting the car idle while stopped – This is more of a new initiative we’re starting to see implemented throughout cities. Municipal by-laws are being passed whereby taxis and motor coaches must turn off their engines while waiting. Idling wastes fuel, degrades local air quality and contributes to climate change. I’ve known men that while waiting for me outside, would literally idle in their car with the music on for up to 20 minutes. So, I’ll do my best to leave the house quicker but men you have got to turn that engine off while waiting for anything over 1 minute and run the radio off your battery. According to the government of British Columbia, idling over 10 seconds will waste more gas then turning your engine off and on. So save gas and the environment by turning your car off. For all you non-believers, check out idlefreebc for more information.
Reality check - If you’re the greeny in a relationship, you can’t just assume that your partner will do exactly as you would, as not everyone has green values. The solution? Communication, pure and simple.
When you move in together or even you’ve been living together for years, you have to let them know what you expect from them and show them how they can do it. I know this sounds more like training a dog but seriously, if you catch them improving on the green front, reward them for it and tell them you’re proud.
Everything above is simple, if not, common sense. So don’t let my getting sued for using a picture of my ex go to waste, communicate your wishes to your partner so you can live in peace and harmony!
Oh and while we’re at it, do let them know you’re also open to changing something you do that drives them insane. Just because we’re green doesn’t mean we’re saints, although I’d sometimes like to believe we are!
