Being Green
For the past 24 months, I've been practicing ecofriendly behavior here in Jordan:
I strictly ride buses or walk; I don't drive.
I take showers twice a week in the winter, and in the summer, I rotate daily showers with body shower one day, hair shower the next.
No gardens grow here, so I don't waste water through a sprinkler system.
I recycle water bottles.
I recycle cardboard boxes by turning them into shelves that I nail to my cement walls.
I recycle plastic tins, using them as food containers.
I recycle paint buckets, using them as a toilet flusher (fill it with water, dump it down the hole in the ground).
Paper consumption: zero. The copier and printer at school are constantly out of paper, out of ink, or out of service. I copy texts, essay questions, and quizzes on the board, which is how my students have learned for years.
When I leave my house, I turn off all lights and unplug all electric appliances, except my fridge.
I don't smoke and never will.
I don't waste any food here; any food that is moldy, uneatable, or unwanted is thrown into a communal bin shared by surrounding families and me. Daily, my neighbor's son dumps the bin into the feeding grounds for their sheep and goats. Our unappetizing leftovers become their delicious dinner.
In order to save water, I use dirty water from washing dishes to clean my bathroom floors or to flush my toilet.
I strictly ride buses or walk; I don't drive.
I take showers twice a week in the winter, and in the summer, I rotate daily showers with body shower one day, hair shower the next.
No gardens grow here, so I don't waste water through a sprinkler system.
I recycle water bottles.
I recycle cardboard boxes by turning them into shelves that I nail to my cement walls.
I recycle plastic tins, using them as food containers.
I recycle paint buckets, using them as a toilet flusher (fill it with water, dump it down the hole in the ground).
Paper consumption: zero. The copier and printer at school are constantly out of paper, out of ink, or out of service. I copy texts, essay questions, and quizzes on the board, which is how my students have learned for years.
When I leave my house, I turn off all lights and unplug all electric appliances, except my fridge.
I don't smoke and never will.
I don't waste any food here; any food that is moldy, uneatable, or unwanted is thrown into a communal bin shared by surrounding families and me. Daily, my neighbor's son dumps the bin into the feeding grounds for their sheep and goats. Our unappetizing leftovers become their delicious dinner.
In order to save water, I use dirty water from washing dishes to clean my bathroom floors or to flush my toilet.
