All of us should try to limit our energy usage. Here are some of the things that my husband and I have done to save energy.

• We added insulation to the attic. We can no longer use the space for storage, but the insulation helps keep the house toasty warm, not to mention that we don’t get ice dams anymore.
• We replaced all of our windows and external doors. It cost us a bundle, but I shudder to think what our heating bills would be like if we hadn’t done it.
• We replaced our shower head. The new, efficient shower head works great. It was a totally painless way to conserve energy.
• We keep our thermostat set to the low 60s during the winter. It seemed cold at first, but I’ve gotten used to warming myself by wearing sweaters and fleecies. Now, when I go shopping during the winter, I almost can’t stand being in the store because it’s so dry and hot!
• We try to remember to turn off any lights we’re not using. It’s such a habit for us that our son, barely two years old, has already learned it. He knows to turn the light off when he leaves a room!
• We try to open windows and run fans instead of running the AC.
• We often use the energy saving feature on our AC, even though it’s extremely noisy.
• We use the coolest water temperature appropriate for each load of laundry.
• We’re trying to eat less meat and to buy more locally grown foods. We even joined a CSA last year!
• I buy all my music by digital download. My husband has warned me that I may regret this someday, since the quality of the MP3 files that they sell is not as good as the files we would create by ripping the CDs ourselves. Oh, well. I just don’t want to be responsible for more plastic being created unnecessarily.
• We try to buy minimally processed foods. It often seems that the more processed a food is, the more packaging that comes with it. More packaging means more energy usage and more waste.

It almost sounds impressive, like we’re being really “green,” but we didn’t do any of it to save the environment per se. We did it to save money or, in some cases, to improve our diet (being healthy saves money, too!). It was totally selfishly motivated, and yet so good for everyone.

There are still more ways in which we can selfishly save energy. My personal goals include

• Taking shorter showers
• Using fewer paper towels
• Eventually, building raised beds and growing some veggies

As I mentioned before, there are people who ride ATVs and dirt bikes in the woods behind my house. I hate that. At the risk of sounding prudish, old-fashioned, sissy, or like a tree-hugger, I am strongly against riding fuel-burning vehicles in the woods for several reasons.

What is the purpose of having woods? I mean, why do we leave the land wooded instead of chopping it all down and developing it in some way? Different people might have slightly different answers, but I believe all of those answers boil down to the same basic idea: we realize on some level that we must have areas where Nature can live on her own terms. A balance is created by and between the flora and fauna. This balance is critical to life on this planet as we know it, if for no other reason than plants are our air scrubbers. Without them, there will be too much carbon dioxide and too little oxygen for us to survive.

There is also a psychological, emotional, and spiritual value to the woods. Most people, I think, feel better when they spend time in a natural setting, such as in the woods, or at a park, or near a lake. In my experience, walking in the woods is a great way to relax, get some exercise, and breathe some fresh air.

We need wooded areas. This we know. But just “having” them isn’t enough. We need to preserve them. Mostly, though, we end up harming them. In some places, we prevent all forest fires. Without the natural cleaning that occasional, small fires provide, the forest floor becomes a tinderbox and just the merest spark can ignite an unstoppable inferno. In other places, like the rain forest, we cut down too many trees, which creates a number of problems, including erosion of the land and extinction of certain animals. We have also introduced certain plants and animals into places where they have no natural enemies, allowing them to overwhelm the native flora and fauna. Here we dread our first sighting of the Asian longhorned beetle, because we know it is probably just a matter of time.

Those are just a few of the big ways that we damage our forests. There are also smaller ways. For example, we cut trails. I’m no expert, but it seems to me that trails ruin the natural drainage of the forest. Water follows the path of least resistance, so it rushes down trails much harder and faster than it does elsewhere. The longer this goes on, the more the trail degrades. Eventually, the people who use the woods will create new trails because the old ones are rutted and full of loose rock. Ultimately, that doesn’t help. In places where there is forest management, rangers will set up and maintain berms and drainage areas. There is no one to do that in our woods, and the ATV riders are constantly making new trails.

So I get really mad at the people who ride their motorized vehicles in the woods. First, they make noise which spoils the quiet, natural aura of the woods. Second, they make pollution which spoils the fresh air. And last but not least, they’re always making new trails, sometimes just feet away from the old ones. This kills plants and causes erosion.

Get out of the woods, riders!