Low Impact Living Initiative: Practical Skills for Greener Living
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 06.12.07
We know for a fact that TreeHugger readers are interested in practical ways to green their own lifestyles. Not surprising really, given our title, but we’ve been overwhelmed by the positive responses to our How to Go Green guides on all kinds of topics, from greening your sex life, to buying more sustainable electronics or reducing your community’s eco-footprint. Even posts on the more ‘crunchy’ or hardcore end of green living, like the Navy Shower, or the Selective Flush (aka If It’s Yellow…) have been warmly welcomed.
We are pretty sure then that our UK readers will be interested in the work of the Low-Impact Living Initiative, or LILI for short. Based at Redfield Community in Buckinghamshire, LILI is a “non-profit organisation whose mission is to help people reduce their impact on the environment, improve their quality of life, gain new skills, live in a healthier and more satisfying way, have fun, and save money.” LILI runs courses on all kinds of aspects of green living, with an emphasis on practical, do-it-yourself skills. Courses currently in the pipeline include:
• How to Make Biodiesel
• Pruning and Care of Old Fruit Trees
• Open Source Computing
• Heating With Wood
• Low-Impact Smallholding
• Living in Communities
• Self-Build Solar Hot Water
The organization also runs an online shop selling insulation, natural paints and other products that can help in moving towards a low-impact lifestyle.
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Top 10 Sites for Do It Yourself Projects
- A Greener Way to Steam Clean Floors
- 5 Ways to Green Your Garage
- Reddit Yet? TreeHugger's Top 25 Posts from 2008 on Reddit.com
I heard from a friend of mine a cool technique for showering-- plug the shower while showering, then use the stopped up grey water and a pitcher to flush the toilet later that day. It's a simple trick that saves precious potable water by using dirty water and the toilet's piping system to flush.