Blog Update!
For those of you not following me on Facebook, as of the Summer of 2019 I've moved to Central WA, to a tiny mountain town of less than 1,000 people.

I will be covering my exploits here in the Cascades, as I try to further reduce my impact on the environment. With the same attitude, just at a higher altitude!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Are you hard core?

Composting outhouseScoring:
Give yourself 1 point for each of the following where you answer "yes" (or close to it).

1. You use cloth wipes instead of toilet paper and dream of getting a composting toilet

2. You line dry your clothes even though you own an efficient dryer

3. When your family visits your house they claim that you can hang meat in there it's so cold

4. You spend your free time fantasizing about getting solar panels

5. You'd rather live in a small cabin off the grid with no plumbing than in a mega-mansion on the beach

6. You know all about raising chickens even if you've never even seen a live one

7. You have a huge stash of gardening porn that you hide from your significant other

8. You think that sweating over a hot canner for hours on end is super fun!

9. You try to convince everyone of the merits of a DivaCup, even the guys

10. Greenpa's suggestions sound totally reasonable

If your total is:

0 - 3:  What are you doing reading this post? You better start from the beginning.
4 - 6:  Not a bad start. Review the Low Impact Week suggestions to increase your score.
7 - 8:  You are a nut job in training!
9 - 10:  Congratulations! You are a hard-core environmentalist!

How do you score?

31 comments:

Aimee said...

Darn only a 5. I have a meat-locker cold house and plenty of chickens but I'm kind of attached to the concept of toilet paper... at least until I get a bidet, which I guess would sort of be beside the point...

dixiebelle said...

You forgot,

* Add 5 bonus points if you don't own a computer and spend time reading eco-blogs! (Oops, no bonus points for any of us!!) ;)

knutty knitter said...

9. I don't have a stash of garden porn but I do have a garden of sorts .....oh I forgot that pile of mags in the corner. Ummmm I guess that makes me hard core.

I do still use tp for #2.

viv in nz

Unknown said...

Got a 7. Gee, thanks, now there is confirmation that I'm a nut job. And Aimee, I can't believe you only got a 5, if I ever had to look at that giant bucket of butchered goat that I saw on your blog yesterday, I'd give myself a 10 just for that!

I'm thinking of starting cloth wipes for 1, but I'm worried the teasing from husband will never let up.

The 4 Bushel Farmgal said...

Got an 8 and feelin' pretty good about those bookmarked garden websites!
The folks at work just ignore my canning jar coffee mug now...

Sonja said...

Hmm, a 7, I think, since I don't actually hide my porn, I have it right out that and show my hubby whenever possible...

Rachel B. said...

4 1/2 the half is because I do dream of a composter toliet but don't use cloth wipes although they probably are way more absorbant...great another crazy idea in my head thanks! I almost feel like giving myself 1/2 for the diva cup because I've been thinking about it but dancing around other methods such as cloth ones.

Panamamama said...

6- I used cloth wipes for my babies when they were in diapers, but since I can't stand to clean their toilet now I don't think I would wash the cloths...
Chickens and a cow are my dream...

Chile said...

8. The family rarely visits and when MIL comes, we have to turn the heat up for her health issues. And, sorry Greenpa, but I haven't had time to even look at your suggestions for a long time.

knittingwoman said...

I think that you have a much wider audience of hardcore environmentalists who would score zero because they do other things like use a bicycle to get around and shop at their local farmers' market, buy second hand and so on rather than wanting chickens.

EnviRambo said...

According to your scale I am a nut job in training, but my husband would have to disagree. According to him I am already certifiable!

CodyGirlScout said...

I'd say 8.5. I don't hide my garden porn because my partner loves it too. And I don't use cloth wipes yet, but I have decided to go one step further with my Diva Cup. Not only do I still tell everyone about it, I have started to save and compost the blood. I know it sounds gross, but why waste such an iron nutrient source? I just have a little jar under the sink that I fill and dump daily. Never gets in anyones way. Thanks for a fun post!

Greenpa said...

:-P

I bite my nose at you, Naughty Chicken.

:-)

Hannah said...

Given that I feel like I still have so much to learn and do, it is pretty funny that I am definitely hardcore! And I share my garden porn too...

Surviving and thriving on pennies said...

I got a 7 whahoo! I too have so much to learn still and I am loving every minute of it. Thanks!

Jordan said...

What, no points for making your own breakfast cereal? I thought that was the mark of a true crunchy nut!

I get a 4.5... I'd love to have solar panels and a composting toilets, but I don't have room for plants, laundry lines or livestock!

healinggreen said...

An 8! I do like plumbing, I must say. I could maybe do an outhouse if I lived somewhere warmer...definitely not here in the Northeast. Even my cats don't want to go out to use the, um, nature right now. LOL.

Farmer's Daughter said...

I got an 8, NUT JOB IN TRAINING!!! :)

Robj98168 said...

Wow I made an 8. Of course that is because I think Greenpa makes total sense. Except for that Refrigerator thing.

Rosa said...

Uh-oh. Nut job. 7 points.

I'm not telling you which one though.

Country Girl said...

Love it and I am a nut job!

Lisa said...

I got 8. :)

Laura said...

4.5!
I have tried cloth wipes for 1 and 2. Boyfriend loved cloth wipes but washing was hard for me to keep up with. I may try again. I gave myself a .5 for that one because I do dream if a composting toilet! :)
Fun quiz! :D

CitricSugar said...

Mmmmm, not sure if I should feel guilty for not doing more (under 5) or inspired that so many of you are hard-core.

Lori-Grace said...

DIVA CUP FOR THE WIN! I seriously do tell everyone about them - I should be making a commission of some sort with the local place that sells them. hehe.

Anna Marie said...

I got a modified 8. After all, I have chickens, and I order seeds on line (less paper waste that way).


And Greenpa's suggestions are reasonable- now if only I could convince my renters that we don't really need a refrigerator.

Lisa Nelsen-Woods said...

My parents bought the ultimate fixer upper house which among other trashed items were the kitchen cabinets. The former owners used to keep live chickens under the sink! The aftermath my parents were left to deal with cured any romantic notions of raising urban chickens. My eggs will come from a paper carton from the farm market - always.

Sharlene said...

Saving blood from the Diva Cup could be one of the most disgusting things I have ever heard. Holy crap!

Crunchy Chicken said...

No, drinking blood from the DivaCup would be one of the more disgusting things one can think of. If people eat human placentas, why not?

Menstrual muffins, anyone?

Aimee said...

Terra haw haw haw yes I also thought I deserved something for butchering me own meat! It was a short quiz, and I'm sure just a small sample of what Crunchy Chicken could come up with if she wanted a more in-depth look at what we all are doing to be green!

Unknown said...

I know - I'm commenting on a VERY old post, but I don't think I ever went back to the beginning of your blog and just read. This list is great.
1 - We use cloth wipes and are planning to have a composting toilet when we move.
2 - We have a wooden drying rack in our apartment ... that's gotta count for double points!
3 - We don't control the heat in our apartment, and when we buy a place, we plan to have wood heat - so it'll be toasty warm in the winter.
4 - We already have solar lights (each with its own mini panel) in storage for when we move!
5 - Within the next week, we are (probably) putting an offer in on an off-grid cabin in the woods with no plumbing!
6 - Well, I've seen live chickens, but I'm not sure my husband ever has.
7 - Guilty. Well, hubby knows about them, though.
8 - My husband laughed when I read that one. Definitely.
9 - Have to say no to that, although I do think they're great. I considered it last year, but I'm getting too old for it to be worthwhile. However, I do use cloth.
10 - Definitely! I like Greenpa.

So I get an 8 ... 9 if rack drying clothes indoors in an apartment gets me a bonus point! :)