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The McDermott Family are Sierra Club members living in Lee, Massachusetts
 The Sierra Club National Sustainable Consumption Committee asked us to write a description of us, the McDermott family, a sustainable family. So I thought about it, tried to come up with the ways that we help keep this Mother Earth -- so honorably and respectfully bestowed upon us, her disciples -- green. And I came up with a myriad of ways we help give back, conserve, and appreciate what has so been put in our hands to learn about, hold on to, and share with our future generations; a member of which we share our household.
Our lifestyle is vegan. Just that said describes our compassion for the least amount of impact on the environment. Our consumption of whole organic foods supports our notion of the least amount of intrusion on our natural world and our support of the ecosystem that surrounds us so beautifully in our backyard and beyond. We have our own small herb and vegetable garden, along with having a share in a local Community Supportive Agriculture (CSA) farm in our hometown. Tote bags are the only thing used while shopping at our favorite COOP and CSA eliminating the need for plastic bags. Our food buying club and COOP allows us to buy food in bulk, thus reducing waste.
We do everything possible to avoid plastic materials that are so harmful to our planet. We drink from glass bottles, avoid plastic toys for our son -- particularly enjoying sustainable wood toys -- and use reusable, recycled glass products for storing leftovers from our delicious vegan home cooking. The few plastic bags we have are used and reused to maximize their use and minimize the environmental impact. We minimize using paper towels for only emergencies, preferring cloth napkins and hand towels for the kitchen and sponges for general cleanup around the house. Composting is an everyday event for us. I can't remember when was the last time I considered a food item actual garbage: an idea too foreign for me to fathom!
Any paper products we use (facial tissue, toilet paper, paper towels) are recycled with at least 15% post consumer product. We recycle all possible materials and bring them to our local recycling center, making it a family affair. My husband is a member of our town's recycling committee educating other residents about recycling. We stop and pick up litter along roadways while driving or walking around town. From day one Zachary's diaper changes have involved washcloths, never disposable wipes. What a pile of wastefulness could those wipes have created in landfills! We reuse aluminum foil whenever possible before it falls apart and is then recycled.
Our triple burn woodstove eliminates emissions into the environment and reduces our dependence on foreign oil. We do not use chemical fertilizers on our lawn and leave the grass clippings on the lawn as a natural fertilizer.
Most of our child's clothes are second-hand clothes. We buy clothes at Goodwill and are very excited for tag sale season. All our cleaning products are made with natural ingredients and no petroleum based ingredients. We hang most of our clothes to dry, reducing use of the dryer and the natural resources consumed and emitted. Our washing machine is a front loader that is Energy Star rated and uses a limited amount of water. We replaced a side-by-side door refrigerator with an Energy Star top freezer/refrigerator, which uses significantly less electricity. All our lighting is supplied by compact fluorescent bulbs, which use less than a third of the electricity of regular light bulbs.
During the holiday season we use recycled materials for wrapping paper and mailing packages. We use Working Assets Long Distance telephone service, which donates 10% of their profits to a wide range of green/environmental organizations. Our two cars include a Honda Odyssey Minivan that gets 26 mpg for my for errands around town and my husband's Honda Civic which gets 40 mpg for his 40 minute commute to work. Both are low emission vehicles.
The part we three play in protecting and preserving our environment is crucial to us and the future world our son will live in. There is only one earth and we all have to do our part in preserving it.
-- Rachel, Chris & Zachary McDermott live in Lee, Massachusetts.
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