Pass Your Books On

This is based on Action 065 from the book, Change the World 9 to 5.

I'm a chronic book-horder. I think I like buying books more than I like reading them.

But I'm gonna start letting go.

I have two copies of the book, Change the World for Ten Bucks and I stuck one copy in my son's school bag to donate to the school library when he next goes. Then I'm going to let go of a bunch of my other books, too. Why not just go the the library? Do I need to own everything? 

I feel lighter already.

T.

www.tristanbancks.com

Mend it Rather Than Replace it

This is Action 032 in the book, Change the World for Ten Bucks.

I can't afford to get anything fixed. It's cheaper to chuck things in landfill than fix them.

The 'play' button just snapped off my jug. As I lifted the lid on the bin, milliseconds from dropping it in and jumping in the car to buy another poorly-made kettle destined to implode just after the warranty expires, I stopped myself. I thought, 'I'll ask Mike.'

Mike's been pulling stuff apart since he was a kid. (And actually putting it back together.) He unscrewed a few things, poked around, told me I needed glue. So I glued it. And it works.

Less landfill. Fewer resources. Money saved. Warm, fuzzy feeling. Praying it stays stuck.

Take a Regular Dose of Obama

Barack Obama is a big believer in the We Are What We Do mantra:

Small Actions x Lots of Peeps = Big Change.

It's what got him elected.

To stay focussed and maintain belief in your ability to make profound change through small, regular actions, a dose of Barack can really help. This morning I watched 5 minutes of his inauguration speech. Check it out online. Here's to B.O. (Barack Obama, not pit-stink) and changing the world.

* NB: Must stop watching videos and start actually doing something.

www.tristanbancks.com

Praise People

This is action 059 in the book, Change the World 9 to 5.

I work from home so I went out into the kitchen and praised my family for one thing each. I think they thought I was slightly creepy. Not that I never praise them. I just don't usually do it with a slightly creepy look in my eye as though I got the idea from a book... which I did.

But when I gave them all a gold star the creepiness was forgotten in favour of pride.

Not sure I officially 'changed the world' today but I'm gonna keep working on the praise thing this week. Maybe it'll be less weird via email.

Turn Down the Hot Water Temp

Aaaaaaargh! 

That was a simulation of me being scalded in the shower when somebody in another room turned on the tap. Quite realistic, huh?

My hot water is so hot that I always have to mix it with cold to use it. Most hot water heaters are set to 75 celsius (167 Fahrenheit) or higher, burning tonnes of fossil fuels unnecessarily.

I figure I'll avoid third-degree burns, save a stack of cash and change the world by turning it down to 55 celsius (130 Fahrenheit). If you're not an adult, pressure your folks to do it. 

It actually only takes four minutes, leaving a lazy minute to kick back and smell the compost... or whatever else is close to yr hot water heater.