Big changes serve a larger purpose

Living green has gone mainstream, even trendy, as men and women dutifully tote eco-chic reusable bags, cruise in hybrid cars and change incandescent light bulbs for compact fluorescents.

But for some, always keeping Earth in mind calls for another level of seriousness and sacrifice. As in turning off appliances, eating only locally produced fruits, or not using paper.

As we near Earth Day, which occurs Wednesday, we feature how and why some Atlanta-area residents have “greened” their lifestyles with the aim of making a difference. Their stories are on E11.

Going green, in big and small ways

Carrie Lauth: ‘Something I have control over’

Last spring, when Carrie Lauth began hanging clothes outside to dry, she was thrilled to unplug her energy-hogging clothes dryer. She reveled in the sweet smell of sun-dried clothes.

But as the weather cooled and the clothes-drying operation moved inside her apartment, Lauth’s earth-friendly measure was tested. After all, the mom of four children between the ages of 3 and 10 had only one spot large enough to air-dry the daily bundle of clothes —- the kitchen.

Still, she didn’t hesitate. She sold her dryer for $100 and set up multiple drying racks next to the stove.

“This seemed like an easy way to have an impact, something I have control over,” said Lauth, 33, who lives in College Park and runs the Web site www.NaturalMomsTalk Radio.com.

Lauth said her eco-consciousness rose after having children, when she contemplated mounds of disposable diapers piling up in landfills.

So she went with cloth diapers, but she didn’t stop there. She uses reusable rags for her cleaning and even uses cloth menstrual pads. She eschews all disposable items, including plastic. Her commitment to going green seems to be having an impact on her family.

“We were at the playground and my youngest daughter is 3, and she picked up a water bottle and said, ‘Can we cycle this?’ and she took it home and put in the recycling bin. … And I thought, I must be doing something right.”

Michaela DuBay: ‘Everything has an impact’

Michaela DuBay craves sweet, juicy blueberries, but she will wait to eat them until our own season of ripening arrives and Georgia bushes get heavy with fruit.

That’s because the 24-year-old eats only locally produced fruits and vegetables —- one of the many ways this Georgia State University grad student lives her life with the aim of minimizing her impact on the environment.

DuBay’s parents planted the seed for her eco-awareness several years ago, but it didn’t take root until recently.

As a teenager, DuBay was spooked by her father’s worm compost bins (she tossed her scraps in the garbage disposal instead). She also complained mightily at her parents’ energy-conservation efforts —- their thermostat was set in the 60s in winter, and at a toasty 78 degrees during summer months.

But then, over holiday break in 2006, she saw Al Gore’s “Inconvenient Truth” with her parents. She walked out of the movie theater determined to reduce her carbon footprint.

She started buying produce from local farmers. She volunteers her time with “Let’s Raise a Million,” which changes incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent ones in neighborhoods across Atlanta. She travels by MARTA and stocks her printer with scrap paper.

And while she is not eating any fruit these days (and says she may never eat another banana unless she moves to Florida), she says her decisions have not been so hard to live with —- and even offered up some sweet surprises.

“I am cooking with all different kinds of foods I’d never had before like fennel, bok choy, mustard greens, dandelion greens, to name a few,” she said. “It’s turned out to be so much easier and more fun than I ever thought. In no time, I’ll be feasting on blueberries and strawberries. And then watermelon. I can’t wait.”

She even has her own worm-rich soil on her porch, where she’s also growing peas. She called her dad for some expert advice.

“I am trying my hardest and doing what I can think of to help. We’ve got this planet and it’s our only planet and we are ruining it,” she said. “You wouldn’t throw trash all over your yard. Just because we can’t see the landfills doesn’t mean they are not there. Everything we do has an impact.”

Teresa Bondora: ‘Our lives have too much stuff’

Former science teacher Teresa Bondora sells a poster-size, child-friendly periodic table she created. Two years ago, she was about to publish a companion book but bristled at the thought of using 250 pages of paper for every copy.

She decided to offer her book, “What We Must Teach Our Children in Science,” electronically only.

“When I realized thousands would be printed ahead of time, it made me sick to think of all the paper and ink that could be wasted, especially if people didn’t buy the book,” said Bondora, who home schools her kids, Ayla, 16, and Liam, who is 8.

Bondora, formerly of Mobile, said hurricanes Ivan and Katrina changed her views on life and the environment.

“After Hurricane Ivan, I found the door of the music box my father gave me —- acres away from our house. I loved that thing so much,” said Bondora, 43. “I just wept on the wet soil.”

But after grieving for several months, Bondora said, she emerged with a changed perspective about life and the world around her. She said her loss revealed how many things she didn’t really need —- like old textbooks and random pieces of furniture. Even the music box, she said, was something she could live without.

“What I realized is what is really important is our experiences and our relationships and memories,” she said. “And our lives just have way too much stuff.”

Since moving to Kennesaw about two years ago with her husband and two children, she has lived a simpler life.

“I’ll go out and see a tablecloth and think, that would be so cute for spring, but then I realize, we really don’t need another tablecloth.”

And when it comes to books, it can go without paper.

What some other Atlantans told us they are doing to be green

Jenni Hilton, Cumming: Her family of four collects water in buckets in the shower before the water warms up and uses it to water plants outside. “The most surprising thing that we have discovered through our eco-friendly education is the more we do, the more rewarding it is. … Plus it teaches our daughters [ages 5 and 2] to respect the Earth.”

Diane Pfeifer, Atlanta: Pfeifer shreds all her junk mail and magazines and uses the paper as packing material for her cookbook publishing business, Strawberry Patch. “Our neighbors are even shredding their junk mail and dropping it off here,” she said with a smile. “As they say, ‘One man’s junk mail is another man’s packing material.’ “

Joanna Patterson, Duluth: She keeps an ongoing shopping list and pools her trips together. “My all-time best was a trip of less than five miles in which I took care of eight errands —- I gloated over it for days!”

Carter Thomas, Atlanta: This 29-year-old middle school teacher pedals just over three miles to work every day on her beloved bicycle, “Bluebird.” “I started doing this when we had our gas crisis, but the more I did it, the more I loved it,” said Carter, who teaches at Westminster Schools. “In the long run, if I can reduce my carbon footprint and encourage students to consider more carefully the choices they have in front of them, well, then that makes it all worthwhile.”

Jennifer Stambolsky, Cumming: She likes to reuse everyday things —- egg cartons, glass bottles, even old socks with holes. “I use the cardboard egg cartons as trays for garden seeds. I use glass juice bottles for vases. I use the socks for dusting,” said Stambolsky, who is 27 and designs wedding invitations. “And just recently, my husband had this old sake set we never use. And I said, ‘Oh, don’t throw it away.’ We ended up using the cups as toothpick holders for a dinner party and it looked really nice.”

Mandy Schmitt, Atlanta: As director of sustainability for the city of Atlanta, it’s no surprise Schmitt’s May 9 wedding will feature local and organic fare. But her dinner menu shows it’s not just trendy green touches. She hired a farmer to raise the (free-range, grass-fed) hog for dinner. The vegetables will be plucked from her family’s garden. The cake will be organic and feature seasonal, organic berries. “People have been really supportive —- even our really conservative family members. It’s uplifting and exciting because we have seen new and emerging solutions.”

EARTH DAY EVENTS

A sampling of Atlanta-area Earth Day activities and celebrations:

Green Apple Festival. Environmental activities such as tree plantings take place at parks, beaches, schools and forests. Today; times and locations vary. Check Web site, www.greenapplefestival.com.

SweetWater’s 420 Festival —- An Earth Day Celebration 2009. A weekend to celebrate natural resources and learn about environmental concerns. Food, art, environmental expo, beer and live music. 5K Run/Walk April 18. Benefits the Candler Park Association. 12:30-8 p.m. today. Free admission. $5 wristband for ages 21 and older who want to purchase beer. Candler Park, 1500 McLendon Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-580-1406, www.sweetwater420fest.com.

Earth Day in the Garden. A series of educational opportunities throughout the day with songs, stories and one-hour presentations. 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Wednesday. $6; $4.50 senior citizens and ages 3-17; ages 2 and younger free. Atlanta Botanical Garden, 1345 Piedmont Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-876-5859, www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org.

Earth Night: Frogs in the Garden. Lectures and amphibian-based night tours. Please bring a flashlight. 6-9 p.m. Wednesday. $60. Atlanta Botanical Garden, 1345 Piedmont Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-876-5859, www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org.

Earth Day at Elachee. Morning of service, working on beautification and maintenance projects, and an afternoon of animal and wildlife programs. Bring a picnic lunch. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. $5; $3 ages 2-12, ages 1 and younger and morning service project participants free. Elachee Nature Science Center, 2125 Elachee Drive, Gainesville. 770-535-1976, www.elachee.org.

Earth Day Celebration. Lineup of “green” exhibitors and zoo mascots. 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday. $18.99; $13.99 ages 3-11; ages 2 and younger free. Zoo Atlanta, 800 Cherokee Ave. S.E., Atlanta. 404-624-9453, www.zooatlanta.org.

Senoia Goes Green 2009. Earth Day event is a sidewalk art show featuring artists who work with recycled materials. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday. Free admission. Main Street, downtown Senoia. 770-599-3679.