FYI...don't do the baking soda for toothpaste for your children...they need to floride...i lived out of country for a year with no floride water and arm and hammer toothpaste and my dentist blamed my 3 root canals on it...i now have 2 tooth implants and have spent 15 grand on 3 of my teeth!!!!! don't do it to your kids!

Sent by Karen | 3:07 PM ET | 04-09-2007

I'm amused that the non-use of toilet paper is getting so much attention. There are about a billion people in India and Pakistan who have never used toilet paper and are not likely to ever. Water has been the preffered way and using paper is considered unclean.

Sent by Shehla Anjum | 3:14 PM ET | 04-09-2007

I have been riding my bike for years to and from work. For me, it is an important consideration to live close enough to work to be able to ride my bike. Your guest, Colin, will still have to go to the gym though because strength training maybe the most important part of a healthy lifestyle, not just cardio exercise.

Sent by Brian Clark | 3:14 PM ET | 04-09-2007

I'm having some difficulty listening to your show today, and as a daily listener of NPR for two decades, please note that.

Your tone is that your guest is fundamentally ridiculous and hypocritical. Although you are unfailingly polite to your guests, the intimation that people making big changes as our planet plumets into oblivion, in a thoughtful attempt to conserve something for those who come after us, are in fact ridiculous people....is ridiculous.

The destruction of the planet is by everyone you and I know, including you and me.

Kevin A. Madden
Critic to the Stars

Sent by Kevin A. Madden | 3:27 PM ET | 04-09-2007

Population is the issue. Lets deal with the population of the world. We can start here. Americans waste more then any other population.

Sent by James | 3:27 PM ET | 04-09-2007

The other environmental issue RE: cloth diapers is that parents who use them tend to encourage potty training earlier, thus using diapers for fewer years. I have no statistical proof, except that disposable diapers and "potty training" disposable diapers seem to make parents forget that children can and did learn to use the toilet at a much younger age before disposables were invented. SO, despite the fact that you have to wash cloth diapers, at least in my family that made me sick of using them and forced me to start potty training at 18 months rather than using disposables for up to three or more years as many of my friends do.

Sent by pam harvey | 3:30 PM ET | 04-09-2007

I applaud his efforts for going as far as he is. I used to work 2 blocks from my home and usually walked. I now work 33 miles from home and that isn't possible. I believe, however, that if recycling laws were enacted and enforced that we would go a long way in helping the environment. Does he recycle?

Sent by Chris | 3:30 PM ET | 04-09-2007

If all their food comes from within a 250 mile radius of their home, did they give up chocolate and coffee? I don't think I could do that.

Sent by Kathleen | 3:31 PM ET | 04-09-2007

We live in a large city and have significantly reduced our landfill-bound waste by composting organic matter from the kitchen.

Sent by Darrell Hayward | 3:31 PM ET | 04-09-2007

i applaud Colin's efforts...but lets get beyond the toilet paper jokes! we need to get everyone on the sustainable bandwagon to the extent they are able. its all about baby steps and maintaining a positive, can-do attitude. We have been whittling down our carbon footprint for ten years and we are still finding ways to make changes. Replacing incandescents with CFLs, reducing meat comsumpition, joing a CSA, composting...all these things (and many more) are all automatic things for us and could easily become part of many peoples lifestyles. But drawing atention to the deprivation angle only alienates people. REducing your footprint is FUN! make it a game!

Sent by Claire Green | 3:32 PM ET | 04-09-2007

Having just read "The Pacific NW according to Jeff Foxworthy" and "#2- You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash." this topic is right on par. I do feel guilty when we visit other states and have no where to throw out paper or plastic or glass or metal. Our recycling bins and cans far outweigh our garbage can every week.

Sent by Lisa | 3:33 PM ET | 04-09-2007

We also use cloth diapers and I wanted to suggest to the speaker to try wool diaper covers, no pins to stick your fingers with. We are also using "elimination communication" which encourages our baby to go on the potty, we started at 8 months old but you can start from birth.
I also wanted to mention how environmentally friendly breastfeeding is: No bottles, no formula jars.
I also wanted to mention how environmentally friendly breastfeeding is: No bottles, no formular jars.

Sent by Farryl | 3:33 PM ET | 04-09-2007

Seventeen years ago, I sold my truck because I waned to see if I could get along without it. It was difficult at first, but I gradually changed my lifestyle to the point where I really didn't need. I have gained many health and financial benefits by not having a car.

Sent by Scott Johnson | 3:34 PM ET | 04-09-2007

How about sharing a computer with someone?...I hang all my wash on clothes racks inside in the winter and outside in the summer...some of my friends are a little intimidated by my low impact lifestyle too...I just keep doing it anyway.

Sent by Lori Ostrosky | 3:35 PM ET | 04-09-2007

Cloth or disposable? Try the third and most environmental option: the diaper free baby. Again, millions of people the world over use this method by teaching their children to eliminate on cue. Is this possible in the developed world? Yes! I tried this with my second child and it worked great. I used cloth diapers some of the time, but mostly he preferred to use the toilet or potty from a very young age. Maybe it was more work for a short time, but less work overall. An unexpected side benefit was that it was fun and I felt I was communicating with my baby. I sold my cloth diapers when he was 20 months old, many months after he had finished using them.

Sent by Jenny Knuth | 3:35 PM ET | 04-09-2007

energy saving: I haven't used heating at all since I put bubble wrap over my windows with blue tape. It gives beautiful diffused lighting, total privacy. In summer I can open a window at night to cool the house. I always ask in stores for recycled products -and have to explain that recylable is not the same. My child preferred cloth diapers too. There was no diaper service. Wash in HOT. I used disposable for traveling. With both you hold one end and flush the toilet to get rid of poop. I know we export huge quantities of recyclables to China (PBS show on Walmart) Great subject!

Sent by Susan Foster | 3:36 PM ET | 04-09-2007

I too live in Fairbanks, Alaska and have chosen to the "cabin dweller" lifestyle. Your guest has chosen one extreme on the conservation continuum but I think the important thing to focus on is that if everyone were to make a conscious decision to reduce SOME of their impact on the consumer goods/services that they use, there end result would be significant.

Sent by TC Greywolf | 3:36 PM ET | 04-09-2007

Just listening to your program on reducing your waste and energy use. We live in Truckee California a place that gets quite cold during winter months. My husbanc built an energy effiecient house out of many recycled materials and materials and as many green products as we could use. This house is oriented to get passive solar and has a 9 inch thick double wall system that reduces energy leakage. He used a masonry stove. This is very old technology that creates a stove that encourages airflow and burns at around 1500 degrees F. At this temerature it combusts much more of the wood material reducing the emmissions to around 1-2 percent according the the company temp cast out of Canada. We make 1 fire a day in the middle of winter. The fire heats up the beautiful stone work surrounding the fireplace. This "mass" stores the head and slowly releases it over the next day. We burn construction scraps thus reducing the total amount of landfill waste. This is a beautiful system incorporating both old and new technology in an artistic way. The fireplace abuts a fountain also of rock that serves as the center piece of our living area, we do not have a TV. We do not have time for one. Later we will build a small sauna on top of the fireplace to be used after cross country skiing. This is all from the one fire we build. On sunny days we don't even have to build a fire the sun hits the masonry stove and concrete slab floor which hold the solar heat and release it during the day. It is an enjoyable house to sit in and a lovely house to raise a family in. Next we will install solar hot water panels and perhaps photo voltaic.

Cheers, Catherine, Daniel and Kai Schnurrenberger

Sent by Catherine Schnurrenberger | 3:45 PM ET | 04-09-2007

There is a practical, simple model for reducing our carbon footprint together with our neigbors. Small groups are formed to explore ways members can take to reduce the amount of carbon produced, track the carbon savings and support each other in the effort. Why not start a group in your neighborhood? http://www.empowermentinstitute.net/lcd/index.html

Sent by Barbara Fukumoto | 3:45 PM ET | 04-09-2007

I hear Colin Beavan repeatedly say its an "extreme EXPERIMENT". In view of that, I don't understand the interviewer's sarcasm in every question and comment.

Sent by R Sanghavi | 3:46 PM ET | 04-09-2007

I lived in Brazil for 20 months and during that time i never drove a car - I traveled by public transportation and walked everywhere. When i came home from Brazil I was about to start college. My dad insisted that I needed to buy a car so that I could have my freedom and so that I could take girls out. I bought the car with 36,000 miles. 6 years later this car now has over 200,000 miles. Those miles added up through commuting to college. Now I am graduated with an art degree, and try to drive my car as little as possible. I want to buy a bike and travel to the places I need to go like i used to do until I turned 16 and could drive. i want to buy a bike, sell my car, and only date girls that don't mind walking instead of driving on a date.

Sent by andrew ballstaedt | 3:50 PM ET | 04-09-2007

Mr. Beavan's lifestyle should stand as the ultimate standard for a responsible, low impact lifestyle. All of us should attempt to reduce our impact on the planet. If you drive an SUV consider driving a more fuel efficient, less polluting vehicle. Recycle, it takes very little effort. Put a few solar panels on a south facing roof of your home; the tax credit and incentives place PV solar within the realm of affordability. Plant a tree, and buy locally grown produce in the summer, it's much better tasting than supermarket produce. Water your lawn less, grass goes dormant in the summer but comes back in the cooler weather, and try not to use fertilizers on it. The lawn may not look as nice, but you'll be helping the planet. finally use compact flourescent bulbs, their light is now comparable to incandescent bulbs, and hopefully by the time the burn out there will be a way to recycle them responsibly.

Sent by Tom Fiorello | 3:55 PM ET | 04-09-2007

I'm delighted to hear Colin describe his new lifestyle on NPR, as my own has been directed that way for decades. Before my children were potty-trained we lived in England and used "nappies" and hung them out to dry. English weather dictated that they did not dry completely in a day, but bringing them inside and putting them in the "airing cupboard" above the water heater rendered them dry and warm for baby comfort.

Returning to California in the late 70s I met John Jeavons here in Palo Alto who taught us how to grow more of our own, first in the back yard, then also in front where weeds were sprouting among the gras. The veggies and compost crops proved to be far more fun to maintain than the old lawn. See www.growbiointensive.org for info.

Sent by Carol Vesecky | 3:56 PM ET | 04-09-2007

I didn't hear the sarcasm in the interviewer, frankly. Some of the things Colin is doing seem far-out, for today, and I think it would have been patronizing of him to make no comment on the far-out-ness. These things won't be far-out in 20 years.
I really like that Colin's family is doing this little by little. I've been trying to add new energy-conserving things to my life over the last few years, and I know that if I had said "I will do all this Right Now", I would have bogged down.

Sent by Cynthia Lempert | 4:05 PM ET | 04-09-2007

I loved hearing Scott Simon at an unexpected time. He did a great job with the interview, and I laughed with him as he talked about his family. I love NPR

Sent by nanciaz | 5:47 PM ET | 04-09-2007

I've had an environmentally conscientious lifestyle since the 1960's (college): walk, bicycle, or use public transportation; plan errands with car using an efficient circuitous route; limit use of paper by using cloth; composting; have a car with highest mpg; use curly florescent light bulbs, etc. WI recycles glass, paper, plastics #1-7, all metals, styrofoam, cardboard, computers, cell phones -- we have very little trash. We are eagerly awaiting the availability of biofuels, especially biodiesel; alternative energy sources; re-engineered cars; and the demise of gasoline and monstrous pickup trucks. And we bought a share in an organic community farm near us. We welcome new ideas.

Sent by Carol and Jerry Gurtz/Burkhalter | 6:58 PM ET | 04-09-2007

My son wore cloth diapers until he potty trained at 2--about a year and a half before most of his disposal-wearing friends. In cloth, kids can actually feel the wetness, and tire of it faster than kids in Pullups. That seems like a considerable savings of resources and hassle. And once you get used to them, cloth diapers are really no big deal, and satisfying.

Some of Scott Simon's questions seem kind of nickle-and-dimey. It's not about whether Colin's book is printed on paper, but the fact that he is doing this experiment as a model. We can pick and choose--maybe we'll walk more, use less. I'll read his book, and then pass it on.

Sent by Liz Phillips | 9:32 PM ET | 04-09-2007

I've been thinking about building an electric car
- by converting a regular car. But I realized that
here in California the current fleet of hybrids and
electric cars may actually be subsidizing SUVs by
freeeing up more gas for them. I suppose walking
and using public transportation also helps drive
down gas prices for them as well; subsidizing them
essentially. And the people that drive SUVs look like
they can afford still higher prices. Currently there
is a California politician that wants to tax SUVs,
I think this is the way to go to control the SUV
population. Because in this case, I reiterate,
going green may actually be accelerating the
harm to the environment.
The other issue that bothers me is all the real
estate you need for cars: car plants,car lots,
freight yards, mall parking lots, driveways, and
ribbons of road; I believe 1% of our state is
paved over with something.

Sent by J.A. Bastidas Zacatelco | 1:16 AM ET | 04-10-2007

I was glad to hear this discussion focus on cloth diapering for awhile. I live in a community full of cloth diapering families with no diaper service. Many, if not all of us, are dual-income households and find the time to wash our own diapers in our energy-efficient washing machines. I agree with Mr. Beavan that there has to be a positive difference between the impact of disposable diapers and cloth diapers. We plan on using the same diapers for our 2nd child, greatly reducing the impact of the production of the diapers from our family's usage.

Sent by Katherine DeGood | 3:59 PM ET | 04-10-2007

Another note about toilet paper... The standard high fat, high carb, and low veggie diet of most "advanced" civilizations probably contribute to the need for extra cleaning. A better healthier diet would make for more compact waste, less mess!

Sent by Franko | 8:17 PM ET | 04-10-2007

We use cloth diapers at home and at day care, and disposables when we travel. It was a big investment at first for the diapers and the waterproof covers (no pins), but I've only bought disposable diapers three times for my 6 and half month old daughter. I wash them myself - twice a week for the first several months, and now only once a week. I use hot water and a little bit of baking soda detergent. They're so soft and can be used for future children. We decided to do this partly to save money, but mainly because I was appauled by the idea of creating little plastic coated bundles of solid waste. We flush the solid waste. It's so easy. More moms should try it.

Sent by Angela R. | 10:37 PM ET | 04-10-2007

In all this diaper talk, I would like to suggest the book "Diaper Free: the Gental Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene" by Ingrid Bauer. A friend of mine has a two year old who was off diapers by four months- essentially being potty trained. No diaper trash and no having to wash cloth diapers! Talk about an environmental help! It is also provides a foundation for parent-child communication.

Sent by Elizabeth F. | 1:15 PM ET | 04-11-2007

I am impressed: by the Beavan family and also to see so many people take interest in it.
I would really like to know all that they do, not because I'm going to jump to copy all of that, but to continue to take more worthwhile baby steps that I've been taking since the past two years.

Sent by Balaka Ghosal | 1:10 PM ET | 03-06-2008