Summer Giveaway: Living Your Values at Home
August 21 by Dustin Wax | Site News
We all know about using the recycling bin and using reusable grocery bags, but how else can we live our values at home — whether they’re environmental, political, religious, moral, social, or otherwise?
Sam Davidson and Stephen Moseley tackle the question of living according to your values in their book New Day Revolution, along with dozens of tips for bringing positive action into every part of your day. The winner of today’s contest will receive a copy of the book, plus an environmentally-friendly coffee mug and a bag of Fair Trade coffee to drink from it.
But that’s not all! The folks at dbclay wallets seem to have the knack of living by their values, creating wallets that are not only gorgeous but eco-friendly as well — made of tough yet bio-degradable materials. A dbclay wallet is something you can be proud to keep in your pocket as a constant reminder that art and ethics can go hand-in-hand.
To win, we’re asking for your thoughts on living your values. But first, let’s see more about these prizes.
New Day Revolution
New Day Revolution shows you how to make big changes in the world by making small changes in your everyday life. For example,walking into the Starbucks to get your coffee, rather than going through the drive-through, saves gas and gives you a little exercise, allows you a moment or two of social interaction, and probably won’t take any more time than the drive-through — in fact, if there are cars in front of you, it might be even quicker. It might not end the world’s problems, but it’s a good way to express your values, and if enough people follow your lead, it brings us a step closer to a better day. Learn more about Davidson and Moseley’s book in my review of New Day Revolution.
The Cool People Care Eco-Friendly Travel Mug is made of renewable corn plastic, not petroleum-based plastic, and comes with a bag of Higher Ground Fair Trade coffee. Not only does Fair Trade mean the people who grew and harvested the coffee beans were paid a decent, livable wage for their work (exploitation and even slavery are rampant in the coffee industry), but the makers of Higher Ground dedicate a portion of their proceeds to preserving the Appalachian Trail — and it tastes great. A win-win-win all around. (Retail price of book+coffee+mug: $32)
dbclay Wallet
The folks at dbclay know a thing or two about backing up your values with action. They produce wallets that even Picasso would be proud to carry — gorgeous, colorful, creative images printed onto practical wallets with 2 large money-sized pockets and 4 ID/credit card slots.
And they’re made of “Tope”, a durable, heat- and cold-resistant, waterproof, nontoxic, PVC-free synthetic fabric, and printed with environmentally-friendly inks.
The winner will get their choice of dbclay “Version 3.1″ wallets, subject to availability. (Retail price: $48)
How do you win?
To win this great prize package, just leave a comment on this post with your thoughts on turning your values into practical action in your day-to-day life.
Make sure you enter a valid email address where asked – it won’t be shared publicly and we never send spam.
Entry for this contest will close at 12 NOON, PST, on Thursday, the 28th of August. Winners will be chosen by random drawing – entries will not be judged. I will collect the best tips for a future post on home organization, so by entering you give Lifehack permission to quote your comment. The prizes will be shipped direct from our sponsors.
Stay Tuned!
We’re not even halfway done yet! There’s still more on the way. We’ll be giving away prizes related to home life and relaxation all week, and next week we’ll have even more prizes for your working life.
Tomorrow, we’ll be giving away:
- A $100 Amazon gift certificate from Meryl, the Content Maven.
And then we start over with another round of prizes on Monday!
Don’t forget to enter the rest of the contests in the Lifehack Great Big Summer Giveaway. And check back every day this week and next for more chances to win!
Knowing and being able to articulate your values is the first step to bringing them into action. Many people have abstract concepts in their heads of what they value, their beliefs, etc – only when one can succinctly summarize and articulate their values can they really bring about daily lifestyle changes!
I value saving money by taking actions that help the environment or other causes at the same time. I call them “No trade-off actions.” A simple example is always turning up the air conditioner by 15 degrees when I’m out of the house and making sure that every one else in the household does the same thing. In this way, I’m reducing my energy bill while reducing air pollution caused from power generation.
I’ve struggled with ways to turn my values into practical action… especially since I don’t have a lot of that critical thing called TIME!
Of course I do the “standard” things of passing my value to my children through words and actions. I also try to donate to and participate in organizations that represent my values. However, I realized a couple of months ago, that I could do more.
Since I make my career in technology and have a lot of friends that aren’t very socially aware, I wanted a way to raise awareness of the issues adn valuies taht were important to me. So, I started using Facebook! (no, I don’t work for them)
I’ve found that by highlighting my causes in my profile through the Facebook Causes application as well as profiling articles from blogs via the Facebook Feedheads application, I have been able to express and pass on pieces of my values in a new way. My Facebook friends can now see causes I care about and articles that convey my values in real-world stories or thought provoking ways. This has resulted in finding more coworkers and friends who share my values, led to deep discussions on how we can join efforts to support specific causes, and made many more friends more aware of social justice issues… often leading them to realize new values we shared.
If you have Facebook, try it… you may educate or motivate some of your friends to not only share your values, but to join you in doing something about them!
Automobiles are the seed of our destruction. If we cannot wean ourselves off of a dependency on such a non sustainable form of transportation then nothing else matters. So how do I make a difference according to my values? I ride my bicycle to work – 20 miles each way. Now that might seem like a long distance BUT our distance perception has been distorted by traveling via cars. Now that I have been doing this for about a year, it seems normal.
This is not the only value in play here, not at all! It is aligned with other values that I have 1) Health – through regular exercise (baked into my lifestyle) I will relieve a small part of the health care burden this nation faces. 2) Personal Excellence – Through exercise my attitude is better, I am sharper mentally, I have more energy. 3) Relationships – I am more patient due to a lower stress level and a higher level of endorphins. 4) Parenting – I am modeling my values for my daughter. She has taken notice. She wrote an essay of admiration about me because of my bike riding for school that brought me to tears. 5) Peace – By lessening our dependency on oil we are less likely to go to war to preserve access to petroleum. 6) Community – I actually talk to people (other bikers, mostly) when I ride. I am not insulated in my metal box on wheels from contact with other people. 7) Environment – We should be the caretakers of this beautiful blue pearl of a planet. We have isolated ourselves from our source through technology. It should be a matter of intense pride and love that we do everything to preserve this miracle we call Earth. When I ride, I am in nature with the wind in my face, embracing the environment. I also experience the poison of automobiles as they fume past; it makes me acutely aware of how un sustainable this mode of transportation is. 8) Pursuit of Happiness – I am happy when I ride my bike. I have achieved a level of joy that I have never had before. I am alive, vibrant, and proud of myself. 9) National Identity – As Americans, we have traditionally prided ourselves on doing the difficult thing, to bear all burdens for family and nation. But we have become a people of convenience, cheap entertainment, and entitlement. We wait for government to fix our problems. Let’s do the difficult thing and solve our own problems. The enemy is not “BIG Oil”, it is not greedy corporations, it is not foreign tyrants. We are our own enemy if we are not willing to exercise our values and stop buying from BIG Oil or greedy corporations and propping up despicable regimes in the name of maintaining our oil habit.
It can be far too easy to neglect one or more aspects of your life, which is why I try to make decisions that will have a positive benefit in multiple areas. For example, I registered for a weekly delivery of organic produce from a local farm. Not only is this healthy for me and kind to the environment, the new and surprising assortment of vegetables I get every week allows me to stretch my creativity and learn exciting new ways to cook. By eating ethically and organically, I have discovered a love for cooking and for entertaining.
I value conscience living. In my everyday life this manifests in many ways. I question the value of each purchase that I make, choosing whether or not this money could be better spent elsewhere rather than spending without thought. When I am at work, I worry about work, when I’m at home, I worry about home. If I decide to relax rather than work on a project, I do so completely, without feeling guilty about what I ‘should’ be doing.
my number one value is being creative! it get’s applied by stepping out of the normal.. by maybe going a different way to work. ordering something crazy off the menu.. finding a different way to do the simplest things!
I’ve been able to make big changes in the area of going green without impacting any of my normal work routines. It only takes a little effort up front. I look at going green as a way not only of making the world slightly better, but also saving me money…all without having to make critical, huge changes in my life. I think that going green also doesn’t have to be some hemp, straw house, dirty hippy experience either. Small changes that most people wouldn’t even notice can make large changes in not only the reduction of waist, but the quality of life in people.
Steps I’ve taken to help the environment and my wallet
1.I replaced my V8 4.6 liter Crown Vic with a 2.8 liter PT (Crown Vic Died, but still)
2. I’ve gone green with mailings and billing. No wasted paper, stamps, shipping or time
3. Florescent lights over Incandescent bulbs
4. Buy bulk when I can, reduces packaging waist
5. RSS news feeds over News print
6. LCD Monitors/TV’s. They draw less energy then CRT or Plasma
7.watch for energy vampires (cell phone chargers ect)
8. I can’t carry the cloth bags to the store (I don’t shop enough) but due use paper bags or skip the bag all together
9.City supplies recycling bins for use
10. Also recycle things that I don’t use (steal workout plates go well at the centers)
11.Dispose of waste (CF bulbs, oil, paints, mini propane tanks, computer parts) at the dump. They have centers that dispose of it correctly.
12. Garage sales and thrift stores not only save buy reusing things, they save you big money.
13.Craigslist lets you find things your looking for without having to hit 50 rummages to get what you want.
14. PDF printer, rather then waist ink or paper
15 Don’t buy things on impulse. Waiting a week or two prevents me from making mistakes and wasting not only money, but me from throwing out something I regretted buying
correction “Small changes that most people wouldn’t even notice can make large changes in not only the reduction of waist, but the quality of life in people.” should be “Small changes that most people wouldn’t even notice can make large changes in not only the reduction of waist, but also improve the quality of life in people.”
what i do is i try to always think of better ways to help the environment with the things i get rid of and when i go shopping i try not to spend money on things i don’t even need that will just be lying there collecting dust not doing good for anything/anyone at all
i really value freedom and i run linux on all of my home computers (sadly not a choice at work with the tools i am required to have access to). i try to do what i can to support the OSS projects and linux distributions that I use via bug reports, suggestions, etc. Still trying to find that one project that I feel connected enough to and knowledgable enought about to really get involved with contributing code.
i’m also a big stickler for efficiency. i try to wait and plan routes to run errands that let me do alot of things at once to minimize the time spent and the amount of gas that i use. this helps to give me free time to relax, tinker w/my linux boxes, read or keep the apartment clean.
i also value the outdoors / environment so i do everything i can to minimize electricity use (turn air conditioner off when not at home, if i’m not watching tv its off, computers are off when i’m not using them, etc.), driving only when necessary and trying to drive efficiently, and enjoy the outdoors (running, biking, walks, etc.)
Regardless of what past friends may say, I have plenty of values. In fact, sometimes keeping track of my values gets confusing. Sometimes I’m not even sure if I really value some of my values.
That confusion can make it hard to know if I actually do live out my values. For instance, I value a clean home, but I tend to value friendships more, which means I’ll often have to decide that social interaction will take precedence over ironing tomorrow’s pants.
Eating well is a way I value my health (and the environment), but sleeping often pulls the short straw.
And then there’s time spent with blogs. I tell myself it’s a value of information, but while learning to be a better, more efficient and creative person might be of value, I’m fairly certain I am not following some higher purpose when I’m reading about the histrionics of videogame developers.
I value the environment and that means consuming local food…you can’t get much more local then your own backyard so I try to have at least one item from my garden with dinner and once a week, we will have a meal that only contains items from our garden. This also assists with one of my other values, money-consciousness. It is far cheaper to grow your own food than to purchase it at the supermarket.
I value self-awareness and directed personal development as means to change the World (If everybody worked on changing themselves, the World would certainly change as a whole).
The way I live the value is by journaling every day. I use a technique called Topics du Jour, which allows me to know myself in no more than 10min a day and then take action accordingly.
One of my biggest frustrations with the movement towards being eco-friendly is the lack of application I see amongst people who claim to promote it. It’s become trendy. Unfortunately it needs to move past trendy and into “neccesary”. For me I think a book like New Day Revolution could be a huge help to me and others is practical steps. Thanks for the post
I do my best to live according to my values all the time, but sometimes I find that they come into conflict with each other. I wish I knew how to deal with that better.
Well, we all live with our own perspective of the world. I love to not use paper money. And I do so by using my card. This is not so obvious, but in long term it would leave countable impact in humankind.
Save the trees!
That sounds like a great book and really relevant to what I’m trying to do with my life. Every little bit helps, whether it’s collecting water in a bucket from your shower while the water is heating up (to use in your garden) or taking the stairs instead of an elevator. I just had my first child this year and going green has so much more relevance and has made me intensify the eco-conscious lifestyle I have been trying to live for years. Thanks for the wonderful giveaway, and check out my blog for other green living tips and ideas.
Living one’s values is very difficult in many aspects of one’s life, not just ecology. On the spiritual side, when I returned to church after a very long absence, I suddenly realized just how difficult it was. I have had to learn how to treat other people more thoughtfully – I often fail.
As a committed recycler, I try to recycle what I can. Imagine my shame when the wrapper I had on the seat of the car blew out of the window on the highway! I was littering! Unthinkable. I haul items that my city won’t take to work for our recycling program – but that does not begin to make a dent in the trash we discard. And, try to live without purchasing something that uses a lot of plastic. Even at the local market, the produce was stuffed into bags before I could use my cloth bags. Everything is encased in the stuff.
I try to save energy and money and have committed to driving more economically. This is difficult when the freeway is jammed with speeding traffic. One must increase one’s speed or be killed. I do allright on my work trip, but on my trip to school, the speeders rule.
Finally, I have difficulty living my values when my friends and family do not agree with what I consider to be the right thing to do.
I have been car free for close to seven years and it is a wonderful feeling to not have any cognitive dissonance between the way I feel about petroleum use and the way I use it.
We’re fortunate to have a bit of backyard space we can devote to a vegetable patch. It’s not huge, but it gives us some seasonal produce that offsets our grocery bill somewhat.
One obvious benefit is that it saves us some money in terms of buying fresh veg but it also brings us a few side benefits as well. Growing your own significantly reduces the footprint that is inherent in these products. There is no packaging involved, no handling, no transport costs and you know exactly what is involved in the growing.
On another note, I have a two-year-old who loves coming out to help Daddy in the garden. It gives me an opportunity to spend time with her, which is sometimes in short supply during the week. Having a garden to work on gives myself and my wife an opportunity to get outside away from the TV and other time-wasters. It also means that I can forget about work for a while and focus on the task immediately at hand. Sure, it can be hard work, especially in the initial set-up, but the tradeoff is a contribution to the well-being of the planet and better family relationships!
I want the wallet. plz…plz…
I find some way to surprise someone everyday. Giving up my seat on the train, buying a snack for friends at the office, volunteering for the first round of drinks, anything to just make the one extra half-step. It all adds up after all.
I value my time, and I think one of the most disrespectful things a person can do is not value someone else’s time. Keeping people waiting unnecessarily, wasting their time and effort, not having (and showing) appreciation when those around you give up their time to help you – all of these are things I dislike in others and try to avoid myself.
On the other hand I love to chat, and have a tendency to rant occasionally, so I’m trying to learn some balance and to shut my mouth when all I’m doing is taking up other people’s time and not giving any value in return.
I am working on living my values on a daily basis. Most recently we are eating as locally as possible. Meat not fed corn and farmed sustainably, vegetables and fruits from a CSA, and co-op pickups coordinated with others and a need to be in town that day. Saves a bit of petrol, saves the antibiotics fed most animals and resulting resistant strains, saves the pollution of acres of conventionally raised corn. Win-win-win. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to win!
The way I turn my values into practical action is bartering for goods and services, using only what I need and sharing the excess. I ‘shop’ goodwill, freecycle and the local swap shop at the transfer station and I eat ‘in-season’ food and try to preserve for later.
Pray together as a family.
The guiding rule really ought to be love: love your fellow human enough to be kind and give him/her the benefit of the doubt; love the earth enough to reduce/reuse/recycle; and love yourself enough to forgive yourself for the times when you acted first and thought later. In my opinion, it is not possible to be completely selfless and completely “green”; using love as the determinant makes the choices much simpler.
i’m a big fan of new year’s resolutions. my friends and i have a few things that we do together every year that i think can be beneficial year-round in bringing your personal values into your daily life.
first, you need to focus on what your values are. every year, we each choose one word to represent that year. for example, someone who values new experiences or travel as a means to open their mind may use the word, “explore”. you take this word and post it somewhere that you will see every day, such as your bathroom mirror, or on your ceiling above your bed. (one of my friends really did it!)
then, use your values/goal to translate into a list of things related to that goal and share with all your friends! we regularly update each other on how our progress is coming on our lists, and in sharing with others (you could even use a blog for this!) you ensure that you will complete them, as it holds you accountable.
Living my values at home has been fun. I endeavor to leave a smaller carbon footprint this year as compared to last year. My mom exclaims to all her friends that I am going green. I of course do the cloth shopping bags and have learned to recycle. I only use the dryer for items that don’t dry by air well (think heavy bath sheets). My favorite cleaners are baking soda, vinegar, and lemon juice in varying combinations. Most of my electrical appliances are plugged into power strips that I turn off when I am done using them. I’m new to this “green stuff”, but i am trying. :-)
I work at a chain grocery store, and anytime I see a customer eying our reusable bags, I talk up the benefits and encourage them to buy. For those already bring bags, I thank them and point out (because many don’t realize this) that they get a five-cent discount for each reusable bag that is utilized to pack the order. I’m hoping a little smile from me will go a long way with them.
I really value my freedom so I want to make sure each day I use it to the fullest to achieve my potential. Whether that’s a great idea to put into action or just something I want to say, I know that there are no boundaries for me and I can do whatever I want to make the world a better place.
My biggest change I made was switching to a Nathan brand stainless steel water bottle. I use it at work and at the gym. This was a big step for me because I needed a skinny waterbottle to fit in all the different cupholders, but this one works perfectly, and no more bottled water! Between that and using reusable grocery bags, hopefully I’m helping a little. :-)
I love when I can save money and reduce my own consumerism. I particularly enjoy making my own wrapping paper. I have never bought wrapping paper or bows. Sometimes I use an old news paper or the onion. If I find an article that I thing someone would get a chuckle out of I paste it right on front. It adds a personal touch and I am not buying something which is just meant to be thrown away.
My greatest productivity insight is sharing workloads with friends. For example, some friends and I began to share supplies (tools, office supplies, food, etc.) thus saving us all shopping time. Moreover, we saved money by buying in bulk. Hooray!
My values generally always fall into the self-improvement category… I hate to say it but I don’t strive to be green and think it’s gotten way too trendy. The eco-friendly things that I do I have just always done because it’s the Humanist thing to do.
My favorite activity and way of living my values is riding my bicycle. You’ll get this a lot these days but more and more, I’m getting maybe a wee bit too into it. It covers a lot of ground: physical movement, the joy of using the body, time to think, and of course, it saves gas and doesn’t pollute and creates a bigger cyclist population. Good stuff.
My deepest values center around care and compassion, not only for those I love, but for all around me. My family comes first, and I am grateful for every moment with them.
If it’s something that you truly value, you’ll live it without much effort.
Values are those that we actually follow; not the ones that make us feel good about ourselves, when we tell about it to others.
To be truthful in my day to day life that is the real challenge for me – it is difficult, damn difficult – many claim their support for this, but only a few follow it. It requires courage, strength of character and some sacrifices along the way!
My values are very different, but I try to write them all down and to take them with me in my wallet, so everytime when I open my wallet to pay something etc, I remembered to live my values and I can start just then in the real life by dealing with other people.
I’ve become part of a social group in the neighborhood that gets kids together for interactive analog play. No batteries, electronics, etc. I am also trying to reduce reuse recycle by walking to the market, reusing bags, and increasing how much we recycle.
I should commit more on this… I have tried to go green, using power saving bulbs and saving water whenever I can, recycling thrash and a few more.
However I need to make a stop to think on my core values and how to follow them.. trust it will be soon
My husband is a great motivator for recycling. If I try to cheat and throw away a cereal box, he takes it out of the trash and puts in the recycle bin. So, now I figure I might as well comply because he’s a good influence :)
I live my values day to day by eating Vegan and not consuming alcohol, tobacco, or mind-altering substances. I choose to live with the smallest footprint possible by riding my bicycle or the train to work, recycling, and by being courteous and polite to everyone I meet. Since eating Vegan is often said to be a “rich person’s privilege” my wife and I choose to purchase a $16/week share of locally grown produce through Growing Power (growingpower.org) and eat primarly through that avenue, rather than purchasing expensive items through Whole Foods.
I value frugality and I practice this by not having a car and using public transportation whenever absolutely possible…
I make a new habit that matches my value (going green, limiting waste, family) and when it becomes a habit, I add another. For instance, I always use both sides of paper when printing or copying. I bought a “green” reusable water bottle that I take to tennis to use instead of the paper cups, which would never last the entire practice as they’d wear out after three drinks.
We also make an effort to do a few family meals at the table every week and do something fun as a family at least a couple of times a week. Recent fun include doing a jigsaw puzzle, playing CLUE and LIFE, swimming (my oldest joined us! A miracle!), playing catch.
We also hired a high schooler to help the younger two after school because the homework battles were putting too much stress on all of us. He takes that stress out for us and we enjoy our time in the evening as homework is done by dinner time and I can get my work done with little interruption.
Not to go too religious on LifeHack, but doing an examination of conscience every day can be a great tool in closing the gap between who you are and who you want to be. Sit down, clear your mind, and go over each and every action of the day, noting where you could improve things or where you messed up.
The essence of living your values is to empower them in the first place…. then, living by your values will come naturally.
You see, we seem to get things backwards….we try to live by certain morals hoping that they will stick, instead of looking at the world through the window of your new morals, which gives you no choice but to simply live by them, naturally.
I most value my family. So staying close whether in person, phone, email, whatever… just do it!
Blogging is one of the best ways to turn your values into practical action. Writing about issues that are important to you forces you to reflect on how you implement those ideals into your daily life.
Community is a huge part of being able to live one’s values consistently and effectively. There will always be gaps between who I really am, who I think I am, and who I’d like to be, and having people who can point out those gaps in a loving, constructive way is essential. Sometimes I don’t remember what I value, in my actions or my thoughts, so others who can remind me can help me to live those values out.