Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska

Wanda's Diary Entries

Saturday, February 6, 2010

One of my aims in spending a sabbatical in Warsaw has been to observe simple practices, products and points of view from everyday life to see what we Americans can learn from the Poles about living sustainably.

I’m going to make a few random observations that we in the States may want to consider as we move toward greater eco-friendliness:

1. In Poland, energy for lighting and other electrical services is meted out judiciously, in public and private places. For instance, in Warsaw’s remarkable Metro system, the escalators are motion-activated and simply stop running once no one has set foot on them after a certain short period of time. (I haven’t timed it, but the escalator may stop if no one has stepped on it in a minute or less.) So even during rush hour, if you’re the first person off the train, the escalator is likely not to be running, thus saving electricity. Even small savings add up over time.

2. In every Polish kitchen, you’ll find a plug-in electric tea kettle. This way, any one can whip up a cup of tea or coffee at a moment’s notice. This method is presumably more energy efficient than heating water stove top or in a microwave.

3. Speaking of beverages, a popular beverage here is hot juice drink made from fruit syrup concentrate. A wide variety of fruit flavor choices exists; Henry’s and my favorites are malina (raspberry) and czarna porzeczka (black currant). In the cold winter months, one of these Vitamin C-laced hot fruit drinks offers a welcome break from coffee, tea and even hot chocolate. Consider this: one glass-bottle container generates ten times (or more) the volume of liquid in the bottle.

4. Grocery bags. Most Poles carry reusable or heavy-duty plastic bags into the grocery stores with them. It’s a smart practice that saves bags, waste and money. (Some stores give away plastic bags to those who’ve forgotten theirs or bought more than their bag’s capacity; other stores charge a minimal fee for theirs.) I’ve been toting my off-white canvas LL Bean bag around Warsaw, which serves as a swim bag, grocery bag and my whatever bag. It does the job well, but I must say, I haven’t seen another one like it anywhere in the City of the Mermaid.

5. Speaking of groceries, another characteristic of Polish life is increased frequency of shopping. In fact, in my daily routine here, I shop almost every day. This translates into enjoying fresh wonderful bread or bulki (rolls), baked goods, fruits and vegetables. Because of the small fridge in the house where we’re staying (and because he and I are milk hounds), I buy on average two liters of milk every day. When thinking generally, buying edibles frequently reduces the need for producers to inject in their goods questionable preservatives.