Eco Friendly

Lynn Youngblood preaches green living.

But does she practice what she preaches?

“You bet I do!” said Youngblood, who writes The Examiner’s weekly “Green Space” column about green living habits.

Youngblood and Pat Whelan are long-time friends. When either has the desire to salvage, they simply pick up the phone and give the other person a ring.

“Pat knows I’m always game for salvaging,” Youngblood said.

The mantelpiece in her living room is constructed from used wood, as is her porch. Elsewhere, she’s salvaged a pair of doors from an old farm house that was slated for destruction.

Salvaging, however, isn’t the only component of her lifestyle that makes her green. She confesses to never throwing anything away, and she is an avid thrift store shopper.

“I don’t like buying stuff new,” Youngblood said.

Her home is energy-efficient – she says she hasn’t turned on the air-conditioning in three weeks – and Energy Saver brands her washer and dryer. She doesn’t ever cut the lawn, doesn’t use chemicals on anything and is a totalitarian in terms of water usage.

“My husband used to be notorious for taking 20- to 30-minute showers,” Youngblood said. “I’ve gotten him down to 5 to 10 minutes.”

She says two areas of improvement include rain barrels (at her previous resident she used them to capture water for watering her plants) and a more economical vehicle.

“The vehicle I drive is 13 years old and gets 18 to 20 miles to the gallon,” she says. “For 4-wheel drive that’s not too bad, but I’m not for making excuses; as soon as I can save enough money, I’ll get an energy-efficient car.”

You can read Youngblood’s column each Tuesday in The Examiner.