and open up all that space for creative projects? Wasteful energy sinks like these are unnecessary trinkets at best. Even mainstream essentials such as stoves, refrigerators, and water heaters can become more efficient or be eliminated altogether, depending on your diet, climate, and comfort level.

We'll start with the small stuff. First, replace the microwave with better planning; fewer leftovers means less need for reheating. It doesn't really take that much longer to cook food on a regular stove anyway. Next, drink organic tea from local herbs instead of coffee, or at least use a French press instead of an electric brewer. Leaf blowers and bug zappers are just absurd—lose them immediately if you are at all serious about ecological living. Other appliances? Dry clothes outside or over aenhancing our own ways of being, we greatly improve our ability to communicate and work with others. It is much easier to change ourselves than to change others, so ask yourself, _What can I learn here?_ or _What exactly is the behavior that is_ _causing this emotion?_

Communicating in a nonviolent, egalitarian manner is a learned skill, and unfortunately it's not usually taught in school. So it is up to each individual to learn to interact with others in a way that embraces diversity, promotes sharing, and encourages personal growth. Before you criticize someone else, make sure you are not mirroring her disruptive behavior. Find an alternative to offer her, and find a peaceful way to communicate that alternative.

Few of us are experts at this, but the point is