The word "sustainability" is getting a lot of mileage these days. But just what does it mean, and why is the idea of sustainability so popular? With this article, Sustainable Ballard members are starting a monthly column to explore some of the ways to practice sustainable living in the greater Ballard community.

Right now it seems like we have plenty of everything but the days of cheap petroleum are ending. And a tight oil supply affects much more than transportation and home heating. Petroleum affects our daily life. It is used to manufacture of all kinds of common products: office equipment, clothing, toiletries, videos & DVDs. It's necessary for shipping and travel. If we want to live sustainably - without cheap oil - we have to use what's on hand locally & regionally.

Sustainability means talking about and fostering self-reliance, both as individuals and as a whole community. If we, as a network of neighbors, can identify and appreciate the richness and diversity of our region, and the knowledge base in our neighborhoods, we can find sustainability right here. It's in our local clean water supply, our overlooked gardens and green space, and our small businesses thriving on finding local solutions to local needs.

Creating strategies to ease into sustainable systems will also require collaboration between organizations. Groundswell NW, Solar Washington, NW Biodiesel, Climate Solutions, Business Alliance for Local Living Economies and ReSource are just a few of the groups fostering sustainable stewardship, education and advocacy already.

You can meet a lot of these experts at the upcoming Northwest Sustainability Conference (www.nweec.org), on March 10th & 11th at the Mountaineers Club downtown. The event, sponsored by the Sustainable Industries Journal (www.sijournal.com), aims to get people and organizations together to spread the word about practical information, methods and resources for sustainable living.

And there are lots of easy ways to get started with sustainability even without going to the conference. Here are some simple tips for reducing fossil fuel consumption in the home:

_ While there is still a chill in the air...adjust your own body to life in a house that feels warm at 68 degrees. Put on warm socks and keep a sweater handy. If you want to lower your thermostat even more, don't be shy about wearing a cap or hood indoors. 90% of our body heat is lost from our heads! Close the curtains at dusk, and set the heat to 55 degrees half an hour before bed. (If you have an automatic setback thermometer, use it.) Also remember to turn the heat down when you are gone all day. Your pets have fur coats. HEATING AIR IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE USE OF ENERGY.

_ All heating systems work best if the ducts are clear and the filters are clean. It is not necessary to have your furnace serviced every year, but every 2 or 3 years is worth it...especially if you have long-haired pets. Converting from oil to gas is one step in reducing oil consumption. Another option is to consider biodiesel for your oil furnace.

_ With electric heat, if baseboards can be adjusted room by room, then "zone heat" just the space you are in. Vacuum out the dust with the brush attachment. Why are the baseboards always right under a window, you ask? The theory goes that hot air from the heaters rises and then is pushed into the room by the cold air off the windows. Just keep the flow option available by not pushing the sofa right up against the heaters.

_ In America, 20% of our electric expense is for lighting. Compact fluorescent (cf) bulbs really do last a long time and use a fraction of the energy.

_ Then there is heating water...the second largest part of your electric bill if you heat with electricity, but the BIGGEST part of your electric bill if you heat with oil or gas. Short showers, toggle switches that turn the water to a trickle, and booster heaters that deliver hot water at spigots far from your water heater are all ways to reduce the cost of heating water. There are lots of devices on the market now to lower your water use, and to lower the cost of heating it.

There are a lot of websites with information about further reducing energy consumption. These are just a few: Climate Solutions at www.climatesolutions.org, Solar Washington at www.solarwashington.org, WSU Energy at www.energy.wsu.edu.

In future columns, you will hear about other things you can do right here in Ballard to help you reduce your reliance on oil. Simple, fun things that can even save you money.

Vic Opperman and David Wright (with Erica Jones) are co-founders of Sustainable Ballard. If you have questions, or to learn more about Sustainable Ballard, email vic@sustainableballard.org or visit their website www.sustainableballard.org.