Laundry is a huge waste. Lots of water, lots of energy, lots of waste running down into the sewer. Zanne and I have spent a lot of time and energy finding the most efficient washer, unfortunately it is still in storage. We also spent a lot of time finding a biodegradable detergent that cleaned as well as the ones that did such a good job at cleaning but also at polluting. Of the six “green” detergents we have tried this one cleans the best and seems to be the most cost effective. If you can’t find it at your local grocery, ha ha, try your local coop or natural store. I also have it for sale on my Amazon store. If you have never tried it I would do so and then order then order through my store because Amazon only sells it in bulk, which actually saves you more money and is more efficient.

I listen to KUOW a lot. I like NPR, not all the time but I usually feel that they deliver solid news service. A week, or so ago I heard an article talking about energy efficiency in housing. One part of the panel was acting as a detractor and said that if energy efficiency, in public housing, really made sense then land lords would be all over making their buildings efficient. I wonder how many people really believe that line of horse S$%^. I guess it depends on who is paying the heat bill and how a building is heated. The apartment I live in right now is cold, almost as cold as my farm house in western Mass. (one of the reasons I spent so much time insulating the edition I put on that place), none of the windows are double pane or have storms on them. I have one electric base board in the bedroom and a little in wall forced air electric heater in the living/dining room area. I pay the electric bill. I am sure my landlord couldn’t give two s*&!@#$’s about the heat loss of this building. The building once had radiators, they were probably steam, which is super hot, and was probably created by an oil or coal fired furnace. You can bet that this system was removed at some point in an effort to decrease costs for the landlord. Once again the buck is passed and the waste continues. The tenant isn’t going to do anything because they don’t want to invest in something that won’t give them a return and the landlord is happy to pass on the expense and the cycle never ends.

Lets do something about it. Stand up and organize to force energy efficiency in all buildings.

How many plastic bags have you used this week? How many do you think end up here? If you think because you don’t just let them float around in the street that they won’t end up there, or in this tree, you are wrong. The best way to not let them end up there is to not use them. Buy a reusable bag, make one, find one do whatever you need to to not ever use a plastic bag again. Beyond the waste of it all the amount of energy and resources used to make them is just silly. Come on it isn’t that hard to carry a reusable bag around with you, I keep mine in my right hand coat pocket and many stores will give you a small discount for bringing your own bag.

Little changes can make big differences if large numbers of people participate.

I don’t live there anymore but I still own this house, oh the economic turmoil. This was an old country farm house that had little if any insulation in it. When I decided to add to the house, making an unusable portion of it usable, I wanted it to be as tight as possible. Insulating is not as simple as some people might think. You really have to understand a lot of different facets of the different materials that can be used. Partially because I was on a shoestring budget and partially because I am always trying to not throw things in landfills I did a lot of scavenging for the insulation I used. This decision made my installation even more tricky. I used reflective rigid foam in the ceiling with 3/4 inch air space inbetween each two inch section. The air space helps the reflective foil work more effectively and adds R-2 to each inch of insulation. In the walls I used a combination of ridig and fiberglass. One of the most important things to do when insulating is to create an air tight seal to do this I used a sprayfoam to fill in any gaps.

In this picture you can see how much heat loss the rest of the house had compared to the edition I put on. That roof is cold enough to maitain frost, which means no heat is getting out. This in turn means more heat staying in the house and less heat needed to raise and maintain temps. Compare the upper roof done with ridig foam and the lower roof done with fiberglass. We can all make a difference if we just think about things with a little fore thought.

Make a difference think about it yourself do your research.

I believe that part of being sustainable is being aware and responsible of your surroundings. Turning off a light that isn’t being used, not holding the refrigerator door open while you decide what to eat, turning the heat down at night and when you are not in your house, carry your own bag to stores are all simple things you can do to effect your environment. When thinking about how you live you are thinking about the environment right around you. It is very hard to think about environmental issues on a global scale but it is easy to do when thinking just about your own space. I believe that thinking globally is important but sometimes you have to be more topical to think on a large scale.

Last weekend Zanne, Izzy and I went out for our Sunday breakfast at our favorite breakfast place. It was cold this past Sunday, really cold by Seattle standards in the twenties. The wait staff tried very hard to get people to use a door not right by where all the patrons were sitting. They put signs up on the door large with many colors. It didn’t work, people would look right at the signs and just walk right though the door. I was flabbergasted at the apparent lack of awareness or maybe apathy that these people showed. The wait staff placed some chairs in front of the door and people would take the time to move the chairs hence holding the door open longer, the last resort was to lock the door. It is unfortunate that things had to come to that. People never cease to amaze me with how stupid and complacent they are.

Change the world. Disrupt the apathy.

My father built a solar house in the 70’s. At the time PV panels were not an option but using solar for the heating of water for preheating was. I was young when he was building his house but I have vivid memories of installing 20 4′x8′ copper panels on the roof and building plexi-glass containers around them to focus the heat on water pumped to them from the basement. In the basement were 4 1200 gallon fiber-glass tanks that acted as heat exchangers. Hot water from the panels came off the roof and heated water in the tanks which in turn preheated water for the radiant heat and domestic hot water. It was really a very impressive system and I remember on day it being 10 above zero, after having been like that for a couple days and my father being so happy because the preheated water coming to the water heater was at 103 degrees. In the end I don’t know how much money he saved in heating the water but I think his project instilled in me a sense that we all should participate in using the energy that is all around us to take care of our heating and electrical needs.

The solar heating system my father built was probably not cost effective but today to do what he did would be far less expensive and more efficient. Pre-heating water is a great way to save on heating costs and if you use PV panels to produce your electricity than you will rarely need an exterior input from the grid.

Think about where your energy comes from.

Plug in America covers all things about plug in vehicles. Plug ins are cars that are available now for us to buy that can make substantial differences in carbon emissions. Yes I know when you plug in you are still using dirty energy because the electricity is probably made with coal but the end result is far less emissions and less cost for you: Plug in America has all the numbers. Buying a plug in also sends a message that you are concerned with emissions when gas prices are low. I keep hearing this argument that consumers wont want to buy hybrids or other more sustainable vehicles if the price of gas is low. What are you all crazy. If gas is 1.25 a gallon and you own a car that gets 60 MPG that means you can go 600 for about 13 dollars compare that with your Hummer or Escalade getting around 8-10 MPG wait it is going to cost you 75 dollars to go the same distance. Save the money pay off your credit cards.

Don’t let apathy run your life. Think about the decisions you make.

The air car is just the kind of innovation that the automotive world needs. I do not think it is a panacea for all the ills of a commuter driven world. I do believe that it is a great start. This car uses a motor that is similar to a gasoline engine in how it functions except it uses compressed air to move its pistons instead of an explosion for the ignition of gasoline. Check out their site for the specifics and sign up for their updates.

We can change the world.

We need to make a fundamental change the way we approach life. Turn the heat down, turn off lights when we are not using them, carry our own bags to the grocery store, make our homes more efficient all of these things can make a difference but all of these things won’t change the world even if everyone does them. Renewable energy sources on a grand scale and creating sustainable lifestyles for all are a must if we want to effect change on our world. Signing this petition is a way to show your support for a future that relies on energy sources that are renewable and clean.

The answer is simple. I am trying to find ways to use renewable energy sources and sustainable practices to live my so that I leave behind a smaller foot print. Renewable energy sources are things like solar, wind and bio mass. But renewable, for me also includes being sustainable. The two are interrelated but not the same. For instance collecting rain water for use doesn’t create energy but it decreases your use of energy and decreases the demand on the water systems of communities.

Carry your own bag to the grocery store. A simple way to start to be sustainable.