Besides the Prius, what do you do to reduce, reuse, recycle?

Poor governance and regulation in general. It's not just cows. Usually you can find dogs and possibly other animals which usually share a city with humans. Even in major cities in suburbs you can find people owning cows for milk or pulling carts. They don't always keep them in a barn. Poor planning on cities means people living even in adjucent areas may lead very different kinds of lives.

I can write for pages about why things are like that. But in short Indian policiticans and lawmakers will make their US couterparts look amazingly efficient and honest. That eventually begin to reflect in everyday life.

 

Solar powered attic fans -- They don't need wiring, they run on the electricity they create, and they make our house's A/C work less.

The solar fans are more expensive initially but if you get them installed before the end of the year there is a 30% tax credit.

 

i've heard that bricks can degrade/flake off over time and mess up or clog the pipes in your house. it's better to reuse a 1/2 gallon milk jug (filled with water+sand or something denser to keep it from just floating)) because that won't degrade and affect the plumbing.

 

Thanks for this info... I've been eyeing up those solar fans for a while now. HOw do you know how many fans you need to make a difference?

 

The fans are rated for the air moved in cubic feet per minut (CFM). That doesn't help the average user so the manufacturers usually tell you the size of the attic in square feet that the fan should accomodate. That # is usually based on a square area so complex attic shapes and bends would need more motor to pull the air from that space. Also, the fan generally draws air from a square area so a fan that seems OK for your square footage might not do well if it is skinny and long -- you might need another fan to minimize the distance the air has to travel to the fan.

My attic fans are from Sunrise solar but I bought them from Innovative Skylights
Innovative Skylights
877-466-1551
SunRise Solar Attic Fans by Innovative Skylights
Velux Sun Tunnels & Skylights, Velux Windows & Blinds -- Contact Us!

Ask for Ann. They can sell them for less than the manufacturer.

 

I have a SolarTube, which is very similar to the Sun Tunnel. (they have solar attic fans too.) Absolutely best investment I could have made. Huge bang for the buck. Turned a dark kitchen into a bright kitchen. For weeks I'd try to turn the "sun" off with the lightswitch during the day. I'm over that now.

One thing I never mentioned was.....I never married and had children. So I didn't contribute to population growth.

 

I tried doing the same thing but it didn't work out...

 

Besides our 1 and soon to be 2 Prius driving we:

--take reusable bags to the store
--energy efficient light bulbs
--rain barrels
--ceiling fans
--programmable thermostat
--line clothes dryer
--composter on order
--recycle like crazy
--Freecycle when possible

 

When I modified my car in a manner that increased horsepower while increasing harmful emissions and decreasing fuel efficiency, I gave up 3 - 5 easy horsepower by paying $300 extra for racing catalytic converters in my headers.

 

Pretty good, the overall horsepower went from 400hp to about 500hp, and the cats tone down the raw fuel smell that comes from the camshaft's richer idle. Modern computers allow for a good tune and the car is a very manageable daily driver. I have a video if interested.