Green Testimonials

This topic is why we are called pious.

I do the following:

Bike/walk/bus to work everyday (wife walks to work everyday)
Drives Prius to run errands and visit family in far away lands
100 percent CFL - I threw my incandescents out
Live in 320-unit apartment building downtown - so no lawn, no landscaping, minimal direct use of land for my living, little use of heat in winter, and little use of A/C in summer
Cloth bags
Some Organic food - coffee, milk, some fruit
cold water washing - never knew there was any other kind

What I wish:
Replace appliances with energy star ones, but I don't own them so I can't replace them
Green electricity credits - Building controls electricity bill and subbills me, so I don't think I can directly do this either
More organic food and freerange meat - this is expensive for me
Local produce - but here in the heartland, we only grow corn and soybeans, so I have found this to be quite difficult, even our 'farmer's' markets ships in produce from california except for corn and a few token berries, perhaps another Twin Citian can direct me to a place that sells local lettuce, tomato, grains, etc.

 

I just remembered a biggie that I didn't mention in my list. I buy only organic, shade grown coffee. All of you who care about the state of our rainforests should check it out. I buy the green mountain brand. It's tasty and it's fair trade certified.

http://www.greenmountaincoffee.com/prdCoff...-Organic-Coffee

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(des101 @ Jul 18 2007, 03:38 PM) [snapback]481230[/snapback]</div>

Are you in northern NM?

I hear you about the colour temps. I recently replaced some cheap Home Depot CFLs in our bathroom with some good ones made by Panasonic. The colour temp for the new ones was 2800K but they're still on the white side. The one thing I think the cheapos do well is the colour temp. They burned out in a year, however. Unacceptable.

Ooh! I don't drink coffee. So that's one I can handle. I did know about the shade grown thing though. I am a big tea drinker. I should investigate the impact of that. Does anyone know offhand?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SSimon @ Jul 18 2007, 03:11 PM) [snapback]481244[/snapback]</div>

Preach it!!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tripp @ Jul 18 2007, 05:15 PM) [snapback]481245[/snapback]</div>

After a quick search, I've found no evidence that they're clear cutting rainforests for the cultivation of your tea. I'm sure you'll sleep extra sound tonight.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rae Vynn @ Jul 18 2007, 05:28 PM) [snapback]481251[/snapback]</div>

Word! (sorry Pinto, but I'm going to have to adopt this "word" as my own. )

 

No, I am in Albuquerque. Too bad as we are almost neighbors. I could drive your Prius and if you were really good I would let you drive my Corolla. Fair huh?

The CFLs I have gotten thus far are very blue. I know something about this from the fish tank but they don't list the color light on the package so I can't tell even though I would know what to look for. I will try to find
Panasonic. The lights I have gotten so far are only good for off areas (hallways, kitchen, etc.), though I take that back I got one and put it in a reading lamp and haven't even noticed it.

There is fair trade tea and chocolate. Our church sells this under the name "Equal Exchange".
They also have tree nuts. All the products are grown under optimal growing conditions and sustainable
practices-- and the growers get fairer prices. http://www.equalexchange.com
I think their chocolate bars are yummy!
But I like their tea and coffee, and have not bought nuts.
There is also fair exchange bananas and some other products, as well as lumber, etc.
There are several fair trade products at stores like Whole Foods, Wild Oats, Trader Joes, etc.

If you belong to a lefty hippy type church, they might sell this sort of thing. ;-)

--des


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tripp @ Jul 18 2007, 06:15 PM) [snapback]481245[/snapback]</div>

 

Des,

Check out energyfederation.org. They have loads of different CFLs and the specs like colour temp are right there for you to check out.

Thank you, but I'll keep my Prius.

Are you a UU?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SSimon @ Jul 18 2007, 04:32 PM) [snapback]481253[/snapback]</div>

That's good to know. If it weren't so bloody complicated I might try growing it meself.

 

Hi Tripp,

Thanks for the link.
So you don't like my little "deal", well I guess ABQ isn't so close to Denver.
I am UCC (that's United Church of Christ), we're sometimes called Unitarians Considering Christ.
But it is a very socially activist church. We sell the coffee, tea, and chocolate.


You could grow herbal tea (mint is particularly easy to grow), but I doubt the climate would work for tea.
I think the fair trade groups sell the most sustainably grown teas.



--des



<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tripp @ Jul 19 2007, 11:22 PM) [snapback]481994[/snapback]</div>

 

Ah UCC. That would have been my second guess. Congregationalist if you were living back east.

We attend a UU "church" in Golden. My wife grew up UU. I refuse to label myself, but I enjoy it.

I get my tea in bulk from a place in Indiana ( :blink: ). I buy 1lb bags. Mostly black teas and oolongs. I'm not a big fan of green tea. It's too bad, really, because green teas are supposed to be the healthiest. That seems to be my lot in life [sigh].

 

We're kind of a give away!!

Nah not a fan of green tea (though I have some). I really like white tea (not so bitter),
but have yet to see decaf white tea as a fair trade thing.

--des

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tripp @ Jul 20 2007, 12:39 PM) [snapback]482273[/snapback]</div>

 

Two "novice" (but hopefully easy) questions...
If I want to replace some incandescents with CFLs, do I still have to heed the fixture's "60w max" (or whatever it states) warning label?
ie, if I've got 60w bulbs in there now, will using say, a "100w equivalent CFL" (that draws only 23 watts) pose any trouble?
I know that could be a good bit more light than I'm used to---but not nearly the same heat, no? (And isn't the heat the main reason a smaller fixture would say 75w max, or 100w max?) This particular fixture I'm dealing with has lost that original warning label, which got me thinking of my question here, in the first place.

Second... Any good LED (or other) options yet, for swapping out those halogen, GU10, 35w little cone-shaped bulbs (with the two "nail-head" posts that lock into the socket) for use in all the various halogen spotlight track systems?

Thanks in advance!

 

I think you're good to go with the CFL replacement (23W for a 60W). The heat output will be considerably less even with the bigger bulb. Incandescents turn something like 90% of the energy they consume to heat. CFLs waste considerably less.

As far as LED... My understanding is that they are great for low light situations where light quality isn't a big deal. They last for ages and draw very little power. However, for higher quality light situations they are still very expensive. What little I've read on the subject suggests that this will be changing in the near future. How near though?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Suburban600 @ Jul 29 2007, 06:27 AM) [snapback]487032[/snapback]</div>

Jim,

I saw a bit about them on modern marvels. I'll check them out. Thanks.

 

To truly be green you should be promoting Nuclear Energy at every opportunity, to your friends and your congressmen. See link...

"Renewables are not green. To reach the scale at which they would contribute importantly to meeting global energy demand, renewable sources of energy, such as wind, water and biomass, cause serious environmental harm. Measuring renewables in watts per square metre that each source could produce smashes these environmental idols. Nuclear energy is green. However, in order to grow, the nuclear industry must extend out of its niche in baseload electric power generation, form alliances with the methane industry to introduce more hydrogen into energy markets, and start making hydrogen itself. Technologies succeed when economies of scale form part of their conditions of evolution. Like computers, to grow larger, the energy system must now shrink in size and cost. Considered in watts per square metre, nuclear has astronomical advantages over its competitors."

The PDF is 15 pages long, but interesting.

http://phe.rockefeller.edu/biblio.php

Click on the Renewable and Nuclear Heresies (PDF) link

 

A family of three in Oxnard, CA.

We already

conserve electricity: CFL's, turn off lights when not in use, turn off power strips at night, etc. I even turn off the dsl modem / router at night. 2006 energy use was 3867 kwh, and the goal is a 10 per cent reduction this year - we will see at the end of the year. No air condition is needed here.

conserve natural gas use: full loads on dishwasher (but it should be replaced with an energy star appliance), reduce HW temperature, conserve use of water (full loads in clothes washer / cold or warm water use, etc), turn off home heat until it is needed, then operate a programmable thermastat at 67 degrees (increase temperature for guests who need the warmth, e.g. parents). Consumption in 2006 was 265 ccf or 290 therms. I am not sure if we can reduce that one, but just minimize use.

Gasoline consumption: Drive the Prius for most errands and driving. Telecommute as much as possible. This is the biggest part of our energy consumption, and hard to limit.

Food: buy local Link to campaign to buy local groceries This is a link to a campaign to promote purchase of local groceries / food stuff. I think it is a good idea, with some good arguments to buy local. I go to a local farmer's market weekly, and have done so for years. Now, I think even more about where food is produced, to the extent of checking labelling of apple juice. I won't buy it if the apples come from China. It makes no sense to me, when apples are produced here. I should eat less meat, but not there yet. Minimize use of prepared food, cook at home, bring meals in to work, buy "fair trade' coffee (per the earlier posting), bring paper sacks to grocery store, refuse sacks for items like milk which do not need to be bagged.

Recycle as much as possible, minimize stuff in trash. Bring electronic waste to local drop off, including batteries and bad cfl's. Donate stuff we do not need / want to thrift stores. I estimate that the trash we generate (to the landfill) is about 6 pounds per week.

Compost / garden: We compost as much as we can, kitchen waste. If I bring fruit to work for lunch, I try to bring the skins / rinds back for composting. Compost includes: coffee grounds, egg shells, fruit, vegetable peels, fruit that has gone bad (evil fruit?), etc. As much garden waste as possible. Lawn clippings from the electric mower were mulched. HOwever, we are in the process of converting the front yard to xeriscape, with drip irrigation. Back yard has vegetables and fruit trees, but we will retain some lawn there.

Garden includes some fruit vegetables, which also reduces impact.

To do:

Improve rental property to reduce energy use there.
Continue to buy low-carbon vehicles.
Keep vehicles for as long as possible.
Solar panels at home seem unreasonable, given our energy consumption. However I would purchase solar or renewable energy if it were available from our supplier.
Always think about how I can reduce impact.
Always think about how I can educate others on the need to reduce carbon foot print - but without proseletyzing. This would be leading by example, writing to newspapers, talking about green actions and how they are not really difficult to do.
Vote for candidates who have clear and solid programs / policies / whatever that promote 'green' politics. This is hard to define, but you probably get my drift.

Enough for now.

 

Family of two adults, one child, two dogs, two cats in the Great Central Valley (semiarid steppe) of California:

1. Large, french-intensive, drip irrigation organic garden for last 28 years. Excess fruit is given to other families, frozen or dehydrated.
2. 2005 and now 2007 Prius.
3. Retrofitted home so energy demand is less than 10% of surrounding homes (no PV). Energy Efficiency Index for current home EEI = 1.0 or less. Monthly energy cost for last 15 years is $30 or less. In process of building positive energy home on South Fork of the American River. Drought-tolerant native plant landscaping around residence.
4. Use a bicycle for one-half the distance of my daily commute (13 kilometers each way). Prius used for 35 km each way. I model what I teach for my students (high school and community college).
5. Instituted recycling program at high school (15% of waste stream of community).
6. GLOBE (www.globe.gov) trainer since 1996.
7. Comprehensive Climatic Water Budget Analysis of the Sierra Nevada (1951-date, 33 sites) using measured data for precipitation, temperature, soils and vegetation, so decision-making in light of climate change is based on actual information, not hypothetical information.

 

1. Got two Prius. One of which replaced an F250 diesel.
2. Installed 80-gal solar water heater.
3. Installed 6.5 KW PV solar system.
4. Changed 90% of the bulbs in the house (50) to CFL.
5. Recycle or reuse everything we can. If we cannot use it good will gets it.
6. Installed dual cell blinds for all windows.
7. Installed programmable Digital thermostats and set it to go 85 during the day when we are not home. Would let it go to 95 but the cats would probably shrivel up.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Suburban600 @ Jul 29 2007, 07:27 AM) [snapback]487032[/snapback]</div>

I see nothing on their site that indicates it's organic or shade grown. The Audubon coffees grown in the aforementioned manner are good but not great. The Green Mountain coffees, grown in this manner, are very good. I'm looking for another selection to try but I'm only interested in those that have the preservation of rainforests or other aspects of our environments in mind. I've looked and unfortunately there's not a wide selection out there. Trader Joes has a blend that I've not yet tried.

 

I'll soon insulate my garage door, which is the standard 7'x16' sheet metal type. It directly faces east. The morning sun, especially during the Texas summer, heats it up pretty good. I tried touching it one morning and nearly burned my finger. Our master bedroom is right above the garage, so we suffer quite a bit in both summer and winter. Hopefully the insulation will help regulate the garage temperature to the point where we don't have to over-adjust the thermostat upstairs to compensate.

Has anyone had before/after experiences with garage door insulation that they could share? Any particular type/brand to recommend or avoid? Is an R-value of 7.5 good enough?

I'm also thinking of insulating the water heater, which also sits in the garage. I did look into a solar water heater at one time, but it turned out to be too complicated and impractical for our situation...