Going Green By Accident

The latest Green project results

2010-05-18T22:22:00.000-07:00

I collect refrigerator magnets when I travel. They are the one souvenir I try to get from every place I visit. My fridge was covered with them and, as I looked forward to more trips this year, I wondered if I could display the ones I have in a unique manner and make room for the new ones.

I was spit balling the idea with my roommate, trying to find a good way to have a hunk of metal hanging on the wall, when he said, "Why don't you use a refrigerator door.

Brilliant idea, so I began looking around for a spare door, I think my groceries kind of need the one on the fridge right now. After calling a half dozen scrap yards and used appliance stores, I finally found one that had some used doors.

Let me tell you this place was like appliance heaven. You name the major kitchen appliance, the style and color, and they have it. They collect broken down appliances salvage all the usable parts and build used appliance. Here's a business that is based entirely on re-using.

They deserve

Their name seems fitting as well: "Endtime Harvest thrift store.

The rest was easy and, if I do say so myself, it looks pretty cool.

Next on the list: re-purposing an old dresser as a patio grill station, a place for storing the supplies with a counter to prepare the tasty treats. I'll keep you informed on how this one goes.

One more "green" project.

2009-12-31T08:59:00.000-08:00

After a far too long absence, I have returned. Now is there anyone still here? We shall see.

My patio project was put on hold, but I've just completed a new green project:

I needed a trash can for my work van and I wanted a cup holder, so here it is. Ok, my phone is not ringing off the hook from Target, Macy's or Sears, but it works.

The "parts": a 5 gal bucket that until a week ago held commercial floor finish, a 1 gallon jug emptied of it's floor cleaning chemical, a used floor buffing pad, a couple of screws I had from disassembling an old console TV, a left over can of black spray paint and some Elmers Glue (the only item that was actually purchased for the project.

An hour of work with items that would otherwise have been landfill residents, a few minutes with a spay can of paint and I have a stylish...ok, functional trash can/cup holder.

If any of you have any examples of re-using items, please feel free to share them.

A green project

2009-08-11T22:16:00.001-07:00

We all recognize this. A cool retreat from the summer heat right on our own patio. You can purchase various shapes, sizes, and colors for your patio cover. You can buy free standing, four post, spartan or luxurious canopies. The sky is the limit.

I live in a town home with a decent size patio and I want something to keep the hot sun off my head when I sit outside to read. My first instinct to was to drive on over to Wal-Mart, or Lowe's or Home Depot and pick me up a ready to assemble collection of newly created canvas, aluminum poles and various nuts and bolts. But then the idea of making my own canopy, one that would incorporate reused items took hold and I ran with it.

Here are some of my ideas:
1). Follow freecycle.org. The site is great for finding things that are still usable, but free

2). Make the frame from PVC pipes, anchoring it to the ground by securing the PVC in a used 5 gal pail filled with rocks/soil

3). Make the main part of the frame with tree branches. No, I'm not thinking about ripping into the oak tree in the planter. I have a friend that has a wood burning hot water heating system and he gathers loads of tree limbs. Secure the limbs in the same 5 gal pails with rocks and soil, using the buckets as planters as well.

4) An old painters drop cloth, canvas cover or used sail would be great to cover the canopy,

This is as far as I've gotten on the planning stage. I'm still working out the design, but I am excited and eager to get this project started.

If you have any ideas or suggestions....or materials:D, let me know.

One person can make a difference.

2009-08-02T11:27:00.000-07:00

In the past, I have talked about how one person can change things or at least start the change. I have used myself as an example. I wanted to give an update on that.

At the town home community in Spartanburg that I manage, I have a resident that brings me her bottles and cans to recycle becasue we don't have a convenient recycling system here. It started with 1 or 2 plastic grocery bags a week. Last week, she brought me enough to fill up 2 of the curbside recycling bins I use in Greenville. I asked her why she had so many bottles and cans. She explained that at first, she was just bringing me the items she and her family used, but now, everywhere she goes she collects empties. She works at a church day camp and collects recyclables there. When she goes to the pool, she gets all she can collect there. She picks them up whenever she sees them. She even has her children and nieces and nephews thinking about recycling before trashing their empties.

Here is one good example of one person making a difference. There are 54 units at my Greenville town home community and 74 units at the Spartanburg unit. We have 25% of the residents at Addison in Greenville recycling regularly, if I can get a program started in Spartanburg, I know we would have 25% there as well. If my zealous collector in Spartanburg is an example, we will be saving tons from the landfill.

So, what are you doing today to make a small difference?

Cap and Trade

2009-07-22T21:27:00.001-07:00

"CAP and TRADE WON"T WORK!" or so I hear everyday from the opponents of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 currently making it's way around Capital Hill.

Those who want to defeat this bill proclaim as fact, that the bill will result in the destruction of small business, will send millions of jobs overseas as these "struggling" energy behemoths will not be able to afford to meet the harsh standards the government will heartlessly impose. They alarm the citizens of our fair land with predictions of uncontrollable skyrocketing prices on everything we consume. According to the detractors of the energy bill, these same innocent corporations will have no choice but to burden the American people with the unbearable costs associated with their valiant attempt to comply with their federal masters' demands. The same voices lauding free enterprise, praising the ingenuity of the American businessman, extolling the virtues of the market economy shout that there is no way that the energy industry will be able to meet even the initial demands which would not be imposed for 2-3 years.

But something keeps nagging me from the recesses of my mind. That phrase dripping with ill omens seems familiar. Cap and Trade, have we seen that phrase before? Yes, the 1990 Clean Air act included a cap and trade program to combat acid rain, by reducing sulfur dioxide and later nitrous oxide emissions. The market-based system was designed to incentives compliance rather than simply fine and tax companies into compliance. The program aimed to reduce SO2 emissions to 10 million tons below 1980 levels. In order to achieve this goal, industry was forced to upgrade power plants, add scrubbers, build new plants, etc. The EPA estimated that the cost of the program at $6 billion, industry predicted higher costs.

And what happened? It worked! We achieved 100% compliance in reducing sulfur dioxide emissions in the 1990s but industry did not stop at reaching the Fed's goal. Power plants took advantage of the allowance banking provision to reduce SO2 emissions 22% below mandated levels. What about the cost? OMB estimates that the actual cost was between $1 and $2 billion, far below both government and industry predictions.

Is the current bill before Congress the right bill? I don't know. What I do know is that history and my belief in American business says the awful predictions being spewed by those determined to stop this bill are not guaranteed and are very possibly wrong. Just read my last post to see how one major corporation found a way to comply before compliance was even demanded. I say instead of spreading fear, let's sit down and honestly evaluate the FACTS and do something that America seems to have never done, establish a comprehensive energy policy. Using the tools of private enterprise and the government, there is no challenge we can not face with hope.

Building cars with trash

2009-07-19T14:07:00.001-07:00

This

is making this

using this

Partnering with Waste Management and Ameresco in 2003, BMW Manufacturing in Spartanburg, SC found a way to make use of the decomposing trash in a local landfill. They laid over 9 miles of pipes and tapped into the methane gas being created at the Palmetto Landfill in Wellford, SC. Combining electricity and hot water creation, over 60% of all of the Spartanburg plant's energy needs are provided by the methane gas. The company has saved nearly $5,000,000 in energy costs annually since this program was started.

This year, BMW is upgrading the system, replacing four old turbines with two new, more efficient ones. These new turbines will improve output from 14% to 30% while using the same amount of methane. The company estimates an additional savings in energy costs of $2,000,000 a year from this upgrade while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 92,000 tons each year.

Looks like at least one company isn't waiting for Congress to pass a "Cap and Trade" bill to start reducing harmful pollutions. In spite of the worries of some on the results of reducing greenhouse gases, BMW appears to be able to reduce pollutants while expanding its manufacturing facilities at the Spartanburg location bringing more jobs to the US rather than being forced to send them elsewhere.

It's nice to see that some good can from a landfill.

I'm back

2009-07-19T14:03:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the lack of posts recently. I'm back and will try to be more consistent with posting. Much is happening in the world when it comes to environmental issues, and we will be discussing much of what is happening.

Green Observations from the Road

2009-06-30T06:05:00.000-07:00

When capitalism gets behind environmentalism, changes happen more quickly.
Two examples of this from The Great American Green Road Trip were hotels and baseball stadiums.

There is still plenty of waste in the hotel industry, mini shampoo bottles and tiny bars of soap to name just two, but there were signs of responsible living. At most of the hotels, the lighting in the room was either fluorescent or compact fluorescent lights or a combination of the two. This increases energy efficiency, reduces waste and saves money. At a number of the hotels, there were signs encouraging guests to use towels more than one day. The hotels had placards describing how much water is used washing towels and they described how to inform their maid staff of a guests desire to use the towels more than once.

Major League Baseball was another example of capitalism encouraging people to live responsibly. Every baseball park we visited on this trip had recycling containers for plastic, glass, and aluminum. The containers were highly visible and numerous. Some of the parks went beyond the recycling bins. Whether it was solar powered sign boards, re-usable shopping bag give-aways, highlighting hybrid cars in fan drawings or serving some food in reusable containers, MLB was showing it's green side. Of course, baseball, like the rest of us has many areas that they can improve to live more responsibly, but they are taking steps in the right direction and we need to applaud that.

The Great American Road Trip ends

2009-06-28T19:25:00.000-07:00

The Great American Green Road Trip

Day #15

Day #15 brings the Great American Green Road Trip to an end.
(Actually, we pulled in the home drive at 5:00am of Day #16, but close enough

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library was our main stop today, as we drove the 16 hrs home. This was my first presidential museum and it was fantastic.

With the trip over, how did the Prius do?

We traveled 8,539 miles, driving in cities like Denver, Seattle, and Milwaukee and small towns like Selma, AL Greensburg, KS, and West Yellowstone, Wy. We crossed the Cascade Mountains and the Rocky Mountains twice, reaching 9,000' above sea level at one point. We cruised passed cattle ranches, corn, wheat, alfalfa and soy bean fields in the flat lands of our nation's breadbasket. All this driving took only 175 gallons for a overall average of 48.79 mpg., not a bad result.

Our 15 day road trip with hours spent behind the wheel disproved two of the criticisms of hybrids. The Prius handled like a dream and even after hours of continual driving, it was comfortable to drive.

There are many options for responsible auto selections out there and a hybrid is not the only choice. Electric, clean diesel, and flex fuel are just a some of the options. Even some of our regular gas vehicles get high mileage. Pick the vehicle that fits your personal taste and wallet, just add fuel efficiency and emission control as part of your criteria.

More green observations from the road tomorrow.

The Great American Road Trip continues

2009-06-26T21:03:00.001-07:00

The Great American Green Road Trip

Day #14

Wisconsin helped us raise the mileage to 43 mpg. Even the city driving in Milwaukee came in at 43 mpg.

Like all the other stadiums we visited on this road trip, Miller Park had recycling containers for plastic, aluminum and glass. In looking back over the 4 stadiums we visited, I would say that Coors Field and Safeco Field led the way in green options for baseball fans. They went beyond the minimum of a few recycling bins.

Here are a few photos from today:

Lake Michigan

The Milwaukee River

The Fonz!

Cheese, glorious cheese!

The Great American Road Trip continues

2009-06-25T21:51:00.001-07:00

The Great American Green Road Trip

Day #13

We drove for 12 hrs today, visiting 6 states and having a 42.8 mpg from the Prius. I think one of the reasons for the slightly lower mileage is that the speed limit for most of the last 10 states has been 75 mph. As we get back to 65 mph, I think the mileage will go up.

Some folks have wondered if wind turbines will overwhelm the land they are on. From what we have seen across the country, the answer is a resounding NO. Farmers can still grow crops, like below or graze their cattle under the calmly turning turbine arms. In fact, in many places, farmers make extra money from leasing the land for the turbines.

Near Preston, MN, we saw the largest collection of wind turbines yet. There were hundreds of them. Their massive arms sweep leisurely and generate much energy, while leaving the land they stand on available for other uses. I must say that I see a majesty when I look at them.

The Great American Road Trip continues

2009-06-24T20:08:00.001-07:00

The Great American Green Road Trip

Day #12

Today, the Prius carried us up to Mount Rushmore and across the entire state of South Dakota with stops at Wall Drug and the Corn Palace with a 42.7 mpg average.

In my last post, I mentioned all the green changes Yellowstone is making. I was reminded of one of the changes when we visited Mount Rushmore.

The "wooden" steps and boardwalk are not actually wood. They are plastic lumber made from discarded plastic containers. At Old Faithful, the 30,000 square foot boardwalk uses the equivalent of 4 million discarded milk jugs.

Here's another example that our recycling efforts do make a difference.

Here's an example of re-using, every year the city of Mitchell, SD rebuild the facade of the Corn Palace with fresh corn cobs, stalks, husks, etc. Ok, so it really isn't reusing, but it is a pretty cool use of corn.

The Great American Road Trip continues

2009-06-23T22:52:00.000-07:00

The Great American Green Road Trip

Day #11

We crossed the Rockies, reaching the height of 8500ft above sea level. We drove around Yellowstone National Park and across the entire state of Wyoming at 42.7 mpg, another good day

This is Yellowstone National Park:

Old Faithful

Elk

Bison

Lots of Bison

This also is Yellowstone:

All over the park are recycling containers like these for glass, plastic and aluminum, but Yellowstone hasn't stopped at adding a few recycling bin. In 2008, Yellowstone recycled:
119 tons of newspapers, office paper and magazines
22 tons of aluminum and steel
318 tons of glass
44 tons of plastic containers
278 tons of cardboard
13,000 small propane cylinders, using a machine developed by a Yellowstone park employee and
funded by Yellowstone Park Foundation
150 tons of tires

They have added 17 hybrids to their fleet of vehicles. All of their diesel powered vehicles run on a 20% blend of industrial grade vegtable oil and deisel and 40 employees participate in a Ride-Share program.

They have installed solar panels and are using greener techniques in the building of the new Visitors center.

It is great to see our nation's first national park leading the way in responsible green living.

The Great American Road Trip continues

2009-06-23T22:41:00.001-07:00

The Great American Green Road Trip

Day #10

Crossing the Cascade Mountains and driving across most of Montana and the Prius still got 42.4 mpg. I was talking to the clerk at our hotel in West Yellowstone, MT and she told me that her parents get 60 mpg on average there. I think if I were used to driving in the mountains, I might be getting better mileage, but 42.5 mpg is still good.

Here are a few photos to demonstrate what we are trying to protect.

This is just a glimpse of the wonderful country we have and what we need to protect. Even the smallest actions count.

The Great American Road Trip continues

2009-06-21T23:36:00.001-07:00

The Great American Green Road Trip

Day # 9

We are holding fast at 42.5 mpg while driving around the hilly area around and in Seattle. Still good numbers

36% of Seattle residents ride their bicycles for recreational and 4,000-8,000 residents ride daily. Seattle is making a concerted effort to promote biking. Below you see one of the bike stands the city is placing around the city. Seattle has about 28 miles of shared use paths, 22 miles of on-street, striped bike lanes, and about 90 miles of signed bike routes. The folks that do the biking in this city are truly dedicated because it is extremely hilly, so I take my hat off to Seattle and it's bike friendly ways

The Seattle Mariners, like the other major league parks we have visited on this trip have their fan friendly plastic bottle recycling bins that you see below.

But leave it to Seattle to take the idea of recycling further. Below is a photo of a recycling garage that accepts plastic, paper, aluminum, and compost items

Seattle seems to be one of the greenest cities we have visited so far.

Day 8 photos

2009-06-21T00:48:00.000-07:00

The Hood River

Public transportation in Portland

At the Portland Saturday Market:

Jen gets a henna tatto
Eric gets cheesecake on a stick!

The Great American Road Trip continues

2009-06-21T00:30:00.000-07:00

The Great American Green Road Trip

Day #8

Crossing the Cascade Mountains had similar results that the Rockies produced for the Prius, 42.4 mpg. I like having this car, esp. since gas prices here in Wash. are around $2.90.

The Hood River that runs along the WA/OR border is a strong river and the area seems to have strong winds, which is probably why there were hundreds of wind turbines on the hills on either side of the river. These pictures are not the clearest, but you get the idea.

Day 7 photos

2009-06-21T00:21:00.001-07:00

Breakfast plates at the Iron Skillet
Laramie, Wy

Prairie dogs are fun

Wyoming is awesome!

The Great Salt Lake, Utah

The Great American Road Trip continues

2009-06-20T23:56:00.001-07:00

The Great American Green Road Trip

Day #7

Crossing the Rocky Mountains today brought the lowest mileage yet of the trip: 42.7 mpg. I think 42.7 mpg is pretty good mileage for driving through Wyoming, visiting the Great Salt Lake in Utah and ending up in Idaho.

One of the alternatives to fossil fuels is wind power. Here are a few shots of wind turbines in Wyoming. These things are huge, but rather than ruining the beauty of the surrounding area, they are majestic additions. Wind power won't replace fossil fuels, but they can help reduce our use of fossil fuels and we should be looking for all possible alternative sources.

Day 6 Photos

2009-06-20T23:07:00.000-07:00

We're enjoying the Garden of the Gods

Rock formation that looks like praying hands

"Take us out to the ball park."

The Rockies beat the Rays

The Great American Road Trip continues

2009-06-19T23:20:00.000-07:00

The Great American Green Road Trip

Day #6

Bumper-to-bumper traffic in Denver and a late night drive to Laramie, Wyoming produced the same results for the Prius as we have seen most of this trip, 43.7 mpg. Having drive the Prius now for over 1,000 miles in 7 days, I can assure you that this is one comfortable car to drive.

Here's a few photos of why we are doing this. God has given us such beauty, we need to take care of it. These are a few shots from the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. The view is breath-taking!

Again, Major League baseball joins the green team.

A Prius as a fan give-away

More recycling options for the fans

Solar powered LED board

I failed to mention that our hotel two nights ago, while not the greatest, was using all CFLs for the room lighting.

It is interesting to see where small changes are occuring and how the individual efforts form a patchwork quilt that results in significant changes over time.

Day 5 Photos

2009-06-19T23:06:00.000-07:00

Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial

Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial

Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial

Oklahoma
Oklahoma

Kansas

The Great American Road Trip continues

2009-06-19T01:01:00.000-07:00

The Great American Green Road Trip

Day #5

The rolling plains of America's Heartland is where the Prius traveled today, Oklahoma and the entire width of Kansas into Colorado. "What kind of mileage did we get cutting across America's Bread basket? 43.4mpg

We had intended to visit Greensburg, KS, the town that in 2007 was wiped off the face of the earth and is now rebulding Green. We did get to see what little is there, but delays kept us from arriving at a time where we could talk to folks about the green rebuilding efforts and the photos we took did not turn out well. They have an excellent web page detailing all they are doing and all the agencies and people working with them. www.greensburgks.org/

The devastation is still clear to see. I was struck by the military hospital tents being used to stand in for the hospital that no longer exists. We did see some interesting designs and materials bein used as sustainable materials. Check out their website for the details.

Day 4 Photos

2009-06-19T00:53:00.001-07:00

Dallas Heritage Park, Doctor's Office

One of the period houses at the Dallas Heritage Park

Texas School Book Depository

The Grassy Knoll

The Old Red Museum
We're ready for the game to begin.
Texas Rangers vs Houston Astros...sorry Astros

The Great American Road Trip continues

2009-06-18T07:32:00.001-07:00

The Great American Green Road Trip

Day #4

Getting lost a little lost in Dallas, driving in Dallas rush hours traffic, and then a smooth night time drive to Oklahoma City resulted in 43.1 mpg from the Prius! Another day of savings on gas...oh and helping out the planet a little.

Dallas shows a little Green side.

Here's a solar trash compactor we found at the Texas State Fair grounds
along with a recycling bin.
Even the Texas Rangers got in on the responsible living. Actually, I found a couple examples:
All around the Rangers Ballpark were these receptacles for recycling the plastic bottles and cans.
The Rangers showed their green side with the fan give-away for the night after we were there. The first 15,000 fans will be given a reusable shopping bag.

I saw one an example of a fan's responsible living at the game as well. The Rangers serve cheese fries in a small plastic bowl, like a cool whip bowl. When this one fan finished his cheesy snack, he went to restroom and washed the bowl out and took it home. See, even baseball fans can be green

A bit worn out

2009-06-17T22:27:00.000-07:00

Sorry folks for no updates yet. I'm a bit tired, but will try to update days 4 & 5 in the morning. It has been a blast and there have been some good "green" sites.

Day 3 photos

2009-06-15T23:22:00.001-07:00

Swamp in Louisiana
Arkansas

State Line Avenue (divides Texarkana between Arkansas and Texas)

Eastern Texas

The Great American Road Trip continues

2009-06-15T22:52:00.001-07:00

The Great American Green Road Trip

Day # 3

Interstate highways over bayous and swamps, two lane state highways through the countryside and small Louisiana towns, a few small city streets in Texarkana, AR. and I-30 through flat, cattle country in eastern Texas were our driving locations for this third day of the trip. How did the Prius fair? 43.8-44.2 mpg, not too shabby. With this kind of mileage, looks like folks in Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas could benefit from driving hybrids once in awhile.

A few re-using tips from our trip, so far. When we stopped for gas, yesterday, I got some ice, using one of the stores Styrofoam "ice" cups, but instead of throwing it away, it became the cup I used every time I got ice during pit stops and gas stops. At some places, they didn't even charge me anything.

We are going to 4 baseball games on this trip. We didn't feel comfortable just picking up the tickets at will-call, so we printed them out, but I used paper that I had already used one side of, thus getting double usage.

I forgot my shampoo when we pulled out Saturday, so I used one of those little bottles the hotel so graciously provides. Usually, people take one small drop out of the bottle and throw the rest away as they move on, but I kept it. This one bottle should get me through close to half the trip.

One disappointing thing: Jen and I each have seen a plastic bottle laying on the ground and picked it up. Sadly, we have yet to see any public recycling receptacles, so they are riding with us until we find a place to recycle them. I know the main reason that you find so few public recycling cans is that people don't pay attention and the recycling container would just become another trash can. There has to be away to avoid this problem, while giving people the option to recycle.

On a lighter note, this morning when I was getting my breakfast at the hotel, I saw a woman who had a t-shirt with the recycling "circle" on it, with the following sentence imposed on it, " I only date boys who recycle."

Day 2 photos

2009-06-15T22:32:00.001-07:00

The Gulf of Mexico, Gulfport, MS

Battle of New Orleans

City of the Dead

In New Orleans

Having fun with sculptures in City Park, New Orleans

Street artist in New Orleans

The Great American Green Road Trip continues

2009-06-14T21:31:00.001-07:00

The Great American Green Road Trip

Day # 2
A leisurely drive along the Gulf Coast and then some driving around New Orleans, a little more driving around New Orleans than originally planned due to a few wrong turns. What are the results of a combo of highway and city driving for the Prius? 43.8 mpg. Another good day for the planet!

This is the 9th Ward today, part of it. Condemned and abandoned houses are common place. Another familiar sight are the foundations of houses that no longer can be called home.

This can be the future of the 9th Ward, green, affordable housing. That is if Global Green.org has anything to say about it.

This is the Holy Cross Project. They have built 3 of these environmentally friendly houses and have plans for 2 more in this area which is in the 9th Ward. The houses are loaded with Green features like solar panels which you can see on the roof, tankless water heaters, energy efficient appliances, and much more. visit http://www.globalgreen.org/ to find out more details. When I saw these houses online, I thought they were ugly, but the environmental friendly nature appealed to me. Now that I've seen how they look, I officially say that they are definately not ugly. There are aspects of this project that many of us can put to use, average folks upgrading to tankless water heaters or adding a rain catching barrel to use to water your flowers and plants. Visit the Holy Cross Project and see if any of the features they used that can be used in your home. I would love to hear from you if you find anything or if you've made any improvements to your homes responsibily.

More pictures from Day #2 will be posted tomorrow.

Day 1 photos

2009-06-13T22:21:00.001-07:00

The Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery

Dexter Ave. King Memorial Baptist Church, Dr. martin Luther King's church

This was the first White House of the Confederacy. Jefferson Davis lived here when the Confederate capitol was in Montgonery.

3 times peaceful black citizens tried to march to Montgomery for voting rights beginning on March 7, 1965. The 3 rd time they marched, they made it all the way to Montgomery after walking for 5 days.

Edmund Pettus Bridge, site of "Bloody Sunday"

March 7, 1965 where 600 peaceful marchers were stopped from leaving Selma, Al by police weilding billy clubs and tear fas

The Great American Green Road Trip begins!

2009-06-13T21:12:00.001-07:00

The Great American Green Road Trip

Day # 1

Today was a fun day, the trip is off to a great start. We are driving Toyota Prius, what a great vehicle! It handles well, feels comfortable to drive and is saving me loads of cash. We drove from Greenville, SC to Gulfport, MS today, with a stop in Montgomery and Selma, AL and paid $36.00 in gas! Yes, $36.00 for 620 miles, averaging 44mpg. Thank you Toyota.

Jeni and I made some other green choices that I recommend to eveyone wanting to travel more responsibly.

1). We used old Kool whip bowls to carry our snacks in. We took big bags or boxes of chips or crackers and put them into a number of bowls. This kept us from buying multiple smaller bags. An added benefit, no crushed chips!

2). We are making our own lunches rather than eating at fast food places, thus reducing the trash and increasing our health.

3). We have 2 damp washclothes in baggies, instead of disposable wipes for greasy fingers.

4). We've packed all our snacks, foods and utensils in our reusable shopping bags.

5). We brought our cups from home, instead of buying individual plastic bottles of water or soda.

6). A large Igloo water cooler provides us with all the water we want to drink while we drive.

7). Ice packs that I rescued from the trash at a medical research facility cool our water and keep the the meat, cheese, yogurt, etc. cool in the ice chests.

These are changes that the average family can do with little effort. If you have any other suggestions, please let me know

Wow, that's a whole lot of plastic!

2009-06-10T10:34:00.000-07:00

It almost time

2009-06-10T01:04:00.000-07:00

Planning this trip required more time than I first thought, which has kept me from posting. I apologize, but we leave on Saturday, so post resume now.

We've added another "Green" stop along the way. We'll be visiting Buffalo Ridge Wind Farm in Hendricks, MN

Over 400 wind turbines are currently in use generating 300,000 megawatts of energy providing power to 110,000 homes. There are plans currently in the works to add more turbines and make the system even more efficient. One of the nice features of wind farms is that they can be a cash bonanza for farmers, who rent the land or sell the wind rights, but still can use the land for crops or live stock. Thus it's a win-win situation for the farmers and for the people whose electricity is provided by the wind turbines. I am looking forward to seeing how they work

If you have any other suggestions, please let me know. We are eager to find out how the rest of the country lives responsibly, so send in your ideas.

The "Greening" of a road trip

2009-05-30T23:05:00.000-07:00

Two weeks and the Great American Road trip gets started. Planning routes, choosing attractions, finding great local restaurants, and counting my pennies are all in high gear.
I'm also working on "greening" our trip.

Obviously, the biggest "green" aspect will be our mode of transportation.

I suggested to the Ford Motor Company that we could help each other out by them allowing me to drive one of their improved hybrids and making an advertising campaign showing how the hybrid works all over the country. It would appear that they are going to pass on my offer. (Kinda thought they might, but it didn't hurt to ask)

Thanks to a local auto rental company, the Great American Road trip will be accomplished in the leader in hybrid autos,
The Toyota Prius

With the wheels secured, what else can we do to "green" the trip? One thing that I always associate with road trips is "munchies". Is there a way to "green" the food for the road.

Reducing trash, waste, and excessive packaging is how we plan on being more responsible snackers. First, Ronald is not going to be happy, but we will be avoiding fast food most of the trip. This serves a few purposes. First, we'll be eating healthier. Second, we'll keep more green in my wallet. Finally, we will reduce the waste associated with snack foods. Instead of buying bags of small chips and pretzel bags or individually wrapped snacks, we'll buy in bulk and make our own "bags" Our "bags" not only will be re-usable, they will keep the snacks safer, less crushing and breaking.
Here's our "bags":

Cool Whip bowls, old butter tubs, and reusable Chinese delivery trays will keep the snacks fresh and intact. They will also help us not eat more than we should at one sitting, something quite easy to do with an open bag of SunChips and 4 hours of driving.

Two other items "greening" our trip: resuable shopping bags (great for all those cool whip bowls) and water bottles.
We're still working on other ways to "green" the trip. If you have any ideas, please let us know.

"This is how it works" Update

2009-05-26T21:24:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd encourage everyone who still thinks "I'm just one person, what difference can I make?"

After listening to me talk about this blog and responsible living, one of my employees borrowed a large empty cardboard box and a few trash bags from me in order to collect plastic bottles that were cluttering up his apartment. Now he has his roommates joining him in tossing the plastic in the recycling "bin." He's added cans to the bin as well.

At one of the town home communities that I manage, we have no curbside recycling option, so almost no one recycles. I was talking to one of the families about this blog and recycling and they expressed that they wished there was a place nearby where they could recycle. I told them that if they dropped off their recycling with me, I'd add it to the office materials I recycle. They came back a day later with a small plastic grocery bag with about 8 bottles. Now, it's a couple times a week and closer to 20-30 bottles.

I have folks pointing out products made from recycled materials, articles about responsible living, energy efficiency, etc. Even though they are telling me about them because they know I will be interested, they are still reading the articles, noticing the recycled items and this is a beginning in changing our overall mindset. I even had someone tell me that they were not going to buy a hybrid when they bought their new car, because they were still a bit overpriced. The upside: They're going to buy a car that gets 35 mpg, a step in the right direction.

I'm just one person, but that's a start! Why don't you join me?

No, we won't be driving glorified lawnmowers!

2009-05-21T21:40:00.001-07:00

This is not our only option!

There are folks out there who say that environmentalists want us all driving glorified lawnmowers. They say that hybrid cars are slow, ugly, uncomfortable to drive, unsafe, impractical. They use cars like the one in the picture above to scare the average Joe away from a bonanza of savings in his wallet and an atmosphere that doesn't come with a daily smog alert chart.

American's love their cars. We love fast cars, sharp looking cars, roomy cars. We want a car that will tow the boat to the lake on Memorial Day and the soccer team to the game on Saturday. We want to express our individuality in the car we chose. When we hear that the electric "toy" shown in the picture above is what we can look forward to if we listen to folks who say we need higher fuel efficiency and lower harmful emissions out of Detroit, it's understandable why we shy away from making responsible auto choices.

Here are a few of the current choices that we have. All these are hybrids with varying fuel efficiency rates, but all of them increase mileage and reduce emissions:

Toyota Prius

Honda Insight

Ford Fusion

Mercury Milan

Chevy Tahoe

Dodge Durango

Yes, there are even SUVs that are hybrids. Granted, the SUVs aren't as fuel efficient as the Prius, but they are a step in the right direction.

So the next time someone tries to fill your head with visions of cramped, slow, ridiculous looking glorified lawnmowers, take a trip to the local car dealership and test drive a car with style and responsibility.

Been sick

2009-05-20T21:25:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. I've been under the weather. Hopefully posts will resume tomorrow.

Think wind mills, bio-fuels and why are some people so intent on hating hybrid autos. Those should keep you busy until I return

On the odd chance that you feel like making a comment on any of those, the comment line is open.

Sleeping on a pillow of...bottles?

2009-05-12T00:02:00.000-07:00

Doesn't this picture just make you sleepy?

Can you see yourself getting a great night's sleep with these as your pillow?

If you bought an EcoTex pillow, that's exactly what you would get. EcoTex's Earth Friendly Bed Pillows are filled with polyester made from recycled plastic bottles. I bought two this weekend and not only were they as soft as a regular pillow, but the environmentally friendly ones were the least expensive ones in the store.

After I got the pillows home and fitted with their new covers, I discovered that these sleep havens had a couple of other features that made my resposible living side smile. The pillows come bagged in a polybag. The polybag is biodegradeable, beginning to break down in landfills as quickly as 3 months after landing there. Also, instead of whitening the cotten for these night time head rests in chlorine bleach, which breaks down into harmful chemicals, EcoTex used hydrogen peroxide which breaks down into water and oxygen as it bleaches.

These pillows are a great example of completing the recycling circle, recycle your empty plastic bottles and then buy them back in a different form, in this case, comfy pillows.

Look for items that are made from recycled materials and keep the circle closed. You just might get a pleasant surprise, like a great night's sleep on your old Pepsi bottles!

2009-05-09T00:47:00.001-07:00

View Larger Map
The Great Green American Road trip is just over a month away, so I need some help. We are looking for attractions that emphasize responsible living.

Already on the schedule are: the Holy Cross Project in New Orleans where sustainability and affordable housing are being wed together to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina.

Another example of green recovery from disaster that we will be visiting is Greensburg, KS where a town was virtually wiped off the map, but has committed to rebuilding and rebuilding green.

We are looking for other examples of communities, governments, individuals that are working toward making our home a better place. If you have any suggestions for our trip, please drop me a comment. If we visit your suggested location, we'll send you a gift from our trip.

One thing I really want to see is a Wind Farm. If you know of one that is near our route, please let me know.

I look forward to all the suggestions.

Recycling doesn't have to be ugly!

2009-05-04T22:06:00.000-07:00

I will admit it.

Chic and classy, these are not.

Your kitchen, on the other hand, is elegant, modern, classic or stylish, so how do we save the planet, but look good doing it?

Try one of these options:

1). Hide the recycling with one of these in-cabinet recycling centers:

2). Give the recycling a sleek or modern look with one of these:

3). Color and a funky style might fit your kitchen better:

The red one has an added feature of combining re-using with recycling. The white "bins" are actually your plastic shopping bags being re-used to recycle.

4). For the gadget lover or the consummate recycling fan,
try Mode's Premium All-in-One Recycling Center

These are only a few of the options available. There are canvass bags, boxes made from recycled cardboard, and the list goes on. You could even disguise your ugly blue box with your kids drawings, wrapping paper, etc.

The bottom line? You have style, so should your recycling.

Let's see what your recycling style looks like. Send me photos of your personal recycling centers or ones that you have come across that tickled your fancy. I'll post them on the site and all our readers will vote on their favorites. The winner will get a gift package from Jeni and my Great American Road trip in June.

Send them to www.ewood1865@aol.com

Coffee drinkers, you can save the world!

2009-05-03T20:29:00.000-07:00

Ok, so maybe "save the world" is a bit much,

but your love of java affords you many ways to "go green."

Let's start with those grounds. Normally, they end up in the trash, but here are some unique re-usable ideas:

1). Do you have problems with snails and ants bothering your tomatoes, or cats tearing up your
lettuce? Finish your Cup of Joe and then sprinkle the grounds in the garden for an organic
pesticide.
2). Roses, rhododendrons, evergreens, and carrots all would love a caffeine fix, so share your
grounds with your plants.
3). The aroma of your daily brew can be tantalizing, so how would you like to smell it without
brewing another cup? Take some old pantyhose, add some coffee grounds and you get a
closet air freshener, or put a few grounds in small cup and and your fridge gets that amazing
smell all day long.
4). Onions or fish have your hands smelling rough? Exchange that awful odorl for one you
relish, just rub those grounds on your hands .

What about leftover coffee? Yes, occasionally, even you have a little leftover coffee, so before you pour it down the drain, consider these re-usable ideas:

1). Soak a steak in that coffee. It'll tenderize it as well as provide a unique flavor.
2). Dip paper in some coffee and you have paper that looks aged.
3). You can dye clothes with coffee to give them a vintage look.
4). Freeze it. Pour your leftover coffee into an ice cube tray and stick it in the freezer. Then
when your Cup of Mud is too hot, drop in a couple of coffee cubes and your coffee doesn't
get watered down.

One last thing, you know you have lots of coffee mugs, but you don't use them all regularly, so can we find anyway to re-use those? Here some cool ideas:
1). Take that classy one and use it hold your tooth brushes rather than buying a tooth brush
holder.
2). Father's Day, your daughter gave you a "World's Best Dad" mug and you used it
a time or two, but most of the time it sits in the cabinet. Give it a new home on your desk
holding pens and pencils and your daughter's smile will be priceless.
3). You have a set of four mugs that you like, but don't use often. How about a using them for
silverware instead of hiding those forks and knives in a drawer?

Looking at this list, maybe I was right after all, "Coffee drinkers just might save the planet, one piping hot cup of black gold at a time."

My thanks to Earth911.com, bleedingespresso.com and blisstree.com for their help with this article.

Twittering green

2009-05-03T14:38:00.000-07:00

I have recently delved into the world of twitter and all that that entails. I follow many people, some of whom follow me back, many of whom (celebrities for the most part) do not follow me back.

One of the people that I follow is Ashton Kutcher. Recently on world malaria day he and his wife (Demi Moore) twittered all day in support of their own charity which helps supply mosquito nets in developing countries to help prevent the spread of malaria.

Watching the twitter world and the above "conversation" I realized how powerful this network can be. In the coming days and during the trip I plan to twitter as much as I can about going green and about our trips...another way to spread the world.

If you care to follow me my username is evamadera and I am in the Greenville, SC network. I hope to see you soon!

There's a vampire in your house!

2009-04-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

Not that kind of vamipire

This kind of vampire

Energy Vampires.

Between 5-30% of your electric bill is for energy used after you turn an electrical appliance or device "off." Most of our electronics are not really turning off, rather thay are going into standby mode, thus continuing to draw electricity.

Forget the garlic or holy water, these vampires are a lot easier to vanquish.

1). If you don't use it very often, it doesn't need to remain plugged in. Do you use the blender or toaster more than once or twice a day? How about leaving it unplugged until you are going to actually use it.

2). If the items purpose is to recharge something, say a cell phone, why not just plug it in while you are charging it, then unplug it.

3). Consider gettting power strips or surge protectors. You can plug multiple devices in and when done using them for the day, you can flip one switch and stop them from sucking down wasted power.

4). Consider getting a Smart Strip. These surge protectors are a fantastic advancement. Let's use your home office as an example. You plug your computer, printer, speakers, etc. into this strip and when you turn your computer off, the strip recogonizes that the computer is not in use, so it powers down all the peripherals, atuomatically stopping your cash loss. This also works great on entertainment systems. Is the TV off? The do we really need the vcr, dvd player and game consols to be still drawing power?

I've found that the cost to make this change is minimal, the most expensive would be a Smart Strip which costs around $30.00. I haven't gotten one of those yet, but when I consider my savings on the electrical bill, a Smart Strip is not far away.

Let's all be vampire slayers today!

One more new green discovery and a resolution

2009-04-26T13:40:00.000-07:00

When I went out to The Lazy Goat Friday night I saved half of my meal as usual. I was pleasantly surprised though when the waitress brought the box back to me after putting the leftovers in for me. Instead of a typical white styrofoam to go box I received was tan with a very cool weave type composition.

I knew at first sight that this had to be some sort of "green" material. I was right. I opened up the box and written on the inside of the lid was written "100% Compostable. Monogram. Sustain. Made from Sugarcane Fiber". The sugarcane fiber part I thought was incredibly cool. Now if only I could find a compost heap. Anyone know of one?

That night I also made a green resolution. My cousin and I stopped at Starbucks and the conversation drifted to topics of conservation and "going green". We both hated the fact that because we didn't have any mugs with us we had to use paper cups. I decided then that from now on I will always have a travel mug or other sort of mug with me so that when I go to Starbucks or Liquid Highway I can present the mug and save a paper cup from going in the trash.

Yes, I'd like a box for this.

2009-04-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

I eat out a good bit and since I'm trying to eat better, I sometimes only eat 1/2 my meal at the restaurant. I could probably re-pave my town home community parking lot with the Styrofoam to-go boxes that have graced the inside of my fridge over the last couple of years. I know that Styrofoam and the environment are not on speaking terms, but I really like my food, so what to do?

A few weeks ago, I read a brief article at Earth911.com about ways we can re-use things and reduce the amount of solid waste we create. One of the suggestions was to take your own "to-go" container when you dine out. This struck me as ludicrous at first. It would be embarrassing, carrying some plastic bowl or dish into a nice establishment. People would stare at me. They might even point and snicker.

I spent a day or so mulling over this idea. I concluded that my fears were most likely overrated and even if folks thought I was odd for bringing my own "to-go" container, that would be their problem.

It has taken me about 1 month to actually bring my own doggie bag. This has been like my fun with reusable shopping bags. On 3 separate occasions, I planned on using the old Chinese delivery dishes as my new "doggie bags", only to walk into the restaurant empty handed.

Tonight, I finally did it. We went to TGI Fridays and Laura couldn't finish her meal, so she got to use the plastic container you see above. Now her "second" meal sits comfortably in a washable, reusable "doggie bag."

Oh, and those laughing observers? I didn't see any.

So grab that old cool whip bowl, delivery tin, or tupperware bowl and let's eat out!

Earth Day

2009-04-21T22:37:00.001-07:00

Gaylord Nelson and Denis Hayes, do these names ring a bell. Today would simply be another spring day, if not for the actions of these two men. At a time when America was ripping itself apart over war and civil rights, these two managed to draw together nearly 20 million Americans from all walks of life, from all political leanings, and all ages to focus on making the place we live more livable.

Democratic Senator from Wisconsin, friend of small business and consumer advocate, Gaylord Nelson was the founding force behind Earth Day. In the early 1960's, Sen. Nelson became increasingly concerned about the way we were treating our planet; oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage and toxic dumps. He was esp. concerned about the total lack of interest in the political community with anything to do with the environment. He was convinced that if the public could be harnessed to focus on the environment, the politicans would open their eyes. After a conservation tour by President Kennedy in 1963, visiting 11 states in 5 days, but resulting in no ground swell of public support and no sense that the political community had an inclination to address even obvious environmental concerns, Sen. Nelson knew that he had to find a different way to fan the few sparks of public concern into a blazing bonfire.

In 1969, while speaking on the West coast, he saw the means to fan the flames. He observed some "teach-ins" in protest of the Vietnam War and realized what was needed was a massive grassroots movement that would provide Americans with the venue to express their concerns and if they could infuse this movement with the energy of the anti-war protestors, the environment would force its way into the politicans' vision. Sen. Nelson announced in Sept. of 1969, that there would be a nationwide grassroots demonstration on April 22 to bring the environment to the forefront. He made it clear that the invitation to this demonstration was open to all Americans. Once the media got a hold of this story, it spread across America with a fury.

The organizing for this nationwide demonstration started out with just two of Sen. Nelson's Washington staff, but as Americans caught the fever, the organization soon outgrew the senator's office. A coordinator of events was needed and Sen. Gaylord tapped Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University student, Denis Hayes. His work on this campaign resulted in 2000 colleges and universities, about 10,000 primary and secondary schools and hundreds of communities giving the environment and responsible living a resounding voice!

Let's keep resonsible living and the environment on the front burner.

Happy Earth Day

New Green self-discoveries

2009-04-19T12:30:00.000-07:00

I discovered a few weeks ago that I am becoming a "closet" environmentalist. For years I have been frugal and everything that goes along with it.

Since starting this blog and focusing on going green I have become so much more aware of everything that I use.

I made the discovery when putting a lean pockets in the microwave for supper. I cringed as I threw away the box, the plastic wrapping and then two minutes later the sleeve that I cooked the Lean pocket in, all for a mere 270 calories.

Looking back at the decision I realize that I'm making a change, not necessarily for the planet but a lifestyle change. I think it is better to make it part of a healthy lifestayle rather than...oh yeah I should probably recycle this.

Fun with Government Agencies "Going Green."

2009-04-09T22:54:00.001-07:00

Today, a trip to a local government licensing department presented me with an opportunity to witness how the government Goes Green.

As you can see, they were using their recycling bins, One was for plastic, the other two were for paper. It was nice to see the government practicing what it preaches.

The photo on the right made me smile and be proud of some inventive person (Yes, there is at least one inventive person working in the government...:D) This office deals with a lot of blue prints and land plats. Flexible drainage pipes have become an ingenious filing "cabinet."

As I waited for the paperwork to be processed, I reflected on these green activities and I began to get the "warm and fuzzies" about a collection of bureaucrats being responsible residents of Planet Earth.

Wouldn't you know it, they had to rain on my parade. First, they made a copy of my application (2 pieces of paper). Then they printed out a permit AND COPIED IT (2 more pieces of paper). A receipt was next, yes, they copied that as well. (We're up to 6 pieces of paper). Just when I think the trees are safe, they makes a copy...OF THE CHECK I USED TO PAY FOR THE PERMIT! Let's do the math: 1 transaction = 8 pieces of paper.

What have we learned today? You can lead a government employee to the recycling bin, and they'll fill it with excessive paper and red tape.

Could you answer that please?

2009-04-07T22:25:00.001-07:00

April 6-10 is Plug-In to eCycling Week. A week dedicated to recycling an American obsession-the cell phone.

The Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) estimates that in 2007, only 10% of all cell phones were recycled. Their primary concern is that landfills don't end up the final resting place for mobile communication, we all,however, know that our junk drawer in the kitchen, the work bench in the garage or under the bed is where most cell phones usually end up.

Most of the nation's cell phone providers are joining with the EPA in encouraging recycling or reusing old cell phones.

AT & T was the first onboard with the EPA in sponsoring Plug-In to eCycling Week.

Sprint has set a goal of collecting 250,000 old phones in April.

Verizon and Alltel have longstanding programs where they collect old phones and either refurbish and resell them or recycle them. With the proceeds from the sale of the refurbished phones, they donate phones and airtimes to victims of domestic violence.

The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence(NCADC) has been partenered with the Wireless Foundation for over 7 years on the Call To Protect program. Victims of domestic violence get access to an emergency lifeline from donated working cellphones . Visit this site for directions on how to participate in this program: http://www.ncadv.org/takeaction/DonateaPhone_129.html

Whether you drop off those old phones at a recycling drop site, (like the 7 located around Greenville County), take them to your service provider, mail them in to the NCADV or take them to your local women's shelter, why don't you join me this week and find a new, useful home for the phones you've left behind.

I have 3 old phones and by Friday, they'll be joining the fight against domestic violence. What about you? How many do you have? Where are you going to take yours? Let me know.

2009-04-02T23:12:00.000-07:00

So what did we do with all that paper? According to the American Forest and Paper Association (AF & PA), we set a record in 2008. The results of their survey show that the U. S. paper recovery rate hit 57.4% last year.

Bravo America!

Keep up the recycling efforts, but remember the other end, buying recycled products. The AF & PA married a strong global demand for recovered fiber with our recycling efforts to explain this new record.

The AF & PA also recognized some outstanding recycling groups throughout the country and I want to pass along those award winners:

AF&PA School Recycling Award: Wake County Public School System, Wake County, N.C. Wake County’s Department of Environmental Services’ FEED THE BIN paper recycling program provides recycling services to over 150 local schools. During the 2007-2008 school year, 800 tons of paper were collected for recycling.
AF&PA College/University Recycling Award: Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. Stanford students recovered 3,000 tons of paper for recycling and earned an estimated $450,000 in revenue from its recyclables.
AF&PA Community Recycling Award: Orange County, N.C. In 2008, the 128,000 residents of Orange County, N.C. recovered an estimated 8,750 tons of paper due to a comprehensive education and outreach recycling campaign.
AF&PA Business Leadership Recycling Award: Giant Eagle, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa. In 2008, Giant Eagle collected nearly 555 tons of mixed office paper and more than 42,000 tons of corrugated containers for recycling.

Congratulations to these programs. I hope that folks like these might inspire us.

I want to give a special "thank you" to Earth911.com for providing me this information.

This is how it happens.

2009-04-02T22:54:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in a previous post that folks say that they are only one person, so they can't change the world. I went on to point out that changes usually starts with individuals and grows. from there. I had that lesson reinforced today.

I manage 2 town home communities. At the one I live in, I was able to work with the local sanitation commission and get us involved with the curbside recycling program. We have about 25% of our community that consistently participate and close to 50% that sporadically participate.
In the other property, no curbside program exists for multi-family housing, so I take an extra recycling bin from where I live and use it in my office.

Over the first few weeks of collecting recyclables in my office , if I reminded the maintenance men at lunch time, they would hand me their empty soda bottles or cans. Then they began remembering on their own. One father /son team who works on my property sporadically, took to recycling right off, always remembering to drop off their recyclables from lunch.

After a few weeks, when they had not worked on my property, they came in to do some work and dropped about 10 empty soda bottles in the recycling bin. They had been saving them in their truck because they figured they would be back around me sometime. Today, my regular maintenance man walked in with a large trash bag slammed full of crushed soda bottles. The father/son team sent them.

This is how change happens.

It's always time for a good laugh

2009-03-28T18:14:00.000-07:00

Just figured we all could use a little laugh today.

Let the people know.

2009-03-25T23:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was talking to someone on the staff of our local newspaper. He was confirming that I wrote a letter to the editor and that I wanted it printed. Once I confirmed my intent, I asked him about the possibility of me getting an Op Ed piece printed. He described the requirements and I found that I could get one published.

He asked me what I wanted to discuss and when I told him I wanted to talk about compact fluorescent light bulbs, he perked up. He asked me a number of questions about them, and his interest was purely personal. He had heard about them and considered purchasing them, but wasn't sure of their benefits. We had a 10 minute conversation about them that ended with him telling me he was looking forward to getting my Op Ed piece.

Hopefully, I'll have my piece done next week and I'll share it with y'all. I'm excited because I'm finding that there is a lot of interest in CFLs, but there is also a lot of misinformation and lack of information, even among some government agencies.

Wish me luck!

Green planning of the Road Trip

2009-03-23T23:35:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, esp. if you have followed this blog long, Jeni and I will be taking a road trip exploring America this summer as my gift to her for getting her Masters in Teaching.

My main objective with Going Green by Accident is to demonstrate that it's possible to live our normal lives and still be responsible residents of Planet Earth. I want this trip to be a crowing example. What is more "American" than a summer vacation, esp. one that involves driving across the country?

As we get closer to the June 13th kick-off to the Great American Road Trip, I have begun to plan and including responsible choices is a big part of those plans. Getting an energy efficient, low emission vehicle is the starting point. I don't own one yet, so I've begun investigating where I can rent one. My local results were less than encouraging. One major chain said that they used to have a whole fleet of Priuses, but when it came time to swap the cars for newer ones, they chose not to return to hybrids. I wonder if their reasoning was motivated by lack of customer interest, cost of hybrids, or a combination of both. I found one company that has one Prius, so that may be the one I drive this summer.

What would be amazing would be for a dealership or auto maker to donate the use of a hybrid, perhaps a new version just hitting the market. We will be driving in almost every kind of driving conditions that Americans drive daily, with the exception of snow. I mean we cross the Rocky Mountains twice in less than 5 days. We'll be driving in big cities, like New Orleans, Dallas, Denver, Seattle, and Chicago, as well as cruising the heartland of America in Kansas and Oklahoma. I think this trip has the makings of a great ad campaign. Come on Ford, this is your chance to get back in touch with the American driver.

Ok, so maybe that last paragraph was a bit of a dream, but you can't blame me.

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to be looking for more ways to "green" our trip. If you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments sections. The ones that we implement will be featured in a post and perhaps the best ones can result in a small prize package from our trip.

If only I knew where to take this stuff...

2009-03-18T21:11:00.000-07:00

If the only thing holding you back from being a responsible resident of Planet Earth is lack of knowledge on where to go or what things can be recycled , then today is your lucky day.

If you look up at the top of the page, just below the header you will see your answer. In partnership with Earth911.com, I've provided a tool to find where to take those empty plastic bottles, newspaper and cardboard boxes. If you wonder if there's a place to recycle your old cell phone, or that antifreeze or motor oil, this is the tool for you.

It's easy to use. Simply enter the item you want to recycle on the first line and then your location on the second and hit GO. In seconds, you will have a list of places you need.

Go ahead, give it a try. It's fun, really, just try it.

Oh, one more thing...once you've found your place, please go there.

Another Award Winner!

2009-03-16T22:57:00.000-07:00

While doing research for the last post on CFL bulbs, I stumbled across the today's winner. When planning these awards, I've focused on individuals, businesses, internet sites and groups. It never occurred to me to include government bodies. Today that changes.

Today's award winner is:
Greenville County Solid Waste Division

Our county has a great recycling program. It's highly accessible and has a wide range of items that can be recycled.

The Solid Waste Division is responsible for the landfills and the recycling efforts for Greenville County. GCSW provides 7 manned Residential Waste and Recycling Centers and 16 unmanned drop-off sites. With a population hovering around 400,000, Greenville County's efforts result in a recycling center for every 17,000 residents. Access to governmental sponsored recycling clearly is great.

The feature that excites me the most is the fantastic range of items that can be recycled. We can recycle appliances to auto tires, eye glasses to CFL bulbs, antifreeze to vegtable oil and the list goes on. Greenville County Solid Waste Division is constantly looking for ways they can recycle more items.

This is not a profit-making effort for the County. GCSW pays recycling venders to take the items they collect. They also have found creative ways to use items for which there are not any local vending options. Let me give you an example. All colors of glass bottles are collected, even though there are not any local companies in that market. Greenville County crushes the bottles into "cullet" small stone size pieces and mixes it with sand, gravel and other aggragates which then they use to make the roads throughout the landfill. In this way, they reuse a product that might otherwise end up filling the landfill and they save the taxpayers money by reducing the amount of aggragate needed.

Greenville County Solid Waste has special events, like "The Grinding of the Green" where they collect Christmas trees after the holidays and turn them into mulch available for municiple applications as well as being available for private citizens for free.

Greenville County residents are fortunate to live in a county that not only has many private recycling efforts, but also has a pro-active county government that encourages it's citizens to live responsibly. Take a minute to say thanks and then drop off those empty bottles, worn tires and old cell phones!

For more information on Greenville County Solid Waste or for information as to location of the recycling centers, visit: http://www.greenvillecounty.org/solid_waste/

Turning the Curly Fry Light on again

2009-03-12T21:54:00.000-07:00

In an earlier post, we demonstrated that in spite of reports to the contrary, compact fluorescent light bulbs are safe for our homes. Oh, and by the way, they're great for our wallets.

Let's turn to their impact on the environment. I've read reports that claim that the environmental benefits of the curly fry lights is overrated because their harm to the environment far outweighs their benefits. So, the question is, do the CFLs have a net gain or net loss environmentally?

The Benefits:
1). CFL bulbs use energy more efficiently than incandescent bulbs.
-Almost 90% of the energy used by incandescent bulbs is lost in heat.
2). CFL bulbs require less energy.
-CFL bulbs are 4x more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs, according to General
Electric and Popular Mechanics
3).CFL bulbs last longer.
-They are reported to last from 5-10 years longer then their incandescent cousins.
4). Fewer light bulbs need to be manufactured to meet our current demand for lighting.
-The longer life of the curly fries means they are replaced less often resulting in less bulbs
purchased.
5).CFL bulbs reduce the amount of mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants.
-The reduced need for energy that the CFLs demand results in 4x less mercury spewing from
those power plants. See the articles I referenced in my earlier post.

The Negatives:
1). CFL bulbs increase possible mercury contamination.
-If people dispose of their CFLs the way they did their incandescents, via the trash, there will
be an increase in potential mercury contamination.
2). There are few recycling options nationwide.
-As the CFL bulbs contain a toxic sustance, few recycling options present themselves.

These concerns have merit and need to be addressed.

Redecing potential mercury contamination is vital to a healthy world, but the mercury contamination threat posed by compact fluorescent lights is overstated. According to www.energystar.gov, the U.S. EPA estimates that America is responsible for the release of 104 metric tons of mercury emissions a year, most coming from coal-fired power plants. If all of the 290,000,000 CFL bulbs sold in 2007 ended up in landfills, rather than being recycled, they would add 0.13 metric tons or 0.1% to U.S. mercury emissions.

While it's true that recycling options nationwide are spotty when it comes to CFLs, there is a growing trend to provide options. Home Depot began a program in 2007 that allows customers to drop off expired curly fry bulbs. Home Depot sells the bulbs to companies that reclaim the mercury, crush the glass for reuse and recycle the metal parts. More communities are adding CFLs to the list of items they can recycle, using the same model as Home Depot.

It's time to total the environmental ledger: Obviously, CFLs are a complete net gain for our planet.

There is room for improvement, but in the end, I say, "Curly Fries for everyone!"

Excited to go green

2009-03-01T13:21:00.000-08:00

This post will be short as I am short on time. I apologize in advance. :D

I mentioned in an earlier post that the school has implemented a recycling program. It took a few weeks for my brain to catch on but then I realized that instead of throwing away papers that I am finished with I could keep them in my notebook and take them back to school.

Once at school I take those papers out of my notebook and toss them in the bin. (This is getting difficult at the moment because no one has come by to empty the bin. :D)

Now I get to the excited part. My mom recently printed out some receipts for me (online purchases) and as she divided up the papers she noticed that she had printed out a couple of extra pages.

I eagerly offered to take those pages with me back to school so I could put them in the recycling bin. She declined because she already recycles them. The most important part of that for me was looking back and seeing just how exited I was about recycling. :D

I'm just one person

2009-02-27T22:32:00.001-08:00

I know that I said my next post would continue our discussion of the cfl light bulbs, but Eva's last post got me thinking. We'll get back to the "curly fry lights" next post.

We often think that only large groups can affect change in our world, so we give up on doing anything ourselves. "I'm just one person," is often our mantra for inaction. All groups start with one person and while it may take years for that one person to see the fruits of their labors, without that one person, there would be no fruits.

Eva's cooperating teacher is just one person, but she is saving fruit from being wasted and providing a healthy snack for kids when their cravings start. She appears to be doing this because she thinks it's a good idea, probably not thinking about inspiring anyone else to adopt her responsible behavior. Her "one person" action has inspired Eva and next year there will be two people rescuing fruit.

I started recycling at home originally just to do "my part, " and then I wanted to encourage others, so I started the recycling program at my town home community. Four months later, at least 1/3 of my residents regularly recycle, but it hasn't stopped there. One of my employees and his roommates are recycling their soda bottles because they heard me talk about it and saw me doing it. A couple of the maintenance men also bring their plastics whenever they have work orders on my properties.

When one individual does his part to live responsibly, it rubs off and then 2 or 3 others start following that person's example and then others follow their examples and before you know it, you have a large group and change happens!

So how about we all be that "one person" and see what happens?

Going green in the cafeteria

2009-02-22T15:05:00.000-08:00

Every day in the cafeteria the students get a fruit: an apple, an orange, a banana...and etc. Many times the apples or other fruit do not get eaten. Since the students cannot take food out of the cafeteria unless someone stepped in with a plan all that wonderful fruit would simply be thrown away.

This was the situation during my practicum. No teacher had a plan to "rescue" the fruit. However, my cooperating teacher this semester has a plan. Each day she collects the fruit if she remembers to bring a bag. Some of the students even come up to her with a couple of apples and offer to collect others.

At the end of the day, again if my cooperating teacher remembers (she has ADHD so she's excused :D) the students remaining in the classroom waiting for buses all grab a piece of fruit. Not a single piece remains.

I know for sure that I will start doing something like that when I start teaching next semester.

Don't buy that light bulb!

2009-02-21T13:27:00.000-08:00

I call them, curly fry bulbs." Yes, I'm still just an overgrown kid, but that's what they look like to me.

According to some folks, a life time diet of actual curly fries would be more healthy for me and our environment than one of these bulbs.

The dangerous culprit in the cfl light bulbs is mercury, a toxic chemical necessary for these light bulbs to work. The concern about the mercury takes two forms: 1). The health risk to individuals if they break them in their homes and 2). The environment, as the cfl bulbs get dumped in landfills.

Let's address the home exposure first.

Are we and our children at risk if we try to save a few dollars by using these highly energy efficient lights? There is mercury in the bulbs, approximately 4-5 milligrams which is less than you will find in a standard flourescent light bulb or even in a thermometer. If the bulbs break, there is a minimal risk of mecury exposure. There have been reports that if you break one in your home, you will need a Haz-Mat team and be forced out your home for hours or days. These reports are not true. The EPA estimates that the airborne risk from one of these breaking in your home is actually lower than OSHA's acceptable levels for the work place.

If you break one of the curly fry lights, use caution and follow the EPA's recommenations: (1) you immediately open windows to reduce mercury concentrations inside your home; (2) you do not touch the spilled mercury; (3) you clean up the broken CFL glass carefully and immediately (but not with your hands or a vacuum cleaner), and (4) you wipe the affected area with a paper towel to remove all glass fragments and mercury.

When we hear EPA recommendations for the use of an item, we tend to wonder if we should just avoid it, but let's glance around your home and see if we can see anything else that uses mercury. Why yes, I do see some: that watch that has the little button battery-mercury, the iron you bought a few years back has it in the tilt switch, oh and so does your old faithful washing machine. Is that an old style thermostat, I see. Yep, mercury there. My point with these items is that we have used them and have been fine.

Researchers have not been as successful with finding ways to get those bulbs to work without mercury as they have been in the other items I listed earlier. They are working on it and are currently reducing the amount needed.

Here are a couple sites that give you the details on the curly fries and their danger:
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/technology&id=6150058

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/05/ask_treehugger_14.php

Bottom line, use the bulbs! They'll save you money and reduce the mercury being released in the air from the coal-fired power plants, almost 4x less for the cfls than traditional bulbs, and your risk of death or damage from them pales in comparison to driving to work in the morning.

Next post: CFLs effect on the environment, a net plus or minus?

Green coffee

2009-02-16T13:04:00.000-08:00

And no I am not reading from a Dr. Seuss book.

I could not help starting the entry like this even though I will be writing about one more additional thing.

Yesterday I stopped by Starbucks to pick up a belated Valentine's Day gift for my mother. I have to restrain myself every time I enter a Starbucks because I have a penchant for beautiful mugs and Starbucks has great design.

I did not resist yesterday.

I have to admit that I am a sucker for things that are pretty, involve coffee, help save money and are better for the environment.

This mug is made from some percentage of recycled materials (I no longer have the cardboard piece that had the description written on it) and every time that you bring it to Starbucks for a refill they will give you ten cents off.

Granted, that's not a lot. But at the same time it is enough for me to keep this mug with me so that I can use it instead of a paper cup that will just end up in a landfill somewhere.

Starbucks is not the only company that makes going green look cool. I am an avid Apple devotee. Cool stuff is definitely something that they know about.

This morning I received my wonderful new macbook in the mail and I am absolutely in love with it! This post however is not about the computer itself but instead is about the packaging.

My mother commented when she looked at the box that the computer must be smaller. I didn't think so. Once I divested the macbook of all of the packaging (hold on for a mention on that matter) I put the new mackbook next to the old and discovered that while it was the same width it was not the same thickness. The new macbook is thinner.

However my mom brought down the package for my old macbook and sure enough it was much, much bigger. I consider that a good sign.

I noticed while I was opening my computer that the packaging while keeping my computer completely secured was the bare minimum needed. In the years since I got my first macbook Apple has obviously improved their packaging techniques and made them more efficient and greener. That's the way a company should be I think.

Are hybrid cars bad for the environment?

2009-02-10T10:58:00.001-08:00

I mentioned in an earlier post that we would honestly look at some of the attacks against responsible living. Here we go.

This one I found particularly intriguing. The blogger who made the statement that hybrid cars were bad for the environment focused on one aspect of the hybrid car, the battery. The concern is that we might be trading a positive in lower fossil fuel usage and lower emissions for the negative of a toxic afterlife of discarded hybrid batteries.

Does he have a point? If people act responsibily, no!

Any battery tossed in a landfill or on the side of a hill will have a toxic impact, the lead acid of a conventional battery as well, as the less toxic nickel metal battery featured in most hybrid and the lithium ion ,the next generation hybrid batteries. The question is will hybrid car batteries end up in the landfills and roadsides next to their toxic lead brothers? Probably less often. Here's why.

It's not that hybrid car drivers are better than conventional car drivers, it's that they have a better viehicle. According to Honda, Ford and Toyota, the batteries in their hybrid cars are designed to last the life time of the vehicle. Check out the links below:

http://www.fuelcellsworks.com/Supppage105.html

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/06/should_we_be_wo_1.php

So unlike the average non-hybrid car battery, you will only need one for as long as you use the car. (oh there's another financial savings for living responsibly)

Toyota recycles every part of their batteries and they make offer an incentive to ensure they get their batteries back. They have a $200.00 "bounty" offered for every used hybrid battery.

Sorry, Mr. Anti-Green blogger, but hybrid cars ARE good for the environment, as well as keeping green in your wallet.

Getting tired of going green?

2009-02-08T15:09:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been under a time crunch and did not have enough time to brainstorm an idea to write about this week.

Then it hit me. What about being ecologically minded when running short on time? As with most things easier is not the best thing to do on many fronts. Whatever is most important to you, you will make time for it... rearrange your priorities so to say.

As I said... I had limited time to brainstorm so this is all I have for this week.

"Going Green" is a scam!

2009-02-06T00:37:00.000-08:00

Relax, before you decide that I'm fickle and can't decide what I believe, the tag line for this post comes from a Penn and Teller broadcast that a friend quoted me when we were having a discussion on the validity of recycling.

I went and watched part of their rant against the whole environmental community. While I do agree that the truth sometimes is exaggerated, (thanks a lot former Vice President Gore), you don't throw the baby out with the bath water.

I also read some diatribes from others who attempt to debunk all areas of responsible living. A common tactic is to point out a flaw and make it the whole focus.

Here let me give you an example:

Curbside recycling expends more energy than it saves. The author pointed out that curbside recycling requires a second "trash" truck , more fossil fuel expended, more labor and energy spent in sorting. These are valid points, unfortunately, they are told in a vacuum. While a second truck is needed to pick up the used paper to recycle, a second truck on it's way to transport more cut down trees is eliminated.

In my next few posts, we will be discussing this point. I want an honest discussion, so I will point out areas in our efforts to live responsibly where improvement is needed. For example, there is concern with the disposing of the batteries in hybrid cars. While the concern is overstated, it is important that better batteries are manufactured and more efficient recycling programs are in place to deal with the increase of these batteries.

I would love to hear from you. Let me know your concerns. If you think some of this stuff is bunk, tell me. We will have an intelligent discussion.

Going green in the lunchroom

2009-02-01T12:22:00.000-08:00

Recently I observed a "green" dilemma in the lunch room at my middle school. The students, many of whom receive free or reduced lunch go through the lunch line and receive their food on disposable Styrofoam trays.

I thought about how those students use those trays for just the twenty-thirty minutes that they are in the lunch room before they simply throw them away and fill several large garbage cans.

Of course, the frugal wanna-be green person in my wants to cut down on this waste. I thought that a possible solution would be to have plastic trays that would be washed after each shift.

Then I thought about all of the power and water that would be needed to wash those plates. I remember reading somewhere that sometimes washing the dishes uses more energy than would be saved with paper/plastic.

I haven't decided where I stand on the issue or on any possible solution.

What do you think?

Going green in the classroom--supporting a schoolwide initiative

2009-01-27T12:09:00.000-08:00

I don't know how it is for every school but at my school the administration has put in place a school wide initiative for recycling.

What this means is that every classroom receives a blue plastic recycling bin for students to place papers and other recyclable materials. Every day one of the janitors will come by and pick up the recycling. Supposedly what will happen is that the materials are weighed and either the teachers compete amongst the grade level or the grade levels compete against each other.

Sounds like a brilliant idea right? Right.

In a middle school brilliant school-wide initiatives rarely work as they are designed. Too many of the children without proper instruction or discipline turn the recycling bin into a second or third trash can in the classroom. None of the material in that bin can be recycled.

Also, many of the teachers have so much else on their plate due to the fact that this is a Title 1 school with many other regulations imposed by receipt of federal money. They do not have either the time or the will power or even the desire to adequately instruct the students as to the proper use of the bin and constantly monitor what is deposited.

Even though I am not in charge of my own classroom yet I can see how easily it would be to just forget about the recycling bin or worse yet actually use the bin as yet another necessary trash can in the room so that the students don't resort to using the floor in that manner. (Trust me. It happens).

I also see the need for forming green habits at an early age. If a child learns the importance of recycling and other green techniques at the middle school level (or better yet in elementary school) then that child will be more likely to carry those habits on into adulthood.

What do you think?

A "Green" stop on our road trip

2009-01-26T21:27:00.000-08:00

The first major stop on Jeni's "Getting to Know My Country" road trip in June will New Orleans. We both are really looking forward to this stop. There's history, music, literature, food and...Green innovation .

As the people of New Orleans still struggle to recover from Hurricane Katrina, a group called Global Green USA has committed to melding rebuilding New Orleans, affordable housing and sustainable green housing. The project has been quite impressive with a national design contest, commitment to educating the Gulf Coast residents about environmentally friendly and sustainable living. I look forward to having an opportunity to see the results. I've been impressed with the winning designs for the housing and want to see it in person. Some of the ideas incorporated in the Project Holy Cross house can be used by any home owner now, while other aspects should be examined by home builders and designers country-wide. I'm not certain that every aspect of the project is practical all over and some of it is a stretch, but I believe the project is worthy of being investigated by folks wanting to build and live responsibly.

Check out their site: www.globalgreen.org and tell me what you think.

Also, any other suggestions on places to visit?

Going green in the classroom

2009-01-18T14:05:00.000-08:00

On Tuessday I start my student teaching. One of the many things that I have been thinking about is the challenge of going green in the classroom.

My students do not have a lot and do not have access to much. This also applies to the knowledge that they bring to the classroom. Part of my job as a teacher will be to provide what those students lack.

So at the same time that I am learning about all of these strategies to increase the students' literacy I have this question in the back of my mind: how can I possibly do this and not run out of copies after the first week?

In a sense, the budget crunch does help cut down on teachers' tendency to waste copies. In my own shoes I know that I would think hard and long before I made any copies to make sure that I used those copies wisely. I know how much damage wasted paper can do. Unfortunately the students I will be teaching are no where near as frugal as I am. :D

I'm sure that there are other green dilemmas for the classroom and that I will discover them in the coming weeks.

You can be sure that as soon as I discover them you will know.

There's a whole lot of...re-using...goin on!

2009-01-17T22:26:00.000-08:00

Music makes my day, so when I can combine tunes with "going green" My face breaks out in a toothy smile.

Let's follow the re-using trail.

It starts a few years ago when one of the residents in the town homes I manage moved out and left behind an old style stereo. It had a record player (for those of you born in the Age of the CD, just picture really big cd's that make scratchy sounds as they played the music), a cd player and a dual tape deck. This electronics were housed in a flimsy presswood cabinet.
There's step one in my muscial re-using tale: stereo saved from the landfill gives me years of melodious enjoyment.

Recently, I wanted to replace my lost iPod, but I didn't want to buy a new one and a friend said she had a 4 gig one, so I bought it from her for $75.00 only to discover it was an 8 gig. Talk about a smile filling my face.
See step two: abandoned iPod rescued from the back of someone's dresser draw to herald music's finest to another person.

This Christmas, as I rearranged the lving room to make room for the tree, I discovered that my re-used stereo could no longer live in it's cabinet as it was falling apart. I took the cabinet apart and put the stereo in the closet. I wanted a system that would welcome my iPod to the party, and the old one was too stuck in it's ways to welcome my iPod. I bought a new, modest system with Mom's Christmas gift. Not wanting to resign my old faithful stereo to a life of collecting dust in the closet, I looked for a way for it to be re-used. It didn't take long. I found that one of my friend's wanted a stereo and was not hung up on it coming in a fancy cabinet, so I gave it to him.
Step three: old school stereo saved from obscurity to play music in the old formats for a friend.

There's just one final re-using step in this story. I want my new stereo to have it's own place to rest as it blesses me with iTunes favorites and classic cd music, so I'm building a book/cd shelf where it can sit on top on a glass tabletop and play in style. The wood for the cabinet will be culled from old closet shelves being discarded on a remodeling project and the glass table top is the former cabinet's door.

I tell you this story, not to brag on how Eco-friendly I am, but as an example of how easy being a responsible residents of planet Earth can be.

I'll post a picture when the new cabinet is finished.

Road Trip Update

2009-01-13T22:51:00.000-08:00

View Larger Map
You can move the map around to see the whole trip.

As most of you know, this blog has a duel goal:
1). To encourage average folks to find ways to live responsibly as tenants of planet Earth.
AND
2). To encourage folks to help me fund my daughter's graduation road trip. Ok, I would love to have corporate sponsorship for the over 7,000 mile road trip which is my gift to Jeni when she gets her Masters in May. I'm also sensible enough to know that the likelihood of Toyota, Comfort Inn, and Exxon sponsoring this trip is equal to my chances of winning the Boston Marathon, but it can't hurt to try (for sponsors, not the Boston Marathon, I am a fat man afterall..:D)

You can see our route across the country on the map above. The trip date has changed. We will now be leaving June 13th and returning June 28th. As I prepare for this trip, I am again reminded of how much this country has to offer. There is so much to see that we could stay out there for a month and not have scratched the surface of the wonders of America. I'm getting very excited.

One of the things we want to do on this trip is to see how other folks across the country practice living responsible. If you have any ideas of places we should visit, please let me know. Give us suggestions and we will post them here.

Join us on this trip, as we plan and as we go!

Going green even against Murphy's law

2009-01-11T16:23:00.000-08:00

When I watched the news this evening I had to laugh a little at a story about an auto show. (I know that it has a name but I don't want to give it the wrong name.) The big three auto makers are all trotting out their new fuel efficient models and prototypes but the outlook is grim.

When gas hit four dollars a gallon earlier in 2008 people were scrambling for small, fuel efficient cars including hybrids such as the Prius. At the end of the year all of the increases in small car sales had evaporated in the mess that is the financial downturn.

Now the big three automakers face a conundrum. Do they continue to produce and invest in these fuel efficient cars like they should have been and the kind of cars that the government is demanding in return for money or do they go back to putting money into cheap cars that consumers will actually buy?

I wish that I could say that I would buy a hybrid or some other sort of fuel efficient car but to be completely honest I do not see the wisdom in buying a depreciable object that cost around the same amount of a potential year's wages.

Sometimes though businesses have to make hard choices in order to survive in the long term and become a brand that lasts. I hope that America's big three automakers have the courage and the financial wherewithal to make that choice. Otherwise we as consumers might be in quite a pickle when once again gas prices skyrocket and we are stuck with guzzlers.

Just one thing

2009-01-07T09:06:00.000-08:00

So, how are those New Year's Resolutions coming along? Have we eaten that candy bar that you shouldn't have or missed the first day of going to the gym yet?

I purposely waited until now to talk about trying to make 2009 a different year when it comes to living responsibly on planet Earth because I really don't like New Year's Resolutions. We tend to make big resolutions, things that require us to alter our lifestyles in dramatic ways and then, well, let's be honest, about a week or two into the new year, they get blown.

There's nothing wrong with making changes in our lives to better ourselves and those around us. We just might start off small and work up to the major lifestyle changes; like maybe we'll start with not eating the entire tub of ice cream while watching the House marathon before we swear off ice cream entirely or deciding to walk around our yard or parking lot each day before entering the Boston Marathon.

Which brings me to my idea. Let's all decide to do ONE thing that is environmentally friendly, ONE thing that demonstrates that we are responsible tenants of this planet. Here are a few suggestions:
1).Have your local trash people bring you a recycling bin (if they have that program) and start throwing your recyclable trash in it rather than the trash can.
2). Collect those plastic bags you get each time you shop and drop them off at Publix or any other retailer that has a place to do that.
3). What about picking up a couple reusable shopping bags and using them some.
4). Get your oil changed on time and make sure your tires are inflated properly.
5). Plan you driving, so that you don't make 3 different trips when 1 would work.
6). Carpool
7). Instead of throwing away those items you don't use anymore, how about taking them to Good Will or Salvation Army. You could advertise them on Freecycle.org and not have to go anywhere, the people sould come to you.
8). Think twice before you throw something away if there is a way you could still use the item.

I think you get the idea. None of those things are that time consuming or would force you too alter your routine all that much. So how about it? Can we all do just one thing this year?

If you have any other suggestions, let me know and I would LOVE to hear what ONE thing you decided to do this year. I will have a post with all the things people are planning to do, so comment away.

My little "green" book

2008-12-31T18:00:00.000-08:00

Some guys have "little black books." Not me, thanks to my youngest, Laura, I have my very own "little green book.

Laura gave me this handbook for Christmas. It's a pretty informative book. It's loaded with tips about Green living. What I truly appreciate about the book is that most of the examples are simple and fit with the focus of this blog: average people doing simple things to be responsible tenants of planet Earth.

Now, Laura regrets giving it to me because I've been spouting the details and statistics that are in the book. I can't help myself, they're cool. Hear, listen to this and tell me that it isn't cool:
recycling 1 aluminum can saves enough energy to power a television for 3 hours! Is that not cool?

Being a single, lazy guy, I was ecstatic to find out that it is more Green to use a dishwasher to clean up my kitchen than to wash the dishes by hand! Oh Yeah!

My recommendation, take a swing by Barnes & Noble and pick up one of theses helpful books.

Another "Two Green Thumbs" Award

2008-12-27T18:59:00.000-08:00

Today, Going Green is hip. Many businesses have realized that Going Green can bring in some green, so they've started selling reusable shopping bags and providing recycled products. I applaud this.

Occasionally though, a store looks beyond mere profit or at least direct profit and behaves in a way that marks it as a responsible tenant of planet Earth. For this reason, I'm offering my second
"Two Green Thumbs" award to Publix for this:

Egg cartons and plastic bags can't be recycled through our local sanitation commission, so this is great. I especially like the plastic bag recycling. We still use loads of these bags and those that aren't reused in our homes end up either stuffed under the kitchen sink or appeasing our local landfill's appetites. These bins are a step in the right direction, so let's encourage this behavior by using them.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T22:31:00.000-08:00

To you and yours from me and mine...

Have a very Merry Christmas!!

A "green" Christmas idea

2008-12-21T22:49:00.000-08:00

Are there things I can do to have a Green Christmas?

Some would say buying an artificial tree would be a start. I say...Bah Humbug!! It's a real one or it's nothing. The tree I bought was planted and raised for this very purpose and I re-use it through a Greenville County program to make mulch or fish habitat in local lakes.

Not wrapping the presents came to mind, but my whole point in this blog is that I believe we can live our normal lives with only slight changes and still be responsible residents of Planet Earth. I know saving wrapping paper once you unwrap a present and using it later would be a great idea, except for the fact that I'm a big kid when it comes to opening presents, so the pile at my feet on Dec. 25 is only fit for the recycling bin.

As I came home from shopping Saturday (remind me to never do that again) I noticed the colorful bags I was carrying and that's when it hit me. Why not use the bags to wrap some of the presents. The 2 gifts in red you see above are wrapped courtesy of a Macy's bag and the 2 in blue owe their garb to Barnes & Noble. Pretty snazzy wrapping duds if you ask me.

So there's a new idea for me. Anyone else have any ideas?

A Meeting of the Minds

2008-12-16T09:06:00.000-08:00

Well... nothing so grand as that. This post is simply about where frugality meets going green.

For most of my life I have been concerned with saving as much money as possible to help my mother make her paycheck stretch a little bit longer. Now that I have had a job... even though I temporarily do not have an income right now... I want my own money to stretch just a little further.

Now, I do things that many members of my family think a little bit extreme. In my defense they should take a look at some guy whose name I can't remember at the moment who goes so far as to wash his paper towels, hang them out to dry and use them again. He even when he goes out to eat ask people at the table next to him if they are done with their food and eat that. I definitely do not recommend his actions but there is a middle line to be found.

I'll list out a few things that I do. For instance, when I have sun chips I will put them on a paper towel. Instead of throwing that paper towel away I will use the towel to wipe my fingers off on when I eat my lunch. If I do not use the paper towel at lunch I will keep the paper towel on the table to use later in the day.

Also, I am reading the Harry Potter books in Spanish to increase my vocabulary. I will write down the words that I do not know on a piece of paper. Instead of getting a new piece of paper each time I will use paper that I have written on perhaps one or two times thus making sure that those scraps of paper do not go to waste.

I could go on but that would most likely be quite boring. Perhaps in the future I will talk about other things I do but for my next post I will talk about ways that I will practice going green in the classroom.

Introduction

2008-12-08T16:46:00.000-08:00

After many weeks of hounding I have finally shown up to post to this blog. After all, the trip is my graduation present. :D

For right now I will simply introduce myself and in the coming weeks post on going green by accident... something I am becoming increasingly more enthusiastic about.

I am 23 years old currently on Christmas vacation in between the last two semesters of my MAT program. Lord willing by next August I will be in my own classroom.

As my family can attest I am quite frugal by nature. When I analyze this frugality I notice that many aspects end up being green as well. For instance, to save money I always use plastic baggies at least twice before I throw them away. I could detail other instances of how I reuse things sometimes to the point of insanity in the eyes of my family. :D

Lord willing, in the next few weeks I will go more into detail about different ways to go green, specifically in the classroom.

Not In My Back Yard!

2008-12-04T00:43:00.000-08:00

In Cherokee County, South Carolina, a familiar, but sad fight is heating up. The fight is over a proposed new landfill. The company that is building and maintaining the new landfill, Waste Management is proposing a site that does a lot of environmentally friendly things and the battle is not over them, but the basic concept that folks don't want to live near a landfill.

This battle screams to me of a reason to recycle that doesn't require a person to care if "Mother" Earth gets pampered. At the Council meeting where Waste Management presented the details of their plan, one facet of this landfill commanded my attention. The landfill will cover 75 acres when it opens for business with an projected expansion to 300 acres. What a huge increase in loss of land to trash! The property that is being purchased spans 1,500 acres. Will it stop at 300 acres?
Here is a concrete example of how recycling can have a direct impact. The more items recycled, the less landfill space needed. I know personally, that since I started recycling, I have reduced my trash placed in the dumpster by over half. Now, there are probably 6-8 other residents here where I live that consistently recycle. Add their "trash savings" to mine and we have a tiny spot in the land around the landfill that doesn't need to be introduced to trash. Now, imagine the land space that would go unused if all 54 town homes in my community consistently recycled? Here is a very definite thing that the average joe can do that will have a obvious positive effect.

And you folks in Cherokee County, fill up those recycling bins if you want to avoid a new land fill, or at least keep it small.

A fun "Green" product test

2008-12-01T22:58:00.000-08:00

This is a Toyota Prius and it belongs to the company that owns the property I manage. It's also the vehicle that I got to drive on my Thanksgiving trip to Grandmother's house.(OK, it was my mom's house, but the song says Grandmother and she is a grandmother). I work for a GREAT company. They lent me the Prius for the trip.

Let's address the Green aspect first. I drove 1710 miles from Thursday evening to Sunday evening. I drove from Greenville, South Carolina to Buffalo, NY and back again, over flatland, and mountains, through rain and snow, in light traffic and in traffic jams that made traveling 10 miles take 2 hours. The average mileage for this trip would have been around 20 mpg. The Prius got an average of 44 mpg. I spent $65.00 instead of at least $120.00 in gasoline. So the main Green ingredients are lower fossil fuel consumption and then by extension, less harmful emmisions. The car has a great system of energy creation and use. I would say that if anyone is wanting to make a big change to be more responsible for the planet they are borrowing for a few years, then switching to a hybrid car would be a great place to start.

But suppose you're an average guy and you're not all worked up about "Saving the Planet," should a hybrid be on your Christmas wish list?

YES!!

Ok, so your not hyper to Go Green, still I assume you like saving green? I paid close to 50% less on gasoline on this trip. Close your eyes and image spending half as much on gasoline. Now stop smiling and check out a hybrid. The Prius handled well, drove like a charm and had great features like hands free calling with your blue tooth working through the audio system. It also has a built-in navigational system. You can see the energy conversion and track your energy consumption at any time. When I think about purchasing a vehicle, functionality, price and mileage are the criteria I value most and the Prius won on all levels.

To be fair, I will point out a few drawbacks or concerns.

First, price, I did a quick check and $22k+ is their starting point, so it is a bit expensive. My daughter pointed something out to offset that sticker shock. She said, that with the savings you are recieving from better mileage, you could offset the added purchase cost.

Second, I'm kind of tall and the back seat is not a great place for me to sit, as my head attempts to create a sun roof. Even in the 4 door, which is what I drove, the leg room in the back is not a winning observation. The front has plenty of leg room and the car was comfrtable to drive.

Finally, maintenance is complicated. If you buy a Prius, prepare to tell Bubba and his ball peen hammer goodbye. The days of the shade tree mechanic fade away into our story books as more hybrids are made because they have the duel engines and the different energy transferring systems.

My recommendation: someone give me a hybrid Prius PLEASE

Two Green Thumbs Up

2008-11-17T00:14:00.000-08:00

In my last post I joked about giving out an award to folks who find creative ways to go Green. I was joking about the doctor, but I am serious about recognizing folks who find ways for average people to live naturally, but responsibly.

My first, Two Green Thumbs Up award recipient is:

Remember those clothes you have stuffed in the back of the closet, or the pup tent hiding in the far corner of the garage, you can liberate them from their place of exile and give them new life. You simply post a message on freecycle with what it is you no longer need and no longer wish to cram into the back of the basement. Someone sees your ad and contacts you to make arrangements to pick it up and in no time, you've taken you closet back, someone else hasn't wasted their money, and the landfill stays hungry.

Remember those ice packs and cardboard boxes that I've mention in a few posts? This is how I "reused" them. You'd be surprised at the items people give away.

So take a look around your home. Do you really need that? I mean, it hasn't seen the light of day since MTV played music. Go to freecycle.org and let someone else enjoy what you have finished enjoying.

Here's one way to reduce landfill deposits

2008-11-02T22:58:00.000-08:00

This is a doctor's office. No seriously, a pediatrician works out of this office daily.

I think it's time to start giving out awards for the creative ways ordinary folks go green.

So the first recipient of the Going Green By Accident Appreciation Award is:

Dr. "I haven't found a piece of paper I felt I could throw away EVER." pediatrician and paper lover.

Congrats!

Cleantech Blog

2008-10-29T23:45:00.000-07:00

This blog:
http://www.cleantechblog.com/

has some very insightful posts on environmental issues. The author seems to have a level headed approach to the subject as well as a wealth of knowledge. You will find some very interesting and useful information here.

If you have any sites that you would recommend, please let me know. I will post the ones I find esp. helpful.

"Green" Product Test, stage 2

2008-10-23T00:37:00.000-07:00

Remember These?

In my last post about the "green" floor care products, we looked at the "green" floor products effectiveness in the initial use, the actual stripping and refinishing. As you recall, I was impressed with their performance. I was excited, but the shine has to last, that is the ultimate test. "Did the "green" product hold up over time?" I was unable to get to these floors to buff them on their normal schedule...every other week; these floors didn't see a buffer for over a month. I will leave it to you...did the eco-friendly finish retain it's shine?

A "Green" Road Trip.

2008-10-19T02:42:00.000-07:00

View Larger Map
You can slide the map around to see the whole trip, simply click and drag,

This is where Jeni and I will be May 15-31, 2009. This is the trip I referred to in my second post. When I was talking to a friend about the trip and mentioning that I wanted to take an environmentally friendly road trip, I asked him how he thought I could make it "green". He said, "Don't drive" I understand what he meant, but this is the whole point of this blog. I want people to realize that you don't have to stop living your normal life in order to take care of this planet. I believe it is possible to take a road trip, yes, in a car, and still be eco-friendly. Obviously, a hybrid or something along those lines would be a natural first step. So if you have a Prius lying around, look me up.

I'm looking for ways to be "green" on this trip, any ideas?

You want to re-use those?

2008-10-14T22:56:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not suggesting that we use previously used medical instruments. These items were never used. The item on the left is a mouth guard for pulminary testing. The one on the right is a dropper. One of the ladies at the doctor's office where I do some work is a fan of re-using and recycling. When the office has an excess of a certain item, they usually throw the excess away, but since she and I have talked about this blog and are both more conscious of what we send to the landfill, she has left the excess items for me. A consistant example are the ice packs I mentioned in a previous post. Last week, she was in the office when I got there and pointed me to a rather large box filled with those mouth guards. She suggested that an artist might like to create a masterpiece of modern art or maybe someone could find a use for the filter in the middle of the device. She was convincing, so I now have a box of pulminary testing mouth guards in the back of my van.

Now what? Well, my youngest, Laura is in the art department at NGU, so she took one back to school with her the other day. I haven't heard anything back yet, but we shall see.

What I love about this is that I am challenged to rethink how I view the world around me. I don't just see the obvious, but look for the hidden or obscure. An empty 5 gallon wax bucket is no longer an old wax carrier, instead I see a flower pot, or traffic cone, or tool box. The empty 16oz plastic water bottles are not simply recycling bin fodder, but become incorporated into a flourescent light fixture curtesy of a design show on Bravo TV. Cardboard boxes relieved of their intial burden no longer seem destined for a trash bin, but thoughts of movers and Ebay fill my head. This is a great way to view the world. I encourage everyone to do this.

Let's start with the items I posted a picture of above. What can you see these being used as? Give me your ideas, no matter how outrageous they seem.

Then start suggesting other items and let's see if we can come up with alternate or second uses for them.

Let's challenge ourselves to switch from a disposable society to a re-usable society.

I did it!

2008-10-06T00:49:00.000-07:00

I had victory over my environmental Achilles heel...

reusable shopping bags.

Ok, you can stop laughing.

Three weeks ago, while shopping at Wal-Mart, I decided to purchase a reusable shopping bag. I patted myself on the back as I unloaded my few groceries from the landfill-saving bag. I neatly folded the bag and placed it in a spot by the door, so I would remember to take it with me on my next trip to the store.

A week later, as I was placing my groceries on the counter for the cashier to ring up, it dawned on me that my wonderful "green" bag was resting serenely near my front door. I bought another one and resolved to work harder to use these bags.

Once I unloaded the groceries, I put the bag in my van on the dash. Now, there would be no way that I would forget to use my alternative to "Paper or Plastic"

Three days later , it was time to go to the store again and as I drove from my job, I glanced over and saw my bag and smiled. When I pushed my cart to the check out line, my reusable bag was laughing at me from the dash of my van. Once again, I paid to "Save the Planet" this time with a pink bag, a breast cancer research fund one in honor of my mother and her 2 years of cancer free living.

Today, I summoned all my resolve and determined that those memory blocking pieces of cloth would not get the best of me. I collected all of them and laid them on the passanger seat in the van. A quick job and I was on my way to get some groceries. As I drove, I thought through the wording of this post. I was pushing my cart down the main aisle, when I passed a rack of reusable bags and realized that my growing family of environmentally friendly grocery bags were still in the van...ARRRGGGHHH.

But, I went out and got them and as the picture shows, I won. I used them.

I said you can stop laughing.

"Green" Product Test

2008-09-23T01:59:00.000-07:00

One of these aisles was stripped with traditional floor stripper and covered with traditional floor finish, the other was refinished using Green Products:

Can you tell which aisle is which?

Don't feel bad because it took me a minute to remember which picture was which.

One of the areas that moved me toward being more environmentally responsible was my work in refinishing tile floors. I have used the same techniques, chemicals, and methods for years. Around the same time I decided that recycling was a decent idea, I started realizing that my methods and chemicals were not helping keep my world a decent place to live. I saw an ad in a janitorial magazine for "Green Logic" products, so I called and asked if they might have a sample. To my pleasant surprise, they sent me 16oz of stripper and 1 gallon of finish.

I got to use them tonight on a floor that I maintain, so I will be able to watch its durability over time and traffic.

I really should have listened in science class because I couldn't explain how the floor stripper works. I only know that the GreenLogic stripper appeared to be as effective as the regular stripper, with an unexpected benefit: low slip factor. For those of you not spending your late nights making other people's floors shine, let me explain. When you apply the stripper compound to the waxed floor, the wax separates and makes the floor extremely slippery. Tonight, the Green stripper removed the finish, but left us sure footed.

The Green finish provided the same level of gloss as the traditional finish and and the application felt smoother.

I have to admit, I didn't expect these results. When strippers were changed years ago, the newest items just weren't effective. This time it appears that they might have gotten it right.

Seems like it's time for a more intense test, so I need to see if these products are economically feasible and try them on a larger area and perhaps a tougher floor, but for now, I am impressed.

(oh, the picture on the bottom went Green!)

That Was Easy

2008-09-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday Greater Greenville Sanitation Commission delivered the recycling bins I requested for the town home community that I manage. I'm impressed with our County's commitment to recycling. Beyond setting up about a half dozen drop off points around the country for folks to leave their recyclable goods, they also have an individual home owner benefit across much of the country. The bins you see above are given 1 to each home owner with instructions to deposit paper goods, cardboard, plastic bottles, and cans. The owners simply place the bins by their trash cans on trash day and the County does the rest. They don't even require you to sort the different types of materials. They sort it on the truck.

When I inquired about having the service here at Addison, I was originally told that because my community is serviced by a dumpster, the individual bins was not an option. After a few conversations , I received a personal visit from the residential recycling director. We worked out a few details and he agreed that we could join this program.(It helped that their collection truck/trailer used our parking lot to turn around in)

Now we have the bins and I can't see how it would be any easier for people to recycle here. They fill up the bins during the week, then on Thursday night, they set the bins outside their front doors. Friday morning, the guys drive by and empty the bins.

That was easy!

I know that not all communities have this option, but I would recommend that you speak to whoever picks up your trash for what recycling options are available. If there are none, let's work on creating some. I am looking around the country to see how municipalities are encouraging recycling. My goal is to help us all recycle. If you have any ideas or want to tell us about how your community works, please leave us a comment.

Reuse, the neglected middle sibling of the Green family

2008-09-11T12:20:00.000-07:00

How many of you can go to the kitchen, either your own or your mom's and find stacks of
Kool Whip bowls waiting patiently for the leftover beans or mashed potatoes? How many of you can find assorted screws, nuts, washers and bolts filling baby food jars or jelly jars on your dad's or your work bench? Do you have some old magazines stored in an old milk crate or garden tools resting in an empty 5 gallon paint bucket?

As you raise your hand to these questions, pat yourself on the back because you have been "Going Green" and you didn't even know it! Lots of folks reuse items, not to "Save the Planet", but because it just makes sense.

It used to be that Americans reused things on a regular basis. We repaired an slightly damaged item because buying a new one seemed decadent and wasteful, and for most of us, too expensive. As our society has become a consumer society, we have become a "disposable" society as well. Instant coffee and disposable razors have changed our mindset to the place where repairmen are becoming an endangered species.

We need to hold on to whatever item we are about to drop in the dumpster or recycling bin for just a few seconds and think if there is any way we could reuse this potential landfill fodder.

I clean a small medical research clinic and they have a lot of cardboard boxes that they discard. Now they are thinking about the environment because they put all that cardboard into a dumpster headed for a recycling plant. One day, as I was carrying an armload of boxes to that dumpster, it occurred to me that instead of throwing these perfectly good boxes into the recycling dumpster, perhaps there were folks who might need a good card board box. I began collecting the boxes, all different size and advertised them on freecycle.org, a web site dedicated to reusing. Within days, I had given away over 20 boxes. One man sold things on ebay and needed boxes to ship his merchandise. Two other couples were moving. With almost no effort, those boxes got an extended life. This clinic also receives their medicines in containers that are full of ice packs, very nice, long lasting ice packs. These were ending up in the landfill until recently for the same reason. People always need an ice pack for their aches and pains or for their tailgating cooler.

My reason for talking about my experience with reusing is to show that reusing items is simple, if we just take a moment to think before we dump. Now I find myself looking for new uses for all my trash.

I challenge you to take the time to try to do just one of the three words in the Green mantra. You will find that once you start, it becomes easy and you find yourself reducing, reusing and recycling like it is natural.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

2008-09-11T00:27:00.000-07:00

Those are the three words traditionally associated with Green living. The last word of that trio gets the lion's share of media attention and recycling is what most people think about when they think of what they can do to be Green. Recycling is indeed something we all should do, but we can't neglect the first two words of the mantra.

Reduce
When I hear that word, I think of buying pallets of potato chips and giant sized cans of soup. Buying in bulk is a great way to reduce the amount of trash we have and it is often an even greater way to keep some green in our wallets, but I think we need to look at the concept a little differently. America is a consumer society. Buying THINGS is almost as American as hot dogs and apple pie. Now, don't get me wrong, I like nice new shiny things, and the latest technological gadget catches my eye. There is not anything intrinsically wrong with purchasing things, but perhaps, we could slow down the shopping cart just a touch. It wouldn't kill us to pause for a brief moment before we buy the latest fad item and remember the closet full of 'Thigh Masters' and 'worn-only once' shirts, ties, skirts, etc and place our wallets back in our pocket or purse once in awhile. I think if we took stock of what we possessed, truly inventoried it, we might see the wisdom of not buying something else that in a day, week, month or year will end up on the top shelf of the back bed room closet, or the back corner of the garage, awaiting the day we send it to its final resting place...the landfill. We might see that we don't need to spend $20.00 for that metal rack to display the Reader's Digest and National Geographic magazines, when the old brief case we were about to toss in the trash serves as a functional and artistic alternative.

The other reason for this blog

2008-09-06T10:08:00.001-07:00

This is my first born, Jeni, as she graduated with her BA in History.

And this is the graduate on the road trip that was my graduation present, DC & NYC.

What started as an attempt at a creative graduation present when Jeni finished high school has become a tradition. After each scholastic achievement, my gift to her is a road trip. We love these things.

Now, she's in the middle of her Masters in Teaching program and we're planning our next road trip. She decided that she wants to see as much of our great country as she can. I mapped out a couple of courses that would include the maximum number of states. I had to scrap most because I do have a job and a month's vacation is not in the benefit plan. We've settled on what promises to be a great trip. We'll visit some 25 states spanning the entire country, Cajun country in New Orleans, the Heartland of Oklahoma and Kansas, the Great Northwest of Oregon and Washington, the Rockies Mountains get crossed twice, we see both Dakotas and the home of the Cheese heads.

As I was planning this trip, I calculated the cost in gas alone, and let's say that a defibrillator was not too far away. I joked to myself that I needed some sponsors. Of course, that was a joke, until I thought of a great hybrid car ad; something like "Our hybrid crossed the Rockies twice in the same week!" I have to say that sounds like a great ad. OK, it needs some fleshing out. Once I accepted the idea of sponsors, I ran with it. It dawned on me that a blog chronicling our preparations for the trip, and esp. keeping a daily log of pictures, video clips and words describing our wonderful country might interest folks and if folks are regularly reading this blog, some businesses might decide this would be a good venue for advertising.

"But what is going to get folks reading in the first place?" was my main question What about a blog that lets ordinary folks see that doing ordinary things, very American things, like taking a road trip summer vacation, while being "green" is easy. Given my new found interest in normal folks being good caretakers of our planet, this made perfect sense.

So there you have the other motivation for this blog.

Going Green By Accident

2008-08-28T12:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, maybe turquoise and maybe 'accident' is not the right word. How about 'without planning.'

Let me explain.

I'm not a tree hugger, or a Green Peace hero. I don't 'Save the Planet' on a regular basis, but awhile ago, I came to the realization that conserving energy, and not trashing the big blue ball we call home were probably good ideas.
Not wanting to do anything radical, I made a couple simple changes. I bought a pack of those curly fry looking light bulbs, bought a battery charger and rechargeable batteries and got a bin for recycling from my local trash man. The recycling bin is what put me on the path to "going green by accident".
Here in Greenville, the Sanitation commission will recycle plastic bottles, cardboard, and paper. I got my bin and started separating my trash. The first week, I had very little in the bin when it went to the curb on Friday.
Tonight, two weeks later, when I set it out, I realized I might need another bin. Now, I'm not drinking more soda or unpacking more boxes. What I have discovered is how much we actually throw away and how so much of what we call trash could instead be recycled.
Yesterday, I finished a box of Kashi Autumn Wheat cereal(which by the way is right tasty) and started to drop the box in the trash can, when it hit me that the box is cardboard so I can recycle it.
Ok, now before you think, "Duh!" I just had never thought about the box. It was my cereal container and when it didn't hold cereal, it served no purpose and what do we do with things that hold no purpose? We throw them away.
So the cereal box led to paper towels which led to memo pads.
So I recycle more now, but it didn't stop there.
The other day, I needed to write down a phone message and my note pad was nowhere to be found. What was in front of me, was a roughly torn open envelope holding my power bill. I grabbed it and wrote the message on the back.
Then I took the bill out and left the envelope by the phone to take other messages instead of simply chunking it in the trash and buying a new memo pad.
This led to me thinking twice about how I can use scrap paper, or partially written on paper. I realized that I waste a lot of paper.
I'd scratch a number on the front of a note pad sheet and then throw it away or the fax machine would print out a report telling me why the fax didn't go through and into the trash it went.
Now, I use it all up and then throw it away...in the bin.
I've even gotten other people recycling without bull horns or After School programs, just example.
When a friend who works with me stopped by tonight, his 3 yr old son dropped his soda and spilled what was left on the ground, so my friend made sure the can was empty and then walked across the parking lot and dropped it in my bin. He did this, not because he's buddies with Al Gore, but because it is becoming a habit he's picking up from being around someone else who is doing it.
So my little efforts are having positive results, maybe not cooling down all this global warming, but a little step in taking care of our home.

So let's all trip into some Green