Monday, March 30, 2009

Where was I during Earth Hour?

I was sad I was not at home for Earth Hour yesterday.  DH is actually a petroleum geologist so I was previously committed to attending a dinner with him scheduled for last night.  Larry Nichols, the CEO of Devon Energy, was the keynote speaker.  Here are some highlights from his talk (from memory...I didn’t take actual notes).

In the US, 25 barrels of oil per year is the average consumption per person.  In China, it is 2 barrels per person per year. Of course in areas such as China and India, consumption of oil is expected to increase.  China recently exceeded Japan in the number of cars bought.  It is expected to exceed the number of cars bought in the US in just a few years.

Ethanol fuel is not a viable alternative for a sustainable fuel source.  Corn uses 40% more fertilizer than other crops.  It is not a clean-burning fuel.  Even if all the corn in the US was made into Ethanol fuel, it would only compensate for 15% of the US demand for oil.  Despite the drawbacks, the US government is giving the industry an 8 billion dollar subsidy.

Personally, I don’t think ethanol is a good alternative to fossil fuels.  It is not as efficient as gasoline and studies have shown only a modest decrease in greenhouse gas emissions. 

Currently, proposed taxes on oil and gas companies would result in decreased production and in a very short while, increased (up to 30%) in the costs of consumer goods.  The oil and gas companies will survive.  It is the consumer that will suffer.

The basic take home message was that more production is needed.  He said that if companies were allowed to drill in all areas around both coasts and the Gulf of Mexico, there would be 160,000 new jobs generated and we would be able to meet a large proportion of the US demand for oil.  The US government would also generate 1 Trillion dollars in revenue from the increased drilling and production.

Mr. Nichols did mention alternative sources of energy such as solar and wind and pursuing technology in all areas of energy production.  DH asked me what I thought of his talk.  I thought it was typical of what someone from oil and gas would say. 

I am not wild about talk of increasing energy consumption and increasing drilling.  I also do not believe that technology will always be there to help keep up with consumer demand for energy.  I think that people need to learn to live more sustainably.  People need to recognize that oil and gas are non-renewable resources.  What is in store for our grandchildren and their children? 

I was not home to observe Earth Hour as I would have liked.  I liked the idea of Earth Hour because I believe that energy conservation is a good thing whether or not you agree with the criticisms about global warming and climate change effects.  When you’re not in a room, turn off the lights!

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Earth Hour Slide Show

Earth Hour 2009 was today, March 28 at 8:30pm.  Here is a link to a slide show on Yahoo! News related to Earth Hour.  Many landmarks worldwide went dark in observance of Earth Hour.  (I think there is something wrong with the posted time for this blog since it is now 10:30pm, not 8:30pm).

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

New Soil Carbon Sequestration Book


There was a March 6, 2009 press release by the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) for the second edition of the book Soil Carbon Sequestration and the Greenhouse Effect. The bulk of Chapter 12 is comprised of results from my dissertation research. If you find the science of soil carbon sequestration at all interesting, check it out. I was just excited to see that the book is now available since the final manuscript for the chapter I co-authored was submitted and approved way back in the summer of 2007…better late than never I guess!


Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Vote Earth

VOTE EARTH
I just found out about Earth Hour 2009.  Earth Hour began in Sydney when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for 1 hour. In 2008, Earth Hour had grown into a worldwide movement with 50 million people switching off their lights. 
Mark your calendars!  On March 28, 2009 at 8:30pm no matter where on earth you live, you can VOTE EARTH by switching your lights off for one hour or you can VOTE GLOBAL WARMING by leaving them on.  The results of this election will be presented at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this year.  The goal is 1 BILLION votes for earth to let world leaders know that we must take action against global warming. 
Remember that every vote counts so VOTE EARTH!

Monday, March 23, 2009

Recycling Center

There is currently no curbside recycling center where we live since we live outside any city limits so in order to recycle, we have to take everything to town.  DH is still skeptical that people will recycle if it causes any kind of inconvenience to them.  He went with me to drop off our recyclables and was surprised that the place was hopping!  The parking lot was full and there were people coming in and out with their bins of recyclables. 
Here is a list of items that can usually be taken at a recycling center.
Paper: Office paper, junk mail, shredded paper, paper egg cartons, paper cereal boxes, cardboard
Plastics:  It depends, but often plastics marked 1-7 can be recycled.
Glass:  Clear, brown, and green glass
Metals:  Aluminum cans and tin cans
I set up bins in my garage and make the trip to the recycling center when the bins fill up.   It’s really pretty simple!

Friday, March 20, 2009

Reusable Shopping Bags

I recycle the plastic bags that I get at the grocery store, but I’ve been thinking about making some reusable shopping bags.  I love to sew and crochet so I looked online to see what was out there in terms of making a reusable bag.  I found a pattern for a crocheted plastic tote bag using “yarn” made of plastic shopping bags.  Click here to see the pattern. 
I also came across another site that explained how you can fuse plastic bags together.  The fused plastic is then strong enough that it an be used like fabric for sewing or other craft projects.  The fusing plastic bag tutorial can be found here.
I’m not sure when I’ll get these done since I’m strapped for time with 3 little ones running around but I am going to get started today.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

How much house do I need?

When we were first married, DH and I were living in a 2-bedroom 700 sq. ft. apartment. The other bedroom was occupied by my husband’s brother for awhile. The apartment made great use of space and I didn’t really feel cramped at all. The apartment was really old and had mold problems so I wasn’t sad to leave the place.
Then upon graduation, we moved to an 1100 sq. ft. apartment. The apartment seemed so big at the time. By then we had added a son to our little family and the apartment still seemed to have plenty of space to fill our needs. Although the apartment was a newer construction, it was not well-insulated. Our utility bills were large (usually around $200.00 and once even closer to $400.00) considering I kept the thermostat at 82 degrees F in the summer and 68 in the winter.
When we bought our first house, I anticipated that we would stay for some time so we bought a 2300 sq. ft. house with 3 good-sized bedrooms and a “bonus room.” It seemed extravagant by my standards, but I was anticipating having room to grow. The floor-plan made very good use of space so the house seemed much bigger than it really was. This home was very energy efficient. I kept the thermostat at 78 degrees F in the summer and 70 in the winter. Our bills rarely exceeded $120.00 in the summer and with the natural gas heating, well less than $100.00 in the winter.
Unfortunately, we were relocated by my husband’s company so we had to sell our house. We now live in a rental house that is roughly the same size as our last house. We have since added one more child to our brood. I have been mulling over the question of when we do buy another house, do we need a bigger home since we have more children now? My answer is no. I like the size of homes that we have been living in for the past few years. The children share rooms. I shared a room with my siblings growing up and enjoyed it. My husband also shared a room with his brother.
I believe that being conservation-minded entails knowing the difference between our needs and our wants. I really liked the Less Is More...Especially When Being Green post on MyGreenHomeBlog since I think it basically summed up my thoughts that quantity need not trump quality and comfort when it comes to our homes. I am going to check out Sarah Susanka’s book ‘The Not So Big House.’
The U.S. produces 1/5 of the world’s CO2 emissions and buildings (homes, office buildings, warehouses, malls) not cars, emit the most CO2. Homes today are roughly 45% larger than what they were some 30 years ago. DH says that most people are not conservation-minded, nor do they care about the environment. The following is from an article in National Geographic entitled It Starts at Home: "In a 2007 survey of Americans, 60 percent said they didn't have enough savings to pay for energy-related renovations. If given an extra $10,000 to work with, only 24 percent said they would invest in efficiency. What did the rest want? Granite countertops.”
I guess that survey shows where our priorities are. DH might be right about most people not being conservation-minded, but I say it doesn’t hurt to live more sustainably and to encourage others to do the same.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

I love my Mazda 5!



I had a 1990 Honda Civic that I just loved! All I ever had to do to the car was regular maintenance and replacing some parts when they finally wore out. The car had roughly 294,000 miles on it when I finally traded it in.

DH and I thought about a mini-van to accomodate our growing family. I wasn't wild about driving a large vehicle nor was I too thrilled with the gas mileage of the large mini-vans. DH came across the Mazda 5 and thought that I might like it. He was right. We traded in our 1990 Honda 18 years to the day and bought the 2008 Mazda 5.

Pros:

  • I have consistenly gotten better than the 22/27 EPA estimated mileage for the vehicles. Around town I generally get 26-28 miles per gallon and on the highway, I've gotten around 30 miles per gallon.

  • The vehicle seats 6. I wouldn't recommend adults in the third row, but the car has plenty of space for 4 kids and carseats.

  • The seats in the back row have a 50/50 split and fold down for ample cargo space. I haul around 3 kids and still have room for groceries and my stroller.
  • 2nd row seats also fold down and have storage underneath the seats and a fold-out tray with cupholders.
  • The cargo area in the back also has storage beneath. DH keeps tools and roadside emergency kit materials in the storage area.
  • The car has a tight turning radius so it is easy to maneuver around parking lots and in tight spots.
  • Because of the smaller size, the vehicle drives and handles like a car rather than a van. It definitely is way more zoom-zoom than any large mini-van. DH and I both really enjoy driving the Mazda 5.
  • The passenger doors slide just like any other mini-van.
  • There is a manual transmission option on the sport model. DH and I both enjoy driving a manual.
  • The MSRP is around $18,000 for the sport model. Even the basic model comes with loads of features such as power locks and windows, anti-lock brakes, cruise control, 2nd row ducts and controls for air-conditioning, and driver and passenger-side airbags.

Cons:
  • This is definitely a smaller vehicle. With the 3rd row up, there is not a whole lot of space left. I generally have enough for groceries though. I read someone's blog that said they could fit 8 standard paper grocery sacks in the back.
  • I wish the back window opened so that you could more easily fit things in the back without trying to keep things from falling out.
  • The Mazda 5 comes with 17" rims so the tires will definitely be more expensive to replace later on than if it had come standard with 16" rims.

I really love the Mazda 5 and can't think of much that I don't like about it other than what I already mentioned. On the rare occasion that we need more space, DH and I bought a Thule roof rack (easily fits onto the top of the Mazda 5 since the hardware to accomodate the rack is already there) and a Yakima cargo bag. Even with the car loaded with 3 kids, a beagle, luggage inside and on top of the car, and 2 adults, we still averaged 28-30 miles per gallon. We were pleasantly surprised at how much we could carry with the roof rack and bag and still get the same gas mileage. This is a great vehicle for anyone looking for something that has a sporty look, the functionality of a minivan, and good fuel economy.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Stray Animals

On the way home from running an errand on friday, I came across a dog in the middle of the road. I drove slowly up to the dog thinking it would run off the road. The dog never moved so I pulled off the road. My neighbor who was in the car with me went and checked on the dog. The dog flipped over on its back (all of this taking place in the middle of the road still) so my neighbor picked her up. The dog had no collar. We didn't want to leave the dog in the middle of the road since she clearly did not know what to do around cars so I took her home.

My neighbor and I posted found ads on Craigslist and the newspaper (generally free to post found ads) and she also put up found signs in the area where we picked up the dog. I called the local shelters and left descriptions of the dog in case someone was looking for her. We also contacted a nearby vet that said people can bring in lost animals for a free scan to see if the owner had a chip implanted.

To make a long story short, someone called and said that the dog belonged to his brother. My neighbor drove the dog back to its owner. She talked with him about his dog. The owner said that the dog often roamed the streets when he went out since she seemed to have a knack for getting out of fenced areas. My neighbor asked if the dog had been spayed since she was not kept indoors all the time. Of course he said no. The dog also likely has not had any vaccinations.

I think if someone is going to own a pet, they should make sure that the pet at a minimum has been spayed or neutered (especially if it is going to be roaming about) and has current vaccinations. When I called the local shelters to see if anyone had reported this particular dog missing, I found out that the area in which I live has no leash laws which means people don't bother putting collars or tags on their animals and the animals are free to roam about. My husband was riding his bike through a nearby neighborhood and he was bitten by a dog who of course was not on a leash. My husband located the owner and was able to determine that the dog was at least vaccinated.

Since I live outside city limits, apparently a lot of people also commonly dump unwanted animals in the country. I've seen lots of mangy-looking dogs that look like they have been out on their own for some time. It's very, very sad to me that people don't at least try to find their pets a new home or in the worst case scenario, take them to a shelter when they no longer want the pet.

So the bottom line is, if you are going to own a pet, please be responsible for that animal. It depends on you to take care of him/her. If you are no longer able to care for the animal or you just don't want it anymore, please don't just dump it out like it was trash. Be Responsible!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Guilty of Using Disposable Diapers

I exclusively used disposable diapers on my firstborn (don't ask me why...I claim temporary insanity). When my second child was born, my conscience had kicked in and I decided to minimize the use of disposables by trying to use the Elimination Communication method (EC). It worked out rather well. In a nutshell, after careful observation, I was able to figure out when my daughter needed to go to the potty. Then whenever I took her, I would say pee-pee or poo-poo (some people say shhh...or make some other sound). The baby becomes "conditioned" to going whenever the sound is made. In between potty sessions, I used disposable diapers to prevent "accidents."

In the beginning, when I was trying to figure out the elimination patterns of my baby, I used cloth diapers. I finally gave up on the cloth diapers because newborns need to eliminate quite frequently and I just couldn't keep up with the demand. I had bought 12 cloth diapers to start out with...definitely not enough. I was also unwilling to have my baby go diaperless around the house as some people do when using EC. After a few weeks of using cloth diapers, I finally gave it up and used disposable diapers in conjunction with EC. By the time my baby was a couple of months old, she used on average only 2-3 disposable diapers a day. On bad days, I might have used 5 diapers. I also used baby sign language with my baby and made the "toilet" sign each time she showed signs of needing to potty.

My daughter is not quite 2 yet. She is able to talk and tells me when she needs to go potty (my children never quite took to the infant sign language). She still is not totally consistent, but she averages only a couple of diapers a day. I think she will be diaper-free fairly soon.

My son was potty-trained by age 2. He has been pretty-much accident free both night and day. I never had to have him wear pull-ups at night. I also didn't use pull-ups for potty-training because they are too much like diapers. In the beginning, I did use pull-ups when we traveled or went out. He was always good about going so I didn't bother with using the pull-ups after a very short while.

Potty-training early (by age 2 or 2.5 years) is being touted as a way to "go green." It significantly reduces the number of diapers that end up in landfills. The average age at which a child is potty-trained is around 3 years of age...a little earlier for girls, a little later for boys. Nowadays, it is not unheard of for children aged 4 and older to still wear diapers. Diaper sizes now range from newborn to size 7! My son only used up to size 3 diapers.

I read that the average number of diapers used before a child is potty-trained is around 5000. The average number of diapers used weekly by the average 6-month old is 70. Apparently some 18 billion diapers are used in the U.S. annually.

By using EC, I estimated that I used roughly 20 diapers a week for each child. That is a little more than 1000 diapers for the year, and around 2000 diapers by the time my child was potty-trained by age 2.

My third child was born a few months ago. I have been using the EC method with her as well and trying to decide if I would like to give cloth diapers another go. There are many articles and studies detailing the pros and cons of disposable vs. cloth diapers. I think that because using EC and disposable diapers worked so well with my other daughter, I may go that route again.

I might be guilty of using disposable diapers, but I think I have made a good effort at minimizing the amount of diapers that my family contributes to landfills. I also try and dispose of any solid waste in the diapers before I throw them in the trash. This method has worked well for me and I think it is a good compromise between going green and maintaining my sanity.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Reuse Groups

In keeping with my motto of trying to reduce, reuse, and recycle, I am a member of a reuse group. There are various resuse groups which allow members to offer usable items to interested parties. This way, items that are still functional do not end up in landfills.
Reuse groups such as the Freecycle Network, FreeSharing.org, and the ReUseIt Network are some groups that utilize email to offer items and to arrange for pickup. Many of these Networks have local groups that are moderated by volunteers. I am a member of a local Freecycle group. Their motto is "changing the world one gift at a time."
I have given away items that are still in good condition, but that I no longer need or that do not meet my needs. For example, I had a small crockpot that I used in college to cook for just one person-me. Since I have a larger family now, we have a larger crockpot and I offered the smaller one to someone who could use it.
In turn, I have also received items that my kids have been able to use. I was able to get a functional bicycle for my son and another ride on toy. I also gave away kids videos that my children were no longer interested in and received other videos that they enjoy.
I think the world is a better place when people are willing to give of themselves and also to receive with gratitude. I hate the idea of usable items being thrown away which is one of the many reasons why I choose to recycle.
Freecycle also allows want posts for members to ask for items for which they have need. I myself have never posted a want listing, but I think it is a good thing for people to be able to seek for things which they need. Of course there are always some who try and abuse the system, but I believe that most people that are part of these reuse groups have a genuine interest in reducing waste and having a more positive impact on the environment.
So, find a reuse group near you and recycle!

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Furniture

There is nothing functionally wrong with the furniture that I own. It's just that almost every piece of furniture I own is a hand-me down from the college years. I have thought about upgrading, but I always feel guilty because the only reason I want new furniture is to have a more pulled together look. I dream about my house looking like what you see inside the covers of home decorating books or magazines. Of course, I am too practical or cheap I guess to actually bring myself to buy new furniture. So, I came up with some inexpensive ideas for how I could have a more pulled together look but still use my existing mismatched furniture.

The first thing that I thought would be easy to do was to recover our 20 year old, hand-me down, striped, multi-colored couch. I wanted it to match our tan, microfiber La-Z-Boy recliner which is the only piece of furniture that was purchased new for us by my MIL. I thought about re-upholstering or making a slipcover. As I researched both options, I discovered that it would be very expensive to recover the couch as upholstery fabric often costs in excess of $10.00 per yard. It was also expensive to purchase enough yards of fabric to make a slipcover. I estimated that I would need on the order of 17-26 yards of fabric depending on whether or not I wanted a skirted look for the couch.

I looked on ebay, craigslist, and other online sources for clearance slipcovers. I finally found a loveseat slipcover and sofa slipcover at Wal-Mart for less than $100.00 for both. The slipcovers were a light tan, microfiber material so they would match the recliner. I found a clearance brown and red accent pillow that I liked which I used as inspiration for other accent pillows. I was able to purchase 2 brown microfiber pillows for $5.00. I took apart an old curtain that I had and made three additional accent pillows (2 plain and one with fringe). I had an extra couch cushion that I took apart and re-used the stuffing for the 3 pillows. If you can sew a straight edge, you can sew a pillow or cushion.

To keep the slipcovers from "slipping," I stuffed rolled up magazines behind the cushions. A slipcovered look does not look as nice as reupholstered furniture or new furniture, but it is a simple and relatively inexpensive way to update the look of your furniture.




Here is a before picture of the couch before it was slipcovered (at a different house). If you could see it close up you would see that the cushions are worn and some of them are ripped. I also wasn't wild about the stripes and multiple colors. It is a very comfortable couch though and has a sturdy construction so definitely worth keeping.

The "after" photo of the slipcovered couch with accent pillows. I also painted our thrift store coffee table that was scratched and discolored in some places. It was an easy "fix" to get a more updated look. The new rug was courtesy of my parents so it didn't cost me anything.

I have lots of other "project" ideas for things that I want to do around the house such as fixing up some old cabinets and dressers. But, of course, these things take time so it will be a work in progress.

Computer Upgrade

I have schemed for years about getting a new laptop. The one I used all through graduate school is now more than 10 years old and is falling apart. Awhile back, my brother was nice enough to give me an old desktop computer he had. Our family has been using this old computer for a number of years now and I decided recently that I was going to get rid of the old junker and buy that new laptop I've been wanting.

I felt bad getting rid of the old desktop which is still fully functional and meets most of my needs. There were a few programs I could not run because I did not have enough RAM. I finally decided that I didn't need a new computer. DH helped me do some research and discovered that we could upgrade the 240MB of RAM on the computer to 2 Gigs. We also purchased a refurbished monitor from Dell since the old CRT monitor is going out. Upgrading the RAM was simple and cost around $70.00. The monitor cost around $120.00. So, for less than $200.00, I now have a "new" computer that meets my needs.

The process of upgrading the RAM was relatively simple. First, DH looked on the motherboard to see what type we had. He looked it up on the internet and found that it could support up to 2 Gigs of RAM. DH shopped around on the internet to find the best price for the sticks of RAM. Note, the older your computer is, the more expensive it is to upgrade the RAM. Overall, though, it was still an inexpensive upgrade. The sticks or RAM plug into the motherboard. It's just that simple. Be sure that you are grounded (touch something metal) before you mess with the computer.