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!

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).

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!

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!

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!

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.

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.