Happy Holidays!

'tis the season to be red and GREEN!  Merry Christmas, Blessed Kwanza, Happy Chanukah, Happy Holidays...   :)

Thanks for reading my blog, posts and pages...

-Joe

Feds see the Fraking light!

After years of study, the Feds see the light! EPA links Fracking to tainted well water... http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/09/us/epa-says-hydraulic-fracturing-likely-marred-wyoming-water.html

"The draft report, after a three-year study by the Environmental Protection Agency, represents a new scientific and political skirmish line over whether fracking, as it is more commonly known, poses a threat in the dozens of places around the nation where it is now being used to extract previously unreachable energy resources locked within rock."

This rocks! and the DEC has extended the deadline to comment on the sGEIS report into January! Take a moment to go through the process, please! After following this link, choose "Submit comments on the proposed 2011 rdSGEIS" and then select "General Comments"... Recommend that the whole thing be tossed out and Fraking just be banned completely in NY!

http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/76838.html

Thanks,
Joe

Green Charity...

While we are not all wealthy enough to be thinking about giving some of our moolah to charities, I know there are people who have enough to work giving into the budget. Knowing who to support can sometimes be a difficult choice. Since this site is obviously environmentally friendly, I will recommend that you support green charities!

Clint Williams at the Mother Nature Network has done a bit of work to help us figure out how to get the most bang for your green charity buck! 8 Well Rated Green Charities (http://www.mnn.com/money/personal-finance/stories/8-well-rated-green-charities-to-kick-start-your-holiday-giving)

The Greener Me has quite a few postings on Squidoo and one of them is about Green Charities. Ten Green Charity Organizations (http://www.squidoo.com/green-charities)

So, if you can give this season, please consider one of the Green Charities listed at either of the links above.

Thanks,

-Joe

why not sign against Hydrofracking in NY?

Not gonna profit from Hydrofracking, why not sign against? http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/76838.html choose sGEIS 2011 and select General Comment. Thank you!

NY can lead the way!

THE DECs sGEIS report is seriously flawed. There will be accidents and incidents if HVHF is allowed to occur in NY. There have been issues in EVERY other state where High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing is being performed. That means that all risk factors accounted for in this report are null, the risk is too high. Would NY not be better served as the state that really started the green energy movement instead of bowing to financial and political pressure? NY is big enough and strong enough to push back against the federal pressure exerted due to energy company financial input. Instead of falling down like the other states have already done; we can see the messes that have occurred there; stand against them and be the leader we can be! If NY leads the way against big energy, other states will follow suit. Maybe we can get this country going in the right direction.

Please share this message and send it to the agencies who need to hear it!

Comment directly to the DEC

http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/76838.html

and

send a message to the Governor

http://www.governor.ny.gov/contact/GovernorContactForm.php

Thanks,

Joe

Who likes clean drinking water?

Here's a chance for you to tell someone other than the anonymous internet reader. You can put your name on the petition and we all know that the "bigger" and "louder" the voice, the more likely it is to be heard...

The National Resource Defense Council is advocating for support on maintaining the Clean Waters Act. Please follow the link below to add your voice to the masses...

Tell your senators not to weaken Clean Water Act protections for America's most vulnerable waters

https://secure.nrdconline.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2547&autologin=true&JServSessionIdr004=u0zddpsvs5.app306a

Thanks,

-Joe

Sustainability of all natural resources is the responsibility of the people who want to use those resources.

Food Waste Unnecessary (in many cases)...

Americans are conditioned by labels & signs and food manufacturers take advantage of that, significantly. If a manufacturer puts a date on a package containing food, we assume that date is when the product is no longer suitable for consumption or at least close to being spoiled. As it turns out, that is a sales ploy in many cases. If your package says that the contents are expired, you go buy a new package. The food is not really expired or spoiled and in most cases still the same as the day it was packaged.

The National Resource Defense Council did a little footwork at discovered all this and the fact that the dates on most packages are not even regulated by anyone. A manufacturer can put any date they want on their product. Check out the post "Use-By" Dates: a Myth that Needs Busting by Dana Gunder from the NRDC.

So, just because the printed date has passed does not mean you have to throw away your food.

Thanks for reading,

-Joe

Garden Prep for winter

Do you have a vegetable garden? Do you have trees in your yard too?  I bet you put your leaves out for city/town pickup. Instead, you can pile them onto the vegetable garden.  This will do two things: the garden soil will be insulated from the snow which will allow the worms to do their work closer to the surface and it will also provide easy mulch to be tilled into the soil in the spring.  Those two things will help to improve your garden soil for next season.  It will also reduce the work you have to do cleaning up the leaves.

Thanks,
-Joe

How much do you recycle?

There is a program I am taking part in right now that has to do with reducing the carbon footprint of an entire city/region. (coolrochester.org) One of the points brought up in the program is paying attention to how much you recycle. The goal of that portion is to see if you can reduce the amount of "garbage" you produce. Essentially, if you pay attention to what goes into the garbage can, you might find that you can put more into the recycle bin (or compost) instead. I used to think I did a pretty good job with it, but after reading this portion of the program and paying more attention myself I discovered that I could easily do more. Now I can often get by with only one kitchen garbage bag a week. More often than not, the recycle bin has more contents than the garbage can come collection day.

Do you recycle all that you can?

Thanks,

-Joe

There's A Green App for That...

The following is from SierraClub.org:

Are cell phones taking over our lives? Sometimes it seems like it. But you can wrangle back some control by keeping your phone use as green as possible. This week’s tips tell you how.

Tip #3: There's an app . . .

In addition to making your phone multitask, apps can help you live greener, whether you’re trying to save gas, commit to carpooling, garden more, or recycle anything. Apps can also help you find public transit, cancel paper subscriptions, even become an Eco Hero.

Tell us: What are your favorite green-living apps?

-Joe

Interested in News about the Environment and Sustainability?

I have another blog which updates itself from numerous news feeds which only pull stories related to the Environment, Sustainability and the like.  Feel free to check it out if you get a few minutes.  EcoFeeder

http://ecofeeder.blogspot.com/

Thanks,
-Joe

Solar Subsidy in the US? ha. :(

Mulch!

Mulch is good for more than just making a better looking garden. Mulch also helps save water. Spreading mulch around tree bases is a great way to keep the roots moistened for longer periods of time. It isn't just something they do to make the parks prettier, there is a purpos beyond that. In addition to helping retain moisture, mulch can also reduce weed growth. Some townships will even give you free mulch; it may not be top quality, but it will definitely do the job. See, this article from thedailygreen.com for more detailed information!

Not exactly "green," but cool...

Jonathons' Coffee Social Experiment... The guy posted his Starbucks card which you can copy to your smartphone and let the scanner at teh store see to purchase your coffee from this card (if there is an available balance. You can also add money to the card to keep the circle going... great idea, I hope it works...

-Joe

Cut flowers are nice, but...

While the gift of cut flowers are very nice, they usually only last a short time. You can give a gift which is just as nice and lasts a whole lot longer. Potted flowers, while requiring some maintenance on the part of the recipient, will brighten their display location for months or more. Most people imaging a potted flower as a single type of blossom multiplied by the size of the plant, but you can put more than one type of plant in a pot to create a living bouquet. Not all plants will grow well together, but there are many which will flourish in the same small space. It also does not need to be flowering to add a bit of beauty, green plants can be more attactive than flowers in many cases.

The following links will show some ideas for green gifts: Bonsai Kit, ProFlowers.com, or Giving Plants - there are many more that you could easily find with a quick web search. Depending on teh season, you could also go to your local Garden Nursery and get a professional opinion on what might be best for your intended recipient!

Thanks,
-Joe

See some why to "be green!"

The Latest from FLCC: From East Hill Campus to the Appalachain Trail: "The sun shines through the evergreens near the East Hill Campus easement to the Bristol Hills branch of the Finger Lakes Trail. The FLCC..."

Re-blog: New Chicago Brewing Company confronts a brave new world of crafting beer

"The first time brothers Jesse Edwin Evans and Samuel Evans show me the empty, echoing rooms that will house their in-the-works brewery, New Chicago Brewing Company, they keep getting lost. Wandering through an underground concrete labyrinth, Jesse says, "Let's see if this goes through to the other section." It doesn't. "I took a wrong turn," he admits. "Now we're below the—we're above the—OK, we'll just go back. Somehow we just missed the tilapia farm.""

Read the rest of the story here.

Although it seems there are still many kinks to get worked out, it is a spectacular idea! Hope the beer created is as good as the idea!

-Joe

Backwards justice...

Not that I want to condone illegal drug use, but the guy smoking pot actually helped the environment because the growing of his weed contributed to CO2 reduction...

The growing of hemp has many benefits to the environment. Although the variety of hemp more commonly known as marijuana is not the same one used for production, its growth contributions are similar.

This, in part, relates to my previous post about growing things. I am not telling to go and grow some pot, but it still shows that no matter what you grow, you are contributing to the health of the environment.

-Joe

Green thumb?

Plant stuff! It does not matter what you plant, it can be something that produces edibles, something with pretty flowers, something big or smll or something to serve a specific purpose (orhter than being green). All flora (growing plants of all varieties) helps reduce CO2 and produce O2.

Even if you only have access to a window sill for growing space, that is enough. There are tips all over the internet about growing things in small places. If you are lucky enough to have a lot of space you can do great things. Even on rented properties, you can grow things that will not cost you a dime and can just be left there when you move. Many times people who already have large gardens are more than willing to give out a few clippings to others so a new garden can be started. Vegetables can be grown in pots, a huge tilled portion of the yard is not required.

I can help you decide what what is best suited for your space, big or smll and help you find what will grow best in that space. Then I can help you find those things at little or no cost to you. All that will be required on your part is a little manual labor to get it started. Green things growing in your home will also help improve your air quality so you can breathe easier!

Thanks,
-Joe

Cheater post today - reblog

(Click to enlarge) [Via: Carrington College's Renewable Energy Degree Program]

Beam me up Scotty!

If only it were that easy! So, here is another transportation post. Eating up the gasoline costs you money and hurts the environment and driving your car slowly kills it. This can be partially remedied in a couple different ways. Car pooling is one of them; while not always convenient, it does save in more ways than one.

Another option available in most larger cities and even a few smaller ones is a "Park & Ride" program. The way this usually works is that there are parking lots available in centrally located areas scattered around a city, often in the 'burbs. People drive from their homes the short distance to this lot, park their cars and take the bus the greater part of the trip to work.

In addition to saving money on fuel costs, you can save money on parking costs when you work "downtown" where there is no free parking. You are also being green by driving less distance with just one person in the vehicle and transferring to the bus. I noted in another post about "the scary people" on the bus; in this case, you will often only find other working class persons. I do not mean to offend anyone who uses the bus for shelter occassionally, but it can be offensive to some when you have not showered in days.

Anyway, save a couple bucks on gasoline, save a couple bucks on parking and read the paper while you ride. Do some good for the environment at the same time!

Thanks,
-Joe

All free!

I have mentioned in a couple of my other posts about getting free stuff to reuse, repurpose and/or recycle. I am an avid Craigslist user and I pay close attention to the free section; even devoting hours at a time (while doing other things at the computer) to clicking refresh. Most items of any real value are snatched up so quickly that they are gone before the 15 minute CL refresh of the lists; so, if you are not diligent, you will miss "it."

I just have to say thank you, thank you to all the generous people out there who put stuff up in the free section. I know that some are just looking to get their items removed or disassembled or whatnot at no cost to them, but that's how it works most of the time. Free is not usually really free, the cost in most cases is the labor you invest to get the item. So, thank you to those who put up their items for me to come and get so they don't end up in a landfill and I get the chance to repurpose them.

Today's find was awesome for me. I have been trying to find something to make raised flower beds areound the two trees in the front yard. Since I rent, I am not spending money on the project. Today, I got my hands on almost 1000 bricks at no charge to me other than fuel and labor. I was lucky on this one too, they were not damaged from being torn out of a demolition. These brick were never used and neatly stacked up against a shed in the guys backyard. His house was made of the same brick, so I am guessing he ever got to a desired addition or something. Not only are all the bricks in good shape, they are tan bricks, not red and the house is painted tan with brown trim. I feel super lucky!

So, if you have the time at the computer already, keep Craigslist open in the background and click back to refresh a few times an hour. There are plenty of awesome items to be had for only the effort it takes to retrieve them.

Thanks,

-Joe

Where in the world?

Today's post is not about a green tip at all; rather, where you go to look for your tips. I acknowledge that this is a technological age where the Internet mostly rules, but there is still a pen and paper (brick & mortar) world as well.

Where do you find the information that you deem most useful to you? Human contacts (networking), informational displays (Chamber of Commerce, businesses, etc.), the Internet, newspaper, television? There are so many sources of information that is can be difficult to discern where to best reach the people who can benefit the most. In a perfect world, presenting oneself in all possible locations would be ideal; that option is usually financially difficult.

I am very interested in some responses on this one as it will help me help you (and your neighbors. :)

Thanks,
-Joe

Compost stinks?

I took a few days off, and I kinda took those days off from just about everything, including compost pail maintenance.

Often compost doesn't stink, but sometimes in the heat of summer, it can get just a bit "cooked" and draw flies. Those flies can be quite bothersome. Usually they are just fruit flies, but a few hundred fruit flies can be kinda disgusting. Putting fresh waste on top of your pail a couple times a day will often keep the flies down, but if you get a layer that is starting to rot, those flies are sure to start appearing.

There is a very easy "cure" though. Well, not a cure, but a very easy way to get rid of the flies. All you need is a jar or bottle, a piece of paper and some wine or juice. I did not invent this idea, but I can not recall where I first saw it.

Step 1 - Roll the paper into a cone shape with a very small hole on one end so its like a funnel. Tape it to make it hold shape.
Step 2 - Pour a little wine or juice into the bottom of the bottle or jar (clear glass or plastic works best). Only 1/2 to 1" of liquid is needed.
Step 3 - Drop the cone into the top of the bottle or jar so the big end is up and out and the small end does not dip into the liquid.
Step 4 - Set the contraption where the fruit flies are.

They are smart enough to know there is something good and that jar and go get it, but not smart enough to find the little tiny hole in the funnel to get back out. Some will drown in the liquid, but others will fly around inside the there. All you gotta do is carefully take it outside remove the cone and they will all fly away. Then just replace thecone and set it back inside near the flies. Repeat until they are gone, usually does not take more than a day.

Thanks for reading,
-Joe

Welcome to our "ool"...

Notice there's no "P" in it, lets keep it that way. :) I have no idea where I first saw that sign, but it was long before I ever had a pool to worry about. Pool maintenance is a bigger deal than most people care to think about, so it has to be worth the effort for you to want a pool (or you have enough moolah to pay someone else to maintan your pool.)

This is essentially another post about water. Water is not an infinite resource. Contantly draining and refilling your pool not only costs you money, but it uses that finite resource somewhat needlessly. Large pools usually come equipped with filter systems and chemical additive instructions; smaller "kiddie pools" do not and worse yet, there are no instructions on the commercial pool chemicals for such a small volume of water.

It is still important to maintain it. You can save yourself the work of draining and refilling, maintain a healthier pool for the kids and be "green" at the same time. You can use common chemicals to keep your kiddie pool cleaner. Here is a link to a calculator so you can figure out how much stuff to add for how much water you have.

Having even a small pool in the yard is great for cooling off. If your pool is only big enough to get your feet into, that will still help. The human body has this awesom automatic feature of trying to maintain equal temperature for your whole body. That means the body wants your feet to be the same temperature as your chest. So even though the chest and the head have the "most important parts," your body will send some of the heat from there to your feet if they get cold. So, if you put your feet in cool water, it will cool you whole body a little bit. :)

Have a great summer!
Thanks,
-Joe

Worms 'n dirt...

Well, worms and soil (dirt and soil is for a different post)... Do you already have a garden? Did you know that worms are one the best things to have in your garden? They eat organic material and process it fairly quickly into nutrients useable by plants. Why bother with the worms when you can just use compost right in the garden? Well, the compost must break down, the plants can not use your kitchen scraps in their scrap form. They must degrade into a form that the plants can utilize. Worms degrade the compost much more quickly.

This brings me to Vermicomposting. That link will take you an informative article on Treehugger.com that is all about how to best use worms in your garden. Essentially, you provide the worms easy access to your compost and they do all the work for you and not only do they love it, they do it for free!

The dreaded bus!

Why? Why must I bring up the bus? Well, because your destination is too far for you to use your bicycle, for example. Too many people who have always (or almost always) had access to a private vehicle practically fear the bus. However, it is not all that scary, in fact I would classify the "scary" times as minimal at best. It is also a great way to save gas and thereby, money.

I use the bus to get to school; I am kinda lucky in that the bus actually drops me right at the front door. A monthly bus pass costs me $30. At the current gasoline prices, I can only get half a tank for $30 and half a tank does not often last me a whole week, much less a month.

When I mentioned bicycle above, it was for a good reason. The bike is the best option for being environmentally friendly. A car burns fuel and makes you fat, a bike burns fat and helps save the environment! I do know that a bike is not always a feasible option though; it might be too far or take too much time out of your already busy schedule. Some bus companies have actually added bike racks to their bumpers so you can bike the short distance to the stop and to the office or school door and get the best of both worlds.

The bus may cause you some delays too, but the savings both cash and "green," can really make a difference if you can fit it into your schedule.

Thanks,
-Joe

Laundry blues...

Well, you'd be blue too if you were in a cold tub of water... really though, most clothes only need cold water. You can conserve more water heating energy by doing most or all of the laundry in cold water (the clothes really don't complain).

For all the details, I will refer you to someone who has already done all the math to show you the savings... Click the link below to visit treehugger.com (one of my favorite sites).

Wash Laundry in Cold Water by Colin Dunn on TreeHugger

Thanks,
Joe

Longer showers!

Yes, longer showers. Many of us have heard about one method of saving water by taking shorter showers. This reduces total water use and also reduces energy used to heat the water.

However, if you install a newer eco-friendly showerhead, you may actually be able to take longer showers without using any more water than before. The older "eco"shower heads barely felt like a shower at all, more like a trickle of water. However, today's technology has provided us with showerheads which both reduce water consumption and still feel like a shower.

I am not trying to promote Wal-mart here, but I am providing a link to which almost anyone who reads this will have access to. The link below is just an example of one of the newer showerheads which can help you take a longer shower and still be environmentally friendly...

Moen-Eco-Performance-Shower-Head

Thanks,
Joe

Car maintenance...

Being "green" does not mean you need to go out and buy a hybrid or electric car; though that would be cool, we can't all afford to do that. Doing regular maintenance on you current car is very important for both the life of the car and the environment.

Keeping you car in tip-top shape will keep it efficient. Skipping oil changes and letting that "noise" go for long periods of time will not only speed up the rate that your auto degrades, but they also hurt the environment. If your car is not running efficiently, you may need to use more fuel to go the same distance. Fuel use is part of your carbon footprint.

Something as simple as ensuring your tires are at the correct PSI will improve the vehicle efficiency. Some gas stations still offer free air while others may charge up to $1 for a few minutes, but that is a small price for something so easy.

There is still some argument about whether you really need to perform or get an oil change every 3 months or 3,000 miles or if it can be longer, but the high end of recommended time is 5 months or 5,000 miles. That's still less than skipping an oil change.

Learning the basics about car maintenance are not really required if you can at least pay attention to your car. If it starts making a sound that it did not make before, there is usually a reason for it and often that reason is not a good sign.

So, keep up on the keeping up for making your car last longer and helping the environment!
Thanks,
-Joe

Lights out...

Make it a contest for the kids. See who can turn out the most lights before leaving the house. Only one kid? Make it a timed contest. Turning out the lights when they are not in use just makes good sense. Getting into the habit is not always easy though. When it is a timed contest, they will begin turning them all off so the time to get the last few will be better when it's time to leave.

A 60 watt bulb in a lamp uses 60 watts of electricity per hour. My utility company charges me about a dime per killowatt of electricity. That means that I would pay about $4.64 for that 60watt lamp if I left it on for a month. Calculations: 31 days X 24 hours X 60 watts = 44640 watts / 1000 (kw) X 0.1 (the dime) = $4.64. Now I know not many people would leave the lamp on for the whole month, but those figures are just to give youan idea of the costs.

Everything we plug into an outlet uses electricity and can be measured in watts. Lights are just one of the easiest things we can remember to turn off. Check out the things you are using, there is almost always a sticker somewhere on the device that will tell you how many watts it uses and that is always per hour. Try adding it up and see where else you can save!

Thanks,
-Joe

Capturing "energy" in rainwater...

One of our most precious resources is water. Some of you may be thinking, water? Isn't the earth 70% water? Well, there are lots of studies and research on the earths water, but only about 1% of that water is useable. Useable for drinking, flushing, washing, gardening, etc.; only one percent!

What does that mean for you? Well, I guess that depends on where you live. In some places useable water is scarcer than in others. No mater where you live though, you can still capture water. The easiest way is captuing rain water in a barrel. You can also draw water out of the ground with an inverted cone and catch basin. There are acutally numerous methods.

The rain barrel method is the easiest for me. In the north east United States, there is a fair amount of rain, but not as much as the north west US. This makes capturing rain water a feasible option for the short dry spells between rains.

Here are a couple resources on rain barrels from HGTV:
Step by Step Instructions
Description video on How-To

If those aren't enough info for you, please let me know and I will help you get it done!

Thanks,
-Joe

Improvements?

What can I do to help you? Most of my posts here are designed to offer you tips on becoming more environmentally friendly, but is there more I can do to help you? Would you like to see links to examples? Would you like to see sites which show these tips already in use? Do you want numbers when I mention savings?

Let me know how I can help my posts become more effective for you.

Thanks,
-Joe

Power strips...

I am sure that most of you know, by now, that many of our current digital electronics do not turn off when we hit the power button. These devices go into standby mode which reduces power consumption but does not stop it completely. Also, cords used to charge cordless devices which have the adapter built into the cord are using power even when the device is not charging. Although those things do not use much power individually, their usage can add up when you have a lot of them in your home.

A simple solution is to use power strips that have their own on/off button. Plug your charging cords into one strip and turn off the strip when use take your computer, phone and MP3 player out for the day. Plug all the devices in your entertainment center into one strip and turn it off when everyone leaves for work and school. While you may only save a few watts of usage in a day, over the course of a year the savings can add up to a significant amount.

Power strips usually cost less than $10 and ones with surge protection may cost a little more. So, with the purchase of these few small extra devices and a small change in your routine, you can reduce your carbon footprint and your electricity bill!

Thanks,
-Joe

Procastination...

It would be nice if "stuff" just did itself; of course, nothing gets done without doing it. The same as doing the dishes, laundry or dusting, if you don't practice "green" methods, they will not get done either. Luckily for us, most things that will help reduce carbon footprints and help the environment take waaay less time than the daily chores and are often far easier too.

A few simple things that come to mind: use cold water for all laundry loads, your laundry will still get clean and you use less fuel by not heating the water; compost your food waste, not only will you be creating the compost, you will be reducing landfill; and mow the lawn less, yes, less, a longer lawn will actually grow healthier and you use less fuel by mowing less frequently. I don't mean you should try growing a jungle where your lawn is now, but an extra inch or two can still have a manicured appearance (raise the wheels or the blades on the mower).

So, get to it and make life easier and better! :)

-Joe

Gardening

(Cartoon found at Todays Cartoon)

Growing a vegetable garden can be a lot of work or costly, but worth the effort. There is no store (except maybe a farmer's market) that comes close to the taste of vegetables that you grow yourself. I think part of it is knowing you put in teh effort to produce whatever green you are eating, but freshness is the biggest part of it. Picking something out of the soil, off the vine or from the stalk and serving it immediately just makes it taste better. Live in the city? Don't think you can do a garden? Just google "urban gardening" and be awed at the results...

Single Stream Recycling.

Many townships and some cities have begun using this new method for recyclable sorting. "Single stream" means the consumer does not have to sort in advance, instead all recyclables go into a single collection container and a single truck. The sorting begins with the service collector. As the bin is dumped into the truck, (s)he will pull out anything that is obviously not recyclable and leave it in the bin or throw to the garbage if it has not yet been collected.

At the processing facility a combination of human efforts and mechanical seperators are used to ensure that everything is sent to the proper collection pile. Paper, cardboard, tin/steel, aluminum, clear plastics, colored plastics, clear glass and colored glass all go different directions. I know many people believe that if the recyclables go into one truck they must just go to the dump. Well, I have seen the facility my town uses and it really does work. I am not sure if it is really cost effective(yet), but it is good none-the-less.

So, when you feed the cat or make the chili or eat the last donut, toss the container in the recycling bin, not the garbage. It will reduce landfill usage and new materials required for future containers.

Thanks,
-Joe

Lemonade...

You know the adage, "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade"... well, I got some lemonade to make.

I use the craigslist free section religiously when I have the time to spend on it and I can often come up with some pretty good stuffs. I recently picked up a 2500 gallon pool which I only had to spend about $75 in parts to make functional. I also found a really nice antique china cabinet which now graces our kitchen. Today, I went to get a very nice heavy duty wooden "jungle gym," all I had to do was dismantle it to get it. Similar ones sell for around $1000 so I thought I was gonna get a good deal. Thought being the key word.

I got about half of it apart with out too much difficulty, but the other half was a bear and essentially soured the deal. That's where the lemons come in. The guy had built it himself and he built it to last. Each joint was connected with a 3/8"x4" bolt, but that was not enough. Each joint also had the added connection strength of a few nails. Not just any nails, but those nice corkscrew type that are supposed to prevent loosening when the structure is wiggled. the nails were also put in on each side of each joint and each at a different angle versus just straight in (all parallel to each other). Good deal for him; it served his kids well for almost 10 years.

What he got today was some free demolition. Attempting to get those joints apart pretty much destroyed the wood. So, now I have a whole bunch of lumber which is full of corkscrew nails and cannot be turned back into a nice heavy duty "jungle gym" for the kids.

I thought about just taking it all to the dump, but I would have to pay for that and then the purpose of using craigslist free section is totally defeated. I would essentially have had to pay for giving someone else five hours of manual labor.

So, I make lemonade. I will get the rest of the nails out at a leisurely pace and then use the lumber to build something else. Maybe I will make the shed I was looking for so I can get all teh garden tools off the back porch.

Why is this post here? "Reduce, Reuse. Recycle." :)

-Joe

A Great Book.

One of my professors, who just recently retired after more than 40 years teaching, recommended a book to me. I liked the book so much and found it so informative that I am passing the recommendation on to you. The book is called "World on the Edge" by Lester Brown. It tells quite a bit about what humans have done to harm the environment, what is irrevocable and what is not. It also goes into a great many things we, the human race, can do and are doing to prevent global destruction due to lack of resources. If you have ever heard of "Plan B" in relation to global warming (climate change), then you will already have a good understanding of what's in this book. If not, you will be astonished at what is happening around you!

Be Green?

Do you want to be "green?"  There are hundreds of sites out there telling about all these really big ways to be more environmentally friendly.  Some of them are really good resources and if you have the time you can find everything you want.  Reducing your carbon footprint is not difficult or costly.  There are a lot of thing you can do that will not cost you anything and some that may even save you money while simultaneously helping the environment.

Finding these things on the internet and then finding a way to apply them in your home is not always easy.  That's where I come in.  I can come to your home and do an evaluation of your current resource usage and then show you ways that you can reduce consumption and/or increase efficiency.

Sound good? Sound easy?  It is.  Of course I will charge for my service, everyone has got to make a buck.  I will not charge much, usually about $20 for a quick evaluation.

Want more info? Contact me at greenjoeblog@gmail.com or call 585-310-blog (2564)

Thanks,
Joe