Zero Waste

Shortly after I moved to Colorado I become more active about saving energy and water and doing a better job of recycling. Starting this blog has made me read more about issues, ideas, and shifts relating to ways to slim down our waste footprint. The more I read and research the more I realize how much I am NOT doing. It's one of those things; you begin to read a topic which leads you to another topic and another. I've learned a hell of a lot, but I am realizing how much I don't know.

The other day my colleagues and I headed out to lunch (I typically bring my leftovers in to work. Not only is it more cost effective, but I waste less). I noticed on our way out of the restaurant this little newsletter "eco-cycle times". You can find their website here. The newsletter is naturally printed on post-consumer recycled paper and is less than 10 pages, but it is packed with incredible insights, ideas, and initiatives. One powerful concept is the idea of Zero-Waste (ZW) which describes the practice as a circular process of reusing waste as much as possible. Zero Waste actually goes beyond just recycling.

Ecocyle.org is currently geared toward the Boulder, Colorado region but the ideas presented are ones anyone can use anywhere. The site also has a list of links other Zero Waste websites that may serve your area.

A more in-depth description on Zero Waste can be found at wikipedia.org. The article mentions the first mention of Zero Waste in the form of a company's name. The founder (Paul Palmer) authored a book "Getting to Zero Waste". I found it on Amazon, but I'll check it out at the library. Hopefully, they carry it.

The Zero Waste International Alliance lists communities around the globe that have adopted the Zero Waste plan. Communities as far as in the Philippines are Zero Waste. That is awesome!

Getting to Zero Waste is by no means an easy feat, but it is in all of our interests to make a serious effort. The world's population is expected to hit 9 Billion very soon and we are digging ourselves deeper and deeper into a hole by continuing with our disposable lifestyles. Zero Waste appears to be an answer, if not the answer.

FU H2

One of my friends told me about this funny site. A dedication of sorts to the Hummer (H2). Check it out at http://fuh2.com/. Thousands of people have died in wars for oil so inconsiderate, selfish, self-centered, spoiled brats can drive vehicles like the H2. I just don't get it.

Anyway, on to more progressive things. Check out an interesting article I found at seekingalpha.com about Electric Vehicles (EV). I love the idea of not having to worry about $4 gas! The article mentions IMiev from Mitsubishi. It looks pretty cool and makes me wonder what is taking so long for the main stream to really get on the hybrid/alternative band wagon. I'm not talking about the 18 MPG Chevy Tahoe "hybrids" either (Those are not hybrids.) What does it take?

So, what about those Flex vehicles? I'm not sold on those yet, especially if they run on corn based ethanol. It's not clear to me that end-to-end growing, processing, consuming corn based ethanol is actually better for the environment than simply using gasoline. See articles from a Cornell scientist, an article from Seattlepi, and the Economist.

Given all that we know about the drawbacks of corn ethanol, why isn't Sugar cane ethanol being considered?

Clean Energy Bill

Congress is soon going to vote on the upcoming clean energy bill and there's a chance a couple of critical items may fall through. Two things that really must make it in there is requiring auto makers to average 35 miles per gallon and requiring utility companies to produce 15% of their electricity from renewable sources by the year 2020.

Seriously, the fact that Chevrolet is proud of their new Tahoe with 50% increase in mileage is laughable. The non-hybrid Tahoes get 12 MPG, so a 50% increase is 18 MPG. This is a joke!

European auto makers already average 35 MPG! So, I don't see why doing this by 2020 for US automakers is so difficult. Come on people! It's high time we make our voices heard. Please write to your congressmen and senators as soon as you can. Spend 60 seconds and click onhttp://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/Energy_Bill_Global_Warming3_nsb to do this.

Please write now...

Algae, Green Fuel?

So, let's talk algae. What is it? Isn't it that slimy stuff that makes river rocks slippery? Well, yes, but there's a whole lot more to algae. Taken directly from wikipedia.org:

Algae are usually found in damp places or bodies of water and thus are common in terrestrial as well as aquatic environments. However, terrestrial algae are usually rather inconspicuous and far more common in moist, tropical regions than dry ones, because algae lack vascular tissues and other adaptations to live on land. Algae can, however, endure dryness and other conditions in symbiosis with a fungus as lichen.

Algae thrives in sunlight AND CO2! So, what's the point of all this? Well, the other day, I read about Green Fuel Technologies (http://www.greenfuelonline.com) based out of Cambridge Massachusetts and GreenFuel actually runs algae farms located near smoke stacks to soak up the CO2 being emitted. Not only that, it turns out the algae can be turned into biodiesel.
You can read more about GreenFuel's technology here and an article from fastcompany.

How cool is this? I think this is awesome and I am excited there are companies out there thinking outside the box on solving the climate crisis. Who would have thought? Algae? The small guy? Packs quite a big punch! I hope this is a true technology that will help solve the increasing Global climate change problem. It looks like GreenFuel's technology has been used successfully in a couple of major facilities such as the APS Redhawk power plant in Arizona.

We need to spread the word and support and invest in companies like GreenFuel as they are paving the way for a better tomorrow. If you're interested in investing in other clean technologies, check out www.cleanedge.com for more information.

Can we handle the truth?

My last post dealt with tips on saving water and along the way I mentioned a couple of tangential topics one of which I want to talk about briefly.
Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth' brings a few questions to mind; what can we do to help? why isn't more being done to help? How was he not elected president? Alright, this is another tangent I don't really need to get into as we all know the disaster the past 7 years have been.

Al Gore's presentation was thoughtful and well layed out. He managed to convey the scientific facts and findings in a way the audience can understand. Again, I urge you to watch this movie as it is quite eye opening. Below are a few very useful resources if you're interested in joining the growing environmental movement (well, it's actually more than a movement):

www.lamprecycle.org (recycle light bulbs)
earth911.org/recycling/battery-recycling/ (recycle batteries, your local Best Buy will do this)
www.climatecrisis.org (from the movie)
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls (energy star light bulbs)
www.localharvest.org (locally grown super delicious organic produce)

Here are some tips on saving energy at home:

1. Use Energy Star qualified light bulbs, they cost a little more up front, but will save you $$$ over time and last a lot longer. The GE ones have a 10,000 hour life span. Not bad.
2. Turn off lights when you leave the room. I was brought up doing this and am amazed that people will leave lights on for hours while no one is in the room.
3. Use fans instead of central AC so you're only cooling what is necessary
4. Don't heat/cool rooms rarely being used. If you have a dining room only there for show, close the vents in there. Of course, I would ask why you have a room being used just for show?
5. Take public transportation or car pool. I know this may be hassle for some folks, but imagine the hassle when you're having to wear masks over your face so you're not inhaling smog. You could also try to bike to work. Biking has close to 0 emissions.
6. When you're looking at cars, look at buying smaller. Possibly hybrid. Although, I've noticed a Toyota Corolla gets close to hybrid-like mileage and costs less. Plus, it won't cost you over $100 to fill up.
7. Keep you car maintained; check tire pressure and keep it well oiled. A well maintained car will get better mileage.
8. Unplug unused electronics. Even when they're off they're still sucking up power. (Notice my correct use of "they're")
9. Don't charge your phone over night. An empty phone will take about 3 hours to charge.
10. In the summer, when you leave the house you can set the themostat higher, say to 79 degrees. In the winter, you can set it lower to say 65 degrees.
11. Zip-loc bags are great, they're even better when you wash them and re-use them!
12. Be creative and make toys out of used yogurt cups and cardboard boxes. No need to buy those lead covered plastic toys from Walmart!
13. Watch less TV or get off the computer and read a good book. The only energy used here is in the creation of the book and the brain power to re-create the images conveyed by the author.
14. I've noticed many bathrooms have 6 - 10 light bulbs above the mirror. Consider unplugging 2 or 3 of them.
15. Buy organic and local produce. I say organic because organic means environmentally friendly fertilizers and pesticides are used. I say local because the produce hasn't travelled thousands of miles to get to you. You can find great local produce at a farmer's market near you. Check out www.locolharvest.org.
16. Another form of recycling may not be as obvious is the art of buying used funiture. We went to a wonderful flea market where we bought multiple beautiful pieces for an excellent price. Check out http://www.frontrangefleamarket.com/ for directions.

I would love to hear more from the good people out there! This was going to be a short post, but I got a little carried away. Stay tuned...

Mind that water!

$100 oil? Who cares! Everyone is concerned with $100 oil and whether or not there are enough reserves to handle the demand. The media plays this up every day and it is getting old. I am glad it is reaching these levels. I wonder where civilization is headed when I see someone gas up their 80 gallon tank and fork out $200 every week. Seriously, it is disappointing to see someone drive their kid around in a bus-sized SUV. It gives me the impression of self-centeredness and inconsideration for everyone else on the road.

Anyway, I digress I think there is a more ominous and imminent threat to life as we know it. That is, the availability of clean water. Consider this, the body is made up of about 70% water and it will not survive more than 3 days without it. Oil? The body doesn't need oil!

One strong reason for concern over clean water supply is the rapidly melting glaciers throughout the globe. And we all know why the glaciers are dwindling. Please take time to watch Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth". Before I digress again let's get one with the main point of this post.

The recent drought in the South East US, the 6 year one in Australia, and I'm sure scores more, scare me. We, as in everyone, need to take action now to conserve more of this precious resource. You can start with simple things at home. Here's a short list of 10 things I've been doing:

1. Fill a cup of water while brushing your teeth and only use what's in that cup. Don't let the water run while you're brushing. Assume you take 1 minute to brush your teeth and you've left the water running, you've just lost about 1/2 gallon of water. Also, assume you brush your teeth twice per day. In 30 days you've lost 30 gallons of water. You could use that water to make yourselves 240 16 oz coffees and teas.
2. You can take showers instead of baths. You can use slow flow shower heads, or even better, use one of these:A low-flow showerhead by Real Goods (from treehugger.com). One of my friends has one of these and it is awesome.
3. Don't linger in the shower. If you're all done, get out.
4. If you give your kids baths, don't fill the tub all the way up. Consider filling it up a quarter of the way. I know, it's less fun, but it'll be way less fun when you have no running water.
5. You can do some hand-dish washing instead of using the dish washer (often times you have to rinse the dishes anyway for it to actually get all the grime off). If you hand-dish wash consider using a small dish washing tub filled with soapy water. You can use this tub to soak and wash your dishes
6. When rinsing dishes you don't need to blast the water out, you can turn the faucet on low and still rinse. Yes, it'll take you a little longer, but it is said patience is a virtue.
7. Water your lawn and outdoor plants in the evening. Don't do it in the middle of the day while the sun is in full force. If you don't know why, you need to go back to school. If your area is experiencing severe drought, forget watering your lawn period.
8. Consider flushing your toilet after every other use (Use common sense here, if you went number 2 then most definitely flush). Also, if you have an older toilet consider placing a brick or two in the water tank to reduce the amount of water needed.
9. Consider collecting water from your drain pipes during rains and using the rain water for more coffee or tea.
10. Don't wash your car every week. In fact, don't wash your car period. Does it really make a difference if you have some bird poop on your car?

Feel free to add more! It would be great to expand this list with all sorts of ideas.

Grammar you say?

Don't have much time to write today, but I want to make a point about grammar. Especially when you're writing content in public forums. If you want people to take you seriously you really have to be able to write well.

Alright, I'm not an author and my writing isn't the greatest, but I do know when to use "your", "you're", "their", and "there" in their proper contexts. I also understand there are many for whom English is not a first language and I sympthasize. To this day, I'm still learning the rules and the exceptions.

Maybe it's best to showcase their use through some examples.

If you own a book to learn great pick up lines, it's your book.
If you use bad pick up lines, you're going to get slapped.
You spot someone over there by the bar to try a good pick up line on.
If two authors wrote the book, it is their book.
Know when to move on or they're going to be annoyed.

Anyway, just some good things to remember. I may write some more on "its" vs. "it's", "hear" vs. "here", "whether" vs. "weather". Feel free to write some words you would like to see examples for.

My first time

This is my first blog. I'm not sure where it will go. I don't know if anyone is going to read this. I have a few ideas about what I want to write about throughout its life. I was skeptical about the art of blogging for a very long time. Over the last year, however, I've had a lot of positive experiences with blogs on various subjects. Call me a convert!


Initially, I wanted to get into why I started this blog, but I think that would waste your time and mine. I'll just dive right in and begin writing...


We just moved to Colorado from the DC area over a month ago and we haven't looked back. Yes, we do miss our friends and family, but the brilliant views of the Rocky mountains, the low humidity, and lots of open spaces really help you forget the east coast. The move itself went very smoothly although very overwhelming at first since we had to deal with all the logistics. The move was job related, but it was up to us to get us out here.


After reading 15 or so reviews on epinions.com I was gung-ho on using a Penske to drive our stuff out here. There was no way I was going to have our stuff held hostage on a truck while we paid an extra few thousand dollars to get it unloaded. After days of deliberations we used United Van Lines who subsequently contracted out the actual transport of our belongings to a company affiliated with MayFlower Van Lines.
The driver who handled the loading, drive, and unloading was extremely professional, took great care of our belongings, and arrived at our old AND new place on time. I will most definitely recommend him and this company to anyone who is interested. After all was said and done we received a $19 refund!

Craigslist played a HUGE role in our move. To put it into perspective, we sold most of our furniture there, we found someone to takeover our lease in DC, we found a new place to live in CO, we bought furniture to replace furniture we sold, and bought Christmas gifts. I love craigslist. I check it daily.

I'm done for tonight and I leave you with this; if you are considering having a coke, think about having a dark stout beer instead. It probably tastes better, guaranteed has more nutrients, and if you live in an area with lots of micro breweries you're buying food locally produced.