I love to watch documentaries. There’s something about being entertained and moved by a true story. And feeling like knowledge is power, and that you can make a difference. I recently added a documentary to my Netflix queue called The Cove. It’s about a fishing village in Japan that captures dolphins to sell to the [...]
Archive for the ‘Environment’ Category
9 Aug
Better fuel efficiency standards
Last week, Obama announced that by 2025, vehicles will have to average 54.5 mpg. By 2016, cars would need to average 34 mpg. Supposedly, vehicles currently average a fuel efficiency of 26 mpg, which surprises me given how many SUVs and trucks are on the road. My hybrid SUV only gets about 29 mpg and [...]
24 Jul
Repeal the Clean Water Act?!
I cannot wrap my mind around this… every Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives, along with some Democrats from coal producing states, voted last week to repeal the Clean Water Act of 1972. They would like to get the federal government out of the picture and allow individual states to regulate water pollution–you know, [...]
9 Jul
Solar Panels and Pigeons
About six months ago, we had a 6.75 kW photovoltaic (aka, solar panel) system installed on our roof. We leased the panels, which was a great option, because we put no money down and the monthly fee on our lease is what we were already paying for electricity. So rather than pay the energy company, [...]
22 Mar
Zero waste video
Watch a nice video about a family trying to produce as little waste as possible. I love their low clutter, minimalist lifestyle. After spending more than an hour today organizing toys, this seems like a great idea. Thanks Meg for sharing it with me!
25 Feb
Solar panels up and running
We had solar panels installed last month. They are now up and running and producing about 30 kW of energy each day. It’s only February and when we have several sunny days in a row, our meter runs backwards. Can’t wait until summer! Unfortunately, the electric company in my state has filed a request to [...]
4 Nov
Precaution and prevention
It is clear that in America, we do not take a preventative approach to our health. Rather than use precaution and limit the use of materials that may pose a risk to our health, we mass produce products and insist they are safe until proven otherwise. Essentially, we are using ourselves and our children as [...]
1 Nov
Leasing solar panels
I didn’t even know it was possible to lease, rather than purchase, solar panels for your home. Apparently in my state, as of 2009, it is. This is great news for people that don’t have 15-20k to buy solar panels. Companies like SolarCity can install and finance your panels, while other companies like SunRun can [...]
16 Oct
It’s not enough to recycle
While recycling is a good thing, it’s really not enough. You also have to buy post-consumer recycled paper products. We need to help create and sustain a market for recycled products. So, the next time you’re buying paper, toilet paper, paper towels, tissue, wrapping paper, etc., try to find products made from recycled paper. My [...]
28 Jun
Reducing oil consumption through our diets
With the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, undoubtedly many of us are thinking about reducing our oil consumption. The first thing that comes to mind is transportation, but did you know that agriculture in America uses almost as much oil as our vehicles? Agriculture production consumes 400 gallons of oil per year [...]
