Well I guess it is Blog Action Day so I feel I need to post. My family tries very hard to reduce our footprint, in terms of carbon, solid waste, water use, chemical use, etc.
We do alot:
My wife creates all her own cleaners and cleaning supplies with all biodegradable products.
We recycle everything we can, sum total about 60% of our waste.
We have bricks in the toilets to conserve water.
I drive a 50 mpg Volkswagen TDI and I run 20% biodiesel, while my wife runs an ethanol blend.
I cut my grass with a push reel mower most of the time.
We grow many of my own vegetables and buy the others locally.
Our family boycotts several irresponsible businesses to affect change with our money.
We have converted to entirely CFL low energy lightbulbs.
We have replaced several appliances with Energy Star versions
My wife hangs out the laundry to avoid dryer use.
We walk and ride bikes rather than driving often.
We eat little meat.
We buy many things used, and attempt to buy all things local or atleast Made in USA.
I contribute to eco-causes.
Damn we are good, it really doesn't take any work really. The funny thing about it is if the rest of society would just catchup it would take much less work. I do feel that the world is getting better and better at this, I have to believe.
I know this was a bragging post, but I feel that my family deserves the praise.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Oh, I shouldn't be doing this!
So, I am watching the GOP debate. This is a bad thing!
1. These guys are crazy! Gov. Huckleberry Finn just spent a few minutes explaining how biofuels were going to keep Islamic Terrorists from killing us in our homes. It is strange if you would take the odd fear mongering talk that all the GOP guys keep going for he almost sounds like a Democrat on environmental issues.
2. The Sen. from Colorado can't remember his name, T something just stated that our deficit spending is all from oil costs. Uh Oh I looked it up this article from cbsnews says that our deficit from Dec 2004 was 55 billion only 7 billion of that was from oil producing countries. He said specifically "its not because of toys from China, its from oil". Well in Dec 2004 China made up the largest amount of the deficit and they don't sell us oil but they do sell us toys.
He told a fib. Or as some might say a lie.
3. These guys are obsessed with two things, these imanent terrorist attacks that are just going to happen any day and Hilary Clinton. I guess they know they have one strength, FEAR and they have one major weakness Hilary.
I can't watch any more I am sorry.
Az
1. These guys are crazy! Gov. Huckleberry Finn just spent a few minutes explaining how biofuels were going to keep Islamic Terrorists from killing us in our homes. It is strange if you would take the odd fear mongering talk that all the GOP guys keep going for he almost sounds like a Democrat on environmental issues.
2. The Sen. from Colorado can't remember his name, T something just stated that our deficit spending is all from oil costs. Uh Oh I looked it up this article from cbsnews says that our deficit from Dec 2004 was 55 billion only 7 billion of that was from oil producing countries. He said specifically "its not because of toys from China, its from oil". Well in Dec 2004 China made up the largest amount of the deficit and they don't sell us oil but they do sell us toys.
He told a fib. Or as some might say a lie.
3. These guys are obsessed with two things, these imanent terrorist attacks that are just going to happen any day and Hilary Clinton. I guess they know they have one strength, FEAR and they have one major weakness Hilary.
I can't watch any more I am sorry.
Az
How much is $650,000,000,000
Recently SecDef Gates went before Congress to ask for another 200 Billion dollars for the war. In the same session, Congress members stated that the current total spent on the war is 450 Billion and we one Senator stated that we were spended at a rate of 13 Billion per week now. These crazy amounts of money become a little hard to comprehend. Since that day I have been struggling with the Math in my head to try to comprehend whats happening. Here is what I have come up with so far.
1. According to CIA Factbook the US GDP or Gross Domestic Product is 13.06 Trillion that means that if we spend the additional 200 Billion or a total of 650 Billion that would mean we would be spending almost 5% or our Gross GDP. Or we are spending almost 5% of all the money not cost adjusted that the entire nation makes. On one specific effort in one country. Let that sit for a minute.
2. The other way to look at it is as a per year amount. 650 Billion / 5 years = 130 Billion per year. That would represent somewhere between 1 and 2% of each of those five years of GDP. According to the Office of Management and Budget the entire budget of the US government for 2007 was only 17.7% of GDP. Remember this is covering roads, healthcare, other military spending aside from war, everything.
3. Yet another way to look at it is that pesky 13 Billion a week statement. how much money is that per capita. Well the population of the US is about 300 million currently. So if this figure of 13 Billion a week is correct thats about $43 dollars a week for every man woman and child nationwide. Well is that even possible 13 billion a week? Yes, yes it is. While I showed you the average in the bullet above, this cost has not really accurate. It was not spreadout in this way, the costs have primarily come in the last couple of years, and are increasing daily.
All of this is great banter, but some of you out there are saying: "Whatever it costs to protect our troops with body armor and armored vehicles. Whatever it costs to protect America, it may be expensive but it is security."
1. Military members who worked in Kosovo and many other conflicts under Clinton state they had armor and the tools they needed and these conflicts were not costly.
2. We have almost the same number of US contractors in Iraq as troops. A Blackwater storm trooper costs far far more than a solid steady Marine. He also isn't working for the mission we are, he is working for a paycheck and thats it. If we don't have the troops for the war then there is a problem and it isn't one that high paid crazy mercenaries can repair.
3. There is no evidence that this war has made us any more secure. All of the conventional thought about this region and the former Iraqi regime would tell us that we have destabilized the region further, we have created more terrorism, we have lowered the quality of life of everyone in Iraq, we have weakened our military and offensive capabilities, and we have lost the trust of the world.
I will cut it off there, all is not lost, but the current Whitehouse is trying hard to take you to a point where it will be. The country spends more and Cheney and pals make more, this is a clear transfer of national treasure into private coffers.
Az
1. According to CIA Factbook the US GDP or Gross Domestic Product is 13.06 Trillion that means that if we spend the additional 200 Billion or a total of 650 Billion that would mean we would be spending almost 5% or our Gross GDP. Or we are spending almost 5% of all the money not cost adjusted that the entire nation makes. On one specific effort in one country. Let that sit for a minute.
2. The other way to look at it is as a per year amount. 650 Billion / 5 years = 130 Billion per year. That would represent somewhere between 1 and 2% of each of those five years of GDP. According to the Office of Management and Budget the entire budget of the US government for 2007 was only 17.7% of GDP. Remember this is covering roads, healthcare, other military spending aside from war, everything.
3. Yet another way to look at it is that pesky 13 Billion a week statement. how much money is that per capita. Well the population of the US is about 300 million currently. So if this figure of 13 Billion a week is correct thats about $43 dollars a week for every man woman and child nationwide. Well is that even possible 13 billion a week? Yes, yes it is. While I showed you the average in the bullet above, this cost has not really accurate. It was not spreadout in this way, the costs have primarily come in the last couple of years, and are increasing daily.
All of this is great banter, but some of you out there are saying: "Whatever it costs to protect our troops with body armor and armored vehicles. Whatever it costs to protect America, it may be expensive but it is security."
1. Military members who worked in Kosovo and many other conflicts under Clinton state they had armor and the tools they needed and these conflicts were not costly.
2. We have almost the same number of US contractors in Iraq as troops. A Blackwater storm trooper costs far far more than a solid steady Marine. He also isn't working for the mission we are, he is working for a paycheck and thats it. If we don't have the troops for the war then there is a problem and it isn't one that high paid crazy mercenaries can repair.
3. There is no evidence that this war has made us any more secure. All of the conventional thought about this region and the former Iraqi regime would tell us that we have destabilized the region further, we have created more terrorism, we have lowered the quality of life of everyone in Iraq, we have weakened our military and offensive capabilities, and we have lost the trust of the world.
I will cut it off there, all is not lost, but the current Whitehouse is trying hard to take you to a point where it will be. The country spends more and Cheney and pals make more, this is a clear transfer of national treasure into private coffers.
Az
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Trashing College Football, or Cleaning it Up, Depends
So, I happen to attend college @ the Univ. of Neb. I am not a native of this strange midwestern place, but I attend school here. Through some particular affiliations I have at the school I work on the trash cleanup after football games.
About four weeks ago after being involved with a clean-up where I and other workers tackled approx. 40 tons of trash left on the ground and bleachers, I came home and was absolutely disgusted that none of that trash was being recycled. I told my wife and she was equally disgusted. She tried calling the person in charge of recycling for the campus, and got nowhere fast.
BRIGHT IDEA!!
Get the media involved!
So, I went and talked with the campus newspaper. I know campus newspaper what good will that do. Surprisingly campus newspapers get a pretty wide audience. I would say 75% of the 25,000+ students read it and a great many of the professors.
Well, it worked. They put it on the front page.
Most trash at Memorial Stadium not recycled
Now my commentary which you can also see apended to the end of the online article as a comment.
Despite officials statements there are not enough trash cans just do the simple math. 85000 fans 200 trashcans, duh.
I do not believe that even .001% of the cardboard or anything else is recycled, I have been a part of it.
How can you claim the problem is separation of recyclables without putting out one recycling container.
If the total trash is 40 tons then the amount of plastic bottles is more like 15-20 tons not 6-8,000 pounds. Thats a lot of recyclable bottles!
About four weeks ago after being involved with a clean-up where I and other workers tackled approx. 40 tons of trash left on the ground and bleachers, I came home and was absolutely disgusted that none of that trash was being recycled. I told my wife and she was equally disgusted. She tried calling the person in charge of recycling for the campus, and got nowhere fast.
BRIGHT IDEA!!
Get the media involved!
So, I went and talked with the campus newspaper. I know campus newspaper what good will that do. Surprisingly campus newspapers get a pretty wide audience. I would say 75% of the 25,000+ students read it and a great many of the professors.
Well, it worked. They put it on the front page.
Most trash at Memorial Stadium not recycled
Now my commentary which you can also see apended to the end of the online article as a comment.
Despite officials statements there are not enough trash cans just do the simple math. 85000 fans 200 trashcans, duh.
I do not believe that even .001% of the cardboard or anything else is recycled, I have been a part of it.
How can you claim the problem is separation of recyclables without putting out one recycling container.
If the total trash is 40 tons then the amount of plastic bottles is more like 15-20 tons not 6-8,000 pounds. Thats a lot of recyclable bottles!
Rush Limbaugh is a phony patriot
Have you heard this phony soldier bullshit by Rush Limbaugh?
I cannot even believe that anyone could take his side on this.
He (the service dodging, drug addicted, idiotic, lying, chicken hawk) has the nerve to say, not suggest or question, but outright say that soldiers who return from this sorry war and have the balls and patriotic fortitude to speak out against it are phony soldiers.
Where in the hell does his fat ass get this crap.
Daily KOS tells us all about it. Here.
Maybe, just maybe this will be enough to get Rush fired. I just saying Don Imus was fired for calling a sports player nappy headed, perhaps Rush calling the brave men and women who served in a war they didn't believe in and luckily lived to say they didn't believe in it, phonies will get him fired.
God, are you out there its me Az. Please let Rush be fired.
I cannot even believe that anyone could take his side on this.
He (the service dodging, drug addicted, idiotic, lying, chicken hawk) has the nerve to say, not suggest or question, but outright say that soldiers who return from this sorry war and have the balls and patriotic fortitude to speak out against it are phony soldiers.
Where in the hell does his fat ass get this crap.
Daily KOS tells us all about it. Here.
Maybe, just maybe this will be enough to get Rush fired. I just saying Don Imus was fired for calling a sports player nappy headed, perhaps Rush calling the brave men and women who served in a war they didn't believe in and luckily lived to say they didn't believe in it, phonies will get him fired.
God, are you out there its me Az. Please let Rush be fired.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
My Human Powered Lawnmower
My lawn is one of my areas of great pride. I really enjoy making things grow and having a relaxing yard to play in and live in. When I was growing up my Dad always talked about having an outdoor room, which incidentally he has achieved now in his new home.
My Dad is a Manager for a John Deere Dealer and has been the better part of my life so I have always had access to good quality JD mowers and snowthowers etc. through the philanthropy of my Dad.
I currently have a very nice John Deere JX75 walk-behind mower which was a gift from my Dad. See picture below.
While this is a great mower and a real treat to operate, I began to contemplate the possibility of using a human powered mower and thereby not burn any fossil fuels when mowing.
When I began researching them I found that there are a great many available, but I couldn't find anyone using one and thereby I couldn't try this expensive purchase out before jumping headlong into it. So here is the vouch for anyone else who might want to buy one.
I found a American Mower Company mower on Craigslist for $25.00 and could not pass it up. So I bought it and for the last 2-3 months I have been using it almost exclusively. And, Drum role please, I love it!!! It does a nice job, it is quiet, efficient, and capable. Believe it or not it actually takes me less time to mow with this human powered mower and it gives me a workout at the same time. You can check out a photo of the reel mower below. This is not the only brand but I can tell you this is a good one. And manufactured in the USA!!!
My Dad is a Manager for a John Deere Dealer and has been the better part of my life so I have always had access to good quality JD mowers and snowthowers etc. through the philanthropy of my Dad.
I currently have a very nice John Deere JX75 walk-behind mower which was a gift from my Dad. See picture below.
While this is a great mower and a real treat to operate, I began to contemplate the possibility of using a human powered mower and thereby not burn any fossil fuels when mowing.
When I began researching them I found that there are a great many available, but I couldn't find anyone using one and thereby I couldn't try this expensive purchase out before jumping headlong into it. So here is the vouch for anyone else who might want to buy one.
I found a American Mower Company mower on Craigslist for $25.00 and could not pass it up. So I bought it and for the last 2-3 months I have been using it almost exclusively. And, Drum role please, I love it!!! It does a nice job, it is quiet, efficient, and capable. Believe it or not it actually takes me less time to mow with this human powered mower and it gives me a workout at the same time. You can check out a photo of the reel mower below. This is not the only brand but I can tell you this is a good one. And manufactured in the USA!!!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
My treehugger pickup truck
I used to own a lovely Chevrolet pickup truck which I used to complete a great deal of the tasks around the house. Carrying: firewood, building materials, plants, mulch, furniture, etc. While I really did enjoy having this truck I could not justify the poor gas mileage any longer so I bought my 1999 Volkswagon Jetta TDI. For those of you who do not know the Turbo Diesel Jetta's get exceptional fuel economy. I average approximately 47-48 miles to the gallon most of the time and I use B20 fuel which is 20% biodiesel made from Soybeans, Canola, etc. But by doing this I lost my truck ability, so for approx. $150.00 I just had a reciever hitch and lights installed on my Jetta and now have what I call a treehugger pickup. By the way, the little thing has some pretty decent capacity as well. I wound up overloading this trailer with mulch at the Council Bluffs recycling center and pulled 1528 lbs of mulch home with no problem. It was awesome!
Here is the picture.
Here is the picture.
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