To the point

I am often rather direct. This can hurt people's feelings.
It is not intended to do so. Nor does it bother me when it does.
That's really just your own mind games - and has nothing to do with what I am saying or doing. But I suppose that in and of itself is a whole 'nother post.

So - to the point then.

If you are currently watering your lawn, or washing your car, or perhaps rinsing off the driveway - please stop.
It's rude, selfish and unnecessary most of the time, but even more so while we are having a dry heat wave.

Thank you.

environmental waste

I was thrilled to receive a package recently with those corn starch packing peanuts - as you may know I have a very strong aversion to styrofoam.

The insert in the package said they would easily dissolve in water. Of course I immediately put one in the sink. It dissolved pretty quick with warm water.
Awesome.
So I tossed the rest out the back door. I figured its pretty wet outside - so eventually they would dissolve.

Of course, since that time we have had one snow after another and we've not seen bare ground in several weeks.
Ah, but Spring nears and yesterday, we had a huge melt.

Hmm.

weeds

I think quitting smoking was easier, and I haven't even made it through the whole mowing season yet...

I was very proud of our organic lawn when the first weeds started to sprout. They were so cute and different, even beautiful. I thought - hey... this is easy.
But now... now the crabgrass. Its wide, bright green leaves - so unmistakable. And so prolific.

My calming wife reminds me that we have crabgrass every year. But I keep thinking -- if I do nothing... what about next year -- it will take over the entire lawn!
This is where I begin to panic...

So here I am, driving around on the tractor in mindless circles, panicking.
And I think I begin to hallucinate...

on one shoulder I have a little tiny Scotts salesperson and Al Gore sitting on the other. Each one whispering in my ear.

Scotts dude is so calming and reassuring:
"Weese, relax - you know we can handle this with some summertime spot treatments and a preventative next spring."

Al says: "Better yet, instead of cutting the lawn at all, let it go back to meadow and forest."

Scotts Dude: "A simple fall weed and feed will really knock back those dandy-lions, and that thistle doesn't stand a chance."

Al: "Read my research on lawn chemicals as cancer causing agents, and how they affect wildlife."

Scotts dude: "You don't need to read, weese. Just feed it... c'mon - you know you want to. Look at John's yard next door."
my head spins...

Al: "Did you know US lawns take up as much space as the entire state of New York. And that 1/3 of all the water on the East Coast is used to water lawns!"

Scotts Dude: "We have a new chemical that helps reduce the need for watering."
He is grinning now.

Al: "So we feed and water a lawn to make it grow, only to cut it back every week - does that sound silly to you?"

Scotts Dude: "Consistent maintenance, including sharp blades and regular mowing is essential to a healthy lawn."

Al: "And by 'healthy' you mean....?"

Al breaks out into song and is joined on my shoulder by Rachel Carson.

Scotts dude: "WTF - they're singing. Fine, fine keep your weeds and your crabgrass, save hundreds of dollars a year as well as the environment, not to mention your family pets... whatever."

Whew.

Friday

not quite a tip-o-day

Ever since we have started to cut the grass with our trusty reel mower, I can't tell you how many people have said they couldn't do it simply because it would be too much effort.
(if you are one of those who mentioned this... take solace, you're not alone)
Yet, we'll pay hundreds of dollars to a gym to run for an hour and get nowhere, or sit on a bicycle and watch television then go lift heavy things up and down and up and down only to put them back where we found them.

And people say I have gone mad.

Are you out of shape, need some firming up?
Think about it.

55

Did you know that driving 55mph saves gas?
No, really...it does.

If you drive alot, it can save you quite a bit actually.

Apparently, I am the only one who knows this... or cares.



--

Conversation with Ferris:
weese: "I have read that driving 55 will save gas."
Ferris: "That's correct - 55 is the optimal speed for gas savings... on any road."

working for a living

Don’t just have your eyes open. Be alert -- process what you’re seeing.

Earlier this week I passed a woman on a bike on my morning commute, though it's not unusual to see a woman on a bike.
It was a street bike not a … I think they call them cruising bikes or comfort bikes now. She was not wearing sports apparel. She had an attractive messenger type bag over her shoulder. She wobbled a bit as she pedaled her way out of the town center, toward the office complex were I work. Clearly this was a new experience for her.

This morning I saw a man in a white shirt and tie on a scooter. He rode with traffic on my street down to the light, but then rode in the shoulder on the main road to down toward the highway. I hope in his heart he felt proud and not belittled.

These are not rich people who tend to jump in making these short term grandiose changes because its chic.
These are not poor people who I have heard are now abandoning their cars when they run out of gas.
These are folks like me. We are working for a living, and the money we make goes to our living expenses.

Things are changing, people.

Look for it, you will see it.

Participate.

You don’t need to get a scooter or ride your bike to work. But – you would be wise to think twice about your discretionary spending. Do you really need a new blouse, new shoes? Examine the word ‘need’ with new fervor now.
Even if you can (or think you can) afford these new things – is it wise to buy now?
That’s how you should be thinking.

Yes, we need to save the planet.. so why not save some money while you are at it?

Harken

In our ongoing effort to be more environmentally conscience we have resurrected the reel mower.

We bought it a couple years ago. My easy-going wife liked it well enough, but I wasn't too happy with its performance. After a short time I gave in and bought a used gas mower.

Now, that I am of the mind that the 'american lawn is the bane of the environment', we are using it again.
(Oddly I am still at complete peace with the degrading condition of our lawn. Tho, its quite possibly my clever wife is sneaking prozac into my morning coffee).

Last week I was out cutting the front lawn with it. It does a decent job, leaving the lawn looking more natural than manicured.
Since the mower is silent I can hear everything going on around me. Instead of hearing cars zip by all too fast I heard the clip-clop of hoofs.
I looked up and sure enough a horse and buggy were travelling down our busy, double yellow-line street. They were from the farm down the street that still sells fresh eggs, corn, even raw milk (what does one do with raw milk... Guy?)
Cars were lined up behind them. I am sure they were annoyed.

We were able to chat for a moment as they trotted by our house. I commented that it was such a lovely evening for a ride - they commented back how nice and quiet my mower was.

It was a moment.
A moment out of time... in busy suburban Connecticut.

yeah. We're keepin' the mower.

the 'organic' FREE dog

As I have mentioned, we here at the weese's are going organic.
We are making broad changes to many parts of our consumable lives.
My environmentally sound wife has been making smarter choices at the grocery store. We are both learning about using more vegetable based cleaning and personal products. As well as cutting off our addicted yard and garden from all the toxic substances we have been applying over the years. I imagine my grass going through detox, jonesin' for some Scott's.

Personally, I am diligently working on my own addiction -the perfect green lawn.
So far I am reacting calmly and agreeably to dandelions, crabgrass and large patches of dead lawn.
My mantra is 'its all vanity'.
Having the perfect lawn is nothing but my own vanity.

This weekend we all got a taste of the organic (some more than others)...
My organically inclined wife shopped at a farmers market where local organic farmers were selling meats, cheeses and greens.
At home, I weeded dandelions - by hand. And applied organic fertilizer to the lawn.

We got the seal of approval on our lawn products from the FREE dog who we had to keep calling into the house before she licked the ENTIRE lawn.

feeling all earthy

It's Earth Week... well, technically tomorrow is Earth Day - but hey, why not stretch it out to a week.
You can read about it EVERYwhere, and get plenty of green tips online, on TV, even in the grocery store.

If you are so inclined to plant a tree, I have a link to the right there. Its nice, because someone else does the digging.

We are also planting some in our back yard.
Well... not exactly digging holes and planting saplings.
We are giving back more of our manicured lawn to the wilderness. It's a win/win situation. Less for us to maintain, more places for wildlife to find refuge in our busy suburban landscape, and all we have to do is sit back and watch it grow.

watts that you say

An update on the kill-o-watt research. Sorry no charts or graphs yet, but I am pressed for time to do a proper presentation. Someday I will quit my day job to do full time environmental research. I could start now if y’all wanted to make substantial donations - let me know, I take paypal.

I will tell you this so far...
Where the online calculator told me that our dinosaur-fridge cost us $152 a year to run - my figures show it to be only about $125.
That's still a whole-heck-of-a-lot more than the new model we want, which will bring the annual cost down to a little over 40 bucks. This alone makes me pretty happy with this little device.

During my research I have found one drawback of the meter is its two decimal limitation. When you're being billed at .000000 - more granular data would be helpful

This constraint could taint my findings on cell phone chargers. I had read that the chargers draw power even when there is no cell phone attached. Knowing the limitations of the device I left the charger plugged into the kill-o-watt for three days.
It still reported 0 watts used over all that time. While this still may not be completely accurate – can I consider its draw insignificant? Perhaps I need to leave it plugged in longer and add a projection calculation to my spreadsheet to be sure.

This is where we are so far. Maybe a pie chart next. Or maybe just some pie.

detox

I was visibly nervous, my eyes doing that darting around thing.
My hands trembled as I cut open the bag with my recently sharpened Swiss Army knife.
The smell hit me immediately, and I recoiled. Taking the cue I put on vinyl gloves before I carefully poured the product into the hopper.
The application was easy enough, but I was really only concerned with the result. I had to keep reminding myself that I was doing something good. Repeating the mantra in my head – its vanity, its just your ego.

In the end, it felt good.
Now it’s just a waiting game. Will it still feel good when it all goes to hell? Will I be able to stand tall and proud of my contribution… without excuses, without gloating.

Time will tell.



...and yes, I know exactly what Milorganite is.

killing watts

This is too fun. Everyone should have one of these.

I ran all over the house last evening checking Watts. To get accurate readings I realize I will need to leave appliances plugged for some time - but I was so excited...

Here's the KW in the kitchen, checking the under cabinet halogen lighting:

(hmm, 66 watts - that's alot)















Then I wanted to check the watts drawn by a cell phone charger with no cell phone attached. I read somewhere that these draw power even when they are not in use.
But the KW is reporting 0. Hmm - more testing is needed in this area.






My patient wife put up with me plugging and unplugging her laptop while she was trying to use it. She is so good to me.


















I plugged in the TV/DVR last night for a longer duration test (which of course includes downtime and ontime). Right now, the fridge is plugged in for an 8 hour test cycle.
... working on my spreadsheet now.

giddy

A friend of mine at work is letting me borrow this...

I am so excited.

Kill A Watt^TM will measure the wattage that our electrical devices are using simply by plugging them into it.

I am particularly interested in measuring the 'dinosaur that keeps our food chilled'.
In doing some online research I have learned that we may save as much as $120 dollars a year by replacing this ancient beast.
But this nifty little device will give me solid proof where the web-based calculators leave me wondering.

and yes... I am already working on my spreadsheet.

How many pages in a tree

60 catalogs so far.







5:15 pm
I just got home to find 5 more in the post today. FIVE more. Will it ever end?

Gratuitous Foam

Ok. So now what. I can't simply throw it away!


Before I could even get my head fully around my rage I found myself on the HP website.
I penned this letter to a fellow named Mark Hurd, as he seemed to have a lofty title... Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President.

I am writing to tell you how EXTREMLEY disappointed I am in your company’s latest advertising promotion.

I received your gimmicky box labeled 'Top Secret'. Mind you, I have no issue with the premise. But WHY oh WHY did you feel the need to include a completely gratuitous 9x12 piece of Styrofoam?
How could a company, as environmentally conscious as you claim to be, send out a substance that has a degradable time frame of NEVER -- for absolutely NO reason. There was NOTHING in the box except for Styrofoam.

I will not visit your site, not even to play along for my free gift. I will also do my best to repurpose this Styrofoam to keep it from floating around in the environment for all eternity.

Your advertising has not only failed to promote your products or your company – but has truly upset me.

I sent it, proudly, from my work email, with my full e-signature on Monday.
No response yet.

hmm, I think perhaps I can do better than to simply repurpose...

Friday

tip-o-day

We haven't even started to compost yet - but I was so pleased with this tip I decided to publish it even before we put it into practice.

When my environmentally conscience wife and I started discussing composting last week - she explained frankly that she was not thrilled about schlepping kitchen waste out to the pile in the dead of winter every day
(keeping in mind that we plan to compost in a wooded patch over 300 feet away from the house).

I told her about those nifty little buckets that sit on your counter which are purported to be odor free for days - she wrinkled her nose.

Then a friend at work gave me this fabulous idea.
Use the freezer.

Perfect!
We can simply toss our daily kitchen wastes (non-meat) into a tupper' or baggie or some such thing then pop them into the freezer.
It can be added to and stay there as long as needed, and the schlepping can be done at our convenience.

One man’s garbage

Sometime last year we started on a phased approached to shrinking our environmental footprint.

In Phase I – we tackled energy usage.
You know.. flourescent bulbs, power strips for passive electrical devices...etc.
Getting a new refrigerator was also discussed… but that falls into the major purchase category which would require an addendum to the ‘08 fiscal budge, we would then need to form a committee to get that approved by the board of directors, and if that passed a research team would need to determine energy efficiency guidelines, and our user acceptance group would need to review the different models and options… I mean we had to draw the line somewhere.

This week we begin Phase II – cut down on waste.
First we plan to scrutinize our household garbage.
We want to see how much waste falls into the following categories.
* Paper: recyclable (or burned)
* Plastics: recyclable
* Plastics: non-recyclable
* Food: to compost
* Food: not to compost (meat/bones/grease)
* Misc… this should be an interesting catagory

Then we cut down on what's brought into the house. Less in = less out.

* stop incoming paper

I have already called 17 catalog companies this morning and have stopped the newspaper.

* stop using plastic bags

We already have the reusable bags for the grocery store. But its time to stop accepting them from other stores. In most cases we should be able to carry out our purchases, put them in a large tote, or put them back into the cart to load into the car. If necessary, a paper bag or shopping bag can be used – but must be repurposed.

* purchase items which use less packaging.

For example - meat purchased at the grocery store is set in styrofoam and wrapped in plastic, while meat purchased at the butcher is wrapped in paper.

Composting will be our biggest change. We have never composted kitchen scraps before.
We have always tossed them safely into our drawstring white plastic tall kitchen garbage bags and tightly sealed them so they can be sent to a landfill where they will never decompose because they are so well protected in our drawstring white plastic tall kitchen garbage bags.
How dumb is that.
So instead we will be the bane of our suburban neighborhood with our snazzy new compost bin – sure to be enjoyed by domestic and wild animals alike.
I feel greener already.