Earth Day
My 9-5 is in the education department of a renewable energy research center. So,
as you probably imagine I am swamped with requests around Earth Day....everything
from talking to the kids at an elementary school to powering an Earth Day festival
with photovoltaics (solar-electric). It is impossible to participate in a fraction
of these, so we focus on events put on by our University. Which means that tomorrow,
I will be standing in the sun explaining to college students the current research
being done in solar and hydrogen.
But do I really believe in Earth Day or the possibility of a sustainable society?
Yes, in the same way that I believe in the Golden Rule....I personally will
do my best, I know that not everyone else will live this way or even try very
hard, and I think that ultimately human nature will spoil everything. To me,
it seems that Earth Day is just a way for people to feel good about the small
attempts they make to minimize their negative impact on the environment. I really
believe that in the not so far away future the Earth will shrug us off
like the vermin we are.
Now you can see why my friends don’t talk about this much with me.....and
why I try not to talk about this at a party. What a way to bring everyone down!
However, if you (like me) want to do the right thing for the future, even if
it sometimes seems like less than a drop in the bucket....what can you do? I’m
assuming that you don’t have thousands of dollars to spend on solar thermal
water heaters, photovoltaic electricity generating systems and a new hybrid
car. I know that I don’t right now. I also don’t have the time to
raise all my own food, and I don’t have the desire to bicycle to work.
For me, the best steps are ones that cost the least in time and money, and hopefully
save me money in the process.
So here’s a few things I've done that work for me:
- I put a timer on my electric water heater, turning it on only a couple
hours each morning. The water in the tank remained warm all day, and it saved
me about 15% on my electric bill. (If you live in an apartment and can’t
put a timer on your water heater, you can manually turn it on and off at the
breaker)
- I started turning off my computer. Really. I think I went about five years
without ever turning my computer off. Now I turn it off if I am going to be
away from it for more than an hour. Then the habit spread and I started looking
at other things that got left on or plugged in (things with an ‘instant
on’ use electricity even when you aren’t using them)....printers,
microwave, dvd player. It’s estimated that these ‘vampire loads’
use 10% of a house’s electricity....I think I saved about that much.
- I quit using paper products (except for toilet paper of course!). I switched
to sponges, an assortment of towels for every purpose, and cloth napkins.
I love the cloth napkins! So classy....and those paper products were adding
to my grocery bill.
- I changed my bulbs to compact flourescents. The new generation of CFLs have
good color and there are even ones that can be put on a dinner switch. Actually,
this was one of the first things I did. Currently, I’m starting to replace
a few of my bulbs with LEDs–the next generation of bulbs that are even
more environmentally friendly.
- I strung a clothesline in my backyard where it’s not visible to the
neighborhood and I dry my towels and jeans on it. They smell great and I don’t
have to run a dryer forever to get my clothes dry.
- I eat meat-free at least three days a week. I feel healthier, and my grocery
bill has gone way down.
- I quit buying bottled water. I filter and bottle my own. Admittedly, our
municipal water is rated one of the best in the state, and I’m sure
that helps.
- Sailor Boi bought me ‘green bags’ to use at the grocery store.
They still aren’t a habit....half the time I remember them when I’m
in line at the store and they are out in the car!! I still have a way to go
on this one. New habits can be hard.
Where do I want to go from here? I want either an electric motorcycle or an
electric scooter to help with my gas bills!!
Hope this helps give you a few new ideas......have a great Earth Day!
9:34:02 PM 
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