Earth Hour

Tonight March 29, from 8-9pm local time, turn your lights out to make a statement that you support energy conservation in the name of slowing climate change. Even Google has made their webpage black in honor of the day. For more information go to the Earth Hour webpage.

To make an even bigger difference in energy conservation, when you turn off your lights, also turn off your TVs and computers, as in most households those use more energy than lights. If you're thinking "but it'll be dark and I won't have anything to do!" why don't you step outside and look at the stars? With most household lights off, the amount of light pollution outside will be reduced, and you'll be able to see more stars than usual.

Greening Your Kitchen

Here is another interesting article from TreeHugger on greening your kitchen. It covers things from buying new appliances (and choosing gas vs. electric) to energy-efficient cooking and buying local foods.

Greening Your Dishwasher

TreeHugger has an interesting article on how to make your dishwashing as green as possible.

Research conducted at the University of Bonn in Germany found that even the most frugal hand washer couldn’t compete with a modern dishwashing machine in efficiency. TreeHuger’s Christine Lepisto writes: “The Bonn study proves that the dishwasher uses only half the energy and one-sixth of the water, less soap too. Even the most sparing and careful washers could not beat the modern dishwasher.”

Two easy household tips

1. Everyone knows that compact fluorescent lightbulbs are better for the environment than traditional incandescent bulbs. But here's something that might get you to actually change those bulbs: every bulb you switch to a CFL saves 100 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. Not too shabby!


2. If you use a shower curtain liner, it's most likely made of Polyvinyl Chloride (sold as vinyl). PVC offgasses harmful chemicals as soon as you hang it in your bathroom. Plus, when it gets mildewy, it goes in the trash, contributing to the solid waste problem. Instead, next time you replace your shower curtain liners look for one made from nylon or fabric. These can be washed in the washing machine and reused over and over again.

I just bought a nylon curtain. Once I've used it for a while I'll give you all a report back.

Cap and Trade

Big Foot (from The New Yorker):

This is a really interesting article about calculating carbon footprints of consumable goods (with some unexpected results) and what can be done about the issue of global warming. (Three words: cap and trade.)

Zandperl, this sounds like the print version of that NPR report you mentioned in a comment a while ago.

How to find locally-grown food

Looking for locally-grown food but don't know where to start? Check out Local Harvest, a website created to help people find Community Supported Agriculture programs (CSAs), farmer's markets, and grocery stores and restaurants that sell local foods.

Spring cleaning has begun!

I am still reading through the Apartment Therapy book I mentioned in an earlier post. I'm not following it step by step, week by week, but am rather taking the basic premises and applying them to my situation.

I think the root of the problem with my home became obvious yesterday after my husband and I each took a quiz in the book separately. When I took it, our condo scored a six. A six means that its health is "weak." It is also described as an "energy drain." When Neil took the quiz, our condo scored a twelve. A twelve means that its health is "excellent." To him, the condo is "invigorating."

This shows the primary obstacle I face. I am feeling overwhelmed by the clutter and all the little things that need to be done. The clutter does not really bother him, and he may not notice all the little things that need to be done.

Yesterday, I went around and took "before" pictures of every room. I'm actually embarrassed by them.

I spent today doing a deep clean on the bathroom. I used Seventh Generation and Mrs. Meyer's products. (I'm happy to report that the Apartment Therapy book also recommends using "green" cleaners. That was nice to see!)

I also replaced the spout on our tub, which was leaking water. In our drought, this may make a difference! I also replaced our hanging shower organizer. It was old and yucky. I hate adding something to the landfill, but it was so gross neither of us were using it, either! A good cleaning did not help it.

Overall, I'm at least feeling better about the bathroom now! We'll see how things go in tackling other rooms in upcoming weeks.

Adjust your speed, save money and carbon

One of the things I learned from my Low Carbon Diet program is that the speed at which cars get optimal gas mileage is 55 mph. (That explains why so many highways have a speed limit of 55, and also why your car may not be getting the gas mileage the manufacturer says it should.)

Since learning this, Toby and I have been consciously trying to drive slower on the highways. In our state the highway speed limit is 65, so we don't feel comfortable driving 55. Instead, we opt for a "happy medium" of 60ish. This means we get passed by every single car on the highway, but our gas mileage has improved noticeably!

I had to calculate our car's gas mileage at the beginning of the Low Carbon Diet to calculate our initial carbon footprint. Our super-efficient Honda Civic got 33mpg. Not bad, I thought!

After that calculation we slowed down our highway driving for a 4-hour round trip to visit my parents. To my surprise, when I filled up the tank this week the mileage came out to 36mpg! I didn't think I'd notice so much improvement so fast, but it really did pay off.

So the moral of the story is, if you can knock your speed down even a few miles per hour you'll see significant savings in gas mileage. Now that gas is getting seriously expensive, it really pays to stretch each gallon as far as it can go!

Soft Tortilla Shells

Have any of you ever made your own tortilla shells?  Like the medium to large soft ones?  I like keeping these on hand, perfect for wrapping up most any leftovers or fresh produce on hand for an easy meal.  I have been buying some from Harris Teeter that are made from organic flour, but I think I may be interested in trying to make my own.

Climate Change Opinions Survey

A friend of a friend of mine has set up a survey to collect opinions about Climate Change.

Regardless of what your political ideologies may be, please fill it out. It only takes a few minutes to complete. Please be sure to fill in the demographics information as well. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=J1M3cyU5scAVsNzAunnMZuS0msjPqVEhd0FNQaSNts8%3d.

Thanks! It will be interesting to see the results of it!

Apartment Therapy by Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan

I went to the public library yesterday and looked through a number of books on home organization and storage. Among the glossy, illustrated books promising to fix all your home storage needs (as long as you have $500,000 or more to spend on new furniture and custom cabinetry) was Gillingham-Ryan's Apartment Therapy. A trade paperback, more narrative than illustrations, it almost looked out of place. I'd looked at the associated Apartment Therapy blog in the past, but had never read the book.

I took it home, along with a stack of the glossy books.

After flipping through the illustrated titles, I picked it up last night and began to read. Instead of simply providing ideas that would permit me to cram more stuff into my tiny house, Apartment Therapy attempts to discuss the larger issue at hand. Why are so many people unhappy with their homes? What can we do to correct the problem?

The first part of the book discusses what makes for a "healthy" home environment. The second part provides and eight week "cure."

I have a feeling that my home is so out of control that it's going to take more than eight weeks. But, what Gillingham-Ryan is saying so far is making sense and I am determined to give it a try.

I have nothing to lose. I fear my house has been chaotic for years. This does depress me.

Is this necessarily frugal or eco-friendly? Not necessarily, but perhaps it can be. Stay tuned! I'll record my progress here, even though I also need to go on an Internet-diet.

Baking with Whole Wheat: Banana Bread

This banana bread is light and fluffy and incredibly delicious. Trust me!

Ingredients:
1 and 3/4 C whole-wheat flour (yes, it's ALL whole wheat)
2 tsps baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 C butter
2/3 C sugar
3 eggs
3-4 ripe bananas, the riper the better
1/2 C or so walnuts, optional

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350*.
2. Grease a breadpan.
3. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Cream the butter and sugar (you may use a food processor for this and all the following steps) until smooth. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. Add bananas and mix thoroughly. Add the flour mixture and mix just until fully hydrated.
5. Add the nuts (on pulse, if using the food processor), if wanted.
6. Pour the batter into a well-greased loaf pan and bake for 40-60 minutes. After 40 minutes, test with a wooden tester (or a knife). Bake until the tester comes out clean.
7. Let cool briefly in pan, then turn out onto a cooling rack.

This bread keeps well in the freezer (I sliced it first). Toby's mom says it also keeps well wrapped in tinfoil, and tastes great with butter or cream cheese. I ate it plain and found it delicious.

Baking with Whole Wheat: Fruit Cake

When I say "fruit cake," most people cringe, picturing one of those indelible, brick-like loaves given out at Christmastime. This recipe is not for that kind of fruit cake. It's more like an incredibly delicious coffee cake with lots of fruit mixed in.

When I got this recipe, it called for all white flour. I've switched it to 100% whole wheat flour, and we can hardly tell the difference.

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup whole wheat flour
fruit (As much as you want, whatever kinds you want. Tart fruits work very well. I recommend at least 1 cup fruit, and as much as 2 cups. Adjust baking time accordingly.)

Directions:
Cream together sugar and butter until smooth.
Add vanilla and eggs and blend.
Add baking powder and flour. Mix just enough to combine all ingredients.
Fold in fruit.
Put batter into a springform pan and bake at 350*F for about 35-40 minutes. (It will take longer if you use lots of fruit.) Bake until a toothpick or knife inserted into the center comes out clean.