Phew, I think I'm still working off all that dessert that I ate during the few days surrounding Christmas... Well, it feels great to be back writing another entry for the Impractical Green Resource. Well, what do you know! My calendar is telling me that this here is going to be my last entry for 2009! And I think it is especially appropriate for me to do one of those year in review things that everyone seems to do this time of year. So without further ado, here's the Impractical Green Resource's 5 Green News Stories of 2009!
When I first came up with the idea for this last week, I was planning on doing a top 5 news stories of the year, but upon further speculation, I realized there were two reasons why that wasn't going to work. The first was that I have a staff of exactly one person (me) working at the IGR and it would take me until the end of 2010 to sift through all of the news stories and rank the top five. The second was that (no offense to 2009) this past year has been quite the disappointing year for environmentally friendly news. I mean think about it. The economy has stalled much of the growth in the large scale solar and wind power plants, the Copenhagen conference was marked by protesters and boycotts, and we've seen the price of recyclables drop dramatically, making less incentive for cities and businesses to recycle.
So here's five more or less random stories from 2009:
1) The Decline of the Newspaper Industry
Yes, I know I might be cold-hearted to secretly want some of these newspapers to shut down. I mean, the last thing we need now is for people to be losing their jobs. But I read that 142 newspapers in the US stopped operations in 2009. That means less paper that's being used to print the news and less gas used to deliver the papers. And it's not all bad news (no pun intended) for the news industry. Many of these papers have gone digital and still maintain online sites. And I think it's for the best this way. I can still keep up with the goings-on in Northwest Ohio by reading the Toledo Blade's website even though I've been in Willoughby for the past week or so. And yes, I know I'll be using electricity to read the news online, but if I weren't doing that, I'd probably be online anyway playing games on Facebook.
2) The US Becomes the World Leader in Wind Power
USA! USA! Go us! As of the end of last year/the beginning of this year the US passed up Germany for the country with the most power generated from wind power. That sounds pretty good, right? Well, let's look at the details. The US had a capacity of 31 GW during 2009 whereas Germany had only 25 GW. So.... we're the best, right? Not quite. The US used about 4100 TWh of power in 2009 compared with around 580 for Germany. The US only gets 1.5 % of its power from wind compared to over 7% for Germany. That's like praising California for passing up Iowa in total wind power. (Which is funny, because that hasn't happened yet. Iowa's clearly been reading the IGR based on how they're sticking it to California.)
3) We Have Too Many Solar Panels
I never thought I'd say this, but we've got a bit crazy with solar panels. During 2009, so many companies jumped into the solar panel manufacturing business that we actually have too many solar panels. A lot of the little start up companies can't live up to their forecasts because they didn't expect so many other companies to enter the market. Because of this, prices are down for solar panels. So if you're thinking of upgrading your house, now would be the time to do it!
4) Mushroom Insulation
Seeing as how this is the Impractical Green Resource, I really wanted to put something bizarre on this list. Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre, two "innovators" who met at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, have "come up" with a "new" way to insulate your home. They're working on a substitute for the traditional plastic and fiberglass based insulation. And it's made out of mushroom proteins. Hm, doesn't that sound familiar??? Green Tip #48 encouraged people to eat a mushroom protein based turkey substitute (sorry, I guess that ruins the surprise of what mycoprotein is...) and Green Tips #45 and #6 encourage people to stuff extra food into their walls. I'm sure half of my walls are filled with mushroom insulation already! Nice try, guys... I'm way ahead of you.
5) Pop (Soda/Coke) Bottle Christmas Trees
Okay, you have to do a search for these. They are so cool. This probably isn't exclusive to 2009, but I heard about it first in 2009, so that's why it's on this list. You take green, sugary, carbonated beverage (to avoid regional dialect differences) containers and string them together to make a Christmas (or President's Day) Tree! You can reuse your old cans and save from cutting down a tree every year! (Not that you'd need to if you followed Green Tip #58 anyway...)
Well, thanks for reading everyone! It's been a great year and I look forward to 2010! Keep up the fight against Global Warming and I'll see you next year!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Christmas Special Green Tip #60: Gift Wrapping (or Lack Therof)
As sad as it is to admit it, we've come to the end of the Christmas Special week. It's been so much fun sharing holiday Green Tips with you, but all good things must come to an end. And instead of sharing a fun, witty, insightful holiday Green Tip with you today, I think it would be more fitting if I just talked about the magical spirit that's in the air this time of year. You see, it's not just about commercialism and pretending that the true meaning of the holidays is environmental responsibility in order to promote your blog. It's about spending time with family and-
Shoot!!! I forgot to finish my Christmas shopping!!!! Outta my way!! I need to get to Wal-Mart!
Say, that gives me an idea for a Green Tip #60. Guys, I'm looking more at you than the women on this one. I hate to stereotype, but you know it's true. How often have you forgot to buy something for a loved one's birthday or anniversary or Christmas or bat mitzvah? Well, when you inevitably end up running out the morning of to grab the nearest thing from the shelf of the gas station down the street, you can at least pass it off a little better by following Green Tip #60.
If you don't wrap the present because you got it at the last minute, now you have the valid excuse that it saves paper! She'll never figure out you got it that day. So with this Green Tip and Green Tip #23, you should be off the hook for a really long time.
An alternative to this that was suggested to me by my brother is to wrap your presents in other presents. He suggested wrapping things like movies and games in things like shirts and coats. I say that it would be even better if you do the other way around. If you manage to stuff a shirt into a DVD case, think of all the space you'll save under the tree!
Well, before I head out to the store to finish my shopping, let me say that I hope you have a Merry Christmas and I'll see you next week where I'll be recapping some of the environmental stories of 2009!
Shoot!!! I forgot to finish my Christmas shopping!!!! Outta my way!! I need to get to Wal-Mart!
Say, that gives me an idea for a Green Tip #60. Guys, I'm looking more at you than the women on this one. I hate to stereotype, but you know it's true. How often have you forgot to buy something for a loved one's birthday or anniversary or Christmas or bat mitzvah? Well, when you inevitably end up running out the morning of to grab the nearest thing from the shelf of the gas station down the street, you can at least pass it off a little better by following Green Tip #60.
If you don't wrap the present because you got it at the last minute, now you have the valid excuse that it saves paper! She'll never figure out you got it that day. So with this Green Tip and Green Tip #23, you should be off the hook for a really long time.
An alternative to this that was suggested to me by my brother is to wrap your presents in other presents. He suggested wrapping things like movies and games in things like shirts and coats. I say that it would be even better if you do the other way around. If you manage to stuff a shirt into a DVD case, think of all the space you'll save under the tree!
Well, before I head out to the store to finish my shopping, let me say that I hope you have a Merry Christmas and I'll see you next week where I'll be recapping some of the environmental stories of 2009!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Christmas Special Green Tip #59: Christmas Cookies
Alright, let's cut to the chase. Don't even bother trying to deny it, you and I both know that when you're making Christmas cookies (or any cookies for that matter), you lick the bowl when you're done. Or if not that than the spoon or the mixers. Or if not that than all of the above. Raw cookie dough is just so amazing to eat and despite numerous health warnings telling us how bad raw eggs and such are for you, we all do it. I like to look at it this way: in the original Rocky movie, when Rocky is training he drinks a cup of raw eggs. A cup! Of raw eggs! Although he did (SPOILER ALERT) lose the match at the end to Apollo, so maybe eggs were to blame for that. But eating raw eggs sure didn't kill him, as evidenced by him going on to make five more movies.
Where am I going with all of this? Well, assuming that you're not planning on fighting Apollo Creed anytime soon, I don't see what the big deal is in eating cookie dough with raw eggs in it. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that raw cookie dough is almost better than baked cookies. I mean, which is more popular, cookie dough ice cream or cookie ice cream?
So Green Tip #59 is this: Don't Bake Your Christmas Cookies. As amazing as cookie dough is, I'm sure that nobody will complain when you serve them lumps of cold cookie dough shaped into snowmen and Christmas trees (or the Presidential Seal if you want to continue with yesterday's fantasy). Not only will this save you the time it takes to bake all of your cookies, this will cut down on the amount of gas or electricity that it takes you to run your oven.
So think about Mother Nature this year before you stick those cookies into the oven. Hm, actually that gives me an idea. What if Rocky opens a bakery in the seventh Rocky movie? I'll have to talk to MGM about that....
Where am I going with all of this? Well, assuming that you're not planning on fighting Apollo Creed anytime soon, I don't see what the big deal is in eating cookie dough with raw eggs in it. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that raw cookie dough is almost better than baked cookies. I mean, which is more popular, cookie dough ice cream or cookie ice cream?
So Green Tip #59 is this: Don't Bake Your Christmas Cookies. As amazing as cookie dough is, I'm sure that nobody will complain when you serve them lumps of cold cookie dough shaped into snowmen and Christmas trees (or the Presidential Seal if you want to continue with yesterday's fantasy). Not only will this save you the time it takes to bake all of your cookies, this will cut down on the amount of gas or electricity that it takes you to run your oven.
So think about Mother Nature this year before you stick those cookies into the oven. Hm, actually that gives me an idea. What if Rocky opens a bakery in the seventh Rocky movie? I'll have to talk to MGM about that....
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Christmas Special Green Tip #58: Christmas Trees
Welcome back! I hope your bundled up and staying warm during this first full day of winter. Today I'll be talking about ways to be a little more environmentally friendly when it comes to decorating for the Christmas season. This may be already too late to share Green Tip #58 as Christmas is just 3 days away and if you haven't picked out your tree yet, you'll probably end up with a tree that will make the Charlie Brown tree look like the one in Rockefeller Center. So make sure to file away what I'm saying here until next year and remember to keep it in mind come next November.
All throughout history, the dominant way of doing something has been unseated by a new technological or societal advancement. Consider how telegraphs were rendered obsolete by the popularity of the US Postal Service. In recent years mail volumes have dropped due to the rise of fax and e-mail. Or consider how long distance passenger trains in the US have become a thing of the past due to the highway system and airline travel. Finally, think of how in the coming century, coal and gas power will be replaced with solar, wind and nuclear power.
Now I'm not saying that what I'm about to propose is as groundbreaking as airline travel or e-mail. I mean we're only talking about Christmas trees here. But in order to make Green Tip #58 seem more significant, I'm going to create a metaphor comparing Christmas trees to the automotive industry.
If you can recall, during the 60's and 70's, there were really only three choices when it came to what kinds of cars Americans could buy. Ford (real evergreen trees) General Motors (artificial trees) or the less popular Chrysler (don't celebrate Christmas). This system worked well. Nobody complained that the cars were all of very poor quality and were really bad for the environment (just like cutting down trees every year or manufacturing artificial trees). It was just the way the system was and nobody thought to challenge the status quo.
Until Japan decided to throw its hat into the ring. During the 80's, along came Toyota and Honda with a new line of cars that had very few defects and were much more customizable. Suddenly everyone wanted one and just a few years ago, Toyota passed up GM as the largest car company in the world. This story is legendary among engineering and business classes and is used as an example of how making things better can completely shake up the industry.
Well what is the Christmas tree equivalent to this story? No, not import your trees from Japan (if you think that you missed the point of the metaphor). Instead what I suggest is that you just dig a hole in your living room and plant the tree right there. You get all the benefits of having a live tree (yummy Christmas-y smell, for example) without the lameness of an artificial tree. And even better is that it will be around every year! You'll never have to cut down another tree! And you don't have to water it! AND it will filter out all that carbon dioxide you're exhaling and release more oxygen!
Now it does get a little tricky when it comes to what to do if you have downstairs neighbors. You'll just have to arrange something with them so that you just get a bigger tree and you'll just have the top part sticking up into your place and they take the middle and bottom parts. They'll understand when they'll have to give up putting an angel on the top.
And you have the issue of it being there year round. You never know, this might start a new set of traditions. I can just imagine the kids walking up on President's Day morning to rush downstairs and find the presents that George Washington left under the President's Day Tree. I can't wait to go caroling with songs set to the tune of 'Hail to the Chief' and setting up my Obama and Nixon nutcrackers. And what about a remake of 'A Christmas Story' where a young Lincoln wants a BB gun but his mom says no because he'll shoot his eye out...
Oh. Um. Sorry. Too soon?
All throughout history, the dominant way of doing something has been unseated by a new technological or societal advancement. Consider how telegraphs were rendered obsolete by the popularity of the US Postal Service. In recent years mail volumes have dropped due to the rise of fax and e-mail. Or consider how long distance passenger trains in the US have become a thing of the past due to the highway system and airline travel. Finally, think of how in the coming century, coal and gas power will be replaced with solar, wind and nuclear power.
Now I'm not saying that what I'm about to propose is as groundbreaking as airline travel or e-mail. I mean we're only talking about Christmas trees here. But in order to make Green Tip #58 seem more significant, I'm going to create a metaphor comparing Christmas trees to the automotive industry.
If you can recall, during the 60's and 70's, there were really only three choices when it came to what kinds of cars Americans could buy. Ford (real evergreen trees) General Motors (artificial trees) or the less popular Chrysler (don't celebrate Christmas). This system worked well. Nobody complained that the cars were all of very poor quality and were really bad for the environment (just like cutting down trees every year or manufacturing artificial trees). It was just the way the system was and nobody thought to challenge the status quo.
Until Japan decided to throw its hat into the ring. During the 80's, along came Toyota and Honda with a new line of cars that had very few defects and were much more customizable. Suddenly everyone wanted one and just a few years ago, Toyota passed up GM as the largest car company in the world. This story is legendary among engineering and business classes and is used as an example of how making things better can completely shake up the industry.
Well what is the Christmas tree equivalent to this story? No, not import your trees from Japan (if you think that you missed the point of the metaphor). Instead what I suggest is that you just dig a hole in your living room and plant the tree right there. You get all the benefits of having a live tree (yummy Christmas-y smell, for example) without the lameness of an artificial tree. And even better is that it will be around every year! You'll never have to cut down another tree! And you don't have to water it! AND it will filter out all that carbon dioxide you're exhaling and release more oxygen!
Now it does get a little tricky when it comes to what to do if you have downstairs neighbors. You'll just have to arrange something with them so that you just get a bigger tree and you'll just have the top part sticking up into your place and they take the middle and bottom parts. They'll understand when they'll have to give up putting an angel on the top.
And you have the issue of it being there year round. You never know, this might start a new set of traditions. I can just imagine the kids walking up on President's Day morning to rush downstairs and find the presents that George Washington left under the President's Day Tree. I can't wait to go caroling with songs set to the tune of 'Hail to the Chief' and setting up my Obama and Nixon nutcrackers. And what about a remake of 'A Christmas Story' where a young Lincoln wants a BB gun but his mom says no because he'll shoot his eye out...
Oh. Um. Sorry. Too soon?
Monday, December 21, 2009
Christmas Special Green Tip #57: The True Meaning of the Holidays
Merry Christmas week everyone! I hope you enjoy this week's special 4 part series about environmentally friendly Christmas ideas. I figured that I would start the week off with a look into the real meaning behind the traditions associated with the season.
Far too often, we get caught up in the commercialized, stressful, meaningless practices and forget that there is a very important lesson to be learned. As we gather together with our friends and families, let us not worry about who bought presents for whom or whether the ham is cooked right or that if you see that stupid beer commercial with the guy who puts lights in his palm tree one more year in a row you'll go crazy and throw the Christmas tree through the window. No, let us instead remember that the true meaning of Christmas is fighting Global Warming.
"Wait. What?" you're probably asking. Well, probably not. After 56 Green Tips, you've probably figured out where I was going with this one before you even started writing this one. But you probably are asking "Wait. How?" Well, once I explain it to you, you'll see just how obvious all of the symbolism really is.
Let's start with Santa. Santa is the model of Green Living. Everything he does is just so environmentally friendly. He employs elves to do his work instead of automating the process which saves electricity. He uses magical reindeer instead of taking an airplane to save on fuel consumption. He very clearly endorses the use of fireplaces to heat your home which saves on natural gas or coal use.
But most importantly of all, he makes a bold statement working out of the North Pole. Al Gore recently said that the polar ice caps could completely melt within ten years because of Global Warming. Well Santa just won't stand for it. His refusal to move to a warmer climate is a bold challenge to the world. "If you pollute, you clearly hate Christmas," is what he's saying. Think about that next time you forget to recycle your plastic bottles. You might as well just punch the Easter Bunny in the nose next time you leave your A/C on too high.
In related ideas, Hanukkah. I don't want my Jewish friends to feel left out of the picture. This holiday is just as important at spreading the message of being green. For those of you that don't know, Hanukkah is celebrated to remember the time when the Jerusalem temple was running low on holy candle oil to praise God with. They only had one day's worth of oil left and they didn't want the candles to go out. But that one day's worth of oil ended up lasting them for eight days, which was a long enough time for them to make more oil.
This clearly has a Green message to it. Candle oil that uses 1/8th the amount of energy? That sounds familiar. It sounds like the ancient Jews were the first ones to design the CFL (the energy efficient spiral lightbulbs). If I were the high priest in charge of the Jewish temple, I'd look into getting that place LEED certified (look it up) because I think they've got a shot at going for platinum.
So you can see that there are environmental messages behind every tradition that we hold dear to us during this season. Don't forget to come back tomorrow, but until then, keep dreaming of a Green Christmas!
Far too often, we get caught up in the commercialized, stressful, meaningless practices and forget that there is a very important lesson to be learned. As we gather together with our friends and families, let us not worry about who bought presents for whom or whether the ham is cooked right or that if you see that stupid beer commercial with the guy who puts lights in his palm tree one more year in a row you'll go crazy and throw the Christmas tree through the window. No, let us instead remember that the true meaning of Christmas is fighting Global Warming.
"Wait. What?" you're probably asking. Well, probably not. After 56 Green Tips, you've probably figured out where I was going with this one before you even started writing this one. But you probably are asking "Wait. How?" Well, once I explain it to you, you'll see just how obvious all of the symbolism really is.
Let's start with Santa. Santa is the model of Green Living. Everything he does is just so environmentally friendly. He employs elves to do his work instead of automating the process which saves electricity. He uses magical reindeer instead of taking an airplane to save on fuel consumption. He very clearly endorses the use of fireplaces to heat your home which saves on natural gas or coal use.
But most importantly of all, he makes a bold statement working out of the North Pole. Al Gore recently said that the polar ice caps could completely melt within ten years because of Global Warming. Well Santa just won't stand for it. His refusal to move to a warmer climate is a bold challenge to the world. "If you pollute, you clearly hate Christmas," is what he's saying. Think about that next time you forget to recycle your plastic bottles. You might as well just punch the Easter Bunny in the nose next time you leave your A/C on too high.
In related ideas, Hanukkah. I don't want my Jewish friends to feel left out of the picture. This holiday is just as important at spreading the message of being green. For those of you that don't know, Hanukkah is celebrated to remember the time when the Jerusalem temple was running low on holy candle oil to praise God with. They only had one day's worth of oil left and they didn't want the candles to go out. But that one day's worth of oil ended up lasting them for eight days, which was a long enough time for them to make more oil.
This clearly has a Green message to it. Candle oil that uses 1/8th the amount of energy? That sounds familiar. It sounds like the ancient Jews were the first ones to design the CFL (the energy efficient spiral lightbulbs). If I were the high priest in charge of the Jewish temple, I'd look into getting that place LEED certified (look it up) because I think they've got a shot at going for platinum.
So you can see that there are environmental messages behind every tradition that we hold dear to us during this season. Don't forget to come back tomorrow, but until then, keep dreaming of a Green Christmas!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Green Tip #56: Night Vision
This one won't be too long, but before you get all upset, I'm going to be making up for it next week. Like I did with Thanksgiving, I'll be posting a special four part series about Christmas (and Hanukkah to a lesser extent)! Starting Monday and running through Thursday, I'll be posting four ways to make sure that you have a Green Holiday Season! So don't forget to check back in a day early next week to get all the latest Green Tips!
Anyway, on to Green Tip #56. This one will be very much similar to Green Tip #7, only much more high tech. For those of you that remember (or have just read by following the link), Green Tip #7 discussed how we can cut down on the number of lights that we use by everyone wearing the helmets with the lights on them, just like miners do. Well, I think it's about time we took that one step further.
While Green Tip #7 was a good start, we'd still have to deal with the electricity that's used to run the headlamps. What if instead we all had night vision goggles? Obviously we'd only need them at night or on cloudy days, but just think of all the electricity we'd be saving! No more street lights or car headlights or electronic billboards. There might be one huge downside, though. Usually night vision is monochromatic, either everything you see is shades of gray or green. And that would make traffic lights awfully difficult to see and understand. Hm, maybe there is such a thing as something being too Green (pun intended).
Anyway, on to Green Tip #56. This one will be very much similar to Green Tip #7, only much more high tech. For those of you that remember (or have just read by following the link), Green Tip #7 discussed how we can cut down on the number of lights that we use by everyone wearing the helmets with the lights on them, just like miners do. Well, I think it's about time we took that one step further.
While Green Tip #7 was a good start, we'd still have to deal with the electricity that's used to run the headlamps. What if instead we all had night vision goggles? Obviously we'd only need them at night or on cloudy days, but just think of all the electricity we'd be saving! No more street lights or car headlights or electronic billboards. There might be one huge downside, though. Usually night vision is monochromatic, either everything you see is shades of gray or green. And that would make traffic lights awfully difficult to see and understand. Hm, maybe there is such a thing as something being too Green (pun intended).
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Green Tip #55: Super Re-Size Me
Now let me just restate my previous claim that any and all specific or unspecific references to McDonald's or other fast food restaurants is not intended to be a jab at any of them but the fast food industry in general. All of the recommendations that I make can be applied to any of the leading fast food chains.
That being said, I've mentioned before about how McDonald's use of large restaurants is taking up more land that could be used for green spaces or solar panels fields or other such things. Well luckily for McDonald's and other large-stored fast food chains, there is something they can do to be a bit more environmentally friendly.
Green Tip #55 is that fast food should be re-sized. I'm not saying that they should be smaller portions or anything like that. That wouldn't be fair to the customers. No, these chains should cut down on their packaging by fitting the larger food items into the smaller packaging.
Next time you find yourself feasting on fast food french fries, take a look at how much space is taken up by air in the packaging. Now imagine if all that empty space was taken out. All of that paper and cardboard and other stuff that's used to hold the food can be saved from going in a landfill somewhere.
Okay, yes, it might be a little gross if you order french fries and get a smashed up ball of artificial potatoes, grease and salt, but think of it like a hash brown. It's basically the same thing. But if all of the food fits in the same smaller packaging, we can't go around calling it small, medium, large, gigundo, etc. Instead we'll have to call it by its density. "I'll have the compact size" or "I'll have the loose combo meal." It'll take some getting used to, but sometimes being green means making sacrifices.
That being said, I've mentioned before about how McDonald's use of large restaurants is taking up more land that could be used for green spaces or solar panels fields or other such things. Well luckily for McDonald's and other large-stored fast food chains, there is something they can do to be a bit more environmentally friendly.
Green Tip #55 is that fast food should be re-sized. I'm not saying that they should be smaller portions or anything like that. That wouldn't be fair to the customers. No, these chains should cut down on their packaging by fitting the larger food items into the smaller packaging.
Next time you find yourself feasting on fast food french fries, take a look at how much space is taken up by air in the packaging. Now imagine if all that empty space was taken out. All of that paper and cardboard and other stuff that's used to hold the food can be saved from going in a landfill somewhere.
Okay, yes, it might be a little gross if you order french fries and get a smashed up ball of artificial potatoes, grease and salt, but think of it like a hash brown. It's basically the same thing. But if all of the food fits in the same smaller packaging, we can't go around calling it small, medium, large, gigundo, etc. Instead we'll have to call it by its density. "I'll have the compact size" or "I'll have the loose combo meal." It'll take some getting used to, but sometimes being green means making sacrifices.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Green Tip #54: Extra Liquids
Well, today's Green Tip will be a little unusual. But not to worry, I've long believed that the IGR has been based off of unusuality, so this should be nothing new.
One of the problems that will plague not only the US, but all countries across the world is the problem of shortages of water supplies. In fact, some estimates say that 1 billion people today do not have access to clean drinking water. That's almost one sixth of the population of the world. And if Global Warming kicks in, that number will rise to unmanageable numbers. So anything we can do to reduce the amount of water we use, the better off we'll be in the future.
So here's my proposition: what if we used only recycled water and other liquids for our toilets? I mean, do you really need clean water to pee in? (Ideally you'd be peeing in your shower, but this is just in case you don't) If we could make toilets that are designed to run only on leftover liquids, think of all the water we could save!
Okay, picture this. You're getting ready for bed but you want to indulge in a little guilty pleasure before you go to sleep. So you get your favorite cookies and a nice tall glass of milk. Well, due to the intense pressures you're under having to write a funny, yet informative blog twice a week, you end up passing out before you can finish your glass of milk. First of all, that's just gross. Think how bad your mouth will be in the morning because you didn't brush your teeth before you went to bed! And you'll also have to do something with that extra milk that was out all night. Assuming it's not too gross, just toss it in the john.
Or how about this. You decide to get sushi with your girlfriend to kick off a study party at your place and you decide that you want to try sake. Well, you, being the cheap person you are, get the cheap sake and find out it's just too gross to drink. Instead of pouring it out in the sink or just forcing it down, why not pour it in the toilet?
I think you get the point I'm making. It may sound weird, but it is a great way to cut down on the amount of water that you're just flushing down the toilet, literally.
Oh, and that link from forever ago will finally work now...
One of the problems that will plague not only the US, but all countries across the world is the problem of shortages of water supplies. In fact, some estimates say that 1 billion people today do not have access to clean drinking water. That's almost one sixth of the population of the world. And if Global Warming kicks in, that number will rise to unmanageable numbers. So anything we can do to reduce the amount of water we use, the better off we'll be in the future.
So here's my proposition: what if we used only recycled water and other liquids for our toilets? I mean, do you really need clean water to pee in? (Ideally you'd be peeing in your shower, but this is just in case you don't) If we could make toilets that are designed to run only on leftover liquids, think of all the water we could save!
Okay, picture this. You're getting ready for bed but you want to indulge in a little guilty pleasure before you go to sleep. So you get your favorite cookies and a nice tall glass of milk. Well, due to the intense pressures you're under having to write a funny, yet informative blog twice a week, you end up passing out before you can finish your glass of milk. First of all, that's just gross. Think how bad your mouth will be in the morning because you didn't brush your teeth before you went to bed! And you'll also have to do something with that extra milk that was out all night. Assuming it's not too gross, just toss it in the john.
Or how about this. You decide to get sushi with your girlfriend to kick off a study party at your place and you decide that you want to try sake. Well, you, being the cheap person you are, get the cheap sake and find out it's just too gross to drink. Instead of pouring it out in the sink or just forcing it down, why not pour it in the toilet?
I think you get the point I'm making. It may sound weird, but it is a great way to cut down on the amount of water that you're just flushing down the toilet, literally.
Oh, and that link from forever ago will finally work now...
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Green Tip #53: Global Warming is Good, Part 2
I think it is especially poignant that I talk more about Global Warming this week for two reasons. First of all, yesterday was the first day that it snowed here in Northwest Ohio which is a good sign. I can only assume that we’ve won the War on Global Warming, otherwise I’d be out sunbathing instead of bundled up in my sweatshirt and blankets.
The other reason that I feel it’s appropriate to write about Global Warming today is that world leaders are meeting in Europe this week to talk about what countries can do to combat Climate Change. This is a bad sign, which means that we probably haven’t won the War on Global Warming. Dang! I thought the snow was a good sign. Hm, maybe Global Warming is just hibernating this winter so it can make a fierce comeback this spring. We’ll just assume that Global Warming is still out there otherwise I wouldn’t have anything to write in the Impractical Green Resource.
Anyway, I don’t see why the world leaders need to meet to figure things out. I mean, I’ve given the world 52+ very helpful Green Tips that should’ve fixed things by now. I can only assume that people in other countries can’t read English and the IGR is doing them little good. Hm, I knew I should’ve learned Chinese.
But if Global Warming is inevitable, we might as well at least look for a silver lining of the whole situation. So I was reading about how the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are melting more and more each summer. At first I was horrified about rising sea levels and disrupting the oceanic currents. Then I read about how droughts were likely to increase in severity and frequency as the global temperature rises. That’s when I had my epiphany!
If all that fresh water is dumped into the oceans, the overall salinity of the ocean water will decrease (the oceans won’t be so salty). And less salty water is easier to convert to fresh water than more salty water. Ta Da! We can just convert sea water into drinkable water to solve the droughts!
Yes, it’s true, changing the oceans from salt water to fresh water will probably kill off thousands of species of fish and coral and plankton, but you know what? People won’t miss them that much. All of the fish that we eat now can be put into fisheries and the rest are probably weird and gross anyway.
The other reason that I feel it’s appropriate to write about Global Warming today is that world leaders are meeting in Europe this week to talk about what countries can do to combat Climate Change. This is a bad sign, which means that we probably haven’t won the War on Global Warming. Dang! I thought the snow was a good sign. Hm, maybe Global Warming is just hibernating this winter so it can make a fierce comeback this spring. We’ll just assume that Global Warming is still out there otherwise I wouldn’t have anything to write in the Impractical Green Resource.
Anyway, I don’t see why the world leaders need to meet to figure things out. I mean, I’ve given the world 52+ very helpful Green Tips that should’ve fixed things by now. I can only assume that people in other countries can’t read English and the IGR is doing them little good. Hm, I knew I should’ve learned Chinese.
But if Global Warming is inevitable, we might as well at least look for a silver lining of the whole situation. So I was reading about how the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are melting more and more each summer. At first I was horrified about rising sea levels and disrupting the oceanic currents. Then I read about how droughts were likely to increase in severity and frequency as the global temperature rises. That’s when I had my epiphany!
If all that fresh water is dumped into the oceans, the overall salinity of the ocean water will decrease (the oceans won’t be so salty). And less salty water is easier to convert to fresh water than more salty water. Ta Da! We can just convert sea water into drinkable water to solve the droughts!
Yes, it’s true, changing the oceans from salt water to fresh water will probably kill off thousands of species of fish and coral and plankton, but you know what? People won’t miss them that much. All of the fish that we eat now can be put into fisheries and the rest are probably weird and gross anyway.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Green Tip #52: Rain Turbines
This is another one of those Green Tips that might actually be more on the "Green" side than the "Impractical" side. Yeah, I know I'm supposed to be giving tips that aren't useful for the every day person, but sometimes one or two slip through the crack and might actually help the environment. Don't hold it against me, please...
A few days ago, it was raining really hard here in Toledo. And as I was walking to my class and getting completely soaked, I was growing more and more miserable. To make things worse, I had a presentation to give that night and I was wearing dressier clothes and I hate getting my nice pants soaking wet. That and I wasted more electricity to run the hand dryer in order to dry my pants off. I felt like I had betrayed Mother Nature by wasting electricity.
But all of a sudden, I saw the silver lining on the clouds! Not literally, mind you. I was way too dark by then for there to be even a trace of any lining on the clouds, let alone a silver one. What if there was a way to harness the power of the rain in the same way that people harness wind or tidal forces? I don't have the technical expertise to figure out the details of it, but wouldn't it be possible to have a vertical axis wind turbine that runs when it's windy but catches the rain and is pushed even harder, thus generating more electricity?
That's just my theory. It wouldn't be good for a steady source of power because of how unpredictable the rainfall would be, but it would supplement the energy generated by the wind turbines. Furthermore, couldn't you put turbines on the gutters to generate electricity as the water flows down into the yard?
If someone knows about something like this that already exists, let me know. Or if it doesn't exist but you have an idea of how it could be made, go ahead and come up with a prototype. It would be relatively simple to install. Now from now on whenever it rains, it doesn't have to be such a depressing event! If only there were something to do about snow...
A few days ago, it was raining really hard here in Toledo. And as I was walking to my class and getting completely soaked, I was growing more and more miserable. To make things worse, I had a presentation to give that night and I was wearing dressier clothes and I hate getting my nice pants soaking wet. That and I wasted more electricity to run the hand dryer in order to dry my pants off. I felt like I had betrayed Mother Nature by wasting electricity.
But all of a sudden, I saw the silver lining on the clouds! Not literally, mind you. I was way too dark by then for there to be even a trace of any lining on the clouds, let alone a silver one. What if there was a way to harness the power of the rain in the same way that people harness wind or tidal forces? I don't have the technical expertise to figure out the details of it, but wouldn't it be possible to have a vertical axis wind turbine that runs when it's windy but catches the rain and is pushed even harder, thus generating more electricity?
That's just my theory. It wouldn't be good for a steady source of power because of how unpredictable the rainfall would be, but it would supplement the energy generated by the wind turbines. Furthermore, couldn't you put turbines on the gutters to generate electricity as the water flows down into the yard?
If someone knows about something like this that already exists, let me know. Or if it doesn't exist but you have an idea of how it could be made, go ahead and come up with a prototype. It would be relatively simple to install. Now from now on whenever it rains, it doesn't have to be such a depressing event! If only there were something to do about snow...
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Green Tip #51: Lower the Volume
Sssshhh! You'll have to be really quiet while reading this because I won't be able to hear the TV. And don't question the logic of that sentence. I know it doesn't make sense. Just to warn you, this entry might not even make sense at all. But back to the TV.
So, those of you that know anything about physics knows that sound is just vibrations in the air (or water, but I shouldn't have to tell you not to watch TV underwater). Well, in order to make the air vibrate, some energy has to be expended to start the vibration. And of course it takes more energy to make the air vibrate more. So logically, a TV would use less energy if the volume is turned down, right?
Well, this got me thinking. So if you're watching TV and the volume's turned way down, that means that other things will have to be turned down as well if you want to hear your TV. Things like music playing on your computer or radio, the alarm on your microwave or kitchen timers, even your cell phone ringtones. This whole Green Tip just keeps snowballing. Think of all the electricity we could save if we cut the volume of our lives in half!
But wait! In order to be able to hear everything going on, we'll have to be even quieter when we talk. And although I've never heard of anyone who got physically tired from yelling too loud or singing too loud, I can assume that it does take more energy out of you by talking louder. You also use up more oxygen by breathing more, so that could cut down on the amount of carbon dioxide that we're releasing.
Now, if only we could fix nature to not be so loud. Things like storms, crickets, earthquakes, birds and lions are all notoriously loud but there's nothing we can do to quiet them down. Although there have been advances in genetic engineering recently. Hm....
So, those of you that know anything about physics knows that sound is just vibrations in the air (or water, but I shouldn't have to tell you not to watch TV underwater). Well, in order to make the air vibrate, some energy has to be expended to start the vibration. And of course it takes more energy to make the air vibrate more. So logically, a TV would use less energy if the volume is turned down, right?
Well, this got me thinking. So if you're watching TV and the volume's turned way down, that means that other things will have to be turned down as well if you want to hear your TV. Things like music playing on your computer or radio, the alarm on your microwave or kitchen timers, even your cell phone ringtones. This whole Green Tip just keeps snowballing. Think of all the electricity we could save if we cut the volume of our lives in half!
But wait! In order to be able to hear everything going on, we'll have to be even quieter when we talk. And although I've never heard of anyone who got physically tired from yelling too loud or singing too loud, I can assume that it does take more energy out of you by talking louder. You also use up more oxygen by breathing more, so that could cut down on the amount of carbon dioxide that we're releasing.
Now, if only we could fix nature to not be so loud. Things like storms, crickets, earthquakes, birds and lions are all notoriously loud but there's nothing we can do to quiet them down. Although there have been advances in genetic engineering recently. Hm....
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