Tea Cozy

Look at my tea cozy I made! This was my solution to the water I heated getting cold and me having to choose between gulping down luke-warm tea or wasting water down the drain. No more! Now my tea is warm cup after cup in my cutie pot and knitted project. There are lots of free patterns on Ravelry if you are interested. You need to sign up, but it's free. It's just nice that after a year of knitting now, I can actually make useful products! :)

Thirty-Nine - Saving energy while cooking

We are now covering our pots when we boil water. This helps to keep heat from escaping and helps it boil faster (almost half the time as when uncovered). This can't always be done when cooking, since cook time is key for different foods and textures, but we will try whenever possible to cover our pots when we are cooking.

Also, we are making a commitment to use the oven light. The easy thing to do to check on our roasting or baking is to open the oven and take a peek. The Green Year says that each time the oven is opened, the temperature drops 25-50 degrees. The oven has to work that much harder to recoup that energy and it does affect your cooking. This also motivates me to keep that window a little cleaner so that I can see through when I have to check on things like fabulous blueberry muffins while they are baking.

Peace!

No Impact Week: Energy

Let's get to it! Steps for today:

1. Assess current energy consumption habits. Walk from room to room in your home. List everything in each room that uses energy to operate. Put a star next to any item that you would ordinarily use in the remaining four days of your No Impact Experiment.


Kitchen
-toaster*
-radio*
-oven*
-refrigerator*
-overhead light*
-cabinet light*
-window lights
-lights above sink*
-rice cooker (2)
-hand mixer
-blender
-food processor
-crock-pot

Dining Room
-overhead light*
-battery charger
-calculator*
-cell phone (2)*

Living Room
-overhead light*
-computer (2)*
-ipod (2)
-ipad*
-DVD player* (remote)*
-lamp*
-record player*
-TV*
-VCR (remote)
-receiver* (remote)*
-battery alarm clock*
-point & shoot camera*
-wii + two controllers
-digital converter

Office
-overhead light*
-lamp*
-printer
-minolta SLR
-nikon SLR*
-external hard drive
-bass w/ amp
-pedometer

Bathroom
-hair dryer*
-overhead light*
-overhead fan*
-beard trimmer*

Bedroom
-overhead light*
-lamp*
-small floor fan*

Random
-stairwell light*
-hallway light*
-outdoor lights*
-lights in basement*
-washer*
-dryer*
-flashlights (4)
-camping lantern
-stud finder
-drill
-bike lights (4)
-vacuum

2. Next to each starred item, indicate if you are going to eliminate or mitigate your usage of that item.

We will make it a point to mitigate all of our electricity use. We have also pulled out more candles and will use those to help light the house in the cold, dark winter evenings. We also have dimmers on our main lights that we will use. Also always, we air dry many of our items on our basement line dryer.

3. Unplug! Turn it off. Power down. Go off the grid. For the truly adventurous, turn off your electricity completely (Ha! It's winter and I need a little artificial light since the sun sets at 4). I think we have to try this in the summer. :) The hard part will be to not cook. I love cooking in the winter. It warms the house and our bellies. Saturday, we'll put something in the crock-pot instead (oops, didn't star it) so we can keep the oven off.

We use power strips and will work hard to keep things unplugged when not in use and those power strips off. We also have CFLs in our lights/lamps.

4. Continue to reflect on your energy use (though they do tell us to blog everyday...taking up energy...hmmm...

5. Five things for which we are grateful:
   1. No snow today
   2. Sunlight (allows me to keep the lights off and the shades open!)
   3. Comedy
   4. Music
   5. Good food -- as always!

Peace!

Thirty-Two - Draft Dodger + Saving on Heat & Energy during the Winter

light reflecting off of the plastic

The plastic is officially up on the windows it's snowy outside and winter is officially here! We also put the heat on for the first time last week and decide that maybe plastic on the windows won't be enough. We want to find a way to keep the thermostat set to as low as possible, without sacrificing comfort, to save energy, money, and of course, help out Mother Earth. One solution was the make a Draft Dodger. It was my second attempt at the sewing machine, and it was, well, kind of a disaster. After breaking a needle, I can now say I have completed the project and it is functional (though not very pretty). There are many options for draft dodgers. Renest has some links for ones that are premade -- you just fill them with rice or beans. There is also a make-your-own version that was done with old socks. I cut apart an old t-shirt, sewing it together (kind of in a tube-like shape) and stuffed more old t-shirts in it. Finally, there is the fancy DIY Martha Stewart kind--way too complicated for me, but maybe you have a better relationship with your sewing machine.

t-shirt bits

Here are some other tips for keeping you warm over the winter:

old black t-shirt = new draft dodger!

1. Get a rug for bare floors -- luckily we are in the upper level so ours are heated by the downstairs neighbor -- thank you!
2. Drink something warm - I'm drinking tea right now!
3. Reverse your ceiling fan - since warm air rises, push it back down where you are at. Guthrie and I do not have a fan so we can't do this one.
4. Snuggle! Guthrie and I are looking into another cat to help in that department :)
5. Hot water bottle -- since Guthrie and I do not have a thermostat with a timer (if you have one -- use it!), we turn off our heat at night. Though I am sadly out of shape when it comes to toughing out MN weathers, I am unsure how much our many blankets will keep us warm on those really REALLY cold nights. If it's extra chilly, try this camping trick -- heat up some water and put it in a water bottle. Stick the water bottle in a large sock and put it in your bed with you. Keeps you toasty!
6. Finally, consider heating up just the space you need. Close vents if you can and turn off certain radiators. Sadly, we can't control the heat room by room, but are thinking about investing in a space heater so that we can keep the main heat off if we are only planning on being in one room. I'll let you know if we try it and how it goes.

Peace!

The No-Impact Project - Starting January 3rd

Guthrie and I are signing up to participate in the next round of the No Impact Project. It is the "one week carbon cleanse". It models what NYC writer Colin Beavan did with his family for a year -- slowly look at different aspects of their lives (waste, water, electricity, transportation, etc) and made systematic changes to lower their impact. His book No Impact Man has been turned into a movie with the same name. On his website, he invites you to do the same for one week. The great thing is that it starts on specific dates so that you can connect with others in your area who are doing the same. They make it real easy with a how-to manual on what to do on each day plus interesting facts. Obviously, you do what you can; making any change is a positive one. What Colin found out was that during the course of the year, he lost weight, had more energy, reconnected with his wife, spent more time with his family, and was genuinely happier. Guthrie and I will participate in this to learn some new things that we can incorporate into our lives. 

Join with us -- maybe we can meet up for a candlelit dinner of local food! :)

Peace! 

Twenty-Six - Refrigerator Coils

Since my birthday is October 14th (tomorrow, or in about 3.5 hours), and Guthrie and I are finally going camping at the BWCA this weekend, I am posting early. We'll have pics from the trip uploaded to our flickr site. This post will be quick and unrefined, but, honestly, who am I kidding? Our blog is not that fancy.  :)

Pic from doverprojects.blogspot.com

For fall and spring cleaning, Guthrie and I have added cleaning our refrigerator coils to the list! Why? These coils (either in the back or on the bottom or both) hold the liquid that keeps the air inside the fridge cold. When the coils are covered with dust and muck, it takes a lot more energy for the fridge to work. There are many ways you can clean them -- there are actual refrigerator coil brushes out there (maybe if we actually own the fridge would I spend money on it...). Until then, a vacuum cleaner with a small attachment or a damp cloth will work just fine. Pull out the fridge/take of the bottom plate and have at it! It's a quick job, and you could see some savings in your energy bill! Mother earth will also thank you.

Peace!

Seward Co-op and the P6 Movement

I am very proud of my co-op. Equal Exchange and 6 grocery co-ops in the United States (Seward being the only one from MN) have teamed up for the Principle 6 initiative to "promote small farmers/producers, co-operative businesses, and local farmers/producers" and "empower consumers to use their purchasing dollars to create an economy that embodies our highest values." Cool. The new labels are us, making decisions easier. If the item carries a P6 label, it meets two of the three criteria:

1) local (from MN, IA, ND, SD, or WI)
2) cooperative ownership of the business or nonprofit status
3) small farmer or producer which is independently owned and sells directly to stores or through a local distributor

Thank you, Seward, for making it easier to support the local economy and be more sustainable. Check them out and read more here.

Also, Seward recently received their LEED certification -- gold level. I love my co-op! Read more about it here.

Peace!

Twenty-One - Line Drying Clothes (And General Tips on Washing and Drying)

Line Drying

Since moving to MN in June, Guthrie and I have made an effort to have even our clothes enjoy the summer breeze. We started line drying as often as we could on the already-in-place clothes line outside. Though, we do this a lot more, it was not a complete life-style change for us. To make this a real change, Guthrie and I have added some lines downstairs to continue the air drying, even as our summer days grow short and chilly. The Green Year says that dryers use up about 6% of all of the energy in the United States! Short on space? Don't have an ugly, unfinished basement to hang up ugly lines like I did today? Invest in a drying rack. They come in all different shapes and sizes, wall mounted to stand along, and take up little space. Here are a couple of choices from Moss Envy near Lake Calhoun (former TC Green in Uptown): Wall Mounted / Flat Top / Heavy Duty

Worried that line dryer will make your clothes crunchy and hard? Here are some great fabric softener ideas (less expensive than anything you buy at the store and just as effective!) from Renest:

1. Baking Soda - Add 1/2 cup to the water and let it dissolve. Add clothes.
2. Borax - Add 1/4 cup to the rinse cycle.
3. Vinegar - Add 3/4 - 1 cup to either the wash or the rinse.

Detergent
Does anyone still use the powdered laundry detergent? We do. We returned to it in Atlanta when we were looking to save money. Some don't like it because it can clump, but most people aren't actually running their washing according to the directions. You are suppose to fill the washer with water first and add the detergent, and THEN put your clothes in. This is important because powdered detergent, according to The Green Year, actually is the more eco-friendly product. Liquid detergent is almost 80% water -- a resource we shouldn't waste. If you have a dish washer, consider powder detergent there as well.

Dryer Lint
Remember to clean the lint screen before every use. Not only does this help protect against fires, it help keeps the machine running with ease. Built up lint prevents air from flowing through the drying, making it work hard and run inefficiently.

Need more reasons to line dry? Click here for a ReNest Top Ten. Want to further green your cleaning? Check it out next week -- Green Cleaning!

Oh, Eliot says, "hi!"

Peace!

Twenty - Food Preservation: Freezing

Renest had a great post about reconnecting with the skills our grandparents possessed, but that sadly, with modernization, these skills were almost lost with the next. I know with the green movement there are many cooking from scratch and growing their own gardens, but what happens when the garden grows well and we are left with too much?

We can eat scalloped tomatoes until we a blue in the face, or give away food to family and friends, but we can also can and freeze so that we can enjoy some of the wonderful local goodness when the snow covers the ground (wow, I don't even want to think about it).

Canning, sadly, seems like a scary endeavor to me. There are many steps and one slip can spoil everything -- literarily. I hope to have a post someday about my adventures with canning, but that may have to wait for next summer when our garden is bigger and our need is greater.

Instead, we will freeze. I feel that I have never learned to utilize my freezer. Now we are freezing milk and stalking up on things like bread when they are on sale, but that's about it. (Of course, there are always Amy's Bowls and a frozen pizza, but that's not quite what I mean.) So today I start. I am making a batch of tomato sauce from scratch and am going to freeze it. Yum!

First I have to skin and seed the tomatoes. There are simple directions here if needed. Then you make the sauce! I am going to make plain sauce so that I can change it up and add to it when I make unfreeze it for meals later. When it's done, I put it into a plastic bag and put in the freezer! Make sure you label it and put a date. It will last about three months. Here are some tips and recipes for a fresh tomato sauce from the Smitten Kitchen. Deb really puts my pictures to shame, but she is really in the business of food porn. :)

Putting the sauce in the freezer is also helping to make our freezer more efficient. From The Green Year by Jodi Helmer again, your freezer and fridge are responsible for up to 1/6 of the energy used in your home. I definitely believe that here in the apartment. Keeping the freezer full actually helps to increase its efficiency because there is less space to trap the warm air that enters each time you open it (though not true of a full fridge--overstocking a fridge is less efficient). Since we are not just going to run out and buy 100 frozen pizzas (though Guthrie would not object to that), we are going to add a couple of jugs of distilled water we have left over from a botched detox attempt (you can see a jug in the picture below).

Also, remember the milk carton ice block idea? Guthrie and I walked to a friends for dinner last night (thanks, Aaron!) and used the ice block to keep the cheese and wine chilled on the steamy trek across the park.

Peace!

Eighteen - Green Travel

Guthrie and I are about to head out to Austin, TX this week for our anniversary. Labor Day, we are driving to Des Moines, IA to visit with friends and family. In October, Guthrie is off to Montreal (jealous!) for work. With all of this travel, how do we still be good to Mother Earth?

Before you leave:

• Unplug all electronics
• Lower or turn off any heating and cooling devices

Flying? Here are some tips:

• Pack only what you need, don't bring extra weight
• Most of the energy is used in take off and landing -- take a direct flight whenever possible. We are flying to San Antonio to avoid this and driving a compact car the hour to Austin
• Take a train! It could reduce your CO2 emissions by 90%
• Reuse those quart sized baggies -- we have two that we reuse over and over again for flying
• Reuse little plastic containers -- pack your own shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, contact solution and all of those other liquids and gels with buying new ones. We have a little travel basket in our hallway closest where we save these things just for this reason
• Cook when possible - we are renting a small cottage where we can stop by the farmer's market or co-op to get food and prepare it ourselves during the day
• Bring a water bottle! Just because you're away doesn't mean you throw your eco-lifestyle out the window

Driving? Here are some tips:

• Check your tire pressure
• Make sure the vehicle is properly serviced
• Look into ways to offset your carbon footprint as we did with Enterprise when we had to give in and rent our first car
• Leave the car at the hotel and walk, cycle, or use public transportation -- we'll be on the bus in Austin!
• Pack only what you need -- don't bring extra weight 
• Plan ahead -- it helps avoid getting lost and driving around
• Try to avoid sudden acceleration, engine revving, and sudden braking - it can use up to 30% more fuel. Keep you eyes on the road 3-4 cars ahead
• On the highway, drive with the windows closed to reduce the drag (though this brings up the AC v. windows down issue, find a balance)
• Don't idle

*info from Carbon Footprint

Where to stay?
The most eco place would be a campground; however not always the easiest and best choice for every vacation. We looked into it for our Des Moines trip when the friend were were going to stay with had flooding in her house, but, again, with recent rains and flooding, ever close campsite is sadly closed. Instead, we started looking at Green Hotels which is a guide to find hotels that have sustainability in mind when making business decisions. Of course, the only one listed was in Cedar Rapids. Strike three. I think we are stuck at a motel. At least we can reuse sheets and towels as much as possible. If you are planning a vacation, a great site National Geographic's Center for Sustainable Destinations.

What to eat? 
Guthrie and I have taken many mini-road trips. When we are hungry, we work hard to pass up the McDonalds (can't even remember the last time I ate something from there...) and all of the other fast food chains. Sometimes, it is unavoidable, and you are hungry, and you would rather use their bathroom than the one at the Citgo...but I digress. Point is: look for those mom and pop shops and support the local economy. Guthrie and I have found some gems, and some scary places -- but they all at least leave you with a story! When in town, continue to support local and independent shops and restaurants. You'll get a better feel for the city and really be helping the local economy. I know we definitely want to do things that will help Keep Austin Weird :-)

Offset your Carbon Footprint
Use a calculator and then offset it! The link is for TerraPass - it's easy to calculate your flight and you can offset it through them or through another organization. Carbon Fund and Native Energy are also really helpful. It's not perfect, but it's better than doing nothing. Money goes to planting trees and conservation efforts and other projects that reduce CO2 in the air.

Some things to keep in mind, I know we will! Happy and safe travels to you!

Peace!

Compact Fluorescent Lights

After patenting a high pressure vapor light in 1927, Friedrich Meyer, Hans J. Spanner and Edmund Germer applied to create the first commercial fluorescent bulb in the early 1930s. This application was soon purchased by GE for $180,000, who commercialized the first fluorescent light in 1938 (US patent 2182732).

In 1976, a GE engineer by the name of Edward E. Hammer created the first compact fluorescent light (CFL) as a response to the oil crisis. The commercialization of the product was stalled due to exorbitant facility costs for production as well as manufacturing issues with design of the interior coating of the spiral glass. Not until 1995 did the first CFL manufactured in China become available to the public. Sales of the CFL have increased every year since its inception, but still remain more costly than their ignorant cousin, the incandescent light (IL). This has to do with the electronic ballast.

The electronic ballast varies depending on the starting power of the CFL. The three common ballasts are instant start, rapid start and programmed start. The latter is best used in business settings as it lasts longer during frequent power cycling, the rapid start is used best in settings with dimmer switches (IMPORTANT since using a regular CFL in this setting will diminish its longevity) and the instant start is used best in settings where lights are not turned on or off often. For your edification, LEDs are another highly efficient alternative to incandescent lights.

CFLs use up to a 75% less energy and last up to 10 times as long as the IL. So, the initial savings from an IL doesn’t last long (much like the IL itself). Over the life of a CFL compared to that of an IL, you will save, depending on the varying cost of electricity per kWh, anywhere from $30-$45 a light.

According to the same site, if everyone used CFLs, we could save over $700 million in energy costs, retire 90 power plants and stop a half-ton of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere.

It’s important to know that CFLs contain 5 milligrams of mercury in each CFL, regardless of shape, size or color. This amount is miniscule compared to the average 25 milligrams in a watch battery or the 500 milligrams in an amalgam dental filling. Nonetheless, this can pose a hazard to you or your pets if they break open and any of the insides are ingested. (See EPAs website on how to clean up broken CFL(s)) There are now new low-mercury CFL models such as the Alto and the Neolite which have 1 milligram of mercury.

Because of the mercury content and to be eco-friendly, CFL recycling is important. Do not throw them in the garbage! Menards and Home Depot have CFL recycling programs at all of their Minnesota stores. Also, here is a list of Minnesota household hazardous waste collection programsas well as county contact info.

Eleven - Turn Down Your Hot Water Heater

Easy! Saves energy! Saves the environment! Saves money! Saves possible burns! According to the EPA, turning down the thermostat to 120F will save 6-10% of energy costs and slows the mineral buildup and corrosion in your water heater and pipes. Most manufacturers set the thermostat at around 140 degrees, but it is not necessary for the average family. Turn the knob to 120 degrees (low - medium in our case).

Also, turning down your hot water heater could save you (and more importantly, small children) from terrible burns. The water label on our heater downstairs has time/temperature ratios listed for third degree burns:

1 second at 160F

5 seconds at 140F (and to think that's where most of our hot water heaters are at!)

30 seconds at 130F

5 minutes at 120F

Peace!