Category Archives: Green Ideas

Fall maintenance

Most people are aware that an oil change every “3 months or 3,000 miles” is overkill for today’s cars.  A quick glance in your owner’s manual will most likely reveal the manufacturer’s recommendation of every 5,000 miles or so.  We made the executive decision that if the mileage to an oil change could be extended, the time could be extended as well, to every 6 months.  (There are sources that back me up on this.)

When six months rolled around, we had not even hit 3,000 miles, much less 5,000 miles, so we let things slide.  Monday night, still under the 3,000 mile mark, but past the 6 month mark, we dropped the car off at the shop and jogged home.

But bikes need maintenance, too!  (Free tune-ups for the life of the bike are a major advantage of purchasing a brand new bike from a local bike shop.  This weighed heavily in my new vs. used debate.)  We managed to convince our bike shop, that, no, we cannot drop the bikes off and leave them there for A WEEK, we ride these bikes to work every day and is there any way you can get them done in a day or evening if we schedule it ahead of time?  Pretty please with a bike helmet on top?

Now both the bikes and the car are ready to roll.  We plan to do more rolling on the bikes than in the car in this beautiful fall weather!

Do you have affluenza?

Read Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic* and find out.  This book contains some pretty amazing and sobering statistics and stories that call our priorities into question:

“. . . we have more than twice as many shopping centers as high schools.”

I will not go into too many details about the book here, because I don’t want to give anything away.  I like to think I have, at worst, a very mild case of affluenza.  Even so, this book was helpful as push back against the constant message of buy, buy, buy, consume, consume, consume.

I think the authors will forgive me if I encourage you to check your local public library for the book instead of buying it.  If you do have to buy it, pass it on when you’re finished reading.

* By John De Graaf, David Wann, Thomas H. Naylor

Green home and Puppies!

On Saturday, we had the chance to volunteer at a Habitat for Humanity build.  We were working on a home that is being built to LEED Platinum standards, with crazy insulation and an earth source heat pump.  Due to the early morning start and the forecast for rain later in the day, we drove instead of biking.  I was feeling rather guilty about this until the sky opened up about halfway through the day.  Our house did not have a roof on it yet, so being inside was no better than being outside.  For one of the only times in recent memory, I was glad to have that car.

After the build, we stopped by the EarthWays Center Green Home Festival.  I spotted two puppies on the street, a little beagle puppy and a slightly larger unknown puppy.  The beagle puppy was adorable, and the larger puppy obviously agreed, as he could not stop licking the beagle puppy’s face.  The cuteness was just too much, and I exclaimed, “I want to lick his face, too!”  I managed to restrain myself somewhat and settled for heavy petting.  Unfortunately, I did not have the camera on me, so I give you this alternate shot of a beagle puppy and a darling little red-head.

Sis and beagle pup

Economics of green

Will being green ruin the economy?  No, says Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman:

“So here’s the bottom line: The claim that climate legislation will kill the economy deserves the same disdain as the claim that global warming is a hoax. The truth about the economics of climate change is that it’s relatively easy being green.”

Click here to read Krugman’s entire op-ed in the NYTimes and be ready to share the truth with those bent on stirring up controversy and impeding the change we need.

Action item

From this NYTimes article about Tuesday’s UN conference on climate change: “Mr. Obama struck a note of urgency, saying: ‘The security and stability of each nation and all peoples — our prosperity, our health, our safety — are in jeopardy. And the time we have to reverse this tide is running out.'”

I say, a little less talk and a lot more action.  If this is urgent, take meaningful action now Mr. President and Congress!

I just sent an email to the White House urging President Obama to take action.  Click here to send your own message.