Eco-Confessions

We NEED $4.00/gallon gas!

Plato, the famous Greek philosopher called necessity the mother of invention. Yes, only when there's a need for something will people get creative and start thinking about how to achieve that "something".

So, I therefore declare that we absolutely NEED to see gas prices reach the $4.00/gallon threshold and stay there for a long time. Without the pressure of expensive gas, there is no need to conserve what we have or to look for alternatives. People are complacent and enjoy the lifestyle they have gotten used to in the past 30 or so years.

Yes, it might hurt for the first few years, but don't say you didn't see it coming: China and India are consuming more and more of the global supplies of crude oil every year - with no apparent end in sight. Americans are still in love with their trucks and SUVs - that's not going to change unless it becomes too expensive, or carmakers are forced to increase gas mileage in their vehicles. The only way to make change happen is by force: if we're forced to come up with more fuel-eficient cars because the current ones are too expensive, I am confident that would happen.

Another side effect of this "innovation" period would most likely be a crossover into other energy sectors: solar and wind energy, passive heating and cooling designs in new construction, new technologies and materials to create, transfer and store energy.

We may not have a World War II, a Great Depression or a Race to the Moon for our generation, but I'm thinking that expensive gas might just be the catalyst this country needs to move our energy policies forward, into the 21st century...

 

Food, Inc. - the movie

Sheila and I watched "Food, Inc." the other night - I have to say I thought it was very interesting. While not all of the information presented was news to me, I thought it was edited well and gave lots of food for thought (pun intended here). It definitely made me renew my intention of utilizing the local Farmers Markets more this year. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend the movie. If you have seen it, what did you think?

 

Tubeless toilet paper

Apparently, in some parts of the country, you can now buy toilet paper without the cardboard tube in it. It's a trial for Scott's bathroom tissue, to minimize the millions of tons of trash caused every year by people who don't recycle their toilet paper rolls but throw them into the trash instead. While I do think it's a great idea, I also can't help but think that there are A LOT of packaging-related items that I feel should have gotten the axe before they did away with toilet paper roll tubes. Like these super-annoying "clam shells" that everything seems to be packaged in these days. Not only is the plastic used not recycleable (as far as I know), they are also a royal pain to open. I would much prefer my product in a cardboard box (or even envelope, so it can still be hung from a peg in the store), with a picture of the product printed on it. I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks there are items, packaging or materials in general out there that we could safely discontinue - how about it? What do you think we need to get rid of next?

 

Why we need Ethanol

Ethanol has been in the news again recently. Rep. Steve Drazkowski called for an end to all Ethanol subsidies, because "...we have artificially propped up an industry by initiating government-influenced control of the markets." While it may be true that the Ethanol industry has received a significant amount of subsidies over the years, I feel very strongly that it's more than justified. Aside from the fact that pretty much all energy-providing industries are receiving some sort of financial support from the government (be it in the form of tax breaks or actual subsidies), in my opinion Ethanol provides a valuable service: every Gallon of Ethanol burned in our cars is one less Gallon of gasoline we need to produce or import! That, to me, is the whole point of Ethanol. Of course, Ethanol will never be able to replace fossil fuels, but it can have a major impact on the overall consumption.

Opponents of Ethanol argue that it is not efficient, leads to a lower gas mileage when used as a fuel additive and poses environmental hazards during its production. I believe (and I know some people will argue with me on this) that, to beat the impeding dramatic increase in oil and therefore gas prices, Ethanol is a valuable tool, but only if manufactured responsibly and used in combination with CONSERVATION. Yes, you have read correctly - conservation. We have become all to accustomed to being able to drive whatever size car we want, whenever we want to. India and China are just now starting to use more oil for their millions of cars that are expected to hit the road in the near future - what do you think THAT will do to the price of a barrel of crude oil? So, the less we use, the cheaper it will be (or the less expensive it will get). Unfortunately, that concept only works if it hits a common nerve. Right now, there are too many people left that would rather spend billions on new (and uncertain) exploration to keep driving at all cost.

I also wonder what would happen if the Ethanol subsidies were to cease immediately. Some plants would most likely have to be shut down, consolidation might happen, but here's the kicker: without the subsidies, the price of Ethanol is very likely to go up. The price at the pump would as well. If Ethanol can't make it without subsidies and is discontinued, the 10% of it in our gasoline here in Minnesota will be replaced with GASOLINE, which would - you guessed it - make the price at the pump go up! So, in any scenario, drivers lose. I'm not sure the people who are currently asking for the removal of the Ethanol subsidies have thought that far...

 

How do you wrap your presents?

At this time of the year, the annual dilemma of wrapping Christmas presents crops up again. In our house, we have become huge fans of gift bags: they are sturdy, time-saving to fill and 100% reusable. In fact, we have a couple of large gift bags filled with probably 30-40 smaller gift bags in the basement.

Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy wrapping presents (especially when they are to be mailed - gift bags are not very practical in that case), but most of the time I know that the paper I'm using is not going to be used again, and depending on the material, cannot be recycled. So, the gift bags are a great alternative. If something is too bulky to be wrapped OR bagged, a nice red bow will do the trick...

Another thing I really enjoy at this time of the year are  home-made Christmas cards we get from some of our friends. I admire their dedication to cut out Christmas trees or snow men from wrapping paper, glue them to the front of a card, then stamp the inside of the card and enclose a little note. Right now, our schedules do not allow us to be so creative with our own cards, but we did start making Birthday cards for friends and family, with the help of our three-year-old. Nothing says "Happy Birthday" like some balloons drawn from a toddler, trust me!

So, how do you handle your gift wrapping? Newspaper, kids drawings, or nothing at all? What do you do with the paper you and your family tear of the presents you receive?

 

Are outdoor Christmas lights a waste?

The other day, I stumbled upon this website with a neat little calculator that allows you to figure out how much money it costs to operate Christmas lights. I thought it was pretty interesting, even though we don't have any lights outside. Not necessarily because I'm concerned about cost or impact on the environment, but simply because I have more important things to do than putting up those lights and then take them down again in January. That's not to say I don't enjoy looking at our neighbors' displays - I just don't think we need to put anything up right now. Even though I just don't have time for putting up lights right now, the factor of "wasting" electricity is also in the back of my mind when thinking about Christmas lights. Sure, a few strands along the gutter don't use that much power (especially when using LEDs), but some homeowners put up thousands of bulbs for their displays. How much is enough when looking for "warm fuzzies" during the holiday season? Or is it about the competition with the neighbors, a la Clark Griswold in "Christmas Vacation"?

Have you found a compromise between decorating the outside of your home and not wasting valuable resources? How do you deal with the neighborhood "pressure" to participate? Do you have any non-electrical ways to spruce up your front door? I'd love to hear bout it.

 

Is your Christms tree real or fake?

With Thanksgiving almost here, the annual dilemma is bound to crop up again pretty soon: real or fake? Plastic and chemicals from overseas, or a cut-down living organism that might pose other health risks? It's a quandary as old as "Paper or Plastic" - fake trees are usually manufactured in China and take a lot of petroleum, chemicals and energy to produce. Real trees are grown locally, but need to be disposed of after the season and sometimes take just as much gas to get, considering a fake tree might last ten years or more.

I will never forget the wonderful memories of getting our first real tree - we had gotten married and moved into a small apartment the summer before. We drove to the tree farm and picked out "our" tree. I cut it with a bowsaw, and we then tied it to the trunk of our car. The smell in our apartment was just like what I was used to growing up with a real tree back in Germany. Two years later, we got a great deal on a fake tree with the lights already in it. We used that tree for 13 years, until we inherited Sheila's parents' old tree this year.

So, I don't have a problem with using a fake tree - we definitely get our money out of it - we're even planning to sell our old tree at a garage sale next spring. But I also understand why people get a real tree - the ambience just can't be beat.

What about you: real or fake?

 

Do we "need" more trash?

The City of Red Wing is dealing with an interesting quandary: apprently, the Waste-to-Energy facility in the city is in danger of being shut down, because it is not operating efficiently enough. When looking at the reasons, it appears as though the plant is not running at full capacity, thus losing money. It's an interesting problem - do people recycle more, so there is less trash to burn? Or do the garbage haulers prefer the landfill for dumping, because the tipping fees are lower than the incinerator's fees? My guess is it's a combination of both. Red Wing is looking to the State for a law that would mandate more trash to be burned, but that is not exactly in the plans right now. The City is also trying to convince neighboring communities to send their trash to Red Wing, but again, that would mean higher costs to the households. If the plant would get shut down, it would most likely mean more trash in the landfills. And since the employees at the Waste-to-Energy plant also filter out recyclables before burning the trash, there would also be more waste on that end.

If your garbage hauler currently dumps the trash collected in the landfill, it might be a good idea to let them know you'd like your trash to go to Red Wing. I realize it would take a large group of customers to make any change happen, but if nobody speaks up, nothing will happen.

 

Hybrid vs. regular car

A couple of days ago I ran across yet another "hybrid vs. regular car" cost comparison. As usually is the case, the retail price of the vehicle was combined with the cost to own it for 6 years, including standard maintenance and, of course, gas consumption (based on 15,000 miles driven per year). The results should'n come as a surprise to anybody: some hybrid cars are cheaper to own than their conventional counterparts, others are significantly more expensive. The reason is pretty simple: assuming the maintenance cost is the same for both versions, the only way to "recoup" the additional cost for the hybrid system (usually around $3,500 - $6,000) is through the increased gas mileage in the hybrid car. And if you purchase a hybrid SUV that only gets 5 or 7 more miles to the gallon, chances are you're not going to come out ahead at the end of the six years.

So, what's a car buyer to do? First, compare the smallest and most efficient vehicles for your needs. Do you really need a pickup? Or could you borrow or even rent one for the two times a year you need to haul something? Evaluate your driving situations: do you mostly drive on the highway, or do you log a lot of miles in the city, with stop-and-go traffic? Do you have a relatively short commute, or is it at least 20 minutes each way? Hybrid systems need to "warm up" before reaching heir full potential; so if you only drive a few miles and then let the car cool off again, you will most likely not see the mileage you're hoping for. Lastly, calculate how much the car will save you over the timeframe you are planning to keep it: many people drive their cars well beyond the six years mentioned above. Once you get your initial investment for the Hybrid system back in savings, you will keep saving with each mile you drive.

When I bought my Prius in 2002 (a 2003 model), I did it because I felt it was the right thing to do for the environment, at a fair price. 140,000 miles later, I have had no regrets. I don't pay attention to gas prices anymore (the tank only holds just under 12 gallons), because I use so little of it. The lifetime average gas mileage for my particular car and its driving conditions has been just under 40mpg. That's summer and winter driving, highway and city combined. I'm very happy with that.

So, when you need to buy a car, please consider all of the options. Do your homework and decide what's best for you. Oh, and if it helps: our "other car" is a '96 Explorer. It sits mostly in the garage, unless I have to haul something on our little trailer, or if the weather is bad during the winter.

 

Are we "Generation Zzzzz..." ?

A couple of weeks ago columnist Thomas Friedman penned what I thought was an excellent piece on the apathy of the American people in general when it comes to sacrificing even the least when it comes to the environment and natural resources. It reminded me of the daily struggle a lot of us seem to face. From Climate Change to limited Oil and Natural Gas resources, to implementing Alternative Energy policies. Why is it so difficult for most of us to accept the fact that oil is a finite resource? Even people who believe we need to "drill, baby, drill" have to admit that future explorations will come with a significant price tag. People who rally against Solar or Wind energy point out the inefficiency of those sources without taking into account how a balanced approach of different energy sources could mean a significant reduction in our oil imports or coal mining and burning. In the end, many people are convinced that the sky is not falling, Climate Change is happening, but isn't caused by Humans and can't be slowed down, and we can all go back to partying like it's 1999.

I guess much of it boils down to the fact that the threats to our environment and economy are hardly palpable for most people. Gas at the pump is cheap right now, so why worry about it? We haven't had any power shortages in years, so it's not really a concern, right? The sun still comes up every morning.

The so-called "Greatest Generation" faced very real, visible and immediate threats during and after World War II and was compelled to act upon them. We, on the other hand, might not feel the real consequences of our inactions right now until 20, 30 or even 50 years from now - at which point it will be a lot harder, if not impossible, to reverse the situation.

Until general opinions change, there are a few things you can do, as insignificant as they may seem at times. Slow down when driving your car. Change your oil at the manufacturer's recommended intervals. Use CFLs wherever possible. Insulate your home. It might be frustrating at times to "do your part" while others waste resources, but I am hopeful that the tide will turn in the next few years, and the American public will come to realize that it is indeed time for action. There is still time.