The EcoChic

My vampires are my weakness…and I’m not talking about the Vampires that you find only at Halloween or in the bayous of New Orleans.  I’m talking about the energy vampires that suck the energy from your home while your away or asleep.  And these vampires don’t only come out at night!

Do you know which electronics suck the energy when not in use?  Take a look around your house; do you see lights on your TV even if it is off?  What about the clock on your video player or microwave?  What about the charger for your laptop?  What about things without lights like your cell phone charger?  The average household wastes about $100 a year on these energy vampires. 

I’ve really tried to unplug my vampires before they suck money from my wallet but it’s hard to remember.  I always forget my cell phone charger and my laptop charger.  Since I learned about energy vampires I have made some progress though.  I always turn off my printer now.  I have a power stip on my computer desk and I TRY to remember to turn it off every night before I go to bed.  And when we leave for a long weekend or on vacation I always unplug the TV, video player, cable boxes, and stereos.  There is always room for improvement but I’m making progress.  What about you?

First I should start by saying that I am slowly converting to a Rays fan since we’ve lived in FL for 3 years now (but I’ll always love my Braves!!).  The Eco Family has been watching the MLB Playoffs all week and since the Eco Boy just went to bed I just got into the game.  Go Rays!!!  It’s already 5-0 in the 3rd   Yeah!!  Well I just TURNED OUT MY LIGHTS!!!  Why?  As part of the TBS/Sharp Lights Out Challenge to make history in saving energy during game 4 of the ALCS.  What a cool way to get people to turn off their lights.  We’re usually good about having one small light on while we watch TV in the evening but tonight it’s just hubby, myself, and the TV!  All the other lights in the house are OFF!  (Except for the night light in the hall for Eco Boy!)  Go take the challenge for yourself and see if your state is winning the challenge!  AND…GO RAYS!!!

If you know me you also know that my political knowledge is not very strong.  I do have a good understanding of the rules and regulations that are out there; but when you bring the politians in and their stance I’m usually pretty clueless.  So today, I found myself watching C-SPAN and the House Energy Committees hearing on Oil Supply and Demand.  I only watched about 20 minutes of it at home before I had to get into the car and drive to Orlando for work.  I found C-SPAN on my XM and listened to the rest of the hearing.  Typically I find this stuff very boring and typically change the channel very quickly.  Today I listened to the entire hearing and I learned a bit.  So here is my summary on the hearing but feel free to go to C-SPAN to listen to the archive yourself. 

1.  There are two distinctive sides on the energy and oil debate.  One side thinks that the answer is local oil resources; while the other side thinks that we should expand technologies to replace our dependance on oil.  By exploring local resources in ANWAR and off the coast we can reduce our dependance on foreign oil and increase our supply.  While I agree that we can do this and be respectful to the environment I don’t think it is the only solution.  I think it is a temporary fix and I don’t think that the supply will be enough for our ever increasing demand on fossil fuels.  I’m not against using these local resources (if managed properly) in limited quantities; while we research alternative forms of energy.  I tend to be more on the side of researching and developing new technologies that will decrease our dependance on fossil fuels in general; as I think this is the long term goal we should be reaching.  I think the Energy Committee (while split on the solution) is on the same page and is honestly taking a look at all sides of the issue. 

2.  The best point that was made (in my opinion) was about our space exploration.  The amount of research and development that went into the nation’s space program years ago put a man on the moon in less than 10 years.  That is a pretty remarkable time frame if you ask me.  If we were to put the same time and money and effort into the energy crisis would we not see similar success with our energy technologies? 

3.  Interesting fact…did you know that the price that the government is using for speculation on fuel efficiency standards in 10-15 years is around $2.50 for a gallon of gas?  Did you also know that when the Bush administration took office the price of a gallon of gas was around $1.50?  To me I think those are very interesting peices of information.  The increase in a gallon of gasoline has never in our history increased this quickly in such a short period of time.  What would you speculate a gallon of gasoline will cost in 2 years?  Any guesses?  Do you think it will be above or below the $2.50 that the government is using today for speculation?  Do you think it will be above or below the $4 average that we are paying as a nation today?  (Note: Exact figures and years were actually provided in the hearing…what is mentioned here are estimates based on my memory.)

4.  Nuclear energy.  Some representatives brought up nuclear energy which I think the majority of the committee agrees is not where we need to spend our time and efforts due to the nuclear waste associated with it.  Did you know however; that we as a Nation are supporting Saudi Arabia’s nuclear energy development program?  I was absolutely SHOCKED when I heard this.  We are providing our enemies with the capability to do severe environmental damage; while we don’t even look at it as a solution to our own energy crisis.  I’m not an expert on nuclear energy and our foreign policy so that’s all I’m going to say on this topic.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  Where do you stand on solving our energy crisis?  Aside from conservation (which we can only do so much with our current technology choices) where do you think we should be spending our time and money? 

This weekend we had the pleasure of attending Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival for the first time.  From a person who is trying to become more green in the garden it was quite nice to see what they have done.  They used tire scraps as mulch throughout the park, integrated recycled art into their displays, and had very informative booths that promoted the environment.  One such booth was from the National Honey Board.  My son was playing on the playground at the time so I took the opportunity to see what they were talking about.  To my surprise the gentleman working the booth started talking about the environment.  I was absolutely amazed at the things he was talking about.

Did you know that honey has antimicrobial properties?  And that adding honey to your food works as a natural food preservative?  That adding it to a bread recipe will help to prevent mold growth.  And that honey has great antioxident qualities as well.  It’s more sweeter than sugar.

So how is it environmentally friendly?  Most recipes call for sugar to be melted to make a syrup and honey is already in a liquid form; thus less heating required.  He kept on telling me more but I can’t remember it all.  All I can say is that I learned alot and will be using honey more often in the kitchen.  But it’s not only good in the kitchen; what about for spa treatments or health treatments.  Honey is a good cough suppresent and it’s antioxidant characteristics make it great for those homemade spa treatments.  Did you know that honey could even be used to treat cuts and scrapes?  Or to treat some bacterial infections? 

Check out the National Honey Board’s Industry links for some useful recipes, tips, and tricks. 

BEFORE YOU SLAM ME FOR BEING ON A PLANE – READ THE NEXT POST!  I APPRECIATE YOUR VIEWS AND WILL KEEP ALL COMMENTS (UNLESS VULGAR) BUT I ASK YOU TO CONSIDER YOUR LIFE BEFORE YOU JUDGE MINE!  Thanks! 

I wanted to thank my friend Purple Pepper for her contribution to the Earth Hour post earlier today.  I was on a plane from Savannah to Atlanta when I read an article reminding me about Earth Hour.  Purple Pepper graciously posted the information for me since I wasn’t around my computer.  However….I also wrote an article while waiting for my return flight back to Tampa…so here it is:

Delta Airlines SKY magazine had a great green issue this month and the cover was about Earth Hour.  I remember when Australia honored Earth Hour last year so I was glad to see this again this year. 

It’s not just about an hour as it is to how much we as individuals impact the environment AND how we as individuals have a personnal responsibility to help reduce our impact.  We can sit around all day and blame the government for the lack of environmental laws but we need to take a step back and remember that we CAN all make a difference without laws.

What are some of our biggest issues we face today?  Is it the war in Iraq?  Is it the rising price of gasonline?  Is it the poor economy we are facing more and more each day?

By being a good environmental steward we can help with all of these issues.  How you might ask??  Think about today and the Earth Hour.  If we all (American’s or elsewhere) turned off our lights for one hour tonight not only will we be reducing our personal energy usage BUT we will also help reduce the amount of oil consumed on this planet.  We often forget where our daily necessities come from.  You don’t consciously think that you are contributing to the rising oil prices when you leave a light on in a room as you go off into another room; only to turn on another light.  And how often do you consider that by turning off that same light you might help us as American’s to bring our men and women home sooner from Iraq.

Why are we over there anyways?  I know there are many other reasons for our military presence in the Middle East but one reason for this (and other past wars) is due to the fight over – OIL!

Why have we become so dependant on this non-renewable resource?  How many of the products that we use on a daily basis are made with oil?  I would challenge you to think of a product that doesn’t directly or indirectly use oil.  Whether in production, transportation or in the use of the product almost everything we use or consume contributes to our dependance on oil.  Have we always been dependant on oil?  When did we as humans first use oil and what did we do before then?  What lessons can we learn from those individuals who didn’t depend on the oil?

So I know I have ventured off into a very controversial area but we often forget how dependant we are on this resource.  And what other technology or resource is available that would reduce this dependance?  What did families do prior to having electricity in the homes?  I bet 1) they had better family values and strong family bonds, 2) they were healthier without all that junk food and televisions, 3) they incorporated exercise into their daily activities, and 4) they took pride in their communities and natural resources.

There is a lot to say for the way things use to be BUT we also have to embrace where we are today.  As we turn off our lights tonight at 8pm (local time) I challenge you to take the time to consider additional ways you can change your life; not only to be a better environmental steward BUT for your FAMILY, your COMMUNITY, your COUNTRY, and your MOTHER – MOTHER EARTH!   

A few weeks ago I had talked to my sons school about recycling which didn’t go as planned so I was very excited when his teacher started talking to me about Earth Day.  Well it seems that through our conversations she has decided to have a whole weeks lessons dedicated to the environment AND she asked for my help.  I’ve always been a little sad that I’m never home on Earth Day (always away on business) so I’m excited that she will be celebrating with the kids.  So this weekend I sat down and wrote out some ideas to share with her next week.  Now mind you these are 5 year olds so I have to think on their level.  Here are some of my ideas; I’d love to hear yours.

Day One: (In no specific order) Reduce.  Talk to the kids about where their trash goes.  Talk to them about landfills.  One activity: Bury a few items in the play yard and label them with a stake.  Have the kids guess how long it will take for the items to disappear.  Then have the kids check the items every few days to a week.  I think they will be surprised to see most of the stuff still there.  Another activity:  This one is more geared toward the bigger kids but can be scaled down for them.  Edible landfill.  I did this project years ago when I worked for the State of GA.  You take fruit rollups for the liner; cookies and grahm cracker crumbs for the layers and then top it with ice cream.  The idea is that the ice cream will slowly make its way through the layers but should stop by the time it gets to the liner.  And…they get to eat it.

Day Two:  Reuse.  Since day 2 is actually Earth Day I thought Reuse would be good.  Ideas:  wastefree lunch (ask all the parents to pack reusable items instead of disposable), worm compost, and growing a garden from seeds. 

Day Three: Recycle.  Teach the kids that instead of throwing things away they can reuse (day 2) and also recycle.  Activities:  crafts from trash!  Talk about which items can be recycled and where/how.  What happens to items once they are recycled…what do they become…show examples (cereal box, egg cartons, etc.)

Day Four:  Water Conservation.  I have to think of some ideas…this is where I stopped yesterday.  I thought about having a park ranger from the local park/beach come talk to the kids about taking care of the beach; the sea life; etc. 

Day Five:  Energy Conservation.  I have some free coloring books I got from ENERGY STAR and EPA online.  They are all geared towards the kids and feature Horton from Horton Hears a Who that comes out at the movies next week.  It’s never to early to teach the kids to turn off the lights.  We can also talk about different types of power…solar power, wind power, etc. 

I’m also planning on going into the classroom on Friday and talking with the kids.  Answering all their questions.  I’m SOOOO excited!  Even if she doesn’t take all of my ideas I think it’s a great idea to teach the kids about the environment at this age.  I’ll let you know how the plans go and take some pictures of the activities. 

I got a call from my brother last night who lives in Arkansas and he was talking to me about heating their home.  They live in a very old house where the heating only works in certain rooms.  They have gas heating so that creates another problem in the winter; especially with the cost of gas these days.  Well little brother, I have been doing some research for you.   Have you looked into vent-free gas heating yet?  Desa offers vent-free heaters for your rooms.  I had no idea how environmentally friendly gas heating could be.  Their vent-free heaters offer an energy efficient and safe heating source for all rooms of your house.  They can reduce your heating bills by 10% for every five degrees your turn down the thermostat.  Why would you turn down the thermostat you ask?  Because if you use the room heaters you won’t have to use that in-efficient thermostat that you have in your house as much.  Just use the vent-free heaters in the rooms where you are most often.  Now, I know little brother you may be ask me about cost and installation but please go check out all the details for youself at Desa.  They have room heaters that can be mounted on the floor, on the wall or even in an existing fire place.  With your house you could finally get some use out of those old fireplaces that you’ve been afraid to use.  But back to my favorite part, about the environment.  These vent-free heaters are safe in terms of air quality.  They even come with a safety feature called an oxygen detecting safety pilot which shuts off the gas supply if the oxygen levels fall below 18%.  Now you won’t have to worry about heating that baby room either because you can feel safe that it will shut itself off if it is too dangerous to run it. 

This is a sponsored blog by Desa.  Thank you.

Congress approved HR 6 today!  I don’t normally follow all the polital stuff that happens up in Washington but lately it’s been really interesting.  The new legislation also called the Energy Independance and Security Act of 2007 and it addresses fuel economy, alternative fuels and light bulbs.  It sounds kind of strange to bunch all of those topics in one bill but the primary focus is to begin to address the climate change/global warming issue.  Here are a few places to read up on the Energy Act: http://www.energy.gov/, http://biz.yahoo.com/usnews/071219/19_faq_the_end_of_the_light_bulb_as_we_know_it.html?.v=1&.pf=banking-budgeting, and http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/politics/5388632.html. 

In brief the new act will increase the fuel economy of all vehicles over the next several years; work to increase the production and availability of alternative fuels (such as ethanol); and eliminate incandescent light bulbs!  The easiest one for us to relate to is the light bulb.  We’ve all seen the curly shaped light bulbs (compact fluorescent light bulbs, aka CFLs) at the stores but what do you really know about them?  I’ve wrote about them before.  They are more energy efficient and last up to 10 times longer than the traditional light bulbs.  They also use less energy and produce less heat thus saving in your energy bill.  You can go to www.18seconds.org to read more interesting facts on the savings of the CFL. 

I really wanted to note the significance of this Energy Act.  It was 1975 the last time Congress addressed fuel economy in vehicles.  That was shortly after my birth!  I know I’m aging myself but it makes me ponder what will be normal for my son in 10 years.  He’ll be 15 and won’t have any idea what an incandescent light bulb is.  He already knows the difference between them and CFLs, in fact he really likes the CFLs cool shape.  What will the vehicles be like when he starts to drive?  Will fuel cell vehicles be popular yet?  What will be the hot environmental issues when he’s 10?  Will we really be that far removed from where we are now?  When he’s my age will gasoline powered vehicles be a thing of the past?  

Ok…sorry I started to ramble again that’s my cue to sign off for the day.  What do you think of the new legislation?   

I recently signed up to get daily green tips from the fine folks at www.idealbite.com and I got a really interesting one today.  Have you ever heard of Blackle or Green Spider?  I’m guessing you probably haven’t.  Well according the the Department of Energy computers use less energy when they are displaying a dark background.  The normal white background that is on most standard websites usues 74 watts of power; while a black background only uses 59 watts of power.  That’s a 20% savings in energy just by using a dark background.  www.blackle.com is a Google equivelant that is all black.  I actually liked www.thegreenspider.com a little better because green and blue are a little easier on the eyes.  This same idea holds true with email backgrounds, screensavers and more.  Maybe my next step will be to finding a nice dark background for this blog.

By the way, I have several really good questions being emailed to me to address in a future blog.  If you have anything you want me to discuss please email me and let me know.  I also value your comments on those blogs that I post, if you like it or hate it…leave me a comment and tell me why.  Thanks for reading!

Now I’m not a loyal Wal-Mart shopper, we usually prefer our local Target store.  However, I had to pick up a few things today and it was closer to my location.  I have heard many stories about how Wal-Mart is really trying to make a name for themselves in the greening of their operations but I never really read up on it.  During my visit today I noticed something that impressed me.  I had to get some frozen waffles (that my son loves so much) and while I was walking down the frozen food aisle it happened, the lights in the displays came on as I passed by and went back off as I passed.  At first I thought there was something wrong then I started thinking about the environment.  These displays are actually on motion sensor lighting so they don’t waste electricity if no one is in the aisle.  Now I know that’s only one small step but if you go to the Wal-Mart website there is more.  It seems like they really are taking the initiative to become a more environmentally friendly store and lessen their overall impact.  Who knows…I might start shopping there more often.