Category: Random Stuff

This week’s edition of the Slate/Treehugger Green Challenge focuses on the holidays. Keeping in mind that no one actually diets during the holidays, I figured that carbon diets would be no different, and as it turns out I was right.

There was nothing I was willing to pledge to do to reduce my footprint other than recycle my holiday waste, which I was going to do anyway. That saves a statistically insignificant 15 lbs. I could have agreed to purchase various kinds of carbon offsets for the people on my list, but I’m thinking that would go over as well as, well, a lump of coal.

Speaking of lumps of coal, though, in an effort to reduce my carbon footprint in ways that aren’t recognized by Slate and Treehugger, I will no longer be giving lumps of coal to all the bad kids on my list. Instead they will recieve broken shards of solar panels and pieces of old windmills. That’ll teach ’em.

And so, this week I take no cars off the road and hold fast at the 32% reduction in my original footprint that I hit last week.

Last week’s quiz in the Slate/Treehugger Green Challenge focused on electricity. There was nothing in the quiz that we’re not doing already. Flourescent bulbs – check. Energy Star appliances (either already owned or we’ll get them when we replace things) – check. Unplugging electronics when not in use – check.

There were a few other items that I’ve forgotten, but there was nothing I could pledge to do that I’m not already doing, but while we were in Orange we got flourescent bulbs for my wife’s parents’ house and her grandmother’s house. Her grandmother seemed pleased that we were helping her do what Al Gore said we should.

Here are some other things you can do, according to the results page on my quiz:

• Exchanging three frequently used incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs saves about 150 pounds of CO2 a year per person.
• Unplugging your electronics when they’re not in use or using a power strip to shut them down saves about 500 pounds of CO2 a year per person.
• Unplugging external battery chargers for MP3 players, cell phones, and the like saves 213 pounds of CO2 a year per person.
• Replacing a conventional cordless phone with an Energy Star model saves 13 pounds of CO2 a year per person.
• Replacing a refrigerator that is more than 13 years old saves about 50 pounds of CO2 a year per person, and an average of 650 pounds of CO2 per person over the life of the appliance. Energy Star-rated refrigerators use about half as much energy as models manufactured before 1993. Each year, that comes to about the energy it takes to light the average household for nearly five months. So, if you’re leaving on an old fridge in your basement to store extra food from time to time, you’re adding to your carbon waistline.

So, this week we spread the gospel and reduced our carbon load by 1178 lbs or .12 cars. This brings the total reduction to 6970 lbs or 38% of my original total of 18274 lbs.

This week, the Slate/Treehugger Green Challenge focuses on clothing, and I’ve pledged to do things I’m already doing such as donate instead of throwing away unwanted clothes, line dry half my clothes, wash only full loads, and use warm or cold water to wash.

I’ll also purchase an Energy Star front-loading machine when the one we have now wears out. I was going to do that anyway.

Allegedly, by doing these things that I’m already doing, I can remove the equivalent of .08 cars from the road, but since I’m already doing them, I think it’s more a matter of keeping .08 cars off the road.

According to my reduction quiz page:

• The average American disposes of about 66 pounds of clothing and shoes each year, according to the Gaia Movement Trust. Donating instead of tossing saves about 165 pounds of CO2 emissions per person per year.
• Using only cold or warm water to wash your clothes saves energy and about 150 pounds of CO2 per person per year.
• Swapping the dryer for the clothes line saves 350 pounds of CO2 per person per year.
• Purchasing an Energy Star washing machine saves an average of 257 pounds of CO2 emissions per person per year.

So, for purposes of this carbon diet challenge, I’ve now reduced my initial carbon footprint by an additional 787 lbs, which brings my total reduction to 5792 lbs or 32% of my original total of 18274 lbs.

I’m just glad I don’t have to wear a hemp cloak to be green. Although, cloaks are cool.

It’s week three of the Slate/Treehugger Green Challenge. I’m workin’ out, pumpin’ iron at the carbon gym, shedding that carbon flab and getting myself leaner and greener.

This week’s focus area is food. I eat a mostly organic mostly vegetarian diet, and I readily admit that I eat this way because the food tastes better, and I just don’t trust the chemicals that are put into so much food. Call it enlightened self-interest. Anyway, there’s not much else I can do here except change a few shopping habits.

The first topic was beef. I hardly eat any beef as it is, only the occasional hamburger three or four times a year. I have pledged to cut my beef consumption in half, which means I’ll just get a single when I get those burgers.

I could have pledged to buy only local apples, and I try for local when available, but this isn’t really apple country so most of mine come from elsewhere.

Letting hot food cool before putting it in the fridge is smart. I’ve always done that, so I can’t change my ways there.

I’m already in the habit of buying products with less or reusable packaging so I’ll continue with that.

I’ve been meaning to start using reusable bags at the grocery store or at least reuse the ones I have. But I always forget to bring bags. Maybe this week. I mean, with the fate of the world hanging on this, you’d think I could remember. Perhaps it is some consolation, though, that I usually refuse to have my purchases bagged when I’m only buying a small amount of things. Cashiers look at me funny when I ask them not to bag a book or CD, but you have to live with that when you’re a terrorist-loving America-hating liberal moderate anyway.

According to the results page on my pledge/quiz thing:

• Cutting beef out of your diet saves approximately 1,000 pounds of CO2 emissions per year.
• Bringing your own bags to the grocery store saves about 17 pounds of carbon-dioxide emissions a year.
• Buying food and other products with minimal packaging saves about 230 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
• Becoming a vegetarian saves 3,000 pounds of CO2 a year.

If I keep my pledges on food, such that they are, I will reduce my carbon footprint by 637 lbs or .07 cars. This brings my total reduction to 4995 lbs, which is a 27% decrease in my original carbon footprint.

I’m practically wasting away.

On another note, I just learned that Montana’s new senator, Jon Tester, is an organic farmer. How cool is that?