Energy Audit Results

On Tuesday, May 18th, we completed an energy audit. By we, I mean Alex and I. She greeted the gentleman, Clarke, from MassSave who performed the actual audit. We have mostly CFLs, although not the fancy dimming ones. We're pretty energy efficient, minus the single-paned windows and carbon monoxide emissions from our heater in the basement. 

The heater puts out between 5000-6900 PPM (that's parts per million if you didn't know), which is terrible considering carbon monoxide levels shouldn't go over 100 PPM.  Our CO levels were between 4900-6800 PPM higher than they're supposed to be and above the legal limit. Our gas is currently shut off to the heater. At least we still have hot water.  Thank goodness it is not the winter or we would have been colder than we already were. 

It's been fun, ya'll. Catch you on the flip side. 

M. & A.

Wanted: More Plots for Willing Gardeners

As I worked in my shared community garden plot this weekend—alongside a woman named Elisa who spoke with a Spanish accent and a man named Webb with white hair and glasses—I realized we were preparing the soil to grow more than just spring peas and summer tomatoes. After all the books and articles and blog posts I’ve read about the magic of community gardening, there’s nothing like actually experiencing it.

So different from the other ways I’ve grown food—on a larger, partly commercial scale at the Local Food Project at Airlie, and with a more individualistic approach in the backyard of our former rental house—vegetable gardening at a community plot emphasizes the fact that we all have the same basic needs. Whatever your background or situation, you have to eat, and many different kinds of people choose to meet that need by producing some of their own food on this shared land. Because there’s barely any boundary between plots, these diverse gardeners can’t help but rub elbows with one another. Conversations center around soil or plants or water or pests. Talk is simple, but rich. Chatter doesn’t last long because everyone wants to get back to work.

A lot of people want to get in on this experience, but can’t. Arlington has only eight community gardens and the demand for plots far exceeds availability. While Greg and I loosened soil and pulled out weeds at the plot we have no official claim to (remember I randomly made a new friend who wanted to share hers), a man wandered up who said he’d been on the waiting list for three years. Riding my bike along Four Mile Run this evening I caught a quick view of a carefully tended vegetable garden on the bank of the stream out of sight from the road. I pedaled away with mixed feelings—excited that someone had found land in an unlikely spot to grow their own food, sad that with the next big rainstorm all their hard work will be washed away, and frustrated that Arlington isn’t meeting the enthusiasm of citizens to get out and garden.

For my independent study this summer I’ll be looking at the relationship between urban agriculture and citizenship. I’m looking forward to reading, observing, and pondering, but my big scary, thrilling idea is to use what I learn at some point down the line to form a pitch to convince Arlington decision-makers why urban agriculture should be a priority for our area. We’ll see what happens!

VOTE HERE

To change or not to change, that's the question....

Did my habits as an urban environmental citizen change over the past four months? Did I become more aware of my product consumption? Did I check food labels for things that were produced locally, regionally or organically? Did I unplug appliances, turn off lights and audit my energy usage?

YES, YES, and YES.

In terms of the four key aspects of sustainable urban living: food systems, consumption, transportation, and energy use, I believe that my eyes have been opened. It has been a terrific challenge, and I plan on continuing to monitor my input and outputs in terms of sustainable practices all summer long.

Energy Audit

We are excited to announce that we (Alex and I) are getting a FREE energy audit, hosted by the Commonwealth Challenge, Next Step Living, and MassSAVE. 

It is scheduled for 5/18/2010 at 1:30 PM.  I don't know how long this blog is going to continue, but I wanted to follow up to my previous "blogs".  

Over our last weekend of Dawn's class, we were able to meet Josh Lynch, who started the Commonwealth Challenge.  I am really excited to be a part of this!  

Final thoughts.

OK so for the last blog I am going to write the same one for both classes. I am right in assuming this is the last week we have to blog??

I thought I would share my overall final ideas for each class.

Overall I think I am more aware of my own actions and own energy consumption. I broke out the bike this morning and rode to the post office. I’m not sure its something I will do often, but hey it’s a start. In my continuing house search I look for things, such as energy star appliances, the windows, type of heat, and age of the building. I have planted a small 3 pot herb garden. Planted. I wish I could say I they were thriving, but they are not. I kind of feel bad that I bought them as I may end up throwing it out. But I tried. As for local food, I now understand the importance of buying local food, but still like when I started the semester, I can’t afford to eat in that fashion. From Dawn’s class I have learned the qualities it takes to be a leader, but I am still having trouble putting it all together. I still don’t know how to take the leadership skills I have learned and put it into a practical situation. I still find myself being judgemental in certain situation, when I know people are doing something that is not a good ecological choice. It’s frustrating, but perhaps it will come with time. Both of these classes have frustrated me that we don’t really look at things on a global level, we have been focusing on our own communities. But maybe that will be addressed next semester. Overall I have enjoyed sharing thoughts with everyone, and reading everyone’s blogs.

Human Oil Addiction causes oil spill in Gulf of Mexico

As many of you know from my last post, I am really concerned by this BP disaster in the Gulf Coast region. As I type, I am thinking about the jet fuel used to bring me to Boston to study environmental issues. This seems really counter-intuitive for me personally. I know that we do not have a model in which I could get to New England faster than a plane, so I must not focus too heavily on this discouraging fact.

I just wonder if Americans will even flinch at the 5,000 barrels of oil a day spewing into the ocean, deemed a potentially huge ecological disaster by experts. Will surpassing the Exxon Valdez spill make us think about our consumption? Or will we just ignore it? I don't think we have a choice this time; oil is already lapping onto our Gulf shores.

I have challenged myself to walk everywhere feasible, ride a bike or my moped for intermediate distance trips, and demand carpooling for longer trips. Most of my friends, who never talk about environmental issues, have taken to shifting their thinking in consumption.

I am amazed by how many people have responded positively in my quest to spread the "green" word. My fear of being ostracized for my opinions and values have vanished. If just talking about environmental concepts have already changed family and friends' behavior on even a small scale means that there is real hope for the planet and humans. Change is possible; Recently I gave a very short seminar at the college that employs me, and many of the facts that I rattled off to the crowd still surprise me. The United States makes up less than 5% of the world population, yet we consume around 27% of the world's resources. This means that WE have to be the leaders in reducing consumption. This also means that WE can incredibly reduce the impact humans have on our finite and amazing planet.

I charge everyone to not drive their personal automobile for ONE day. If you cannot do this for a whole day, at least lump all of your trips/errands into the least amount of driving as possible. I know that folks who work, have children, or is a nanny cannot simply go even half a day without driving, so any attempts to reduce use will help. There has to be a way to stick it to companies like BP, because charging them with cleanup costs isn't going to even dent their quarterly profits.

The domestic off-shore drilling program has been halted in light of this catastrophe. I am personally very happy; domestic drilling, whether in the Gulf Coast or in Alaska, will not solve much. What can be produced is almost laughable compared to imported oil, not to mention the fuel won't even hit the market for a while. Does giving a drug addict product made in the U.S.A. rather than product made outside the States make them any less addicted to drugs? Not at all. So why haven't we taken the same approach to transportation and fuel sources? Because we are addicted to a drug called convenience. I am one of those hooked, and even when I want to stop, it calls me back again...

I refuse to believe the oil pipe leak was just an accident; the Earth is trying to tell us something with every hurricane, earthquake, forest fire, and yes, even oil spill that occurs.

eQuest Energy Model: Update 1

Using eQUEST energy modeling software, I was able to accurately predict the energy use of my apartment, and shared wall apartments, in my multi-family dwelling. Here are some glimpses of the process.

Note: I finished this project while watching tonight's Cambridge City Council Meeting broadcast on "City TV". City Councilors are celebrating the ribbon cutting of a new library, while many Boston neighborhoods are reeling after the recent news that four public libraries will be closed in September and others will face budget cuts. 


I digress.


Here are some screen shots from my study:

My Home Location in Cambridge, MA

eQuest has a built-in "wizard" that guides the software user through the modeling process. I chose the simple wizard, which included 50 windows, each requiring entry of several data points. Some of the input data help to define the following:

- Gross floor area
- Partition Layout
- Roof Construction
- Exterior Wall Construction
- Interior Wall Construction
- Above and Below Grade Rigid Insulation
- Window Type
- Window Locations
- Exterior Window Blinds, Shades
- Unit Counts
- Occupancy Duration (day only, night only, 9-5, etc)
- Office Equipment
- Laundry Loading
- Interior Lighting Intensity and Type
- HVAC Equipment Type
- Ventilation Type (Mechanical/Passive)
- Miscellaneous Equipment Loads
- Seasonal Thermostat Setpoints
- Weather Region

Typical eQUEST Window "Building Footprint"

 Typical eQUEST Window "Building Envelope Construction"

Typical eQuest Window "Exterior Windows"

I'll spare you the other 47 data input windows. Some of the data has a significant degree of uncertainty, which results in considerable error. Take for example the rating and existence of insulation. I had to assume an R-value for the existing insulation. I assumed R-15 insulation in the exterior above ground walls and in the ceilings. I also assumed that the building was constructed without underground rigid insulation. 

Another abstract input was the 'infiltration rate' of the the building facade. This is the rate at which air moves through the building envelope (i.e shell). Leaky buildings have high infiltration rates, tight buildings have low infiltration rates. Infiltration is measured in cubic feet per minute (CFM). After doing some research, I picked an infiltration rate that a bit higher than the average, due to the age and observed draftiness of my apartment. If I were to hazard a guess, the infiltration rate is probably higher than the conservative value input.

After completing the data input, the software generated this model:

eQUEST Building Model

Then the software generates a energy consumption report based on weather data for Boston downloaded automatically from a Department of Energy database.

The report looks like this:

Baseline Design Electric and Gas Consumption

 

My first impression is that the report is within the ballpark. I'm going to compare the result with the actual electricity/gas consumption. The tricky step will be asking my neighbors, the other occupants of the multi-family dwelling, for their electricity and natural gas bills. Update 2 will include an analysis of the electric and gas consumption predicted by the eQuest Model contrasted with the actual building use. It would also be valuable to change data inputs, such as the insulation R-values, and see how the predicted energy use is affected. Another idea is to calculate kWh and btu per person, then compare the consumption with that of a typical single family household. 

Stay tuned...

No idling, please!

Today I went to pick up my 'kids' from school.

I pulled into the carpool lane and noticed that all of the Mommy-SUVs/Nanny-sedans were shut off and silent. New signs dotted the pick-up lane, quietly screaming "NO-IDLE ZONE".

New regulations stating that it's illegal to idle your car vary from state to state. This is a big conflict in our family since some people (aka, me) have had the wrong impression that idling the car uses less gas than stopping and restarting the car. Actually, idling the car for just ten seconds uses more gas than turning the car off and on again. This is the most simple and easy way to save money, gas and keep our air clean and our kids free from asthma.

Constructs and Criticism

I have been following the British Petroleum oil disaster that happened recently, and it is getting pretty scary how much human demand is seriously screwing things up. I mean, I don't want to turn into one of those super angry environmentalists that burn out early, but this is just getting ridiculous.

So, I made up my mind that in order to take a "small step" in becoming a better ecological citizen I need to boycott BP gasoline. That was until a good friend of mine I hadn't seen in a while called me up and begged me to drive to Cincinnati to spend some time with him. Now, as an environmental leader, is it the best use of my remaining fossil fuels in the gas tank to drive 80 miles to see a high school buddy? Probably not. I told myself that seeing a long-time friend was worth that little over a quarter tank, so I made the trek north. I hadn't yet noticed that my tank was sitting at exactly over a quarter tank left. As I reached the Cincinnati city limits, I hear the empty tank warning beep and the light come on the dash. "Time to get gas," I thought to myself. I literally drove in circles trying to find a gas station, cussing myself for not filling up before hitting the interstate. When I finally found one, I became very irritated and almost ashamed: the only available gas station within safe distance of my car not running out was none other than British Petroleum. Angry that I felt I had no other choice, and mostly angry that I could have prevented this whole situation by paying better attention to my car. Or better yet, angry that I chose to spend my time driving to see a friend rather than staying home and saving gas (and possibly tackle the mounting laundry pile).

I pull up at the pump, slam my car in park, ripped the keys out of the ignition, and slammed the door even harder as I got out to fill up. As I stood there pumping gas I realize that while I have this righteous attitude about BP's practices, I am currently contributing to the reason why the spill happened in the first place.

Earlier, I felt helpless and stuck in the social construct that aids in the perpetuation of society's "downward spiral." Post-epiphany, I see that all I had to do was stay in Lexington in order to do my part in curbing the addiction. I didn't have to drive to Cincinnati, I didn't have to forget gas before I left after I decided to go, and certainly didn't have to drive a vehicle (truck) that uses that much fuel in the first place.

What I learned from this experience is that while it was fun to see an old friend, it may not have been worth the internal moral struggle. How does one go about their daily lives without getting bent out of shape? How do I go about seeing people in my life (much LIVE your life) without conflicting with my attempted behavioral changes constantly? I preach the importance of not staying upset all the time, but I cannot help from simmering about the things that bother me personally.

DIY

I started a do-it-yourself home energy audit, with the help of Alex. We've been tackling a small bit at a time.  Most of the bits are easy and cost nothing, like evaluating the apartment. 

The first, and albeit easiest, task was to change light bulbs. CFLs are relatively expensive at $5.00 a piece... but they come in nice little recyclable packaging. They also come with their own recylcing kit!






I'm hoping to see changes in our energy bill...  





 

More to come after the weekend...

Beekeeping article from Boston Globe

I came across an article in the Boston Globe dated March 17, 2010 titled NYC abuzz: Board makes beekeeping legal. Beekeeping is now legal in New York City! Many would have to keep their beekeeping labors a secret. NYC was known as one of the many cities who's health code banned beekeeping and listed honeybees as hazardous creatures. Beekeeping is legal in Boston and Cambridge and has always been a popular trade in Massachusetts. If you are interested in keeping honeybees and live in the Boston area contact the Norfolk County Beekeepers Association. They offer classes for $50 or so during January.

The 2012 Farm Bill: It's Coming

Let's hope we get real change on this one, as currently 70% of farm payments go to the wealthiest 10% of producers of corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton and rice. Check out some possible goals for the 2012 Farm Bill here.

Small Steps

I have been bad about my energy auditing...

When I get home from work, I don't feel like doing anything, much less making my home more energy efficient. I have kept the heating/A.C. off for over a year now, and it gets real cold during the winter, and real hot during the summer. So in that regard, I have made some small steps. However, sealing of the windows and weather-stripping of the doors are in order.

Energy use reduction OUTSIDE of the home has begun: I manually push-mowed my yard on Earth Day, and that was interesting to say the least. Not only was I dreaming about my gas-powered mower the entire time, the darn thing does not cut well at all! People walking by gave me peculiar looks, like they had just stepped into a time warp. I have a much higher appreciation for the gas-powered mower now, but I felt good about not using fuel and getting a little sweat going....

I am also getting my moped serviced this weekend. The truck must be parked and not moved until completely necessary. It is too nice to not be scootin' around town! More efforts are to be made soon on the home energy reduction, but in the mean time, I am taking steps to reduce other energy consuming sources.

A Good Way to Start the Week

Monday morning a technician is coming to give me a quote on installing a solar hot water heater system. This is a solar panel, in our case on south facing roof, hooked into a new, primary, water heater. The existing hot water heater, fueled by natural gas, will remain, but will become secondary for those times when the solar panel isn't up to snuff.

"Reduce or eliminate hot water heating energy costs with a solar water heating system. Solar hot water heaters save money, reduce carbon, and lower your dependence on imported energy. A solar hot water heater will also reduce your carbon footprint as much as planting more than 200 trees!
Solar hot water systems are a home improvement that will pay for itself, then pay you! Using the sun's energy instead of fossil fuels is like owning your own power plant—the more you use, the more you save. Our technicians have years of experience with solar water heater installations and repairs. We will gladly meet with you to discuss your hot water use, then discuss the best options that fit within your budget.
When it comes to saving money on energy bills and saving the environment, there is no better option than solar. If you are considering the clean, green alternative of solar as a home or business owner, turn to us, the local experts on solar thermal water heating solutions" (FAI Mechanical Contractors).

Let's just hope the system is affordable. More on this later and, HINT, the husband loves the idea. The gadget-loving engineer might be the most convincible audience member of all ... and then our very own house will be a "quiet" reminder of the economics of sustainable practice. After all, IF we can afford it, why not?

$23.75

It’s Earth Day and I just got back from planting potatoes at my shared plot in the community garden. The weather is beautiful, I rode my bike to work yesterday, and the cute little number above is the amount we owe on our electric bill this month. Life is good…for now.


That number above is bound to go up. The sultry, sweaty months of DC summer are only a few months away. And the icy chill of Snowmaggedon could return next winter. Both extremes demand a lot of our rickety old AC and heat pump unit. We’ve been lucky the last month with the weather blissfully mild enough not to even touch our thermostat. The number on our electric bill must be a seasonal anomaly. There’s no way we could maintain it in a 2-bedroom condo with all the conveniences we take for granted—central air, clothes washer and dryer, fridge, dishwasher, TV, laptop. And there’s certainly no way that number could go down…or is there?

Since I already discovered that the typical DIY energy audit turns a cold shoulder to apartment dwellers, I tried a new web search this week and found this kitschy, yet pretty helpful list on the Ontario Tenants Rites site. This guy digs deep and identifies the little energy wasters that the high falootin’ audits gloss over. Who thinks about saving energy by using the low heat setting on the hair dryer or refraining from opening the oven door to check on cookies? He even includes the formulas for manually figuring out the energy each appliance uses. Awe-Some.

To motivate myself to make changes, even some small ones, I’m sharing two lists: the good and the bad. Putting the good out there (stuff I’m already doing) will hopefully make tackling the bad (stuff I’m neglecting or ignoring) seem not so impossible, even when my budget’s saying no to any big purchases.

Good
Electronics plugged into power strips and turned off when not using
CFLs in all light fixtures
Insulating curtains on one window that receives full sun for most of the day
Energy Star windows installed last August
Thermostat at 68 in winter, 74 in summer, off in spring/fall!
Living room heated with wood-burning fireplace
Microwave unplugged when not in use

Bad
Poor insulation and weather stripping on front door
Oven used too much for quick heating—need a toaster oven!
Poor seal and non-Energy Star glass on balcony door
No Energy Star appliances—clothes washer, oven, dishwasher all energy hogs
High heat setting on the hairdryer
Clothes dryer runs a lot—no place to hang an outdoor line
Printer always turned on when laptop is on
Only one ceiling fan—doesn’t circulate enough air to cool entire apartment
Coffee maker instead of a French press
Electric range instead of gas
Sometimes toast only one slice of bread at a time—energy in second slot wasted
Large refrigerator

Earth Day Home Economics

I belong to a huge mother's group. Many of the families in my physical neighborhood belong, but my virtual neighborhood also includes families across Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Luckily, the women in my physical neighborhood and drivable communities form the majority.

A week from Monday, I will be packaging my daughter up in her Ergo and walking to a neighbor's house to learn about how to make eco-friendly, inexpensive, cleaning products from other moms. There will be a half dozen kids there under 4, and snacks. How did I find out about this event? The host e-mailed the group organizer with a description, she posted it, and meetup.com's computer server sent me a message. Yes, it took some electricity--some of which likely came from a non-renewable source--as does me sharing my thoughts with you now, but truthfully, this example of community-building, community education, and eco-citizenship on the part of my neighbor will lead to reused containers, less harmful chemicals into the water table, and better yet--a solidified friendship, or two.

Home economics class down the street? I hope we can make it a trend.

Alternative Cleansers

Energy and food aside this week for me, I want to share what I found out about useful, non-toxic alternative household cleaning agents. I Googled “alternative cleansers” and found these two clever websites:

http://www.ecologycenter.org/factsheets/cleaning.html

http://www.ecocycle.org/hazwaste/recipes.cfm

They highlight baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), washing soda (sodium carbonate), vinegar, lemon juice, borax, castile soap and vegetable based soaps.
These nifty alternatives are simple solutions to saving money, improve our health and reduce the toxic products leaking into the water and soil. A lot of these cleaning methods are not new secrets. They are age old and very inexpensive. Our grandmothers used such everyday ingredients back in the day.

The Boston Globe recently had a story published about just how “green” new marketed products are. They are often more expensive and their green credentials are often questionable.

I have used washing soda in my laundry; it aids in softening the water and boosts cleansing power. Cream of tartar (potassium bitartrate), often used for stabilizing egg whites, not mentioned in these websites can be mixed with vinegar or hot water makes a great silver polish.

Ecocycle.org motto is “working to build zero waste communities” is also a useful website for ecological friendly news and tips. Remember Cap and Trade by Annie Leonard? Eco cycle features other public service type announcements narrated by Annie Leonard. There is a link that directs you straight to The Story of Stuff Project website.

Meghan

HE STOLE MY GIG

I am so angry. I am stomping around. I am agitated. Ugh. I could scream.

You know who I'm mad at?

This guy:











His name is Josh. Josh Dorfman. And he stole my idea, darn it. He is the new host of a reality television show called Lazy Environmentalist on the Sundance Channel.

I am so upset because I AM THE LAZY ENVIRONMENTALIST....NOT HIM! He speaks like me. Literally, I think I said this last night at the dinner table:

"You can guilt-trip me and you can moralize and you can gloom-and-doom about it, but there are probably certain behaviors I have that I'm just not going to change. But if you presented me with solutions ... if we can figure out ways to reduce my impact -- that I can afford -- great! I'm going to do them ... I don't necessarily think that's a good thing, but I think that this is the reality and there are probably hundreds of millions of Americans who feel like I do. I'm a lazy environmentalist." --Josh Dorfman

Frankly, I am feeling like the ultimate lazy environmentalist lately. And all this talk about Earth Day is exasperating the situation. I am over pretending that I'm into tracking my energy consumption.

So, in honor of my new frenemy, Josh, here are some of my tips on how to be a lazy environmentalist:


1. Plan a Staycation
Forgoing a single international trip might offset all the carbon dioxide you produce through your home and car during the entire year.


2. Call In Sick
Telecommuting is the newest way to save energy. Stay home from work today, avoid mass transit or driving, and join the trend: today more than 4 million workers telecommute most days, and nearly 20 million Americans work from home at least once a month.


3. Give Your Laptop a Nap
We all do it, because it's so much easier to have the computer up-and-running when we want it...but by putting your computer to sleep when you're not using it, can save about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide every year.


4. Glug Some H2O
I am the bottled water queen, so this one is a bit hypocritical, but they say if you can replace just two store-bought bottles of water every week with tap water from the faucet can mean 500 fewer pounds of CO2 emissions over a year.


5. Stay Together
Move in with your partner, or, stay married. Converting one household into two means bigger utility bills and, therefore, more greenhouse gases. By living together, and staying together, you're actually helping the planet.


Happy Earth Day! XOXO
The Lazy Environmentalist II

To Judge or not to...

This past weekend a friend of mine invited me to join her at a sustainability fest. Sure I said. Why not. It was supposed to be inside at a DCR building in Hull, and a tour of the wind turbine in Hull. Thinking ahead of the focus memo that will be due on energy and community building, I felt that it would be a great chance to gather some info for the assignment. And that part was.

But the "sustainability fest" part, not so much. I felt it was geared towards home owners, which is what most of us doing the home energy audit are finding. It reminded me of something that would happen at Home Depot. There were different window manufacturers, insulation vendors, and people selling their services to come to your house and do a home energy audit. The lady we met with in our last weekend intensive was there too, promoting her green roofs. She was right next to a solar panel person, I had to think that she did not have a chance going against solar panels. Then there were places like REI. There was a table there that promised clean drinking water, through this filter you install. They had a large cooler, like the kind you see at football games, offering their water, and little cups you could sample it with, think bathroom cups. I asked him how sustainable it was throwing out a bunch of cups at the end of the day. I don't think he liked me. Then I thought maybe I am going into this with the wrong attitude. He had pamphlets with a copyright date on them of 1997. So I just dismissed that booth. Now in the mean time my friend, who is a student at harvard extension school, and taking an environmental management class, comes running up to me with a reusable bag she got from some vendor, filled. Filled with every pamphlet each table had. I asked her what she was doing, she said she had to write a paper and was going to use the info as a starting point for her research. I have to admit I was disgusted by the amount of paper she had picked up. When I asked her about it she replied, "don't worry I'll recycle it." OK. so here's the question. As an urban environmental leader, how can I personally stop being so judgmental? Studying consumption habits as we have, I could not help but be so mad at her. I am unsure of how to get over being mad at people for wasting so much, and turn on the leader part and educate people. I need to stop judging, and start helping? Any suggestions would be great...

Urban Harvest: Trendy or Timeless?

Kitchen shears? Check. Salad spinner? Check. Pots of ready-to-harvest salad greens five steps from the dinner table? Check. Let’s eat!

If we’re defining local food by miles traveled, this delicious bowl of lettuce, tatsoi, arugula, and minutina was the most local meal I’ve ever had. Sprinkled only with salt and pepper, this first harvest from the balcony salad bar needed no dressing. The tender and succulent leaves with a mix of spicy, sweet, and tart flavors sang out springtime. It was probably best that Greg was away the night I ate this because all my attention was on the food—I would have been incapable of dinner conversation!

It has been fun to watch these easy to grow crops mature right outside my door. They’ve gone from little sprouts to heart-shaped seedlings to crisp salad leaves in just over a month. Now that I’ve tried it out, I’m going to get bigger containers so I can grow a greater quantity in the fall—after my first meal, I had wiped out half the patch! The cool thing is that only a few days later, the lettuce is already filling in for another cut.

I’m glad that the rising interest in small-scale food gardening doesn’t seem to be losing momentum. Whether it’s the shaky economy, greater concerns about food safety, or just folks jumping on the bandwagon, more people have decided to try urban gardening. The One Pot Pledge campaign is encouraging new gardeners to plant just one container to see how they like it. Community gardens have waiting lists several years long (I subverted mine and got in with a random person I met at a blog launch party—woo hoo!).


Growing your own is definitely in. But the U.S. has had other periods when vegetable gardening was in vogue (think WWII Victory Gardens). They eventually lost steam and it was the rare eccentric neighbor who continued to plant rows of peppers and beans during the less lean years. Will our most recent urge to get “back to the land” in backyards and community gardens stand the test of time? I hope so…and if it doesn’t, I hope I’ll be the crazy lady next door who never stops going ga-ga over the first bowl of freshly clipped spring greens.

"Food Porn"

Hey all,

In the midst of our efforts to eat locally, I have been intrigued and disgusted by the unhealthy phenomenon that is processed food. But KFC has taken the cake, or the chicken if you will. Here is a link to an article discussing the "Double Down," the new menu item that features a sandwich that uses two pieces of chicken as the bread.

http://www.aolnews.com/weird-news/article/kfcs-double-down-ups-ante-on-food-porn/19433996

Not only is this really unhealthy, it goes to show what lengths American food companies will go to in order to be first place in artery clogging...
As we have discussed and read about several times, the idea of a food desert is frightening, especially with "non-edible food-like substances" as some of the options...
It seems to me that the food industry is imposing some kind of sick and twisted, human-induced Darwinism upon the disadvantaged and uninformed. (Just one of my more extreme conspiracy theories)

I Love Doing Dishes...

This probably seems counterintutive, since I also love getting manicures....but I am a living paradox. I wear fair trade dish washing gloves and actually enjoy doing the dishes at night. Music on, wine in glass beside me, belly full from dinner, warm soapy water in the sink.

I've done my research about washing dishes: a lot of people think washing by hand is more environmentally friendly than running a dishwasher, but it's not necessarily so. I read that you can save up to 20 gallons of water a day by waiting till your dishwasher's full to switch it on. Plus, most new dishwashers don't need you to prerinse. Simply scrape off food and load, and you'll conserve.

When you are going to wash by hand, here's my way:

-Scrape scraps off
-Fill the sink once with warm soapy water and wash everything together
- Drain
-Quick rinse everything at the same time
- Let the dishes air dry on the racks

Everyone has issues with dishes...let's hear your story:

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eQUEST Energy Modeling

After reviewing the energy consumption of my apartment, I have determined that most energy consumption is the result of heating. The LEED AP in me says "put your money into your windows". Deep-energy retrofits and LEED for Existing Buildings strategies typically prioritize replacement of windows because so much heat bleeds-out through the building envelope. We witnessed this methodology at the Castle Square project, where windows were being replaced with "R5" upgrades. The decision to replace the windows was made using an energy modeling software. The base-case, or existing conditions, were first modeled to approximate energy demand/consumption. Then, a second-case, or theoretical condition, was modeled wherein the windows were replaced by R5-rated upgrades. The delta between the existing condition demands, and the theoretical condition demands, is the energy savings by making the change to R5.

By using the eQuest Energy Simulation Tool, I'm going to approximate the energy savings I could potentially realize by switching from the existing conventional single-paned operable windows to a modern R5 window.

I'm in the process of learning the (free) program, which is accompanied by many online tutorials.

... to be continued.

Laundry in Spring

I love my clothes line. At our condo in Brighton, we weren't allowed to hang our clothes on a line because of the appearance issue ... um, too "ghetto" for you condo board?

Anyway, this morning, as for the two mornings before, I have hung the laundry out on the line ... and have now not run the dryer 3 times. Medford is much more accepting of these things, but living in a single family home on my own 0.1 something acre-plot means I get to decide. Urban citizenship at its best ... and Bronwyn doesn't mind because she gets to accompany me outside to collect sticks that are much better at soothing her teething gums than any rubberized plastic item from China.

And ... if you believe it ... a load of jeans, towels and sweatshirts only took 3 hours to dry on the line. This is something I could get used to ... an excuse to go outside, soak in the sun, and start the day right on my little patch of neighborhood, amongst my flowering nectarine and peach trees.

On Lightbulbs

At the grocery store on Saturday morning, I came across the lightbulb section. Oooh, CFLs. I took a closer look. I found "60watt" replacements that use 13watts and "40watt" replacements that use 11watts. I bought 10.

I should preface my story by saying my first foray into CFL usage did not go well. Husband broke one in the middle of the night in the nursery/office requiring that we clean up the mercury-laden debris. No more, he said.

I bought them anyway.

You should know that Dan is an electrical engineer. His idea of saving energy is to let the bulbs burn out one by one on our 3 bulb fixtures until the light is so low that we can't stand it or the last one goes.

Evidence:

Anyway, 2 burnt out 40watt bulbs + 1 functioning 40watt = 40watt. Then ...

Dan replaced them with 3 of my new 11watt bulbs.

Now we are using 33watts instead of 40watts, and getting 3 times the amount of light. Dan is happy, but his eyes are happier, given that this fixture is above his desk.

Feeling confident, I moved on to the fixture above our bed: a 4 bulb light fixture with attached fan. This thing is on a dimmer and has a remote. I switched all of them to CFLs, again 11watts. Great! Now our whole room is eco-friendly!! Oops. I read the package. CFLs do not do well on dimmer switches.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

AFTER I READ THE PACKAGE:

Feeling dejected, I went downstairs to find another, non-dimmer fixture, for my 4 homeless squiggly lights. Note to CFL manufacturers of the world, what about those of us who like mood lighting, er, night lights?

FREE ENERGY AUDIT!!!

Next Step Living provides premium services...

Sign up for the Commonwealth Challenge and get one for free!

You could pay for their services here.

I'll be getting one after spring break!

Some notes to ponder, however...

I have three roommates. One wastes more food, leaves lights on, leaves chargers plugged in, leaves faucet running while brushing teeth... He also leaves laundry in the basement to the point he has to wash it a second and third time because it mildews. Talk about wasteful. My other roommates leave lights on and fans running in an empty house...

Here I am, trying to save energy and perhaps have a smaller carbon footprint, while my roommates are burning recyclables in the backyard...

thoughts.

As I sit and wait for the ever-unsustainable take-out food, where the food may or may not come from local sources... 

I don't typically enjoy certain things about my job. Of the things I don't enjoy, the most aggravating thing is how the department of education (mainly due to our previous, and most beloved president, G.W.B.) marginalizes special education. Teachers are expected to know each subject and provide services to these kids so that they can join society to do... something. 

It’s interesting to think about all that we have studied. We’ve looked at race issues. We’ve looked at socio-economic issues (aka class). We’ve asked about gender and age. My kids, predominantly white, would technically fall under the socio-economic group... but why do I feel like I’m putting them into a box they didn't ask to be placed in? When do people with mental health issues? Profound mental health issues? 

We, including myself, have put exceedingly low expectations on this population. We have the tendency to not challenge. We feel comfortable allowing our city, town, and state reps to continually take funding away from social services. Yet, we get angry when social services fail these kids. Mental health providers and educators have to fundamentally walk on eggshells to please enabling, neglectful parents. 

When and how do we change this? Do we get outside "leaders" or do we rally to lead ourselves? 

energy audit

Yay my electric bill went down $10 in the last month. And I don't think I even started unplugging everything an entire month ago. When I was in community college a long time ago I had a roomate who suffered from OCD. She could not have anything but the fridge plugged in over night. She even bought me a battery powered alarm clock. She was not doing it to save energy but because she had serious fears, but none the less, it was a good habit, that I had been slacking on, until we met for our last class. I do have everything plugged into power cords but now I unplug them when I'm not using it. Sure it takes a minute for the tv listings to come back up when I plug the cable box back in but it's not gonna kill me. I could probably just look online. To think that I could save at least 10$ a month, over 100 a year, by unplugging stuff...Well seeing I don't have a job right now I have made it my job to unplug stuff. Now it drives my boyfriend crazy. Just this morning he was complaining that his electric toothbrush needed a charge, but he will get over it.

On a second note a friend of mine is taking an environmental management class at Harvard Ex. School. and they did an energy audit for their class and this is what they had to do, I thought I'd share it with everyone.

Why conduct a Home Energy Audit?

•

Assess energy usage

•

Identify sources of inefficiency

•

Identify opportunities for conservation, both economic and

environmental

STUDENTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO:

•

Identify factors that contribute to their energy load

•

Analyze their annual utility usage

•

Make recommendations for energy conservation • Connect home activities with energy consumption

HOME ENERGY AUDIT TOOLS AND INFORMATION

The following links should be of great help trying to evaluate your residence for your Home Energy Audit

assignment. Most of them require you to answer basic questions regarding your home – construction, style,

age, etc. and to enter accurate utility information. The last 3 pages include vocabulary terms that are typically

associated with conducting an energy audit.

TIP: If you live in an apartment, enter the information into the audit programs as a one story home with the

appropriate square footage. Depending on the floor of your apartment, enter the appropriate insulation

information for the “basement” and “roof”. For example, if you live on the second floor of a three-family home

– enter into the audit programs that you have a fully insulated basement and roof.

NStar Home Analyzer

http://www.energyguide.com/ha/Welcome.aspx?referrerid=65&sid=461

Compares your home's energy use to other similar homes and provides tips on ways to make your home more

energy efficient.

Home Energy Saver

http://hes.lbl.gov/

The Home Energy Saver was the first Internet-based tool for calculating energy use in residential buildings. The

project is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), as part of the national ENERGY STAR Program

for improving energy efficiency in homes, with previous support from the U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA), the US Department of Housing and Urban Development's PATH projgram, and the California

Energy Commission's Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) program.

Department of Energy:

•

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy – Do It Yourself Audit

http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/energy_audits/index.cfm/mytopic=11160

•

Information for Apartments

http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/apartments/index.cfm/mytopic=10010

•

Energy Savers: Tips for saving energy at home

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/home_energy.html

Energy Star: Home Energy Yardstick

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=home_energy_yardstick.showStep2

The ENERGY STAR Home Energy Yardstick can be used to compare your home's energy efficiency to similar

homes across the country and get recommendations for energy-saving home improvements from ENERGY

STAR. You will also need to enter some basic information about your home (such as zip code, age, square

footage, and number of occupants). If you don't have your bills, contact your utility for a 12-month summary.

Energy Guide: Smart Energy Choices

http://www.energyguide.com/

A tool to help analyze your energy consumption.

Energy Information Administration

http://www.eia.doe.gov/

EIA is the Nation’s premier source of unbiased energy data, analysis and forecasting. EIA provides this

information to promote sound policy making, efficient energy markets, and public understanding about energy

and its interaction with the economy and the environment. By law, EIA’s products are prepared independently

of Administration policy considerations. EIA neither formulates nor advocates any policy conclusions. This is

an excellent resource to look at national energy data and economic or event-driven issues that may impact the

energy market.