Book Review: “Farewell, My Subaru”

Several years ago, journalist Doug Fine purchased a New Mexico ranch and moved there to start a new, “green” life. He documented his efforts in a book, “Farewell, My Subaru.” He attempted to reduce his carbon footprint by eating locally and reducing his direct petroleum consumption, all without giving up his laptop or sub-woofers. Fine was not looking to be a green monk, just to reduce his environmental impact.

The author localized his diet by raising goats for milk, chickens for eggs, and vegetables for eating. I don't want to ruin the book for any potential readers, but his obstacles included predators, disease, Mother Nature, and firearms mishaps. Petroleum saving projects included a biofuel truck conversion and solar power installation for hot water heating and electricity.

Fine handled adversity with sarcasm and a good attitude. He has some lessons for the rest of us who cannot or will not pack up our belongings and move to rural America to live off the land. He found his green life “more manual” as he managed his water collection and animal containment on a daily or hourly basis. He found instances of necessary hypocrisy when he used toxic sealant to assemble his solar powered water pump. Overall, he recommended steady progress and regular attention to daily activities if you choose to reduce your carbon footprint. No one can eliminate their environmental impact tomorrow but we can all take steps to progressively get closer.

-Chris, Green

Ocean Dump

We don't get many commenters around here (hint, hint) but I assume you either read this blog because you're interested in home projects or you stumbled here through a web search for a green topic. I'm a pretty positive, constructive guy. I like to point out ways for each of us to reduce our environmental impact around the house, individually or collectively.

All that said, the recent New York Times article on the Pacific Ocean garbage patch really affected me. The garbage, covering an area twice the size of Texas and growing, contains all types of trash created by human activity. Light bulbs, packaging, fishing debris, barrels, and pretty much any other non-biodegradable item could end up in our oceans (often via rivers) if carried by the wind or washed down the storm sewer. If you're interested in learning more about these garbage flotillas, Alan Weisman's “The World Without Us” contains an extended discussion.

The presence of garbage in areas thousands of miles from any human activity reminds me of the rationale behind the “reuse-reuse-recycle” slogans. The single serving fruit cups are convenient for my kid's lunch, but that plastic ends up somewhere. Keep checking this space and we'll try to reduce our environmental impacts together.

-Chris, Green

Green Sleep

Although I'm a certified green geek, I really never gave much thought to the environmental or health impacts from my mattress choices. A recent Minneapolis Star Tribune article on green mattress shopping outlined the issues. The main concerns are environmental effects of raw materials and potential health effects from chemicals used in manufacturing.

Manufacturers use either foam or springs in mattress cores. Springs are springs but shoppers have some choice on the source of the foam. Most foam is made from petroleum products. Natural latex, harvested from rubber trees, is a green option. At first, shipping latex from southeast Asia or Africa didn’t seem very green to me but we are shipping petroleum from all over the world so the impact of shipping may be a wash.

Federal safety rules require mattresses to resist open flames, leading to the addition of flame retardant chemicals to mattresses. Many of these substances have been linked to potential human health effects, although it's close to impossible to prove a direct link. Wool is naturally flame resistant and a greener option.

National Geographic's Green Guide has a good summary of the issues and product comparison information if you're in the market for a new mattress. Any green mattress owners out there? Drop a comment and share your thoughts.

-Chris, Green

Opt Out 2

In August, we talked about ways to reduce the amount of unwanted junk mail we all receive. If you didn’t sign up then, please think about it now. The Christmas catalog onslaught is coming. I'm already getting one or two catalogs a day and we just passed Halloween.

In addition to the daily junk mail delivery, we just passed phone book drop off day in our area. Several large volumes were waiting on my front step to welcome me home. They enjoyed a quick tour of the garage on the way to the recycling bin. I can't recall the last time I actually consulted the phone book for a business or other listing.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency identified a solution for any of you who no longer need your annual phone books. The Yellow Pages Association offers a one-stop shop for opting out of phone book delivery. Simply type in your zip code and the YPA will give you a listing of phone book distributors in your area and contact information for opting out of delivery. Your request will take 60 days to process.

The MPCA says that only 20% of the 5,000 tons of phone books delivered in Minnesota each year are recycled. That's a lot of paper that ends up in the garbage. Give the YPA web site a look if you're ready to break up with the phone book for good.

-Chris, Green

Light Bulb Acronym Soup

Now that I replaced nearly all of my standard light bulbs with compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs, all the cool kids are switching to light emitting diodes (LEDs). The Minneapolis Star Tribune recently reported on the costs and advantages of LEDs. Many of the large national retailers are carrying LEDs along with their supplies of CFL bulbs.

CFL bulbs use only 25% of the electricity of an equivalent incandescent bulb but LEDs use even less – about 10%. Unfortunately, LEDs also cost more. Most are in the $9-20 range but some are $70 per bulb. They last 20 years, so you won't need to buy many, but that is a long payback time for a light bulb. Like CFLs, one big complaint about LEDs is color (blue vs. traditional yellow). LEDs also emit light “directionally,” meaning they aren't available for all types of fixtures. Unlike CFLs, LEDs do not contain mercury.

If you're not quite ready to switch, commercial building owners are starting to buy LEDs in bulk (e.g., Wal-Mart). Large commercial purchases will start to drive down the cost of the bulbs and make them more affordable for you and me.

I'm buying my first LED Christmas lights this year. I'm going to slip them onto the tree and see if anybody notices. I'll report back on cost and appearance.

-Chris, Green

Energy Storage

I like to write about the electric grid and regularly post on expensive rooftop contraptions that can produce energy and reduce regular operating costs. As the cost of solar equipment comes down and social acceptance goes up, we’re going to see more and more people look to generate their own power.

Technological connections between individual homeowners and their power utilities will improve, leading to homeowners generating their own electricity and selling any surplus back to the power company. One key challenge will be to keep the electricity flow on the grid stable as many small producers are using a two-way electricity grid. A coal-fired power plant delivers a steady electricity load to the grid, but solar and wind power supplies will fluctuate as the sun goes behind clouds or the wind slows for a couple hours.

Minnesota-based Silent Power is designing a battery system that can store energy generated in low-demand times for later use when demand is high. A good storage system would even out the flow of electricity on the grid and make it easier (and cheaper) to manage. The battery systems add several thousand dollars to the cost of already expensive solar systems, but proponents hope that tax incentives will lower the up-front cost. Utilities may also provide monetary incentives as they try to meet renewable energy objectives while maintaining grid stability.

There are significant technical hurdles before these systems are a reality. Even if the technical challenges are met, I don't think the systems will move forward in a big way until someone can make them easy to set and maintain. I have friends who don't like to bother with programmable thermostats and never figured out how to set their VCR clocks. Maybe real time pricing will be a big enough incentive for people to figure it out.

-Chris, Green

Green Chalet

Ski season is approaching in the Rocky Mountains. While I would probably live anywhere with four walls, a roof, and a nearby ski lift, this new eco-home in Breckenridge is very cool.

Blu Homes designed and built the home, incorporating green features. The home is highly insulated, includes high efficiency lights and appliances, and was built with non-toxic and sustainable materials. I would really enjoy the large windows and natural daylight.

Blu Homes builds “factory-built” homes and delivers them in a nearly complete state to the home site. I don’t know much about prefabricated homes but I am seeing more and more articles on green prefab housing. Prefab houses can buy bulk green materials and reduce product waste in a factory environment. I think the companies have some work to do to separate their products from biases against traditional manufactured housing.

I may try to organize a fact-finding mission to Breckenridge to get more information on green housing there. If I have a little extra time, maybe I'll hit the slopes and grab an oatmeal stout at the Breckenridge Brewery. Don't tell my wife.

-Chris, Green

Start ‘Em Young

If the displays in my local big box retailer are accurate, we have collectively decided that Halloween and Christmas materials should be displayed concurrently. I like to spend at least a day enjoying Thanksgiving before moving on to Christmas, but maybe I’m old fashioned. If you're hoping to wrap up your Christmas shopping before Veterans Day, take a look at the Thames and Kosmos “Power House – Green Essentials Edition.”

The Power House includes hands-on science experiments demonstrating how energy is used around the home and how it may be used more sustainably. Experiments include a solar power array, wind turbine, model refrigerator, and a solar oven.

I may pick one up for myself, so I better understand how these technologies work before I start tearing up my real house.

-Chris, Green

Do You Compost Your Leaves?

A recent cold snap sent our leaves from green to dead, bypassing the fall color stage. I'm hoping the rain holds off this weekend so I can spend some time outside raking. Last week, Charlie offered some tips on managing leaves in the fall.

Starting a few years ago, my city required all leaves to be placed in compostable bags and sent to a compost site (rather than the landfill or incinerator). I started composting my leaves at home around the same time and haven't paid much attention to the requirements. Now it looks like most of the suburban Twin Cities counties are requiring compostable bags.

Widespread use of compostable bags reduces plastic contamination of compost and costs for the sites. I think it's a good idea but a big change from sending the leaves to the landfill or burning them. I'm curious about the extent of leaf composting programs. What are the requirements in your neighborhood?

-Chris, Green

Home Weatherization

I spent some time this weekend on some small-scale home weatherization projects, hoping to keep my heating bills down a bit as winter approaches. Like Phyllis, I am working through my energy audit to-do list.

I planned to insulate the ceiling hatch leading to the attic in one of our bedrooms. After finding some handy advice online (ManageMyHome and the Department of Energy) and enduring an insulation shower when I opened the hatch, I added weather stripping and extra insulation to the hatch. I hope that helps reduce drafts this winter.

As I mentioned last week, I also wanted to do something about our unused fireplace. I tightly closed the fireplace damper and then added some batt insulation to reduce drafts and heat loss. A standard chimney cap doesn't help me much since we don't use the fireplace but a helpful reader suggested I add a tarp to the top of the chimney to further reduce drafts. I'll work on that this weekend.

My weekend projects were pretty small potatoes, but there are real opportunities in home weatherization and retrofits. Green Inc. reported on a Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) report that outlines opportunities for homeowners to identify projects, find trained workers, and obtain financing for home projects. According to the CEQ, energy efficient retrofits could reduce a home's energy use by 40% and reduce overall energy bills by $21 billion each year.

-Chris, Green