03.25.08
My First Ride on the Bus
For some time I have been trying to become greener. I have tried to do my part for the environment by recycling and conserving energy by replacing light bulbs with compact fluorescents. I have even given up bottled water to reduce the number of plastic bottles I discard.
For a long time, I had seriously been considering public transportation. After all, I live on the bus route that goes straight to my place of employment, and several times a day I hear the bus rumbling down the street in front of my house. So when I woke up one morning to discover snow-covered streets, I decided that would be the perfect day to leave my car in the garage and take the bus to work.
I decided to dress extra warm because of the wait on the street corner and I wasn’t sure how warm the bus would be. So I donned my extra sweater, coat, boots, hat and gloves and trudged through the snow to the corner. It was very cold, and it was snowing heavily. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait long before the bus arrived. Being new to public transportation, I wasn’t sure what was expected of me as I boarded the bus for the first time. I knew that I needed 75 cents in exact change, but beyond that I was clueless. The bus driver must have sensed my uncertainty because he casually pointed to the coin slot and asked, “Transfer?” After depositing my coins and nearly tripping on my way to a seat, the bus was once again on its way, and I reached my destination within ten minutes of boarding. So I thought, “This is easy, I don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner.”
However, going home was not to be as simple. I got off work at 5:00, and a few minutes later the bus was scheduled to arrive at the bus stop conveniently located in the parking lot. When the bus arrived, I learned that there are incoming and outgoing buses and, of course, this was not the bus I needed. So I waited… In the meantime, concerned co-workers stopped to offer me a ride home. When I explained that I was waiting on the bus, some looked at me as if I had lost my mind and asked, “On purpose?” Others said, “Good for you, I wonder if the bus goes by my house.” Either way I thanked them and declined their offers.
Because it was Friday, it didn’t take long for the parking lot to empty and I was still waiting for my bus. And I waited… At this point, I was questioning my decision to turn down my co-worker’s offers. After another twenty minutes, my outgoing bus arrived. It turns out the bus driver, in an attempt to get as close to the curb as possible for an elderly customer, got stuck in a snow bank. All was forgiven, and he dropped me almost at my doorstep so I didn’t have to walk in the snow. However, as I unlocked my front door, I wondered if he did so because I was another of his “elderly” customers. Surely not!!
Even though I decided to take public transportation because of my dread of driving in the snow, I can also help the environment by not driving my car every where. Using public transportation saves 1.4 billion gallons of gas a year, the equivalent of gassing up 300,000 cars. I have taken the bus to work every day since, and with bus pass in hand, I now feel like I’m a pro. With the exception of the long wait to go home the first day, my experience with public transportation has been a good one. And I have completed another small step toward reducing my impact on the environment.
03.19.08
City Sues Man
Since I have started reducing the amount of waste I create, I have very little trash to take to the curb every week. In fact, I barely have one bag a week. If it weren’t for trash pick up being attached to my water and recycling bill, I believe I could actually cancel this service with no problem. This led me to an article on Examiner.com about a man who was sued because he did just that.
Eddie House, a 53-year old bachelor lives alone with his dog and found that, like me, his sustainable habits left him with near-zero garbage, so he canceled his garbage service. As a result, the San Carlos Deputy City Attorney filed a lawsuit against him claiming he was in violation of not maintaining garbage service.
This man recycles paper, metal, and plastics. He hauls them to the recycling center in his pick-up truck. Backyard waste is ground into a powder in his wood chipper and larger items are sold or given away on Craigslist.
The city maintains that the problem was brought to their attention by neighbors complaining of the smell because House was burning his garbage, which House claims is simply firewood. My questions are: Was it really necessary to sue? Couldn’t it have been resolved in some other manner? What happened to individual rights? It makes me wonder if we have become a nation that puts law above common sense.
03.18.08
Disposing of CFL’s
Last week I wrote about the mercury contained in Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFL’s) and received a surprisingly heated response.
“According to ONE study”! Just one! Your basing your opinion on 1 stinking study? Dude, fluorescent lamps have been around for over 50 years and they ALL contain mercury not just the recent compact fluorescents that you are familiar with. Do you see people with mercury sickness all around you like zombies? No. That’s because each lamp has a single drop of mercury that is the size of the ball in a ball point pin. Not very much. What about those millions of mercury switches used in home thermostats? What about the millions of mercury-vapor outdoor lights (the yellow ones) that you see in millions of parking lots around the world? Don’t hang a “mercury scare’ on CFLs as their impact is minimal compared to the millions of other mercury sources that are out there – did I mention thermometers?
Do your research!
I referenced an article I had read about the dangers of mercury contained in these bulbs if they were to break. Pregnant women and infants are especially at risk if exposed to mercury. As a result, I felt that anyone using these bulbs should be made aware of the danger. I also wrote that CFL’s must be disposed of properly but I wasn’t sure exactly what that was. I was very surprised at the response I received, so I decided to look into it further.
But first let me say that the mercury contained in CFL’s is minimal. In fact, the primary source of mercury released into the environment is from coal-fired power generators and accounts for 40% of mercury emissions. Further, CFL’s are safe to use. No mercury is released into the air when the bulbs are in use and they pose no danger when used properly.
However, when CFL’s burn out or break it is very important to dispose of them properly. The best thing to do is recycle a burnt out CFL. Recycling for them is not offered everywhere so to find a residential recycling program in your area, you can visit earth911.org or lamprecycle.org or you can call 1-800-CLEANUP. If recycling is not an option, place the CFL in a sealed plastic bag and dispose in the same way you would batteries, oil-based paint and motor oil at a local hazardous waste collection site. If your local site can not accept CFL’s seal it in a plastic bag and put it with your regular trash.
As I stated in the earlier article, if a CFL breaks, make sure that pregnant women, infants, small children and pets are gotten out of the room immediately. Then carefully sweep up all the fragments, wipe the area with a wet towel, and dispose of all fragments, including the used towel, in a sealed plastic bag and follow all disposal instructions above. DO NOT use a vacuum because the mercury can remain in the bag or cup.
Compact fluorescent light bulbs are a great alternative to the incandescent ones. They save energy and last longer. However, as with all products, they should be used and disposed of properly. Anyone using them should be aware of the dangers, however small, if one breaks and most of all, the consumer should be able to make informed decisions regarding any product they use without being accused of creating a “mercury scare.”
03.15.08
Letter to the Editor
Every day as I ride the bus to and from work, I am able to look at the scenery more because I don’t have to keep my eyes on the road. As I gaze out the window, I am distressed to see plastic grocery bags hanging in the trees and blowing down the streets and sidewalks. A plastic grocery bag has an average useful life of 12 minutes, which is the time it takes to get from the grocery store to the kitchen. Yet it can remain in our landfills, streets, and rivers for up to 1,000 years. San Fransicso has already passed a law banning nonrecyclable plastic bags. Ireland has imposed a 22-cent tax per plastic bag and many large stores are phasing out their use.
According to National Geographic, more than 500 billion plastic bags are consumed worldwide in a year. When one ton of plastic is reused or recycled, the energy equivalent of 11 barrels of oil, 13 cubic meters of landfill space and 13-17 trees are saved. However, the recycling rate for plastic bags is very low. I feel that it is time for South Bend to follow the lead of other cities worldwide and ban the use of nonrecyclable plastic bags. If we can achieve this goal here in South Bend and it spreads throughout the rest of the country, it will be a huge step toward getting these bags off our streets and out of our landfills.
03.08.08
Biodiesel Fuel
As my bus pulled up to the curb where I was waiting the other day, I noticed the lettering on the side of it that said: “Powered by Biodiesel Fuel” I remembered seeing an article on biodiesel fuels so I began to wonder what it is. So I found the article and began to read about biodiesel fuels.
Biodiesel fuel is a “clean-burning, non-toxic alternative fuel made from vegetable oils that can be used in diesel engines.” Biodiesel fuel is different from petro fuel because rather than being processed from fossils, it is processed from vegetables such as soy, corn, peanuts, apple seeds, deep fry oil from fast food restaurants and more. Anything that has a fatty acid can be used. According to Biodiesel Times, Indiana will soon have the world’s largest biodiesel processing plant. Because this fuel is made from renewable sources rather than fossils, it is a more viable alternative.
However, the news is not all good, the more of this fuel we use the more acres of soy we will need to plant which could lead to overplanting and abuses. But more on that in a later posting.
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
A few weeks ago I wrote about my dissatisfaction with compact fluorescent light bulbs. This posting is about the good, the bad and the ugly of these energy efficient lights.
The Good:
The fluorescent compact bulbs are more energy efficient than the incandescent variety. They also tend to last ten times longer. More than 290 million of the bulbs were sold last year. According to the federal government, if we all used them, the United States would save $600 million in energy costs every year and prevent greenhouse gas equal to 800,000 cars.
The Bad:
Unfortunately, the news isn’t all good. According to one study, the bulbs are actually bad for the environment if they break because they contain mercury. Mercury poses a risk to infants, young children and pregnant women. If one does break, it is recommended that children and pets get out of the room immediately. Do not use a vacuum cleaner but rather use cardboard to pick up the pieces then wipe the area clean with a damp cloth. Use even more precaution if there are pregnant women in the house. The study recommends you consider removing the piece of carpet where the glass broke.
The Ugly:
Using fluorescent bulbs may be more energy efficient, but the light they emit is not pleasant. Many people resist using these bulbs because the light is not soft and warm. Some compare the light to hospital lighting, others compare it to industrial lighting. In my opinion the glow is harsh, too bluish and reminds me of institutional lighting.
Even though they are not perfect, I am using the compact fluorescent bulbs until something better comes along. I have begun to research the new LED technology which is said to be even more efficient than the fluorescent. However, that technology is typically only used in flat surfaces such as walls and light panels.
My Ride on the Bus (audio)
For some time I have been contemplating what I can do to become greener. I have tried to do my part for the environment by recycling and changing my incandescent light bulbs with the compact fluorescent ones. I have even given up bottled water to reduce the number of plastic bottles being produced.
With price of gasoline going higher and higher, I had been seriously considering public transportation. After all I live on the bus route that also goes to my place of employment. Several times a day I can hear the bus lumbering down the street in front of my house. Last winter I was in an accident when I couldn’t stop my car on the ice. It wasn’t a serious accident, but it was scary nonetheless. So when I woke up on Friday, February 1st and the weather was really bad, I decided that would be the perfect day to try out public transportation. Overnight old man winter had dumped 6 inches of snow on the ground with more being predicted. The wind was howling and it was very cold.
I decided to dress extra warm because of the wait on the street corner and I wasn’t sure how warm the bus would be. So I don my extra sweater, coat, boots, hat and gloves and trudge through the snow to the corner. It was very cold, and snow was falling heavily. Fortunately, the bus was on time and it was surprisingly warm. I reached my destination within ten minutes of boarding the bus because my home and my work are on the same route. So I thought, “This is easy, I don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner.” However, going home was not as simple. I got off work at 5:00 and a few minutes later my bus was scheduled to arrive at the bus stop conveniently located in the parking lot. When the bus arrived, I learned that there are incoming and outgoing buses. The bus that arrived was the incoming and I needed the outgoing. So I wait… In the meantime, co-workers were concerned about me standing in the cold and stopped to offer me a ride home. When I explained that I was waiting on the bus, some looked at me as if I had lost my mind and asked, “On purpose?” Others said, “Good for you, I wonder if the bus goes by my house.” Either way I thanked them and declined their offers. It didn’t take long for the parking lot to empty and I was still waiting for the outgoing bus. After 20 minutes, I saw it coming and I was so relieved, I was getting very cold. As the bus approached, I realized that it was another incoming bus. “What happened to the outgoing bus?” I asked. The driver informed me that the outgoing was running late and should arrive shortly. At this point, I was questioning my decision to turn down my co-worker’s offers. However, after another twenty minutes, my outgoing bus arrived. Am I glad I dressed warmly!! It turns out the bus driver, in an attempt to get as close to the curb as possible for an elderly customer, got stuck in a snow bank. All is forgiven, and he actually dropped me almost at my doorstep so I didn’t have to walk in the snow on the way to my home. However, as I unlocked my front door, I wondered if he dropped me at my doorstop because I was another of his “elderly” customers. Surely not!!
My first experience with Public Transportation was a good one—mostly. Even though I decided to take public transportation because of my dread of driving in the snow, I can also help the environment by not driving my car every where I go. According to an article by the American Public Transportation Association public transportation systems across the country improve the environment by using environmentally friendly buses and save 1.4 billion gallons of gas a year. According to the report, this is the equivalent to filling up 300,000 cars every day. I have taken the bus to work every day since and even bought a bus pass. With the exception of the long wait to go home the first day, I have had a good experience with public transportation. And I have completed another small step toward reducing my impact on the environment.
TreeHugger.com
Global warming is a subject that is on everyone’s mind. I try to do what I can to help. I recycle as much as I can. I am converting my light bulbs to the compact flourescent lights. I use reusable canvas bags when I shop. The little things do go a long way.
When my sons were young, I used to make their Easter baskets from used bleach bottles. I read a site recently called TreeHugger. They have some good ideas and articles on being green. For example, recently there was an article about how they are using recycled milk jugs to make toys. What a fun way to teach kids about recycling.
A simpler life
Last year, I wrote a paper on Quakers and their version of the good life. It just so happens that I come from a long line of Quakers on my father’s side of the family. However, in the rush and hurry of life in Northern Indiana, I have gotten further and further away from my roots. One thing I learned from my research for that essay is that Quakers try to keep their lives simple.
The older I get the more I want to simplify my life. That is one reason I am attempting to become greener. By giving up unnecessary items, I am not only simplifying my life, I am helping the environment by cutting waste and reducing the need to produce products and using valuable resources. I realize that as one person, it may not make a huge difference, but if we all act to conserve, the small things will add up to help make a big impact on the environment.
Here are some ideas that I have found in my search for becoming green and simplifying my life:
1) We waste energy in many ways. I have started to look for ways to reduce energy costs such as driving less by taking the bus to work, wearing a sweater instead of turning up the heat, buying used instead of new whenever possible and changing my light bulbs to the new energy efficient ones.
2) Our landfills are becoming full of needless waste. There are so many ways to reduce the trash that leaves our homes on a daily basis. We need to avoid bottled water, carry our own reusable shopping bags, reduce paper waste by eliminating junk mail and getting our bills through email, and reuse products rather than disposing of them and buying new.
3) Recycling is a third way to reduce waste and save energy. This eliminates the need to use our precious resources to make new products.
I have decided that a simpler, greener life is the choice for me. There is no simple answer to the environmental problems we have created by our wasteful ways. However, if we all doing small things to help, together we can make a big difference.
03.01.08
Interesting Sentences for 3/6
Going green isn’t just about preserving the planet, it includes safeguarding your health as well. As homes have become more tightly sealed and the use of manmade materials increased, indoor air quality has declined.
With the holidays now but a memory, our thoughts turn toward self-improvement. We begin the year, as we always do, by resolving to lose weight, save money, adopt a healthier lifestyle.
