Have you ever heard the term "embodied energy?" It refers to energy that has already been spent to create something. Take a box of cereal as an everyday example. Embodied energy is everywhere Inside the box there's cereal. The embodied energy in the cereal contains everything from the sunlight and water (energy) that fed and made the grain grow, to the human laborer or machinery and fuel (or … [Read more...] about Capturing embodied energy
efficiency
Elbow grease on the industrial economy
My effort to use less doesn't always come easily. As a product of my own over-consuming and unconscious society, I'm constantly forced to bring more awareness to my actions to avoid the hyper-consumption of the industrial economy. This is made no easier by being immersed in a culture that constantly tells me to... Take the easy way out Live the high life Get a newer/better/shinier … [Read more...] about Elbow grease on the industrial economy
Depression-era planning for today and tomorrow
The debt debate out of Washington exhibited many qualities. But sanity wasn't among them. In fact, the smart money says that enacting the spending cuts called for in the deal between President Obama and Congressional Republicans will pull money from the economy, kill jobs, stop orders for goods and otherwise hamstring an already flogged economy. At the same time, the deal's failure to call for … [Read more...] about Depression-era planning for today and tomorrow
Road trip
Summer's here and the livin' is easy. Well anyway, summer's almost here. And what that means for lots of folks are day and weekend trips to nearby haunts. If you're planning either a road trip or to get to your vacay destination by car, you're probably still looking at your overall expenses. Gas, tolls and pre-trip car maintenance are a given, leaving you with variables like lodging, food and … [Read more...] about Road trip
Keep your cool
With summer just around the corner many of us are getting those transitional days when the temperature spikes, leaving us wondering, "When did it get so hot?" If last summer is any indication, hot weather may hit us all pretty hard this year. For most of my adult life I've lived in places without air conditioning. You know, old apartment buildings, walk ups, dorm rooms. This helped keep my … [Read more...] about Keep your cool
Hanging it up
Today is the celebration of National Hanging Out Day. It's a day of action to encourage people to line dry instead of using a power dryer for clothes. So it's time to do some laundry. And to do some laundry line art. On this day of activism you can hang just about anything from a laundry line, either outdoors or in, to encourage awareness of the personal and social benefits of line-drying … [Read more...] about Hanging it up
