Greenier

Al Gore: A Generational Challenge to Repower America

yorkrj — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 17:38:34 +0000

Al Gore recently gave a speech challenging the nation to generate all it’s energy from carbon-free resources within 10 years. This parallels JFK’s famous push to reach the moon in a decade’s time. And like the race to the moon, we can win the race to an environmentally sustainable economy.

He also pointed out some of the indirect costs of our current energy infrastructure:

“We’re borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet. Every bit of that’s got to change.”

His equation for clean energy equals a safer country with a more prosperous economy and a bright future.

Green Kitty Litter

yorkrj — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 04:23:56 +0000

I was concerned about the environmental impact and safety of the cat litter I’ve been using and after some research I found that I was right to be concerned. The clumping cat litter I’m used to buying is mostly clay, a non-renewable resource that is strip mined. These litters typically contain silica and/or clay dust and artificial perfumes that are not healthy for me or my cats to be breathing.

I decided to try out natural alternatives. I wanted to stay with clumping varieties because non-clumping litter merely absorbs urine and that urine stays in the litter until you change the box. Secondly the clumping litter needs to be changed less frequently which saves on waste.

These natural clumping litters are made of plant materials such as wheat, corn, or wood. As such they can be composted instead of being thrown out in the trash but I’m concerned with the cat litter harboring harmful bacteria. Nature Mill makes an automatic composter that can safely compost pet waste but it is expensive.

Here are a few examples of natural clumping cat litter:

Feline Pine Scoop Our kitties seem to like this litter; there have been no accidents since we switched to it. There is very little dust and the odor control is better than clay. The litter has a subtle pleasant aroma of fresh pine. One feature it has over any other litter we’ve tried is it’s light weight; Feline Pine weighs about one tenth as much as an equal volume of clay litter.
Swheat Scoop Natural Wheat Litter This was the first natural litter that we tried but the odor control was not as good as clay based litter. While the faint wheat smell was not offensive, it reminded me of bread. I don’t want to be thinking about food while cleaning out the litter box! It is flush-able but I had trouble with it clogging the toilet.
World’s Best Cat Litter I haven’t tried this corn based litter but the reviews are positive. Since it is probably more like the Swheat Scoop, I’ll probably stick with the Feline Pine.

Water Conservation The Easy Way

yorkrj — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 23:58:59 +0000

I’ve purchased a few relatively inexpensive gadgets in an effort to conserve water. There are easy things one can do to use less water such as taking shorter showers and turning off the water while you’re brushing your teeth… but that takes effort and usually my mind is in a fog or I’m too lazy to make an effort. Enter the gadgets…

I’ve purchased the little contraption pictured at left, the Deluxe Flip Aerator, and it’s already making a difference in my water conservation efforts. It’s a faucet aerator with a built-in flip switch. I know what you’re thinking “Why don’t you just turn the faucet off the good old way? Why do you need another on/off switch at your sink?” Having the flip valve there allows you to get the temperature of your water set and then with a quick flip turn the water off while you wash your face, lets say. Another flip and you have water already set at the correct temperature when it’s time to rinse off your face. Another useful feature is that the flip switch serves as a visible reminder to turn off the water when I’m not using it. At under $5 I would think that the water savings should pay for this gadget in no time.

Another inexpensive gadget along the lines of the previous item is the Soak And Soap Valve. Just press the valve to stop wasting water while you’re washing in the shower and press in the opposite direction to rinse off without having to readjust the water temperature. It’s one thing to have to adjust the temperature at the sink if you decide to turn it off then back on manually but it’s quite another to adjust ice cold or scalding hot water in the shower – while you’re in it! At under $5 this is an easy and inexpensive water saver.

The last gadget I installed in my bathroom to try to conserve water is the RoadRunner Eco-Friendly Showerhead. This is as great a time saver as it is a water saver. This shower head shuts off the water to a trickle once it reaches the right temperature. In the morning I turn on the hot tap and let the shower warm up. Meanwhile I can be brushing my teeth or doing something else more exciting than waiting for the hot water to arrive. I don’t have to worry about watching the shower because once the water reaches the right temperature it shuts itself off until I get around to taking my shower. It is also a low flow shower head rated at 1.59 gpm (Gallons Per Minute) which is a great improvement over 2.5 gpm of more common units or 5.5 gpm of older units. The price tag of about $40 is a bit more expensive than your average shower head but this purchase should also pay for itself over time by saving water and the fuel used to heat it.

So there you have it. For under $50 I’ve greened my bathroom and saved myself a little extra effort in trying to conserve water and energy.