What is it going to take to get you to go solar?
I’m lucky enough to live in a state that gives small solar rebates to homeowners who invest in them. Colorado is also home to a solar panel research laboratory and GE is even planning on setting up a solar panel manufacturing plant here as well.
But what is it going to take for homeowners to actually switch to solar? Many companies offer the installation of solar panels at no money down. Other claim the monthly payments for solar panels even out to the amount they are likely saving each month and even gaining money by selling back to the grid. The common theme? Money.
And that’s exactly the approach SunRun is taking to their marketing of solar panels. Earth-saving altruism is nice, but let’s face it – few people would bother installing solar panels if they weren’t somehow cost effective. Otherwise, going green would be a truly impossible task.
“Sometimes,” SunRun’s website states, “people just don’t use enough electricity to make the switch to solar financially worthwhile.
Makes sense. A point they put across in their video advertisements as well. Going green with solar is, literally, all about the green.
What would it take for you to go solar? Even partly?
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Denver’s silly shocking snowstorm of 2012
Silly pansy
There’s that really old saying: if you don’t like the weather in Colorado, wait 5 minutes. Or, as the case has been, wait an entire month.
The second March began Colorado was baked in 60+ degree weather and not an ounce of moisture to be seen anywhere (March is typically our snowiest month). on April 1st we reached a high of 82 degrees (a record) I was completely sunburned and working on gardens the whole day. The next day it was overcast, 40, and windy. The day after that – an inch of snow all over everything.
Fortunately, we still had room inside the house for our army of tender seedlings. Most of yesterday was spent making sure everyone had an equal share of time under the modest grow-lamp.
Peas
And today? Sunny, gorgeous, and a bit muddy.
Rows of green
Fortunately, none of our cold-hearty plants suffered. Frankly, I think they liked it.
How has the weather been in your area? Any crazy Spring weather stories to share?
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read moreReader Question – Being green on a budget
Received a question via Tumblr this week:
“Hey there, I really want to start being more green. I do your typical recycling public transit and am vegetarian, but feel that I could do more. Thing is, I’m a college student so money is definitely not bountiful and I live in the city so not much room for gardening other than my little window box and terrariums. Any tips or suggestions for me?”
I get this sentiment a lot from people I talk to. They feel as though just because they don’t have a cozy five-acres off the grid somewhere, then their ability to be green is rather limited. Frankly, this couldn’t be farther from the truth.
from Lexicon of Sustainability
The trick is to be conscious of your consumption and waste streams. The less you acquire, the less resources are consumed. The less that is consumed, the less that is wasted and thrown away. The number one key to green is being conscious of the fact that everything came from somewhere and everything has to go somewhere. In between these two destinations is the incredibly brief (by comparison) time that you are in ownership of that item.
Of course, consuming and throwing away things is a part of the world we live in. Even those that live off the grid consume and dispose – they just do it on a scale that is sustainable within the infrastructure they have to work with. Applying the same thinking, no matter what your address is, can do wonders.
So what is a college-student/ urban dweller to do?
Here are a few ideas:
Indoor composting: vermicomposting uses the power of eartworms to break down organic materials into compost. If done properly, it’s hardly noticeable and every few weeks you get compost! Vermicompost kits are for sale all over the place. Some blogs and websites have make-your-own worm-bin designs. Compost Revolution is also doing some pretty cool stuff.
There is always somewhere to garden. Whether it is a collection of buckets in the corner of a parking lot or an empty patch of dirt between the sidewalk and the street. If you have sunlight, soil, and water, you have opportunity to grow. Ask neighbors who have yards for a bit of space and offer them some of the harvest in return. I feel, as a culture, we have reached a point where a public-facing garden isn’t necessarily a bad thing, so long as it is kept up.
Shop the local farmer’s markets. There’s always good deals on fresh, responsible produce. Many are willing to haggle or barter for products. Ride your bike. Bring your own bags. Bring a date and turn them onto shopping local and fresh.
Lastly: ease your addiction to plastics. This is definitely the most challenging, but plastics are in everything and get everywhere. The percentage of plastic that is actually recycled is abysmal (only about %30, according to Recycle Across America), the rest isn’t broken down properly and ends up in the worst imaginable places (like, our food supply) or becomes a nation-sized island in the middle of the Pacific. Plastics are one of those cruel ironies that are cheap enough to be disposable, but durable enough to last forever.
Consider using glass for food storage, buy in bulk when you can, and go out of your way to remove disposable plastics from your life completely.
What are some ways you take the extra step to live greener?
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What Scouting’s Leave No Trace taught me about being a hippie
Badges from my days at Philmont
For close to 15 years, I was a registered member of the Boy Scouts of America. Most athletes don’t even have careers that long. Hell, in this economy, a career is lucky to span a decade. As a The other day I came across a pack tag that outlined the principles of Leave No Trace. It was carried with me during my camping, hiking, and backpacking days to serve as a reminder of what I was obligated to do while existing in the backcountry, among the wildlife, and in the undeveloped land.
During my time as a Philmont Ranger the importance of Leave No Trace very clear. Philmont is roughly 140,000 acres. During the summer something to the tune of 30,000 people come to the area to camp, hike, learn and Scout. At any given point, upwards of 4,000 people were somewhere in the backcountry. That’s a lot of traffic for a fairly small area. The only reason Philmont has been able to maintain this traffic for the past several decades is due to the conscious observance of Leave No Trace.
If it works for the great outdoors, then why can’t it work for everywhere else? Could the principles of Leave No Trace be applied to your day to day life? The ideas behind LNT are to reduce one’s impact on the environment they inhabit and to then eliminate all evidence of their presence after they leave.
Plan ahead and prepare. The Boy Scout motto is to Be Prepared for whatever situation may arise. Sometimes, preparing doesn’t have anything to do with bringing the right equipment, but by taking an extra five minutes to plan. If the forecast says rain, bring an umbrella. If you’re going to be out of the house all day, think for five minutes about everything you think you will need that will keep you from having to make extra trips home. Clothes for the gym, a sack lunch, your own coffee mug – five minutes can save you quite a bit of time and waste down the road.
Camp on durable surfaces. Some places just make for bad campsites. Rocky, unlevel terrain. Harsh winds. Setting up camp in the middle of a meadow will leave you exposed to the elements, and it will all but destroy the ground you sleep upon. Not everywhere is designed to sustain people, no matter how much technology and engineering we apply to it. New home developments may seem like a good idea right up until we think about how to water those homes and deliver power and the stress those homes will put on local traffic.
Just because a house can be built doesn’t mean we should be living there. How much energy is required to make your home livable? Maybe it’s not the campsite that needs to be more durable. Maybe we need to be more durable.
Dispose of Waste Properly. You’re responsible for every piece of trash you generate. From food packaging to meal leftovers and everything else you come up with, all of it leaves the backcountry with you. Failing to do so just puts the burden on someone else. It also leaves a bad impression and an even worse example for hikers who come after you.
The dumpster isn’t always the best way to dispose of your trash. Think about what you’re throwing away, what will become of it after it leaves you? At home, recycle. Consider composting. The best way to reduce the amount of waste you end up throwing away? Don’t even invite it into your home to begin with.
On a California beach
Leave What You Find. Take only photographs, leave only footprints. Doing anything else would assume that you are somehow superior to the natural world (you aren’t) and you are robbing something for all those who come next. I can only wonder what I missed out on because the generation ahead of me didn’t leave what they found.
Everything you use today is one less thing that someone else can’t appreciate. Be mindful of your consumption.
Respect Wildlife. When hiking, it’s easy to come across wildlife. A squirrel, a deer, maybe something bigger or more obtrusive. Somehow, we’re OK with seeing the wildlife in the wilderness. But when a bear or a mountain lion comes traipsing into the suburbs, we feel violated. Where is the line between what is wilderness and what is not?
Furthermore, how can we expect an animal to understand this boundary. In the end, who is really being the nuisance? The animals? Or us?
Minimize Campfire Impact. To ensure a campfire is completely extinguished, it is advised that the ashes are spread by hand and the fire pit is deconstructed. When building a fire, smaller is better. Smaller fires are better to cook on, easier to control, and more comfortable to be around.
Smaller fires got the job done while burning less wood. Overall, the less used the better.
If the Scouts didn’t practice Leave No Trace, there would be nothing left of Philmont today. My time spent at Philmont, with the Scouts, and with the principles of Leave No Trace have no doubt formed a lot of these “hippie” opinions I carry with me today. Is it possible to live a less impacted lifestyle while so far from the wilderness?
Absolutely. It is just more of a challenge.
Can you leave no trace?
read moreTiny Houses – how small is too small?
via tinyhouseblog.com
Lately, I’ve been seeing more and more attention given to the idea of the Tiny House.
It’s rather refreshing, especially in our McMansion era of homes with massive lawns and out-of-control utility bills, accessed through an endless network of asphalt at the edge of yet another suburban town.
Many find it nice, really, owning a home that they can call their own. Other’s take a Durden-esque criticism to it: a big house that you need to fill with things and keep from falling apart – debt upon debt upon debt.
But what if you weren’t living in a big house? Could you fit everything that was truly important to you within a few dozen square feet? Could you live in a Tiny House?
TINY: A Story About Living Small (Teaser Trailer) from TINY on Vimeo.
When I worked as a Ranger at Philmont several years ago, my existence was more or less that. During that summer everything I owned either existed in the back of my Jeep Cherokee or was skillfully packed into by Kelty. When I was on duty I’d hike about with everything from my closet to my bed to my kitchen pantry packed into a few thousand cubit inches. When I wasn’t, I was able to travel everywhere from Santa Fe to the Grand Canyon, always on a whim, still able to camp out or sleep in the back of the Jeep when it was time to retire for the day.
It was a true sense of freedom, which was ideal for a 20 year old. Sure, I’d be reliant on outside sources for things like showers and laundry, fuel and food. Beyond that my time was my own and my job was to guide Scouts through the New Mexican backcountry and prescribe them methods of not being eaten by mountain lions, dying of hypothermia, or getting really lost.
Point being: that summer, I could go anywhere all because I didn’t have the large, permanent things that typically tie people to one spot: beds, sofas, televisions, tax information, etc. However, I know that a lot of people like the idea of having a shower or a bed prescribed to them.
With the Tiny House idea, people are showing they can do so much more with so much less. By living in smaller spaces they are, quite literally, reducing their footprint. Tiny homes, many of which are portable, don’t necessarily have the power and water hookups that a typical home would have. Many of them run on solar power, have small reserve tanks for water, and use propane for heating and cooking.
Storage presents another challenge – meaning every purchase decision has to be considered. Where are you going to put the things you buy?
I’ve seen many Tiny Houses designed to be on wheels, built right on top of trailers. Depending on the skills and resources you have available, a well built Tiny Home could cost you a few thousand dollars. Significantly less, and far more earth friendly than the option of an RV. And, if you wanted you could build the house on a trailer and have it move with you.
I’m not entirely sure I could live in a Tiny House. It might be a part of the American sickness I could never shake: compartmentalization. A room with a reason, everything in it’s place. I’ve been working every day to make do with less. Use fewer resources, being smarter about acquiring things. The Tiny House idea revolves primarily around the idea of living simply through having less – the fewer things you own, the less you have to maintain, the less debt acquired. Still, it would take some getting used to.
And, frankly, I love the garden.While mobile gardening is possible, I’d rather have a plot of soil I can work with and enrich over time.
Could you live within a Tiny House? What are you doing to live with less?
