the ways we save the planet, minimizing waste and more...

[python]

Here's the thread several members expressed an interest in after i mentioned in a politics thread that 'our kitchen operates on the principles of recovery and efficiency i research'.

firstly. i dont claim any originality. just sharing my modest contributions to less waste and (why not ?) some savings b/c less waste means improved efficiency and economy. also, since we live in a manhattan apartment, not all of our 'tricks' may suit others living conditions and/or environment..

lets start with our refrigerator. after many experiments (details below) i found that of the 7 coldness setting the most efficient (energy consumption wise) was 2 where 7 is the coldest. by using a remote thermometer (the probe inside in the middle, display outside) i ran our fridge thru the settings to discover a settled temperature range (+/- 2 degr) to fall between 37 and 48F, where 37F= setting 7. given the fast turn over of our fridge contents, we dont feel it's necessary to get below 43-45F. that's the setting 2. How did I evaluate the efficiency ? well, not very efficiently, to tell you the truth b/c a special meter ( i dont have) would be needed. so, i counted the compressor on-off cycles and their duration. i then integrated all 'on' cycles to arrive at the total time the compressor hums during a 24 h period. the project took a while and i had to use some special devices to facilitate the signalling...the bottom line our monthly bill went down by about $10 compared to a setting of 6 we ran before. true !

before i get to the cooking part, i wanted to mention some other 'electrical tricks'. of course, there are no, none, incandescent lights in our home. i did consider to completely turn over to the LED bulbs but, while they're indeed more efficient, i found them a 2nd choice when total cost benefit vs. the produced lumens was considered. for instance, a home depo set of five 16 watt Compact Fluorescent bulbs was perhaps 1/4 the price while marginally less efficient than one LED bulb of about equal lumen. a get average 10 years out of them. besides, we prefer MANY small lights installed all over and turned when needed as opposed to one or 2 main lighting fixtures.

another electric 'trick' is about fans vs fans and fans vs an a/c. i have found, and was able to find some support, that unless it is 95F outside, the a/c is a pure waste. Arranging a cross draft circulation assisted by properly sized and located fans is sufficient. I installed several medium to small fans on the walls in all rooms so that they can be positioned to direct the airflow either DIRECTLY on those spots where we spend time ( 2 per couch, 2 in the kitchen, 2 per bed etc ) or as a system that stimulates cross circulation. I found that a fan need NOT be bigger than 8 inch, but must have a metal blades. the bill savings is easily $50-70 a month compared even to the modest use of the a/c and perhaps as much $10-15 compared to 3-4 inefficient oscillating pedestal fans.

the other things I tried but found a limited effect for the effort was to use lighting timers. still we heavily rely on timers for cooking and food processing...

and another trick. i groupped all devices that use the ubiquitous ac/dc chargers to be powered from a common 6-8 output strips with a switch. you'd be surprised how many you have btwn all the music center, tv, router, cell phones, lap tops, desk top etc. we have close to 20...they all draw electricity even when not used. so the idea was to 'kill them' when we are not at home or don't use them. for instance, our cell phone/hot spot/gadget charging table is connected to 8 chargers which could be powered off with a click of a switch. while in theory it is a saving, i found that getting into arguments with ms python and the kids was not worth the $ 1-2 we'd gain a month

I have researched and developed many more patterns, including the kitchen and the foods. in the next installment hopefully i will report the differences in various shopping, cooking and processing methods.

what i learned weighing eggs, peeling potatoes, making coffee, cooking chicken etc etc..

but that's it for now...

 

[Merckx index]

Thanks for starting this. I too am a big fan of, well, fans. I spend a lot of time in a very hot third world country, but have managed most of the time without using an air con, and virtually always now that I live not in a hotel but a condo. The key is that old real estate bromide, location, location, location. My unit only gets direct sun in the early morning. There is a big downside to that. I can't grow vegetables on my balcony, which I really miss. But the upside is that I don't need an air-conditioner (which I absolutely had to have in a previous unit where morning and afternoon sun poured through the lightly-curtained windows). I get by fine on a fan, and as a bonus, a fan usually provides a little more white noise than an air conditioner, masking unpleasant sounds from the outside.

The main advantage I see to an air conditioner in my situation is that it lowers your core temperature a little, so when you go outside, you don't begin sweating for a while. There is a definite lag time. Whereas when I leave my unit after being in front of a fan, I heat up immediately. But I manage, and I find riding a bike actually helps. I ride slowly, coasting often, which requires less energy (even biking at faster speeds requires far less, actually, it's not even close) than walking and therefore heats me up less. As this implies, a big part of energy saving for me is body-focussed. Energy saving begins at home, and home begins with your body. (I do ride hard sometimes, but not so much over here, more in the U.S., where I live in a somewhat cooler climate.) I could say a lot more about that, and maybe will in a later post.

The electrical set-up you mention I think is very helpful, and I've noticed that a hotel that I stay in briefly when I first come over here makes use of the same principle. There is one switch at the door that turns off all the lights and other appliances, except the refrigerator, in the room. I will confess I've been slow to adopt to unplugging devices from my condo when I leave. I keep the fan plugged in even when it's off, my woman is actually ahead of me on that. I unplug my laptop, of course, but I leave the power cable plugged into the wall socket, which supposedly uses a little energy. If you or anyone else has any data bearing on how much, I would certainly be interested. It's probably on the internet somewhere.

There's a lot more I have to say, but like you, I'll leave that for later posts. Mostly just wanted to keep this thread going and growing.

P.S. - Just wanted to add that, as with you, I can't always do everything I want because of resistance from my significant other, and particularly kids. Just as developing countries IMO should not be held to as stringent environmental practices as developed ones, developing human beings I think have to be given leeway, too. Especially since when their father was their age, he wasn't doing all the things he's doing now, either. Growing up means trying lots of things, and many of those things, from an adult perspective are unhealthy, wasteful of energy, and so on. But I am gratified to see that even schools over here have gotten with the program, and emphasize recycling and other environmentally-friendly practices.

 

[Beech Mtn]

Good thread, Python. Thanks for starting it and for sharing. I am going to try the refrigerator test. I'm sure mine can be turned to a warmer setting.

I don't have anything like the amount of advice you and Merckx have. I live in the south, and run air conditioning quite a bit. I have a few zones set up in the house with multiple thermostats to try to not overcool rooms that aren't used frequently. I find that my well-fitted thick plantation shutters seem to do a better job than thinner wooden blinds or fabric curtains at helping to block heat transfer, especially in the winter. I like to open the shutters during the daytime to use natural light instead of lamps, but if it's an especially cold day, I can keep them shut tight and notice a definite difference from the couple of rooms that have curtains instead of the blinds. I also find that having a lot of mature trees on the property makes a big difference in how warm the house and the yard get in summer.

 

[gobuck]

saving energy

Shade all west windows to reduce heat gain in the summer. Maximize heat gain from south facing windows in the winter. Switch to heat pump dryers and water heaters when replacing worn out units.

 

[Jagartrott]

Well, big gains in environmental friendliness can be achieved by just a few measures:
- reduce car commutes; use the bike as often as possible
- reduce meat consumption (and eat more poeltry, less red meat)
- get your energy from renewable sources
- buy locally grown/produced food
- buy a larger portion of your products second-hand
- isolate your home properly

 

[JackRabbitSlims]

Re:

Well, big gains in environmental friendliness can be achieved by just a few measures:
- reduce car commutes; use the bike as often as possible
- reduce meat consumption (and eat more poeltry, less red meat)
- get your energy from renewable sources
- buy locally grown/produced food
- buy a larger portion of your products second-hand
- isolate your home properly

^^ very good points.

I'll add insulating your home as another -

 

[Merckx index]

Let’s talk about water. And let’s do it while I can actually post here (due to some weird IP problem, I’m blacklisted from posting on CN forums every two or three days, and there doesn’t seem to be anything the mods can do about it. From day to day, I never know whether I will be able to post, and if so, for how long).

Start with the bathroom. The most efficient way to bathe would be to wet yourself with the minimum amount of water, apply soap, and rinse sparingly. I understand that for many, including myself, a shower is a sensuous pleasure, and hard to forgo. Few things do I love more than a shower after a hard bike ride, especially a hot shower after a ride on a cold, rainy day. But at least limit your time in the shower most of the time to a couple of minutes. Splurge once in a while, ‘cause life is too short not to enjoy things, but no need to make it a regular habit.

Where I am now, most people actually have no choice about this. Most are too poor to have bath tubs or shower stalls. Typically they draw water from a faucet into a bucket, then use a dipper to pour it over themselves. Like many of the no-choice customs in third-world countries (think of biking in China, at least until recently), it’s actually very energy efficient. Even relatively upscale places over here that do have a shower retain the bucket and dipper, so one can always bathe that way.

Then there’s the toilet. I hope most of you are aware that the flush toilet is a major water waster. One way to reduce the waste is of course not to flush every time. Ewwww! you say. Well, I’m definitely going to flush after no. 2, but not always after no. 1. You don’t want urine pooling in there too long, especially in hot weather, but if you scrub and clean the bowl frequently, you may actually come out better smelling and more sanitary than if you flushed regularly without cleaning. Obviously, you have to use some judgment here!

You can also put some space occupier such as a stoppered, empty plastic bottle, or even just a brick, in the water chamber. That will reduce the amount of water that comes into the chamber and is used to flush. You should be able to reduce water usage per flush in this way by 40-50%.

On to the kitchen. I haven’t had an automatic dishwasher in any place I live since I left my parents’ nest, probably before most of you young ‘uns were born. I don’t even know how much water they use. But even people who wash by hand, which is something I love to do, frequently leave the tap on for several minutes, which is unnecessary. I rinse everything very briefly and quickly, then turn off the tap and wash the dishes in soap and water. Then I turn the tap on to rinse off the soap. In short, all the water coming out of the tap should be rinsing something.

The yard is a major source of water usage for many home owners in California, where I live much of the year. The state is undergoing a(nother) water crisis, and many people have responded by getting rid of their lawns, replacing them by more drought-resistant plants, or even with just mulch or gravel. I love plants and gardening, and would not want to live with a paved-over yard, but I can do very well without a lawn, which is a relatively recent historical innovation, and I believe became the symbol of suburbia only through aggressive marketing from those in the industry who of course profited from it. There are many beautiful and water-saving alternatives.

Trees—which have long deep roots that go places where water is almost always present-- are a big help. I have several fruit trees in my backyard. Someone here mentioned their importance in providing a cooling effect in the summer, not just from shade, but from evaporation. Remember that nature has long experience in the business of recycling energy and materials.

 

[Echoes]

Re: the ways we save the planet, minimizing waste and more..

I've recently watched for another time the wonderful French doco Adieu Paysans (Farewell Peasants) and I would recommend it to all those of you who have good command of French.

You can see there how until the Marshall Plan, the French peasantry was living in harmony with its environment, hard working and stamped with spirituality. The rural community hadn't changed since the Old Regime.

Than suddenly came the US tractors promoted by the Marshall Plan, which facilitated the farmer's work but at huge costs for his finances and for the environment. The old generation of farmers working ploughs and hoes were kicked off and the younger generation replaced them, much more innovation-friendly. The older farmers had too much mistrust towards innovations because you had to get on credit to acquire that and for generations, peasants would make sure they were not in debt. They were right, future generations were head over heels in debt.
The left-wing governments of the time promoted innovations too (along with Jean Monnet, future founding father of the EU and master mind of the French industrial Plan). The whole landscape was reshaped, the "bocage" was destroyed, hedges, ditches, windbreaks, embankments, narrow paths were scrapped because the new tractors needed easier access to the land. It's what the French called "remembrement" and the Germans called "Flurbereinigung" ("land consolidation"). You had geometers everywhere on the countryside.

At that time nobody cared for the erosion of parcels and all the consequences for the environment. Fertilizers were already promoted but nobody seemed to know about its nasty effects for the environment. Chicken-breeding was already in the process of industrialization, you already had some huge boxes with thousands of young chickens.

Also the arrival of tractors sent hundreds of "useless" plough horses to slaughterhouses and in the cities, the horse meat was promoted. BigMac should be sensitive to that.

And of course, you had large-scale modern works like dams, the Tignes dam, for example, which engulfed the whole village.

The consequence is that the the small peasantry was once again leaving the countryside, while the big peasantry was rubbing their hand. I've always thought that the century of the drift from the land was the 19th but as a matter of fact it's the 20th. In 30 years, Belgium lost 63% of its agricultural exploitation: 113,883 to 39,528 units. In France, you have one suicide a day on an average among the peasantry. It's a disaster.

The conclusion is that in order to save our environment, we need a whole change of mentality, rediscover our land, reconcile with spirituality and break with the whole ideology of Progress which has been characteristic of Left-wing thinking for centuries, break with consumerism, the ideology of confort/hedonism, accept that life is hard and that we need to work hard to survive. We need to reconcile with our past society which was MUCH more in tune with the environment than our society is, not even comparable. And most of all, stop voting for current traditional parties who all turned our planet upside down (Greens included)[problem then is that there aren't many other alternatives but you can still abstain, it's good to do so]. We should always remember that political environmentalism started among traditional right-wing circles who hailed the rural way of life against the urban way of life which "impoverished the souls".

And most of all, a message to younger people, you have no moral lessons to get from the older generations because this generation, the generation of 1960's liberal revolts have voted like morons for decades, leading to the world we are now living in: with a destroyed environment, a destroyed economy, a destroyed social life and wars created everywhere. If there's hope somewhere, it should be in the youth. The oldies are usually those who are the worst voters because they are brainwashed by decades of liberal thinking.

 

[Spawn of e]

Sheesh, what a bunch of BS. Yes, consumerism and evolving efficiency in the workforce, driving up productivity with modernization while driving down wages due to globalization, monopolization of industries, and stripping of worker rights are all a product of "ideology of Progress which has been characteristic of Left-wing thinking for centuries."

This is the problem with democracy. Somebody like this can cancel out the vote of a sane person. Combine that with the utter growing stupidity courted and pandered to by the right wing, and I don't see things going on like this too much longer. I just hope I can get out of the workforce before the meltdown, and put my money is something stable like a safe.

The rest of you cats are just weird with this overboard conservation stuff. Funny though that all of you in this thread would be considered liberal. Don't you know "political environmentalism started among traditional right-wing circles who hailed the rural way of life against the urban way of life which "impoverished the souls". lol. You can't make this *** up.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

Re: the ways we save the planet, minimizing waste and more..

I've recently watched for another time the wonderful French doco Adieu Paysans (Farewell Peasants) and I would recommend it to all those of you who have good command of French.

You can see there how until the Marshall Plan, the French peasantry was living in harmony with its environment, hard working and stamped with spirituality. The rural community hadn't changed since the Old Regime.

Than suddenly came the US tractors promoted by the Marshall Plan, which facilitated the farmer's work but at huge costs for his finances and for the environment. The old generation of farmers working ploughs and hoes were kicked off and the younger generation replaced them, much more innovation-friendly. The older farmers had too much mistrust towards innovations because you had to get on credit to acquire that and for generations, peasants would make sure they were not in debt. They were right, future generations were head over heels in debt.
The left-wing governments of the time promoted innovations too (along with Jean Monnet, future founding father of the EU and master mind of the French industrial Plan). The whole landscape was reshaped, the "bocage" was destroyed, hedges, ditches, windbreaks, embankments, narrow paths were scrapped because the new tractors needed easier access to the land. It's what the French called "remembrement" and the Germans called "Flurbereinigung" ("land consolidation"). You had geometers everywhere on the countryside.

At that time nobody cared for the erosion of parcels and all the consequences for the environment. Fertilizers were already promoted but nobody seemed to know about its nasty effects for the environment. Chicken-breeding was already in the process of industrialization, you already had some huge boxes with thousands of young chickens.

Also the arrival of tractors sent hundreds of "useless" plough horses to slaughterhouses and in the cities, the horse meat was promoted. BigMac should be sensitive to that.

And of course, you had large-scale modern works like dams, the Tignes dam, for example, which engulfed the whole village.

The consequence is that the the small peasantry was once again leaving the countryside, while the big peasantry was rubbing their hand. I've always thought that the century of the drift from the land was the 19th but as a matter of fact it's the 20th. In 30 years, Belgium lost 63% of its agricultural exploitation: 113,883 to 39,528 units. In France, you have one suicide a day on an average among the peasantry. It's a disaster.

The conclusion is that in order to save our environment, we need a whole change of mentality, rediscover our land, reconcile with spirituality and break with the whole ideology of Progress which has been characteristic of Left-wing thinking for centuries, break with consumerism, the ideology of confort/hedonism, accept that life is hard and that we need to work hard to survive. We need to reconcile with our past society which was MUCH more in tune with the environment than our society is, not even comparable. And most of all, stop voting for current traditional parties who all turned our planet upside down (Greens included)[problem then is that there aren't many other alternatives but you can still abstain, it's good to do so]. We should always remember that political environmentalism started among traditional right-wing circles who hailed the rural way of life against the urban way of life which "impoverished the souls".

And most of all, a message to younger people, you have no moral lessons to get from the older generations because this generation, the generation of 1960's liberal revolts have voted like morons for decades, leading to the world we are now living in: with a destroyed environment, a destroyed economy, a destroyed social life and wars created everywhere. If there's hope somewhere, it should be in the youth. The oldies are usually those who are the worst voters because they are brainwashed by decades of liberal thinking.

USA's fault.

I think Spawn of e's post was right on with respect to your post.

I have not taken things as far as Python but I do ride a bicycle or walk to work. I also selected my location as a place that did not get direct west sunlight. I also buy my electricity from green energy but I'm not sure of the validity of that power source.