Several times, My Hero has asked me what I want for Christmas. Every year I beg for Mr. Clean Magic Erasers for my stocking. I am almost embarrased to say, but one Christmas the Erasers were not in my stocking, nor were they under the tree…and boy did I pout. I was so, so, so disappointed! Don’t think he will ever make that mistake again.

This year, I am asking Santa for a solar dryer! Yep! A REAL clothesline, not a make shift line tied between a pole and a hook on the garage. After a couple of days of research, I believe I have made my choice. I think I like the idea of a parallel collapsible clothesline. Whitney make a galvanized steal arm version of a parallel with 182 feet of hanging space. With this type of clothesline, I can store it away during the winter or when we have guests in the back yard.

Unless I want to drive about 150 miles, I have no way of being able to see these in person or to compare a parallel with an umbrella. The parallel above is on sale at Amazon at the moment. After searching several sites, I have found that Amazon has the best price on the Whitney Designs 4000 Parellel Clothesline, so I am thinking I will be including the url on the list I hand over to My Hero Santa.

This past summer was more than crazy for us and I am ashamed to admit that I didn’t feel I had the time to do  what was best for the environment. I never hung any clothes on the line and our electric and gas bill showed it.  Summer before last we saw a 33% energy savings over the prior summer. Soon after Christmas this year, as our household quiets down, I plan to have more time for being more environmentally responsible. The new clothesline is only a first step in the right direction.

From GreenBiz.com

Climate Change as a Security Threat

A front-page story in Sunday’s New York Times proclaimed Climate Change Seen as a Threat to U.S. Security, describing how climate change could lead to “profound strategic challenges to the United States in coming decades, raising the prospect of military intervention to deal with the effects of violent storms, drought, mass migration and pandemics.”

The story noted that “Such climate-induced crises could topple governments, feed terrorist movements or destabilize entire regions, say the analysts, experts at the Pentagon and intelligence agencies who for the first time are taking a serious look at the national security implications of climate change.”

The Times writers, like so many others, have short memories. This is hardly “the first time” the military has examined this topic.
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More HERE.

In an earlier post, I wrote a bit about a movement toward 4 day work week to cut energy costs, but mostly to offset the expense of working a 40 hour week over a five day week. 

So maybe others will follow suit with Utah….

Utah is Going to a 4-Day Work Week to Save Energy

SALT LAKE CITY - Starting next month, it will be “TGIT” for Utah state employees. As in: “Thank God It’s Thursday.”

In a yearlong experiment aimed at reducing the state’s energy costs and commuters’ gasoline expenses, Utah is about to become the first state to switch to a four-day workweek for thousands of government employees.

They will put in 10-hour days, Monday through Thursday, and have Fridays off, freeing them to golf, shop, spend time with the kids or do anything else that strikes their fancy. They will get paid the same as before.

“One of the jokes is that one of the biggest benefits will be for golf courses,” said Ryan Walker, 49, an information technology director. He said he is looking forward to tackling items on his long-neglected “honey-do” list (As in: “Honey, do this” and “Honey, do that”); camping; and traveling more around the state.

The order issued by Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman will affect about 17,000 out of 24,000 executive-branch employees. It will not cover state police officers, prison guards or employees of the courts or Utah’s public universities. Also, state-run liquor stores will stay open on Fridays.

Remainder of story here.

Citing Need for Assessments, U.S. Freezes Solar Energy Projects

Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun, via Reuters

Mirrors channel sunlight onto a tube filled with oil at a solar power plant in Boulder City, Nev. The plant produces energy to power about 14,000 homes.

By DAN FROSCH

Published: June 27, 2008

DENVER — Faced with a surge in the number of proposed solar power plants, the federal government has placed a moratorium on new solar projects on public land until it studies their environmental impact, which is expected to take about two years.

The Bureau of Land Management says an extensive environmental study is needed to determine how large solar plants might affect millions of acres it oversees in six Western states — Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.

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You may have to register with the New York Times to finish reading the article, but it is free and the article is worth reading.

Originally posted 01.19.08

Finding it difficult to sleep, I was up early this morning. Normally, I would not turn the television on because it usually ends up being an all morning affair when I do, but I wanted to check the weather to discover why we had none of the snow that was expected this morning. Well, it resulted into a late start for my day, but it is not with regret. There were two segments on the morning show that interested me. One segment brought attention to the environmental and health hazards of individual bottled water and the other that I found interesting was about the Federation of Damanhur and the Temples of Humankind, which I hope to research further and write about at a later date.

I was amazed to hear that 40 million plastic water bottles are added to landfills daily. Top that off with the fact that the water sold in the bottles is not governed by as strict of standards as our tap water and the story had my attention. I did not realize or maybe I just have not been listening before now, but the bottling companies do not have to follow the stringent quality guidelines of the EPA. After I research a bit more, I may have more to say about this at a later date.

Since my family and I are on a quest for a more self sustained lifestyle and making greener choices, I want to chime in on our overuse of the individual water bottles. I am ashamed to say that I am afraid to guess how many of those little plastic bottles we have contributed to our local landfill. Being a parent of a high school and club athlete, we are on the road several days a week, year around. To keep from buying soda while traveling, we are in the habit of grabbing those little bottles as we are running out the door. I even keep a small stock of the small, itsy bitsy bottles in the hatchback of my vehicle.

Those little water bottles are not only perfect for the road, but I am come to appreciate the “no-taste” of the water. I was raised in a large metropolitan area of another state and never remember the water have a “taste”, but since moving to a rural area I have found it difficult to palate the definite taste in our local water. This has resulted in me drinking not only more of the individual bottles but I also buy several gallon jugs to use while at home.

Dear Husband was raised in a rural setting and he is accustomed to the “thick” taste of the water, so he finds my habits a bit ridiculous. He was actually the first to baulk at my over consumption of the bottled water, and revolted by purchasing his own reusable water bottle that he now carries with him as we travel. The requirements for his bottle were that it had to have a mouth large enough to be able sterilize properly and to be a size that is easily manageable. I once bought a large insulated mug that donned the Kansas State University logo, but found that once it was filled with liquid it was just too difficult to handle. It was like carrying a 6 lb weight around with you. Consequently it sits in the cupboard, taking up space and a reminder of the petroleum that was consumed in the production of plastics.

It has taken some time, but I finally found that perfect water bottle for me. It has a double wall for better insulation, fits my hand, and holds about 16 ounces of liquid. A Britta Pitcher Filter has assisted with some of the taste issues I have and I am now keeping the filtered water in the fridge, instead of those plastic gallon jugs. Dear Daughter stills runs out the door with a sports drink in her hand, but 2 out 3 isn’t a bad start. I am sure she will jump on board when we find a solution for her.