Saturday, June 02, 2007

"Americans Are NOT Stupid" video and more info on Low Impact/what it means to me.



Low Impact Info:

Here are the 7 categories: (lifted and abridged from Casaubon's Book):

1. Gasoline. Average American usage is 500 gallons PER PERSON, PER YEAR. We're using 14 gallons/week now with Em working (not counting vacations or trips to Shreveport) That's 728 gallons/year right there. So, we'd be right about avg for the 2 of us adding in vacations if Em worked all year. Of course, he doesn't work all year, so we might be less or might be more with vacations. Gasoline is something we're not going to address until the Mustang dies. On vacations, we rent a car with better mileage, but outside of driving less (which we already do), we'll just have to live with this gasoline hog until its death.

2. Electricity. Average US usage is 11,000 kwh PER HOUSEHOLD, PER YEAR, or about 900 kwh PER HOUSEHOLD PER MONTH. I think we could get this down to 400/mo, so that's a 56% reduction. Much below that just isn't possible, I don't think. I'll keep looking at it weekly and correlating what we did that caused the increases/decreases in kwh, but with the heat of the summer coming I don't see how we can go below 400/mo.

3. Heating and Cooking Energy - US Average Natural Gas usage is 1000 therms PER HOUSEHOLD, PER YEAR. I'm still trying to get a handle on what we use. Our heat is natural gas and we have a gas stovetop and hot water heater. I was struggling for the unit term, but if it's therms, we only used 1 last week and 2 the week before. I'll look at the bill when it comes to see what I'm missing; we can't be that far below average. Must be that we use tons in the winter and I don't know because I've never paid attention to the utility bills.

4. Garbage - the average American generates about 4.5 lbs of garbage PER PERSON, PER DAY. We recycle two bins of paper/glass/metal/plastic/cardboard per week and have one pretty small bag of stuff that's totally awful for any dump. Maybe this is an area in which I can encourage my local retailers to make a change. We're omnivores and our local groceries tend to sell meat products wrapped in plastic around a styrofoam base. I need to be more outgoing regarding how offensive this is compared to just seeing the meat in the meat counter and having it wrapped in freezer paper.

5. Water. The Average American uses 100 Gallons of water PER PERSON, PER DAY. Water is an area where we've conserved for a long time, but maybe not to the extent I'm experimenting with now. The reason was that it's expensive here in North Texas.

6. Consumer Goods. A Professor at Syracuse University calculates that as an average, every consumer dollar we spend puts .5 lbs of carbon into the atmosphere. The average American spends 10K PER HOUSEHOLD, PER YEAR on consumer goods, not including things like mortgage, health care, debt service, car payments, etc... Used goods are deemed to have an energy cost of 10% of their actual purchase price. Goods that were donated are deemed to be unlimited, with no carbon cost.

What I haven't seen mentioned in this category is charitable contributions. I use Coupon Mom as a cheapskating tool, but I also agree with her that since I'm able to save money on MY stuff, how about using a little bit of that money saved to help the poor and homeless people...so I buy stuff to send over to the Arlington Mission. I was reminded of this today because we bought a bunch of canned chile and pork'n'beans yesterday using coupons combined with a sale at Kroger. I bought them for the mission. Em likes chile, so thought we should keep that and thought that as much as we all like pork'n'beans we should keep that, too. So, we compromised; we're keeping half and giving away half. Point is, though, charitable institutions who feed hungry families versus institutions who feed hungry walk-ins need staples and staples tend to involve packaging and purchases.

7. Food. There are a number of things involved with food, so a number of ways you could cut your food impact. Only time you get 0 impact is when you grow your own or buy something grown organically in your area. The further away the food originates increases the impact. At least that's the theory. I'm, personally, not convinced that (for instance) a cantaloupe flown to Texas from Costa Rica has a greater impact than one that's been trucked to Texas from California and there are a whole lot of other issues involved in making decisions on what products to buy from what country or even buying anything from other countries. Getting into all that, though, is mixing environmentalism with politics.

Food is also the one area where impact can't be gauged by how much money was spent. One would think that food you've grown, for instance, would be cheaper, but unless you have access to free seeds, free manure, etc. you might find yourself spending considerably more for the one cucumber you grew than you would have spent getting a cucumber from sack'n'save that was grown locally. Might be that there's an added entertainment value or value for contribution to happiness, which reminds me to remind you to watch that video that Colin put up today on NoImpactMan.

Since we're old (60+), we're members of the AARP, which some of you might recognize as one of the strongest lobbies on Congress because there are so many of us these days. This month's newsletter discusses ecotourism and (as I maybe referenced slightly above) I think there's a whole lot more involved with saving the planet than confining ourselves to a particular radius surrounding our homes.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh but there is a God. Here is a message from Him.


THREE SIGNS FROM HEAVEN THIS WEEK...WATCH!!!
SO THAT WE WILL KNOW THAT THIS HAS BEGUN!!!

I am sick and tired of begging you my children. I am sick and tired of contending with you. I beg and strife and big and strife. My Spirit will not strife with you any longer. Stop playing the harlot with Me. For yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of My children. I am not going to contend and strife with you any longer. This is it now. This is your last chance. Decide on who's side you are going to be. Get off the fence or fall off on the wrong side. The fence belongs to the devil. I will spew you out of my mouth. Decide now or carry the consequences of your lukewarm religion.

I am going to smash you down for your sin My church. You profane My Name. You worship me on Sunday and the rest of the week you think you can sleep with the world. I see what you are doing. I see how you play the harlot with Me. I desire obedience more than sacrfice and burnt offerings. Stop trying to buy your salvation from Me. Do you think your tithe will get you into heaven? Do you really think you can give Me money and than that is that? My Spirit will not strife with you no more. I have begged and I have pleaded. I will not do that any longer. Now is your last chance. Repent and return to Me so that I CAN WASH YOU. You say, I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing; and you know not that you are wretched one and miserable and poor and blind and naked:I counsel you to buy of Me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich; and white garmets, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness be not made manifest, and eye salve to annoint your eyes, that you may see. As many as I love, I reprove and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

I am so sad about what is coming to the earth. I love My creation so much. It is going to break My heart to do this. The land is polluted and I must judge sin. I am a rightoeus God. I judge sin. Always have and always will. Do not think I will not do it. I am Jehovah God. The Alpha and the Omega. I do not change. Why do you think I change now and not judge you. Repent and let My Sons' blood wash you clean. That is the only way to heaven. Come now before it is too late. This is the last warning. I am not a liar. My Son is coming for a spotless bride. That was My promise to Him and still is. So come to Me so that I CAN COVER YOUR NAKEDNESS AND CLOTHE YOU WITH WHITE ROBES.

The city will be in chaos; every home shall be locked to keep out intruders. Mobs will gather in the streets, crying out for wine. Joy is going to be turned to gloom. Throughout the earth the story will be the same. My heart is heavy with grief My children. Deceit still prevails, treachery is everywhere. Those who flee in terror will fall into a trap, and those who escape will be caught in a snare. Destruction is going to fall like rain from heavens; the foundations of the earth will shaken. The earth will stagger like a drunk, it will tremble like a tent in a storm. It will fall and not rise again, for the guilt of the rebellion is very heavy. The glory of the moon will wane, and the brightness of the sun will fade.

THIS WEEK I AM GOING TO SHOW MYSELF STRONG says the Lord of heavens host. I am going to shake the earth with three signs from heaven so that you will know it has begun. When you see these three signs, look up for your redemption is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but let My Son lead you into battle for the greatest victory of human history. Be strong, be courageous! Many are coming into the Kingdom. I have spoken and I will do it. The devil will try to stop this from happening but I have a surprise for him. So be anxious for nothing and go into the highways and byways and bring the lost into the Kingdom of My dear Son.

Maranatha!!!

SpeedKin said...

The Average American uses 100 Gallons of water PER PERSON, PER DAY.

Wow! I've learned some wow-able things from you recently with the low-impact week but, dang, if that tidbit about water usage doesn't just completely blow me away. Wow. Just wow.

Oldnovice said...

The Average American uses 100 Gallons of water PER PERSON, PER DAY.

Actual usage is 60-100 gallons per person per day, but Sharon chose the upper limit of the range for comparison purposes. This includes stuff like water used on gardens, lawns. I don't think it prorates what water you would have used had you been the one to grow the lettuce you bought at Sac'n'Save, but I'm not sure it doesn't either. Sure seems like a helluva lot, though, doesn't it? As a water carrier, yourself, you can sure appreciate the quantity.

I'm thinking there's a "if it's easy to get, it's easy to waste" factor. If No. 1 was cooking something that called for a cup of hot water, I'd find her running the water at the kitchen sink until it got hot enough. She should/could have measured the cup, put the cup in the microwave and had hot water in a minute's time with no water waste. That's why this week was important...to raise consciousness. We do things without even thinking about how wasteful we are...all because we have it to waste...for now.