A Year of Living Green

Plans

2007-03-26T05:30:00.000-07:00

I've been a little lazy here and I'm sorry
a host of computer issues has made blogging next to impossible
no matter what we do, we cannot get our energy bill down
so we think perhaps there is a problem with the meter...
or something
we are planning to have it all investigated

Also, currently we are waiting to build our compost pile until
the materials become available
rather than buy one or buy materials
we are going to use old pallets (is that how you spell it?)
from Aaron's work

Brandon was given a biodome for his birthday
and we just threw in some dirt, some brown material left over from the fall and a bunch of snow
I also threw in apple seeds as I got them
it appears we are growing an apple tree, grass and we have a spider
it is really neat to watch

And finally, we are in the process of planning out our garden
Brandon picked a spot, using the organic gardening encyclopedia we checked out from the library.
It is near three large trees in the yard
so there is both shade and sun
and there is a hill for planting potatoes
and the dirt is dark black and moist

Finally, because I've been baking so much
and because my brother has such horrid health problem
I agreed to bake my Brother versions of his favorite breads using organic whole wheat
he is never, ever, ever allowed to eat white bread or white flour
his body, after years of medications for his other disease
now has a disorder with his metabolism
he cannot eat sugar, meat, or white flour
he saw my sour dough I baked last weekend and said he really misses sour dough bread
so I told him I'd start buying the healthier flours at people's food co-op in bulk and make him bread
it may not taste as good
but my family will adjust
in my opinion
pretty much anything homemade tastes better
than store bought
even if it is healthier

I made the kids homemade nutragrain bars this weekend and everyone
including Aaron
went nutty for them

And last but not least
we found out that the city has a major recycling program right down the road from our house
so we walk back and forth with our recyclables
no driving
less waste
healthier for us
all and all
a better way to live

Biodynamic Farming

2007-02-08T19:45:00.000-08:00

Biodynamic farming started why before organic. I believe in the 1920's Rudolph Stiener, yes like the schools, gave a series of lectures. He believed his food was degraded because of the use of chemicals in farming. He saw the farm as one living organism and self-sustaining.
* The animals poop
* The poop is turned to compost
* The compost feeds the ground
* The ground feeds the crops
* The crops feed the animals
* The animals poop on the ground...

That's obviously a simple way to look at it
but we'd like our home to be as biodynamic as possible
we don't have the room for farm animals or crops
but we have enough for a small garden and compost
we have leaves and dead material
food that goes unused
things that we can put back into the Earth so that it will give back to us
Plus....
I found this Biodynamic Co-op farm just a few miles from my house
(did I mention Biodynamic farms are co-op's?
*The farmer grows the food
*The community supports the farm with money
* The farmer gives the crops to the community
Kind of how all farmers do it
except
if there's a bad year the farmer still gets the money and doesn't have to sell his land
and the community gets organic food, at a cheaper price, skipping the grocery store, the shipping, the storing, and the get it in your house two days before it goes bad part
We want to join this farm

We'll see. I think I'm calling those dirty Hippies tomorrow to see if I can become one of them.

Jiminy Cricket

2007-02-07T07:36:00.000-08:00

Aimee here. And baby its cold outside! Anyone in the North can relate to the brutality of our subzero weather. The cold whips and burns like the harsh licks of a fire. My youngest son has a chapped face. He sleeps in cream so rich in wrinkle fighting goodness my own skin breaks out from using it. My car coughs and sputters when I so rudely decide its time to get up and go. Thus, I've been a little relaxed in the eco rules department.
Last night, B and I went to pick up a pizza. Aaron and I work on Tuesday nights and often cooking is not an option. Anyway, it was to be a quick stop so I let my poor disgruntled car run. I told B it was just too cold to turn it off.
He nodded his head in shame at my reluctance to suffer for the better of the group.

"Its cold because of global warming and if you let your car run while we're inside its just going to get worse."

I always thought the phrase too smart for your own good was stupid. Why would anyone feel being less intelligent is better?
But I realize the phrase should be, "You're too smart for MY own good."
Because B has an answer for every lazy, self indulgent, well planned intellectual arguement I can muster.
He is my Jiminy Cricket.

And yes, I shut off the car. And it was still warm when we got back. He was right, I was wrong. I knew that before I tried to argue around him. He's my conscience and he keeps the little selfish devil on my shoulder at bay.

Another Website For Kids

2007-02-04T16:49:00.000-08:00

B here. I found a cool website called Eekoworld. It is a part of PBS kids. Most of the stuff is for little kids. But Eekoworld is about saving energy, recycling, reducing pollution and helping the environment. It has a few games that teach kids. It also has a spot for parents and teachers with lesson plans for kids up to fourth grade. Its a pretty cool site.
pbskids.org/eekoworld

3 Windows and Weather Stripping

2007-02-04T10:54:00.000-08:00

And the temp in the house has increased 6 degrees without touching the thermostat. Its actually warm in here. Weird. Only 26 more windows to go!

Lots and Lots of Plastic

2007-02-03T06:49:00.000-08:00

We have to winter proof our house in creative ways.
I got a detailed bill from our gas/electric company
it appears our washer and dryer have a lot to do with the electricity being so high
it shot up as soon as we got them

Come summer I guess we'll be line drying as much as possible
but for now...
I wonder if my clothes would smell musty if I line dried inside in the basement
probably
a new dryer will help as it is old and electric

Also, the house is drafty
its old and you can actually feel wind standing in the kitchen
we think its a problem with the side door
so we are going to get new weather stripping
and cover every friggen window in the house with plastic
or those thick, cheap, insulating curtains
or if need be, blankets
whatever we can do at this point

But when we get the bill down to normal I will feel like a wealthy woman
consistently paying over $400 per month is just stupid
I didn't pay that much for my first apartment
I could drive a brand new car for that
or buy a little rundown shack on a lake (for the $600 per month)
or a PS3
or, or, or
so today our mission is to make this place less expensive

An Unwanted Break

2007-01-28T11:19:00.000-08:00

I took an unwanted break from blogging here
B's birthday party wasn't until yesterday
I wanted to write about what I got him

First, because I know he will enjoy it I got him a sub to National Geographic Kids
Second I got him the first season of Dirty Jobs, on DVD. He loves the Discovery Channel and so I shopped the online store for the perfect presents
Third, I got him a replacement PS2 because his little Brother broke his
and finally, I got him an eco-dome at the Discovery Store Online
It is really cool because he wanted to build one of his one. This one has a temp monitor and you can create 3 or 4 different habitats. We're going to watch how everything works out and post our findings. The kids at his party thought it wasn't too cool, but B is that kid. He finds things interesting that other kids might find boring.

In other news my heat/electric bill was $600 this month. I need new windows, better insulation, and a miracle. We already turn the heat way down. I just wear 3 and 4 sweaters at a time, we have the new light bulbs...there's not a whole lot we can do aside from the big fixes.

I am going to see if we qualify for a HUD grant to update our home and make it more energy efficient. I'm also going to demand that the utility company come out and check our meters and see if everything is working properly.

I'll let you know how that goes. Because seriously, I could have a 2ND home with the amount we pay in utilities right now.

Happy Birthday B

2007-01-18T09:19:00.000-08:00

10 years old
12:57 AM, Tuesday Jan 18 1997

I spent the 18 hours I labored with Brandon watching MLK day celebrations on the TV. I never said a word but felt like my son was destined to be something special.

I was a child when I gave birth. The year after I had B, we attended the same pediatrician and I grew a half inch. We were growing up together. I was learning to be an adult and trying to teach him to be a person at the same time. He inspired me. Made me want to be a better person for him. I finished my degree with him in tow. He learned how to use a big boy potty while I learned Political Theory and Constitutional Law. I read him Locke and Moore and Paine when he needed a story and I was studying. And every year, we celebrated his birthday on campus at the MLK day symposium. Brandon met Jesse Jackson the year he turned four. He listened to Nikki Giovanni read poems the year he turned 3. He rode on the shoulders of a Cass Tech football player through a march downtown Ann Arbor. He spent his days off of school, when I had to drop off a paper, running through the art museum to avoid the cold. He learned that he was not a fan of Picasso but really loved the Japanese art exhibit at the ripe old age of 3. And he celebrated Indigenous People's day with the Tree Town Drummers rather than Columbus Day.
He is ten today. And though he doesn't remember all the early things, he is already a better person than me. I am in awe of his ability to be fair and just and moral. He knows two wrongs don't make a right and no matter how angry we are an eye for an eye is not the way to go. He was punished for vocally opposing the war in Iraq in first grade. And this year he gave his class a lecture on how Columbus should not be considered a hero as he was as evil to the native people as Hitler was to the Jews. I'd like to think I had something to do with it, but I really believe he was born a lover of people and a man with a peaceful heart.

MTV and an Inconvenient Truth

2007-01-15T06:12:00.000-08:00

Aimee here. Inspired by my son's commitment to helping the environment, I decided to do some research too. Now, you know from my first post, I'm not some hippie that will live in a tent to save the environment. I am a recovering spoiled rich kid who doesn't like discomfort. I am not at one with nature, though I wish I could be one of those people. Anyway, I found some really amazing ways to help the environment without causing me any discomfort. The point is, these are things even I can do and not have to change how I live! That's a big deal. Living green doesn't have to mean giving up comfort.

This website lists actions to really cut down on the fossil fuels consumed by a household.
http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/whatyoucando/index2.html
You can also purchase an Inconvenient Truth on video there.
Some really quick tips that blew my mind:
Wrap your hot water heater in an insulation blanket which can save 1000Lbs of carbon dioxide a year. And setting it no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit can save 550 Lbs of carbon dioxide a year. If you have children its always good to keep it set lower anyway to prevent scalding burns.

Another place to look for simple tips is MTV Break The Addiction
http://www.mtv.com/thinkmtv/features/environment/break_the_addiction/index_choose.jhtml
This site gives simple everyday tips to reducing consumption. Its great if you have teens. Teenagers tend to be highly influenced by pop culture and this site makes it trendy to consume less.

And for your reading enjoyment....actions we've taken in our home to break the addiction so far:
Though in Michigan during the winter, this is tough...we're trying to turn off the car instead of letting it run unused for more than 30 seconds. Even 30 seconds makes a big difference over a year. However, when it is cold and icy we cannot always do this. The car has to warm a bit. But, we try.
Reuse grocery bags: We try to reuse all the grocery bags we get from the store. I use them to clean up Buddy (our puppy) bombs when walking, or as trash bags rather than buying bathroom sized trash bags.
Switch Light Bulbs: We've purchased energy efficient light bulbs for the house. The initial investment was more than the old fashioned light bulbs, but the energy efficient ones last much longer and use less energy for an overall savings. Some people like to buy the cheapest thing on the store shelves, but in this case, indeed, you get what you pay for. The new light bulbs can last up to four years. Think about how many cheap ones you'd replace in that time.
Switch juice: Seems silly, I know. But instead of giving juice boxes in lunch, buy the kids a thermos and buy juice in big bulk containers. #1 Juice boxes are more expensive so you get more for the money. #2 It creates less waste and uses less energy to buy 1 big bulk container instead of all those little tiny boxes.
Toilets and shower heads: We have the new toilets that use less water per flush and we have the shower heads that do the same thing.

And things we'd like to start doing...
We'd like to start a compost pile in the spring to reduce the amount we throw out. It will help our garden and the environment.
We'd like to get a rainwater storage unit so we can water the lawn and garden using rainwater rather than treated water. Saves money, saves energy, and is better for the lawn. You just have to make certain the kids don't drink from the hose as this water could make them sick.
Purchase a Hybrid Car: It's a big investment but, like the light bulbs, we'd save money overall and reduce our impact.

Please feel free to share your ideas and tips here!!!!

Ideas For Kids

2007-01-13T16:18:00.000-08:00

B here again. I found another website and its better than the last one.
http://ecokids.ca/pub/index.cfm
Its called Eco Kids and it has a ton of information. But what I liked the most were the projects. This Spring we are going to build a toad habitat in the back yard following the directions on the site. I can't wait. It seems pretty easy to do and frogs and toads eat bugs. We'll have an all natural way to be outside without having to use the gross bug sprays.

I rate this site an A+ and think everyone should take a look.

Ideas For Kids

2007-01-13T07:33:00.000-08:00

B here. Today I was searching for websites that show kids how to help the environment. I found a good one.
http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/difference.html
Some things it said were to plant trees to reduce carbon dioxide, get hybrid cars, use recycled items, and that's about it. Its a good place for kids who are interested in learning more and it also had some pretty cool games. It had a checkers game with Ozone the dog, hang man with environmental terms like climate.
It teaches about the Green House Effect and kids can be climate detectives.
So if you have kids who are interested in the environment you should show them this site. It is fun and has a lot of information.

The Concept and Players

2007-01-12T14:52:00.000-08:00

The concept and basic idea here started from my nine year-old son
It started when he was five or six and became obsessed with life on other planets
if it was possible and that sort of thing
He's still obsessed with space, still has the telescope, planet glow in the dark sheets and the like
He's also obsessed with (but not as much anymore) dinosaurs and as a natural extension, how they became extinct
And from those two things our planet, how fragile it is, and how we might too one day be extinct
Obviously his mind led him straight to global warming and all its implications
and here we are with the idea for this blog

The concept is to live a sustainable life
well as much as possible
so for the next year we will be making changes
both large and small each day
to reduce the footprint we leave on the Earth
We will blog about our experience here
and we will keep track of our energy bills, gas consumption and the like

The goal is two-fold
simplify for the environment and for our wallets
as well as encourage my son's natural curiosity and love of science

The Players:
Aimee: I am a Mother of two and I was raised a very pampered life. When my Mom didn't feel like doing laundry, she went out and bought new clothes. Firmly anti-garage saler, I learned about the treasures found at them only as an adult. I am not used to being uncomfortable and I am not used to being thoughtful about these things. I was raised to throw it away and go buy a new one. Literally. My Mom wrecked her new car once. My Dad was angry so he just never changed the oil in it. And then we went and got a new, new car.

Aaron: Aaron is my S.O. He was brought up on garage sales, thrift shops, and reuse centers. He wasn't one of those people who did it because it was trendy for a minute. No, he did because he had to. It taught him the value of a good deal and waste not want not, right? He's the one who taught me about garage sales. Aaron's also a hunter. And while the idea of hunting may not immediately bring to mind environmentalist, but rather big gas guzzlen' truck driven, I'm gonna do whatever I want type, he's very much concerned with conservation. He doesn't believe in conservation because he has long hair, doesn't eat meat and wears sandals. No. He believes in conserving because as a hunter he sees first hand what happens if we don't. His peaceful woods disappear to make room for ugly, overpriced, slapped together homes on golf courses, the deer get hit by cars and the meat rots on the side of the road. The fish he catches come with a warning at the doctor's office: Pregnant Women Should Not Eat Fish Caught in The Great Lakes, right next to the sign about smoking, drugs and alcohol while pregnant. He is also an Earth Science buff. So, while he will only guest star here from time to time, I will often link to his hunting blog when the subject matter makes sense.

B: B is nine years-old. But for the sake of things we'll call him 10. His birthday is in less than a week. He is naturally drawn to science, an avid reader, and since he saw Al Gore's movie; a huge Al Gore fan. He is too young to remember Al as"loser" to Bush or Clinton's VP. He knows Al for his love of the environment. And for that reason alone B is Al Gore's biggest fan. It was his desire to change the smallest things about our lives that got the idea for this blog rolling. He is constantly turning off the unwatched TV. He insisted on purchasing the new energy efficient light bulbs, and he'd like to do his part to change how we live. One big decision he's made is to not eat fast food. I know, right? The kid is 10! But after finding out that much of the rain forest is being chopped down to make room for grazing cattle, he's on boycott and no clown or stupid toy is going to make him change his mind. He also doesn't like the fact that the packaging is not recycled. Yes, my mouth is gaping open too!

G: G is four. He wants to hunt and drive a big red truck. He'd also like to hammer. He loves to sing with The Naked Brothers Band and is a fan of all music pop. He will probably not guest as he does not know how to write. However, his reactions to the changes we make will be noted. Also, he wanted me to mention, he likes candy and Diego.