Day 132 - Shut 'Er Down

Shutting Down the House When On Vacation

I thought I had pretty much covered all my Green Holiday Plans but then today I was scheduling our Christmas trip and realized I hadn't talked about shutting down the house. It's something that I mean to do every time we go on vacation, but I never actually get around to it. This is because by the time we're ready to go, I've whipped myself into a minivan-packing, mapquest-printing, reservation-checking frenzy and have forgotten all about my side job as an eco-maniac. But, after giving it much thought, I think I have come up with a solution:

The Checklist.

Because there's nothing an obsessive-compulsive, ex-bean counting Mommy loves more than a nice excel spreadsheet with checkboxes. Oohhhh, be still my heart. Here's what's on my sheet:

• Turn Water Heater Down
• Set Thermostat to 50 degrees
• Unplug TV/DVD/Cable Box
• Shut off All the Lights
• Unplug Laptop and Printer
• Unplug Coffee Pot
• Close all Drapes (to keep the heat in)
• Close Upstairs Vents
• Shut all Upstairs Door (to keep the heat downstairs where the lone thermostat sits)
• Unplug Alarm Clocks

So what do you think? Is there anything I missed? Probably, but just remember the first two items will put me leaps and bounds ahead of what I had previously been doing - which was nothing. Plus, did I mention I have CHECKBOXES on my sheet?

Savings:

Gonna have to WAG this one again and guesstimate a daily savings of 2 Ccf per day (depending on the exterior temperature). Our holiday vacation will be five days this year, for a monthly savings of 10 Ccf. I'd also guesstimate approximately 8 kWh per day (compared to what I would have used if I hadn't unplugged stuff), for a total vacation savings of 40 kWh.

Difficulty Level: 3 out of 5

It's definitely a bit of a hassle. I mean, the last thing you want to do when the kids are all hyped up and hubby is itching to hit the road is to take five minutes to go through a checklist. But you know what -- it's FIVE MINUTES. They can wait five minutes. Who knows, maybe they'll do something constructive with the time, like use it to go pee before we get in the car for ten hours. Besides -- there are checkboxes, people.

Day 131 - I Can Mash Potato

Cooking Like Dear Old Dad

My Dad used to live with us when we were still up in New York and he was - and still is - a hell of a cook. The downside to having a hell of a cook live with you is that they're always messing with whatever you're cooking and it's really freakin' annoying.

For instance, anytime I would be cooking mashed potatoes or carrots or anything boiled on the stove, he would wait until the pot was steaming, shut off the burner, slap on a lid and proclaim "It ain't gonna get any hotter!".

Being the good daughter that I am, I of course asked Dear Father what he meant so that I could learn from his great wisdom and experience. NOT! I rolled my eyes, muttered something under my breath about 'old coots' and turned the heat back on so the food would cook. Dammit.

It wasn't until last week when I was chefing up dinner with the kids that it actually hit me. Daphne asked me "What Dat?" (the relentless 2 year old inquiry), indicating the steam rising from the pot. I explained to her that water is a liquid, at least until it reaches 212 degrees, at which point it can't get any hotter as a liquid so it turns into a steam. You know, cuz two year olds are all about physics and stuff.

And it was during this little lesson that the lightbulb went off. The old coot was right. It wasn't gonna get any hotter. Thirty-five years it took me to get that one, folks. Sorry 'bout that, Dad. ;-)

So now, whenever cooking potatoes, carrots, sweet corn or pasta, I will remember my Dad's great wisdom and shut off the burner when the water reaches its maximum heat level. The food will continue to cook and I'll save some watts in the process.

Savings:

At an average of 800 watts per burner, and about 10 minutes of wasted heat per item, I'll be saving .1333 kWh per boiled item. We eat pasta weekly and average two boiled veggies during that time, for a total of three boiled menu items per week. Assuming each item takes the same amount of time to cook (which they don't, but hey, cut me some slack, would ya?), I'll be saving 1.73 kWh per month or 20.77 kWh per year. It's not a huge savings, but every little bit adds up.

Difficulty Level: 2 out of 5

No extra work involved here, other than remembering to shut off the burner when I see the steam. And, of course, having to admit to my Dad that he was right.

Supplemental Post - From Toilet to Tap

There's a very interesting article in today's New York Times that talks about a new water purification system in Orange County, California. It just goes to show you that for every problem, there is a solution. You just need to look hard and ignore the naysayers.

Day 130 - Feelin' Hot! Hot! Hot!

Consolidating My Oven Use to Once Per Day

Ever since I learned about how much electricity my oven sucks up, I've been looking for ways to cut down on its use. You might say it's been a "burning" desire.

But that would be really lame.

Oh well, just one more month of using the insanely energy-draining oven and then, if Santa got my note, I'll be able to save lots of electricity with my new (or used) Toaster Oven. While I'm waiting, though, I have devised a plan that should help save some of the juice associated with the 5,000 watt range.

I will consolidate any and all oven use to once per day (assuming I use it at all). So, if I need to make a batch of granola, the kids want cookies and I'm making pork chops for supper, it's all gonna get cooked up at the same time - varying temperatures, lengthened cooking times and cross smellination be damned. This will be lots of fun -- like learning to juggle butcher knives and prairie dogs simultaneously.

If they cannot be cooked together (like if they won't all fit in at once), I will at least cook all the items back-to-back, thereby saving the energy that would have been required to preheat the darn thing twice.

Savings:

I only use the oven twice a day about twice a week. Good grief, I wrote that sentence and even I don't understand it. What I mean is that, roughly two days per week, I find myself in the situation of needing to cook multiple items. Better?

Savings is estimated to be about 30 minutes, twice per week at 350 degrees, which is somewhere in the neighborhood of a little more than 5 kWh. In one year, that's 261 kWh (for you finance types, that equates to a dollar savings of $28.78). Not bad - that right there'll get me a large pepperoni pizza and a dozen wings - all cooked by someone else!

Difficulty Level: 3 out of 5

This is going to require both planning acumen and spacial relation skills, neither of which I possess. Fear not, though, I have a meat thermometer and a set of pot holders. And one hot idea.

Supplemental Post - Keepin' It Going....

Hey everyone! Beth at Fake Plastic Fish just gave me a little mention in her blog for sending unwanted plastic back (an idea I got from her). So, I wanted to let everyone know that Green Bean at Grean Bean Dreams has also decided to start returning her unwanted plastic as well.

So what do you think, folks? How long can we keep this going? Long enough to get 10 people to start doing this? 20? Someone once asked me how many people it takes to get a movement going, well let's find out.

And hey, if you're ready to start doing this (even just occasionally), leave a comment and let me know!

Power to the plastic-free people!

Hoping someone out there comes up with a better catchphrase than that. These campaigns die without a cool slogan! ;-)

Day 129 - Virtually Spot-Free

Changing My Dishwashing Detergent

I have already switched all of my cleaning supplies and my fabric softener from chemical-laden concoctions to more earth-friendly solutions. And I have finally used up the last of my Cascade Complete Dishwasher Detergent. So now I will be replacing my mainstream Proctor & Gamble product with Tree-Hugging Seventh Generation Dishwasher Soap.

Now you may be thinking "Hey, Erin - aren't you worried that your fine china will no longer sparkle like diamonds?" My answer to that is "Last time I checked, Corelleware ain't china and if you're invited to my house for dinner, you should be much more concerned about the dog fur in your meatloaf than about the streaks on your glasses." Besides, it's better for the environment -and that takes precedence over a spot-free shine.

Just so's you know, Cascade Complete contains up to 0.5% phosphorous, in the form of phosphates. We all know phosphates are "bad", but I only recently bothered to find out why. Here, in a nutshell, is why phosphates should be avoided:

During water treatment, phosphates are often not removed properly, so the phosphates you put down the drain will likely end up back in our lakes, rivers and streams. Due to this constant addition of phosphates by humans (they are found in many detergents, as well as in manufacturing), the phosphor balance gets out of whack, which results in an increase in the growth of algae. This algae not only consumes lots of oxygen, but also prevents sunlight from penetrating the water, making it unlivable for many other organisms, like fish, tadpoles and other little swimmers.

But there's more than just the phosphate issue.

The perfumes contained within the Cascade detergent received a Proctor & Gamble Health Hazard Rating of "Moderate". You know it's bad when the manufacturer actually acknowledges an inherent risk in their own product with a threat level of 2 on a scale of 0-4. Now, call me crazy, but here's a thought: How's about leaving out the faux lemon-fresh scent and decreasing the health risk a tad? I think a lot of people would be willing to make that citrusy-scented sacrifice, don't you?

Unlike Cascade, the Seventh Generation detergent is 100% phosphate-free, poses no known health risks and is presumable safer for the environment. As an added bonus, they do not test on animals or use any animal ingredients. I'm not saying Cascade does, but they don't carry the "No Animal Testing" logo on their bottle, which makes ya wonder.

Savings:

At a concentration level of 1 gram per tablespoon and I use approximately 2 tablespoons per load, I would be saving 2 grams of phosphates per load. I wash roughly six loads per week, or 312 loads per year. That's 624 grams of unnecessary phosphates I'm saving per year.

Difficulty Level: 1 out of 5

Can I just tell you, I love these "replacement" changes. They are so easy to make and they don't require oodles of brain power, which I like to conserve whenever possible. I am simply swapping out one damaging product for one with a lesser environmental impact. Easy peasy.

So far, every replacement product I've tried has been a success. The only complaint I've ever had, and continue to have, is that all of these replacement products are sequestered over in the health-nut area of Kroger, rather than placed on the main shelves with their competitors. Apparently, this grouping of "like with like" is a virtually impossible task.

What's Black and White and Read All Over?

Well, the Richmond Times Dispatch did publish my letter this week, although they snipped quite a bit out and put it in the "Your 2 Cents" column on the back page of the editorial section. Kind of weird to see my name in the paper. That hasn't happened since I was 21 and I .... well, nevermind. ;-)

I had a wonderful weekend with my stepdaughter, Mom, sister, B-I-L, niece and nephew here. I only wish my Dad, along with my other sister and B-I-L had been able to make it. Just 4 1/2 more weeks, though and we'll all be together to celebrate Christmas in upstate New York!

For now, the house is sadly quiet. The kids are "resting" with The Incredibles and hubby has left to take my stepdaughter back home. I should use this time to get my house back in order before the week starts -- and I think I will.

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gobble Gobble Gobble!

Well, the family is starting to arrive and I am very much looking forward to a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration! I hope you all enjoy the holiday and take a moment to count your blessings. I am thankful for a great many things in my life -- all of them people.

Or chocolate.

But mostly people.

Anyhow, I'm going to take a couple of days off to enjoy some quality time with my family. I hope you get to do the same. In the meantime, enjoy this little holiday film I found on YouTube:



See you Monday!

- Erin

Supplemental Post - Stop The Presses!

Holy crap, I think they're going to print my Letter to the Editor! I just got a call from the Richmond Times Dispatch, asking if I had submitted a letter to them. Yikes. I need to go throw up now.... ;-)

Day 128 - Hot Frozen Cross Buns

Signing Up For Crunchy Chicken's "Freeze Yer Buns" Challenge

Last month, Crunchy Chicken posted a new challenge for all of her readers: Set your thermostat for as low as possible and keep it that way till spring. I LOVED the idea and immediately signed up! The idea is not, necessarily, to go to drastic extremes, but "to get you to drop at least one degree."

I initially pledged to keep my thermostat set at 65 during the day and 60 at night, but after throwing extra blankets on all the beds, I quickly found that the nighttime temp was actually too WARM and had to adjust it down to 55.

Want to know what else happened when I dropped the temperature? The kids slept in longer. Shhhhhhh. Don't let them hear my secret. I don't know why, but I swear it's true. Ethan hasn't wandered downstairs before 7:00 am and Daphne sleeps in till almost 8:00 am! I, too, am sleeping more soundly, as the house doesn't feel as dry and it's keeping all of our snoring to a minumum.

Savings:

According to Crunchy, for every degree set below 68 degrees, energy consumption drops 6-8%. My heat is generated via our water heater, which makes calculating the difference a little more difficult, since it's always "on" regardless of whether or not the heat is running. Our average gas consumption last year (November 1 - April 30) was 75 Ccf per month, so, I'm going to take a WAG and say that I'll be looking at an average of about 60 Ccf per month. this year. I will let you know if that average actually holds true.

Difficulty Level: 2 out of 5

I like it. Hubby? eh. I think he'd prefer a warmer house and I often catch him turning up the heat when he thinks I'm not looking. But, since I control the temps from 10 pm - 6 pm Monday through Friday, I think he's allowed his indulgence for a few hours at night and on the weekends. Afterall, I may have frozen buns, but I also have a warm heart. Sometimes.

Day 127 - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Bathing The Kids Just Twice a Week
Caveat: Unless they're really gross.

Summer is officially over. Well, it has been for a while now, but it finally feels over here in Richmond, "hotter than the surface of the sun" Virginia. I know, you desert dwellers out there are laughing at me, but remember - I'm from Northern New York where 45 is considered "shorts and a sweatshirt" weather and you don't wear a coat until your snot freezes.

Geez Louise, I've just started this post and already I'm off on a tangent. What the hell was I supposed to be posting about anyhow?

Oh yeah, fewer baths for the kids. Right.

Anyhow, this cooler weather translates to cleaner kids. Less sweating, a lot less mud to play in, and fewer worms to dig. They don't sparkle or anything, but they don't leave sludge trails either. So, to conserve some more precious H2O, I will be dropping the number of weekly baths for the kiddos from three to two.

It helps that both of them are now officially potty trained and tend to urinate on themselves a lot less these days. Of course, this whole plan gets tossed out the window if one of them rolls in dog crap or vomits on themselves.

And don't go feeling all sorry for them -- they're not huge bath fans anyhow. Ethan has some hydrophobia issues that are cured only by the lure of a plastic submarine and Daphne has her Mommy's white Irish skin that dries out like the Sahara in winter. Trust me, they'll both be happier this way.


Savings:

I fill their tubs up pretty full, so I'd guesstimate it's about 30 gallons of water for each bath. I'm a mean mommy, though and make them bathe together, so that one tubful covers both of them. At 30 gallons per week and the cool weather lasting through till the end of April, I'd say we're looking at a savings of roughly 720 gallons a year.

Now think about this: If the entire "dirty dozen" of Ethan's preschool classmates did this, together we'd save nearly 9,000 gallons of water. And, if the whole preschool joined us, it would be about 78,000 gallons per year. For perspective, that's enough clean water to meet the drinking needs of over 200 people for a full year... from just one preschool.


Difficult Level: 1 out of 5

Another one of those changes that it's real easy to get behind! No more whining, no more soaking wet Mommies, no more unintended floor moppings. Dude, Sign Me Up.

PS... HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!!! :-)

Day 126 - Rising to the Occasion

Making My Own Bread Dough, Instead of Buying Frozen

We are a family of carbo-haulics here. We go through a giant size loaf of bread each week, in addition to a loaf or two of home-baked italian bread. We eat pasta every Wednesday and each meal contains AT LEAST one carb item. For snacks, we like most anything of the starchy persuasion and consume Cheez-its and Goldfish like they're going out of style.

To say we like our breads is like saying George Bush is most incompetent leader in the history of the world: it's a slight understatement.

In fact, we like our breads so much that I buy one six-pack of frozen bread dough every two weeks. The dough is made who knows where, frozen, packaged in a plastic bag and then shipped in a refrigerated truck to Kroger where it sits some more in the freezer there. That's a whole lot of energy use just for me to have frozen bread dough.

The really sad news? I own a bread machine.

Mmhmm. It's not that I'm so busy I can't make time to knead bread. It's that I'm so lazy I can't dump flour and water into an electric box and push "start". Well, Sportacus from Lazy Town called and told me to get off my dead ass and start making my own dough. So I guess I will.

Savings:

Difficult to quantify, but I would guarantee it requires more energy to produce, package, ship and store the frozen bread dough than it would for me to make fresh dough in my bread machine.

Difficulty Level: 2 out of 5

It's actually really easy to make the bread dough in the machine. The hard part is REMEMBERING to make it ahead of time so that it has time to rise and cook before supper. I guess I could make up a dozen bread dough loaves on a Sunday and freeze them myself. That just feels so June Cleaver-ish, though.

Day 125 - Back From Whence It Came

Sending Back Unwanted Plastic

I know I've mentioned doing this before, but I thought I'd make it all official with its very own post. This is a great idea that I totally stole from Beth at www.fakeplasticfish.com. She's chock full of great ideas about how to avoid plastic and the she doesn't seem to mind sharing them :-). Thanks, Beth!

Anyhow, sometimes people send you unsolicited plastic. Sometimes you inadvertently purchase it. However you got it, if it's not recyclable, think about sending it back. Beth does and now I'm going to do it too.

In fact, I already have. Twice this week.

The first items taken back were #6 plastic hangers. I was cleaning up the spare room, getting ready for company, when I found a whole stash of those white plastic hangers the kids pajamas came on. They're not something you can just separate while waiting in line at the store, because in their infinite wisdom, the manufacturer punches tags through the individual tops and bottoms, as well as the hanger. This results in a hanger that cannot be physically removed from the clothing until you get some free time and a set of garden shears.

There was a manufacturer name on the hangers, so I looked them up online and gave them a call. Turns out they manufacturer hangers for Target, Walmart and the like. They rely on the stores to return the hangers to them who, in turn, get the hangers back to the manufacturers for reuse. They went on to tell me that I could not ship the hangers back to them, but that any Walmart or Target store would be happy to take them back.

Turns out, it's actually TRUE! I went to Target this week, swung by the returns counter and the lady happily took my hangers in threw them in a huge bin with a bunch of other hangers. Don't you just love it when the circle of "use, return, reuse" actually works?!

The other plastic I got came from a very unlikely source: My new Wind-Farm Energy Supplier. Surprised? I was too. I was shocked to find in my Welcome Package a plastic film meant to be placed over a light switch that touts the advantages of switching your energy supplier to one who utilizes a renewable energy source. Yeah, hmmmmmmmm. I guess I'm having a lot of WTF moments this week. Anyhow, here's what I sent to them (along with the plastic film):


November 14, 2007

Kristy O’Hearne
Product and Operations Manger, Green Electricity
Pepco Energy Services
1300 North 17th Street, Suite 1600
Arlington, VA 22209

Dear Kristy:

Thank you very much for welcoming me to Pepco Energy Services! I am trying, like many Americans, to “go green” and look forward to obtaining my electricity from a renewable energy source!

I was disappointed, however, to see that you had sent a plastic film (PVC?) Switch Plate Cover with the welcome letter. As I’m sure you know, the production of plastic is a very polluting endeavor which releases a multitude of chemicals, including carcinogenic dioxins, into the atmosphere. It is also made from petroleum, a very limited, non-renewable resource.

I am therefore returning the plastic doo-dad to you for reuse. Please do not send me any additional plastics.

Thank you, Kristy! I look forward to helping fund the installation of more Pepco Wind Farms!

Regards,


Erin

Pepco Customer, Concerned Citizen and Avid Blogger
http://www.burbanmom.blogspot.com/


It's like I'm getting ballsier by the minute, isn't it folks?


Savings:

A dozen plastic hangers and one plastic film. In the course of a year, that's probably about 24 plastic hangers though. By the time my kids graduate high school and move out, I'll have saved over 400 #6 plastic hangers from the landfill!


Difficulty Level: 1 out of 5

These two items were pretty easy to return and the only cost to me was some time and a postage stamp. However, it might be more costly to send back other unwanted plastics, such as over-packaged stuff. Yet another reason to be diligent in my avoidance of packing nuts.

Day 124 - Respect My Authority!

Questioning Authority

So you all know that young Ethan has been sick with strep throat this week. We went to the doctor, who gave him antibiotics, which he is taking as prescribed. While there, the doctor also told me to throw out his old, germ-ridden toothbrush and replace it with a new one.

Which I did.

And immediately regretted.

After all, his "old" toothbrush was a super-cool Spiderman toothbrush that had been purchased only last month. As soon as I got the new toothbrush home and unwrapped it from its plastic sheathing, I mentally kicked myself in the ass (I am far too uncoordinated to do this physically).

Instead of following doctor's orders for a new toothbrush, I should have taken a moment to ask one simple question: "Can't I disinfect his old one?". The answer, for those of you sitting on the edge of your seats, is "Yes". I checked online and there are a number of ways to accomplish this task. The simplest of which would be to stick it in the dishwasher with all the forks and spoons and Voila! the brush would have been sanitized. Sometimes I hate hindsight. It makes me feel dumb.

So, why did I blindly follow this woman's orders, even though it went against every new Green (and every old Cheap) fiber in my being? Because she is The Doctor and therefore she Knows Best. But wait, I'm not 11 anymore. In fact, I ain't even close. I think it's time for me to start questioning authority occasionally.

That's not to say I will toss free advice from health professionals out the window, but it does mean that I give myself permission to ask questions. Especially ones that will help me find a balance between the needs of my family and the needs of the environment.

Savings:

If I could hop in my time machine, I would save two brand new toothbrushes (because you can't get something for The Boy without getting something for The Girl).

Difficulty Level: 2 out of 5

Disinfecting the toothbrush would be super easy. Questioning the doctor will take some moxy, but after a week of standing up the the County Waste Program, Dissing Dora and broadcasting details of my period to the world, I think I'm ready for the challenge!

Quiet Riot

"Une Riot Iz An Ugly Zink" - Inspector Kemp

"Americans have always been able to handle austerity and even adversity. Prosperity is what is doing us in." - James Reston

I joined the Riot 4 Austerity a few months ago in an attempt to provide myself with some concrete goals to reach for as I try to live a more sustainable life. Recently, R4A has asked each its members to write up a "Day in the Life of a Rioter". So grab some No-Doze and a can of Red Bull and I'll tell you all about it.

5:30 AM - Alarm goes off, I hit snooze.

5:39 AM - Alarm goes off, I hit snooze and nudge hubby.

5:48 AM - Alarm goes off, I nudge snooze and hit hubby.

5:49 AM - Hubby gets in shower.

5:50 AM - Guilt forces me out of bed, and into the chilly morning of our house where it is now a brisk 55 degrees. Brrrr. I haul my cold butt downstairs and make coffee, (toss the old filter and grounds in the compost bucket and grab a fresh, unbleached filter to use).

5:55 AM - Head back upstairs, shake out yesterday's jeans, pick out a clean shirt and brush my teeth. Pee, possibly poo and take my meds too.

6:00 AM - Hop in the shower, depending on the day I may or may not shampoo my short hair.

6:05 AM - Get dressed and finish my morning ablutions with a little toner and some makeup.

Wow, we're only to 6:00 AM and I'm already so bored that I'm considering watching SportsNet with hubby. I can't believe you're still reading this. You're a better person than I am. So, as not to keep you hanging....

6:10 AM - Head downstairs, pour a cup of coffee for me, one for hubby and pour the rest in a carafe so I can shut off the coffee pot. Kiss hubby goodbye as he heads off to work.

6:15 AM - Feed and water the dog and let her out to poo. Turn on laptop, check email and update eco-blog.

7:00 AM - The kids start to wake up. Turn on cartoons till their moods improve and get them their cocoas and breakfasts.

7:30 AM - Eat my breakfast.

8:00 AM - Wrangle the kids into their clothes, pack their snacks, and get them ready to go to preschool.

9:00 AM - Head out for preschool, driving through morning traffic. Run a couple errands on my way back home, stopping for a latte if I have some spare cash. At home, do a load of laundry in our front-loader, maybe do a little cleaning while groovin' to my iPod and possibly start dinner in the crockpot.

12:00 PM - Go pickup kids from preschool and head back home. Make everyone lunch and play inside with the kids or, better yet, take them for a nature walk.

2:00 PM - Rest time for kiddos, work time for me. Print out new orders and shipping labels. Hop online to pay bills, answer more emails and do some mindless surfing and some research for tomorrow's blog entry.

3:30 PM - Rest time is over and the kids are excited to go get the mail, hoping for a card or letter, but settling for an LL Bean Catalog and an offer from American Express. Hang out some more or play outside.

5:00 PM - Finish up dinner, set the table (with cloth napkins, of course), toss all the toys back in the playroom, scrape the playdough off the floor and unstick the lollipop from the television.

6:00 PM - Eat dinner.

6:30 PM - Wrap up leftovers, clear plates and load dishwasher.

7:00 PM - Depending on the day, it might be bath time for kiddos which will give me a chance to scrub off the marker and pen ink (where DID she get that pen anyhow?!?!).

8:00 PM - Put the kiddos to bed and grab a nice, cold, hard cider. Relax on couch with hubby, watching Dirty Jobs, Man vs. Wild, Survivor or "Must See TV".

10:00 PM - Go to bed

Well, that's my day, folks. Of course, along the way I recycle, try to limit my purchases and pay very close attention to packaging. I buy my electricity from a windfarm and write letters to my representatives. It's hard to say when, exactly, these things get done, but they always do.

As you can see, it's definitely not the life of Paris or Britney. It's boring, repetitive and chock full of mundane chores. Basically, it's like your life.

It's not glamorous but we're not living in a van down by the river either. I do all the same things that other stay-at-home moms all around the US do, I just do them a little differently. There is a happy medium between excess and suffering. And if we don't start working together to find it, we may all find ourselves quickly shifting from the former to the latter.

Supplemental Post - Charity Starts At Home

Helping Those Less Fortunate This Holiday Season

I think my plans for ensuring an environmentally friendly holiday are pretty much set, but I just wanted to remind everyone out there to give a little something back. Not that you all wouldn't, but sometimes we get so caught up in our own holiday plans that we simply forget about helping those less fortunate.

Next week almost all of us will be sitting down to a great feast and counting our blessings. Think about how lucky you are to live in a part of the world where clean drinking water is readily available, food is bountiful and shelter is obtainable for nearly everyone.

Please, before the shopping and cooking of Thanksgiving get started; Before the relatives arrive and the arguments start; Before Black Friday and Cyber Monday are upon us; Before you put up that fake plastic tree with the long silver icicles; Please, take a moment to locate a program in your area that provides meals, toys, coats, or simply your time to those in need. It will be the best gift you give yourself this holiday season.

And before I get caught up in all the hullaballoo, I want to be sure to give you my best for a safe, healthy and happy holiday season. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukka, Kwanzaa, Yule, or a 'Festivus for the Rest Of Us', I wish you many blessings.


Please send candy canes.


- Erin

Day 123 - Rx For a Healthier Planet

Fighting Antibiotic Resistance

Ethan's sick. The poor kiddo has strep throat, and the doctor prescribed an antibiotic to help fight the infection. As you may know, antibiotic resistance has become a major cause of concern in the medical community. New "superbugs" are evolving rapidly and science is finding it difficult to keep up. Here's some information I found at the Food And Drug Administration's site*:

When penicillin became widely available during the second world war, it was a medical miracle, rapidly vanquishing the biggest wartime killer--infected wounds. Discovered initially by a French medical student, Ernest Duchesne, in 1896, and then rediscovered by Scottish physician Alexander Fleming in 1928, the product of the soil mold Penicillium crippled many types of disease-causing bacteria. But just four years after drug companies began mass-producing penicillin in 1943, microbes began appearing that could resist it.

The first bug to battle penicillin was Staphylococcus aureus. This bacterium is often a harmless passenger in the human body, but it can cause illness, such as pneumonia or toxic shock syndrome, when it overgrows or produces a toxin. In 1967, another type of penicillin-resistant pneumonia, caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae and called pneumococcus, surfaced in a remote village in Papua New Guinea. At about the same time, American military personnel in southeast Asia were acquiring penicillin-resistant gonorrhea from prostitutes. By 1976, when the soldiers had come home, they brought the new strain of gonorrhea with them, and physicians had to find new drugs to treat it. In 1983, a hospital-acquired intestinal infection caused by the bacterium Enterococcus faecium joined the list of bugs that outwit penicillin.

Antibiotic resistance spreads fast. Between 1979 and 1987, for example, only 0.02 percent of pneumococcus strains infecting a large number of patients surveyed by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were penicillin-resistant. CDC's survey included 13 hospitals in 12 states. Today, 6.6 percent of pneumococcus strains are resistant, according to a report in the June 15, 1994, Journal of the American Medical Association by Robert F. Breiman, M.D., and colleagues at CDC. The agency also reports that in 1992, 13,300 hospital patients died of bacterial infections that were resistant to antibiotic treatment.

Why has this happened?

"There was complacency in the 1980s. The perception was that we had licked the bacterial infection problem. Drug companies weren't working on new agents. They were concentrating on other areas, such as viral infections," says Michael Blum, M.D., medical officer in the Food and Drug Administration's division of anti-infective drug products. "In the meantime, resistance increased to a number of commonly used antibiotics, possibly related to overuse of antibiotics. In the 1990s, we've come to a point for certain infections that we don't have agents available."

Antibiotic resistance results from gene action. Bacteria acquire genes conferring resistance in any of three ways: Spontaneous DNA mutation, overuse of antibiotics and misuse of antibiotics.

While you and I can't do anything about spontaneous DNA mutations, we can avoid overuse and misuse of antibiotics. Here's how I'm going to avoid them:

• I won't eat meat that came from antibiotic-injected animals (the label will usually say antibiotic and hormone-free)
• I will wash my hands often, so I don't get sick in the first place, but I will skip the antibiotic soap. Most experts feel that thorough scrubbing with plain old regular soap is just as effective anyhow.
• I will only take prescribed antibiotics for bacterial infections.
• I will only take prescribed antibiotics when necessary (I could have Ethan wait 2-3 weeks and he would eventually get over the strep. My problem is that I have babies coming to visit next week and can't risk passing the infection to them.).
• I will finish my prescribed course! Do NOT stop taking your antibiotics halfway through your prescribed treatment, just because you feel better. You need to be sure you KILLED all those bacteria, instead of just doping them up!
  

Savings:

I'm not saving polar bears or spotted owls, just those damn humans again who always seem to get themselves into a pickle.

Difficulty Level: 2 out of 5

Hmmmm, hard to resist the lure of a good drug -- especially if it offers the promise of nearly immediate relief of a sore throat. However, if you can just remember that how your take your medicine affects all of us, that's a start.

*It was a very interesting article and it's got a lot more information than I quoted here. If you'd like to read the whole thing, you can access it here.

Supplemental Post - WTF?!?!?!?!

OK, now I'm wondering why I don't write MORE letters to the editor. Here's another local article that has me scratching my head in bewilderment.

Chesterfield to try vulture harassment; extermination still an option
From NBC12 News

At last night’s Chesterfield Board of Supervisors meeting, residents and officials discussed what could be done about the destructive vultures at the Dutch Gap conservation area.

The Board of Supervisors said whatever option they choose to handle the birds, it's going to be costly. The vultures have been hanging around Dutch Gap for years, eating the rubber off the outside of vehicles.

Chesterfield - along with the USDA - wants to use intense harassment to drive the vultures away for good. This alternative to killing the birds would cost about $5,000, but officials say killing the vultures would still be the last resort.

"We would like to find a way to not have to kill the birds,” said Mike Golden of Chesterfield Parks and Recreation. “We have the Dutch Gap conservation area - 800 acres. The county has invested working with wildlife all that we can.”

Chesterfield County and the USDA plans to start the intense harassment at the end of the month. The USDA says that even if that method works, the county would have to continue the harassment to keep the birds away for good.


OK, well, at least I now know where the county wil be using all the money it's saving on the recycling ban. Is it just me or has someone changed the definition "conservation area"? Apparently, they are trying to conserve vehicles. OMG WTF?!?!?!?!!?

Day 122 - Letters to the Editor

Calling Bullshit When I See It

Have you noticed how commercial environmentalism has become? Everyone from movie stars to football franchises, governments and even giant BoxMart stores all want to be seen as environmentally friendly. And that's great, as long as they're backing up all the talk with action.

BUT.

Don't try to tell me it's green when it's black -- I'm not color blind. And now, inspired by my daily dose of Blue Girl, Red State, I WILL call you on it.

Example: One week ago, our county decided to ban new residents from participating in the bi-weekly curbside recycling (to save money, of course). The story got a mention on the late night news, but that was about it. The next week, there was a HUGE - I'm talking front page - write up about how the county was on the cutting edge of green-ness and was a leader in the arena of environmental protection and waste management.

Smell bullshit? I did. And so, for the first time ever, I actually sat down and wrote a "Letter to the Editor". I might not be the most eloquent writer, but if I don't call it out, who will? I can't sit back and hope others will put their neck on the line, just because I don't want people to think I'm "one of those" angry, letter-writing people. Here's what I wrote:

There was an interesting article in this week's Richmond Times Dispatch's Sunday Pullout about Chesterfield's waste division being accepted into the EPA's Performance Track program. While I do applaud their efforts to recycle vehicle oil to heat buildings, I really think it would be a stretch to say that Chesterfield County's Waste Program is a "leader in the country".

Just last week, the Water and Resource Recovery Department instituted a ban that would prohibit new residents from participating in the curbside recycling program. If Chesterfield County really wanted to be a leader in environmental protection, they could begin by not only allowing, but REQUIRING all residents and business to recycle their paper, glass and aluminum. And would, of course, follow through by providing the necessary curbside resources to support such a mandate.

I'm pleased to see that Chesterfield County's application to the EPA PT program was accepted (as virtually all applicants are), however, perhaps instead of applying for government funded programs that lower their priority for routine inspections, they could put their resources to better use by maintaining the county's sorely needed curbside recycling program.


Not exactly poetry, but I think I got my point across. Hopefully this will draw some attention to the fact that while being able to slap a cool EPA logo on your letterhead is nice, what is more important is to ensure that all of our residents are able to do one of the most basic of environmental tasks: RECYCLE.

Savings:

None. :-(

Difficulty Level: 4 out of 5

Why so difficult? Well, despite all my tough talk about calling people out, it is something I HATE TO DO. I'm always afraid of offending people (makes you wonder why I don't shut my mouth more often then, doesn't it?). My fear is that this decision was made by someone with great intentions and here I am crapping all over their idea. Part of me secretly hopes the newspaper doesn't publish it!

Supplemental Post - Name That Toon

Ethan is Sick and I'm Bored :-(

I've been snuggling on the couch with Ethan this morning, trying to get him to rest, and we've been watching those mind-numbing cartoons on Noggin. I am about ready to stick my head in the oven and turn it on "clean". And not just because it's disgustingly crusty in there.

Dora especially kills me. Where the hell are her parents? Don't they care that she's running around in spooky forests, crossing troll bridges and canoeing across ponds while being chased by bears - her only chaperone a mentally-challenged primate with a shoe fetish? And can't they find her a shirt that fits properly somewhere in that magic backpack?

And why can't all criminals be deterred as easily as Swiper the Fox? Wouldn't it be nice if we could just put up our hand and say "Mugger, no mugging!, Mugger, no mugging! Mugger, no mugging!" and watch the felon slink away with a finger snap and an "Oh Man!"?

Geez, two hours at home on a weekday and already I've got cabin fever. It's going to be a very long winter.