12 Biking Myths

It's Bike to Work week! I saw this biking article this morning, from REI's website. Pretty good tips for biking to work (or anywhere)--addresses some common misconceptions about biking.
http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/articles/getting+into+biking.html

Economic benefits of local purchasing

I work in university food service, so this article caught my attention when a coworker sent it to me. It gives brief results from a study of Oregon farm-to-school programs and offers numbers on the economic benefit to the state.

Local Purchasing Pays Dividends
from Food Management magazine

Green water

My husband and I are in desperate need of a new water heater, but we have been procrastinating due to the lack of reliable information on what truly is the greener alternative. Here I was, thinking that making such a seemingly small decision would be easy, especially considering all the work I have done on eco-labels, and green products. Man, was I wrong. Probably close to two years ago (yes, we have really needed a new water heater for that long), I started doing some research on different products, talking to plumbers, contractors, and environmental experts. No one really seemed to know, except for a generic “on-demand is better” from the green camp and “conventional is better” from the plumbers. What we have found, is that there are lots of factors to consider when buying a new water heater, including the temperature of your groundwater, your usage, and the number of major appliances you have. In our case, it’s just the two of us and every appliance we have, including faucets and shower heads are low flow. We have restrictors in all our faucets, and we never run the washer and dishwasher at the same time (our only two major water-using appliances). Generally, we are a very low-flow household. Despite that, the overwhelming recommendation is to not buy a 4 gallon-per-minute (GPM) or smaller water heater. We did the math (adding up all our uses in GPM, and considering that we never use 100% hot water), and it seems 4 GPM, for us, should be plenty. But I am inclined to listen to the professionals, even though I think there is a certain fear of anything new and unconventional. Additionally, on-demand water heaters are more expensive and come with major installation costs, but I am willing to make the “green” investment. And there is that $250 tax credit. Here’s a summary of what we learned:

1. Certain on-demand water heaters cannot be operated where groundwater temperatures get below 60 degrees.
2. Electric on-demand water heaters require a large amount of amps (we have 100 amp service and would need to upgrade at least to 200, which is a significant expense).
3. Gas on-demand water heaters are not nearly as efficient as electric, but still more energy efficient than conventional water heaters.
4. Finding a plumber in Muncie to install an on-demand water heater is tricky, but can be done.
5. On-demand water heaters last much longer than conventional. A conventional water heater seems to last 3-5 years at a maximum in Muncie due to our hard water, just based on conversations with other homeowners. So the up-front and installations costs of conventional heaters should probably be doubled or tripled, because they have to be replaced more often.
6. Installation of gas water heaters require special venting, and the purchase of a $350 venting kit. Vents must be a minimum of 4”, which can be an issue in some homes, especially one that is 100 years old, like ours.

Check out this spreadsheet that I put together just for a simple comparison.

In my opinion, you also shouldn’t consider installing an on-demand water heater before you have made sure that your water consumption is at its minimum. We have spent the last five years minimizing our water consumption by our practices (turn off the faucet while you brush your teeth…), installing water-efficient appliances (including a dual-flush toilet, which doesn’t use hot water, but is very neat…), and installing restrictors in faucets and showers (and getting used to them!).

Wish us luck! I hope this info may prove helpful to you, too. Later.

Re-growing Muncie

// excerpted from an article written in Dec. 2007 //

What if making Muncie stronger meant making Muncie smaller? What if, instead of consistently developing along the peripheries of the city, we began to infill or redevelop the city’s existing fabric? What if the “holes” of blight, vacant factories, and under-developed properties were infused with new life, new uses, and new value? Could an infusion of concentrated (and maybe even coordinated) re-development transmit and transform the contiguous properties, districts, and neighborhoods? Could re-integrating over-looked or under-utilized parcels enhance the vitality (and perhaps the perception) of a given area? Could multiple areas being enhanced simultaneously create synergetic improvements? Could creating denser networks between strategic commercial zones stimulate the life between them?

What if this infill allowed us to re-use our existing infrastructure instead of constantly building new? What if we actually maintained and maybe even up-graded our existing infrastructure for which we have a budget and in which we have already invested? What if the enhanced infrastructure served existing users in addition to the new developments instead of just the newest user at the end of the line? What if we captured more property taxes, sales taxes, and income taxes from within city limits instead of needing to annex more periphery land to fund the ever-expanding growth (or flight)? What if government had less area to govern? Would it be feasible to have a smaller government? Could that require fewer taxes to run? What if there were more people in a given area to fund a smaller government? Would per capita taxes decrease?

What if there were enough people in a given area that commercial areas could afford to be more interspersed throughout the city – and we could even walk to them instead of driving? What if we actually used MITS? What if it actually made sense to ride the bus instead of driving? What if it didn’t need to take federal dollars to keep our public transportation financially solvent?

What if our economy was driven by diverse sectors of the market, and not just two or three? What if new businesses utilized the existing labor pool for local improvement? What if we used what we actually produced? What if what we produced was something we could actually use? Could we create a local symbiotic network of inputs and outputs for the benefit of this community (as opposed to “that” one: China)?

Could we dream more about who and what we aspire to be? And lament less about what we once were? Could we move from the current malaise of cynicism and misplaced nostalgia to a place where we dare to hope once more? Could we spend our dollars where it benefited us most - here? Could we support our local entrepreneurs and value their investment into our community with our patronage? What if we looked at the second stage costs of our decisions and not just the advertised price? Would we dare pay a little more to keep opportunities open here? Or pay less and watch opportunities travel abroad? Could the price of helping a neighbor make a living and keep his house maintained (and not foreclosed) be worth it – for your property value?

What if we changed the incentives to spend here and live here and build here? What if we valued the people here as citizens (as opposed to just consumers) and the lives we are all trying to lead?

What if?

Low-carbon travel

I recently found out about an experiment one of my friends is conducting together with her fiance. World In Slow Motion is the "travelogue" for Tom and Lara's journey around the world without flying. While a pretty radical, and cetainly not a no-carbon alternative to air travel, they are definitely proving a point about slow travel, appreciating regionality and reducing their carbon footprint. Pretty amazing. You should check it out. Later.

Random tidbits

Do you have a random and unusual smart living trick? I do, but I'm sure I'm not the only one doing this. Both me and my mom reuse ziplock bags. A quick rinse, and they are good to go again, unless, of course, you kept onions in them. Last Christmas I bought a bag dryer for my mom; just a little wooden stand that you hang your baggies on to dry. The cool bit of extra-super-sustainability was that the dryer was made from certified sustainable wood. If you're inetrested, check out Forest Stewardship Council's labeling at FSC. Bag dryers can be bought from a number of places, I think I got mine from Gaiam.

If you have a good smart living tip, leave a comment to this post to let us know! We really want to hear from you. Later!

Thinking of installing a rain barrel? How about building a SUPER rain barrel?

Interested in building a rain barrel? Here are some directions on how to build a large-double-stacked rain barrel system. This site provides detailed directions and parts required to construct a 100+ gallon system.

Double Rain Barrel Instructions

You in?

Are you participating in Earth Hour? Are you telling everyone you know about it? You should! To learn more visit March Challenge. Let us know if you plan on turning your lights out on March 28 by leaving a comment below. Together we can make a difference!

Love green or green love

Was your Valentine's Day green? Tell us about it! We want to hear how you worked smart living practices into your life, especially when it comes to something that is not typically associated with "green". If you went green on Valentine's Day – we're impressed! Tell us how by leaving a comment to this post.

A paperless life

Did you take on January's Green Muncie challenge? We want to hear about it! Tell us how you reduced paper in your life by leaving a comment to this post. Check out previous challenges at Challenges.

Earth Hour

When it comes to activism, I am usually a skeptic. Don't get me wrong, I truly believe that if it wasn't for Earth First! and Green Peace, the Nestle boycott and a series of other organized, passionate groups we wouldn't be where we are today. I became a member of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) when I was about 5 or 6, I sold T-shirts and stuffed animals to raise conservation funds. It was a total life changer and probably part of my decision to study the environment (which I have known since I was about that old). I appreciate past activism, and sometimes even the activism needed today (I still support WWF, for example). But I tend to shy away from it, because oftentimes it is so divisive. When we started the Smart Living Project, I personally believed very strongly that one of our cornerstones should be non-activism (the other two being positive environmentalism and providing the resources for easy change). But there are definitely some issues and campaigns that are easy to get behind. Take Earth Hour as an example. When someone claims that the fundamentals of climate change are still controversial and up for debate ("is it happening"), I can't help but chuckle a little. There is always room for healthy discussion in my book, but to say that this is not some kind of oil-corporation lobbying trick is pretty ridiculous. Earth Hour is a global event to turn out lights for one hour and make a statement of concern about climate change and commitment to finding solutions. It's pretty simple, and aligns well with the cornerstones of the Smart Living Project through one simple mantra: together we can make a difference. When millions turn out their lights on March 28, I think you'll wish that you did, too.

SLP's web site

Don't forget to check out SLP's web site at SLP's web site for smart living advice, our Green Muncie Challenges, and smart living guides. Submit your own best smart living tips through our contact form.

Making room for sustainability in your life

Sustainable living is a complex science. The conscious consumer is faced every day with green dilemmas that at first glance may seem impossibly hard. The most important part to leading a more sustainable life, in my opinion, is to make decisions that work for you. If asked to make major life alterations in a short period of time even the most the most committed environmentalist will eventually throw in the towel. That’s why adopting small changes incrementally over time and making sustainability work for you is usually the best way to go. However, when faced with difficult decisions about our consumption habits, such as choosing between organic food grown far away or local food produced using pesticides or other chemicals, we can approach it several different ways. We can simply choose the product that boasts features that are most important to us, such as organic food for our own personal health versus supporting a local food system in our community. The issue you feel stronger about is the right choice. Luckily many local producers who are part of our local food system believe in sustainable agriculture and produce food without pesticides. The other option is to turn to environmental scientists. There are internationally accepted methods for determining the sustainability of a product or food item, such as Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) or the concept of food miles. These tools allow us to look at a more comprehensive picture of the environmental burden of the product from a “cradle to grave” perspective. In the case of food miles, food is tracked literally from its origin to your table based either on weight or calories provided. These and other methods often provide the basis for product labeling, called eco-labels. The use of eco-labels is typically an attempt by various nations’ governments to avoid what is often called “green washing”; a company’s claim that their product is greener than the next without any science to substantiate those claims. “Green” has become the newest trend and everywhere you turn companies, products and services are all touted to be “green”, “environmentally friendly”, or “natural”. But without standards for these claims, the words are meaningless. It’s really just about marketing. You need to look for credible labels, or do a substantial amount of research yourself. A good place to start learning about eco-labels is at eco-labels.org. This domain is now owned by Consumer Reports, but it’s a well-managed project that is now hosted at greenerchoices.org. While we all certainly need a minimum amount of food and goods to survive, of increasing significance are our consumption habits. The idea of curbing our consumption, not just doing without, but by also substituting quality over quantity, is equally or more important than making the choice between for example, local and organic. It’s of course not a new idea, denying what some would claim is an intrinsic drive for consumption can be traced to the voluntary simplicity movement, Quakers, the origins of several major religions including Christianity and Buddhism, and the Spartans to name a few. The bottom line though, is avoiding the crappy quality goods that don’t last and that you probably don’t need, sold by Wal-Mart and its likes. Consider whether you should be buying before you consider what to buy.

Blogging on smart living?

Ah, the joy of blogging. Honestly, I haven’t really tried it before and I am not really a blog follower either, so I have no idea what the expectations are. But ever since we started the Smart Living Project, people have been asking us “do you have a blog”? Now the answer is definitely yes, but what kind of content were our members and followers really expecting? For me, at least, this blog will serve as a series of anecdotes on the journey to sustainability, trying to weave in some tips, ideas and advise for what it’s worth along the way. This time of year, all I can think about is gardening. In fact, it will completely consume me if I let it. I find tremendous happiness from growing things, whether it be food or flowers, even grass. It’s true; a couple of weeks ago I started growing grass indoors. Maybe just to have something to grow and something green around the house, but the purpose, I told everyone, was to grow “oats for cats” for my friends’ cats. Turned out they didn’t like it so much, but it was a fun project that satisfied my gardening craze for a while. About the same time, I bought my first sprouter. Funny you think, someone who has been gardening as much as I have never made sprouts? The fact is I didn’t think I liked them. But if you make them yourself, they taste a whole lot better. So in a round-about way, that’s what I wanted to come to. Growing things yourself. It’s very sustainable. Why? First of all, it’s tremendously local. Even if you buy seeds and supplies over the Internet, there is still a lot less transportation involved. And that’s one of the core things that I like to look for when I judge if something is sustainable. How far did this item have to be shipped? The bigger and heavier it is, the more gas was used, too. The second thing I look for, and this is my personal choice really, is the input of chemicals, especially when it comes to food. This is for health reasons of course, why eat unnatural materials when you don’t have to? But it’s also fundamentally unsustainable to produce, transport and release toxic chemicals into the environment. Even if they are deemed safe for human consumption, or their manufacturer proudly proclaims that they biodegrade within five days, they are by definition poisons. That’s what they were designed to do. So why do it if you don’t need to? It’s been proven over and over again that organic agriculture is equally or more productive per acre than conventional agriculture. Most recently, a study at the University of Minnesota came to this conclusion, but there are others. This brings me back to the third item I look for. Anything that is unnecessary. I have never really heard this argument in a sustainability conversation, but think about it. For example, when I buy paper towels I refuse to buy the printed ones. Not only do I think they are pretty dumb, but why waste the ink, the energy that goes into the machine and the extra packaging that states “cute motifs” when you don’t need it? That’s an extra burden on the environment that makes no sense to me. Maybe this is something that stuck with me when I studied lifecycle assessment in college, but for some reason I like to look at products and compare them based on which is simpler. Fewer ingredients, fewer hard-to-pronounce ingredients, and less industrial input in general are things to me that make a product sustainable. I loosely base my decisions on what I know about lifecycle assessment, industrial ecology, and eco-labeling principles. So far it works well for me. Later!

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