checking the list

Wed, 02 Aug 2006 23:26:00 -0600

Change all light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs - check. Well, almost all. There might be a few 40 watt bulbs hanging around. And Sondra has put little 2 watt night lights in the bathroom so we don't have to use the larger, brighter lights when we don't need them.
Install solar-powered . . . outdoor lights - check. Since we have a streetlight at the foot of the driveway, we don't really need motion detection in the front, and in the back it would just give the deer heart attacks. So we have some walkway lights and a small solar spot that points at the front door so we don't have to worry about leaving the porch light on.
Practice intensive composting and recycling - check. Okay, we used to compost back in the 70s and 80s when we had gardens, but in the 90s we lived in apartments and condos due to work situations. I recently built a composting bin from concrete retaining wall blocks and native stone in the backyard for Sondra, but the deer and other night critters seem to have been using it for midnight snacks. . .At least it isn't going into the landfill now.
Reduce electricity use - check We keep the thermostat high in summer and low in winter, have heat barrier roofing (kind of like plywood with heavy tin foil glued to it), upgraded our windows to reduce heat coming in during the summer and out during the winter - we no longer get condensation in the winter now. We also installed ceiling fans throughout the house to reduce the need for air conditioning and heating. Our usage is under 1000 kwh per month even during the summer, less than half a kwh per square foot of house. Recently bought Faraday flashlights to reduce use of batteries, bougt rechargeable batteries for other applications.
Garden organically - check Again, this was more appropriate when we gardened veggies, but since coming to Texas in '96, have refrained from use of chemical fertilizer and pesticides. Have occasionally used spot treatments of Roundup (but noticed some recent articles that it is not as harmless as advertised, so that won't be used anymore) but am now switching to 20% vinegar to help out my manual weed pulling. Also landscaped the front and side of the house over the years so that I gave away my gas lawn mower, and then the electric mower. Started with a manual mower but it wouldn't cut the grass, so I returned it for the gas model. Guess I should have looked for a scythe.
Plant a Monarch Waystation / Got certified as an NWF Backyard Wildlife Habitat - check. Since it is a small lot, both the front and back yards could qualify. Have planted more butterfly and hummingbird attractor plants in past year.
Renewable electrical energy - eh... At present, not sure. We changed providers recently, and then within a month they were bought by another company. Texas has recently passed California in wind power generation, so a portion of our electricity probably comes from there. Will have to look into this again. If we lived in Austin instead of Round Rock, we would be on the 100% renewable plan. The power companies available to us may not offer renewable sources totally. We were on a plan for a while, but then the company decided to jack up the prices to an exorbitant level.
Hybrid vehicle - nope - we did recently trade in an 11 year old Tercel for a Corolla that gets better gas mileage - in the upper 30s mpg range. Considered hybrid, but the price premium didn't justify the possible additional mpg - and, just read of a recall of Priuses for a steering mechanism defect - so we are waiting for the bugs to get worked out first.
TerraPass - nope. Did get a specialty Bluebonnet license plate to help support texas wildlife.
Recycling and reuse - check. Both garbage (newsprint, plastic, cardboard, aluminum) and other things like books, clothing, appliances through donation to Goodwill etc.
Joined an environmentally focused website - thanks to Daniel and Susan

Things still to do

Take classes to become a Wildlife Habitat steward
Help out on the HomeOwners Association Landscape committee - spoke with one of the board members who was going door to door recently. This would be a good opportunity to help others cut down on water use by encouraging the use of native plants. (not to mention fertilizer and pesticide use).
Rainwater collection "system" to capture and reuse more of the water when it does rain, so it doesn't just run off.
Build a water feature for the backyard. Right now I have the gutter drain running almost to a galvanized container, which the deer drink from when they aren't drinking the birdbath water.
Catching shower water in a bucket for reuse outside. . .

A very good sign

Fri, 07 Jul 2006 08:04:13 -0600

Way to go, David! I hope you do decide on a Hybrid next time around, or at least a vehicle that doesn't demand so much gasoline. And hopefully it will have vastly reduced emissions as well. That's actually why we decided on a Hybrid in the first place. It wasn't for the fuel economy; that was a bonus.

Hybrid Cars

Wed, 05 Jul 2006 19:04:19 -0600

Thanks Daniel for these items. After reading your comments and seeing the Gore film (this evening) I will def. consider a hybrid vehicle next time around - please keep us updated on your experiences with your car. The Gore film was shown at a small theatre; it was full, young and old, suits and others - a good sign!

Ten things we have done to help the environment

Fri, 30 Jun 2006 15:34:41 -0600

Over the past several years, Susan and I have been working at becoming more environmentally responsible. It started with organic gardening, and since then we've been able to do a few more things that let us sleep a little better at night. We feel it is our responsibility to lead by example, so I've come up with a list of things we've done, or are in the process of doing:

Syrinx - Ten things we have done to help the environment - Comments

checking the list

A very good sign

Hybrid Cars

Ten things we have done to help the environment