How do Wind Turbines Make You Feel?

When you see a wind turbine off in the distance (or up close if you've ever had the chance to get close) what feelings does it evoke?

When we were in Ireland, we listened to a lot of talk radio. One of the programs talked about some wind turbines that went up near a fairly affluent area (can't remember where), and the commentator said that people were afraid that "if it could happen there, it could happen anywhere." As if it were something horrible that happened in that area.

This past Saturday, we were at a party and the subject of wind turbines came up. My husband and I were telling everyone that we had seen them all over the place in Ireland, usually in groups of three, off on distant hills as we were driving. We thought they were beautiful sights. The people at the party agreed.

One person said the turbines made her feel peaceful when she saw them. I said that they make me feel hopeful.

The closest wind turbines that we have to our home are off the coat in Atlantic City - about a 50 minute drive from here. As you drive into the city, you can see wind turbines spinning out in the water. I remember a few years ago getting my first view of them and being in awe. This was before I was concerned about energy.

I understand that everyone's home can't have a wind turbine up on the roof because the conditions need to be right for them to function properly. But, there are plenty of places where the conditions are right. Why aren't they being put up as quickly as possible?

Is it political pressure from the existing energy companies? Is it that we don't have the ability to harness the energy from more wind turbines yet? Is it public resistance?

I haven't had a chance to listen to the full speech that Al Gore gave last week, but I plan on getting around to it this week. I know that wind turbines were mentioned. Will this get people moving like his movie, An Inconvenient Truth, did? You know, I was never thrilled with Gore as VP, but now he's one of my favorite people.

I encourage you to learn more about wind turbines. I'm going to be doing the same.

I'm going to start with How Wind Power Works on the website How Stuff Works, and if I can wrap my head around the information in that article, I'll get more indepth.

In the mean time. Wind turbines make me feel hopeful. How do they make you feel?

Image from Wikimedia

Now I've Gone and Done it - Coke's Profits Drop 23% after I Give up Diet Coke

Yep, I've got my drinking problem fairly under control right now. I had two diet cokes while I was on vacation and haven't had any others since the beginning of the month. Before that I had seriously cut back. And the big financial news on Bloomberg today - Coke's profits are plummeting. 

From the article

"Chief Executive Officer Muhtar Kent, who took over Atlanta- based Coca-Cola this month, said consumers had less money to spend on Diet Coke, Minute Maid juices and Dasani bottled water because of rising food and energy prices."

I have no doubt that the main reason that sales are down is because of rising food and energy prices. But I wonder if they realize that there is a significant portion of the population who are choosing to not buy their products because of the environmental impact of making, bottling, and shipping them, not because they don't have enough money to buy them. 

I know that many of my friends are beginning to shun bottled water. And those who don't are at least thinking about the problems they cause because I get a lot of apologies when people admit they still buy it. As if I'm the one they are hurting. I go easy on them, though. I figure if they are thinking about it, it won't be long until they make the right decision. No green preaching here.

I'd like to see this as one of those problems that actually has some positive results. The fact that less of these products are being bought is good for the environment. The fact that people are drinking less of the soda and Minute Maid juices is good for their health. Hopefully people are drinking more tap water and fresh brewed iced tea. 

So if you've got stock in Coke, please don't be angry at me, but I see this as good news. And proud to have contributed to it just a teensy, tiny, bit.

Related Posts

Can Recycling Aluminum Cans Help with My Drinking Problem

Can I Still Be Green and Keep My Addiction to Diet Soda?

Off Shore Drilling, 45 More Nuclear Reactors - What Can We Do?

Yesterday was not a warm and fuzzy news day. The Mississippi is rising. The Taliban is wreaking more havoc than usual. President Bush wants to drill off shore. Senator McCain wants to build 45 more nuclear reactors in the next 20 years. 

I expect the last two news items to be discussed on most environmental/green blogs over the next few days. Both of these men will be blasted for their proposals. And there is definitely some reason to do so.

But here's the thing. They are trying to appease a nation that has become addicted to energy. The news will talk about our oil addiction, but aren't we really addicted to anything that makes and uses energy. If we can't have all the fuel for our cars, electricity for our homes, and strawberries in February that we want, we get pissy. 

These men are just giving us what we have proven time and time again what we want - quick, cheap and seemingly endless sources of energy. Perhaps, if we want to really send a message to them and all politicians, in addition to letters to our congressmen and an infinite number of columnists and bloggers complaining and analyzing and blaming, we should USE LESS ENERGY.

Here are some ways I plan on using less energy today:

• Making sure all lights, tv's and radios are turned off when a room is left. With the boys home from school now, lights are being left on, but I've already talked to them this morning about changing that. 
  
• Plan the errands that I have to run today so that I drive the shortest distance while still getting everything done.
  
• Ride our bikes to the pool and take all our own snacks for trashless snacks and drinks.
  
• Car pool to a dinner that I have tonight.
  
• Remember to power down everything in my office when I'm going to be out of it for more than a half hour.

Like I told my boys this morning, if we didn't use so much energy, the politicians wouldn't be scrambling to find out how to make more energy. If we want them to make responsible choices about creating energy then we need to make responsible choices about using it.

How are you going to be more responsible today with your energy choices?

New Jersey Tomatoes Declared Safe from Salmonella

The FDA earlier today declared New Jersey grown tomatoes as "safe for sale and consumption" in the wake of the salmonella outbreak that is happening across the country. I'm glad to read this because I took my chances and ate the tomatoes I bought at the local farmer's market this week. Even though they are still hot house tomatoes, they're pretty good. Can't wait until the outdoor grown ones appear in a couple of weeks - YUM!

You can read the story about New Jersey tomatoes being safe here.

Oh, and fyi, I'm having trouble changing the size of the font on blogger - so if the print is smaller than usual, sorry about that. Technical difficulties are definitely not my specialty.

Wine in a Box may be Greener, But Will I Buy It? Part 2

Friday, I told you about my introduction to wine, and while the wine my friend Susan and I consumed that night may have been less than yummy, it was at least in a bottle and had real cork for a cork.

I also discussed how it is that wine a box can stay fresher much longer than wine in a bottle once it has been open. I'm convinced that wine in a box will stay fresher longer, but I don't particularly care. I want my bottle and I want my cork. And, really, an open bottle of wine usually doesn't last too long around my house.

I've also been reading lately about how boxes of wine are also more environmentally friendly. This, of course, caught my attention.

Here's the lowdown. The argument is that boxed wine is much lighter than bottled wine and therefore a lot of energy waste and emissions are saved in the shipping of the wine. According to The Wine Group who recently purchased Almaden and Inglenook wines, by switching from glass bottles to bag in a box (otherwise known as BIB packages), there will be a 60% reduction in the carbon footprints of those brands. That's some savings.

But how easy is it to recycle these BIB packages? Are both the bag and the box recyclable? And more importantly, if they are recyclable, are they made of the type of recyclable materials that most townships collect? There are many materials that are recyclable, like styrofoam egg cartons, but finding a convenient place to take them to be recycled is difficult. If it is difficult to recycle BIB's, most people will not recycle them.

After much searching, I could not find the answers to those questions. I found one site Better Wines, Better World, that is obviously a site developed by the marketers of wineries that sell wine in a box. It gives statistics on how beneficial the packaging is, but it doesn't mention exactly what it is made of or how to recycle it. In fact, I can't find any mention of recycling anywhere on the site which makes me suspicious that recycling the containers is problematic. I have no proof of that, but the lack of mentioning it on a site that is designed strictly to get the info out about how green wine in a box is makes me skeptical.

I do know that glass is recyclable and that most of the people I know, if they do recycle, recycle glass and paper more than any other materials. 

I wish I had more concrete facts. I'm sure if wine in a box is becoming more and more acceptable by the second as the pro-wine in a box articles I read mentioned, additional information will be easy to find soon.

But until then, if you aren't convinced that wine in a box is greener, or you simply aren't willing to give up your bottle and your cork, here are a couple of suggestions to still do some good while drinking your vino.

• Buy organic wines. Sure the box that the wine comes in may be greener, but what about the wine inside the box? How were the grapes grown? If they were grown in vineyards that use harmful pesticides to produce grapes in a mass amount, then they are harming the earth and quite possibly your body. 
• Buy wines from local vineyards. If your wine doesn't have to be shipped from the producer to your local wine store, does it really matter how heavy the packaging is? If you're going to the vineyard itself to buy the wine, it seems to me that point is moot. 
  

So, to answer the question in the title - Will I buy it? Probably not. If I haven't mentioned it yet, I like my bottle and I like my cork. Plus, I'm not convinced it's actually greener. And, I've had wines from a box before at different parties, and I have never had one that I thought was all that good.

However, I have been known to do solicited product reviews from time to time. So if there is a winery out there who would like to send me a box or two to sample and review, I'm game. Go ahead, try to change my mind. I'm sure my friend Susan would be happy to help me out!

My Panties are in a Huge Bunch! Senate Climate Bill Blocked

Senate climate bill blocked

By H. JOSEF HEBERT, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans on Friday blocked a global warming bill that would have required major reductions in greenhouse gases, pushing debate over the world's biggest environmental concern to next year for a new Congress and president.

read the rest of the article, here.

So, why are my panties in a bunch? It's not because the bill wasn't passed. Honestly, I don't know enough about the bill to know if it was the right bill to be passed or not. Obviously, something needs to be done, but I don't know if this was it.

I'm all bunched up because the bill lost by 12 votes and John McCain, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Ted Kennedy all missed the vote, but sent letters saying that if they were there, they would have voted for it. Now Senator Kennedy, I can understand why he isn't there. He gets a free pass because he recently had brain surgery.

The other three - they're just wussies. Now they have the luxury of saying I would have voted for it, but without the responsibility of actually doing it. Do you think that perhaps if they had been there, more of congress would have voted yes? Even if they were just trying to suck up to the next President?

If the bill was worthy of being passed, help pass it, don't send a useless letter.

So McCain and Obama, please do the job you were elected to do instead of playing with that job to make you look good for the next job you want.

And Clinton, stop begging to be let back in the game and do the job you were elected to do.

Really, when stuff like this happens, I get so frustrated. Who on earth can I vote for in November?

As Tomato Season Approaches, Here are Some Safety Tips

You may have heard that there have been some cases of salmonella poisoning in parts of the U.S. in the past week. The salmonella has been linked to tomatoes in two of the states affected. 

Over at Tomato Casual, there is a post that explains how to make your raw tomatoes to lessen your chances of salmonella poisoning. With so many of us getting excited about tomato season approaching, I thought it was a worthwhile article to share.

Americans are Buying Less Gasoline

According to the Associated Press, gas consumption in America fell 1% in the four weeks preceding April 11. This is attributed, of course, to the soaring gas prices across the nation. One percent doesn't seem like a lot, but I can imagine it's millions and millions of gallons.

It makes me wonder, though. For years, I've heard the argument that the government should raise the price of gas so that Americans would consume less. I have never been a fan of the government legislating something like this. I believe people should be responsible to make the right choices without the government forcing them to. But it's clear that in America, we haven't found it important to make the right choice or, more likely, we haven't thought about it at all. Up until a year ago, I was just as guilty as everyone else. I'm still not fabulous with the gas consumption, but it has decreased significantly in our family.

Are higher gas prices what it's going to take for people to start driving their vehicles in an environmentally responsible way? Or is it just going to hurt those without the money to put gas in their cars to get to work? So many areas in America have poor public transportation systems and some people have no choice but to drive to their job. If prices continue to rise, will public transportation systems be improved?

I don't have any answers to my questions. I certainly am not educated in economics. I didn't do well in the one economics class I took in college. But there is something I do well. I'm great at making lists of ways to be more  green, right?

So, tomorrow, I think I'll do a post on ways to conserve on gasoline and get better milage out of the gasoline you do use. 

Locavores (and Wannabes) - Get Familiar with the Farm Bill

I'm a little behind in reporting this, but I just discovered it. On March 1 there was an op-ed piece in the NY Times written by a small organic vegetable farmer from Minnesota, Jack Hedin, titled My Forbidden Fruits (and Vegetables). Please, take a minute and read this articulate and concise letter (then come back here!).

Seems he needed more land to grow his organic fruits and veggies on to help keep up with the increasing demands for locally grown produce. He rented an additional 25 acres (to supplement his 100 acres) from two neighboring federally subsidized farms that normally grow corn. 

When the powers that be found out that fruits and vegetables were being grown on the land instead of corn, the owners of the land were penalized. Their subsidation for those 25 acres was taken away and they were penalized the amount of money that the crop brought in. Mr. Hedin, ended up owing the 2 landlords over $8,000 to pay for the fines!

If corn had been grown on the land, there wouldn't have been a problem. But here's the kicker, if NOTHING had been grown on the land, there wouldn't have been a problem either. It's outrageous.

The piece goes on to explain how the a certain part of  the Farm Bill  protects the big fruit and vegetable growers in CA and FL who throw money at those who create the Farm Bill. It's a jaw dropping, eye opening, powerful read. 

I'm going to be writing to my representatives in Congress and ask them to please read this op-ed piece and fix the farm bill so that it doesn't penalize small farmers for providing their communities with exactly what they want - healthy, locally grown food for their families.

For a sample letter that you can send to Congress, see this from the Crunchy Chicken blog.

I know many of you are as excited as I am about the farmer's markets opening soon. If you want to keep the farms that sell at these markets in business, if you want them to be able to sell their produce at a price you can afford, if you want to make sure that your food doesn't travel 100's or even 1000's of miles before it hits your table, please take a minute and write your representatives.

Please.

Report on the EPA's Questionable Decisions

Ah - The EPA. A year ago, I knew little about them. Assumed they were the good guys. But the more and more I read about them and what they allow, the more I wonder who this protection agency is really protecting. 

I haven't had the time to write up my intended post today yet, but until I do if you're looking for something to read, check this out. The Lohasian has a post titled Chemicals Endangering Children While EPA Plays Nice with Chemical Companies. Be prepared to have your blood boil.

Wal-Mart's Milk is Going Hormone Free

According to a report last week, Wal-Mart is going to discontinue using cows that are treated with artificial growth hormones to supply the milk for their private label Great Value. They are making the change due to customer demand.

I personally don't shop at Wal-Mart. There isn't one particularly convenient to me, and the few times I've been in one, it's been dirty and cluttered. But I know that there are many, many people who do shop in Wal-Mart, and it's good to know that those who buy their milk there won't be adding unnecessary growth hormones to their family's diet.  Now, if they could promise to take the added antibiotics out of the milk, too, that would be fantastic.