Reduce

warning: Creating default object from empty value in /home/ecodaddyo/public_html/modules/taxonomy/taxonomy.pages.inc on line 33.
Reduce - To use a resource more efficiently and with less waste

The life of a garden

Submitted by EcoMommyo on Wed, 2009/06/03 - 3:42pm
in
Radish Leaf Pesto on Home-made No-knead Bread

The garden is so very alive these days and it is incredibly exciting. I went out to snip some mint last night at about 10:30 p.m. An all night produce department! There has been an almost daily rainstorm and that is perking things up considerably. Birds and butterflies have been visiting our yard looking for insects, seeds, sustenance and we have thoroughly enjoyed their flittering about. Then there are the bees.

Spring on hold

Submitted by EcoMommyo on Fri, 2009/04/17 - 1:50pm
in
Tulip in snow

I can't stand it. I'm looking out my window and the snow is piling up. Okay, what's going on here. We turned in our taxes, we have skiied our last slope, my first proud tulip bulb was seconds away from blooming when a weird storm decided to pass over. I ask you, where was this snow the past few months.

Good Book, Bad Cover

Submitted by TimJFowler on Fri, 2009/04/10 - 3:10pm
in
Sustainable Energy - Without The Hot Air, book cover

Don't judge a book by it's cover, especially when the cover is this bad. Fortunately the book 'Sustainable Energy - without the hot air' by David JC MacKay is a much better book than its wrapping suggests. Professor McKay makes a case for, of all things, a fact and number-based energy policy. The idea that rational decision-making should drive energy policy shouldn't be a radical idea, but strangely enough it is.

Creative Frugality and Intelligent Efficiency

Submitted by TimJFowler on Fri, 2009/04/03 - 4:15pm
in
Pinched Penny

America has been known for years as a 'Land of Plenty'. Yet, even the Land of Plenty is not immune from economic recession. But, there may be a silver lining to this darkly clouded economy. The very American ideals of frugality and efficiency have reappeared after years of extravagant waste. I've heard that everything old is new again, including our grandparent's values of thrift and conservation. But just maybe there are some NEW frugal and efficient ideas we can try out too.

The week without shopping

Submitted by EcoMommyo on Fri, 2009/03/06 - 1:17pm
in
Full Fridge

This week I spent $134.02 on groceries. I nearly fainted when I tallied up the receipts I saved from food purchases. Suddenly the "the week without shopping" I read about in The New York Times Dining and Wine section seemed like the world's most brilliant idea. I e-headed over to the man who inspired this: Fat Guy at eGullet. He saved himself about $100 and several hours in shopping and transportation time by doing what I'm always saying we should do around the house: eat down the freezer, refrigerator and pantry.

Powerful Thirst - Future of Water in the Southwest

Submitted by TimJFowler on Mon, 2009/02/23 - 4:48pm
in
Rio Grande near Albuquerque, NM at Sunrise

The local newspaper recently ran an article headlined 'Water experts: Southern N.M. has ample supply'. That headline is grossly misleading and is contradicted twice within the first 4 sentences of the article.

Heating Bill Before and After Attic Insulation

Submitted by TimJFowler on Tue, 2009/02/17 - 5:53pm
in
Natural Gas Flares

In December 2008 we insulated our home's attic to about R-50 with blown-in cellulose insulation. There was an immediate and noticeable increase in comfort and a reduction in how often the furnace ran. While I appreciate the qualitative improvement, I decided to run the numbers and find the actual quantitative difference in our natural gas heating bill.

We all have Coal in our Stockings

Submitted by TimJFowler on Tue, 2008/12/23 - 4:36pm
in

There is no such thing as clean coal.

Going One Step Further

Submitted by TimJFowler on Fri, 2008/05/30 - 1:02pm
in
Recycling Compost and Trash Bin

Most of us have seen recycling bins next to trash cans in public places. Recycling isn't quite universal yet, but it has become common enough that many of us expect it. I will often carry plastic or aluminum home if I can't find a recycling bin nearby. But, this is the first time I've seen a compost bin in a public place.

Drive Me Crazy

Submitted by TimJFowler on Thu, 2008/05/15 - 11:56am
in
Blue Tesla Roadster

Gas prices are spiking, already above $4/gallon in California and climbing nationwide. So, what can you do to save money on gas? The are two answers to this: drive less and drive more efficiently. Driving less requires trip planning, combining multiple errands into one outing and choosing the most direct routes from place to place. Driving more efficiently, also called hypermiling, is about using thrifty driving techniques and maximizing your vehicle's M.P.G.

Drive Less

Syndicate content