At Keith's invitation, and hoping it serves to help or motivate others, here goes.
Let me start by saying that small things are as important as big things - they all add up. I have been working away at these things for some time, so I hope the list doesn't induce sleep. Perhaps the most important thing I do is try to spread information I think is useful. That includes button-holing people at events, boring people at social gatherings and maintaining much of the website at www.econogics.com, including responding to correspondence that arrives there. I think reducing our use of fossil fuels is critical to our future, not just because of global warming, but also because we are fouling our nest with air, water, soil, thermal and noise pollution in their use. I started with electric cars. I picked up the plates for my Porsche 914 conversion today. I plan to retrieve the car from the mechanic on Monday, show it Monday night at a meeting, and start driving it on Tuesday. I've lost track of how many I have built, re-built or otherwise had a hand in by now. I'm aware of the arguments against EVs, but they work for me. I buy Green Tags to offset more than the amount of electricity my EVs consume, so they're effectively powered by sustainable energy sources. More on EVs at http://www.econogics.com/ev/evindex.htm . I finally have a diesel vehicle running on B20. B100 some day, produced at home, but all these projects take precious time. I attended Ottawa Car-Free Day yesterday (yes, I went by public transit). Frankly, it was disappointing, bordering on sham. I have helped organize other environmental events in the past. Perhaps I should again. Today I made another batch of salsa using the tomatoes grown without pesticides or commerical fertilizers (but lots of compost) in our sideyard garden. The peppers are grown either by me or my sister in law, the onions are local as well. We won't be self-sufficient on this small urban lot, but it's something to reduce food- miles. I have put some effort into reducing our fossil fuel consumption for heating our house and domestic hot water. I have built and installed a simple, seasonal, solar water pre-heater. I purchased second-hand solar heating panels, and installed those on our house. I have dramatically upgraded the insulation in our attic, and where I can in the walls (e.g., as part of the solar heating panels installation). We have installed insulated blinds on some windows, and window quilts ( more on window quilts at http://www.econogics.com/busys/wnquilt.htm ). To reduce solar gain and keep our house more comfortable in the summer, I designed and fabricated some shade cloths fitted to our sun-facing windows. (More on shade cloths at http://www.econogics.com/busys/shadecl.htm ). I have served on citizen's committees on the subject of landfill diversion and greenhouse gas reduction, on company Green Teams and several sustainable transportation groups. We harvest rainwater for the garden at the house, and as our primary water source at the cottage. I monitor our household electrical use, and take steps to reduce it. Well, I'm going to sign off at this point. Bedtime calls. Darryl McMahon Keith Addison <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hello Terry, tallex and all > > > >Hello, > > >Why not discuss the story and implications right here. > > >This list is full of individuals that can help make a difference. > > Can and have helped, are helping. Biofuel list members save lots of > carbon. It's been said the list has helped save more carbon than most > governments, or was it more than any government? Who knows. > > It's one of the things I like about the biofuels movement that nobody > has any real idea how much biodiesel and ethanol and heating oil and > stuff people are making or re-using or whatever or how much fossil > fuel they're not using, but it's easy to figure that it's in the > millions of gallons a year and up in the US alone, and it's worldwide. > > Anyway, I think the carbon saved is not just by making and using > biofuels, people take it in all kinds of directions with their own > projects and campaigns. I keep hearing of spin-offs I had no idea > existed, there must be many more of them. > > >I am one of those individuals that would like to make a difference. Were is > >the starting gate? Lets get started. > > Well I think we did get started already, long ago some of us. What > would you or anyone suggest we should do that we're not doing already? > > If other members could say what they're doing and how they see it > that might be a start, and it would encourage others to do the same. > > Best wishes > > Keith > > > > > >Terry Dyck > > >Believe me the well financed global warming skeptics and traditional fossil > > >fuel suppliers > > >won't win in the long run if we face them head on. > > >We will be confronting serious problems in the near future from our past > > >energy gluttony > > >and disregard for the earth's natural ecosystems. We got ourselves into > > >this mess > > >and we are going to have to find sustainable solutions to develop a viable > > >future for the planet. > > > > > > > > >regards > > >tallex > > > > > > > -------Original Message------- > > > > From: Kirk McLoren <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > Subject: [Biofuel] global warming "tipping point" > > > > Sent: 17 Sep '05 19:44 > > > > > > > > [0]mad_goldfish writes "The UK's Independent is running a front page > > > > story today on a scientific report claiming that [1]global warming is > > >now > > > > unstoppable, after measuring changes in the level of ice in the > > >arctic." > > > > From the article: "The greatest fear is that the Arctic has reached a > > > > 'tipping point' beyond which nothing can reverse the continual loss of > > > > sea ice and with it the massive land glaciers of Greenland, which will > > > > raise sea levels dramatically. Satellites monitoring the Arctic have > > > > found that the extent of the sea ice this August has reached its lowest > > > > monthly point on record, dipping an unprecedented 18.2 per cent below > > >the > > > > long-term average." Either way, [2]someone wins a bet. > > > > > > > > Discuss this story at: > > > > http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=05/09/16/1514216 > > > > > > > > Links: > > > > 0. mailto:craig...nicol@@@gmail...com > > > > 1. > > > > > > >http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/article312997.ece > > > > 2. http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/08/20/1845247&tid=126 > > > -- Darryl McMahon http://www.econogics.com/ It's your planet. If you won't look after it, who will? _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
