cranky old dude

O.K. So I've got a pretty good balance set up now for commuting and
running errands with my bikes yet still running my ever shrinking fleet
of gasoline drinkers enough to keep them servicable. That part of my
footprint is well under control and will improve as I continue to empty
Bedrooms of offspring and the driveway of their support vehicles (all
owned by me of course).

This Spring I mentioned in another thread that I had resurected an old
reel push lawn mower that my Grandfather gave me over 30 years ago. It was
old then. I've since had it professionally sharpened and as it should hold
it's edge for about five years, all I need to do is lube a few points every so
often. Since my lot is only 50' by 150' with a house, detached garage and
22' x 16' deck, this mower works out just fine. We have not fired up the
Toro all season, and the yard looks fantastic. All I need to find now is a
Grass Whip for some of the skinny weeds that the reel misses and I'm all
squared away in that department.

So two victories, although small victories, under our belt.....what to do next?
Suggestions, similiar stories, any body care......?

If us 50+ ers can lead the way then the young whippersnappers are sure to
follow for fear of missing out on something.

edit: I almost forgot, our longest season of all...Winter. I only use the Snow Blower
for really deep or really heavy snow, the rest of the time I/we shovel.

So now that's three small steps.

The Weak Link

Make sure your bike tires are fully inflated. If we all blow them up high enough, we could probably start exporting oil to the Arabs.

monk

Don't forget the tune up.

BengeBoy 

Have you started replacing your light bulbs with CFL lights?

cranky old dude

Ooooooo, I forgot all about that. We did that in February, both indoors and out.

stapfam

Don't know if we are ahead of- or Behind the US on the energy saving lark- but on the light bulbs- You can only buy "Energy" saving bulbs over here.

And we are just going through the "Best" energy saving scheme that is possible. Gas at $13 per gallon- Gas and Electricity prices went up by about 20% earlier in the year and have just gone up by an average of a further 20%. Every household bill is going up well above inflation and House prices are falling. The only thing not going up is my salary.

Rowan

Even better if you dig the ground and plant vegetables and herbs.

John E

Although rising energy prices are causing some temporary discomfort and economic dislocation, in the long term this will be the best thing that has ever happened to the first world. I now see folks discovering human-powered exercise, carpooling, driving a bit slower, resetting thermostats, installing solar power systems, buying more fuel-efficient cars, and otherwise making a real effort to conserve energy. I would hate to see the price of crude oil fall back below $100/barrel, because I fear that we would forget the lesson we have just learned, just as we did after 1973 and 1979.

HiYoSilver

Ok, I'll bite. Why is carbon bad? We are carbon based life forms in a carbon based world. No carbon, no life. Yes, we're still searching for silicon or other non-carbon based life forms. Curious about why this is considered evil and where's the scientific data to support that conclusion.

BSLeVan

I've reduced my carbon foot print too. I'm riding titanium instead of carbon. I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist that. My household has operated on the following since the kids were born.... Live simply so others might simply live. Hence, we've always worked hard to reduce consumption that had little value or utility other than to stimulate or feed a consumer driven lifestyle..... sometimes more successfully than others. One caution about the CFL bulbs for lighting. Since they contain mercury, it is extrememly important to dispose of them properly when they've reached the end of their life. Too many people have worked too hard to reduce the amount of mercury to which kids can be exposed for us to take a step backwards in the name of reducing our carbon footprint. And HiYoSilver, are you sure you're biting, or are you really baiting?

TMB

While I applaud the CFL for using less electricity and costing less to operate, I am MUCH less thrilled about the fact that every one of them that I put in my house is another little pool of Mercury.

The Weak Link

Dude, you're not actually looking for a reasoned debate about this or anything else on the Internet, are you?

I'm bummed, frankly. I rode 44 miles today and thoroughly enjoyed it until I stopped and calculated how much harmful pollution (CO2) I spewed into the atmosphere, harming the trees.

No wait, I think the trees breath that stuff. I'm still bummed, though. Anyone got any spare carbon credits?

Digital Gee

I have a few aluminum credits, but that's about it right now.

stringbreaker

Not to mention the 2 lbs of plastic they are packaged in that takes a chainsaw to cut through. Ya think they could come up with better packaging.

BengeBoy 

I believe the research is that the amount of mercury used in a CFL is less than the mercury emitted when burning coal to supply electricity for an incandescent bulb. Plus, over time, they're going to get rid of the mercury. You can mitigate the mercury in the CFL bulb by properly recycling them.

stapfam

Packaging was one of the problems over here. Buy a pack of *******crews??? -packed in a plastic hermetically sealed lump of plastic-packed in a box that is then cellophane wrapped- get to the till and it is then put in a plastic bag. Now- The screws are loose- you weigh them out- or count them out- put in a thin biodegradable bag- go to the till- pay for them and refuse the plastic bag to take them home in.