Conservation movements (tongue in cheek)

Blinker Conservation - Ever notice how people are using their turn signals less and less while driving? I'm calling this "Blinker Conservation." This must be a conscious effort to save both car battery life and blinks out of the blink lifespan of the turn signal bulbs. Well done, people. Every little bit counts... or something.

Recycle Bin Space Conservation - Who likes clutter? Not me. Not many people. And when you can save space in your recycle bin by throwing soda and beer cans all over my road, why wouldn't you?! Luckily, my hands have the physical ability to pick up these items and place them into my recycle bin. In fact sometimes I return them to the store and get your 5 cents, which helps pay for the corn starch dog poop bags I use to pick up Guinness's #2's. So, basically, thank you for helping pay for bags to pick up my dog's poop.

eWaste

"The Computer Recycler" reached out to me to tell me about the new eWaste initiatives they are starting in Cromwell, CT. I encourage anyone interested to check them out:

We're working to setup programs with several towns and businesses in CT to help keep electronics out of CT's landfills.

We've recently expanded our operation to have the ability to service all of Connecticut, and now, with a recent partnership, we are not limited to just computer related eWaste; we can now accept all electronics, including TVs, monitors, and many other items most electronic recyclers do not accept. We can also now accept most appliances, refrigerators, air-conditioners, microwaves, even water-heaters... We're really excited about this expansion, and happy to do our part with going green for the state. You can check us out at www.thecomputerrecycler.com, and per your blog's inspiration, I've decided to start my own regarding CT's eWaste as well. :)

Plastic bags suck

I received this as an email forward from my Aunt Lin and thought it was very appropriate to this blog...



And then there is this story which is somewhat unrelated, but hilarious. San Francisco seems like a pretty cool place.

4-Day Work Weeks

I am definitely not breaking new ground here, as companies all over the place are adopting both flex time and 4-day work weeks, but I am proudly beginning this next week. Basically, I will be working Tuesday-Friday, from 8-6 with about a 35 minute lunch break (37.5 minutes to be exact)... My employer, Wesleyan University, in Middletown, CT, thankfully has just begun a 1-year trial program for employees who consistently receive good annual reviews.

This is actually an amazing reward if you think about it. I get about 31 miles/gallon in my 2001 Honda Civic and my daily commute is about 75 miles (blech)... With gas creeping up on $5/gallon, I will be saving myself almost $10 per week in gas alone, not to mention the 75 fewer miles of wear and tear on the car. I used Native Energy's CO₂ Emissions Calculator to figure I will also be saving the Earth from an extra 48 pounds of CO₂ emissions every week. Big fan of that. Check and see if your employer offers this kind of schedule. It is a win for everyone involved. I will be a happier and more productive employee, knowing I am helping the environment by being here one fewer day, but will still work the same number of hours and will have 3-day weekends.

Dehumidifier water

Like many people in New England, and I'm sure elsewhere that it is humid, we run a dehumidifier in our basement all summer. It collects a lot of water. Throughout my life I have seen this water dumped down the drain or in some cases the dehumidifier is connected to the main drainpipe for the house and goes out to the sewer or septic system.

We happen to have four cats, as I may have mentioned before, which means we have a lot of big buckets from buying litter. We have always saved the buckets (which come in handy for all sorts of things and have lids that fit pretty snug). So, we let the dehumidifier work its magic, then dump the water into these buckets, which conveniently hold exactly two batches of collected water, and then use that to water various plants around the yard. It's funny if you think about it, sucking water out of the air and then using it. It's kind of like a rainwater collection system except this water has never even rained down on us.

Anyway, just thought I'd share. If you are paying for the electricity to run your dehumidifier, you might as well get something free out of the deal other than just the less humid air.

edited

Here is some more information about dehumidifiers from Wikipedia

Potability
Water collected from any dehumidifier is technically distilled water in that it does contain few of the minerals and other particulates that are removed in a true distillation process. However, a true distillation process condenses the steam of boiled water, and the boiling process kills any microbes and fungi that may be present in the pre-distilled water. Dehumidifiers are also not kept to a state of cleanliness required for food-grade standards (drinking water usually has very high legal requirements). The collected water is therefore not considered safe to drink.[1] Also, as the water may sit for a while in the collection bucket, the water may be quite stale, in particular with fungus collected from aerial spores.

Slacking, kind of

I haven't written lately because a lot of things have been going on, including a re-organization at work, two trips, and an upcoming opening reception for my first real photography exhibition. Incidentally, my series of photos on display are very much inspired by my interest in sustainable living and the impact of human beings on this planet.

I am exhausted right now from getting ready for this show but the general idea is that we humans are essentially inconsequential in the grand scheme of everything that is 'out there' in the universe. This is not to say that I do not appreciate the air I breathe or the water I drink. On the contrary, my goal with these images is to push the idea that we are touching EVERYTHING. I just want us to retract a little. Or a lot. Stop over indulging. How very un-American of me to say such things.