As we were re-scheduling projects and meetings because of the incoming blizzard, a co-worker from another department asked me: Are we seeing more frequent and more intense storms because of climate change? Yes, we are. Even my colleagues that are not focused on the environment are changing the way they plan for extreme weather. I work for a […]
A New Way to Reduce
Posted on November 17, 2014 Written by 5 Comments
Reducing is hard. Reducing is good for the environment. Using less is always better. But how? With three kids it’s really hard to use less. And frankly, as an American, using less is hard. It is ingrained in us from a young age to want more, more, and more and new everything. It is in […]
What’s the Hottest New iPhone Tech – FLIR ONE Review
Posted on September 13, 2014 Written by 3 Comments
Over the weekend I got to play with one of the coolest new tools for an energy geek – a FLIR ONE Thermal Imaging Camera add-on for the iPhone 5/5S. You can literally measure and see how cool or hot you or anything around you is. A friend at church just got one and she knew […]
Charcoal vs. Propane Revisited
Posted on August 13, 2014 Written by 3 Comments
Last summer I blogged about the age old controversy: Which is the greener way to grill: Charcoal or Propane? My conclusion was that it matters far more what you grill than how you grill it. Now I have discovered something new and I need to revisit this topic. Which is greener – Charcoal or Propane? Burning propane, a […]
Music That Inspires Me To Be Green
Posted on August 4, 2014 Written by 3 Comments
I can relate to Kermit the Frog saying, “It’s not easy being green.” Recently, I have been struggling to stay motivated and write blog posts to motivate others to be green. With everything going on in the world these days, it seems so challenging to act and make a positive difference in the world. Thankfully, I got a shot […]
Addicted to Electricity
Posted on June 24, 2014 Written by Leave a Comment
“My life would be miserable and I wouldn’t ever be happy, unless I had a shelf full of boardgames in my room [if I didn’t have electricity].” “If you’re not charging your iPod, could you plug in my iPhone?” “I have another cable, I can plug them both in.” Our family is driving down the […]
Upgrading Historic Church Pendant Lights to LED
Posted on June 15, 2014 Written by 2 Comments
Have you noticed that many churches have the same lantern-style chandeliers? Our church and my mother’s church both have them. Jon and I can’t help ourselves, but we notice the lighting wherever we go. We don’t necessarily notice how bright it is or how classy the fixtures are, but we do notice how energy efficient […]
How much did the US spend importing oil in 2013?
Posted on May 15, 2014 Written by 3 Comments
More recent update: How much did the US spend on imported Oil in 2014? A couple years ago, I tried to find out how much money the US economy spent on importing oil, but could not find that fact listed anywhere. All of the information I needed to calculate it was out there, so I […]
Visiting a Single Stream Recycling Sorting Facility
Posted on April 28, 2014 Written by 7 Comments
I recently had the opportunity to visit the Casella Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Charlestown, Massachusetts. This is where they sort single stream recycling. I have always been fascinated by how they sort the recycling and I found the visit fascinating. I was also struck by the fact that the person who is currently the […]
Cutting my carbon footprint by reducing my waistline
Posted on April 8, 2014 Written by 1 Comment
As my grandpa used to tell me, the only real ways to lose weight and keep it off are through portion control and exercise. Yes, a balanced diet helps keep you healthy, but it is simple math, in order to lose weight you need to burn more calories than you consume. Besides being my wonderful […]
