Pedal/Electric Hybrid

Steve acquainted me with this little gadget. Pretty dang cool.



Ride it on the bike trails or cruise along with traffic using no gas.

Thwarted... at least for a day

On my ride home yesterday I seem to have lost my bike lock. A key requirement to be able to ride into work and leave my bike sitting outside since I haven't managed to convince my employer to let me bring it in yet.

Doing something

I've been on the fence for some time. I keep looking at things going on and trying to figure out where to start trying to make a difference. My wife and I already don't really waste too much. But we have made a decision to try to avoid the use of plastic bags. (Things like bread and purchases where the plastic bag is inside the box and not evident are an exception, but Sustainable Dave has some ideas about the bread issue. Perhaps if I can find a local bakery that is willing to work with us that might be a solution.)

In addition to that with our income tax refund I purchased a commuter bike. I haven't been the most faithful about riding it. It seems like I get going good then have some minor injury or an appointment immediately after work or some other what have you. But I'm determined to keep trying and I figure eventually it'll take hold and will become my primary means of getting to/from work. I started this google spreadsheet to keep track of the amount spent on it and the amount I'm saving in fuel costs. If I can make it to the point that I'm truly saving money I'll be pleased. I'd like to figure out the production impact of the bike so I can tell when I'm having a positive impact on the environment by having purchased the bike, but I'm not even sure where to start on that. Anyone have any ideas?

I also figured that if I put it out there where anyone can see my progress I'm more likely to stick to it. So lambaste me if I start to slack off again!

Self Destructing DVDs

This article outlines a plan for Staples to pickup a product line of DVDs that render themselves useless after 48 hours of breaking the seal on the package. Who knows what chemicals are required to do that and what effect they'll have on us. Plus add in some extra packaging to protect it so you don't lose your money on it and you have a good recipe for a disastrous product. This web-page appears to be the means of contacting Staples. Contact them and let them know what a bad idea it is to carry such an obviously wasteful product.

Don't just close this window, click that link and take a couple minutes to do something good for the world we live in. Useless, and potentially damaging products should not be allowed to run rampant and unchallenged.

Plastic Bottles

I think Dave's comments say it all about as plainly as it can be said. So take a moment and see what he has to say, then do something.

News on the solar front

This article shows how a new material could change the typical output of solar cells from 15% to an amazing 44%.

Our old friend the light switch

Which is better, turning off the fluorescents or leaving them on? this article addresses that very question. It turns out that hitting the switch is actually the better option.

Regrow tissues

This article tells the story of the beginning steps of the field of regenerative medicine.

An update on the sail powered cargo ship

This article details the results of a 2 month voyage. The ship saved 20% or 2.5 tons of fuel! 2 . 5 TONS! But old technology is never good technology...

from the depths

Scientific American has a great article on the new projects that aim towards using the oceans to produce renewable energy.

Ethanol a "corny" solution?

My wife found this article that sheds some needed light on ethanol production and the effects of expanding production to meet global needs.

walking energy

Read about a knee brace that can power all your gadgets here.

20 snacks to make you more productive

Lifehack.org has the list.

The Green House?

The White House gets with the green craze according to this article.

This site lets you recycle hair into oil spill cleanup tools! They are targeting salons, but individuals are ok too. AND they can use pet hair. It's not as good as human hair, but it still works.

Skip the corn and move to grass

This article provides some information about the experiments that are being done to try to use switch grass as ethanol. Didn't say much about the waste from the refining process or anything about potential risks of nitrogen fertilization. If those risks aren't bad it might just be a viable option to get us to the point we are using vehicles that don't depend on liquid fuels.

Make a battery from grass clippings

A relatively straight forward how to for creating a battery using grass clippings.