Clean Up Earth

CABC (Consortium for Algal Biofuels Commercialization), SABC (Sustainable Algal Biofuels Consortium, and Cellana, LLC Consortium just received a large grant of twenty four million dollars from the federal government in algae fuel research. Each group has been designated specific tasks to tackle the obstacles laid forth by algae’s ability to yield energy.

CABC, led by the University of California will focus on developing algae as a hearty biofuel feedstock. Most of their assignment will include the following:

• Investigating new ways to protect algae crops from contamination and predation
• Algal Nutrient usage and recycling
• Developing genetic tools

They will be working closely with seven companies including Sapphire Energy, General Atomics, and Sempra Energy, who are also providing three million to finance research and development.
SABC, led by Arizona State University, will pay close attention to testing acceptability of these new biofuels as substitutes for petroleum based fuels. Some of their duties will be to:

• Investigate biochemical conversion of algae to fuels
• Analyze properties of algal fuels and intermediates

Lastly, Cellana, led by Cellana (Shell and HR BioPetroleum) will look at large scale production of feed and fuels from microalgae matured in seawater. Their tasks will include the following:

• The assimilation of new harvest technologies with “pilot-scale cultivation test beds”
• Development of marine microalgae as animal nourishment for the industry of aquaculture

CABC will receive approximately nine million from the DOE, while SABC and Cellana will get the remaining fifteen. Funding for such research began back during the Jimmy Carter period, where the former president invested nearly twenty five million into algae fuel research. Funding and research was shelved momentarily during the Clinton Administration, but has since returned, with many fortune 500 (i.e. – Exon Mobile) pouring money into R&D.

Despite the hault in algae fuel funding, Former President Clinton along with close confidant Doug Band, continues to invest into reducing the U.S. carbon footprint. With alternative energy efforts like this, and that of the Fed and Exon, we’re still on track towards optimum sustainability.

Jack Lundee – “Follower of all things green and progressive”

I’m talking about those electronic monsters that eat up power, even when they’re supposedly off.  Not only to they eat up precious electricity, but they also eat a hole in your wallet by continuing to consume power 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  You can save considerable amounts of money per year by following some simple rules.

1.  Serge Protection -  Use a serge protector, plug in the electronics to the serge protector, and turn off the Serge protector when not using the electronics.  This will ensure that your electronics will not be pulling power when off.

2.  Timer – If you rather not manually turn off the surge protector, use a timer.  Lets face it, we all forget to do things, and most of us have too many things on our plate to remember to turn off a surge protector when not using your electronics.  Using a timer will help resolve that.  Set times during the day that you typically don’t use the electronics, and set the timer to turn off power during those times.  Now the timer also takes up power continuously, but it pales in comparison to how much other electronics use when not in use.

3.  Get rid of it -  If you notice in the picture I attached, there is this odd looking device on the bottom.  It’s called a VCR.  All kidding aside, most of us know what a VCR is, most people rarely use them anymore.  However, people don’t want to get rid of them just in case they need to use them.  Get over it.  That’s a technology of the past.  It’s going away, and will be an antique soon.  Unplug it and donate it or throw it away.  In the picture, it is consuming power, and probably hasn’t been used in years.  Getting rid of it will also help remove clutter.

4.  Lights – Flourescent lights are also a technology that is being used more to reduce power consumption.  However, most people use lights and don’t turn them off.  Similarly to the Timer section, you can put timers as light switches in your house.   A lot of them also have sensors on them that turn on the lights when you enter a room.  This will prevent you from consuming too much power by leaving lights on all day.

5.  Computer power consumption – In the future, computers will be more like thin clients without power consuming hard drives that consume a ton of energy.  Some companies are already using these devices.  These devices connect to a host server to get their applications.  This is called cloud computing.  However, most of us aren’t using this technology yet.  So, with your current computer, you need to set it so that it hybernates after a certain amount of inactivity.  Also, turn off your monitors when not using them.  You can also incorporate a timer (like in step two) for your monitors and any device that you don’t typically use at a certain time of day.

6.  Printers – Home printers are rarely used, but typically they remain on at all times.  Make it a habit to not turn on your printer until you actually plan to print something.

7.  A/C – Use programmable thermostats to reduce A/C consumption when you’re not in the house.  This probably saves the most amount of electricity and money for the average household per year.

8.  Stereo Systems – Usually stereo systems, cd player, tuners, etc. have a clock or digital status display.  Turn these devices off also.  Anything that has a digital clock or display pull power.  You want to make sure you turn them off via surge protector or switch, otherwise they could still draw power when turned off.

9.  Video game consoles – This is the number one growing power consuming vampire.  Most consoles, even when they’re off, continue to suck power from your household.  Unplug these devices when they’re not in use.  Same goes for video game remote controller charging stations.

In conclusion, you can make a difference in total worldly power consumption, and can make a difference in your own household budget and savings.  Following these few steps will help you achieve your goal of having a more efficient household.  Join me in making these important changes.

I guess my comments about the Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico are long overdue.  This site is named Clean Up Earth, and we can’t do much cleaning up with a big oil spill in my back yard (I live in Texas).  I want to start off saying that I’m a conservative politically, but there are some things that I agree with each party on.  Historically, democrats have been the party that has led up the environmental think tank, but slowly, the conservatives are jumping in.  If we keep our reliance on oil, the US will not advance, and will eventually decline as we run out of oil if we don’t place an importance on alternative energy now.  At the same time, we’re giving terrorist countries our hard earned money, which they could, in turn, use to fund terrorist acts.  However, if we decide to continue to drill off the coasts, we will have these big oil spills polluting our waters for a long time.

Why is it taking so long to Cap the oil spill?  Simply put, it’s in over a mile deep water.  You can’t send a mission of divers down there to simply cap it.  You have to have some strategy to cap it.  They are bringing in an oil containment dome to try to cap the oil spill.  It is extremely heavy, and will be dropped from above the oil spill to hopefully cap the spill.  You can see how the dome is supposed to work at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIPYlK08gnI

Obama’s stance.  Well, as he stated today, it’s time to roll back “billions of dollars in tax breaks and use the money for clean energy research and development.  Now the reason I mentioned that I was a conservative earlier is to give you a framework of where I’m coming from.  I don’t agree with democrats on many issues, but this is one issue I definitely agree on.  We have to stop our reliance on fossil fuels, otherwise accidents like this will continue to happen.  Plus, the US will not be a super power in the future if we are not on the forefront of these new alternative technologies.  It is very important that we start going into the direction of alternative energies now, or suffer the consequences later.  We have a plethora of alternative energies waiting to be explored, if we just take the step to research them (natural gas, nuclear power, wind farming, solar power, geothermal, etc).

Hurricane season.  As we all know down in the gulf of Mexico area, Hurricane season is quickly approaching.  What’s worse, is that this is supposed to be a bad year for Hurricanes.  Now, that remains to be seen, but regardless, at least 2 or 3 will enter the Gulf of Mexico region.  Well, there is good news and bad news.  Weather can disburse the oil slick and make the damages lessened.  However, some of the oil slick will likely follow the hurricane to shore which could be an environmental disaster for wherever it makes landfall.  Not to mention, if they don’t get this capped before the first hurricane comes through, then this could be a mess for a long time.

In conclusion, if we don’t start converting to alternative energies, we will just have to live with the fact that we’ll be dependent on other countries for oil, we’ll have to live with oil disasters off our coasts, and we just won’t advance technologically as a country.  So, it’s our duty to start heading in the direction of cleaner, safer alternative energy technologies.

Here are a couple of other cool weblinks to track the oil spill and progress:

http://oilspill.skytruth.org/

http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/05/view_live_video_feed_of_bp_gul.html

I was cleaning up my lawn the other day.  Typical stuff…….Mowing, weed eating, picking up trash, sweeping sidewalks, etc.  Then, I finally got to what I typically don’t like to do.  You see, we have a storm drain directly to the left of our house.  Well, dirt, leaves, grass clippings, and other soot tend to get clogged at the entrance to the storm drain during a down pour of rain.  I started to shovel it up, and realized that it looked like a very rich dirt. 

I drove around the neighborhood and noticed at almost every storm drain, there was an abundance of this rich soil.  So, I plan to go around collecting some of this soil for gardening soon.  I’ve already cleaned a ton of it in front of my house. 

I’m kind of knocking out two birds with one stone.  I’m cleaning the neighborhood, and getting a mineral rich dirt that I can use in my garden.  Just thought I’d mention this to everyone as an alternative to buying compost at your hardware store.  Plus, you’re saving money at the same time.

Expense of Diapers

After 11 long years of waiting finally my husband and I had a baby on the way. Since, we had waited so long there was no question for us that I would be resigning my position and staying home. However, we knew that in a world where having a dual income is almost a necessity we would have to make a few sacrifices in order to live on one income. One of the decisions we made was to use cloth diapers rather than disposable.

Average Cost of Disposable Diapers

After much research I located some general statistics on the cost of cloth diapers compared to disposable. The statistics I found said that on average disposable diapers cost $50-$89 per month totaling $600-$1068 per year. I am just beginning to potty train and my daughter is almost two. That means by now we would have spent $2000 in diapers. Now keep in mind that even though I am potty training my daughter I will still be using diapers during nap time and at night. Also, I am potty training a little young. On average most people potty-train girls at 21/2 and boys at 31/2. So depending on your particular situation disposable diapers will most likely cost more than $2000.

Total Outlay for Cloth Diapers

Now let’s take a look at cloth diapers. Just like anything there is a wide range of cloth diapers. You can get something that meets your needs or you can spring for the Cadillac of cloth diapers. I have personally used four styles of cloth diapers: Flats, Pockets, AIO (All In One) and 7+ different brands. These brands include Daisy Doodles, Fuzzi Bunz, Tail End Designs, Knicker Nappies, Snap-EZ Eco, Thirsties and Bummis just to name a few. My total cost for cloth diapers has totaled $700. I have a mix of new and second hand diapers for this cost. Not only have I saved but I am giving my stash of cloth diapers to a close friend of mine who is using them for her children. She will save much more than I did because she has no cost at all for diapers. That is the great thing about cloth diapers they are so durable and last forever. I could easily have used my stash of diapers on three children of my own if I planned on having that many.

Cloth Wipes Cost

In addition to this savings I also had to use cloth wipes because my daughter was allergic to both disposable diapers and disposable wipes. I went to my local Hancock’s Fabric store and picked up a yard or two of terry cloth. Along with my mother-in-laws help and use of her Bernina Serger we made 40-50 wipes. My total outlay for the wipes was fifteen dollars. I have used these wipes and they along with the diapers have paid for themselves over and over again. My guestament of the cost of disposable wipes is $10/month X 12 months X 2 years = $240.  

http://www.babycenter.com/babyCostCalculator.htm

Now I have told you about my personal savings by using cloth diapers however the environmental savings far exceeds my personal savings. Any effort that will go towards preserving the environment for your children is priceless. This saves landfill space due to less diapers and wipes being thrown away.  Now, if we all did something like this, it would reduce landfills exponentially, plus save us some money in the process.  For more information on environmental as well as potential tax savings http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php

Ok, so in an effort to reduce my constantly rising grocery bill I am attempting to garden. Unfortunately, I do not have a green thumb and tend to kill plants. However, the rising prices on inferior foods has driven me to the point of trying to overcome my lack of green thumb. Like any project I begin with research.

 One of the sites I found interesting was www.squarefootgardening.com.  The premise of Square Foot Gardening is basically that by planting in raised beds in superior soil you save time and money. Raised beds allow you to avoid pesky weeds and grasses that encroach upon your garden. I found this raised bed gardening information very interesting and the more research I did I found that this is a very viable growing method that yields great results.

 The other link I have used a lot is www.growingyourgreens.com.  John Collier has taken his small suburban front yard in California and turned it completely into raised garden beds. I was surprised how beautiful it was and all edible. The interesting part about his garden is that he is a master at maximizing the use of his space. He grows vertically and horizontally using every available space he has.

 The last bit of interesting research I discovered was on the topic of growing tomatoes and strawberries in hanging containers. I am sure you have all heard of the www.topsyturvy.com which from what I hear is a good product. Through my research I have discovered that there are other ways to create the same product on your own for less money. Basically you can take plastic food grade buckets drill 3-5 holes in the perimeter depending on the size of the bucket and plant a different plant in each hole. Seems pretty simple but if you decide to purchase the Topsy Turvy and save yourself another project then do yourself a favor and plant 2 plants in each Topsy Turvy.

 Good luck with your gardening adventure and remember your health and your families is worth the effort.

It’s been a long time since I posted, and I hope to post more frequently in the future.

I’ve been looking into doing some rain collecting with barrels, and am still in the research phase.  In Texas, we have a good amount of Rain in the fall and spring, but usually hit drought conditions in the summer time, and if you like to garden like me, that can be a real problem, especially when the city goes to water restrictions.

What I’ve found is that you can get quality rain barrels from 100 to 200 dollars from sites like www.RainBarrelSource.com, www.Gemplers.com, www.Rainbarrelsandmore.com, and even Home Depot.  However, I’m looking for a more cost effective solution.  I’ve decided to call up local Manufacturers who have used 55 gallon food quality barrels.  They use them once, and from what I understand, either give them away free, or charge a minimal fee for these barrels.  Once I get the rain barrels, the fun begins.

I plan on installing a gutter system the length of the house and having a set of barrels on every corner.  I plan on putting mesh on the top of the rain barrel to filter out leaves and debris.  Now, since I want to be somewhat self sufficient, and since my garden will need the water, I am thinking about using a submersible solar water pump to pump the water out during the summer months.  I don’t need a ton of pressure since I’m watering a relatively small area, and we get a ton of son, so I’m thinking it should power the pump with no problems.  Like I said, I’m still in the planning stages, so I haven’t come up with a pump size, and how many watts the solar panels will have to product to power that pump, but I’m hoping it will help resolve my water issues during the summer which is inching closer and closer by the day.

Once I have everything planned out and setup, I will post a step by step process.  Although I’m guessing that this won’t be completed until next spring, since summer is basically already here, and I won’t have much more rain collecting days available.  I’ll keep you updated.

The Electric bill can get pretty expensive in the southern part of the US during the summer.  The A/C units are cranked on almost full time which sucks up electricity, and mony out of your wallet.  There are also unneeded electronics that draw power full time, even when powered off.  Here are a few suggestions on reducing your electric bill.

1.  Programable Thermostat – This is a must.  It’s important to turn down your A/C or heater when you head to work each day.  Although, if you’re like me, you forget to do this often.  Programable thermostats offer a relatively inexpensive solution to this problem.  Most people have a schedule to maintain, so program the thermostat to turn down or turn off the A/C or heat during times that you don’t expect to be in the house.

2.  Timers - Another drain to your pocket book and the environment, is unused electronics.  In my case, I have a VCR, DVD, Radio Receiver, Wii, and Computer all plugged in to electrical outlets in my living room.  Even if these are powered off, some of them still draw power due to clocks or other features like charger for Wii remotes.  I found that a simple timer can eliminate the wasted energy that’s being consumed while I sleep and over the course of a year, it can also save some extra cash.

3.  Windows – I know your probably thinking I’m taking about replacing windows, and while you’re right.  That can save you money and conserve energy, many people can’t afford new windows especially during this recession.  So, open your curtains to bring in light instead of wasting electricity by turing on lights.  Also, if it’s a nice day outside, open the windows and resist the urge to turn on the A/C.

4.  Light Bulbs – Converting from incandescent light bulbs to flourescent light bulbs can definitely reduce your energy consumption.  It might not be as cost efective at first since a flourescent light bulb costs on average of 3 to 4 dollars more than incandescents.  However, in the long run, you’ll save money and electricity since fourescent light bulbs usually last longer and require about a quarter of the energy to operate.

5.  Insulation – If you are able to climb up into your attic, a good solution for conserving energy and saving money on your electric bill is to add insulation.  This might not be the easiest thing to do, and might be worth hiring a professional, but much of the energy loss in a house is due to poor insulation.

6.  Attic Fan – If you live in a Southern state, it’s very important that you have an attic fan (preferably solar powered).  This is very important in the summer since it helps to remove the heat trapped in your attic which of course keeps your house cooler.

Powertochoose.com is a great way to save money, and to come up with more environmental solutions for your household electric needs.  Powertochoose is a Texas company, only for use by Texas residents, but it compares electric company rates and specials. 

Many of the larger companies have overcharged for years, and continue to raise rates.  Fortunately, you can reduce your electric bill drastically by choosing one of the other less expensive companies.  Initially, I was concerned about doing this.  My thinking was “My power is going will shut off all the time for no reason”, and “This must be a scam….They’ll take my money, and then close down their company” .  Well, I tried it, and couldn’t be more happy.  As soon as the company I was currently with raised their rates, I’d go with a different company.  You can also lock in your rate for a year or more. 

However, one of the more interesting things that I notice, is that you can search for power companies that use specific percentages of renewable engergy.   Some of the companies use 100% renewable energy.  And while those companies have a slightly higher rate than a lot of the electric companies, they are by no means the highest charging companies.  I usually find that they are in the middle of the road.  As a matter of fact, the company I was using at one point (0% renewable energy) was charging me 6% more than the company that was 100% renewable. 

So, you can save money and help save the environment by switching your electric service using the powertochoose.com tool to guide your way.  It’s a start in the right direction.

Recycling can be a pain sometimes.  There’s the sorting, the extra trips to the trash can, the cleaning, and in general, it’s just not fun.  However,  if you are organized in your recycling process, you’ll find that it’s actually easy and benefitial for you.   Because I don’t like to make trips to the recycle bin every day, there’s 4 step process to the way I currently recycle. 

1.  Kitchen:  First off, I make sure I have 1 recycle bin and 1 trash can in the kitchen.  I also have a bucket outside the back door for veggie scraps and anything that would go good in the compost pile.  I both of these things, because I don’t like to take daily trips out to the trash and compost pile.  I found that I became very irritated with recycling when I had to do this.

2.  Garage:  I have a slightly larger trash can and recycle bin  in the garage.  So, when my trash and recycle bin is full in the kitchen, I empty it to the garage cans.  This, once again, prevents me from having to open the garage, and go to the recycle bins and trash cans every day.  I know it might sound lazy, but anything you can do to make recycling easier on you is a benefit.

3.  Recycle bins:  Because of steps one and two, I usually only go out to the recycle bin once or twice a week.

4.  Compost pile:  As I said, I throw food scraps into a bucket outside.  Once a week, I take the bucket to the compost pile.  You can then re-use the rich dirt for gardening, or refilling plant pots.

This process keeps everything neat and clean, and is the easiest way for me to recycle without getting frustrated.  This may not be the best way for you, but work at it a while, and you will figure out the most efficient way for you to recycle at your home or appartment.