How efficient is an electric car in your town?

Not the most flattering view, but that, my friends, is a plug-in hybrid Ford in my parking lot!

 

I have not been seeing very many battery-powered cars around town lately - and I do look for them. On my way to work this morning I caught a glimpse of a Nissan Leaf. Then, when I pulled in the parking lot I saw a Ford C-Max Energi. Mostly I see Leafs (Leaves?) and Volts. Occasionally I see one of the Ford Energi models. I don't know of any public chargers in town - unless you count the one at the Nissan dealer. And the one electric bike for sale on Craigslist has been there a few months now. Lubbock, in general, has not embraced electric transportation.

 

When I talk to people about electric cars and why many people do not care for them, I am often told that they are just as "dirty" as petrol-powered vehicles. Then I hear a lame spiel about coal-fired electric plants and dirty power through the plug-in. Yes, it is true that we have lots of coal-powered electric plants, (Yes, Lubbock gets most of its power from coal and is very unfriendly to anyone seeking solar power.) but it is still cleaner and more efficient to deliver the electric power directly to the car rather than using that electricity (plus petroleum) to produce, refine, and deliver petroleum for use in cars.

Recently, the EPA put out a really cool online tool to help you determine how clean or dirty an electric car would be in your town. Unfortunately, many media outlets threw out misleading headlines that made it sound as though electric cars are much dirtier than we originally thought. Aaarrrgggghhhhh!!! If you are not in the USA, I apologize - the tools in this post are less helpful for you.

Plug your zip code in here to learn about local conditions:
http://oaspub.epa.gov/powpro/ept_pack.charts

Learn a lot more about it here: (48 pages!)
http://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/legacy/assets/documents/clean_vehicles/electric-car-global-warming-emissions-report.pdf

Check out the complete infographic and a fun cartoon here:
http://thegreendivas.com/2014/12/22/hank-d-bee-green-travel-cartoon-infographic/

So, yes, electric cars are less than perfect, but they, even under less than ideal conditions, are still cleaner and more efficient than petroleum burners. And, as we as a society move toward cleaner electric production, electric cars will become cleaner by proxy.

May you drive the cleanest and greenest joyfully! (Or fall in love with a bicycle!)

My Wife's Response to the Backyard Chicken Post - Pretty Funny

 

The original post for Backyard Chickens

A Quick Trip to Austin - Part 2 (Solar Power)

Less sexy than the Teslas and electric scooters (see Part 1), but just as exciting for me, was the number of South Austin homes sporting solar panels. We saw lots of houses with PV arrays on the roof and a few on free-standing pedestals.

 

Yes, I have solar envy. I did a little searching and found that our state capitol strongly encourages the installation of solar systems for residences and businesses.

Austin Energy Solar Programs and Rebates

If you follow the link to the bottom of the page, you can even see a form to help homeowners find loans for solar installation.

 

 

Grid-tied solar that is encouraged (not banned) by the city. Sigh.

 

May you find yourself in a place that works to make this a healthier world.

Since I am moving slowly on my project...

Roll out the barrel!!!!!

Here is a very cool (and inexpensive) aquaponics project that popped up on Instructables today. I really like the simplicity and detail on this one. And, I think bell siphons are downright cool.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Barrelponics-Getting-Started-With-Aquaponics/

And a bell siphon animation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHaiVhVZ3kM

May your food be healthy,additive free, and delicious!

Hang Time (Crunchy Clothes) Revisited

When we last discussed hanging your undies out to dry, it was the middle of August (8-13-13), and those suckers would dry quickly. If done with a little care, I could hang stuff up after work and it would be dry before bedtime.

But here it is November, and it takes longer to dry things, and it takes some planning on my part. Really, with the 8-5 job and all the trappings of a modern life, only Saturdays now give me time to hang anything up. Therefore, the dryer has been overly busy and the laundry line has been mostly neglected.

But today, I found a little inspiration in the Ask Umbra column. I'll be busting out the clothespins this weekend.

The Winter of Our Discontent(ed laundry)

May your clothessicles flap happily this winter!

Easy Breezy Bupkis

As I lay in bed last night trying to go to sleep, I listened to the wind brushing the crepe myrtles against the house. The wind did not cry "Mary" or "Mariah" or any other woman's name, but the wind did speak to me in an annoying Jewish mother voice. "Oy vey," said the wind, "my son the so-called 'mesquite hugger' - but he won't even get off his tukhus and build a little wind generator! What a schlub he is!"

And what she meant was that I have all the stuff - batteries, treadmill motor, bicycle wheels, inverter, and God knows we have the wind here, a charge controller, several defunct computer backup systems. Oy vey, I am a schmo! It's time to get to work!

For those of you who have heard similar groanings in the wind, here are some more Instructables for inspiration:

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Build-a-Wind-Turbine/

And, in the past week there have been four separate treadmills posted in the "free" section of the Lubbock Craigslist.

So, get out there and build your own, be a mensch among shmucks! Shalom!

(RIP Lou Reed - your music has been a blessing in my life.)

The Mesquite Hugger Dream Rears Its Ugly Head on Lubbock Craigslist

Today, in the Barter section, I found this ad. At first I wondered which of my friends posted this. I even briefly wondered if I posted it in my sleep. Whoever it is, I will say a prayer for them tonight for success in this brave and honorable venture. Godspeed, Craigslist poster!