Friday Carbon-Neutral Commute: No Electric Car Required

It is a cold and damp morning here in Lubbock. I got up. Looked at the weather, had a talk with myself, and chose the e-bike.

This morning's coffee

The five-mile ride to work was cold and damp. I arrived at work with a smile on my face and feeling more energized. Yes, the bike creates a few more hassles, but the experience, the exercise, and the lack of climate destruction are more than worth it for this less-than-trim blogger.

May we all find places to choose better and truly enjoy the ride!

The Writing's on the E-Wall: Personal Health = Eco-Health

I keep finding myself in doctors' offices with my family. We're mostly in the UMC system, so each office has the same electronic reader board that displays a new e-poster every thirty seconds or so. It's smart. We are an A-D-D culture trapped in a tiny room. The scrolling images help us not to go bonkers and give us lots of great health advice that we wouldn't sit still for anywhere else.

Apple, heart, lifestyle changes

Besides the A-D-D thing, I've always been a compulsive reader. If there's a printed word, I can't resist. It's astounding how many cereal boxes I've read as I sat there munching sugar-coated goodness.

So, as we sit waiting for doctors, I have no choice. I have to read. Really - I absolutely have to!

Scale, apple, shoe

What I've come to notice is that the health posters keep telling us the same things to help us live a healthy life:

• Eat better food
• Exercise
• Lose weight
• Lower your stress
• Avoid inhaling smoke

Woohoo! This one even has a pic of a bike!

Those messages play over and over. It's amazing how many times I've seen them without making this one simple connection - all of the eco-health-save-the-planet-climate-strike messages I read just as voraciously say the same thing.

Eat Better

• less and cleaner meat
• more locally-grown, chemical free veggies
• less processed foods
• less processed sugar (There goes my cereal box!)
• less food served in plastic, stryrofoam, and cardboard

Exercise, Be more Active, Lose Weight

• utilize people-powered transportation as much as possible (biking, walking, etc.)
• use stairs
• ride a bike
• get outside
• ride a bike
• garden
• ride a bike
• turn off the TV, phone, computer, tablet
• ride a bike
• get off your butt and on your feet
• ride a bike

(all about the boodie)

Lower Your Stress

• drive less
• sleep better/more
• turn off the electronics
• exercise
• eat better
• spend time with good people

Avoid Inhaling Smoke

• from tobacco
• from vaping
• from tailpipes (cars, trucks, lawn equipment, generators, boats, motorbikes, etc.)
• from coal power
• from natural gas
• from clearing forests

So, there you have it - save yourself and get the added bonus of saving the planet. Not a bad deal at all!

I pray that you are well and getting better. Thanks for reading, friends!

Lubbock, Curious about Solar Power? Get answers October 5!

Woohoo! I am excited!

With the LP&L/ERCOT changes, I've had a several people ask me about residential solar in Lubbock. As much as I hate to admit it, I don't know much. But that's going to change next Saturday. The local chapter of the CCL has invited some solar pros to come talk and share what they know.

Oh, by the way, you're invited too!

Sorry, the links are not active, but the flyer info is good!

I hope to see you there!

Be well, my friends!

Lubbock: Responding to Climate Change Locally 7-27-19 (with 7-29 update)

My absolute favorite local group for combating climate change is the Lubbock Chapter of the Citizens Climate Lobby. If you're curious or serious about limiting the effects of too much carbon, they are a great place to start. And...

...they are having a program on Saturday, the 27th.

Find the printable flyer here

May we work together to make something happen. I hope to see you there!

Update (7-29-2019)

Here is the Daily Toreador article reporting on the program:

Gillette, Lubbock Community Discusses Climate Change Effects on West Texas

The sun, a cloud, a bird, a small electric van, a grumbly brain

Grizz' scoot, my e-bike, and the sun peeking through this morning

It was yesterday I saw the photo of the Salvadoran father and child floating face down in the Rio Grande. It's been haunting me. I miss the days when I believed in my country as a place that offered refuge to those in need. Your tired, your poor, your huddled masses...

Last Saturday's view

Not a lot to report. Other than riding to work, there's been little progress on the green living/project front. The garage is getting cleaner and more organized. The gas-burners are in better repair. One tree is trimmed. The tomatoes are ripening.

A great egret fishing in the rain run-off

We've had a lot of night rain lately. More green. More mosquitoes. The sound of gas-powered lawn equipment is almost constant during daylight hours.

Same egret. This morning it was replaced by a snowy egret.

A Vantage GreenVan

D and I went to recycle this week at Texas Tech and got to check out this nifty little electric van parked at the recycle station entrance. A little web-surfing revealed it to be a Vantage GreenVan. The first tip was the lack of exhaust pipe. It looks very rough on the inside. If it were capable of more than 25mph, I'd sure want it for hauling recycling, bicycles, scooters, kayaks, and dogs.

I was excited to hear John Delaney discussing a bipartisan carbon tax bill (just like the Citizens Climate Lobby plan) on last night's debates. More like this, American politicians, please!

That's enough grumbling for today. May you be well with a forecast for better!