How about recycling some plastic at home? (#2 HDPE)

So, have you been looking for a new project to tackle/melt?

[I've not had a lot of time for projects lately, but I have run across something I really want to try, and it's definitely a mesquite huggery thing.]

Recycling, it's been a bummer this year.

The writing has been all over the wall. We've pushed way past peak recycling. The problem? We create garbage far beyond our ability to recycle it. More and more recycling facilities are shutting down or turning away the garbage we send to recycle. In that whole Reduce, Re-Use, Recycle mantra, we've focused way too much on just Recycle.

What's a Mesquite Hugger to do? (Focus on Reducing and Re-using, you dummy!)

Recently, I learned of a way to do some plastic recycling at home: recycle #2 plastic at home! (And use it on some DIY projects I've been wanting to tackle.)

Longer, More Detailed HDPE Recycling with Slingshots!

Shorter, Easier Version with a Blender!

While most recycling is a bigger process than you can (practically) tackle at home, it appears that high density polyethylene is something you can tackle with a toaster oven, a blender, some baking paper, and some shop scraps.

Examples of recycled HDPE lawn furniture

If you've seen recycle-plastic lawn furniture and playground equipment, it's more than likely HDPE, so why not make your own recycled lumber and build whatever you want?

My brain has been swimming (maybe dog-paddling) with things I can build with recycled HDPE stuff. Imagine being able to make your own waterproof building blocks for all kinds of stuff. I've even been eyeing all the #2 recycling around me. Who knew bottle lids and laundry detergent bottles came in such great colors? When I get the cargo bike built, it's gonna need some rear decks...

What are you gonna build?

For the really ambitious among you, this could turn into something big - imagine siding a house (or maybe a solar-powered backyard shed) with HDPE planks/brick you've made. How about building that little white picket fence you always dreamed of? Create your own HDPE samurai armor for special occasions? Panniers? A canoe? Paddles for your canoe? (Yes, I know, my imagination is a little limited today, but I'm hoping your mind is now swimming with some very plastic ideas.)

Maybe we're looking at this whole recycling idea all wrong - maybe it's time to stop relying on others, to get our hands dirty, and to build our own stuff instead of contributing more to the mountains of unrecycled recyclables! (Me, I need to finish this post so I can clean the garage to make some space to practice what I preach.)

Go get 'em, melt 'em, and make 'em into something else!

¡Viva la HDPE revolucíon!

May you be well and joyful. May we all work for better (for all)!

Earth Day Suggestions: #4.6 Start with 1 BIG thing

 

Back in September, the movie Racing Extinction was released. It is huge in its scope and its message. (My breaking point in the movie was a little segment about a lonely tree frog. Go figure.)

 

Trailer here

 

A big part of the film launch was the #startwith1thing idea, which encouraged everyone who watched to find one environmentally friendly step and commit to it. And that is a good start.

However, as much as I love every green gadget, DIY project, electric vehicle, and giving up straws, I also know that it is going to take a lot more than a few of us making a lot of tiny changes. We have been doing serious environmental damage for more than a century. It is going to take a lot of work to slow down and reverse the damage. But I believe it can be done.

Take a deep breath.

Before we jump into it, what do you care about?

Children, cancer, deforestation, whales, lung disease, water conservation, recycling, poverty, surfing, skiing, food production, food waste, farming, fossil fuels, pollution, gardening, government reform, sea-level rise, bees, endangered species, camping, renewable energy, or that thing I missed.

Yes, please find something. Then start with one BIG thing (something bigger than your daily life) and get to work.

For me, I kept looking at the big list and everything kept pointing back to carbon. The more we release, the more everything else goes downhill. And now I have found my one BIG thing - the Citizen's Climate Lobby.  This group focuses on limiting carbon release through a carbon tax and redistribution of those funds to the general public. This bipartisan plan is designed to use market pressure to limit carbon extraction, encourage the adoption of renewable energy, and stimulate a country's economy. (By the way, we even have a Lubbock chapter!)

(Take another deep breath and have a flower break)

For you, please look at the things you are most passionate about, find a group working to save, preserve, or support that passion, and start with that one BIG thing. Few of us have the time, energy, and resources to tackle the whole list, but if we each tackle one BIG thing, we can make whole lot of big positive impacts (and not absolutely overwhelm ourselves).

May Earth Day be your line in the sand!

PS. Keep up the good work on all of those LITTLE things too!

Minipost: Super Cheap LED Lights to the Rescue

An ad from today's local newspaper - man, that's cheap!

Do you want to save the planet?
Do you want to pay less for electricity?
Are you a cheap !@#$% ? (I am!)

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then it's time to switch to LED bulbs in your fixtures.

Lots more great info here

 

So, let's do a little quick math. The average number of bulbs in American homes is 60.) If your house used 60 watt incandescent bulbs, those 60 bulbs would cost you $775.62 per year in electricity.

 

60 bulbs x $12.92 per year = $775.62

 

If you switched those 60 bulbs out for LED bulbs the math looks a lot better:

 

60 bulbs x $2.58 per year = $154.80 per year

 

And those numbers don't even take into account the short life of the incandescents vs. the extremely long life of the LED bulbs.

 

When all is said and done, each LED bulb uses around 1/5 of the power of an incandescent. Think how much coal and natural gas we would not have to burn if we just made that one switch. Think how much money you could save.

 

I have been replacing all of our bulbs for a few years now and have been stepping it up since the bulbs in the ad above became available at our local big box store. They have great, instant light, they put off virtually no heat, and I have never had an LED go out in the house.

 

So, what are you waiting for? Go buy at least one package and try it out, or do yourself a favor and buy a bunch.

 

May all eco-friendly choices become this easy.

Earth Day Suggestions: #4 Tiny Neighborhood Cleanup

You never know what you'll find 

Ok, this one is obvious and simple, but it is one of my favorite low-budget ways to accomplish lots of things (and celebrate Earth Day 2016):

• clean up your neighborhood
• increase recycling
• meet your neighbors
• model positive green behavior
• reduce stress
• get a little exercise

From thereisnoaway.net - a really great blog!

 If you're an over-achiever you can multitask and accomplish a few more things:

• walk the dog, cat, or possum
• teach life lessons to your kids, the neighbor kids, or the jerk down the street who litters a lot
• meditate on the meaning of humility and the importance of not calling your neighbor a jerk
• bird watch
• crime watch
• bird crime watch (those grackles get into a lot of stuff)
• take pics for your ______ Hugger blog (may not apply to all readers)
• revive a few new years resolutions (more exercise, less time on the couch, less phone time)
• ponder the meaning of 42
• prove to yourself that carbon-negative transportation is possible

 How do you do it? Walk around your block picking up trash.

What tools are needed? a hand and a bag, bucket, or sack

Any optional tools? Those grabby pincher things, good tennis shoes, pepper spray (in case you live near a burrito place that is not spicy enough), sun protection, a smile, latex gloves, clothing

What can I expect? Beverage containers, cigarette packages, lots of straws, papers; the satisfaction of doing something for your planet, your fellow humans, beauty, and yourself

May simple steps lead to better living for all.

[If you really want to see changes, try doing this weekly - you will be amazed.]

Bonus MH posts about this topic:

Stop living in a trashy neighborhood!

PCR Sidebar: Trashy Neighborhood Revisited

Derelict Hat Day in the Trashy 'Hood

Find it here

Earth Day Suggestions: #3 Seek Greenspiration

Before we get started, start thinking about something you really enjoy. (For me it would be something with wheels.) Not a green something, just a plain old something you enjoy. Do you have it pictured? Take a second to enjoy your mental image.

 

Now, go to your favorite search engine, type the name of that thing you enjoy along with one of the following adjectives: sustainable, eco-friendly, green, carbon-neutral, recycled, upcycled, ecological, reclaimed, green, or earth-friendly. Next, hit the search button.

 

This Instructables photo changed my thinking about transportation several years ago.

 

So, what popped up? Is there something there that appeals to you? Is there a new take on something you already love? If yes, start researching, dreaming, and scheming. If no...

 

...let's try a different approach.

 

Start your day ready to take notes. Title your notes something like There's got to be a better way or The world would be better if or What would Ed Begley Jr. do in my place? Give yourself a few days to look around. Write down lots of stuff. When you look back over your list, see if you are passionate (or at least curious) about something you wrote down.

 

Still nothing? Well, I almost give up.

 

• Thumb through a copy of Mother Earth News.
• Read three articles on Treehugger, Grist, or EcoWatch.
• Watch Who Killed the Electric Car? (with Revenge of the Electric Car), Racing Extinction, or Years of Living Dangerously.
• Watch The Story of Stuff - just do it!
• Check out Greenpeace, the Citizens Climate Lobby, the Sierra Club, or the Earth Day Network.
• Go for a walk in or near nature.

 

Still nothing?

 

Ponder Katharine Hayhoe's favorite cartoon

 

If none of that offers you inspiration, swing on by the Mesquite Hugger compound so I can introduce you to my little friend!

 

May (lots of ) you be inspired to make Earth Day 2016 the day you started a great and mighty work. 

 

 

 

 

Earth Day Suggestions: #2 Get Down and Dirty

[Alternate title: Save the planet, save money, grow veggies, possibly have worms!]

This shirt helps me with my self-image issues.

Unlike yesterday's suggestion, this one is all about the dirt. But (and this is a big but) there are no car salesmen involved.

For me, Earth Day is about a few big things - tackling climate change, cleaning up the mess we've made, and finding ways not to make such a big mess for the future. Today's topic deals with all three and it's about making a little mess to drastically reduce some bigger messes.

It's all about COMPOST!

In the past, I did a little composting here and there, but last year I was blessed with a big wooden box that helped me kick up the composting in a fairly big way. (And I now have a Mediterranean gecko preserve in a box in the backyard too. Win-Win!)

The first thing you need to know about composting - it's cheap and easy! This may sound simplistic, but composting is just throwing a loosely balanced bunch of trash together, stirring it up occasionally, and ending up with a bunch of free fertilizer.

Why should you do it?

You can easily cut down your household garbage production by 1/3. You can cut down on greenhouse gas production in your local landfill and you can lessen the need for more landfills. You can save $ on fertilizer (or you can donate it to someone who will use it - like a neighborhood garden or grub farm). It could be your opportunity to finally have 1000's of worms as pets - if you decide to try vermicomposting.

Want to learn more?

Check out this infographic from a 2011 Treehugger article. (Good composting is timeless!) (Separated for easier viewing)

 

 

 

 

 

May we conquer our problems one food scrap at a time!

 

PS. For those of you who are all about the worms, Uncle Jim is having an Earth Day sale (for you big spenders).

 

Earth Day Suggestions: #1 Burn some electrons!

One of my favorite holiday-ish days is this Friday (April 22). This is Earth Day #46. If I were a more ambitious blogger, I'd work on 46 suggestions. Being me and not being ready to quit my day job and all of that, I am shooting for 4.6 suggestions.

Number one is actually fun, and you won't get dirt under your fingernails, and it takes very little commitment on your part, and no money is needed.

Go test drive an electric car.

A Leaf and Charger at McGavock (Love the blue)

Why? Because you are human. Because the best way to learn about something is to experience it with multiple senses. A few weeks back I had the opportunity to take people for rides in an electric car. It was great to see how surprised they were. I am not sure what they expected, but the car far exceeded everyone's expectations. You should test drive one so that you know what it is, so that you can see whether or not an electric car makes sense for you or anyone around you. You may be surprised too.

What does test driving a new car have to do with Earth Day? If you are like most West Texans, you are a car addict. (I know I am.) That means we are all addicted to burning fossil fuels, which also means we are directly responsible for creating a type of pollution that damages the air, damages our lungs, damages our water, and damages our soil. Electric cars offer us a way to maintain our car-based lifestyles without doing nearly so much damage. (And there's a good chance that you will save a lot of money in the process.)

Original Poster from 1970 Earth Day

A few things to keep in mind before you go:

• If you buy a new (completely) electric car, you are eligible for a $7500 income tax break next April. (Whoohoo!)
• Your fuel costs will be about one-fourth of what you are currently spending.
• Electric cars are a phenomenal choice for multi-car families.
• There's a good chance that your salesman will know less than you do about the car.
• There's also a good chance that your salesman will try to steer you away to a gas-powered car.
• There's a good chance that you will experience the EV grin. Electric Vehicles have that effect on people.

There may be others, but I know that there are currently two new electric cars for sale in the LBK. McGavock Nissan (6312 Milwaukee Avenue) has a dark blue Nissan Leaf and Reagor Dykes Mitsubishi (6540 82nd Street) has a pearl white Mitsubishi MiEV.

Mitsubishi at Reagor Dykes

If you go drive either, please do me two favors: tell them the Mesquite Hugger sent you, and please send me a pic (mesquitehugger@gmail.com).

May you be pleasantly surprised and may we all be one step closer to breathing easier.

PS. If you're not quite so hardcore but want to make strides, Gene Messer Ford has a black Ford Fusion Energi (plug-in hybrid) and Gene Messer Chevrolet has a silver 2015 Chevy Volt (plug-in hybrid).

Find many more Mesquite Hugger electric car posts here.