Low-hanging, Eco-friendly Fruit 3A: Just say no.

Sometimes we get caught up in the wrong thing.

Sing it, Jack

Yep, you've heard it a thousand times - Reduce, Re-Use, Recycle. Then everyone focuses on Recycle.

But we can do better. Let's focus on Reduce today.

How do you go about reducing?

There are two easy approaches - Just Say So, and Bring Your Own.

Before we get there, let's sidebar over to one of my favorite topics: Food. Alright, let's make a list. How about your top five favorite places to eat? (My list has me hanging out at a few local spots on 34th street.)

Okay, take a few seconds to savor the memory of all that good food. Mmmm...fooood!

Learn more here (or tune in for 3B)

Now, think about how that food is served. Is it on a plate? Is it in a carton? Ceramic? Paper? Steel? Glass? Plastic? Styrofoam? Is there a ketchup bottle on the table? Is it handed to you through a window? Restaurant food is one of those places where we can find a little more of that low-hanging, eco-friendly fruit.

  

The essence of Reduce

(This came from JustThink.org, which is no longer there.)

Just say no. (No, this is not a Nancy Reagan thing.) This one is pretty simple. Make a list of what you can say no to, and stick with it! (Any plastic thing you use only once is a bad thing.)

• Straws and Lids - If you have to have one, take your own, but do you really have to have one?
• Plastic Knives, Forks, and Spoons - again, take them with you - or go for the finger food.
• Extra napkins - just how messy do you plan to be?
• Bag - when you only buy two items, do you really need a bag?
• Condiments (salt, pepper, ketchup, etc.)

Learn more here

A green straw hanging out on some fake grass outside my office

Another way to just say no is to patronize places where they make it easy for you. Look for places that serve food on non-disposable dishes or places that offer incentives for making healthier choices. As you go through your day, look for ways that you can make an impact by just saying no.

What are you going to say no to?

May a two-letter word lead to a healthier world.

(As always, thank you for taking the time to read Mesquite Hugger!)

Fossil Free Friday: Hope for a Vintage E-Vespa Kit

Vintage. Retro. Classic. Old school.

It's a rough thing sometimes to be a reformed gashead.

Old cars, trucks, motorcycles, they still turn my head.

 

Oh, the choices - but I prefer all those on the left!

 

But that whole gasoline thing messes it all up. Yes, cool vintage vehicles still turn my head, but if it burns gas, I don't want it.

No room for negotiation on this one.

 

For me, there is no vehicle more enjoyable than a vintage scooter, I am especially fond of old Vespas. But there's that whole messy gas-and-2-stroke-oil-destroying-our-ability-to-live-and-breathe issue thing that ruins the whole thing.

 

Here and there I run across news of someone who is working to create a green upgrade for old scooters (and the people who love them). Keith (good friend and accomplished Vespa restorer) shared one such venture with me earlier this week, and I am smitten!

 

Unlike almost all Vespa electric conversions I have seen, this one does not use a hub motor in a redesigned swingarm - this one uses the original swingarm, transmission, and clutch. The top-end of the engine is replaced with a specially designed brushless motor conversion. Ah, the best of both worlds. More power, no emissions, and you still get to chunk through those original gears! Sweetness!

 

ScooterLab UK - Stoffi FlowEr Power Vespa Interview (Video included)

 



Here are my two favorite quotes from the video:

 

"The guy who is doing this [at CRANK-e], he is a freak, and he's doing it perfect!"

"There will be, for the future, a kit." (!!!!!!!!!) 

 

Stoffi's Garage is an Austrian Vespa shop known for their high-quality work and components. I am excited to see them working on green alternatives for vintage eco-dorks like me! The electric motor setup is from an Austrian company called CRANK e. It is a very cool design. They refer to it as an electric crankshaft.

 

May your inner eco-dork be granted its greenest wish!

 

PS. The video also mentions a kit for the Vespa Ape (3-wheeled pickup), the large-frame Vespa, and the Lambretta. Whoohoolio!!!

A Green Revolution in Lubbock, Texas? Oh Yes! (Updated)

It's a lonely thing - being an eco blogger here in the LBK. (But it's getting better!)

Looking at the Mesquite Hugger blog stats, it's easy to see that the people who read it don't live around here unless they know and (hopefully) love me. It may be that it's a terrible blog and that it's poorly written and horribly unappealing, but I like to think that the subject  matter just doesn't appeal to the majority of Lubbockites. (Yeah, that's it!)

Remember this gem: It looks like we have to move away from Lubbock :-) ?

How about this one: Lubbock makes another green list,  %$#@! ?

Or maybe this one: Protected Bike Lane Infographic - Ah, Lubbock Bike Geek Happiness ?

 

Lubbock is just not a place known for its eco-friendliness.

I do have to admit, however, that there are signs of hope. Here and there you see local people addressing (and acknowledging) the issues surrounding climate change and our role in it. More people are choosing to ride a bike. Our town has also started embracing recycling and water conservation. There are sparks.

This week, I had a chance to see a Green Revolution very close to home. At the Texas Tech Museum, you too can see this Green Revolution on display:



The exhibit is up at the Texas Tech Museum!

For this lonely eco-blogger, it is an upcycled slice of Heaven. An exhibit aimed at helping real-world people find ways to green their everyday lives speaks my language. Really, as I walked around the installations, my smile widened and widened more: alternative energy, energy and water conservation, carbon reduction, recycling, upcycling, and bicycling! And I was seeing all of this here in Lubbock! Plus, there were real, live worms!

Vermicomposting! and Composting!

I love this idea, but I don't seem to be the best of worm farmers. I have, however, turned out to be a very successful composter.

Rain barrels and water conservation

 

Unlike the catastrophic worm composting experiment, I have been very successful in capturing rain water in my home-made rain barrel. (It's amazing how little rain it takes to fill up a 55-gallon barrel!)

Recycling!

You know I love me some recycling!

Neighborhood Beautification

Lubbock, you know we need this!

Personal Carbon Reduction!

You mean you don't view everyday life as a green challenge? I keep hoping my maker friends over at ULabs will create an Eco-Fit-Bitty type thing so we can all track our daily eco-friendly steps.

Neighborhood/Community Gardens (The Curious Garden)

Bicycling (I may have mentioned this topic a few times.)

 

Yep, it was downright amazing to see all of these displays right here in my own backyard. I am now feeling so much less lonely. There are people in the world who speak my eco-language! And they are spreading the word! [Sigh.] It feels good to be the Mesquite Hugger!

If you're still reading, you must be (a.) intrigued (b.) really bored, or (c.) you love me, you really love me! In case you fall in category (a.) or (c.), I have some exciting news for you.

 

 

On Sunday, October 16 from 2pm-4pm, there will be a Green Revolution event at the museum. The coolest part of the event will be a short talk from our own world-famous climate scientist, Dr. Katharine Hayhoe. If you have never had a chance to hear Dr. H speak, you are in for a very educational treat! After the talk, you will be invited to go around to different booths to speak to local experts (and a long-winded blogger) on a number of life-greening topics. You might even have a chance to win a (really tiny) Tesla Model S!

 

May you find local opportunities to learn and grow, and may that be a blessing to everyone.

Lubbock on a Bike: National Bike Challenge 2016 Update

The Concho Pearl and my bike earlier this week

Nope, I have not been writing about it much, but it's still going and I am still pedaling - a lot! (Or at least a lot for an out-of-shape middle-ager.)

So far, I have ridden more than 50 miles on the bike this week. And I hope to do five or so more today.

So, let's be very honest here. I can not afford an electric car -  not even one of those really inexpensive used Nissan Leafs. I can't afford a decent non-electric car. Shoot - I can't even afford a decent electric bike. But it's funny, that lack of money has turned out to be a blessing in a lot of ways.

If I could afford an electric car, I fear I'd be quite lazy (and smugly self-righteous to boot!)

For my own personal code of ethics, choosing to burn gasoline is wrong, so I have worked to have a life where I do not have to burn much gasoline. I live in a flat place where it rains and snows very little. I work five miles from home. Most days, I work in the office. I have bought (second-hand but very functional) electric or manual yard implements.

And I ride a bike as much as possible.

So, I am healthier, lighter, stronger, and more at peace. (I like myself and others better when I ride than when I drive.)

And all of that fits right in with the thing that gave me a big push in becoming a bicycle commuter - the National Bike Challenge.

It may shock you, but I am generally not a competitive person. It shows up here and there, but generally it's not what I'm known for. Strangely, that goes out the window when it's National Bike Challenge time.

That's me in first - but it's a tenuous lead!

You see, there's a guy in town named David, and he and I have fought it out all summer. I don't know David, but he has become a bigger part of my life than I'm ready to admit. Every day I log in to see where we are standing, and it's reaching a fever pitch. You see, the challenge ends in SIX DAYS!

My stats for this year

You can see from my stats how much I owe to David. Ten percent of my points for this challenge have come from this week. And it's all his fault. (And I don't even know if he knows that I exist.)

To be honest, my legs are getting tired, but I plan to keep pushing all week! Thank you NBC! Thank you David, Les, Bradley, Spencer, and  Allen for pushing me to ride more. Thank you to my Toni for putting up with all the biking!

David, if I ever meet you I'll buy you a beverage in a non-disposable cup!

May we all find encouragement in the healthy places!

Bonus San Angelo on a Bike pics:

It's a town with culture,

and a river,

and River Beetles,

and one seriously cool trash can. (It would be even cooler if it were a whole recycle train!)

National Drive Electric Week Begins: 2 Local Used Electric Vehicles for Sale

[Yep, it's a minipost]

Both ends of the spectrum here:

a 2014 Tesla Model S and...

an "as is" electric bike.

The Tesla is on Amarillo Craigslist and there is no price listed. It's the first Tesla I've seen for sale locally. The Ezip bicycle is on Lubbock Craigslist and says "as is". If it just needs batteries, the $100 price is not bad for a very basic entry level e-bike. (If it needs a rear wheel, I just happen to have one for it.)

Be sure and tell 'em the Mesquite Hugger sent you!

So there you go. I will keep looking to see if anything somewhere between these pops up.

May you find green transport that fits your budget and your needs while making the world a little healthier for us all.

Electric Vehicle Sightings in Lubbock and a Super-Fast Electric Beetle!

[Since National Drive Electric Week starts in two days, I thought I'd write about EV's in the LBK this week.]

Yesterday morning, I left the house (in the pickup, snagit all to Midland!) around 6am. I pulled up to the bicycle lane on Flint and noticed a high-powered LED bike light coming toward me. He was moving pretty quickly. I was thinking that he must be pedaling hard, then I noticed he was hardly pedaling. Then I noticed a big honking hub motor in the rear wheel and a battery pack hanging under the rear rack. It's a rare thing, but I saw an electric bike in the wilds of Lubbock traffic. Woohoo!

Most of the EV sightings this week have been (battery only) Nissan Leafs: a silver, two blues, a white, and a black one. I also saw the white BMW i3 humming down Marsha Sharp yesterday - it's such a cool car with all that carbon fiber and such. The two semi oddballs for this post were both PHEVs (plug-in hybrids).

I saw the Ford Fusion Energi yesterday afternoon. I often wonder how many of these I see without noticing since they look just like the standard models and the hybrid models.

And I parked near this last-generation Chevy Volt this morning. I like that the first Volts were a distinctive model that looked different enough to be noticed. The new generation Volt blends in much more.

When talking about EVs and Chevy, I have to mention the Bolt somewhere, so check out the next link. I have seen questions like this about the Volt a few lately: Does the Chevy Bolt EV make the Chevrolet Volt irrelevant? Is that a problem? (EV fans - Read more John Voelcker!)

And here's a link to a Gas2 (by way of Inside EVs) article that tells about EV sales AND has a list of all the EVs that are selling in the States: Electric Car sales Up Strongly in August. Be sure to check out the top 6, and (sadly) the last car on the list. (Toyota, what's up? Still waiting for the perfect storm for hydrogen?)

Saving the good stuff for last: Black Current did it Again: All-Electric Black  Current III sets 1/4 Mile Record 8.28 Seconds (Inside EVs again). Be sure to watch the video! Dang, that thing is fast!

National Drive Electric Week starts in two days - go test drive an electric car already! See what you're missing!

May you not miss pumping gasoline, or burning gasoline, or smelling like gasoline, or paying for gasoline.

They say it's your birthday, Mesquite Hugger

[Blogger warning: prepare to read a lot about me me me if you venture past this point!]

Yep, it happened again, my birthday rolled around this weekend. And it was a great birthday weekend. Not anything crazy, but good times with great people and a little slowdown time. Good stuff.

I get all reflective around anniversaries and such, so I sat down and started looking at where I am. I won't bore you with all of the details, but I will bore you with the mesquite huggery stuff.

So, what have I been doing right this year? Carpooling the recycling, riding a bike, and trying to spread the word.

Carpooling recycling: Thank you, Texas Tech recycling!!! Thursday is now recycle day - I drive the truck to work. My office and three households load their recycling into the truck. I swing by my mum's house and pick up her recycling, and (of course) I take our recycling and a fair amount of neighborhood stuff to the university. (An old friend of mine is working over there and putting his life back together after some hard times. Through him, I can see where the recycling program is doing much more for our community than just recycling.) Thank you, Texas Tech!

Love the bike!

Yes, you knew I couldn't skip the bike. Lots of miles going to work and running errands. I feel better. The planet breathes easier. Our bank account is suffering less too. Pedaling is good stuff!

Yep, I represented there!

Spreading the word: I gave a few talks, worked with the Citizens Climate Lobby, and blog readership is up. We are making some progress.

What have I been doing okay? Giving up the gasoline, gardening and greener yard work, being politically active, and being friendlier to others.

Second-hand mower that needs no gas!

 

Giving up the gasoline: It's not just the bike! I have been planning my trips better and driving a bit more mellowly. And there's a lot of pedaling. I picked up a second-hand cordless lawnmower, a second-hand cordless weedeater, and a first-hand cordless chainsaw. Still burning more than I want to be, but it's progress.

Food Is Free Planter

Sweet! (pepper)

The carbon munching garden? It's doing pretty good, especially the Food-Is-Free planter. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and squash are growing like weeds! The weeds aren't growing like weeds! The roly polies are under control, the squash bugs are (somewhat) under control, and the tiny predators are fat and happy! The olla planters are doing well but would be doing better with more time devoted to them. The compost boxes are cranking out plenty of compost.

Basil Flower

Eggplant Flower

Squash Flower

Political activity: I learned early on not to talk politics and religion in polite company.*

People keep smiling back at me!

Where have I stunk the place up? Project completion, decluttering and minimizing, and pursuing solar power.

Project completion: The electro-pigeons gather dust. Electric Bridget gathers dust. The electric pickup gathers dust. The greenhouse pieces gather dust. (I should become a dust collector since I seem to have a knack for it.) But the home-made panniers have been a great boon to my biking.

Decluttering and becoming a minimalist: I have actually re-homed quite a bit of stuff this year, but it is spoons full from a mountain. And I really want a cargo bike, snagit!

Pursuing solar power: I do consistently use a solar-powered bike light, but that's about it.

May your reflections show that you are blessed and ever more green!

I'd marry her!

 

*I thank God for each and every one of you who takes time to read this blog and I pray that you are blessed regardless of your political affiliation, religious beliefs, gender identity, or hatred of dorks on bikes.