Daily Impact: August 10, 2011

This is the second post of my new blog. After thinking about this project, it has become clear that this will be quite the undertaking. It is amazing how every little thing I do has an impact on our world. I am sure that I will omit some things at first, but I will endeavor to be as thorough as possible.

Yesterday, I used 12 KWh from the grid. This is a low number for the summer in Orlando, and this low number can be attributed to the overcast skies and cooling rain that we had all day yesterday. For the remainder of the evening yesterday, I had some more impacts to report.

For dinner last night, I had a bacon wrapped filet which I bought at Aldi. All meat products have a big impact on this planet, and I try to eat alternative foods. The filet was packaged in a plastic container which went into the trash. The package did not state the origin of the meat, but I am pretty sure it is not a local source. I also had some canned tomatoes and a sweet onion with the filet. The can was a Publix brand, and the origin was also not listed on the label. I am also not sure what the origin of the onion was either. This is my first lesson learned after starting this project; Many products do not state their origin on the label, only the distributor.

After dinner, I rode the electric scooter over to home depot. I ordered two new windows for my garage. All of the windows except those two were replaced within the last fifteen years. The other windows are bronze, and bronze windows are only available through special order. The window factory is in Louisiana, and they will be delivered to the store along with the regular deliveries. I will remove the glass from the old windows, and recycle the the aluminum frames.

I did plug in tn the scooter while shopping last night, but the outside power used was probably less than 150 watt-hours. Aside from my bikes, the electric scooter is the most efficient mode of transportation I have. It has a 500 watt motor which has a top speed of 20 MPH. If there was no loss from the charging of the batteries, the scooter would get 40 miles per KWh. (20 miles per 500 watt-hours = 40 miles per 1000 watt-hours = 40 miles per KWh) I think that the actual mileage is closer to 30 per KWh. The stated mileage for the Nissan Leaf is 4 Miles per KWh, so this scooter is pretty efficient. It is my ride of choice when my destination is within its 17 mile range.

This morning, I started my day with a glass of orange juice. I mix this OJ from a can of concentrate. I find this to be cost effective, and the taste is fine. I buy the cans at Aldi, and they state that the juice is a product of the USA, Mexico, and Brazil. I will shop for juice that is canned here from now on. I live in Florida after all. I also had a banana, and it probably came from South America. Banana trees grow here, and maybe it is time to plant some. I will also have some cereal (origin unknown) and some milk (unknown origin, but the package specifies no growth hormones were used at least).

The origin of my food is a complication which I did not anticipate with this project. I thought that it would be as simple as just watching what I do to get around and to live in my home. I hope that I can find local options to my food needs without it costing me too much money. I am not working full time right now, so watching my pennies is important.

I will update the blog with the rest of my day's impact later.