My Daily Impact: August 20 and 21, 2011

My Daily Impact: August 20, 21, and 22

This is my ninth posting to my blog.

On Friday, August 20, after posting to this blog at Panera, I went back home to do some chores. I rode the e-scooter downtown to meet with friends again. I was able to plug in once there, so I added about 150 watt-hours of outside power to my grid power use for the day. We went out to Pei Wei for dinner, and it was served on plastic plates which were then washed and re-used, as were the stainless utensils and plastic cup. The napkin, a large, thick napkin, came back home with me ( I used the same paper towel which I used to dry my hands from the bathroom). The ride home saw some light sprinkles of rain, but was pleasant. Grid power use for Friday was 15 KWh.

On Saturday morning, I went downtown on the e-scooter to walk with my friends. There was no flat tire to deter me this time. I got some coffee from Panera in my mug, and used a plastic stirrer and two sugar packets. We went to P-house for breakfast afterwards which meant more washed utensils and flatware, and a napkin and sugar packets for the trash. I then rode down to the flea market and got some (local?) plum tomatoes. Then it was off to Bass Pro Shops for some motorcycle gloves. These came from China, and included a plastic bag too small to use for garbage.  I charged the scooter twice for about 250 watt-hours of outside power.

I returned home to do some nice napping, and then went back downtown to meet with friends again. I was running late, and knew that charging the scooter was not an option, so I took my truck. I was at least able to give Kenny a ride to Sweet Tomatoes, so at least he saved some gas. Several plates and bowls went into the dishwasher with the utensils, and the paper napkin went into the trash. Truck mileage was 27 and KWh for the day ( not including the truck) was 14.

Sunday morning, I went to church on the e-scooter, then to breakfast at Shannons, then to the library. The usual washing of dishes and utensils, and one napkin into the trash. The e-scooter handled this 25 mile round trip with relative ease and 250 watt-hours of outside power.

I got home and did a load of laundry while the truck charged. I was able to use rain water for the wash, and line dry my shorts. The t-shirts and towels went into the dryer, and through my oun inattention went for the full cycle. I usually empty the dryer when my stuff is a little damp, and hang them on hangers to complete the drying process. I am estimating that the dryer used 3-4 KWh for the complete cycle as opposed to 2 for the shorter one.

I went back into town for dinner with friends on the e-scooter, and we ended up at Jason's Deli. I had a nice salad bar, and used one napkin with the waahed utensils and two bowls. The scooter ride home was very pleasant, and it was a big mileage day for my little electric two wheeler. Total KWh for the day was a whopping 28. This included 11 for charging the truck, 3 for the dryer and aproximately 14 for the house.

Monday morning meant the first day of motorcycle licence endorsement class. I have been riding the Hondas without the correct licence for a full year. The class is at the Harley dealer nearby, and I was able to ride the e-scooter there easily. Class was interesting, and I look forward to Wednesday when I can ride the Honda again.

Looking forward to riding again, LEGALLY! 

Tomorrow (Tuesday) we will be having the driving part of our classes. This means that we will be using the motorcycles and the gas in them. It has been over a week since I used any gas, and I like to go as long as possible without doing so. I guess I really should count the several times a week that I ride in others cars, but I try to offset this with giving rides in my truck. It would be nice if the truck would seat more than one passenger, but it does haul stuff pretty well.

Tonight, I am meeting my friend Bret for dinner. I will not be able to easily plug in, and the weather looks a bit threatening, so it is the tuck again. I must admit that it is nice to sit on a real seat and listen to music while driving, but I also like the open feeling of riding the scooter.