Daily Impact: Return from a road trip!

This is the 23rd posting to this blog.


I have not posted to this blog in over a week. I went out of town.

Travel makes a big impact on the total carbon emissions for a person. I took Astro up to Washington DC in the van. I left Orlando on Wednesday, September 21 at about noon. It was hot, and I ran the A/C until it became evening. The A/C in the van has been week for a while, and it seems that the repair I made did not hold. I used a can of sealer which I picked up at the auto parts store, and it held for a few months. I will try to use it again, and hope for better results.

I am not sure if it was the heat, the A/C, or some other problem, but the van only got about 22.5 MPG on the first tank of gas. The overall average for the van is usually over 24.5 MPG. I have been keeping records of this for several years. I do know that the van likes cooler weather. On the return trip home, it got over 25 MPG for an average of 23.6 for the whole trip. The whole trip was 1702 miles, and I only drove the van seven miles while in DC.

Team Florida's Flex House. One of my favorites.

I went on this trip to attend the Solar Decathlon. Click here to go to their website. This event is held on odd years in our nation's capitol. This year it was not on the national mall, but was relegated to the West Potomac Park which is south of the Lincoln Memorial. I rode my bike from where I stayed in Alexandria to the event each day. The ride was a test of my riding abilities and stamina due to the several hills along the route. I had to dismount the bike twice each way to walk up the steep hills.

This was my third time attending the Solar Decathlon. I enjoy looking at each of the homes for new ideas for my own house. There are several which I intend to incorporate into my home in the next year. The first will be to remove the climate control ducts from my attic. That space is always hot despite the roof being painted white, and most of the climate control I use is for cooling. I will install exposed ductwork below the ceiling. I have already figured out how to do this, and have the routing planned. I now need to shop for ductwork which I can paint to make pretty.

A second thing I wish to incorporate is a desicant dehumidifier. There were three teams who used diferent salt brine systems for this purpose, and I will explore these options. A third thing I wish to do is to add insulation to my attic. Once the duct work is removed, there will be plenty of space to add much needed insulation. I was going to insulate the inside of the roof with spray foam, but learned from Michael Flynn (Team Florida) that this will make the rafters of the roof rot. He did say that using closed cell spray foam under the floors would be a great idea. That will be step four.

Step five has nothing to do with energy savings, but will make certain parts of the house more private when I get a roommate. Instead of installing pocket doors which is expensive, I will use external sliding doors instead. Several teams used these in their houses, and when done right look very nice. I will install one between the kitchen and the west part of the house, and one between my rooms and the living room. I prefer to use translucent panels for these doors, and will keep my eyes open for the right kind.

I will resume keeping track of my daily impacts tomorrow. Even though I put about 1300 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere by driving to DC, at least my house was not using any grid power while I was gone. I left the one room A/C on 86 degrees and on energy-saving mode, and plugged it into the solar outlet. The fridge and exterior light remained on solar power as well. I had some concern that there would not be enough sun and/or wind to keep all of these things going while I was gone, but thankfully everything was OK when I returned on Monday night. I was so happy to see that outside light burning brightly as I pulled into the driveway. That meant that the fridge still had power, and that there wasn't a nasty mess inside to deal with.

My Daily Impact: September 16, 17, and 18, 2011

This is the 22nd post to this blog.


Friday, September 16, 2011

I worked around the house most of the day, and got the van ready for my trip to DC next week. I bought a bike rack from the Habitat store, and I modified it to fit on my trailer hitch. It fits well, and will keep my bike out of the inside of the van so Astro can spread out.

I rode the Honda to my meeting on Friday night, and we went to dinner at El Piscatore Restaurant. I had the Tortellini de Stefano (a house special), and it was delicious. There was some meat and pork in the dish, but it was mostly pasta. I neglected to bring my own to-go container, and got a small Styrofoam one for my leftovers. Oops. The Honda's CO2 contribution was probably anout 4 pounds, and the container probably adds to that.

Total grid power use for Friday was 11 KWh. This is now the new average for a 90 degree day, and 75 degree night.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

I got up early to walk Astro, and to meet my friends downtown to walk. I was able to use the e-scooter, and plugged it in at the parking garage. I got coffee in my mug at Panera, and got a cup for my friend michael. The impacts of this were a cup, a lid, a sleeve, sugar packets, stir sticks, and of course the transport of the coffee from South America.

After our walk, we went to breakfast at Brians. Eggs, potatoes, and sweet rolls were my food, and the added impacts were plate washing a napkin, and more food and coffee transport. Maybe it is time to raise chickens for the eggs?

After Brians, it was to skycraft for some diodes for the windmill. The one I am using now is very small, and may burn out in a strong wind. I got home, and tested the diodes, and found that the volt meter registered voltage both ways through the diodes. Current should only flow one way, and I thought that the diodes were bad. Turns out they are not. More about that on Monday's post.

I rode the e-scooter downtown to meet with friends again in the evening, and we went to dinner at Too Jays. I had the Tilapia dinner... yummy. With all of the riding of the scooter (probably about 55 miles), I used about 300 watt-hours of other's power, and solar power at home to charge the little thing.

Total grid power use for Saturday was 12 KWh. I guess I ran the A/C a lot.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

I stayed around the house again getting things ready for the big DC trip. I did a load of sheets with some towels. I was able to use mostly rain water: completely in the wash cycle, and about 1/2 of the rince cycle. Although it rained a little bit, I was able to dry everything on the clothes line. The towels benefitted from the rain; they are soft instead of sandpaper rough like the usual line-dried result.

In the afternoon, Kenny and I went to Costco. He drove and the trip probably put about 20 pounds of CO2 into the air. We both had a sampler lunch while there, and then both got some goodies to bring home. I do not think anything that I bought there was produced locally. At least maybe the bigger quantities mean less packaging.

Later, I rode the e-scooter back into town for Thai Chi, and later dinner. We went to Jason's Deli where I had the salad bar. I am not sure where the food came from, but at least there was no meat involved. I had to ride with Kenny to the restaurant and back because I neglected to charge the scooter during the Thai Chi session. An extra 6 pounds or so of CO2 from that mistake.

Total Grid power use was 9 KWh. Thanks rain and cooler temperatures!

Monday, September 19, 2011

I drove the van up to Skycraft today. I wanted to make sure everything with the bike rack was OK before departing on my trip to DC. The bike rack is fine. I talked to Dale about the diodes, and we put them through the same test as I did at home. It turns out that digital volt meters are so sensitive that they will read voltage even though there is very little current passing through them. Now I can hook up the windmill using the new diodes until I get a new voltage controller.

I am now sitting at Panera with my mug full of coffee. I forgot to bring my knife and napkin for the bagel, so new ones will go into the trash. Oops again. Like Kermit the frog says " It's not easy being green" ! I'll head home and reconnect the windmill. The CO2 from my van trip is probably about 27 pounds, maybe a little less. For my trip, I will be putting quite a bit of that stuff into the air, and I would like to do better. The reality is that to travel with my dog, it is the only cost-effective way to go. It costs $ 25.00 per day to board him, and it will only cost me $ 30.00 per day to board both of us in DC. I will try to barter with one of my friends for future trips; maybe he can stay for free next time.

My Daily Impact: September 14 and 15, 2011

This is post # 21 on this blog.

OOPS! I did not watch yesterday's video until after it was posted. I guess that I was so excited that the windmill was generating power that I freaked out on the camera. I am really happy that the generator spins well, and that it spins quietly. I did have to bypass the voltage controller which came with it because it would put the brakes on prematurely. The blades would get spinning, then the controller would click off and short the wires making the blades stop spinning. I decided that that little generator would never overcharge the eight golf cart batteries which I use in my power system; so I bypassed it! It is a solution which my dad would have been proud of!

I did a load of laundry, and caught the dryer before it got my t-shirts completely dry. That meant that the total grid power use for Tuesday was 13 KWh. For a hot day, this was totally fine.

On Wednesday, I rode a lot on the e-scooter. I went to Ikea for breakfast, and then continued to Aldi for some milk and other groceries. I did not plug in at Ikea, and used solar power to charge when I got back home. I avoided the use of a napkin at Ikea, so aside from the bacon, I had little impact in the morning.

Later, I rodee downtown for a walk with my friends. I did a double walk, and probably went about 5.5 miles. I had not been walking too much lately, and my feet were a bit sore. While I walked, the scooter was plugged in at the parking garage for about 250 watt-hours of outside juice. When I got home, it was bacon wrapped filet and Green Giant spinach for dinner. Oink oink!

Total grid power use for Wednesday was 11 KWh. Good for a hot day.

This morning, Thursday, my neighbor Peggy and I ran some errands together. To save her gas, we went in my truck. We did Ikea breakfast (more bacon oink!), Habitat for Humanity Home Store (for a secret mad scientist project), a camera store (for Peggy's old camera), and Skycraft. A run of 27.7 miles which will use about 12 KWh, but keep about 30 pounds of CO2 out of the air.

In a few minutes, I will be off in the truck to Lowe's for more mad scientist supplies. The truck is much more efficient when run for a while, given a booster charge, and run again.

Here is a video of the wind generator doing its thing!

My Daily Impact: September 13, 2011

This is the 20th posting to this blog.

Yesterday's grid power use was 11 KWh. It was hot during the day, and not quite cool enough to sleep with the windows open at night.

Today, I trimmed the hedge in front of my house. It is a long hedge, about 140 feet of Potocarpus. I modified the electric trimmer by adding a pole to the handle. This allowed me to reach all the way across the top of the eight-foot hedge. It worked pretty well, but it gave my arms quite a work-out. If the motor could be mounted somewhere on the long handle, the balance would be much better. I used solar (and wind!) power to do most of the job, and the power meter never moved during the whole process; including blowing off the sidewalk.

Food today was bananas, a PBJ sandwich, and for dinner Burger King. I wanted to try a California Whopper. That was a big mistake. Nasty, Nasty, NASTY! I never had worse "guacamole" in my life. It tasted like green mayo. Barf barf barf Barf!

Well enough about nasty food. I actually saw the windmill producing energy today! It was spinning pretty quickly in what I would call a nice breeze. It seemed like we had more wind on other days where the blades stood still. I am happy to say that it spun without making any noise, and I was definitely able to verify current flow with my volt meter. Yay!

My Daily Impact: September 10 and 11, 2011

This is the 19th posting to this blog.

On Saturday Morning, September 10th, I rode the e-scooter downtown to walk with the guys. We went to breakfast afterwards, and I had a sausage chedar scramble. It was on special, and it was good despite it having pork in it. Of course there was the usual plate and utensils to be washed, but no napkin. I can be pretty careful eating when I want to be!

I did some miscelaneous chores around the house, and then went on a quest. I found a guy on Craigslist who was giving away two sliding glass doors. This mad scientist has plans for these lovely gems! I did have to drive to Longwood to get them, and that required the use of the van. The round trip was 46 miles which would be about 40 pounds of CO2.

A group of us went to dinner at I-Hop later, and I had the Talapia dinner. I have no idea where this fish came from, so I do not know its impact from miles traveled. One of the guys had a T-bone stake, and I was able to claim the bone for Astro. The bone was wrapped in plastic wrap, and put into a plastic bag. The wrap went in the trash, and the bag became a trash bag for the kitchen.

Total grid power use for the day was 9 KWh.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

I put the flag out out of respect for anyone who last a loveone on that fateful day ten years ago. I have definite views on how our country handled that day, but this is not the forum for that. I rode the Honda to church, and to my eneving Thai Chi session. Total miles were about 40, with anout 7 pounds of CO2. Breakfast was eggs, potatoes, toast and coffee. Dinner was Chipotle chicken bowl. No pork or red meat, but a paper bowl and plastic fork for the trash, and an aluminum lid for recycling or reuse.

Total grid power use for the house was 11 KWh. It was back to being hot and humid again.

Monday, September 12, 2011

My neighbor Peggy asked me if I wanted to ride to Ikea for breakfast. I went along, and had 4 slices of bacon (2 of mine and her two). Again, I was neet, and did not use a napkin. I will count about 4 pounds of CO2 for that trip to breakfast.

I did some projects around the house including attaching a pole to my electric hedge trimmer. I hope to avoid climbing atop the ladder on both sides of the hedge toreach the whole top of the bushes. I also worked on the e-scooter. I was able to raise the seat 1 1/2 inches. I no longer feel like it is such a kid's scooter, but I plan to pad the seat with a couple of inches more to make it feel more like the Honda. This project required a quick trip to Home Depot on the Honda for some metric screws. The trip made about 1.5 or 2 pounds of CO2.

For dinner, I finally finished that fried chicken I bought the other night. One or two more days, and it would have had to go in the trash. So far I feel good, lets hope that continues!

I rode the newly improved e-scooter down here to the library to write this blog. It does feel more comfortable, and I hope it treats my back better than it did in the past.

I still have not seen the windmill turn, but it may have spun last night while I was away. The storm that followed me downtown had some wind with it, and maybe enough to make some juice. I wait patiently to see it spin myself!

Daily Impact: September 9, 2011

This is the 18th posting to this blog

This Friday was a good day for low power use. It was fairly cool all day, it rained in the late afternoon, and it was cool at night. I was able to catch up on some missed sleep from the night before by taking a nap, and it was cool enough to do that with only having the fans on.

Thursday night, I had slept with the windows and doors open. It had been quite a while since I had done that. There were a lot of various noises that I was not used to hearing, and Astro was also a little antsy. He spotted something outside which made him bark at 2 AM. It seemed that I had just gone to sleep, and I had a hard time getting back to sleep after that interruption. There was also a mosquito that buzzed me several times during the night, so sleep was shallow and seldom.

My Friday afternoon nap got me feeling much better, and I was able to get some  stuff done in the afternoon. I made a trip on the e-scooter to the library and to the barber, and was able to fully recharge with solar power. For the evening trip downtown, I rode the Honda. I got into some rain by the time I got about 3/4 there, and had to put on my rain suit. I did eventually dry out, and had a nice dinner with friends. Carbon Dioxide output from the Honda was probably about 5 pounds.

We went to Little Saigon, and I had a double order of summer rolls. Each roll had two shrimp in it for a total of eight shrimp. That was the only thing that I ate that day which once had a heartbeat. The rest was peanut butter, bread, or cereal. Eating out of course meant that my dishes had to be washed, but I managed without a napkin.

When I returned home, I decided that I would sleep in the A/C. I wanted to get a good-night's sleep. The air was damp, but I opened the windows in the main part of the house to get some cool air in that area. I used the small window unit A/C in my office to cool the east part of the house which includes my bedroom.

I do not know if the windmill made any power when the storm blew through, but I did not see the blades spin yet. I will be sure to make a short movie when it does, and post it here.

Surprisingly, the total grid power use for the day was only 4 KWh.

Daily Impact: September 8, 2011

My Daily Impact: September 8, 2011

This is the 17th posting to my blog.

I am writing this in the morning of the 9th as a reflection of what happened yesterday. I met a friend at Ikea for free breakfast, and managed not to use a napkin. Only the plate, cup, fork, and spoon had to be washed. Ikea has done away with the hot sauce because it only comes in small, disposable bottles. They also got rid of the little paper cups that hold ketchup (catsup?). Hooray for them for taking such a bold move. I can bring my own bottle of hot sauce!

Yesterday was a much cooler day; it barely got into the upper 80's! I took advantage of this by doing some much-needed outdoor cleaning. I ran the A/C for about 15 minutes to cool the house from 84 to 81, and then went out for dinner with friends. All of my travels were on the e-scooter, and I used about 150 watt-hours of other's power to charge away from home.

Dinner was a nice surprise. We had not been to Boston Market for quite a while, and there have been some changes. No more plastic plates or utensils if food is eaten on the premises. I had a nice cup of chicken noodle soup eaten from a real bowl with a real spoon. I also took advantage of the free refil for a second half of a bowl.

Here is the good news about yesterday: total grid power use was only 3 KWh. It has been since May 23 that that number was so low. It was cool enough to sleep with the windows open, and they are still open now at 10 AM.

Here is the bad news about yesterday. I ate two slices of bacon for breakfast, and that chicken soup for dinner. This is not a huge impact, but it is an impact none the less.There also has not been any spinning of the windmill. I will again need to just wait for a good wind, and I will get my camera ready when that happens. Too bad that Ned Flanders does not live next door; I could just use his fans to get that thing spinning!

Daily Impact: September 7, 2011

My Daily Impact, Wednesday, September 7, 2011

This is the 16th posting to my blog.

Grid power use for Tuesday was 11 KWh. A good number which will hopefully get lower.

I woke up to a nice surprise. A cool, breezy morning. I flung open every door and window to get that nice fresh air into the house. What a treat. The freshness of the air also got me motivated. Today would be the day to install the wind generator.

I am happy to report that everything went very well. I had already assembled the generator onto the mounting pole, and just needed to mount the pole onto the chimney, and assemble the blades onto the generator. I stood atop the chimney while attaching the blades, and enjoyed the view while working. I only had to climb down once when I dropped the allen wrench.

I like the way the windmill looks up there; I would just like to see it spin in the wind! There was only enough breeze to make the windmill turn into the wind, but not enough to make it spin. It has not produced a watt yet, but I will be patient, and wait for some serious wind.

Wednesday was one of the few days that I did not travel from the neighborhood. I intended to go downtown in the evening to walk, but the rain had a different plan. I had one of those bacon-wrapped fillets with some Green Giant Brussels Sprouts for dinner. Is there such a thing as half vegetarian?

Total grid power use for Wednesday was 9 KWh. I just love those single-digit days!

The above shows my little power company. If not anything else, I think the windmill looks good!

My Daily Impact: September 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, 2011

This is the 14th posting to my blog.

Thursday Afternoon and evening, September 1, 2011

I rode the e=scooter to meet my friends, and we went for pizza. The usual impact for a dinner our was a napkin in the trash, and plates to be washed. Thanks to the e-scooter, I did not use any gas on Thursday, but I did use about 150 watt-hours of outside power to charge it at our meeting.

Total grid power use at the house was only 8 KWh thanks to cooler weather, some clouds, and some rain.

Friday, September 2, 2011

I mowed the whole yard with the little electric mower. With some miscellaneous trimming, sweeping, and weeding it took almost 3 hours. It did however only take less than 1 KWh of power. While I was working on the yard, the Fed-ex truck pulled up, and delivered my wind generator! I hope to have it up in less than a week.

I am pleased with the quality of the materials in its construction, and I hope to get many years and KWh out of it.

I rode the Honda to Friday night's meeting, and we went for Mexican food after. I ended up with a to-go box made of Styrofoam along with the impact of having some beef in my chili relenos, and the usual dishes to be washed and napkin. I must admit to also using some paper towels and an extra napkin. I got a little bit sloppy with the salsa! Total CO2 was about about 4 pounds from the Honda, and about 5 pounds from riding with friends to and from the restaurant.

Total grid power use was 10 KWh for the house with the windows open while I slept.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

I rode the e-scooter up to frontrunners and later to breakfast and to Skycraft. This was about a 30 mile round trip, and was accomplished from some charging at a parking garage and at Skycraft for a total of about 200 watt-hours.

I only had a bagel at breakfast, but a plate, glass, and utensils needed to be washed. The restaurant also served the cream cheese in small disposable containers which went into the trash with my napkin. I guess most people enjoy the sanitary benefits of those individual containers, but I prefer a nice splat on the plate from a big jug!

I found some great stuff at Skycraft. The wind generator requires a 41 mm inside diameter pole for mounting. I was able to find a nice aluminum one, but it was only about three feet long. I had to buy a 1 1/4 inch galvanized pole to slip inside the aluminum pole to provide the needed height. The galvanized pole was 12 feet long, and I was riding the e-scooter! I managed to creep along side roads at about 10 MPH to get it home. Joust anyone?

That pole is about 4 1/2 feet in front of the headlight!

I feel lucky that I was able to get home without a police officer wondering why this crazy contraption was on the road. I also had about 15 pounds of 10 gauge copper wire in the trunk. There are many impacts present with the materials, but should I ever be done with them, they will be reused or recycled.

Later on Saturday evening, it was back on the Honda to meet with friends again, and this time it was Thai food for dinner. I had crispy egpland in a Penang sauce, and it was delicious. Total CO2 was again 4 pounds from the Honda, and about 5 pounds from riding with friends.

Total grid power for the house was 12 KWh.

Sunday, September 4, 2011:

I rode the Honda up to church, and then for breakfast at Shannon's. I stopped by Home Depot for some odds and ends, and went home. After a short rest, it was back on the Honda for Thai Chi. We had a nice practice, and went to Too Jays for dinner afterwards. I had a roasted veggie Rubin sandwich, and it was delicious. I do often try to eat meals that do not include meat, despite the sausage and cheese omelet I had for breakfast. Total CO2 about 9 pounds from the Honda; total methane from my rear end... ?

Total grid power use from the house was 9 KWh.

Monday, September 5, 2011:

I washed my sheets with some other odds and ends in rainwater. I did use regular drinking water for the rinse as usual, but saved half of the typical 36 gallons for a load in my old machine. I then rode the Honda up to Altamonte Springs for a pool party. It was a nice group, and we had a lot of fun, and some good food. As with most parties, there was the disposable plates and utensils. I managed only one plate, a fork, a knife and two napkins. Total CO2 for the trip was about 7 pounds for the Honda. I did stop for a big bag of Astro food on the way home.

Total power use was 14 KWh. Hopefully this will be a maximum for the days and weeks to come.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011:

I rode the e-scooter to Ikea for breakfast. I ran into my neighbor Peggy, and she gave me her bacon. I ended up having 4 pieces of bacon, and due to a spill, used 2 napkins. I did find some tea light candles in the as-is department for half price. These will be put to good use in the winter to help heat the house!

At about 12:30, I left the house to deliver some gift baskets. WORK!!! I was so glad to have my florist friend Beth refer me for this delivery job. It was the first time since July 23 that I used the van. I am fortunate to have a vehicle that will sit so long without having problems. I do put the charger on the battery before I even start to think about running it, and I believe this helps the battery last. The round trip of 49 miles with the a/c on was probably responsible for about 50 pounds of CO2.

Later, I rode the e-scooter to the library and to the grocery store. I could not resist the fried chicken which was on sale, and bought an 8 piece box (complete with plastic box). It did make a yummy dinner, and I have half left over for tomorrow. The girl who bagged my groceries did comment on my canvas bag. She said about half of her customers today had their own bag. That is a really good thing. I would like to see all stores charge a nickel for each plastic bag used. This would encourage more people to give these nasty things up.

I am hoping for a low power use for today, but will update that on the next posting. Until then, take care.

Daily Impact: September 1, 2011

My Daily Impact: September 1, 2011

This is the 13th posting to my blog.

Yesterday afternoon, I rode the Honda over to Aldi because I was out of milk, and I needed some other goodies from them. The 14 mile trip used about 0.12 gallons for about 2.4 pounds of CO2. Later that evening, I rode the e-scooter over to target for some envelopes. They were out of the size I like to use, so I tried the Dollar Tree. They had the same small sizes, but for about 40 cents less. I can make use of these little things eventually.

I could not resist the pull of those 49 cent hamburgers on the way home, and I got four. I ate them all, and then cooked the broccoli which I had just bought at Aldi for a buck. It turned out to be a lot of food, and I went to bed very full.

Total grid energy use was 11 KWh. This number was lowered through the cooling rain in the afternoon.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Now that I have fresh milk in the house, I could have my usual cereal. I did not have any bananas in the house, so I will have to get them on my way home this evening. I put out two plastic grocery bags of trash for the week. Because I east out so often, this is actually a little above average. I would like to see only one trash pick-up per week instead of the two we have now. I would also like to see our recycling and yard waste alternate weeks for pick-up. This would eliminate half of the trips made just to pick up trash. I know that this would not work for a large family; my neighbors fill a huge trash can twice a week.

I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my wind generator. I have most of the stuff needed to mount it to my chimney, and I look forward to having the extra power. With all of the rain we have had this week, I also would like to catch some of the power of that water falling from my roof into the rain barrels. I have noticed some pretty strong flows the past few days.

As a mad environmental scientist, I have several ideas for new projects. I will share these as they come to fruition!

Two of my rain barrels attached to the gutter for the carport