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.