My Green Life

I, in no way, consider myself a political expert, but with the importance of the upcoming election, I feel it is necessary to take a stance. I have never associated myself with a political party, but always seemed to side with the Democrats due to their reputation for their environmental policies.  And with the upcoming election, I will continue to side with the Dems. An interesting and helpful head-to-head comparison was published by Environment Oregon (a citizen-based environmental advocacy organization) that clearly breaks down the candidates’ voting records on environmental issues. They found that Obama voted “correctly” 86% of the time, whereas McCain either missed the vote or voted “incorrectly” 27% of the time.  Obama voted “Yes” on eight clean energy bills to provide tax incentives for solar energy, to reduce tax breaks to oil and gas companies, and to not include fossil fuels in the list of renewable energy allowed in the Renewable Electricity Standard. What did McCain do? Nothing. Obama voted to raise the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standard for cars to 40 mpg by 2016. McCain voted against it. McCain also received a 0% score from the League of Conservation Voters. Why so dismally low? He just didn’t vote… at all… on any of the 15 important environmental pieces of legislature the League used to judge individuals. Obama scored a 67%.

Palin’s record is no better. She is pro-drilling and pro expansion into ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge). Palin serves as the Chair for the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, which works to promote the expansion of oil and gas usage. She also opposes adding polar bears as a species threatened by global warming. Gov. Palin does not believe that global warming is human induced. Together, Palin and McCain are Big Oil left with little motivatoin to encourage progressive clean energy policies.

Now, a tangent…The above issues are only the tip of the iceberg for my political stance. As a woman, I feel very manipulated by McCain in choosing such an inexperienced VP. With the nomination it seemed that McCain actually believed that women would be so shallow as to vote for him simply because he had a woman by his side regardless of the policies they support. Maybe McCain thought he could get some mens’ votes simply because she is an attractive “hockey mom” who also likes to hunt. Whatever, the reason, I do not believe in any way that she was chosen because they honestly believe she is fit to run the nation. The Republicans are playing games with the public, doing whatever it takes to get into office. They are on a mission to get to the white house and will stop at nothing on the way. The publics’ best interest is no longer the central priority. McCain is not making decisions based on what is best for the common man, so what makes anyone think that he would shift his views to cater to the well-being of the nation once given the presidential nod?

Maybe the third party nominees are looking more and more promising after all…

Ever wondered whether it is more energy efficient to get your hands dirty scrubbing those dinner plates by hand or to take the easy way out and employ the dishwasher? Well, it turns out that in this case, the lazy way is also the most energy efficient method.  The dishwasher uses just 4 gallons of water each cycle saving 5,000 gallons a year compared to hand washing the dirt away. You not only save water and hours of your life, but the dishwasher saves you $40 a year in energy costs.  Save even more by only running full loads, skipping the pre-rinse (unnecesary for most washers), and utilizing the air dry method.

Ever get fed up trying to peel that sticker off the peach you are so anxiously waiting to devour? Well, those stickers actually are more beneficial than just informing the clerk about the price. They actual indicate how the produce was grown.  Conventionally grown fruits have a four number PLU code that begins with a 4. Organically grown fruits have a five number code that begins with a 9, and genetically modified foods begin with an 8. So, next time you are struggling to detach that fiesty sticker, try to appreciate its deeper value.

Ever gone to the gym and thought there should be a way to harness all that energy you exert? Well, In Portland, OR, one of the finest cities on this earth, a man named Adam Boesel has brought this idea to fruition. Green Microgym is the first of its kind in the U.S., but follows Hong Kong’s California Fitness gym where fitness buffs power the lights. The treadmills at Green Microgym are 30% powered by the people sweating on them. Stationary bikes hooked up to a generator will produce 200 to 600 watts of energy an hour that can fulfill other energy needs throughout the gym.  There is also a yoga room with cork floors, solar panel awnings, and no showers to save on heating costs. Green Microgym hopes to reach the goal of creating 100% of its energy, but for now it produces about 25-40% of the energy required for daily operations. Want to know more? Click here to see a concise list of 15 other ways the gym is practicing green initiatives.