kai

i'd say 75% fact, 25% fiction, if i had to hazard a guess.

just got done reading Affluenza by John De Graaf, David Wann, and Thomas H. Naylor. a good read. i would reccomend it if you are at all thinking about trying to reduce your ecological footprint (although, if you've already decided to do that, it might be a waste of your time... but it is interesting anyway).

also, check out Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. It kind of goes into how much the american society has changed the world in recent years, and how our hunger for the ever increasing ecological footprint has infected particularily europe. its full of good information, although it might make you think twice about eating fast food...

I think there is a lot we can do to curb our consumption patterns. First of all, i would focus on lowering utility bills. my water bill each month is roughly 25 dollars. acording to my saws statement, its roughly half what my neighbors use. there are 19000 people in my nieghborhood alone (according to the association newsletter, which may be a typo- i find it hard to believe- its the size of my home town in a much smaller area). thats what, maybe 5000 homes? (i'm not sure of that figure, but bear with me- we'll call it 'my section of town') if they all used even 1000 gallons per month per household less, thats a water savings of about 5,000,000 gallons of water. per month. 60,000,000 gal per year. but will people do that? if it cost enough to use it they would. perhaps if they were more educated on the issue they would try as well, i dunno. i see a lot of people that are not using water wisely when i go out to walk my dog. i'm going to start reporting them to saws i think (you can actually do that, but thats like tattling, and i'm not sure i really want to go that route- its just not cool. but sometimes people need a wakeup call).

energy star appliances are great, as well. thats become kind of mainstream. I think most people that i know, when they buy an appliance, they get the most energy star compliant one that they can afford. I've had a bag of spinach in my fridge for 3 weeks now, and its still good. I chose my fridge well. i have one of those low water usage washers (which is good because its very quiet and where it is located in this house that could have been an issue). I try not to use the dryer unless i have to- i hang the clothes on a line in my backyard (well, not today- too wet) whenever i can. the clothes smell better and last longer. the dryer doesn't heat up the house and kick on the AC. I have a feeling its against my associations rules, but i'm willing to fight it if they come down on me. the only way anyone would find the laundry line in my backyard is if they were invading my privacy in the first place.

i try to use the grill to cook as much as possible. it doesn't heat up the house that way - i have an inefficient electric stove, and rather than replace it, i just try to avoid it. the stove stays with the house, but I, unfortunately, do not.

solar powered attic exhuast fan- that seems to have helped a lot, plus i don't worry about moisture and mold in the attic anymore. a great initial cost than a regular attic gable fan, but it took a half hour to install, and there was no need for an electrician or to wire anything. i litterally slapped it up there a year ago, and all but forgot it.

the compact flourescent bulbs in every single lamp help keep the house cool and reduce electric costs. plus, they last longer.

i'm trading in my huge truck for a little itty bitty civic that gets 38 mpg highway. i'll save about $100 per month in gas. at $1.80 or so a gallon, thats about 55 gallons of gas, per month. 660 gallons of unleaded fuel per year. just saved by me. how many excursion, expedition, suburban and full size pickups do you see everyday? what would happen if even half of them traded in their large gas guzzling vehicles for a more fuel efficient vehicle? hybrid SUVs are coming out this fall (ford escape, toyota hylander). Jeep liberty is releasing a deisel version this summer that gets in the mid 20-s for gas mileage. I also think some full size trucks are coming out as hybrids this fall. if we could convince people to switch over to those as well, it'd make a big difference. and that isn't even considering the difference in pollution and noise.

there is also the slow food movement "Slow Food U.S.A. is an educational organization dedicated to stewardship of the land and ecologically sound food production; to the revival of the kitchen and the table as centers of pleasure, culture, and community; to the invigoration and proliferation of regional, seasonal culinary traditions; and to living a slower and more harmonious rhythm of life. "

along those lines are the organic farmers of our country. some right here in san antonio. (incidently, i just read this morning that the "... the Bush administration has pulled the plug on policing organic labels on non-agricultural products." ... "As if this isn't scary enough, the USDA announced controversial new directives on national organic standards on April 28 that basically state: "ignorance is bliss." The Organic Consumer Association reports, "as long as the farmer and the organic certifier don't know the specific ingredients of the pesticides applied to the 'organic' plants, the crops can be sold as 'organic.'" http://www.utne.com/webwatch/2004_148/news/11215-1.html )

There is Community Supported Agriculture right near san antonio. basically, the program works by individuals buying a portion of a certain farmers crops for the year, paying on a weekly/monthly basis (or you can pay with labor - like 2 hours a week to get produce for a family of 4), and getting weekly installments of fresh produce. it depends on the farmer, but from what i've seen its usually organic food. this cuts out the transportation costs of shipping your food thousands of miles to get to the grocery store. The fuel and pollution costs are very high to transport food, and the energy usage of the grocery store is nothing to laugh at either. plus, there is no packaging to deal with. it cuts out the middle man, and you know exactly where your food came from and what conditions it was produced under.

if i planned on living here any longer, i'd replace all my windows. all of them. they are horribly inefficient. i swear they built the house with the cheapest windows possible, and they get condensation on them. they also heat up really quick and heat up the room.

i've taken a lot of steps to try and reduce my footprint. and i've found its cheaper in both the long and short run. compared to my friends, i don't live any differently. except i dont buy things from the pampered chef, or go out to dinner very often, or go to the mall. but i am much happier than when we made 5x as much money and spent most of it immediately. my frustration level is lower, i'm calmer, and i'd like to think i'm healthier and forming a foundation for my kids to be healthier when i have them. if i have them. but if were going to crash and burn in 2050, why bother?

sorry that was SO long... did anyone make it to the end?