Category Archives: Lower Carbon Footprints

This Crazy Weather! And 30 Energy Savings Tips

01 Tuesday Nov 2011

Posted by in Climate Change, energy savings, extreme weather, Lower Carbon Footprints

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If you don’t like the weather in New England–wait a minute. Does this thinking jade us? Maybe. Many scientists say this crazy weather we are having is in fact, CLIMATE CHANGE.

We started off last week with a King Tide that flooded many low-laying areas and gave us a glimpse of what sea level rise will mean locally. The “Snowtober” Halloween Weekend storm came as the end-of-the-week surprise and has left hundreds of thousands in the Northeast without power. By this Thursday, temps will be upwards of 60 degrees again!

The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Postcards from the Edge series details the 2010-2011 climate change evidence with images and notes from coast to coast. The lesson for us in the Northeast: the back-to-back storms that hit Washington D.C.–which became known as Snowmageddon–were the result of warmer air that holds more water vapor. When the warm, moist air meets a cold front–whammo!

EDF Postcards from the Edge

EDF Postcards from the Edge

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), we are in for it again. NOAA is predicting an upcoming season of wild temperature swings due to La Nina conditions and the Arctic Oscillation that will suddenly bring the coldest air in from Canada–resulting in Snowmageddon-like conditions that occur when a greenhouse-gassed warm front collides with Arctic air.

Let’s get our homes and coffers ready. Here are 30 Green Quick Fixes to keep the chill out of the house and money left in your wallet.

1. Check your heating-system filters and change or clean them if they are dirty. Your heating equipment will run more efficiently, saving you money. Note, National Grid recommends that a professional inspect all heating equipment every two years for efficiency, as well as for safety.

2. Bleed radiators (when they are cooled) and consider adding radiator thermometer valves to regulate each register.

3. Consider having your chimney up and running to reduce dependence on utility-powered heat. Be sure to contact a professional, as unnoticed clogs in chimneys can result in carbon monoxide exposure.

4. Inspect attic insulation and add any insulation you’ve been intending to install. The North American Insulation Manufacturers Association has resources that discuss energy savings and materials, including recycled newspaper and cellulose varieties at SimplyInsulate.com. Note, when adding insulation, be sure appliances are adequately vented to prevent carbon monoxide exposure.

5. Weather-strip and caulk cracks in walls, jams and floors. Check for worn out weather-stripping and replace. Check with your local community action program for how to access an infra-red camera to find those week spots you can’t see with the naked eye.

6. Seal leaky duct work with metal-backed tape to guard against heat loss when the system is on.

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Pilot® Upcyles Demonized Plastic Bottles into Beloved Refillable Pens

01 Tuesday Feb 2011

Posted by in Bottled Water Waste, green products, Lower Carbon Footprints, Recycling

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From one 16 ounce single-use plastic bottle, Pilot Pen makes two refillable, recyclable pens—in four colors.

The B2P, or “Bottle to Pen,” is composed of 89% recycled post consumer product.

To date, Pilot has sold more than 2.5 million B2Ps in the United States and some 12 million in Europe in just two years, according to Robert Silberman, vice president of marketing for Pilot Pen Corporation of America. The B2P is “a clear success so far,” he added.

I agree. It’s taken more than 7 million used plastic bottles, made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and upcycled them into something useful and provocative.

“Cool,” is what most people say when I show them.

Except for one devil’s advocate, he thought it was rather commercial. So I contacted Pilot on a whim, (brownie points for being so accessible and communicative for a blog piece,) and found the proof is indeed in the penning.

Changing a Pen Giant’s Production

The addition of B2P replaced a percentage of virgin material in Pilot Pen’s overall manufacturing.

“Our long-term plan/goal is to expand our overall B2P brand and expand our overall BeGreeN recycled line of products. This will mean more use of recycled PET and less use of virgin materials,” said Silberman.

While production of the pen does however constitute an 11% need for virgin plastic, compared to others making pens from 100% virgin plastic, 11% is not too shabby for one of the largest and most widely distributed pen labels.

Seriously On-Point

The B2P is my new BF. It’s comfortable to write with. Though I use sugar cane byproduct, recycled, and used paper, I admit to regularly taking handwritten notes and fleshing out ideas long-hand.

Perhaps I both date and implicate myself, but there is something to be said for working offline and saving energy.

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Salem Power Station Lawsuit and HealthLink

29 Thursday Apr 2010

Posted by in coal power, community, Lower Carbon Footprints, Salem Power Station

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Last week Conservation Law Foundation sued Dominion, owner’s of the Salem Harbor Station, with co-plaintiffs including HealthLink.

HealthLink, which was founded in 1997, has worked with Salem Willows residents and numerous others in many communities affected by the power plant. They have tried numerous methods–demonstrations, stockholders meetings, even asked former owners, PGE, to consider converting to natural gas when a large piping project in the region was undertaken.

“We have tried a number of different tactics to affect corporate policy. One cannot really effect corporate policy,” said Lynn Nadeau, founder and treasurer.

HealthLink leverages political support and embarks on projects that hold Salem Harbor Station accountable for the harmful pollution emanating from it instead.

HealthLink set up a project where numerous volunteers would send images of “opacity” violations and paid for Salem resident Katie Giddings, Salem Alliance for the Environment board member, to go to plume school. The recent lawsuit addresses such violations reported by Dominion in the 4th quarter of 2009. CLF’s Notice of Intent cites 31 additional violations beyond what plant owners are required by the state to report.

The purpose is “to call Dominion on the carpet for violations of the Clean Air Act,” said Nadeau.

The organization is often regarded as a movement by those that want to tear down the plant. Not true, according to Nadeau.

“We’re not only concerned about the power plant, we’re concerned about the total toxic burden.”

As far as the power plant itself, “we need power. But we could get rid of the coal pile and reduce the carbon footprint,” she said.

If you are interested in assisting HealthLink with its efforts, the organization is looking for an area homeowner willing to host an indoor WebCam that will continuously photograph the plume and automatically transmit images and data to a HealthLink computer elsewhere. HealthLink has the equipment and the technician–it just needs a location to continue its admirable watchdog work. Contact healthlink@healthlink.org.

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