I am known for being opinionated. And I will share mine, to be sure. But i find keeping a repository of the works, thoughts and investigations of much smarter people than i, is a much better thing. This is one of those repositories. I hope it stirs your imagination and initiative as much as it has mine!
What about Hydrogen Fuel Cells?
What Tech Hath Wrought?
Hidden in an unknown corner of Inner Mongolia is a toxic, nightmarish lake created by our thirst for smartphones, consumer gadgets and 'green tech'.
It is never wise to put all your eggs in one basket.
This also applies to meeting a communities/countries/continents energy needs. Any natural or man made disaster can entirely disable one or more method/supply of energy. Think Fukishima, Ukraine pipeline, Texas Power Grid.
I am a fan of co-habitating options like wind, water, solar, hydrothermal, geo-thermal, and other natural energy creating supplies. I will probably never be a fan of atomic ( something to do with creating something that can't be uncreated for thousands of years ).
As for cars, I am on a quest to see hydrogen fuel cells added to our automotive power options. I am so into it, I posted 3 articles in a row on Hydrogen Fuel Cell cars on TwiXter, and got blocked from the platform!!! ( shocking! ha ha ha )
I remember in the early 2000's that a number of companies ran tests on Hydrogen fuel cell busses around the US & Europe. They were successful. But oddly, somehow they never went into full scale production. ( can you say lobbyists? ). I understand new tech is always expensive, and that is where government can aid business by granting some short term tax breaks or subsidies. ( not the unending type like for fossil fuel or corn crops.
I believe it is Toyota? that offers a year or two worth of free hydrogen "fill-ups" with each new vehicle to help soften the blow of the current prices of hydrogen fuel, since it is not yet mass-produced. But finding local hydrogen "pumps" is still a challenge, all but making the car production slow to a seizing crawl. Again, this is where a government wanting to help consumers go green can help by aiding implementation of charging stations.
One big caveat. Most hydrogen is currently made by using fossil fuels ( defeatist, yes?) Kind of like how a LARGE portion of our US electric supply still relies on fossil fuels for generation. BUT, just like electricity can be produced by cleaner means, so can Hydrogen. It is called "clean hydrogen" , which helps reduce its production impact significantly.
If you don't know about Hydrogen Fuel cells, here's some info.
When you get to " see how the sausage is made" it can often turn your stomach against sausage. That is, until you casually turn your eye's away, because you have the luxury and privilege to do so.
There are many people and life forms that don't have that option.
This is what our thirst for new "toys" and the "modernization of life" does to this very fragile ecosystem that keeps us alive. The earth isn't fragile, but the ecosystem on it that holds our lives in the balance is.
We can be such short sighted creatures sometimes.
(she says as she types this on one of her 3 computers !! )
Grounds for Coffee?
Make a lot of coffee?
Here's some creative ways to use the spent grounds.
" Americans consume an average of two cups of coffee daily, primarily using single-cup brewers, though drip coffee makers remain popular. Regardless of the brewing method, the question of what to do with used coffee grounds persists. These grounds are not merely waste but valuable for various practical, eco-friendly applications. They can enhance garden health, elevate beauty routines, and serve as natural cleaning agents, offering solutions to many household challenges."
The VERY ugly side of e-commerce returns
We Americans, we are sold on convenience. It's a short sighted type of privilege we abide by, with really unfortunate long term outcomes.
The level of waste the " get it now" ideal has brought into our world ( not to mention debt, sweat shops, IP theft, etc, etc, etc) is beyond what is comprehendible.
Quote "So, you repackaged your unwanted shirt and the electric toothbrush and drove them to UPS, which has an agreement with Amazon for free returns. Now what?
UPS transports those items to the retailer’s warehouses dedicated to processing returns. This step of the process costs the retailer money – 66% of the cost of a $50 item by one estimate – and emits carbon dioxide as trucks and planes carry items hundreds of miles. The plastic, paper or cardboard from the return package becomes waste."
"In 2019, about 5 billion pounds of waste from returns were sent to landfills, according to an estimate by the return technology platform Optoro. By 2022, the estimated waste had nearly doubled to about 9.5 billion pounds."
Read more from this insightful article by The Conversation
Pollination, Pollinators & You
Do you garden?
Do you eat fresh or frozen produce?
If you say yes, then there are ways for you to help our friends the bee's, who are an important part of our ecosystem.
First, start with organic or regenerative grown foods, plants, seeds, pesticides, soils, etc. Organic certification means that there are over 200 chemicals that CAN'T be used on the product. That's 200 less for impacts.
Even if you can't purchase organic plants for your planters, flower box, fire escape garden, or lawn, you can choose to treat them organically.
Buy plants that flower at different times throughout the season. I love herbs, and it seems so do my pollinators! I don't cut off the flowering parts to the consternation of my better gardening friends ( doing so helps the herbs grow fuller). I watch with a three year olds glee as all the bees and butterflies come by to visit them.
Oregano, basil, lavender & marjoram brought all kinds of busy-bee's over for visits this year.
I had the joy of inheriting a beautiful butterfly bush. The fragrance is heavenly, and the buzzing visitors are abundant! And for the record, they are pretty darn prolific those plants!
Fish oil: understanding the harm/benefit to eco-structures
The Guardian offered some fantastic information on what our obsession with fish oil supplements is doing to the eco system.
"“It’s mind-boggling. What we can catch in a week is what many countries catch in more than one year,” says Patricia Majluf, vice-president of Oceana Peru, part of the international conservation organisation that campaigns to protect and restore the world’s oceans. “And the processing capacity of the factories is even bigger.”
“We’re extracting millions of tonnes from an ecosystem that depends on that fish. The ecosystem is being impoverished and losing its resilience to big changes brought about by El Niños and climate change,” says Majluf.
“That fish could be used to feed our people. An industry that’s paying almost nothing for that fish is taking it all away.”
Tree-Smarts: How Japan does wood, regeneratively.
It's a method of pruning tree's to get perfectly straight timber, perfectly regenerative, using the same trees for decades. It's hauntingly beautiful and brilliant as far as i can see.
Counting the True Cost of (Fast) Fashion
I love fashion. I admit it, I always have.
The ONE good thing about my personal propensity, is I'm not usually a a big trend follower.
And yet, i still contribute more than enough to this cycle.
Take a look at these video's to see the issues plaguing the fashion industry, which then plague us, our water, our planet, our health, etc.
How do I balance my need for style with conservation?
- Thrift store shopping.
- Buying mostly cotton or linen for Spring & Summer
- Hand me downs & handing things down.
- Repurposing pieces: cutting or changing length, sleeves, collars and getting more years out of them.
- Re-coloring pieces: I've taken to recoloring fabric shoes & bags by using an acrylic craft paint color wash. I have also dyed fabrics with turmeric.
- Using & Reusing beads from jewelry: Taking jewelry apart and making new jewelry with those beads.
And my #1 tool? I never rush a purchase!! I will take the item I am considering and walk around with it on my arm or in my basket for at least 15 minutes. ( requires a parallel model for online shopping ) I consider all the things it coordinates with, it's fit, and how many years I can envision myself wearing it. If it passes scrutiny, then I will purchase it. ( I even do this at Thrift stores! )
Ivermectin & Soil
With so many people talking about it the past few years, I was thrilled to see a pretty wonderful farmer I know posted an informative article on Ivermectin that kinda reinforced a premise I live by. Overuse of any wonder-drug ( even on plants & animals) most likely will have larger domino effects in the ecosystem, and thereby humans.
My takeaway: use everything in moderation, always try natural means first and lean into patience during the process.
"As Ivermectin was used on livestock, it became apparent that it also was a powerful broad spectrum drug. It proved effective against ticks, lice, and mites. Suddenly, Ivermectin became a wonder drug and it was popping up everywhere. Herds of cattle, sheep, and goats around the world are dosed with it regularly, along with companion animals and pets like dogs and horses. It remains the most widely used drug in its class around the world..... But nothing in the natural order comes for free. Something trades off a debit here for a credit there. Ivermectin doesn’t disappear once it is ingested or injected into a body. It persists, and it comes out in the manure. As a broad spectrum killer of creepy crawly things, it continued to have effects long afterwards."
Here's the article
Do you love Nature?
" I would be willing to bet that the first thing that comes to mind when you read “leave no trace” is that you should not leave litter in the forest. While this is a main pillar of this practice, preserving a wild landscape goes beyond this most basic of practices. Each step that we take and every river stone we turn has an impact."
This is a very insightful article on our every day impacts on nature when we visit her and the steps we can take to mitigate leaving our imprint behind.
Eco-Stability
Have you ever gotten so excited about a nifty tech fix to a problem that you neglect to consider the cascade of problems that nifty fix will cause later on?
If so, you are not alone.
This is the tension between brilliant problem solving andshortsightedness.
We in America are fabulous at shortsightedness [ or creative machismo ].
It's a type of passionate blindness for the ability to create, versus the ability to truly repair.
This Tedx Talk by Jessica Shade from the Organic Center in conjunction with with the Organic Trade Association is a fantastic and easy to follow walk through that issue.text.
Dark Waters: PFOA's
Every now and then, Hollywood makes art that works to inform people. This story is based on the true fight of one lawyer & one town against the chemical giant Dupont for their poisoning local waterways with a chemical they knew to be lethal. PFOA's. This chemical now resides in the placentas of more than 80% of new moms. It will outlive all of us in the water & soil. We may not be able to remove all that has been introduced to our environments, but we surely have the opportunity to stop anymore of it happening.
#teflon #stainproof
Here's an article by the Guardian on the film & the real life story.
PFOS in Michigan
And here is a real time impact of these chemicals and their " trickle down" effect on peoples lives and livelihoods.
The Hope of Regenerative Farming
This is a super sweet, beautifully shot film, suitable for anyone age 9 and up ( could be younger but some animal death aftermaths might bother sensitive kidlettes ). I recommend this wonderful documentary to all those who need a breath of hope filled air!
Two people decide to start a farm, the way nature intended it.
This is what regeneration is all about.
Here is what Rotten Tomatoes had to say about it .
When Leather is Deadly
These are images from PBS feature piece on the leather industry operations in Bangladesh. They were all taken in one town.
Each time we buy leather, this could be where it comes from.
This is going to be hard for me to deal with.
I am a big fan of leather shoes that last me for many years.
Convictions can be so inconvenient, can't they?
If we attempt to avoid this type of operation, it may not be so easy. Tracing where the leather is treated, dyed and processed is practically impossible, because it ships out to other nation distribution hubs, then to manufacturers all over the world. The product tags will often say where the item was stitched, not where the animals came from or where the processing happened.
And really , no one wants to trace it THAT bad, since cheap cost goods are what give stock holders bigger payoffs and fast fashion consumers $19.99 deals.
Let me say it another way: real ethos can be painfully inconvenient.
sigh
These employees are working in caustic and toxic chemicals, without protective gear, using large mechanical equipment without safety guards, and for dimes per hour.
These operations pour millions of gallons of toxic and bacterial cocktails into the local waterway, the soil, the air, annually.
Rotting animal by-products strewn everywhere.
Children work there, children play around there, because the tanners locations are in the midst of a very populated residential area, where more than 40% of the residents are lucky to make $1.40 a day.
Families, live there, babies born there - in this poison place.
This is the true cost of our greed for every new style of sneakers, shoes, boots, bags, accessories, and cheap leather/suede apparel.
Lets be clear, we are talking about peoples lives & health.
We are also talking about the further degradation of the ecosystem which was created to keep us all alive.
How our Gasoline Dependency Began
Have you ever wondered how our societies have become so dependent on fossil fuels?
Here's a picture story for you:
Once upon a time most of Americans in cities and towns used electric trolley cars; hop on, hop off.
The idea was that you could make it more than half way across the country from hopping from one trolley to another, with just a little walking between.
But it seems that some in the oil community thought it would be much better to create an oil dependent system of buses. Suppose they wanted to boost their profits?
So they tore up the trolley rail lines, pulled the trollies out of service, replaced them with buses, and then paid people to destroy the trolleys.....
Once the buses were built, the infrastructure projects began, because big oil had some big ideas. The personal use car became the envy of all. With the building of new roads, society was able to expand, creating suburbs and shopping centers, and more roads to drive on.
And we Americans LOVE our cars. We love the freedom of going where we want, when we want, how we want. We love the symbolism, the control, the status that comes with our vehicles. We were stretching our individualism, we didn't consider safety, or ecology, economy or international dependence. We just saw the open road, and dreamed of the wonders it held.
( Of course we never pictured sitting hours in non-moving traffic, or horrific accidents or increasing insurance premiums, or air thick with pollution soup, etc, etc, etc)
We also didn't consider that oil, from which we get our auto fuel, is not a renewable resource.
So oil drilling needed to expand, as to our interests in and cooperation with other international companies on getting that oil.
We set up oil rigs & farms in some of the most lucrative fields all over the world, and then promptly built armed forces bases right next to them, to keep an eye on our national treasure. But it wasn't the government who owned the oil fields, those belonged to the likes of Rockefeller, Chevron, Exon and the like. Our government and our taxes paid for the bases and troops to be built up around those companies oil fields. [cough]
When things got politically dicey over there, and OPEC decided to try to use oil availability to manipulate political outcomes ( aka: sanctions ) the US, for years entirely dependent on oil, had to find a better way. So we tried looking at home grown options.
First some motor car companies were willing to get creative and made engines that could handle mixed fuels. For a while it looked like Ethanol would become part of our daily experience. But it only was allowed so far, then it's leash snapped tight by our government & oil lobbyists, it seems.
Our need for automotive fuel continues to grow in leaps & bounds. American production cannot sustain, and we learned we don't really want to be dependent on other less stable countries again.
Enter Fracking. A dirty business that seems to have some very questionable side effects on the geology & water around its operating sites.
But with EV's and the "greening" of the american conscience, there is a hopefulness that alternate biofuels could get the green light assistance from Washington DC to combat the power of the big oil lobbyists and give us all some better options with this vehicle obsession of ours, and the way we fuel them
Compostable Convenience?
So you like your drive thru, pick up, wait-on-line for your coffee each day.
Its evident by the numbers. 300 Million Cups tossed annually.
Ever wonder where they all go? Ever consider it?
But what if you asked your favorite haunts to use compostable cups? (or you brought your own travel cup?)
Take a look...... how very cool is this!!
The Beauty & Brilliance of Pillow Covers
Disposable Fashion- We've become so accustomed to it, we forget just what goes into (and what is extracted by) our need for new.
If you consider the entire process, the resources used, the pollutions and by-products produced, the landfills stuffed, the money spent, the living wages not paid, the sweat shop laborers.... we've gotten ourselves into a nasty cycle.
No More Bounty, Please.
If we do the math: One roll of paper towels per week. 52 rolls per year at an estimated cash cost of $62.
How much wood pulp, electricity, water and chemicals are needed to turn out a roll of paper towels? Add to that the plastic packaging, ink printing, transportation costs/fuel usage, and last but not least, room they take in landfills after disposal.
Let's do the same thought experiment with paper napkins, disposable plates, cups, utensils.
Now multiply that by half of the developed country population.
Got the picture?
It took me quite the while to see this outcome of a seemingly natural, harmless shopping/lifestyle choice.
There are many ways to combat this, but i'm going to focus on one that came refreshed to me this week after getting over a wicked case of the flu. (or whatever it was)
My sick little flu-y face was plastered on every soft surface, as i couldn't pick it up for long.
And now that i'm on the mend, i want to wash EVERYTHING!!!
And realized how much i love my pillow covers !!
Not just the ones on my bed pillows, but the decorator ones on all my throw pillows.
How fantastic is it i can slip them off and throw them into a gentle wash cycle and "wha-lahh" fresh, clean, germie free!
Can't do that with my regular pillows!
The key is to purchase a good pillow form. Rich dense feather if you're not allergic or opposed to animal byproducts, or a wonderful vegan hypoallergenic alternative- maybe a big fat cotton or hemp fill!
Then the fun comes. Pillow covers du jour!
The ability to wash them regularly reduces dust mites and allergens as well as combats germ and dirt build up.
Once you have "tired" of it, a good washing and donation to a thrift organization allows it a whole new life with a whole new family. Can't do that so germ-free with a regular pillow once it's seen it's days.
⬅️ Here are some of my favorite picks:
My journey on this specific path started with fabric napkins. I bought a bunch at a discounter. I use them more than one meal/one day. ( Company gets the nicer fresh ones ) You can get a different color for each person in the household, and they are responsible for their own.
I use them for a couple days, wash them, start all over-again.
Then came paper towels.
I realized old wash cloths & dish towels work perfectly to clean up big messes, to clean windows, to wipe up after painting projects, etc. I either soak them immediately (or let them dry out), then throw them in with a regular hot wash.
I use natural sponges ( shout out to Trader Joes 12-pack) and when they have gotten weary from their kitchen sink duty, i move them to the bath or floor duty..
I average 1/2-1 roll of paper towels per year.
Hmm, what's next?