Invisible Energy

Ok, now is the time to get down and dirty and talk about something that has bothered me for a while. The idea that using electricity is the best way to save the planet and reduce the amount of pollutants in the air. The gloves come off for this topic. I have a major and earth shattering statement...or rather question...Where do you think electricity comes from??????? Hydro power stations such as the Hover dam which change the landscape forever, yes. Wind power, which could slow winds and cause a shift in the weather patterns, yes. Solar power which uses more energy to produce the solar panels then the panel will ever create, yes. Nuclear plants creating thousands of pounds of unusable radioactive waste, yes. Coal fired power plants belching smoke into the air, yes. So are we not trading one waste for another? Are we not following the "not in my backyard" or "I can't see it, so it must not be real" thinking? Most of the world runs on electricity and this goes back to my basic principle...if we want it then we have to give up something. Air, weather patterns, rivers and streams, contamination of landfills, etc. Don't get me wrong, I am writing you on my computer which uses electricity with the radio on in the background. I love electricity, but I am not complaining about the byproducts of producing it. I am realistic in thinking that the energy had to be created somewhere and converted in electricity. So the next time you plug in your cell phone to charge or enjoy air conditioning remember the other side of that wire is something causing damage to our environment. It is a sad reality of physics, but if you don't like it, make candles and quit using electricity! Until next time...

Th myth of trading a "Gas Guzzling" car on a Fuel Efficent car

To continue with my rant on the energy crisis, I am going to focus this post on the myth of people being better off trading in gas guzzling cars in on a new fuel efficient car such as a hybrid. I am going to look at the nuts and bolts of the change. First, what motivates most people...money. Let's say you bought a new car 3-4 years ago and the purchase price of said car is $25K and the value of the car is $10k. Not unreasonable. So you are now entering in the golden years of your car. The time when the car is actually worth more than you owe and you are still not ashamed of it. Now a dealer will only give you $9k and a new "fuel efficient" car will cost you $25-$30K of which you will be paying on for ANOTHER 5 YEARS or more if you choose the bank geared 6 or 7 year loan. (Yeah, that was a smart idea. How about get a second mortgage and you can pay for the car for 30 years!) Now lets say the new fuel efficient car will get 28 MPG vs the one you traded in (Lets say and Large SUV) got 17 MPG. That is a difference of 11 MPG. Now let say you drive 20K miles per year. So doing the simple math, the fuel efficient car will use 714.28 gallons per year and the large SUV will use 1176.47 gallons of gas. Using the average price of $3.75 per gallon (Let assume, for goodness sake.) The SUV will cost you $4411.76 and the fuel efficient car will cost you $2678.55 per year. That is a estimated yearly savings of $1733.21 PER YEAR. Although that is a large number lets not forget the loss in depreciation you are going to take on the new car, higher insurance, higher repair costs (becasue the high tech gear requires specialized service equipment) etc. Now how cheap is it to save a few gallons of gas?

I know you can easily argue both sides of this but I see from a "green" perspective...that is I like my green and I like to keep it. Now don't get me wrong, if your car has more duct tape than paint and the seats remind you of a couch that your new puppy ate, you may need to consider a new car. Then you can weigh the options vs cost of a hybrid or other new technology. But I would not run out and trade in that gas guzzling car just yet, I might actually save some "Green" Until next time, do your part for the environment and save your green!

Doing my part to be "Green"

Kermit the frog sang "It ain't easy being green" but I beg to differ. The whole green movement is cloaked in saving the planet and hugging trees but it actually a good thing. I know, I know what is he talking about when just yesterday he was talking about his gas-guzzling SUV...but hear me out. It boils down to a simple fact. The less energy you use, the less you spend on it. Think about electricity, gas/diesel, and natural gas. The less you drive and use the more you save. And money motivates me as it does most people. So I am going to start my multi-part series on how to save the planet by being cheap. Sound good? Well regardless of if it does or not, read my lessons backed up by real life experiences. Part one of this multipart series is named "Reducing waste while statisfying your own greed."

Think about all of the things you want in life...wait hold that image. Now if you wished for a car, house, or anything material, this entry will help you. Now think about this, your neighbors throw away enough to help you get those material things. In some case they may even throw away your objects of desire. Think about all you have seen out at the trash heap. Bicycles, toys, metal and wood are just a few things you have seen and those very things other people will pay for. All you have to do is "Dumpster Dive," get those things and sell them. Save the money and you have got a model business...buy low (free) sell high (anything is more than you paid for it!) I know dumpster diving is not necessarily the thing anyone is proud of but I give you an example. Noticing people move out of the rental houses of the neighborhood, I am like a cat on the prowl. I am watching the trash heap as it grows and salivating at the prospect of saving the planet and liberating the landfills of the trash that will soon grace its gates...lets be real, I am looking for something I want that I do not have to pay for. When in the mist I see a bicycle and a child carrier. Now having no grace I waltz over to the heap to "recycle" the finds and quickly hide them in the garage. Lawn mower missing a wheel, hummmm, I will leave that for a fellow "diver." You have to respect your coworkers. Then the next day, (gotta let the dust settle and make sure everyone forgets while they sleep) I break out the bike and carrier. Air the tires, (or "tyres" if you are British) and hit the road with child in tow. When after a few houses and neighbor says "Hey did you get that from "Suzy" (The names were changed to protect the innocent). To which I responded "yep" thinking "Man, I am in a tight spot!" Where he followed with a "that used to be mine, I carried my twins around in it." Now a normal person would be ashamed, but not me. I grinned becasue I knew I was saving the planet...uhemm...being cheap! So until the next lesson in the series of going green while being cheap, Happy Hunting!

The beginning of the "Energy Crisis"

Hello, the time has come for a little talking about the "Energy Crisis" as the media has named it. First, I find it necessary to interject a disclaimer about these postings. I do not own energy stocks of any kind. I am not a hippy living off of the land and I own a truck with a V8 engine. An American large-gas-guzzling-leather interior-SUV...and I love every mile I drive it. So please understand that I have no affiliations with any organization other than the automotive companies that have supported my family and will continue to support my lifestyle. Now with that being said, I have CFL (compact florescent light bulbs) in my house and they are nice also. I have wrapped my water heater to increase the efficiency and we only keep the lights on the areas we need them. So I try to help the environment...uhem...my wallet.

Now my blog will not be how to save money while using rain water to irrigate or using bamboo flooring because it impacts the environment less than using oak flooring. This area is only for me to vent and bring a few things to light about this state of this world we live in. So, here goes. Please understand that years of engineering school and looking through my over analytical eyes for many years have yielded me a view of the world that eludes many people. I see how things work and I sadly understand the basis of Newton's laws. And one thing that has come up over and over many people fail to forget is work is activity in which one exerts strength or faculties to do or perform something. So when you eat, walk, drive, talk, breathe or think, you use energy. We use it to drive, to cook and EVERYTHING we do. So don't talk to me about an energy crisis. Name it a gas or oil crisis, but not an energy crisis. So in the upcoming entries. Look for exploration into topics such as the "Chrysler and Dodge $2.99 gas guarantee" and why it not a good deal and why going green is actually a good thing assuming it will save you money. (There is usually a reason thing cost a lot, materials, labor, etc.) I also take requests for my rants...please understand, you get what you pay for...and I am cheap! Until next time, "DO WORK"!