Week 13 - IT'S GETTING HOT IN HERE!

It’s now officially summer, and we have already had several samplings of hot, humid, and sticky weather. I can’t believe as a kid I loved it! I have reluctantly turned on the a/c because I can’t stand humidity - it makes me miserable. So my mood trumps my frugality and I close all the windows sealing us in and flip the switch. This is no small feat since the one thing I hate almost as much as I hate humidity, is being sealed in our house. You see, I love fresh air!

So what’s the scoop on air conditioning and the environment? The Rocky Mountain Institute estimates “in peak summer months, about 50 percent of all electricity used in the United States is devoted to powering air conditioners“.

Cost isn't the only bad news. The amount of pollution created when power companies have to generate so much electricity is staggering. The goods news is, “ozone-depleting CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) - formerly used as a cooling agent in a/c units - are no longer used and have been replaced by HCFCs (hydro chlorofluorocarbons), which deplete 95 percent less ozone than their older counterparts. Energy efficiency has also improved dramatically.

We all want to be comfortable, but we can be mindful too. There are a slew of things we can do to reduce our a/c usage (energy) and in turn reduce pollution and save some cash.

1. If your current a/c is more than eight years old, consider replacing it. Over the life of the product, the amount you'll save in energy bills will likely pay for the cost of the unit.
2. Make sure you get the right size model for your needs. If your air conditioner is too small for an area, it will have to run continuously. If it's too large, it will constantly turn off and on, increasing energy consumption.
3. Have your a/c serviced. The service person can clean your coils and drainage system, change your filters and ward off any potential problems. It’s not expensive and you waste less energy and money when your unit runs efficiently.
4. Install a programmable thermostat and set it just one degree higher than you normally would.
5. Keep your shades drawn.
6. Install ceiling fans to circulate air. Fans don’t cool air, but they move air causing it to feel a cooler.
7. At night, use you’re a/c's fan-only mode.
8. Use the re-circulate option instead of constantly cooling hot air from outdoors.
9. Turn the a/c off when you're out and close the vents in unused rooms.
10. For a room a/c - clean the filter often and make sure window models are installed as tightly as possible to prevent hot air from seeping in around the unit's edges.

If you don’t have a/c, there are still things you can do to stay cool.

1. Keep your shades drawn.
2. Close your windows once the outside temperature reaches 78 degrees.
3. Buy window fans.
4. Install a whole-house fan in your attic - it consumes one-tenth as much power as an a/c (years ago we had one of these in a house we rented and it worked well).
5. Open your windows at night.
6. Plant shade trees or trellised vines on the western and eastern sides of your home to reduce heat absorption.
7. Install awnings or roof overhangs.
8. Add light-colored or reflective roof and wall materials.
9. Choose energy-efficient indoor lighting and appliances to reduce the amount of waste heat produced by these devices. For example, stand near your computer and you can feel how much heat it throws off. Does it need to be on all day?

Keep these ideas in mind and you will help the environment, control your energy bill and have a much more comfortable summer ahead!

Week 12 - PESKY INSECTS

According to eartheasy.com, "Each year North American homes use approximately 136 million pounds of pesticides on lawns and gardens, and in the home. In fact, homeowners use about three times the amount of pesticides as farmers. Most wildlife pest poisonings, and most surface water contamination from pesticides, come from single-family homes." Crazy, right?

This year the goal for my vegetable garden (besides being bountiful), is to be “organic”. By that I mean I am making every effort to not use any pesticides or fertilizers that would be considered inorganic. Don’t get me wrong, if something goes awry I will responsibly use whatever necessary to save my plants, but I’m trying not to.

To date I haven’t had anything occur that I have not been able to handle. My grapes had some kind of funky bumpy thing going on with it’s leaves. I removed the damaged leaves, sprayed the vines with a fungicide from Safer Brand, thinned out the vines for better air circulation and things look okay. I have since read the bumpy things are essentially scars from some pesky insect feeding on them. I have a “herd” of slugs that are enjoying my strawberries and although I know beer in a shallow dish will take care of them, they haven’t done so much damage that I wasn't able to can 7 jars of jam this week. I don’t think killing them is necessary, although drowning in beer is not a bad way to go! There are of course all sorts of little bugs making holes here and there and for them I have sprayed the plants with Safer Brand Insect Killing Soap. All in all, so far so good!

There are several things you can do to maintain a healthy garden, but one of the most important is to be vigilant. Watch your gardens carefully and take action the minute you see something is off. The sooner you address a problem, the less likely it is you will have to haul out the “big guns”.

Here are some environmentally friendly suggestions for keeping destructive insects at bay.

1. Pull out any weak plants. Chances are they are already infested and you don’t want the infestation to spread.
   
2. Build healthy soil. By adding compost, natural fertilizer and mulch, you build healthy, strong plants, which are less likely to succumb to insects and disease.


3. Clear the garden area of debris and weeds which are breeding places for insects.


4. Rotate crops. Rotating crops helps avoid re-infestation of pests which have over-wintered in the soil.


5. Water in the early morning to keep foliage dry. Wet foliage encourages insect and fungal damage to your plants.


6. Disinfect. If you've been working with infested plants, clean your tools (and even your shoes), before moving on to other garden areas.


7. Invite beneficial insects into your garden. Wasps, Hover-flies, Praying Mantis, Ladybugs, Lacewings, and nematodes, all feast on a variety of destructive insects. You can purchase them at gardensalive.com and gardeners.com.


8. Birds eat insects so attract them to your garden by providing a bird bath or feeders.


9. Put up bat houses. Ensure they are at least 10 feet off the ground.


10. Plant herbs as companion plants. Seedsofchange.com has a nice list of herbs which act as natural insect repellents for other plants. Just search their e-newsletter for “companion plantings”.

If you are infested and do require the “big guns” proceed with caution.

1. First, do some research to establish what the problem truly is. Yellow sticky traps are great for finding out what’s buzzing around your garden. Go through your gardening books, search online, or contact your local cooperative extension.


2. Read the product label to ensure it, treats your problem, treats your plant, and focus here: the amount to use. Less is more! Don’t feel you need to drown the vegetation, particularly if it’s something you will eat.


3. Treat only the plants that are infested.

This is what you want to keep in mind: anything you use can effect other things. We don't want to harm beneficial insects (particularly bees which pollinate the things we grow), birds, toads and frogs which help control undesirable insects. We don't want to contaminate our ground water. We don't want to saturate the food we grow with poisons and then ingest them. It’s all a delicate balance. Bottom line? Protect what’s yours, but do so as responsibly as you can!

Week 11 - H2O

Does anyone else live in a pocket? A weather pocket that is. It seems we can have rain a mile from us in any direction and we always get missed. I mean, someone will say 'how about that storm last night" and I will be clueless. Sure, I can get the hose and water the vegetable garden and some of the flower beds close to the house, but I refuse to cart the hose to the far away beds. So over the years I have developed a "do or die" garden philosphy. Even if I were to get the hose out there, I would never provide the amount of water the plants actually need, because I'm too cheap. I would not want to pay for the electricity. True, not an environmentally noble attitude, but in the end the results are the same.

With pollution, waste and surging population, water is becoming an increasingly precious commodity, so this summer I thought I would try to save rain water. I'm not planning anything fancy. I happen to have plenty of left over buckets from a cut flower business and I think I will place them on the driveway when rain is expected. As I previously mentioned, we live in a pocket so I don't know how well this will work, but I'll take a shot. At the very least it will provide me with information about whether or not I should go bigger.

Here is a list of some other ways to conserve water and in turn, energy:

1. Take shorter showers. According to stopglobalwarming.org showers account for 2/3 of all water heating costs.
   
2. Install a low-flow shower head. eartheasy.com explains there are two types of low-flow shower heads: aerating and non-aerating.
   Aerating - mixes air into the water stream. This maintains steady pressure so the flow has an even, full shower spray. Because air is mixed in with the water, the water temperature can cool down a bit towards the floor of the shower. Aerating shower heads are the most popular type of low-flow shower head.
   Non-aerating - air is not mixed into the water stream. This maintains temperature well and delivers a strong spray. The water flow pulses with non-aerating shower heads, giving more of a massaging-showerhead effect.
   
3. According to thegreenguide.com, " the average faucet flows about 3 gallons of water per minute, so turn off the tap while you brush your teeth", wash dishes, wash your hands or clean vegetables.


4. Fix leaking pipes right away.
5. Run your diswasher only when it is full.
   
6. Ensure your water level matches your washing machine load size.


7. Rinse/pre-wash dishes only when necessary.
   
8. Try not to use your garbage disposal. They require a lot of water to work properly. Compost instead.
   
9. Upgrade your toilet to a low-flush model.
   
10. Insulate your water pipes with those grey foam thingies. Your water will warm faster and with less waste.


11. Keep a pitcher of water in the fridge, so you don't have to run water to get it cold.

Outside and in the garden you can:

1. Water less frequently, but more deeply. Or you can adopt my "do or die" philosophy and let nature take it's course.


2. Plant drought resistant shrubs and plants. At wateruseitwisely.com you can find a list of plants for your area. They also have a Landscape Watering Guide to help you calculate how often you should water and for how long.
   
3. Mulch, because it retains moisture.
4. Weed. I hate it too, but weeds compete with your desirable plants for water and other nutrients.


5. Clean driveways and walkways with a broom and not the hose.


6. Wash your car and pet on the grass.
7. Reduce the amount of grass in your yard.
   
8. Consider purchasing a rain barrel. Women's Health Magazine reported, "runoff from a 1-inch rainfall on a 1,000 square-foot roof equals 600 gallons. Amazing! Check out cleanairgardening.com for their 50 gallon rain barrel with built-in overflow valve, water spigot, and hose connector all for $90.

It's time we got serious about conserving this natural resource. Water is life, just ask someone who doesn't have it, but we take it for granted. Perhaps we can get focused by knowing that according to the unwater.org (the UN's Global Water Day Report) "globally, 1.1 billion people do not have access to improved water supply... (horribly) 3.2 million children under the age of 5 die each year from water related diseases. You don't have to look over seas to see the impact of drought, climate change and pollution, look in your own backyard. It's time to make a change. Let's do what we can to not be wasteful, because sooner or later, we may not have a choice.

Week 10 - HITTIN' THE ROAD

This week I wanted to get away from the garden because it's now unofficially summer and the kids are getting out of school. This is the time of year when we start to take road trips and vacations. It's also the time of year when we tend to add, more than usual, to our pollution and energy problems. This is not where I say we should fore go the family vacation (that would be crazy), but there are some things we can do to limit our vehicles' negative effects on the environment this summer and all year long.

1. Get your oil and air filter changed. Your car will run more efficiently and therefore use less gas.
   
2. Check the air pressure in your tires, since under inflated tires reduce fuel efficiency.
   
3. Get a tune-up if needed.
   
4. Don't carry a lot of stuff in the trunk. The more you haul, the more gas you will use.


5. Drive under 60 mph (yikes, that would be hard for me!) and try to drive less often (infinitely easier than driving under 60 mph).
   
6. Try not to use your AC, roll down your windows instead. Running your AC in hot weather increases fuel consumption by 20%.


7. Don't idle your car! According to idealbite.com, "idling for more than 10 seconds produces emissions at almost 2x the rate of normal driving. For post-1970s cars, turning the car off and on again doesn't use extra gas or cause additional wear and tear". Since I'm on this point, we should all try to get a "no idling" policy enacted at our schools. People think nothing of leaving their cars running while they are waiting for their kids (this could be 5, 10, 15+ minutes). Think of all the schools across the country and how much wasted gas and pollution that is. This is an incredibly easy change that can make a big difference. Tell everyone you know!


8. Use cruise control when you can - you'll get up to 15% better mileage.
   
9. Take the bus or train.
   
10. Carpool.


11. If appropriate take your bikes on vacation. Once at your destination you can use "pedal power" to get around. We should all try to use our bikes more. It's great exercise, you save money on gas, and you get to see your neighborhood in a way you never have.


12. Buy a hybrid car. Not everyone is going to run out and make this change immediately, but the next time a car purchase comes up, consider it. More companies are starting to manufacture them so they will be readily available and you will have more options in terms of what kind of vehicle you can buy. According to stopglobalwarming.org, the average driver could save 16,000 lbs. of CO2 and $3,750 per year driving a hybrid. If you would like more information about hybrid cars you can visit hybridcars.com.


13. If you're not ready to go the hybrid route, at least purchase a fuel efficient car.


14. Have a plan when you run errands. If I have to go into town, I make a list of all the things I need to do and the places I need to go so I get them done in one trip.
    
15. Walk when you can.

These are just basic suggestions all of us can do. If we maintain our vehicles, we get more efficient performance. If we are aware, we can reduce how often we use them. We'll help the environment and we'll help our wallets. What do we have to lose except maybe a few pounds?