February 25th, 2009 by Jess

Today the U.S. House Ways & Means Committee met in a hearing on climate change.  At the request of the Obama Administration, Congress will be moving quickly to develop legislation.  I watched sadly as the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security act was killed last year.  Hopefully this year’s legislation will not suffer the same fate.

Before I launch into my major complaint, let me say that I applaud the Obama Administration for framing this issue as a priority.  The last eight years have truly been “The Lost Years” for environmental causes, and it is nice to see reflected in our government a bit of the urgency the environmental community feels.

However, I am extraordinarily baffled by something that occurred on Capitol Hill today.

Why did they invite someone who doesn’t believe in climate change to testify in a hearing on climate change??  I thought we had moved beyond that!  It is painfully difficult to have a productive dialogue on this issue when one-third of the time is spent debating whether or not there is an issue.  It is a waste of our representatives’ valuable time, not to mention a waste of time our planet does not have.  Three cheers to Representatives Levin, Neal, Doggett, and Lewis (did I leave anyone out?) for confronting Dr. John Christy, and many thanks to Congressman Kind for emphasizing the importance of global cooperation on this issue.

Some important dates to come for climate change policy:

House Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment Hearing
The Role of Carbon Offsets in Climate Legislation – March 5, 2009

US Climate Change Bill – May 25, 2009
House Energy and Commerce Committee has promised to deliver a draft package to Speaker Pelosi by Memorial Day.

UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen (COP15) – December 6-12, 2009
Everything this year leads up to the UN Conference in Copenhagen, where we will hopefully see brought to fruition a new global accord on climate change, which will replace the Kyoto Protocol in 2012.

February 20th, 2009 by Tisha

I think the last area we have to cover as far as where/how to recycle stuff is the metal-goods.

1.  Can I recycle aluminum foil, tin cans, etc.?
2.  Where does it go?
3.  What is my incentive to recycle this stuff?
4.  If there is not an incentive, will there be one any time soon?

Now this one may actually prove to bring in a little $$ for the slush-fund.  But, for all the effort, is it worth it?  We are going to find out.

aluminum, metal, recycle, Recycling, tin

February 7th, 2009 by Tisha

Admittedly, I have already had problems and have started to fall off of the Sustainability Boat.  Or Wagon.  Whatever.  I am upset at myself, but I suppose it will take some time to become this uber-efficient princess (I can hear my dear friend Steve laughing), yes, Princess.

Since I have “put it out there” for various papers and plastics, let’s dive into the next category of recyclable goods – Glass.

1.  Where can I recycle glass in Southern Colorado?
2.  Where does it go?
3.  What is my incentive to recycle glass?
4.  If there is not an incentive, will there be any time soon?

Glass, as with most paper, is a material that is harder to recycle for someone like myself because I say….“Well, if it does end up in a landfill, at least it will either decompose, or not have a drastic negative impact on the environment.”

Now, that is sad, sad reasoning for someone like myself.  BUT, if perhaps we look at the financial side of this, i.e. how can I make MONEY??  It may hold a nearer and dearer place in my (and yes, in most of society’s) heart.

As I say out loud to the sky, “OH God what am I getting myself into?”

We better find a solution or you may find me…..let’s find the d@*% # solution.

glass, recycle, Recycling

February 1st, 2009 by Tisha

Now let’s make some estimations about how long this will last.  Some of this is based off of hard-core evidence (as evidenced by my stomach and energy levels), and some of this will be estimated where we can later look back and see if we were close on our estimations.

1.  Frozen Raspberries: $2.69 – 3 Servings (hey, I am eating healthy here, NOT like two raspberries at a time)
2.  Dried Fruit (Dates): $5.14 – 8 Servings (I don’t like dates as much as raspberries)
3.  Frozen Spinach: $2.99 – 20 Servings (HA, just kidding, this is just 2 Servings)
4.  Frozen Sweet Potatoes: $2.99 – 2 Servings
5.  Carrots: $1.79 – 5 Servings
6.  Blackberries: $3.45 – 3 Servings

TOTAL = $19.05 for 23 Servings…looking like $.83 per serving (HOLY…..)

1.  Canned Tuna: $1.79×5 = $8.95 – 10 Servings
2.  Eggs: $3.65 – 6 Servings
3.  Almond Butter (Processed Food): $5.49 – 10 Servings
4.  Bulk Kidney Beans: $3.74 – 10
5.  Bulk Black Beans: $2.20 – 10
6.  Walnuts: $5.49 – 5

TOTAL = $29.52 for 51 Servings…..$.58 per serving

1.  English Muffins (Processed Food – pack of 6): $3.59×2 = $7.18 – 12 Servings
2.  Crackers (Processed Food) $3.85×2 = $7.70 – 5 Servings

TOTAL = $14.88 for 17 Servings….. $.88 per serving (Hello Bread Machine, Kimberly, do you have a recipe for Crackers?)

1.  Yogurt (Processed Food): $3.25 – 5 Servings
2.  Cheese (Processed Food): $4.58 – 5 Servings

TOTAL = $7.83 for 10 Servings…..$.79  per serving (I really didn’t need the calculator on that one….right?  AGH!  My brain is going to mush – save me fruits and vegetables!)

1.  Butter: $3.99 – 20 Servings (Butter really is in its own very sacred food group)
2.  Almond Oil: $5.69 – 20 Servings
3.  Olive Oil: $5.49 – 20 Servings

TOTAL = $15.17 for 60 Servings…..$.26 per serving (and trust me, this is NOT cheap fat)

1.  Shampoo: $10.99 – 30 Uses
2.  Conditioner: $10.99 – 30 Uses
3.  Soap: $4.99 – 14 Uses
4.  Face Wash: $9.99 – 30 Uses

TOTAL = $36.96 for 104 Uses…… $.36 per use

Grand Total: $123.41

Now, if I am eating the way that I probably should  (that means not starving myself or filling my hungry tummy with coffee or wine), then a meal would entail: two fruits/vegetables, one protein, one dairy, one grain, and one fat.  NEVER EVER EVER listen to my diet as a reference or a guide as to what you should be doing because I really don’t know what I am doing other than eating foods that make me feel good.

Fruit/Veggie: $.83×2 = $1.66

Protein: $.58

Dairy: $.79

Grain: $.88

Fat: $.26

Cost of Tisha’s Meal: $4.17

Cost of Tisha’s Cleanliness: $1.44 per day (and we are NOT skimping on this folks)

3 Meals a Day Plus Maintaining Natural Cleanliness: $13.95

30 Days per month COST: $418.50

This is NO CHOCOLATE, NO ALCOHOL, NO EATING OUT.  And, this is for ONE PERSON.  We are going to have to work on this.

cost, costs, Food, grocery bill, serving, size