Annual prepping for power outages

 Our first windy storm that causes power outages has hit so fall/winter is officially here.  And while it's easy to find a list of things to do to prep (heat, light, amusements), my 2 most important things aren't usually on those lists.

First up, making a latte without my electric espresso machine.  Because if I don't have my morning latte, well, the whole day is not going to be pretty.  Thus my excitement this last week when a stovetop espresso pot came up on the local Buy Nothing list.  And I won!   

Of course, once you've got the espresso, there's frothing the milk which is the point of the battery powered whisk on the left.

The second essential thing for me is a battery big enough to run my cpap overnight so I can get some sleep.  Because I am a truly cranky bear if I have no sleep and no latte.  After the last power outage, I went online and shopped for battery packs and picked the one below because it can be charged from a car (and our Prius is great for being a huge battery backup) and can also have a solar panel added.  Just in case you want to go camping.  And it has plugs for charging phones & tablets which makes it an excellent multipurpose battery.

We have the heat covered by having a coleman heater with a catalytic converter so we can use it indoors altho they do say not to use it while sleeping in case the fire goes out.  And we have lots of flashlights and candles, so light is covered.  Our stove and water heater are gas so the basic cooking and showering are covered.  We have a bookcase full of board games and lots of reading materials at all times so we are now  ready for the 2020 winter.  

Totally treehugger life is now possible

I've been furiously working on the unpacking and simplifying going on after our move in my attempt to get it all done by Halloween so you might have noticed I haven't been blogging about my art, or my reading or even sharing some very green post I've spotted.  Treehugger.com made that come to an end today.

I have to admit the lede alone made me LOL.  I have such a weakness for Greens with a sense of humor....

"What more can we say; here is a single post on TreeHugger that has  a tiny house that is powered by solar panels and a big Powerwall battery, and it is clad in wood, and it is towed by a Tesla. We will just say that there is a folding e-bike in the trunk of the car to make it TreeHugger perfect. Dress up the vegan driver in ethical clothes and we have nothing more to write."

Here's the link to Tesla's tiny home, totally solar powered.  You have to go to Australia to see it now but I look forward to the caravan making it here someday soon.

Making orcas happy by going green

I'm struggling with some health issues so no new art stuff this time.  Instead, I'm spreading the word about changing some of the ferries in Washington to hybrid or electric.  Norway has already done this successfully and here's a couple of articles about current plans to go that direction here.

In Skagit, there's this about an all electric ferry.  http://crosscut.com/2017/08/washingtons-ferry-future-orca-friendly-low-emission-electric-vessels/  Again, we see the initially higher upfront cost to convert to electric and the compelling significantly lower maintenance & fuel costs.  The big bonus is lowering the noise level for the orcas.

Norwegian electric ferry, photo from Nor-Shipping

Even closer to home for me, our local shipyard has landed a contract to build a hybrid ferry for Red and White Fleet of San Francisco.  Read about the details here.  Lots of progress going on and I am glad to see it.

Giant suction cup for creating green energy

This week's email brought this article from Grist about a new way to create electricity from wind.  I guess it's appropriate that the giant toilet plungers will be used in water, eh?  Gotta love the picture!

I'm still a fan of small local networks of energy production rather than the big grid but that's not going to be the first step.  The first step is feeding into the big grid with cleaner, less expensive energy sources and this is a less destructive part of that.

Audubon & the Pope agree - make a bird friendly garden!

This just in from the Audubon society,  https://www.audubon.org/news/how-make-bird-friendly-sanctuary because that's something any of us can do to help with the climate issues.  And really, wouldn't it be better to have fewer chemicals and more birds in your yard?

 I particularly liked the stats at the end, quoted below:

532: Varieties of butterflies and moths supported by
 native oak trees. Vs. 5: Butterfly and moth species 
supported by non-native ginkgo trees.

96: Percentage of land birds that rely on insects 
to feed chicks.

1,200: Number of crops that depend on pollinators 
to grow.

40 million: Acres of lawn in U.S. currently.

80 million: Pounds of pesticides applied to lawns 
in the U.S. annually. Native plants, on the other hand, 
support a balance of predator and prey and thrive 
without pesticides.

800 million: Gallons of gas used annually by 
lawn mowers. This produces significant amounts of 
C02 and other greenhouse gases driving climate change.

So change out those lawns!  Bring back the birds and the bees and we'll all be happier.  The Pope said so...

Gardening for the birds

A couple of things have crossed my path this week on Facebook.  One is this review of Jane Goodall's new book,  Seeds of Hope.  I really like her analogy of the yard as a gas station for migrating birds.  Read an excerpt here.

More specifically for us in the Pacific Northwest, there's Living with Wildlife and Landscaping for Wildlife which can be found at http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/book/ .  I used the Landscaping one to learn about which plants to use when I first started birding.  Very informative and not a bad gardening book, either.

The living page on the wdfw website is particularly useful in giving info about wildlife and what to do about it.  I used it to identify an unknown animal I saw in my backyard.  Turned out to be a Mountain Beaver, a totally new animal for me.  So now, it's my go-to page for learning about Washington wildlife.

Solowheel - a Seguelike unicycle

My email this morning had this link from Grist about a staffer trying out the Solowheel.  Go see the video here.  This seems fun and compared to an electric bike price, very reasonable in cost.  I'd just want to know how to stop it before I bought one since the staffer seemed to have trouble with that issue.  Jumping off does work but, like on a bike, that's not always the safest way to dismount.

Full link:  http://grist.org/living/watch-us-poorly-ride-the-transportation-of-the-future/

The Solowheel is local to Seattle and there are other, less expensive alternatives.  Here's a second look at one of those, the Airwheel.

http://www.bemmu.com/airwheel-electric-unicycle-review

Guess it's time to sell the electric scooter that has the same range but weighs over 200 lbs...

Renewable energy costs dropping fast

It's part of our long term plan to put solar panels on our house, eventually and likely within 5 years.  As winter weather gets stormier here, leading to more toppling trees and downed power lines, having some kind of alternative energy source seems like a good idea.  Interestingly, today's email brought this link from Grist about comparative energy costs and how oil is increasingly non-competitive, even on price.

Check it out here:  http://grist.org/climate-energy/renewable-energy-is-getting-cheaper-and-cheaper-in-6-charts/  I particularly like their photoshopped illo...

Melting glaciers and why you should care

Today's email brought this link to an article about melting glaciers and the effect on global climate.  Besides  rising sea levels, the two biggest impacts are the shifts in the jet stream (you know, the high level air stream movement that keeps thunderstorms moving along rather than dumping all their rain in one place) and the loss of glaciers & snow packs as water reservoirs  for areas where the regular runoff is used for drinking water and hydro-power production.  In the US, that means Alaska, California, and probably many of the Rocky Mountain States.  It's worth reading the article to get a better understanding of why people are saying this is a big deal.

Cutest tiny car on its way!

Smart cars are so tiny, they hit the cute button.  And they're about to get cuter, as they go electric.  This news was in today's email.   Small, affordable, and recharging quickly.  All things that I want in an electric car so I'd count this as excellent news!

Bike & Transit - what's working where

Today's email brought an interesting report on different ways cities around the world (Hello Hoorn, Netherlands!) are integrating bikes into their transit systems.  Given the relative costs of park & ride sites ($30,000/space) and secure bike parking ($4400/space) here in Seattle, it seems like a good way to go.  Read the full report here.

City Biking report in - High heels & biking, the way to go!

I've talked before about bicycling without turning into a lycra clad stereotype, and here's a great blog post about how cities all around the world are doing small changes with big impact for bicyclists.  Christine Grant talks here about her six months in various cities and ways we might make it easier for people to get around by bike.   I love that she includes electric assist bikes.  I know my son loved his, and I'm enjoying trying it out this summer for local errands and trips.  Bike on!

12 steps for going green in 2012

Today's email brought this simple list of 12 things to do to go green in 2012. Any or all of them, whatever can be done easily, will benefit our wallets and our planet. Read the full list here. I'm particularly pleased that the bike share programs I've mentioned earlier made the list. Bicycling to the local mall (about 2/3rds of a mile one way) is on my list of things to do more of this year. I'll increase my exercise level, use my car less and save money that way, and shop local. A great threefer!

Alternatives to mall shopping for Black Friday

Grist.org has a nice list of things people do on Black Friday instead of shopping. Since I stopped shopping at the malls for Winter Holiday presents, my need to watch "Die Hard" as my Christmas movie has decreased considerably. I like the movie marathon idea as well as the nature hike. This year, we're once again doing mostly handmade or edible presents since most of our relatives and friends have too much stuff already. Perhaps you might find an idea worth doing on this list.

Solar & Wind power going mainstream

I'm back from vacation, all rested and relaxed, with over 500 pictures of birds and landscapes. It will probably be a week or so before I finish processing them, a fairly tedious but necessary task, so I was very pleased by today's Grist email containing two articles about non-fossil fuel power generation. Apparently, big power companies are investing in solar power. Finally! Read the details here.

Secondly, there's a pretty map showing how much of each state's total electrical power could be supplied by wind power generation within their state. Talk about going local! There's also a link to the full report about energy self sufficiency. Read it here.

Fashionable & on a bicycle - tips to help

Today's email from Grist.org brought an article about bicycling and still presenting an office ready demeanor. Or being fashionable. Whichever way you choose to describe it. For the full article, go here. It's a quick interview with a woman who lives car free in Portland so it has several important tips for those of us who live in the Pacific North Wet. I encourage you to read the whole article but here's the important points from it (and mucho thanks to Grist.org and Elly Blue for giving them to us):

First and foremost, Meghan says, "suck it up and get some fenders." She's right. Far worse than any downpour is the rain and road muck that your tires heave up onto your legs, face, and back as you ride -- not to mention into the face of anyone unlucky enough to find themselves riding behind you.

Planning your wardrobe is just as important. Judicious investments are key. Wearing technical rain gear can mean getting just as damp from sweat as you would from a light rain, but it can save you from getting drenched in a downpour. Here are Meghan's suggestions as you find that wardrobe balance:

• Wear black. Or brown. Or dark colors and patterns. Black bottoms don't show rain and mud and a black top doesn't show sweat when you get overheated wearing a rain jacket.


• Wear wool if you can. I love my wool tights. They're not cheap, but you can get them in the off-season on sale, and they're totally worth it. Guys, go for wool pants. They're sexier than khakis anyway. Seriously.


• Don't ever wear cotton in the rain. You'll regret it for hours. (The stuff takes forever to dry!) Even synthetics are better than cotton if you can't or don't wear wool.


• If it's truly pouring, I accept that I'm going to get wet and go bare legged. I wear shoes that dry quickly (like Crocs or Melissa brand shoes). I dry off MUCH quicker than everyone else! (If you decide to fight it, try some rainboots. I like the Tretorn ones because they're lined, but you can get any ol' boots and put some sealant on them and they'll do the job.)


• A tight cap under your helmet will sop up rain and keep water from trickling through your hair and down your face.


• Invest in a good-lookin' raincoat! Like the kind you'd wear to walk down the street. You don't have to look like you're mountaineering every day.

Local energy production means local jobs

Great news on the going green front today from grist.org: there's a rural community movement to produce their energy locally from sustainable sources and a village in Germany has hit 100% local energy production. It took them 8 years, given the government support for renewable energy in Germany, and there are rural communities in the US doing the same. Read more here. I think this is great - reduces carbon production, reduces dependence on foreign oil, and produces more jobs for local people. What's not to like?

An example of permaculture gardening

Today's email brought an interesting page about how to grow an apple tree in a permaculture way, providing nutrients & water without external fertilizer and watering. Here's where to read it in detail. It's part of a new wiki aimed at helping build resiliency so there are lots of interesting pages available and more all the time. I love low effort gardening myself, especially as my joints are wearing out. And this sort of effort is possible to do now, in experimentation.

More fabulous biking news! More space on the street, oh yea!

This just in via Grist.org, bike corrals are the big new thing in Nevada City, CA. Apparently, they're gaining in popularity nationwide and what's not to like about having actual decent parking space for bikes? Read all about it here.

Electric folding bike to be made in Portland

As you all may remember, we bought an electric folding bike a couple of years ago. We're still using it, and it works well for short errands and coordinating with bus transit, but it was manufactured in China. And the manufacturer had problems so the bike shop we bought it from no longer carries it. This could cause problems if there's ever a major maintenance/repair issue so I am pleased to report a project to produce an electric folding bike in Portland, Oregon. They're doing it via Kickstart so you can be an investor if you like. Read all about it here.