Al Gore is Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize

[filkertom]

Along with the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. So many congratulations and thanks for their work on what is, after all, the single most important issue: our environment. I've said it before: Politics, religion, ethnicity, economic standing, social standing, none of it matters five days after you run out of potable water, or five minutes after you run out of breathable air.

What's the next thing you're doing to reduce greenhouse gasses, lower electricity consumption, or otherwise spiff up the environment around you? It doesn't have to be a big step; they do add up. I'm getting a tune-up and finishing the switchover to fluourescent bulbs.

Comments

[fair-witness.livejournal.com]

Lately (in the last few months) I've been experimenting with "green cleaning" techniques. Fewer toxic chemicals being spritzed around and washed down the drain! This is in addition to the fluorescent bulbs, turning off the lights when leaving a room, planning errand runs more carefully so as not to waste gas, etc.

[zenturbo.livejournal.com]

I have tried my darnedest to be as green as I can. I have CF bulbs in the house, I use biodegradable cleaners, slowly switching appliances over to energy efficient models, and/or try to use them as little as I can (like drying laundry outside, not turning on the furnace until it gets OMFG cold, etc.).

Given where I work, the counterbalance makes me feel better.

[partiallyclips.livejournal.com]

I quit my job. Give a hoot, don't commute!

Also, I'm not playing as much "Pull My Finger" as I used to.

[jannyblue.livejournal.com]

I'm not playing as much "Pull My Finger" as I used to.

For that, I am grateful...

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

And a bona fide science fiction author also won a Nobel yesterday.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

You're right, and I should've noted that. Too many distractions. Congrats to Doris Lessing, former WorldCon GOH, for kicking ass, taking names, and telling stories to and from the heart.

[maiac.livejournal.com]

I switched to the low-watt lightbulbs a while back.

I've recently signed up for the local electic company's "Green Energy" program. I have the privilege of paying extra on my electric bill for getting part of my electricity from renewable sources.

I got all new windows a couple of years ago, and more insulation in the attic.

[emiofbrie.livejournal.com]

Whenever a bulb burns out, it gets replaced by a flourescent that uses less electricity to make more light. :)

...and unfortunately at present that's all I can afford to do :(

[bryanp.livejournal.com]

I need to finish the switchover to CF bulbs. I replaced 8 more last week. I still have 6 fixtures with incandescents, but they're the ones that get the least amount of usage. I probably won't bother with the bulbs in the attic or the garage as they see so little use anyway. So that's 15 bulbs for three ceiling fan fixtures (sigh), and 3 bulbs that probably won't get replaced ever.

[devospice.livejournal.com]

I got a Prius a few months ago, and am now happily driving around at 55 MPG while enjoying the smell of my own farts.

And we're getting in touch with a local solar panel company to see about installing some in our house. Maybe someday we won't be relying on this godawful propane to heat this place.

[docwebster.livejournal.com]

All I can say is "Cue the right wing attacks dogs and somebody get ready for some amazing Countdown". Good for you, Al.

[technocracygirl.livejournal.com]

I moved, and now I take public transportation a lot. A lot, a lot.

[ellyssian.livejournal.com]

We're changing over to CFLs - 2 out of three of our outside lights are on 24/7, and we just moved them from one flavor of CFL to the bug-free flavor; I put small CFL globes in one of the bathrooms and will be purchasing more to replace the exposed bulbs in the other two bathrooms. As each bulb goes, we'll be able to replace it with a CFL.

The biggest step is continuing to build my business: Green Man Enviroscaping LLC (http://www.greenmanenvy.com/).

[ericcoleman]

Got a hybrid car (which is great on the road) The best purchase I have ever made, for a lot of different reasons

[poltr1]

The latest thing I've been doing is using my steam cleaner, instead of those noxious chemicals. Hot water is a great solvent for nearly anything, and steam is just about as effective.

[kilbia.livejournal.com]

My workplace has given out transit passes for free rides on local public transit. Since the house-family's work schedule now has me driving by myself while DH and HM1 commute together, I've been trying to take the train to work twice a week. (Two other days of the week I have evening appointments right after work, and on Friday DH needs my truck there so he can leave straight from work and pick up some friends to carpool to game night.)

Technoptimist agenda

[tcgtrf.livejournal.com]

I'm instructing people on the geological/climatological history of earth and the various types of possible extinction events that we have to deal with in the next century or two.

I've got at least one more article, "A Field Guide to Transhumanists" on the non-fiction fast track to top off my Skateboarding Into the Singularity series.

And, as always, five live more efficiently than two, as far as energy use goes. Elderwife is brutal about turning off light bulbs. If you don't realize it already (I hope most of your readers already do), always remember that anything that moves heat around is a big user of energy--furnaces, water heaters, old-style light bulbs, air conditioners, stoves, and refrigerators.

The fluorescents bulbs y'all are talking about have mercury in them so they're a bit more complicated to deal with than the ones most people are used to, here's how to dispose of a broken one--

http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/index.htm#flourescent

Have a GreenDay.

TC

Re: Technoptimist agenda

[armb.livejournal.com]

Off topic, but just in case anyone has ever wondered why mercury thermometers are on the "don't bring on an airplane" list (and were before security theatre): http://www.popsci.com/popsci/how20/09550e0796b84010vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd.html

Back to the question: installed some more CFL bulbs, and cycled to work more. Also peeing on the compost heap.
Oh, and failing to fix our central heating system last winter, though that did mean using electric heaters more as well as burning less gas (in the UK sense). We did use the wood burning stove a fair amount too.

[hvideo.livejournal.com]

We went almost entirely fluorescent about 7 years ago (the only exceptions being of the "we use it about 5 minutes per year" type in REALLY out-of-the-way areas). We started back when each CF bulb cost $15-$20 and in spite of the hype they were dim and really didn't last much longer than incandescents (Lights of America brand being notorious for not delivering the promised brightness AND for early burnout). But as they've have gotten cheaper and cheaper, they've also delivered reasonably close to the advertised brightness and yes, they are coming reasonably close to the advertised lifespan as well. In some areas we've just reduced bulbs (i.e. our kitchen ceiling fixture takes 3 long fluorescent bulbs, we only have two in place. They're enough.)

We make do with a single room-sized air conditioner (if you want to be cool you go to that room, we don't cool the whole house) and we limit the hours of operation. We run the major appliances like washer, dryer and dishwasher in off-peak hours with full loads and generally try not to waste energy. If there's an actual electricity shortage we'll hang the wash on the line to dry, but (so far) that's only during shortages.

Upcoming changes: replace CRT displays (TV, computer) with LCD this year, and investigate replacing Compact Fluorescent bulbs with LEDs.

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

We've switched over almost entirely to CF bulbs -- a necessity, as our house is so dark inside that we have to leave a lot of lights on all the time. We've also added a lot of attic insulation in the past few years (and still have more to put in once the weather cools off a bit), and we're discussing the possibility of putting together a plexiglas "storm window" for the giant plate-glass front picture window, since the cost of replacing it with a double-glazed one is prohibitive.

I wish we had more insulation in the outer walls, but there's no good way to achieve that.

[the-blue-fenix.livejournal.com]

I wish we had more insulation in the outer walls, but there's no good way to achieve that.

Decorate with big tapestries? As long as people remember not to hide behind them, should be fine.

[admnaismith.livejournal.com]

The Supreme Court, 5 to 4, just reversed the Nobel Committee and gave the Peace Prize to George Bush instead.

[ladysmith.livejournal.com]

We're starting to do the research on getting solar panels put onto our house. We're in Florida, it just makes SENSE.

[tomreedtoon.livejournal.com]

I've been using CFL bulbs for a long time. I've also been doing the "shut off the light bulbs when you leave the room" bit for a while. And if I'm alone at home with no visitors (usually most of the time) I let the air conditioning sit at 78 degrees, hang around in my underwear and use a fan.

If I think of it and get a good deal on them, I may install an overhead fan or two to keep the air moving and keep things cool.

In the kitchen, I use a small convection oven when I don't need to put something huge in the conventional oven.

My one "energy extravagance" is I leave the porch light (a CFL bulb, always) lit overnight. Our street is dark and not only do I need the light when I get home, the kids walking up the street to school in the dark need it too. That's about twelve watts for a 60 watt CFL bulb. Not a horrible extravagance.

[umbran.livejournal.com]

Putting CFL bulbs when the incandescent ones burn out.

Made a donation to a green home research project here at MIT.

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

What's going unsaid: Hey America, you could have had a President with a Nobel. Something that hasn't happened since Woodrow Wilson.

[tony-goldmark.livejournal.com]

Don't blame America, they voted for Gore.

Beat this, motorists.

[tony-goldmark.livejournal.com]

I don't own a car. AT ALL.

I don't lease one, I don't drive one. I live in the city, just a few blocks away from the downtowniest area of downtown. I walk everywhere, and take public transportation everywhere else.

[unclelumpy.livejournal.com]

Now he can count himself among such progressive-minded folk like... Dr. Henry Kissinger.

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

I have mostly CFLs in the house (but open the curtains during the day so I don't need extra light), hang laundry on the line to dry, and ride my bike to the grocery store instead of taking the car. I keep the thermostat low in the winter and wear sweaters, and run the AC just enough in the summers that the house is comfortable for shorts-and-t-shirt attire.

[the-blue-fenix.livejournal.com]

Living out in the country, outside zoning laws, we were able to put up a really energy-efficient house. http://www.monolithic.com/ We got it mostly for the "last forever, laughs off direct hits from tornados" aspects, but the extreme insulation is great too.

Somewhat last summer and much more this summer, line-drying most of our laundry. With the R factors on our insulation (and highs in the 90's or more four months a year) we'd be insane paying to heat the house with a clothes dryer and then paying again for the AC to cool it back.

Most of our light bulbs are CF now except the ones on dimmers. (Dim-able CF's are available but expensive and work badly.) Waste heat is a big factor on that for us, just like with the dryer. Once heat gets inside this dome, it stays.

[ladysoapmaker.livejournal.com]

We just replaced our washer with a front loading one that is high efficency. Now I just wish the car manufactures would come out with a hybrid minivan.

[annearchy.livejournal.com]

When my daughter was in elementary school, I drove to work because I had to pick her up from her after-school program on the way home from work. Now that she's in middle school and there's a dedicated city bus line to get her to and from school, I'm taking the bus to/from work at least 90% of the time.

YAY AL :D

[hiddenkrypt.livejournal.com]

Cfls, keeping the driving down to a minimum, and now I'm looking for a job close enough to home that I can walk to it.

[gan-chan.livejournal.com]

I'm getting a monthly transit pass so I can ride the bus to work instead of driving. Less pollution, less traffic, more time to read, and tax-deductible!

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

First and foremost: I have had zero children. Granted, I did not choose childfreedom for its environmental benefits, but it's a pleasant side-effect of a personal choice. Al Gore, father of four carbon-footprints, doesn't dare talk about ZPG.

Switched out all my bulbs for fluorescents in January 2001 (when California got punished for choosing Gore by getting butt-raped by the Texas electric-company tapeworms); cost me $10 a bulb back then, but I watched my bill drop by $5 and $10 each month for a long time after.

All non-essential electric goodies are on a power strip, or unplugged till they're needed. Do you REALLY need the clock feature on your microwave? Then unplug it to avoid that residual electricity. What about your DVD/stereo/TV? It's constantly on to respond to your remote. Power strip. Turn it on with a switch. Pennies, but they add up damn fast.

Sweaters in the winter, fans in the summer. (My average PGE bill is in the $20 range.)

One toilet is 6-liter flush, the other is older but fitted with a water-saving flapper, and I fixed a leak by replacing the entire flush valve.

I save paper at work that's been printed on one side, and save it to print on the other side (fax cover sheets and the like). I also collected the bags that held printer components and won't need to buy kitchen trash bags for a year.

[kestrels-nest.livejournal.com]

Switched cat-litter, to one that becomes compost instead of landfill. Cats have no objection. Switched out most light bulbs. Put in LED nightlights on the usual paths, so that there's no need to switch on an overhead to go to the bathroom or get a drink of water in the middle of the night.

[the-mad-elf.livejournal.com]

Continuing to switch over to CFL bulbs.
Put a water heater insulation "blanket" over the water heater.
Keeping the thermostat set to 68F in winter.
Closing vents and doors to rooms we don't use often.
Picked up extra window seal plastic covers and filler tape to fill any gaps in the window frames.
Arranged my class schedule to co-ordinate with Pamela's work schedule so we commute together whenever possible.
Doing most of my class readings online instead of printing them out to save paper.