*The Giant tries to create a capital "N" with his fingers like all the gangstas do with "W" and heart shapes*
As many know my house, built in the 1950's, has no regard for North/South alignments to catch the sun. My house faces East, which gives great sunlight in the living room in the morning, and great light in the bedroom in the evening. The exact opposite of the times I am actually in those rooms. Further, I have very large oaks on the south side of my house which, while shading me quite nicely from the scorching Suburbia, VA sun, affords me no option to put up solar panels to reduce my carbon footprint. That may soon change.
I was reading a CNN article that spoke about solar panels that don't need to be placed in a certain orientation to get sunlight. Well, its just the coating on the panels, not the panels themselves. Basically, the layering on the coating allows sunlight to be absorbed by the panels no matter what angle the sunlight hits. It also allows for absorption of UV, and IR light, not just visible. Essentially, you can put the panels anywhere as long as light hits them, and they will absorb almost 96.21 percent of the light, better than the 35% or so now. :)
Hmmm, I'm seeing a great little stand with a few panels on it next to the garden in a few years. Unless the Bambi Brigade/Squirrel Squadron task force does something to it.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Requiem for a Garden
As most have read, The Giant has had a difficult time with the local fauna in his Suburbia backyard. Squirrels have been the major culprit, scampering about with their cute little tails and noses, frolicking, if you will, in the bounty provided by this glorious planet. We all know of their darker side, sinister rats with puffy tails, waiting to prey upon you and your family while you sleep, destroying all that every red-blooded American holds dear. Now they have a new conspirator: Bambi. He and his brethren skulk about in the night, doing unspeakable acts that squirrels can only dream of doing: eating corn stalks to the ground!
OK, this might be a little bit of a digression, and although I have strong, no, giant-sized opinions on game hunting, this blog is not about that. Its about trying to live with nature, no matter how she confounds me.
The garden, eventually ended up being a mere shadow of what I had envisioned. Here is a tally:
Lima Beans: 24 plants plated, number of beans: 0
(plats sprouted, never set fruit)
Corn: 8 stalks planted, number of ears: 0
(stalks mowed to the ground by clandestine deer just as the stalks had at least 2 growing ears each)
Summer squash: 8 vines planted, number of squash: 3
(5 vines crushed as stealthy cloven-hooves dine on corn, 2 vines set fruit yielding 4 six-inch long fruits, 1 disappears, possibly stolen by joint deer/squirrel task force)
Sunflowers: 8 stalks planted, number of flowers: 0
(6 seeds dug out of the ground by squirrels, 2 sprout but then disappear, deer/squirrel brigade suspected)
Tomatoes: numerous plants planted, number of fruits: 0
(4 fruits set, Giant waits with baited breath as they grow almost to picking, tomatoes disappear off vines. Again, deer/squirrels suspected)
Pumpkins: 8 vines planted, number of fruits: 1
(7 crushed during Odocoileus virginianus raid. The 1 remaining vine sets 1 fruit, which the Giant guards with the passion of an expectant father. the fruit is gnawed on shortly after turning orange, the Giant harvests early to save what he could. The sole battle scarred orb sits alongside large commercially grown Jack-o-lanterns during Samhain. Days later develops mold, retired to new garden location to return to Gaia.)
All in all, not a very good crop. Thankfully I don't have to feed my family with it. I'm moving the garden to a new spot on the north side of my house. Ironically, during the summer months it gets the most light when the sun is high in the sky for most of the day. So far, the perimeter is set out in a rectangle with dirt and bricks recovered for the construction of the screened-in porch. I will also be surrounding the perimeter with 5 foot chicken wire fencing to deter Bambi's Brigade (which my wife saw wandering around the hood only last week). And obtaining rain barrels to save water to provide for the garden daily. Next years crop will also have its more tasty members grown in the screened-in porch to start. I am determined to get the sunflowers going.
Crops planned for next year:
Corn: Again, Bambi's Brigade be dammed
Sunflowers: ibid
Tomatoes: in secondary cages to further dissuade Squirrel Squadron
Pumpkins: in the same spot as the old garden. I think they had a shot, just needed at least 25 feet of vine before setting fruit. With no other tasty morsels in the area, the Bambi's Brigade should leave them alone
Potatoes: Hopefully Squirrel Squadron wont find them underground.
Chili Peppers: Capsaicin baby! Squirrels apparently hate it
Cucumbers: Yes a new one, neighbors have great success with theirs, hopefully I can share more wealth.
Battle plans are being draw. Thank you old garden, I mourn your passing and look froward to your rebirth.
OK, this might be a little bit of a digression, and although I have strong, no, giant-sized opinions on game hunting, this blog is not about that. Its about trying to live with nature, no matter how she confounds me.
The garden, eventually ended up being a mere shadow of what I had envisioned. Here is a tally:
Lima Beans: 24 plants plated, number of beans: 0
(plats sprouted, never set fruit)
Corn: 8 stalks planted, number of ears: 0
(stalks mowed to the ground by clandestine deer just as the stalks had at least 2 growing ears each)
Summer squash: 8 vines planted, number of squash: 3
(5 vines crushed as stealthy cloven-hooves dine on corn, 2 vines set fruit yielding 4 six-inch long fruits, 1 disappears, possibly stolen by joint deer/squirrel task force)
Sunflowers: 8 stalks planted, number of flowers: 0
(6 seeds dug out of the ground by squirrels, 2 sprout but then disappear, deer/squirrel brigade suspected)
Tomatoes: numerous plants planted, number of fruits: 0
(4 fruits set, Giant waits with baited breath as they grow almost to picking, tomatoes disappear off vines. Again, deer/squirrels suspected)
Pumpkins: 8 vines planted, number of fruits: 1
(7 crushed during Odocoileus virginianus raid. The 1 remaining vine sets 1 fruit, which the Giant guards with the passion of an expectant father. the fruit is gnawed on shortly after turning orange, the Giant harvests early to save what he could. The sole battle scarred orb sits alongside large commercially grown Jack-o-lanterns during Samhain. Days later develops mold, retired to new garden location to return to Gaia.)
All in all, not a very good crop. Thankfully I don't have to feed my family with it. I'm moving the garden to a new spot on the north side of my house. Ironically, during the summer months it gets the most light when the sun is high in the sky for most of the day. So far, the perimeter is set out in a rectangle with dirt and bricks recovered for the construction of the screened-in porch. I will also be surrounding the perimeter with 5 foot chicken wire fencing to deter Bambi's Brigade (which my wife saw wandering around the hood only last week). And obtaining rain barrels to save water to provide for the garden daily. Next years crop will also have its more tasty members grown in the screened-in porch to start. I am determined to get the sunflowers going.
Crops planned for next year:
Corn: Again, Bambi's Brigade be dammed
Sunflowers: ibid
Tomatoes: in secondary cages to further dissuade Squirrel Squadron
Pumpkins: in the same spot as the old garden. I think they had a shot, just needed at least 25 feet of vine before setting fruit. With no other tasty morsels in the area, the Bambi's Brigade should leave them alone
Potatoes: Hopefully Squirrel Squadron wont find them underground.
Chili Peppers: Capsaicin baby! Squirrels apparently hate it
Cucumbers: Yes a new one, neighbors have great success with theirs, hopefully I can share more wealth.
Battle plans are being draw. Thank you old garden, I mourn your passing and look froward to your rebirth.
Friday, November 7, 2008
The Giant Awakens
Sorry for disappearing folks, The Giant has been pretty busy learning from the Higher Mind at Haavad these past few months. That and the whole "Yes we can!" thing was pretty gripping down here in Suburbia, VA (a blue state finally!).
So speaking of that, the President Elect has given his outline for his energy plan. I love the fact that it is completely absent of the phrase "drill, baby, drill."
Its outlined here. Its a terse read at the moment, considering they have only been "official" for a few days now, but it does have some interesting points. One that I think is a little "safe" is this one:
• Ensure 10 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.
Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't 20 percent already come from renewable (hydroelectric)? Maybe I should drop them a line and mention that little tidbit. Wouldn't want politicians taking credit for something that has already happened now would we?
This point I loved:
• A “Use it or Lose It” Approach to Existing Oil and Gas Leases.
That huge push to "open up" areas for offshore drilling just made it possible to acquire more drilling rights. These rights are not being reserved because we are running out of places to drill, but rather to make sure that oil companies can stake their claim, and only use it when they want too. 70%-80% of possible areas to drill are already bought and completely unused. I like to call this the "shit or get off the pot" point. This will cause the companies to actually develop the plot, or let it go back, unused.
• Weatherize One Million Homes Annually.
How does he plan to do this? Show up at my house with caulk and insulation?
Anyway, just some musings. I promise I will carve out more time.
So speaking of that, the President Elect has given his outline for his energy plan. I love the fact that it is completely absent of the phrase "drill, baby, drill."
Its outlined here. Its a terse read at the moment, considering they have only been "official" for a few days now, but it does have some interesting points. One that I think is a little "safe" is this one:
• Ensure 10 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.
Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't 20 percent already come from renewable (hydroelectric)? Maybe I should drop them a line and mention that little tidbit. Wouldn't want politicians taking credit for something that has already happened now would we?
This point I loved:
• A “Use it or Lose It” Approach to Existing Oil and Gas Leases.
That huge push to "open up" areas for offshore drilling just made it possible to acquire more drilling rights. These rights are not being reserved because we are running out of places to drill, but rather to make sure that oil companies can stake their claim, and only use it when they want too. 70%-80% of possible areas to drill are already bought and completely unused. I like to call this the "shit or get off the pot" point. This will cause the companies to actually develop the plot, or let it go back, unused.
• Weatherize One Million Homes Annually.
How does he plan to do this? Show up at my house with caulk and insulation?
Anyway, just some musings. I promise I will carve out more time.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Do you need to stick your hand in a boiling pot to know its hot?
An interesting article appeared in CNN's sci-tech blog today. It appears that there isn't enough money in the federal budget to study the effects of climate change. Places like the NSF and NOAA aren't getting enough funding because they aren't being adjusted for inflation.
As a former scientist (kinda), I know that a great deal of the work is not just in the lab, but also begging for research funds. That tends to be difficult, especially with the myriad other projects vying for those "limited" tax dollars. "Climate change" and "The War on Terror(ism)©" have different gut reactions. Are we missing the point though?
Isn't it more important to be spending money on methods to actually stop what we already know? It is important not to go off half-cocked and try a solution without understanding the whole problem, but one thing is clear: Humans are responsible for increasing the CO2 levels in the atmosphere form 1750 (give or take) to the present day. Whatever wasn't natural, is us. Therefore we have a goal, and that is to remove our influence from the atmosphere. Is that money not better spent on things like reducing emissions, CO2 sequestration, and renewables?
The barbarians are already at the gate, should we take the time to count them, and categorize foot soldiers and horsemen, or should we rather devise a way to take out as many as possible with the least damage to ourselves?
As a former scientist (kinda), I know that a great deal of the work is not just in the lab, but also begging for research funds. That tends to be difficult, especially with the myriad other projects vying for those "limited" tax dollars. "Climate change" and "The War on Terror(ism)©" have different gut reactions. Are we missing the point though?
Isn't it more important to be spending money on methods to actually stop what we already know? It is important not to go off half-cocked and try a solution without understanding the whole problem, but one thing is clear: Humans are responsible for increasing the CO2 levels in the atmosphere form 1750 (give or take) to the present day. Whatever wasn't natural, is us. Therefore we have a goal, and that is to remove our influence from the atmosphere. Is that money not better spent on things like reducing emissions, CO2 sequestration, and renewables?
The barbarians are already at the gate, should we take the time to count them, and categorize foot soldiers and horsemen, or should we rather devise a way to take out as many as possible with the least damage to ourselves?
Thursday, August 7, 2008
"I'll get you, you varmint!" (Updated)
OK, a little clarification on The Giant's stance on organizations like PeTA and Greenpeace. I think that they have great missions, and really heighten peoples conciseness on things like animal rights and environmental issues. To me, they really serve as a firebrand, like you wacky alcoholic uncle who can really wax prosaic on some seriously deep issues, but by the same token is not the person you willfully invite to a party because it will be all about them in the end. Message received, but you actions speak so loud I can't hear anything you are saying. That having been said, The Giant is against all forms of animal cruelty. period.
I have a vegetable garden (that I really should be taking photos of) in my Suburbia backyard. The garden isn't doing so well because I really didn't put in the most sunny spot possible. I was growing corn, sunflowers, lima beans, summer squash, tomatoes, and pumpkins. As of today (august 7th) the corn is only up to my chest, and has one tiny ear on each plant. Although the tomatoes, squash, beans and pumpkins have nice, healthy plants, not one of them has set fruit. None. The sunflowers didn't even come up at all. There is a lot to be said about me planing late (memorial day) or not enough fertilizer (the plot is brand new) or not enough sunlight, but we have gotten a lot of rain.
The Giant was talking to his much smaller neighbors the other day. They mentioned that they were having the worst time with vegetables being stolen from their garden. Theirs is in a good spot, gets plenty of sun, no pests, etc. So their plants actually set fruit. "Bummer" I thought. "They aren't stealing from me. Yet." But wait, they do like sunflower seeds. Hmmm.
Next day, I come home and go to look out at The Giant's brand new screened in porch. What to my wandering eyes should appear: a squirrel runs past the french doors. INSIDE the porch! Thinking one of the workmen must have let it in, I rush to the door to let the poor little guy out. Upon opening the door, I spy another, yes another, squirrel with his head buried in the container of birdseed that I have stored inside the porch. Quickly I spy to the screen and see the 4 inch wide hole that they chewed though the screen to get at the delicious seeds. I flew into a rage, screaming at top of my voice, "Get the (unprintable) out of my (unprintable) porch you (unprintable)(unprintable)(unprintable)(unprintable) varmint (unprintable) it!" What ensued after that was sheer hilarity in which the two thieves scampered around the inside of my porch, like those motorcycles inside steel cages that you often see at county fairs, or certain sections of the Las Vegas strip. Enraged, I pick up an extra piece of siding that the workmen left behind for repairs. Repeatedly I smacked it against the ground and against the walls, like some Neanderthal trying to get a leopard out of his cave before it eats his children. Full of sound and fury, all I succeed in doing was scaring the crap out of the fuzzballs. Stopping to watch one of them panting and scared out of its tiny mind an urge rises within me. "I could kill that (unprintable) right now. He's so scared I can just reach out and snap its neck before he'd get the chance to bite me. It'd be quick and painless, more than he deserves."
Right there. Right there I feel the urge of 100,000 years of evolution. "Kill what threatens you. Kill what steals from you. If it lives your children don't eat. Kill."
"Dude, chill." I say audibly. "It's a (unprintable) squirrel. You are the dumb-ass that left the birdseed out." forgetting that these guys had chewed though the container at a point previous, providing the second one with the access into the container in the first place.
Calmly, I walk back, open both screen doors, (letting those tiger mosquitoes in, the reason for the porch in the first place). I continue to smack the siding on the ground, but less frantically, using my evolved cortex to solve a problem, instead of a finding the quickest way to kill something 200 times smaller than me. One makes it out quickly, then after a minute, the second one (the VERY scared one) makes his way out. I'm left with the task of cleaning the spilled seed up, and patch the whole in the screen with duct tape since the workmen haven't shown me how to replace the screens yet.
So what to do at this point? Obviously the reason why the squirrels are so bad in my 'hood is because we killed all their predators. The wolves, bears, and mountain lions were all removed because of the same instincts that almost made me kill the squirrels. Whether justified or not, they were a bigger threat than just to my garden. Coyotes are making into my section of Suburbia, but I think they won't have much of an impact. Trapping them maybe? Moving them to the park and therefore someone else's problem? Or do I have to assume the role of predator since humanity took the real ones out? Is this out legacy? To be apex predators to something as small as squirrels and chipmunks? Thank God the crows aren't that aggressive, or then I'd be in real trouble.
UPDATE:
Thank you Mango Power Girl for letting me know that even western squirrels are a pain in the behind. I'm not so sure they are looking for moisture, since they also eat all the apples off my tress as well. Sadly, I'd leave water out for them, but then the mosquitoes would be even more intolerable. BTW, not only are the squirrels a problem, deer wandered into my yard and ate all the corn. Not just the ears, but the entire stalk all the way down to the ground. Who said the only wildlife inside the beltway are interns? Next year: cage the whole thing.
I have a vegetable garden (that I really should be taking photos of) in my Suburbia backyard. The garden isn't doing so well because I really didn't put in the most sunny spot possible. I was growing corn, sunflowers, lima beans, summer squash, tomatoes, and pumpkins. As of today (august 7th) the corn is only up to my chest, and has one tiny ear on each plant. Although the tomatoes, squash, beans and pumpkins have nice, healthy plants, not one of them has set fruit. None. The sunflowers didn't even come up at all. There is a lot to be said about me planing late (memorial day) or not enough fertilizer (the plot is brand new) or not enough sunlight, but we have gotten a lot of rain.
The Giant was talking to his much smaller neighbors the other day. They mentioned that they were having the worst time with vegetables being stolen from their garden. Theirs is in a good spot, gets plenty of sun, no pests, etc. So their plants actually set fruit. "Bummer" I thought. "They aren't stealing from me. Yet." But wait, they do like sunflower seeds. Hmmm.
Next day, I come home and go to look out at The Giant's brand new screened in porch. What to my wandering eyes should appear: a squirrel runs past the french doors. INSIDE the porch! Thinking one of the workmen must have let it in, I rush to the door to let the poor little guy out. Upon opening the door, I spy another, yes another, squirrel with his head buried in the container of birdseed that I have stored inside the porch. Quickly I spy to the screen and see the 4 inch wide hole that they chewed though the screen to get at the delicious seeds. I flew into a rage, screaming at top of my voice, "Get the (unprintable) out of my (unprintable) porch you (unprintable)(unprintable)(unprintable)(unprintable) varmint (unprintable) it!" What ensued after that was sheer hilarity in which the two thieves scampered around the inside of my porch, like those motorcycles inside steel cages that you often see at county fairs, or certain sections of the Las Vegas strip. Enraged, I pick up an extra piece of siding that the workmen left behind for repairs. Repeatedly I smacked it against the ground and against the walls, like some Neanderthal trying to get a leopard out of his cave before it eats his children. Full of sound and fury, all I succeed in doing was scaring the crap out of the fuzzballs. Stopping to watch one of them panting and scared out of its tiny mind an urge rises within me. "I could kill that (unprintable) right now. He's so scared I can just reach out and snap its neck before he'd get the chance to bite me. It'd be quick and painless, more than he deserves."
Right there. Right there I feel the urge of 100,000 years of evolution. "Kill what threatens you. Kill what steals from you. If it lives your children don't eat. Kill."
"Dude, chill." I say audibly. "It's a (unprintable) squirrel. You are the dumb-ass that left the birdseed out." forgetting that these guys had chewed though the container at a point previous, providing the second one with the access into the container in the first place.
Calmly, I walk back, open both screen doors, (letting those tiger mosquitoes in, the reason for the porch in the first place). I continue to smack the siding on the ground, but less frantically, using my evolved cortex to solve a problem, instead of a finding the quickest way to kill something 200 times smaller than me. One makes it out quickly, then after a minute, the second one (the VERY scared one) makes his way out. I'm left with the task of cleaning the spilled seed up, and patch the whole in the screen with duct tape since the workmen haven't shown me how to replace the screens yet.
So what to do at this point? Obviously the reason why the squirrels are so bad in my 'hood is because we killed all their predators. The wolves, bears, and mountain lions were all removed because of the same instincts that almost made me kill the squirrels. Whether justified or not, they were a bigger threat than just to my garden. Coyotes are making into my section of Suburbia, but I think they won't have much of an impact. Trapping them maybe? Moving them to the park and therefore someone else's problem? Or do I have to assume the role of predator since humanity took the real ones out? Is this out legacy? To be apex predators to something as small as squirrels and chipmunks? Thank God the crows aren't that aggressive, or then I'd be in real trouble.
UPDATE:
Thank you Mango Power Girl for letting me know that even western squirrels are a pain in the behind. I'm not so sure they are looking for moisture, since they also eat all the apples off my tress as well. Sadly, I'd leave water out for them, but then the mosquitoes would be even more intolerable. BTW, not only are the squirrels a problem, deer wandered into my yard and ate all the corn. Not just the ears, but the entire stalk all the way down to the ground. Who said the only wildlife inside the beltway are interns? Next year: cage the whole thing.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Sunscreen: Not just for Grannies and Children!
To preface, the Giant is all for technology and its benefits for the human race. Ignoring it and going "back to the land" and living in a pre-industrial lifestyle will result in massive upheavals of our society and starve probably 4 billion people on this planet. However, there is a limit as to what science should, or should not be able to do. After awhile it becomes less of a benefit and more, science for science sake.
An article posted by CNN today, Sunscreen for crops, is I believe, one of those instances. This article suggests that an SPF 45 spray on crops will help those crops avoid sunburn due to lack of water. The spray, made from engineered calcium carbonate (basically sea-shells) is applied to the crops and that keeps them cooler, increasing yields.
This is all well and good if the situation really warrants it (ie planting in an actual desert). But we aren't at that point yet. Simply growing crops in mixed use polyculture (trees, shrubs, and crops) provides shade for lower crops, retains water, and helps eliminate pests. (the Three Sisters technique) This sunscreen is developed with monoculture farming in mind: endless rows of the same plant, requiring literally tons of chemical fertilizer, millions of gallons of water, and behemoth machines to take care of all of this.
Yes, crops are under threat for climate change, yes once-semi arid land is becoming marginal because of the heat and monoculture practices, yes places like the American Southwest and Australia are under historic droughts. But is this heavy handed "man vs. nature vs. what man has done to nature" really the best way to go? The Aztecs and Teotihuacanos farmed in the desert, and had flourishing societies. Is this the time for designer crops, with designer sunscreen? What's next, products to keep tomatoes form looking too wrinkly? Tummy tucks for pumpkins? Collagen injections for carrots?
An article posted by CNN today, Sunscreen for crops, is I believe, one of those instances. This article suggests that an SPF 45 spray on crops will help those crops avoid sunburn due to lack of water. The spray, made from engineered calcium carbonate (basically sea-shells) is applied to the crops and that keeps them cooler, increasing yields.
This is all well and good if the situation really warrants it (ie planting in an actual desert). But we aren't at that point yet. Simply growing crops in mixed use polyculture (trees, shrubs, and crops) provides shade for lower crops, retains water, and helps eliminate pests. (the Three Sisters technique) This sunscreen is developed with monoculture farming in mind: endless rows of the same plant, requiring literally tons of chemical fertilizer, millions of gallons of water, and behemoth machines to take care of all of this.
Yes, crops are under threat for climate change, yes once-semi arid land is becoming marginal because of the heat and monoculture practices, yes places like the American Southwest and Australia are under historic droughts. But is this heavy handed "man vs. nature vs. what man has done to nature" really the best way to go? The Aztecs and Teotihuacanos farmed in the desert, and had flourishing societies. Is this the time for designer crops, with designer sunscreen? What's next, products to keep tomatoes form looking too wrinkly? Tummy tucks for pumpkins? Collagen injections for carrots?
Friday, July 25, 2008
Product Review: Ecover Dishwasher Tablets
In my last post on an Ecover product, I couldn't really recommend Ecover's Liquid Laundry Detergent. It had way too much oily buildup on the Giant's clothes. "Fresh and Earthy" described my clothes at the beginning, but "thick and waxy" was more accurate at the end.
As before with regular laundry detergents, I didn't have any problem with effectiveness, it was just that I wanted to have a more sustainable product. There are a plethora of toxic chemicals in regular detergents and cleaners, plus all the hydrocarbons in the cleaner itself as well as the packaging. So the next most common thing I use in the "automated cleaning so I don’t have to go down to the river and beat my clothes against a rock" milieu was dishwashing detergent.
Whilst perusing though Whole Foods with my wife, I decided to pick up a box of tablets and give it a try. The box comes with 25 tablets, so if I didn't like it, I'd really be stuck with a lot of extra tablets laying around, so with some trepidation, I threw it into my cart.
The Ecover tablets come in a 95% recycled cardboard box (although at the moment I don't remember how much of that was post-consumer) and the tablets come with minimal individual packaging. However, they are each wrapped in plastic film that is identified with a #5. Which my recycling company does not take. I know that they chose this form because it is impermeable to gas, and that prevents the tablet from oxidizing and becoming useless. Still, I couldn't help but think "drat, so close". Maybe aluminum foil? I know it’s slightly fragile, but it’s impermeable too, and is recyclable. I guess I'll get out my little crayon and write them a letter. :)
Ok so, full load of dishes, and I take the box out, pop open the container, pull out a tablet, pop it out of its Polypropylene sarcophagus and toss it into the appropriate chamber. With a quick prayer for good luck, I started the cycle. At this point I started daydreaming of a world where dishes washed themselves, and Blu-ray DVD players didn't cost $800. :) 40 minutes or so later, the washing was done, and opened it up. After flinging the 1st dish onto the counter and cursing up a storm (I forgot that the dishes finish at 160 degrees) I realized that the plate felt clean, very clean. I grabbed a tea saucer (waved it in the air to cool to handle it) I did the old Dawn test. Rubbing my thumb along the side, it squeaked! It was so grease free! Elated, I grabbed another plate, and flung that onto the counter. Once I finished cursing, I picked that up and tested again, it squeaked too! Again and again an orgy of squeaking ensued, moving down from bowls to flatware. (No my wife was not home, so I was free to play without fear of ridicule.) I can safely say that the dishes were the cleanest I have ever felt them. No grease, no dried up "what was that anyway?" chunky bits clinging to the flatware, nada, just the glorious stink of clean. Not only was this better than I had expected, it was also cleaner that my usual Cascade, which always got the dishes clean, but didn't always pass the Dawn test.
As stated before, the box comes in packets of 25, and I am about 1/2 way through. I tend to wash a full load about 2x per week. I'm on city water in Suburbia, so it’s neither very hard nor soft, but it does have excessive amounts of chlorine sometimes. I don't know how those variables will affect other municipalities, or whether the pH will be modified if you run well water or collected rain water. All I know is that it works extremely well. Ecover's website mentions that for best results you should use their rinse aid, but to be honest, I can't see a reason why. I completely recommend this product. The tablets run about $6 for a box of 25, and can be purchased at Whole Foods, online, or that other green-leaning retailers.
Next review in the pipeline: some really nasty mouthwash.
As before with regular laundry detergents, I didn't have any problem with effectiveness, it was just that I wanted to have a more sustainable product. There are a plethora of toxic chemicals in regular detergents and cleaners, plus all the hydrocarbons in the cleaner itself as well as the packaging. So the next most common thing I use in the "automated cleaning so I don’t have to go down to the river and beat my clothes against a rock" milieu was dishwashing detergent.
Whilst perusing though Whole Foods with my wife, I decided to pick up a box of tablets and give it a try. The box comes with 25 tablets, so if I didn't like it, I'd really be stuck with a lot of extra tablets laying around, so with some trepidation, I threw it into my cart.
The Ecover tablets come in a 95% recycled cardboard box (although at the moment I don't remember how much of that was post-consumer) and the tablets come with minimal individual packaging. However, they are each wrapped in plastic film that is identified with a #5. Which my recycling company does not take. I know that they chose this form because it is impermeable to gas, and that prevents the tablet from oxidizing and becoming useless. Still, I couldn't help but think "drat, so close". Maybe aluminum foil? I know it’s slightly fragile, but it’s impermeable too, and is recyclable. I guess I'll get out my little crayon and write them a letter. :)
Ok so, full load of dishes, and I take the box out, pop open the container, pull out a tablet, pop it out of its Polypropylene sarcophagus and toss it into the appropriate chamber. With a quick prayer for good luck, I started the cycle. At this point I started daydreaming of a world where dishes washed themselves, and Blu-ray DVD players didn't cost $800. :) 40 minutes or so later, the washing was done, and opened it up. After flinging the 1st dish onto the counter and cursing up a storm (I forgot that the dishes finish at 160 degrees) I realized that the plate felt clean, very clean. I grabbed a tea saucer (waved it in the air to cool to handle it) I did the old Dawn test. Rubbing my thumb along the side, it squeaked! It was so grease free! Elated, I grabbed another plate, and flung that onto the counter. Once I finished cursing, I picked that up and tested again, it squeaked too! Again and again an orgy of squeaking ensued, moving down from bowls to flatware. (No my wife was not home, so I was free to play without fear of ridicule.) I can safely say that the dishes were the cleanest I have ever felt them. No grease, no dried up "what was that anyway?" chunky bits clinging to the flatware, nada, just the glorious stink of clean. Not only was this better than I had expected, it was also cleaner that my usual Cascade, which always got the dishes clean, but didn't always pass the Dawn test.
As stated before, the box comes in packets of 25, and I am about 1/2 way through. I tend to wash a full load about 2x per week. I'm on city water in Suburbia, so it’s neither very hard nor soft, but it does have excessive amounts of chlorine sometimes. I don't know how those variables will affect other municipalities, or whether the pH will be modified if you run well water or collected rain water. All I know is that it works extremely well. Ecover's website mentions that for best results you should use their rinse aid, but to be honest, I can't see a reason why. I completely recommend this product. The tablets run about $6 for a box of 25, and can be purchased at Whole Foods, online, or that other green-leaning retailers.
Next review in the pipeline: some really nasty mouthwash.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
T.Boone and The Wind Raiders
Ok, just wanted to drop a quick comment while I was thinking about this. The Pickens Plan. Personally I think its a great idea. I know it doesn't exactly get us off using fossil fuels, so we are still putting some carbon in the air, but I think the infrastructure is important. Whether or not it does liberate natural gas, or just lets us take some coal plants offline, it has to be better than buring oil. Right?
Monday, July 21, 2008
Product Review: Ecover Laundry Detergent
In an effort to live a more sustainable lifestyle, I have endavoured to change my consumer habits whenever possible. Switching out non-sustainable products for more or completely sustainable ones.
A product line that I have been experimenting with is Ecover, makers of many household cleaning products. My first foray with them was their liquid laundry detergent. This detergent uses natural plant oils and acids to clean clothing, therefore it isn't packed with phosphates that can wreak havoc on water supplies causing algal blooms and red tide, to say nothing of all the mining of bat poo to make it. :) Washing my clothes was no different with this detergent than any other, put in a cap-full, close the lid, walk away. The entire first bottle (20 loads) went by without a hitch and I was very pleased with the results. The clothes felt clean, soft, and had a certain "earthy" smell that I enjoyed. Not "earthy" in the Patchouli sense, but rather a "I just spent the day lying in the sun on the banks of a mountain stream" way. Well, maybe not that idyllic, but close. It must be the Citronellol in the mix.
Right about load 30, I noticed that my clothes start having that "not so fresh" characteristic that was so absent before. They were still clean, and smelled good, but they seemed "heavy" and not really breathable, even just regular medium weight cotton was getting "thick". I was beginning to think that maybe the plant oils were starting to build up on the clothing, not having been stripped away by a phosphate.
In an effort to change the pH of the wash, I started adding a cup of vinegar to the mix, directly with the detergent. This seemed to help the process out a bit. The clothes did not become thicker, but definitely not returning to their lightweight state. Being the giant that I am, I tend to get over-heated quite quickly, and I definitely need my clothes to breathe. This was not working for me.
Next I started rotating detergents, Cheer Free one week, Ecover the next. I was hoping for the best, but it still seemed to be no better than adding the vinegar. The rotations moved to 2 weeks, then 3 then 4, to the point where I would just use the Ecover when I ran out of the other kinds.
My clothes have returned to their original, phosphate burned selves, and seem to be no worse for the experience. I have plans to being experimenting with it again, maybe using water softeners, different fabric softeners, etc. etc. Or maybe I'll try the powder, the list of ingredients seems to lend to a different pH than the liquid.
I can't really recommend this product to anyone at the moment, except maybe for infrequent use, or hand-washing since you really don't want chemical burns on your hands. On the plus side, I have used their Dishwasher Tablets, and have had a much different experience. But that is a review for a different day.
A product line that I have been experimenting with is Ecover, makers of many household cleaning products. My first foray with them was their liquid laundry detergent. This detergent uses natural plant oils and acids to clean clothing, therefore it isn't packed with phosphates that can wreak havoc on water supplies causing algal blooms and red tide, to say nothing of all the mining of bat poo to make it. :) Washing my clothes was no different with this detergent than any other, put in a cap-full, close the lid, walk away. The entire first bottle (20 loads) went by without a hitch and I was very pleased with the results. The clothes felt clean, soft, and had a certain "earthy" smell that I enjoyed. Not "earthy" in the Patchouli sense, but rather a "I just spent the day lying in the sun on the banks of a mountain stream" way. Well, maybe not that idyllic, but close. It must be the Citronellol in the mix.
Right about load 30, I noticed that my clothes start having that "not so fresh" characteristic that was so absent before. They were still clean, and smelled good, but they seemed "heavy" and not really breathable, even just regular medium weight cotton was getting "thick". I was beginning to think that maybe the plant oils were starting to build up on the clothing, not having been stripped away by a phosphate.
In an effort to change the pH of the wash, I started adding a cup of vinegar to the mix, directly with the detergent. This seemed to help the process out a bit. The clothes did not become thicker, but definitely not returning to their lightweight state. Being the giant that I am, I tend to get over-heated quite quickly, and I definitely need my clothes to breathe. This was not working for me.
Next I started rotating detergents, Cheer Free one week, Ecover the next. I was hoping for the best, but it still seemed to be no better than adding the vinegar. The rotations moved to 2 weeks, then 3 then 4, to the point where I would just use the Ecover when I ran out of the other kinds.
My clothes have returned to their original, phosphate burned selves, and seem to be no worse for the experience. I have plans to being experimenting with it again, maybe using water softeners, different fabric softeners, etc. etc. Or maybe I'll try the powder, the list of ingredients seems to lend to a different pH than the liquid.
I can't really recommend this product to anyone at the moment, except maybe for infrequent use, or hand-washing since you really don't want chemical burns on your hands. On the plus side, I have used their Dishwasher Tablets, and have had a much different experience. But that is a review for a different day.
Too much green?
I want to start out by just asking a general question: does anyone think that there is too much emphasis on the word "green"? I know it defines the movement, and separates it from tree-hugging, hemp-wearing, pot-smoking, neo-hippies but is the term being over used to the point where it is now white noise? Do we add it in with other words like "low-carb", "previously owned", and "my-whatever", if Ryan Seacrest suddenly hosts a "green" show do we abandon the term?
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