Fossil Fuel

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Petroleum, Coal, Natural Gas, Crude Oil, Gasoline, Oil Shale, Tar Sands, etc.

The Long and Winding Road

Submitted by TimJFowler on Fri, 2016/11/25 - 5:20pm
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As the old saying goes, roughly: progress is not a straight or steady path.

Breathless in Paris

Submitted by TimJFowler on Thu, 2015/04/16 - 7:49pm
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Breathless movie poster

While getting ready for a family trip this spring I came across the headline, Paris Briefly Tops World Charts for Air Pollution. Yikes! This is not the sort of news you want to read about your vacation destination. Fortunately, car restrictions and breezy weather helped to clear the air before we arrived. We loved Paris in the springtime with both blue and gray skies and even a little drizzle.

Hitting The Reset Button

Submitted by TimJFowler on Wed, 2015/01/14 - 12:14pm
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Power Reset buttons

A few days into January and I finally have a moment to reflect on the past year. I didn't finish all the projects I wanted to (Shock!). Nor did I write as much as I intended to (Surprise!). But, I did finish some tasks and started a few more. What lies ahead in 2015? Quite a lot.

Getting a Charge at OAK

Submitted by TimJFowler on Thu, 2014/07/10 - 3:26pm
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OAK Airport - Electric Car Charging Stations

The EcoFamily recently flew (a direct flight) into OAK for a long-awaited vacation. Walking out of the airport we noticed a new addition to the parking lot; electric car charging stations. It turns out that those charging stations are FREE (beyond the cost of parking at OAK)!

Slow and Steady Brings Results

Submitted by TimJFowler on Thu, 2014/02/20 - 5:42pm
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Tortoise and the Hare

Over the past several years I've made incremental improvements to the building envelope of our home. Adding insulation above the garage ceiling is the latest in a string of insulation and weather sealing DIY projects. My slow and steady wins the race approach has chipped away at our natural gas usage. But, have I come to the end of the low hanging fruit?

Our Jeans Keep Us Warm

Submitted by TimJFowler on Mon, 2013/12/02 - 6:01pm
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Garage Ceiling Insulation

A few years ago we insulated our home's attic which made a huge difference in our heating bills. At the time we didn't insulate above the garage because I thought it was unconditioned space. But, the walls between our kitchen/living room and laundry room are poorly insulated - allowing lots of heat transfer between the house and garage. That makes the garage "indirectly-conditioned space" and in dire need of insulation.

Local Power and Clean Energy

Submitted by TimJFowler on Thu, 2013/03/14 - 7:57pm
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Green Power to the People

How can a city shift to renewable energy when the local power utility is committed to fossil fuels? Boulder, CO has decided to "explore ... forming a city-owned utility". The Kit Carson Electric Coop in Taos, NM has a customer-owned solar array and other renewable energy purchase contracts. The City and County of Santa Fe, NM are researching creating their own publicly-owned electric utility.

Put Out to Pasture

Submitted by TimJFowler on Wed, 2012/06/20 - 4:15pm
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Salvage Car ready for Auction

Our family listens to a lot of public radio and we even have three local stations to choose from. While I'm not a big fan of pledge drives, I understand the need for them. Recently, I've heard public radio (and TV) stations promoting Car Donation programs as another form of listener support. It just happens that we had an older car that was, ahem, 'fully depreciated' and worth almost nothing as a trade-in.

LED's for Nothing (almost) and Lumens for Free (not really)

Submitted by TimJFowler on Mon, 2012/06/11 - 4:19pm
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AmbientLED bulb in lamp

If you live in New Mexico and are a customer of PNM - here's a deal for you. $10 off (at the register) two different Philips AmbientLED light models at New Mexico Home Depot stores. What's the catch? This discount is only available through July 31, 2012. If you buy the Philips 12-watt AmbientLED (60-watt replacement) soft-white light the price is below $5 per 'bulb' (before tax).

Hitch your Wagon to a Bike

Submitted by TimJFowler on Tue, 2012/04/17 - 9:26pm
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Schwinn Speedster with Bike Trailer

Being an EcoDaddyo, and a cyclist, I bike around our fair city whenever possible. Given the short in-town distances we drive, biking is an easy alternative. Recently, we enrolled our eco-kid in daycare and I'm usually on pick up duty. I was happy to find that this is easy with our new dad-powered, bicycle-pulled kid trailer.

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