Iowa IPL Lenten Blog

Letting it All (Well, Most of It) Hang Out

2010-04-01T11:54:00.010-05:00

My Lenten challenge was to not use my clothes dryer.

While some hardy souls may hang clothes on outside lines, even during winter, for me the alternative was using a clothes rack and limited line space in my basement. I was already using the clothes rack for some items, like sweaters that instructed me to wash them by hand (hah!) and lay them flat to dry. And, ever since the time twenty-seven years ago when I heard “Honey, you shrunk my jeans” (not an exact quote), I’ve been hang-drying my husband’s jeans and sweatshirts. So, why wasn’t I simply draping the rest of the load on the rack and hanging a few items on a line?

Probably just because I just hadn’t stopped to consider how this simple step could save energy.

I did discover that I needed to adjust the way I did laundry. Medium-sized loads were much easier for the rack to accommodate than large ones. No more Saturday marathons of six loads. But, this also meant that I didn’t have to promptly unload the dryer and fold or hang clothes so they wouldn’t wrinkle.

There was the time when I let the dirty clothes get ahead of me. I really needed at least one of those pair of jeans the next day. I backslid and used the dryer. But, I found that I could dry even jeans on the lowest setting, pull them out while they were still damp, hang them up and have them fully dry within half a day.

Must also admit that when spring finally came and we took the comforter off the bed, my husband used the big washer and dryer at a coin laundry. In our defense, I’ll note this comforter enabled us to turn the heat down to 58 degrees at night.

I do plan to continue letting it (laundry, of course!) mostly hang out. No, I don’t know exactly how much energy it saves. I thought about researching this, but then decided that rack drying is such a simple thing to do that if it saves any energy, it’s worthwhile.

And, that has made me ask “How many other almost effortless steps could I take to save energy and reduce my carbon footprint?”

I’m a fanatic about turning off lights. But how about adding to my repertoire unplugging appliances and media when I’m done using them? Using the smaller toaster oven rather than the big oven? Forgoing the hair dryer – as my hairdresser has been counseling me for years to do?

These small actions become habits, but not mindless ones. Each time I perform one, I am reminded of my obligation as an energy consumer, as a citizen, and as a person of faith to care for the Earth and all its creatures. In this way, small actions lead to bigger personal and political commitments. They are also opportunities to say, “Make us always thankful for your loving providence . . . and grant that we may be faithful stewards of your good gifts.”

About the Author: Ruth Ratliff serves on Iowa IPL’s Board of Directors.

Final Note: This was the last week of Iowa IPL's Lenten Blog. Thank you to everyone who participated. Since this was our first time doing such a project, we would welcome your feedback. Did you find it useful? Is this something you would like to see us continue to do in during future Lents? Email your thoughts to Tim Fink at director@iowaipl.org. In the meanwhile, we hope that all of you have a wonderful Easter.

Composting

2010-03-25T16:47:00.008-05:00

As I prepared dinner a few weeks ago, I realized that before the evening was up, I had filled the trash can with food waste: onion tips, lettuce ends, pepper stems, etc. And I had just taken the trash out! Apart from being annoyed that I had to take the trash out again, I was upset because everything in the trash can was organic material that could be composted. My husband and I had talked about composting before, and when the opportunity to be more green during Lent arose, this was the perfect solution.

I jumped online and began to research composting. There’s LOTS of information out there, so sorting through the good, the bad, and the ugly was probably more difficult than the composting itself. Plus composting has lots of great benefits. It:
• Suppresses plant diseases and pests.
• Reduces or eliminates the need for chemical fertilizers.
• Promotes higher yields of agricultural crops.
• Facilitates reforestation, wetlands restoration, and habitat revitalization efforts by amending contaminated, compacted, and marginal soils.
• Cheaply remediates soils contaminated by hazardous waste.
• Removes solids, oil, grease, and heavy metals from stormwater runoff.
• Captures and destroys 99.6 percent of industrial volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) in contaminated air.
• Provides cost savings of at least 50 percent over conventional soil, water, and air pollution remediation technologies.

So, we started our compost pile in a back corner of our garden that usually gets grown over with weeds before I can blink. We had some leaves and other yard waste sitting in our burn pile, so we put that on the bottom. We add to it weekly our food scraps (no meat or fat products, just fruits, veggies, egg shells, coffee/tea), dryer lint, cardboard, and other paper scraps. Since my husband is also a woodworker the sawdust he generates can be added. It takes no time at all – just a consciousness of what can be put in the pile! We added a small stainless steel can to our kitchen that is our compost can so we don’t have to make quite so many trips to the back each day. We simply stir our little pile on a regular basis and the magic of decomposition does the rest. By mid-summer our compost should be ready to be used in our gardens for mulch and soil enrichment!

About the Author: Erika Uthe is a student at Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque. She attended the international climate treaty negotiations last December in Copenhagen through funding provided by Iowa IPL supporters. A blog about her experiences in Copenhagen can be found here.

Next week Iowa IPL board member Ruth Ratliff will be discussing line drying clothes to cut carbon during Lent.

Perfection and Laundry

2010-03-18T13:42:00.009-05:00

When I agreed to give up an energy consuming "something" for Lent, I developed a bad attitude. I thought of all of the wonderful things that me and my husband do to save energy - like recycling, living in 1,300 square feet, NOT having a dish washer or a microwave, owning only energy efficient appliances, and NOT using a clothes dryer, paper towels, or napkins… “WE ARE JUST PERFECT,” I thought.

As I sat in my living room staring at perfection and contemplating what I could POSSIBLY sacrifice, I began to see some things that were not so perfect. I consulted the list that we get from Cool Congregations, and one item sprung to the top. I WASH ALL OF OUR LAUNDRY IN HOT WATER. Why?

(1) Because my Mother did.
(2) If you do not wash clothes in hot water you will die of a strange disease.
(3) The laundry won't get clean.
(4) Just because.

I read the back of to my 7th Generation Laundry detergent and guess what? It is designed for cold water washing. So, I turned the dial to cold and washed away. I would like to report what happened:

(1) If my Mother were still alive, God rest her soul, she would not care.
(2) Ed and I are disease free.
(3) My clothes are as clean as ever.
(4) I have just done something to further save our wonderful planet.

When I researched the topic, I discovered the following: 85% to 90% of the energy consumed while washing a load of laundry comes from heating the water. Because of this, washing clothes in cold water can eliminate 1,600 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions from the average household per year. For most homes, this no-cost solution will amount to a savings of between $52 and $145 each year.

I must admit, I feel humbled by my new awareness of other things that we can do to save energy. While we may be further along than a lot of Americans, we have more to do. We are all so conditioned by the way we were raised and our social influences. I am not sure sometimes that we are even aware of our energy consuming habits. Some of them, like wishing our clothes in hot water, are just plain silly.

Finally, I feel guilty. I gave something up for Lent, but it ended up not being a sacrifice at all. I will start working on the other things that may pinch my non-perfect lifestyle. We were all given such a beautiful earth, it is time we become the good stewards it needs and restore it to the balance and beauty in which it was designed.

Have a great Easter.

About the Author: Linda Farkas is part of Iowa IPL's Board Directors.

Next week Erika Uthe will be discussing her efforts to compost during Lent.

Conscious Consumption

2010-03-11T10:36:00.013-06:00

For the Lenten season, I attempted to become a more conscious consumer in an effort to reduce my carbon footprint through my food and beverage choices. The goal was lofty, and admittedly, the efforts have not been entirely successful thus far. Between studying for and sitting for the Bar Exam, travelling, and moving, it seems as though my consumption has become more conspicuous than ever! I’ve resorted to fast food on more occasions than I’d care to admit; I have indulged in imported cheeses and fruits; I have not ensured that the coffee I drank was shade-grown only. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have been a bad, bad environmentalist.

I have not given up, however. Now that I am settled in a new apartment in Cedar Rapids, I have begun to regain stability, and with stability has come a host of better choices. I have unearthed my travel mug and walk between two and twelve blocks to a local coffee shop each morning to have it filled. I have been driving much less, thanks to choosing an apartment within walking distance of a grocery store, convenience store, and coffee shop. This lack of driving has limited my opportunities to cruise by the drive-through and pick up a cheeseburger.

This brings me to my biggest accomplishment. I am slowly but surely eliminating meat from my diet. According to information released in 2008 by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, direct carbon emissions from meat production amount to nearly 18% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. An article published by the BBC indicates that this 18% figure includes greenhouse gases released in every part of the meat production cycle - clearing forested land, making and transporting fertilizer, burning fossil fuels in farm vehicles, and the “front and rear end” emissions of cattle and sheep. A February 2009 article from New Scientist suggests that eliminating meat production and consumption could cut as much as $20 trillion dollars from the cost of fighting climate change.

Eliminating meat from my diet not only helps the environment; it helps me live more in line with the Buddha’s teachings. While not all Buddhists are vegetarians (and indeed, there is conflict within and among Buddhist communities regarding this issue), I feel more at peace with the world around me when I am living off a diet that respects all living beings.

While I do not experience the Lenten season as most other members of Iowa IPL do, I have enjoyed the opportunity to challenge myself, see my successes, and confront my own shortcomings as I attempt to live a carbon-neutral, planet-friendly life. Peace.

About the author: Liz Johnson is Iowa IPL's Treasurer and serves on its Board of Directors.

For more information, please visit these articles:
Eating less meat could cut climate costs
Shun meat, says UN climate chief
Buddhism and Vegetarianism

Next week, Linda Farkas from the Iowa IPL Board of Directors will be discussing washing her clothes on cold.

Removing the Parking Brake on Your House

2010-03-03T15:20:00.010-06:00

I’m willing to bet that every driver has had the embarrassing experience of driving while s/he has inadvertently left on the parking brake. The driver most likely came to this realization because of the decreased performance of the car. In our own households there are a plethora of energy wasting devices and conditions that similarly decrease our wise use of energy. Most homeowners are unaware that they are operating their households with the parking brake on. In my blog I will chronicle some of the steps that I have taken towards the wise use of energy and describe my latest effort to conserve – insulating my basement walls.

By way of introduction I will mention that I am a recently retired physics teacher with a lifelong fascination for energy and its efficient use. In the classroom I engaged my students in studying energy which is the core topic of physics. Family vacations usually include a side trip to a hydroelectric dam, photovoltaic array, or government energy lab (my supportive wife and four kids tolerated and/or enjoyed most of these). My ethic of saving energy led me to start an insulation business to supplement my income. DIY jobs and remodeling have been opportunities to include some energy saving features. I ride my bike for errands and exercise, walk when I play golf, and carpool when possible. Energy saving home improvement efforts have resulted in an average monthly electric usage of 323 kW hr and 67 therms of natural gas for our 2-story, 4 bedroom home ($85/mo budget billing). If you want a descriptive list of household energy conserving measures that I have taken, click on this link . After insulating, installing new windows, converting to CFLs, …, the major area that has not been addressed are two basement sidewalls. I bought foam insulation and drywall two years ago for this “retirement” project, but have managed to put it off so far. My Lenten resolutions have varied greatly through the years, but now I am willing to replace “giving up gum” for the more demanding “stop procrastinating – do something worthwhile.”

As with most projects, the goal is frequently complicated by diversionary sub-projects. Some of these sub-projects are -- a) clean the area, b) declutter by removing some unused stored items, c) reshuffle and temporarily store items, d) unbolt the 24’ long storage unit. I’m predicting that Goodwill or DAV will also benefit from our project.

I am now initiating the first step a) of the project. This is relatively benign, but my head is beginning to spin as I contemplate what stored items will remain and where will they go? Simultaneously, I am devising a strategy that is based on the down-sizing process that many of our empty-nest friends have recently undergone. When steps b), c), and d) are accomplished, I will finally be able to start the actual installation of the insulating foam board and drywall. Complicating factors that I foresee are transporting the heavy drywall down the steep basement steps and using an adhesive to stick the foam board to cold walls. Since we still have so much snow and cold weather, I am sure that Lent will end and we will be celebrating Easter before the walls warm up.

Blessings to everyone throughout this Lenten season. May we all practice becoming good stewards of God’s many gifts.

Next week's blog will be by Liz Johnson, our Treasurer, about her efforts to avoid "conspicuous consumption" during Lent.

The Wheels on the Bus

2010-02-24T11:37:00.007-06:00

I feel like there is a trap that many people who work in the environment community fall into, wherein you look at your job as an offset. You take a meal in Styrofoam back to your desk or forget to grab a canvas bag on the way to grocery store, and you respond to that tinge of guilt with, "It's okay, I work for the environment." Its an unhealthy attitude that I am sad to say I have fallen prey to more than once and I am the first to admit that I have no right asking anyone to do anything that I am not willing to do myself. So, as part of my commitment for Lent, I have volunteered to "walk the talk" by engaging in a "carbon fast." During each week in Lent, there will be a post by a different Iowa IPL staff member, director, or supporter discussing their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. This post is about my first week taking the bus to work in Lent.

Monday was my first day on the bus. As I stepped outside, my first thought was that Lent should really begin in spring. While the bus stop is not far from my house, it was 13 degrees and the wind chill was pushing the temperature below 0. I felt like a newbie when I noticed that I was one of the few on the bus without a thermos in hand. As I took my seat I imagined that they had more than coffee in their mugs in order to survive one of the harshest winters on record in Iowa.

While this beginning sounds like anything but a ringing endorsement of bus travel, my feelings took a turn for the better once my fingers dethawed. As the bus slowly made its way to downtown Des Moines, I was able to read some news stories and take care of some quick emails on my Blackberry. The advantages of being able to read and work as I traveled easily offset the 15 minutes that I "lost" by not driving myself to work. I can only imagine Sarah’s surprise at seeing me respond to an email before 10 AM, let alone before 8 AM. As my co-worker, she knows better than most that I love mornings as much as I love free form jazz and losing at volleyball.

I should mention the economic benefits of bus travel. The friendly folks at DART can, and are eager to make a strong case for cost savings. In fact, their website prominently features a "savings calculator" that measures the cost of bus travel against the cost of driving your car to work. The current IRS reimbursement standard for travel is $0.50 per mile. This figure takes into account not only the cost of gas, but also the theoretical depreciation and maintenance of my 2001 Chevy Malibu. Every day, I travel 13 lucky miles round-trip to the office. If I were reimbursed for this travel, I would receive $6.50 per day. And when you factor in the monthly cost of a parking space ($4.07/workday), between Iowa IPL and me, we are footing a bill of $10.57 per day to get me to work. This may not sound like much, but this amounts to a staggering $2,642.50 per year. Assuming that I use monthly bus passes at $42 per month, Iowa IPL and I could theoretically save $2,138.50 in 2010 by placing me on a bus. Having confirmed these numbers by running the math myself on Excel, I must confess that Dart is making a pretty compelling argument for bus travel.

Of course, this is a carbon blog not a financial advice column. The real goal of this effort is to reduce my carbon footprint. Using the handy dandy Cool Congregations Carbon Calculator (shameless plug), I discovered that taking the bus to work every day instead of driving would prevent the release of 3,405 pounds of carbon. To put that into perspective, this is equivalent cutting the annual travel of the average American by over a fourth. You could argue that I should take into account the fact that the bus still emits carbon, but the bus goes from my neighborhood to downtown whether or not I am on it. This is a subtle reminder that I am not the center of the universe.

And that is the biggest challenge of my Lenten experience. Since I no longer control the exact moment when I leave my home, by taking the bus I surrender some freedom. In many ways, the car is a symbol of freedom, allowing each of us to come and go as we please. But, as so many of us have learned, freedom isn’t all it’s cracked up to be (that sentence taken out of context could easily ruin a political career). I would love to be a person of great self-discipline, but as I approach the age of 30 I am coming to terms with the fact that I am not that person. Having no set time to get to the office has so often been an invitation, especially in the cold and darkness of winter, to linger beneath the sheets. And those extended mornings are paid for in hours of work on evenings and weekends. What I am finding through this experiment is that taking the bus might not just make me a more efficient traveler, it might make me a more efficient and healthier person.

So I guess I have failed in achieving the aim of Lent. What was supposed to be a “sacrifice” ends up being to my personal and professional benefit. But I think that is one of the problems with how we look at cutting our carbon footprint. What seems like a chore is so often better for us in the long run. Last year I appeared on a religious radio show where the host attempted to summarize my household reduction suggestions as “sacrifices.” If you listened very closely to the show I swear you can hear me squirming in my chair. At first I thought my resistance to the term was because "sacrifice" makes for a poor marketing campaign. Upon further reflection, I realized that I disliked the word because I don’t think it accurately captures the mission of our organization. After all, we don’t call it “sacrifice” when we give to other countries in the wake of natural disasters, nor do we "sacrifice" blood when we donate it for the sake of others. In the same way, the steps we take to reduce our carbon footprints are about giving. When we act to prevent climate change we are ultimately giving to our ourselves, our children, and to people across the world whom we will never meet.

Tim Fink is the Executive Director of Iowa IPL. He can be contacted at director@iowaipl.org.

Next week board member Bill Cox will be talking about his efforts to insulate his basement during Lent.

Welcome to the Iowa IPL Lenten Blog!

2010-02-16T15:47:00.004-06:00

During every Thursday of Lent we will be adding a post from a different writer discussing an action they are taking to reduce their carbon footprint. To receive the latest posts in your email, use the subscribe feature on the right.

Also, feel free to comment on the posts and share with us what you doing in your own life to reduce your carbon footprint.