I just recently met with a biofuels group that gets together  socially every couple of months, called the Chicago Biofuels Group.  It’s great to see other people who have a passion and knowledge (way more than I have) about biofuels and cars that run on biofuels.   Some of the members have experience converting gasoline cars into ethanol burning cars as well as using higher blends of biodiesel in their Volkswagens and old model Mercedes Benz diesels (you know, the kind of cars you see in the old James Bond movies that are driving around some Eastern block country). 

One of their (our) goals is to increase the availability of biodiesel and E85 in the Chicagoland area.  The number of stations that have E85 pumps here in this area (and this is Chicago!)  you could probably count on both hands.  As far as biodiesel, B10 or B20, you don’t even need one hand.  Someday, we’ll get into the subject of the major oil companies and their resistance to putting biofuel pumps at their stands, the Gasohol Competition Act and other stuff.

I don’t have a diesel car yet, but my Nissan’s showing signs of kicking the bucket soon.  A couple of the guys in the biofuels group have “connections” and let me know that anytime I’m in the market for a diesel car, they can “hook me up.”  Just be sure in the winter that you either have a heater if you are going to use restaurant grease (filtered) or a higher blend of biodiesel (i.e. B100).  I would stick to B10 or B20, if your state allows  it, and switch over to vegetable oils in the summer when the temperature won’t play a factor in freezing the fuel.

So the way I met these people was through meetup.com  And I was going to write about groups hopefully around the US that meet for the same reason so you could also be a part of the movement, but I’m having trouble finding any others.  What a shame.  So I am calling out to all the Ecogreenguy readers out there (apparently there are about 150-200 of you every month) to start your own biofuels or sustainable group.  I think you should get a decent response.  Discuss what you’re concerned about, tell everyone what you’ve done so far.  Doesn’t matter if you’ve done more or less than anyone else – connect with others and gain strength in numbers.

Try registering with http://www.meetup.com (no, it’s not a dating site!).  And start an eco-friendly group.  You may  be surprised at how many local people are like-minded geniuses like you! 

Saw this blog on uses for bubble wrap – maybe you’ve gotten a lot of it after you’ve opened your presents.

http://www.bubblewrap-shop.com/3.html

In a recent Associated Press article, it states that divorce is bad for the environment.  Meaning that divorcing your spouse means living separately and creating two households where there was one and using up more energy and creating more waste.  Basically a married couple uses land, water and energy more efficiently.  Professor Liu of Michigan State University calculated divorces create some $6.9 billion in extra utility costs per year, plus an added $3.6 billion for water, in addition to other costs such as land use.

Since I love my wife, I am going to try and stay married.  For those of you who are having troubles (and who doesn’t?), here is a shameless plug for Marriage Fitness with Mort Fertel  Maybe he can help.

Or for those of you on the fence about marriage, for one reason or another, here are some other (remember any orders generated through our site, a portion will be donated to an environmental charity to be announced later):

How to Identify Your Soulmate

Your Message In a Bottle Sent to Your Loved One

Is Money Causing You and Your Spouse Problems?

Need Someone? Start by Finding Someone Here on Matchclick

       

This is something I had written in a previous blog a while ago, but it is fitting for this Christmas holiday season.  Remember what the Clean Air Council had mentioned about paper waste?

In the U.S., an additional 5 million tons of waste is generated during the holidays. Four million tons of this is wrapping paper and shopping bags.

Among friends, family, even though it is nice to have gifts wrapped, think about not wrapping some of your gifts and remembering what positive effect this will have on the environment.  Otherwise, how about using banana paper?  Normally, banana wrapping paper is made from the thrown away stalks of the banana tree.  It saves trees. 

 Peaceful Valley sells 100% recycled gift wrapping paper as well as banana gift wrapping paper and notecards printed with soyink and embedded with wildflowers so you can plant your good wishes after the holiday season and watch something beautiful grow (did you see the pics at the top of this blog?) – all with great designs for the holidays.  Please check them out.

So, are we all succumbing to the lure of advertisements and special sales?  Well, it appears there are cyber sales going on as well.  If you are shopping for Christmas, remember there are some great positives to the environment by going online. 

Top 10 list of why you should shop online:

1.  No driving means no car emissions.  Saves on gas as well.  You will be helping preserve cleaner air, even if just a little.  Go only if you’re riding a bike – but who’s kidding who?  You’re going to buy up half the store!  How can you get home on your bike?

2.  Paper and plastic waste.  You know you buy food at the mall – most of us get lured by the smell of a sweet irresistable cinnamon roll or a warm and greasy pizza.  Of course you generate garbage, paper and plastic – and if your paper cup is lined with plastic, it’s not recyclable.  Most paper garbage, wrappers and non-plastic lined cups could be saved, and recycled, but they are not – off they go to the landfill, wrapped up by a plastic garbage bag.  In addition, the shopping bags, plastic, that you get your mechandise in, what are you going to do with those? 

3.  You help support a more efficient system of merchandise delivery.  If you use USPS or Fedex or UPS, they naturally do their best to move their shipments in the most efficient manner.  In some states, USPS also uses biodiesel in their fleets, and I think UPS has been doing some experiments with alternative fuel vehicles in various regions.  Give them more business and maybe they will use more biodiesel or other renewables.

4.  You give online stores an equal (or closer to equal) footing with the big guys.  Some stores can’t afford to be in the megamalls or even local strip malls in your neighborhood.  Supporting some of the stores we have mentioned that may not be in your area (see my previous blog entry https://ecogreenguy.wordpress.com/2007/11/22/subways-starts-recycling-can-we-get-more/ ) helps them grow and develop their product line of renewable, recyclable, fair trade products.

5.  You can shop in your underwear!!!  Not that I do, mind you.  But you can.  You don’t have to worry about how you look, don’t even need to shower (although highly recommended). 

6.  Time Waste – how many hours do you end up in the stores?  How many times have you said to yourself that you were only going to be there for an hour and you ended up staying for 3-4?  Not too productive.  Online shopping takes away the costly distractions.

7.  Oh!!!  That salesperson got me to buy stuff I didn’t want!!!  Ever have that happen to you?  Maybe that store clerk was cute and you couldn’t resist buying more than you could really afford.  Maybe they upsold you to something way more than your budget.  It’s less likely to happen online.  Hmm…

8.  You can also donate to the Salvation Army online.  I honestly get a headache if I hear that bell ring too many times.  https://secure1.salvationarmy.org/donations.nsf/donate?OpenForm&Seq=1#_RefreshKW_CNTRY_CODE

9.  See anyone at the mall you hoped you didn’t?  An ex-boyfriend, any old flame, any new romantic interest that could jeopardize your chances with him or her?  And you’re caught in your raggedy old jeans and sweatshirt?  Not advocating being a hermit, but hey, something to think about.

10.  You’re buying something that hundreds of thousands of others are – what’s the uniqueness in that?  Want to be different?  There’s the perfect, unique gift just a click away. 

BONUS:  11.  Or, if you’re a guy and you want to buy something sexy for your girlfriend, are you really going to walk into that Victoria’s Secret?  Really, now.

 So there’s a few reasons to shop online.  Save time, save hassle, save embarrasment, save your waistline!   Remember, if you want to shop green, take a look at the other places online that you may want to purchase from.   https://ecogreenguy.wordpress.com/2007/11/22/subways-starts-recycling-can-we-get-more/

Anyone who read the Wall Street Journal yesterday saw that Subway’s has put recycling bins in their store.  With 22,000 locations in the U.S. that’s pretty significant.  Now if we could only get the other juggernauts, ie McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, Taco Bell and YES even Starbuck’s (which on a few local levels does have recycling, but not nationwide), to start recycling programs, that’s a lot of material that can be reused and reduce landfill waste.

Well, I believe in rewarding people and companies that are heading in the right direction.  So from next week, I will go to Subway’s at least once a week for lunchtime.  This is coming from someone who rarely goes there.  Hopefully, others will be encouraged to do the same and this will (I hope) serve as a message that their recycling efforts are a good marketing effort that show results to their bottom line.

Now if we could get Starbucks to switch their paper cups lined with plastic to some other cups that are actually recyclable (I was so surprised to find out their cups were not recyclable) – even styrofoam cups by Solo or Sweetheart I see at the convenience stores carry the recycle mark on them. 

 We as consumers working together can carry the most powerful message to these large companies.  If we speak with our wallets, they tend to listen.

Again, on this holiday note, I want to list a few online companies that have made efforts to produce and sell products that are eco-friendly or have been produced in an environment that does not exploit and make suffer women and children.  Please, if you think about shopping, take a look at these sites.  Your purchases through this blog also helps keep this blog going as well – we like to pool our funds from our affilate sales and make donations to the causes that help keep our air clean and waters clear.

gDiapers – for those with babies, you can flush the inner linings in the toilet or they disintegrate within 60 days in your compost

The Green Office offers products and tells you how much of that product was made of recycled materials and whether it is biodegradable. 

Reware sells bags and backpacks with solar cells so you can charge up your cellphones and cameras while you are taking a walk

Helen & Riegle Her Design bags are approved by Co-Op America Business Network, a group that is concerned about a just and sustainable economy.  Many celebrities have been seen wearing these bags.

You could also give the gift of carbon neutrality. The Prairie Tree Project will sell you commemorative gift offsets to help you or anyone you love to become carbon neutral.

Peaceful Valley sells earth friendly and/or organic clothing and gifts

Green Nest sell products that actually keep you healthy – filters, purifiers, non-toxic soaps and shampoos

Green Batteries sells rechargable batteries, even solar powered rechargers

Vivavi is an eco-friendly home furniture and design center in Brooklyn, New York.  Shop by type of furniture or even by designer.

Read the book, The Rise of Biodiesel.  Learn about biodiesel, how to use it, why it’s good for your engine, and what biodiesel can and cannot do for you.

Our Green House sells organic cleaners and fair trade products

The jack-o-lanterns and candy have hardly been taken away and now I see stores like Walgreens and Target selling Christmas items.  What happened to the turkey? Didn’t we used to start our Christmas shopping after Thanksgiving? Well, I guess it doesn’t necessarily hurt to shop early, but this Christmas, how about shopping green?

Here are a few store online that sell products that are, for the most part, earth-friendly and sustainable.  Some make sure that their products are produced in factories that do not exploit women and children.  I’m going to make sure I buy products from these places so they can continue their efforts to making our world a more sustainable and peaceful place.  Please keep this in mind as we start remembering what we are grateful for this holiday season.  One thing I am grateful for is you reading this blog.  Thanks for listening to one guy’s simple opinions.

HERE ARE THE STORES:

The Green Office offers products and tells you how much of that product was made of recycled materials and whether it is biodegradable. 

Reware sells bags and backpacks with solar cells so you can charge up your cellphones and cameras while you are taking a walk

Helen & Riegle Her Design bags are approved by Co-Op America Business Network, a group that is concerned about a just and sustainable economy

You could also give the gift of carbon neutrality. The Prairie Tree Project will sell you commemorative gift offsets to help you or anyone you love to become carbon neutral.

Peaceful Valley sells earth friendly and/or organic clothing and gifts

Green Nest sell products that actually keep you healthy – filters, purifiers, non-toxic soaps and shampoos

Green Batteries sells rechargable batteries, even solar powered rechargers

Vivavi is an eco-friendly home furniture and design center in Brooklyn, New York.  Shop by type of furniture or even by designer.

Read the book, The Rise of Biodiesel.  Learn about biodiesel, how to use it, why it’s good for your engine, and what biodiesel can and cannot do for you.

Our Green House sells organic cleaners and fair trade products

and for a little domestic greening, if you have babies in diapers, please check out gDiapers, Because babies don’t know it’s the holidays, they poop all the time.  gDiapers

I think a lot of people think that sustainability is just about changing the fuel in our car or making sure the next car we purchase is a Prius or a flex fuel vehicle.  While that helps, sustainability is a lot more.  It’s about changing the way you go to work, or how you get your milk.  It’s making energy savings and green living the standard and anything else out of the norm.  The sustainability we need, that you hear corporations trying to go carbon neutral over, that has to be done so often that it becomes a habit.  For us individuals, we need to do the things to save energy, like get those

So what do we all think of GMO (genetically modified organisms) foods?  I haven’t really heard about any kind of harmful human effects from anyone eating GMO corn or soy.  Is it really that bad?

Remember, many many years ago, there was something called hybrid corn, which was developed to be stronger and produce more food for humans and animal feed.  Have we mutated from it?  Hybrid corn seems to be the norm now.

One thing to think about when it comes to food in the future.  We are having to produce more food on less land. Growing crops is harsh on the soil, corn takes out nutrients. With the world population predicted to reach over 10 billion in 2050-ish from currently somewhere around 6.6 billion, how do we plan to grow more on less?

I would really like to hear from anyone out there with some ideas (whether they are yours or not, doesn’t matter) – I’d just like to get as many perpectives on this as I can.  Please let us know.

A lot of people ask why is it that there is so much new about ethanol in the papers and on TV but they see so little of it at the gas stations. The problem depends on where you live.  If you live in the midwestern United States, you probably see a lot of it, especially in Iowa, Minnesota and even Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana.  It’s logistics.  Ethanol is produced in the Midwest, Iowa is the #1 producer.  So distance-wise, it’s closer.  Many of you know that ethanol cannot be transported like gasoline.  Ethanol in higher concentrations can cause corrosion over pipelines tradtionally used to transport oil and oil products like gasoline and diesel.  Concentrations over 10% in a convention gas-powered car will cause corrosion.  There are retrofit kits that cost somewhere around a couple hundred dollars to make you car into a car that can run un E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline), but it might also wipe out your car warranty.  Even if you do decide to go ahead with a retrofit or purchase a flexible fuel vehicle (FFV) – some carry the leaf mark on the car, where are you going to buy the fuel?  With somewhere around 170,000 gas stations in the US, there’s only a couple of thousand gas stations that carry ethanol gas.  For those who want to know where they can get their hands on E85, this website has a map and list of stations you can go to:  E85 stations.

Going green is not easy for now.  It’s a struggle and requires a conscious choice and extra effort.  If more and more people commit, it gets easier and much cheaper.  Why do it? Because we all want clean air to breath (As a kid, I developed bronchitis from the Los Angeles smog) – it does cause respiratory problems, clean water, enough food to eat that is not tainted with toxic chemicals.  In general, we don’t want to see anyone in this world or any living creature suffer, especially for our ignorance and mistakes.

Last week, I attended The World Food Prize in Des Moines, Iowa.  I had never even heard of this event, but because someone in our office had surgery on her knee, I was fortunately able to attend in her place. Neither did I ever hear of this man that had started this event, Dr. Norman Borlaug. He is apparently very well-known in many third world or former third world countries, such as India, Mexico as well as countries in Africa.  His work in developing crops for different regions of the world has helped feed generations of people.  In fact, he is credited for saving a billion lives.  Dr. Borlaug is one of only one of five people in all of history to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. The other four are Nelson Mandela, Elie Wiesel, Mother Teresa and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Every year, the organization that Dr. Borlaug and Iowa entrepreneur, John Ruan Sr. and family started, The World Food Prize, recognizes the one person or group in the world who has contributed most to helping solve world hunger.  This year, the award went to Purdue University professor, Dr. Phil Nelson, who invented a way to preserve and ship millions of gallons of fresh food across the country without refrigeration.  If you drink Tropicana orange juice that’s not from concentrate, you’ve had a product that was developed by Dr. Nelson.

So attending this conference were some of the highest level figures in U.S. and world agriculture, including Hugh Grant (not the actor) Chairman of Monsanto and Charles Holliday Chairman of DuPont, everyone paying their respects to this man that I just heard of, now currently 93 years old.

First of all, I was embarrassed that I had never heard of this man, and also upset that my midwestern education never taught me about this man’s achievements in school.  How could we miss this?  I don’t know what’s taught in schools these days, but at least some mention in US and world history in regards to world hunger, and what’s going with developing new breeds of crops more resistant to pests, that need less water and are more adaptive to harsh climates should have some mention of Dr. Borlaug.

If you want to know more about Dr. Borlaug and The World Food Prize, just go to this link: The World Food Prize Link.

I’ll write more about what I heard at The World Food Prize later.  There was also several symposiums on the topic of food vs. biofuels.

Huh? You ask? Reduce 10 million cars without taking them off the road? I’m talking about what the Energy Star Program by the US EPA and the US Dept. of Energy is saying. Replace the 5 most used lights or light fixtures in your home with Energy Star appliances or Energy Star bulbs. If all the households in the U.S. did this, we would save about $8 billion in energy costs, and at the same time reduce the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent of 10 million cars. Go to your local hardware store and invest in 5 compact flourescent light bulbs.  Go to this link to find out what is the equivalent of your previously used incandescent light bulb.  CLICK HERE. 

See, there is a lot you can do right now to help save the Earth! Your light bulbs also last about 10 times longer and use less electricity. Stay tuned in the next few days. I’m going to write more about what the govt is working on and maybe give you some insight into what’s been called our short term solution, ethanol.

There are several companies out there such as Homebase Oregon, Earth Class Mail, Paperless P.O. Box, and MailLink Plus that say they will take your mail and sift through it, scan it and alert you to what you’ve received.  You get to see everything online and decide if some piece of mail is junk and if something else is important.  I’ve read that they will recycle junk mail, shred any sensitive information that you don’t need or send any important mail items that you physically need in your hands to any address in the U.S. that you want, even when you’re spending a couple weeks at Aunt Milly’s house for the summer you can have your mail forwarded there.  I’m intrigued about this system.  I kind of like it provided the security is solid.  Anyone know?  Of course, as many of you may have also experienced, me and members of my family have been victims of identity theft and had our credit cards charged even though our mail has been sent to our mailboxes directly – so the regular route’s no guarantee of security either.

I just wondered if anyone has heard of it out there and what do you think?  Any experience with this? Does this concept have a future? 

I think in a previous entry I mentioned that the majority of waste in landfills is paper, I think plastic (bottles, wrapping, bags) come in second, and I hear diapers come in third (baby poop! Oh, how cute).  Well, we can do a lot to take care of this.  First, paper, newspapers are a given, stick them in the recycle bin.  Offices and homes in any area of the US should have a program. 

According to the EIA (Energy Information Administration – a branch of the US Dept. of Energy), I quote: ” Paper is the number one material that we throw away. For every 100 pounds of trash we throw away, 35 pounds is paper. Newspapers take up about 14 percent of landfill space, and paper in packaging accounts for  another 15 to 20 percent. ”  That’s a lot of unneccessary waste.  Recycling paper uses about 40% less energy to make, also less bleach.

One thing you also might want to consider if you drink a lot of Starbuck or Seattle’s Best Coffee is bring a mug to the store.  They will fill it for you, you know.  Get this, something I saw in the Portland Mercury: “If only 50 customers a day in every store were to use reusable mugs,” continues the Green Team memo, “Starbucks would save 150,000 disposable paper cups daily! This equals 1.7 million pounds of paper, 3.7 million pounds of solid waste, and 150,000 trees a year.” So save a tree, bring a mug to Starbucks. 

Things are happening, don’t just ask Al Gore. Ice melting from mountains, freshwater being depleting, islands slowly sinking into the ocean. Even where I live, the suburbs of Chicago, the thunderstorms have felt more violent, stronger.  I see the weather forecasts and warnings of supercells hovering above you, always with the threat of tornadoes, higher temperatures fueling more storms. If you think that this has nothing to do with you, just wait, it will get around to you. The high correlation between higher levels of carbon dioxide and the temperature of the earth, why do they follow the same up and down trends for the past 650,000 years? Hmm…

Well, don’t panic, but do act. I hope we can start discussing things we can do to start the reversal process. Yes, maybe a reversal, if we stop it now. The earth has an amazing power of regeneration – if we give it a chance. Just like us, we get a cut or a cold, we give ourselves a chance to heal, we can be back up and running. 

Thanks for visiting!  My name is Mark.  I am an energy resercher for a government-affiliated organization, so I spend a lot of time reading up on government policy on subjects like ethanol, biodiesel and new-generation automobiles.  I hope to be able to share with you what I have found through my research as well as write about how you can do your part in keeping our skies blue, our land rich and green and our waters crystal clear.  We will also explore what you can do around the house to save energy and keep your community eco-friendly.  So please enjoy!