I love it. So I put it on my blog!
Have a look:
www.coolitgreen.blogspot.com
All the best, stay in touch, and good for you!
Hi folks ("Amos"),
I commend your effort to communicate with your customers about our common fate and how we got there. An exciting way that we can correct global warming is through carbon farming.
A few of us have started the Carbon Farmer's Coop. in Vt. Here's the concept: grass removes carbon dioxide from the air, it changes into sugars by the phenomenon of photosynthesis and is stored in the roots, we come by with our grass-fed cattle (a la buffalo) and cut off the top growth and there is a result-shedding of roots into the soil (the old adage always balance the crown with the roots), which is actually a stable form of sequestered carbon in the form of organic matter (where fossil fuels originated). This can and will be measured at the beginning and end of the growing season and our challenge is how to sell it directly to the consumer and return the money value to the carbon farmer. Read the book Priority One by Alan Yeoman (search Priority one, yeoman) to get the theory he feels we could reverse Global warming in ten years. The key is to get the worlds' grass back into active production by the use of herbivores (a la buffalo).
This, of course, is a perfect dovetail with grass-fed and finished beef and lamb. The health benefits to the consumer, bovine and the land would be enough. One also solves major public health problems like E Coli, Mad Cow, and obesity (high CLA's in the meat) with 100% grass-finished beef (no grain ever). Visit www.hardwickbeef.com and www.eatwild.com for more of the story. Of course, one must go back to find the right cattle to thrive entirely on a grass diet as we have in the Devon breed and old-style Angus. The Devon has proved to be really remarkable in producing a fat ("good fat is good"-actually essential), very tender product in a relatively short period of time (18 months of age). Visit www.bakewellrepro.com to find out more about this "heritage" breed that is so perfectly suited the new agricultural modality. You are precisely on target to begin to actively discuss this concept with your customers. The consumer is the ultimate decision maker and I strongly feel they can "save the world" including reviving local agriculture by their decisions. They will pull the product through whatever distribution chain, if they understand the story clearly. Your vehicle, Amos, is a tremendous one to tell the true story about this potentially very important elegant solution to some of our global woes. It makes so much more sense that the technological solutions, like ethanol, that in the final analysis provide no net return on energy and are only being contemplated because of big doses of government money.
I would be quite interested to talk with you about how you can engage your customer base in this critical endeavor.
I just got done reading your most recent news letter and wanted to say how much I appreciated the stance that your company has taken on the enviroment.
In accordance with your suggestion for posts and tips on how we can minimize our impact on the world around us. I have a few suggestions.
Change all the light bulbs in your house to more efficient energy saving bulbs. This will not only reduce your electricity bill but will also reduce the demand for energy. I have done the average breakdown for my house. Most household lights run off a 60–65 watt lightbulbs. Mine is no different. I have done a breakdown of my house to demostrate what I'm talking about.
The total number of bulbs in my house is 53. I have a five bedroom two bath house. Below is the breakdown of bulbs in the house.
The cost of buying the new energy saving bulbs was around $290.00 for my entire house.
•60 watt bulbs = 31 in my house ∗ $45 savings ⁄ 7years ⁄ 12 months = (199.29 per year savings) (16.60 per month savings)
•65 watt bulbs = 22 in my house ∗ $48 savings ⁄ 7 years ⁄ 12 months = ($150.86 per year savings) ($12.57 per month savings)
Over the life span of these bulbs (7 years) I will save $2,161.00. That includes subtracting the amount paid for purchasing the bulbs. Over a one year time span I will save $350.15. My monthly savings will be $29.17. I will make up the cost of buying the bulbs in less than a year.
Now let's talk about performance. At first when we plugged in the bulbs the light was very dim. We had a moment where we thought, what have we done? We gave the lights about 30 seconds to one minute to heat up. We were amazed at the difference. These lights were actually brighter than our old one's. Not only that they don't get as hot either. Probably one of the most astonishing things of all is the wattage these new bulbs use. Each 60 watt bulb in the house now uses 13 watts and the 65 watt bulbs only use 15 watts of energy. How can you beat that?
Now there is one minor drawback, these lights currently will not work with either dimmer switches or controls.
Now you also might say, "What do I do with my old bulbs?" I say throw them away and buy new energy saving spares if you need them. We all know ourselves and if these old bulbs were still available in the house we would install them again if one of our energy saving bulbs burnt out. Also don't go giving them to your friends either. Encourage them to go buy new energy saving bulbs. Outline the cost benefit for them.
All these figures were tabulated using Bright Effects bulbs. We located these at our local Lowes Home Store.
Let's all work together to build a better world. We've only got one.
My next e-mail will have recycling tips and ideas. Thank you again for making this forum possible. Enough like minds will change the world.
Dear Mr. Pettingill:
This newsletter is a fine idea. We have high respect for your products. Now we have even more respect for you and your company as you try to be as gentle as possible with planet earth.
Incidentally, around 1980 we installed solar panels on our roof; we get about half of our hot water needs from them. In those years, we also got a tax credit for doing so. I read today regarding 2006 taxes in the Providence Journal that a maximum $2000 tax credit is available if solar-energy electricity generating equipment or solar-energy water-heating equipment is installed. Hopefully that will apply in 2007 again??? Good wishes to you.
Dear White Flower Farm Friends:
Efforts begin with small seeds of awareness that our physical environment and planet are changing. Suddenly the change becomes too significant to bury our heads. We look in the mirror and ask what can we do. Then a bunch of us get together and ask what we can do. Thank you for reaching out to your clients and friends and for taking the time to bring our ideas together.
Here are some thoughts, not novel, to post to your list:
1) Used Printer cartridges (a personal pet peeve): We did not have a recycle system in our office - we do now. About two years ago I made it my personal mission to take all of the used cartridges to the local office supply store where they advertise a recycling program. I've become known in the office as the used printer cartridge recycler...a good thing. In 2007 I am outreaching to other floors / offices in our building and offering to do the same for them. No fee, just trying to do the right thing. I drop the used cartridges off on my way home from work.
2) Reuse bubble wrap, boxes, and other materials we get in packaging: I've always saved and reused tissue paper, bubble wrap, wrapping paper, & ribbons at home. I began doing this at work, and it works! I let the mail room know that I wanted to save the bubble wrap, and especially the kind that uses more air and less plastic wrap (pillow type). Rather than buy more and more, I let the mailroom know to save this for me and I set it aside in my storage closet. I haven't had to buy a new roll of bubble wrap for two years.
3) Going Paperless: The advent of the economical, high speed, high resolution scanner is here. Our office (a 60-person accounting firm) uses lots of paper and storage. This year we are going paperless so that all of our client files are now digital. We'll still churn out paper tax returns for clients. While the upfront costs, planning, learning cycle and ramp up takes a sizeable financial investment in dollars and time, in the long run we know we're making a smart move for our company, and for the environment. This project has been in the planning stages for three years. The long term savings in storage costs and the ability to access records with a click of the mouse will pay exponentially.
Thanks for what you are doing.
My parents have always been exceptionally thrifty... and here are a few things that they do to save resources... and money!
1. Using Dehumidifier water to water house plants.... during the humid months they save it in old milk jugs (another re-use) until needed. Also saves wear and tear on their septic system.
2. Using the plastic liners in cereal boxes as wax paper... waste not want not.
3. Collecting rain water in a rain barrel to water the outside plants.
4. A nice big compost bin and keeping up with recycling reduces the landfill garbage.
5. Wearing clothing until it wears out... then using it as tomato ties and dusting rags.
6. Reusing christmas wrapping paper... it seemed strange as a child... we would all hand around a pocket knife so we could gently cut the paper. But we still have paper from the 60's (granted.... it is now on very small packages)... and it certainly saved our family money and helped the environment. Now many people can just wrap more items in those great re-usable bags.
7. My dad uses my mother's old panty hose legs to line the swimming pool skimmer basket. It creates a finer mesh, so less insect material makes it into the main pool filter, extending its life. He then throws away the little nylon bags full of bugs, and has a cleaner skimmer basket.
Hope a few of these are new to you! I look forward to seeing everyone elses' ideas!
Hi Amos,
Your web site and the "Common Garden" function are exemplary.
Certainly there is considerable energy saving in this communication
medium. I have no idea what the carbon footprint of the fulfillment
process might be, but perhaps there are also opportunities for energy
conservation on that side of the equation.
It might also be worthwhile to keep reconsidering your statement that
"we can't buy in the engineering resources available to large
corporations nor do we have the capital to make investments in
"alternative" energy where the returns are conjectural at best."
Yes, there is conjecture (and perhaps wishful thinking) involved in
many alternative energy schemes. But one way to achieve clarity is
to experiment with alternative technologies, assuming that the cost
of the experiment is not unreasonable.
My son and I are building 15 vacation rental cabins not far from
Ashland, Oregon. We are installing photovoltaic panels that will
supply enough electricity to supply the needs of these cabins on
sunny days. Our system will be tied into a nearby Pacific Power &
Light line, so that surplus power will be fed back into the grid when
we don't need it. When we need more power than we can produce, we
will draw it from PPL.
The returns on this investment are still unproven. We will get back
a significant portion of our capital outlay (which will total around
$75,000) in the form of tax credits. But will we save money in the
long run, and will we truly reduce the energy impact of our
development? That remains to be seen, and will require research as
well as experience. For example, I have no idea how the energy cost
of producing a photovoltaic cell compares to the energy production
that one can expect from that cell over it's useful lifetime. But I
have a hard time believing that the energy produced by our system
will contribute more to air pollution and global warming that energy
produced by a coal fired power plant in Wyoming (where much of our
power originates).
We may be fools, but we are rushing into the alternative energy
marketplace in the hope that there really are viable alternatives to
fossil fuel. The investment we are making is certainly not beyond
the reach of a family owned business, which we are. We will let you
know how it goes.
Thanks for your thoughtful communications.
Thank you for your notes about the environment--It is good to see individuals and businesses start thinking about what they can do to help diminish our impact on the world. Seems to be starting at least! One thing we do in the summer is put 10 gallon buckets in our shower to catch the water that goes down the drain. The water might have a bit of soap or shampoo in it, but that doesn't seem to harm the plants I put it on.
Dear Gardeners,
Just wanted to pass on two ways in which we are recycling and conserving energy:
1. At the back of our mini greenhouses, we have a short "wall" of recyled 2 1/2 gallon water bottles, spray-painted black by our grandson, and filled with water, which warms up when the sun hits it and gives off a small amount of heat at night. Only cost was the price of a can of spray paint. So far they have lasted a few years.
2. Worm bins allow us to recycle all of our food garbage, other than meat, fat and sugar, and cut down on the need for fertilizer. One is an old discarded plastic Rubbermaid bin, with 1/2" holes drilled in the sides and top for ventilation. We are also able to shred up old bills, newspapers, etc and moisten them to use for a layer of bedding at the top of the bin, thus cutting down on any odor and reducing fruit flies. Our other one I have to admit was purchased, for a little more than one hundred dollars, the "Can O Worms"; it makes harvesting the worm compost a little easier.
3. In order to cut down on the wasteful expense of transporting food from California or Chile, the more food we can incorporate into our gardens, the better. A few perennials like rhubarb and asparagus can be decorative additions to the garden. Asparagus makes a great hedge or backdrop. Mesclun mix or just lettuce makes a terrific ground cover between tulips or daffodils, which often look artificial with nothing but bare soil below them. White Flower Farm features those delectable alpine strawberries which winter over beautifully in strawberry jars placed out of the rain to avoid breakage after a sudden plummeting of temperature. Those same strawberries, with parsley, and other herbs can create a border to protect the garden from straying feet.
4. If we think of planting our gardens with the larger picture in mind, we can look for plants that we can enjoy, and have perform a service for us, such as wind protection, privacy screen, support for vines, weed suppression, erosion control, etc.
Thanks for providing this forum. One last thought: I recommend 2 great books by Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier, Chelsea Press, 2005.
Every year, the county tree-trimming crew comes around, followed by a
chipper truck. If you ask them nicely, they will dump their load of chips
in your yard, saving them dump fees and lessoning the burden on the dump.
City and county parks also have piles of grass clippings to give away.
Over the past few years I've been using all the leaves and pine needles that fall from my trees and those of some of my neighbors to mulch my flower beds. I go over small piles of leaves with my push mulching mower and then pick up in the bags of my John Deere rider. If you consider the entire project, it doesn't require any extra time for me, as I would have to rake, pick up and carry into the woods. Most of my property is surrounded by fences or stone walls so blowing isn't a realistic option, and my town doesn't collect leaves, so leaving them by the side of the road isn't either. But my end result is beautiful composted soil underneath the mulched leaves and a very good feeling that I'm recycling something as nature intended.
This is a wonderful idea - sharing our plans and procedures to
lighten our collective footprint on the planet. Several years ago, I
insulated the walls of my house, put in dual-paned windows and
changed out my incandescent bulbs for total spectrum
florescent. Those actions lowered my electricity use by 60%+ Then
two years ago, I had solar panels put on my roof. As my electrical
use already was quite low, I know my investment will never be totally
returned, but it seemed the right thing to do, just because I
can. Now, of course, I can leave all the lights on and still feel virtuous!
As a 25-year customer of White Flower Farm, I am delighted to see you recognizing the threat of climate change and taking the initiative to do what you can to address it. And since you are great communicators with your customers, what better way than to start a dialog, as you have done, for sharing strategies and encouraging each other to explore options and take action. Energy efficiency, as you recognize, is a key part of any strategy for doing so. As the fastest, cheapest, cleanest way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency is the first line of defense in protecting our planet.
Your readers and customers might be interested in the Alliance to Save Energy’s six degree challenge, which teaches the interconnectedness of energy consumption and how the cumulative actions of individuals impact fuel prices, and environmental and social conditions. As an added incentive for visiting, the site includes discounts for energy-efficient products that you can download after you’ve taken the quiz. Check it out at www.sixdegreechallenge.org/quiz or go the Alliance’s web site, ase.org, to find out about our other efficiency programs.
By common, I mean, as I assume you do, a garden shared by all.
I believe the easiest thing, and the most necessary thing, is for all of us to compost. All those pounds of vegetable and fruit peelings and egg shells, coffee grounds that go to the dump, are valuable resources for our plants.
We may still need to buy additional soil, and additives, but the pure gold of one's own compost, is the least you can do for our common garden.
Leaves in a wire bin, kitchen scrapes buried in a hole, here and there, or the two piled together. If all you do is give it time to meld together.
There are easy books and pamphlets that teach us to use these free resources for our own good.
Thank you for your concern, and I'm looking forward to reading other opinions on what we can do to help our common garden flourish.
I love the component of your site. Can you address the carbon sequestering benefits of prairie plants? Prairie plants will sequester far more carbon than many other choices and maybe people can be encouraged to use these plants in their home landscapes. Thank you.
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