My green guilt kicked in (again) last week as I enjoyed my favorite winter sport – downhill skiing – during a long weekend trip to the Colorado Rockies. We carpooled from the Denver airport over icy mountain passes in a (less than fuel efficient) vehicle that I will admit to being pleased to have had considering the many vehicles we passed which were either flipped over or crashed into the guardrail (we counted 6 auto and 2 truck accidents!) on our way to Vail, CO.

Skiing is an energy intensive sport, but Vail is one of the few resorts that have recently implemented self imposed energy reduction strategies. Using hybrid buses for mass transportation and making recycling receptacles readily available, were some of the more visible green efforts I noticed. Other efforts were noted in a Newsweek article last winter. Despite these surface efforts, however, I think the onus should be shifted to skiers to seek out ways to improve the green impact of our beloved winter pastime. Creating demand for energy efficient means of traveling to and from our favorite downhill destinations (like a high speed train or electric AWD vehicles capable of making the treacherous journey on I-70 safely) is just a start.

In addition, staying in green hotels, purchasing eco-friendly snow attire, and seeking out sustainable options for the boards we strap to our feet on which to speed more sustainably down the slopes, skiers passionate about our sport and our planet should be driving change.

If you are interested in learning more about skiing green, consider joining the Mountain Riders Alliance which is a “group of like-minded people dedicated to making a positive change in the ski area industry, as well as supporting the environment, surrounding communities, and what’s best for the ski community.

Ironing is one of my least favorite domestic tasks and I had hoped that going green might get me out of this much dreaded household chore. I considered simply not ironing, but realized after a short experiment in ironing abstinence, that I looked too unkempt to continue on in that manner.

Short of replacing 75% of my working wardrobe, I would simply have to fire up the iron and press on… (pun intended).

If iron I must, I decided to do some research to see if there was a more eco-friendly way to accomplish the tedious task.

One article I found instructed that one should, “collect as many pieces as you can to press at the same time.” As indicated by the photo, I could check this pointer off my list! The author also suggested that, “While the iron is heating up, press the thinner clothes that require less heat first. When the iron is hot, press the more difficult ones. If you have thinner items again you can turn off and unplug the iron and press the clothes that need less heat again to end.” These sounded like wise words.

A typical steam iron uses between 1000 and 1700 Watts/hr. According to another insightful blogger, there was an additional trick of the trade I needed to employ. The blogger advised, “to reduce ironing time and save energy, put foil under the ironing board cover. This will reflect heat up on the clothes as you iron.”
I tried this, and noticed that it did help get the stubborn wrinkles out more readily.

Do you have any green ironing insights to share? If so, please add your comments below!

The holidays flew by just as quickly as 2010! In the last week of the year, I was able to spend time with family and friends and craft 2011 New Year’s resolutions.

During a visit with my Aunt Sallie, she shared a book received as a gift from her daughter Melanie that features Mel’s husband Aaron. Aaron and Mel live in Missoula, Montana where Aaron works as the Director of Development for the Missoula YMCA. This brilliant and dedicated young couple is admirable for so many reasons, but Aarons work with the YMCA and the Missoula Food Bank is truly inspirational. He has made great strides teaching people to grow their own food. In addition, he has managed to help incorporate this local fresh food supply into the Food Bank to support healthy and nutritional local food options for Food Bank recipients. The book he is featured in is called Growing A Garden City by Jeremy Smith.

In the travels to and from family visits, our carload of happy wanderers brainstormed 2011 resolution ideas. My son, who is a talented young creative spirit, resolved to work on his painting skills. My daughter wants to climb more trees and plant and care for a garden. Maybe Aaron can share some of his insight with us as we work out a plan for our garden this year!

If you have any resolutions to make the world a better place, please share them as comments to this blog.

Intro
PA residents: In case you weren’t aware, PECO will be raising their electricity delivery rates by roughly 10% (about $8 more per month), starting on January 1.
http://www.peco.com/newsroom/newsreleases/NR+033110.htm

The estimated rate PECO will be charging is called the Price To Compare (PTC), which is used to evaluate offers from its competitors. The PTC is updated on a quarterly basis and looks to be 9.92 cents per kWh for January 1 – March 31, 2011, and is estimated to rise to 10.16 cents/kWh from April 1 – June 30.
For more on PTC click here and click to view 2011 PTC rates

Shopping around
Given the current state of the economy, PECO is encouraging customers to look for cheaper providers, and the PA Public Utility Commission has created the PA Power Switch website to help people switch their power supplier.

On the PA Power Switch homepage, click the Find Suppliers link in the main graphic on the right. You will then be prompted to enter your zip code, followed by the type of service you want to shop for. (Pick Regular Residential Service for electricity providers.) You’ll then receive a list of providers in your area. The rest of this note will detail my research for the providers in my zip code.

Of the 17 electric suppliers I received in my search results, I immediately crossed off all those that had variable price plans. Of the remaining companies with fixed plans, I narrowed it down to the three with the cheapest listed rates: BlueStar Energy Solutions, Dominion Energy Solutions, and Gateway Energy Services. I called each company and asked them the same four questions. Here were their responses:

1. What are your 2011 rates?
BlueStar: 8.88 cents/kWh, fixed for 12 months
Dominion: 10% less than PECO’s PTC for 6 months, then a flat rate of 8.99 cents/kWh for the next 6 months
Gateway: 8.90 cents/kWh, fixed for 6 months

2. Do I have to sign a contract?
BlueStar: Yes, for 12 months
Dominion: Yes, for 12 months
Gateway: Yes, for either 6 months (at 8.90 cents/kWh), 12 months (at 9.90 cents/kWh), or 24 months (at 10.8 cents/kWh)

3. Is there a cancellation fee if I break the contract?
BlueStar: Yes, $10 for each month left on the contract
Dominion: No
Gateway: Yes, $12 for each month left on the contract

4. Do you provide any other discounts or promotions if I sign now?
BlueStar: No
Dominion: No
Gateway: Yes, a $50 Visa gift card, which you will receive after 1 month of paid service

Monthly payments
So, let’s crunch some numbers. Say you use an average of 500 kWh per month. (This number will be laughably low for people with high-end electronics, energy-guzzling appliances, and/or children. You should see the real number on your monthly electric bill.) Multiplying your kWh usage by the rate gives you the amount you will spend per month. Remember that when we say 8.88 cents, we’re multiplying by 0.0888.

BlueStar: $44.39 per month for all of 2011
Dominion: Since PECO’s PTC changes per quarter, you’re actually paying one rate from January until March (8.93 cents) and another rate from April until June (currently projected at 9.13 cents). That means $44.65 each month for the first quarter of 2011 and $45.70 per month for the second. For the remaining half of the year, you’d pay $44.95 per month.
Gateway: If you sign to a 6-month contract, $44.50 per month for the first half of 2011, minus the $50 you get back with the gift card

Verdict
Though all three providers would still give you significant savings over PECO, Dominion is obviously the most expensive. If you don’t like putting in a lot of time or research to save money (i.e. “set it and forget it”), then go with BlueStar.

However, because of that $50 Visa gift card, Gateway is the least expensive provider for January through June (a total savings of $49.34 over BlueStar for the same period). Of course, that means that I have to shop around for another provider come July 2011, but as you can probably tell, I don’t mind doing a little research.

Hope this helped! Let me know if you have any questions.

I met with Lori Jacobs of the GreenSpring Institute last week for coffee. Beyond her adventures as a talented internationally acclaimed musician, she is a brilliant woman with interests stemming from years of experience in the IT realm, and a burning desire to go Green! She coupled these attributes with her knowledge of building inspections and architecture to help found the GreenSpring Institute.

GreenSpring offers a virtual training suite of green building, OSHA, industry code, and specialty courses. They are a part of the U.S. Green Building Council and have resources for professionals and homeowners to learn more about green building practices, materials, and energy efficiency options. As a former Environmental Health and Safety professional, I found the information on hazardous materials training particularly helpful!

Thanks Lori for sharing your vision to “create a regenerative world through integrative education” with me. If you are interested in learning more about this expanding field, GreenSprings Institute is a great place to start!

Betterworldbuys.com founder, Katie Eames (aka this blogger), decided over the summer to move forward on a solar installation to power residential and home office electricity needs. In a blog from July, the decision making process and the solar tracker device used to determine the best location for the installation were discussed.

The last several months were spent on the lengthy and labor intensive permit process. PA’s Sunshine Fund approval finally came through last month, but then there were local permits, fees and engineering inspections to deal with. Thankfully, our contractor, John O’Boyle of Halo Energy, has handled all the logistics. Despite an additional $1000 in fees and permit costs, we are finally ready to proceed.

A new roof was laid to support the garage based installation, trenches were dug, and wiring installed. The panels are due in next week, and the project is expected to be completed by Thanksgiving. Solar power; now that is something to be grateful for!

Vampire Drains on your Electric Bill

In my last blog, I wrote about Vampire Bats, but what about some vampires still lingering in our homes after October 31st? It’s the vampire drains on our electrical bills I’m referring to.

PCWorld’s JR Rafael reported on the topic and shared that one of the worst offenders is, “A plasma TV, (which) costs a whopping $165 a year for its standby power consumption alone.” Rafael goes on to note the common energy sucking costs (“based on applying the national average electricity cost of 11.8 cents per kilowatt-hour to the electricity consumption of each device”) of other household vampires: cable box $10.33, CRT TV $5.16, VCR $3.10, Desktop computer $6.20, Laptop (fully charged) $2.06, LCD computer monitor: $1.03, Wireless router: $4.13, DSL modem: $5.16, Computer speaker system: $5.16, Inkjet printer: $4.28, DVD player: $3.60, Powered subwoofer: $15.50 and the good old fashioned Microwave oven: $2.48 (Raphael, 2008). These costs are per year but when added up and considered along with all the other plugged in appliances such as cell phone chargers, DVR’s, stereo receivers, and others, they can become a figure we would like to banish using more than garlic and wooden stakes.

A quick solution would be to rid yourself of these phantoms by unplugging appliances not in use. For other more technical solutions to ridding yourself of these unwanted energy suckers, consider purchasing items with the Energy Star approval or referring to Rafael’s article for details on some energy saving devices that might help. Additional tips are available from Lori Bongiorno at her blog “The Conscious Consumer”.

Happy Hunting!

OK, I know that when kids show up at your door to trick or treat they are expecting goodies. Why not take advantage of a teachable moment, however, and “treat” them to some interesting information about some spooky Halloween favorites?

My little ones were inspired to love bats on a bat boat ride in Austin TX two years ago. You can check out the video link above to see the spectacle of the Austin bats yourself.

When children show up on my doorstep this year, they can pick up a handout about bats from Bat Conservation International which tells them why bats hang upside down, how they move in the dark, what they eat, where they live and many more fun facts on these furry winged friends. Also posted on the door will be information on the endangered Vampire Bat, and a large stuffed Vampire Bat from the World Wildlife Fund. The stuffed bat came with our family donation to “adopt a vampire bat” along with information about the endangered species.

Not to worry little tricksters, I also have a multitude of sour gummy bat candies to dole out!
Here are some fast facts to drive you Batty:

• There are over 1,100 different species of bats in the world!
• Bats are not blind, but some use echolocation (a special sonar system) to fly around in the dark.
• Many small insectivorous bats can eat more than 1000 mosquito-sized insects in one hour!
• Bats are not birds! They are mammals and are warm-blooded, have hair, bear live young and feed their babies milk.
• Vampire bats really do suck blood (but they only take 2 Tablespoons at a time) and a component of their saliva has been recreated artificially and used in medication for human heart patients!

With preparations for Halloween underway, I’ve been thinking about more macabre topics. As I contemplated making a faux cemetery of recycled cardboard on the front porch for the trick or treaters, questions about the earthly remains of the departed came to mind.

I mistakenly thought cremation was the most eco-friendly method of disposing of human remains. When my mother brought up the topic prompted by a recent article by Susan J. Tweit in Audubon magazine, I realized I had much to learn. From Tweit’s article, it seems that the ashes to ashes concept has many more consequences in terms of fossil fuel consumption and air pollutants emitted than I suspected. In her Dying to Be Green article, Tweit reports that approximately 350 pounds of carbon dioxide are put off per cremation in addition to “soot particles, sulfur dioxide, and trace metals…Then there are the fossil fuels consumed in heating the ovens” (Tweit, 2010).

Traditional burials turn cemeteries in to toxic waste sites. After being “pumped full of formaldehyde-based embalming fluids, which cause elevated rates of cancer in workers who handle them every day…our remains are often sealed inside “decay-proof” metal caskets, and entombed in concrete vaults”. As if this weren’t enough, we need to consider the upkeep of the cemetery grounds which can require a host of pest and weed controlling chemicals (not to mention the use of fossil fuels for mowing, digging, etc.)

Opting instead to be buried in a simple shroud without embalming fluids in a natural preserve is becoming an increasingly popular (and less expensive) option, but one which requires planning. Talking to loved ones now about these important choices can help us carry our green values to the grave and beyond.

For more information on this interesting matter of life and death, check out the Green Burial council or Mark Harris’s blog, Grave Matters.

This month at betterworldbuys.com, we are thinking of how frightening the conclusion of October can be… This reminded us of other things that scared us (the dark, spiders, war, famine) and how horrifying the world might be if so many concerned individuals didn’t try every day to make the world a better place.

With these thoughts prompting us, we’ve created the October challenge! Respond to this blog post with details of how you make the world a better place, and we’ll say “Thanks” with a coupon good for $5 off of a $25 purchase, $10 off of a $50 purchase, or $20 off purchase of $100 or more at betterworldbuys.com (good through December 31, 2010!).

How do you make the world a better place?