Diamond-Cut Life

Sustainable Living: More Joy And Less Consumption

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Entries Tagged as 'energy conservation'

Heating Our House With Biodiesel, II

October 9th, 2008 · 1 Comment · 97215, carbon footprint, energy, global warming, green living, sustainability, thrift

Brrr . . . . we’re suddenly needing to run the heat in the morning, so it’s definitely autumn here in Portland, Oregon. We just filled our oil tank for the winter with biodiesel, B20 this time, from Star Oil, who bought it from SeQuential Biofuel.
This will be the second winter we’ll have been [...]

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The Best Moment of the Debate

October 8th, 2008 · No Comments · 97215, bipartisan politics, climate change, consumption, economics, energy, environment, global warming, green living, lifestyle, politics, simplicity

A 78 year old woman emailed Tom Brokaw yesterday to ask this question of  the two presidential candidates in last night’s debate (I’m paraphrasing):
“What sacrifices would you ask of the American people, given that we’re in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression?”
John McCain replied that as president he would probably have to cut [...]

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In The Southwest Desert

June 8th, 2008 · No Comments · 97215, culture, energy conservation, environment, exercise, life, lifestyle, outdoors

Since I’ve been working pretty hard lately, I’m taking a mini-vacation here in Scottsdale, Arizona (next to Phoenix), visiting my friend Jean for a few days. The idea is to make my own little self more sustainable, and sure enough, my spirit is going “Ahhhhhhhhh” in response to the rugged desert beauty, the brilliant sky, [...]

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Coal, Incandescents and Conservation

March 6th, 2008 · 1 Comment · climate change, development, economics, environment, global warming, sustainability

I’m writing on the south bank of the Columbia River here in Boardman, Oregon (population 3,500). I went running last night at sunset . . . oh my. Beautiful; what a joy. I found deer tracks on the sandy beach and looked to the west, where Mount Hood was a tiny, rosy peak in the far distance.

Oregon’s only coal-fired energy plant was just a few miles to the south. This

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Cooking For Climate Change, Part 2

January 24th, 2008 · 1 Comment · carbon footprint, climate change, culture, environment, food, global warming, sustainability

My husband Thor and I love to have people over for dinner. At the same time I’m addicted to sociability, I ‘m also passionate about choosing food with the smallest possible carbon footprint (similar to ‘embodied energy’). Our guests keep coming back, so I gather our cooking tastes pretty good.

Here are the major guidelines we use:

  • Buying local food lowers carbon footprint more than the ‘organic’ label
    Example: Australian wine doesn’t make

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