You might have already known this, but I did not, and am intrigued to have found out: ethanol, the gasoline substitute that can help the U.S. achieve much-needed energy independence from the volatile Mideast, does not have to be made from corn, at all. That’s good news for two reasons: it takes huge fossil-fuel inputs [...]
Entries Tagged as 'energy independence'
Cattails, Not Corn, Into Ethanol
December 3rd, 2009 · 11 Comments · energy, global warming and climate change, transportation
Tags: cattails·Climate Masters program·corn·energy independence·ethanol·Eugene·Joshua Skov·The Good company·Tim Thurkow
Bike. Walk. Joy.
March 10th, 2009 · 3 Comments · energy, health & well being, lifestyle, sustainability, transportation
Did you know that 40% of trips made in the U.S. are two miles or less in length? That’s walking and bicycling distance. Yet cars are currently being used for most of those trips. So much physical, sensual pleasure being bypassed as we vegetate in our vehicles! And carbon emissions needlessly created. And overweight-ness perpetuated.
The [...]
Tags: bicycling·carbon footprint·conservation·energy independence·exercise·fossil fuels·fun·happiness·life·outdoors·technology·walking
Biodiesel Now Yielding 3.5 to 1?
March 11th, 2008 · 2 Comments · food & drink
Some folks are familiar with how we heat our home with biodiesel, with real success. The kind we use is made from vegetable oil that had its first life in restaurants, (and is usually discarded in places less funky and sustainable than Oregon). All of which is another reason I love living here.
My understanding had been that traditional (not recycled) biodiesel was not sustainable, i.e. uses so many fossil-fuel
Tags: biodiesel·carbon footprint·climate change·corn·energy independence·ethanol·global warming·Thom Hartmann·wet dream
Heating Our House With Biodiesel
February 17th, 2008 · 6 Comments · sustainability
I got up at 5 this morning and immediately put on my fleece pants, top and socks. (It’s a bummer that fleece is so great when it’s derived from petroleum). I was still cold so I turned the heat on — not petroleum.
Thor and I have almost pure biodiesel (B99) in our oil furnace. We bought it from Star Oil, who bought it from SeQuential Biofuel. So we’re heating
Tags: B99·biodiesel·carbon footprint·climate change·energy independence·environment·ethanol·fleece·fuel pump·furnace·global warming·green lifestyle·heat·oil furnace·petroleum
