tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post4084241568618771777..comments2024-03-28T00:20:01.688-05:00Comments on Little Blog In The Big Woods: Maybe, for you - it's time to unplug.Greenpahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224906349154302210noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post-66443228720444628382011-04-22T05:07:39.497-05:002011-04-22T05:07:39.497-05:00I'm mostly unplugged. Unfortunately,it is due...I'm mostly unplugged. Unfortunately,it is due to financial reasons, so I can't even feel noble about it. I have not used a refrigerator since February (it broke and I can't afford to get it either fixed or replaced), no heat since February (really expensive), no stove since March (ran out of propane), and I generally only use electricity when I have to. I turn the hot water heater off at the circuit breaker and turn it on about 30 minutes before I'm going to use it if it's been more than 24 hours.<br /><br />I can't hang clothes outside because of community rules; if I violate them, I have big problems so they dry inside on hangers. <br /><br />Solar power, wind power etc. are wonderful ideas but Home Owners Associations and local codes can prevent the most committed person from implementing them. I guess, if you're really committed, you'll find a way to move.<br /><br />What I miss with no fridge is a good salad. I'm one person and fresh produce simply does not hold up well. I am forced into being as frugal as possible and I simply can't afford to give away or throw away food...and produce is so very expensive now. I do have a small chest freezer. I fill ice cube trays and put the ice in a small cooler which would hold a 12 pack of soda.<br /><br />I have none of the expensive electronic toys that can be left plugged in, so that's not a problem. <br /><br />Some days I feel really deprived, mostly because I didn't make the choice to live this way. On other days, I'm a bit more philosophical about it and do just fine. I think overall though, this (reduced energy use) is a good thing. Keep up the good work. I've subscribed to you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post-79487844029389892942011-03-23T15:18:11.231-05:002011-03-23T15:18:11.231-05:00Thanks for your blog. We got rid of our dishwashe...Thanks for your blog. We got rid of our dishwasher, fridge, and dryer today. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post-16202932314481572602011-03-21T21:00:53.503-05:002011-03-21T21:00:53.503-05:00glad to read the no-electricty challenge. Last mon...glad to read the no-electricty challenge. Last month, the power company said i used 212 kwh electricity, but i am scratching my head trying to figure out what is consuming it. my appliances are energy star models. i went to michael bluejay's site to find some answers, but i still have no clear understanding of what, beyond the fridge, a few loads of laundry, gas fired furnace, compact fluorescent lighting, a 27" imac computer, a small radio and occassional stereo -- and just me in the house, plus a visiting cat.... could account for an over $40. bill.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post-38304239059004525202011-03-21T06:12:22.064-05:002011-03-21T06:12:22.064-05:00Wow! Greenpa just found our blog! Really amazing r...Wow! Greenpa just found our blog! Really amazing read. You just sparked the desire to unplug everything in the house and only "re-plug" that which we truly need. Otherwise leave it unplugged. Look forward to reading more.Bachar Farmshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16343831465090935072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post-80929083779481197432011-03-20T09:18:49.903-05:002011-03-20T09:18:49.903-05:00Tickmeister,
Greenpa and I aren't exactly in ...Tickmeister,<br /><br />Greenpa and I aren't exactly in the "No Car" camp, although we have slowly been moving toward it.<br /><br />We find ourselves driving less and less and requiring at least 3 things before even going into town. (i.e. a doctor's appointment, and a trip to the grocery and an imminent need for hinges for the chicken coop)<br /><br />We also drive slower than average. We drive between 45 and 50 MPH on our country roads. Slower when we're alone on the road and a little faster, but not the speed limit on the highway to Rochester or the Twin Cities. Mostly this is for gas consumption, but also for safety.<br /><br />I am working on getting us horse power for local excursions!Spicenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post-17238091840989597872011-03-18T12:55:31.780-05:002011-03-18T12:55:31.780-05:00Tickmeister - very valid point! I think that it h...Tickmeister - very valid point! I think that it has something to do with the American idea of personal freedom - a car (nominally) gives me the freedom to move about as I desire. And, when you add in the legal intoxicants and distractions now available as part of that personal freedom - well, we all know how this one can end.<br /><br />Kind of like - you can pull my gun from my cold, dead fingers.<br /><br />EricEric the Redhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08625303374761683901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post-45054969622670510992011-03-16T00:12:14.968-05:002011-03-16T00:12:14.968-05:00OK, here is a dumb question. Why do we freak out ...OK, here is a dumb question. Why do we freak out about possible deaths from power plant accidents and care not the least about 35,000 deaths per year in the US alone from use of automobiles? If a nuclear plant blew up and killed that many people once per year, we would be insane to keep running them. Are any of you who are in the "no nuke" camp also "no cars" believers? I know nuclear waste lasts practically forever, but 100 people in the US died today in auto accidents. Why aren't we shutting down the auto industry?tickmeisterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16326756666072357726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post-15125659822240508122011-03-14T16:25:32.748-05:002011-03-14T16:25:32.748-05:00I'm in total agreement GreenPa! A couple of y...I'm in total agreement GreenPa! A couple of years ago, I did a bill test where for a whole billing cycle (we get our bills each quarter) I turned everything off unless I was actually using it. For a single person, my usual bill went down $60 for the quarter. That was amazing. This is now my habit, power gets turned on only when I use it. My big idea is that every home has a kill switch at the front door that turns off everything except the fridge. (Here in the tropics, my food left out will start to go off in 30 mins so the fridge is a must-have.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post-52781260419475742932011-03-14T13:59:23.659-05:002011-03-14T13:59:23.659-05:00I am constantly trying to figure out how we use so...I am constantly trying to figure out how we use so much energy. We have all the standard appliances, but all are relatively new and supposedly high efficiency. I unplug the computer and the whole tv+ toys center every evening. Lights are the good kind and am always turning them<br />Off. I even keep things like the blender and the toaster unplugged, tho I doubt they pull energy when not in<br />Use. The only things that run all the time are furnace ( it's propane but uses electricity for the fan) the fridge and the chest freezer full of meat. However my husband's shop is on the prpeety. He is a mechanic and it's our income so we can't exactly eliminate it.Aimeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06358194304460170717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post-72980082625212239392011-03-14T13:37:43.911-05:002011-03-14T13:37:43.911-05:00I returned to work today after a 6 month leave of ...I returned to work today after a 6 month leave of absence. As much as I'd like to not work full-time, I'm beholden to it for a number of reasons. <br /><br />I decided (have yet to talk to The Hank) that if I'm going to do something that I don't particularly enjoy and, while we are currently making excess money, we should use that money to get solar panels. Solar in Seattle is expensive and kind of dumb in many ways, but it's worth the long-term investment. <br /><br />We'll need a new roof before that happens, but it's certainly in my game plan for the next few years - to unplug and get off the grid as much as possible. <br /><br />"Going Greenpa" - we need bumperstickers.Crunchy Chickenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10612320939936593420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post-80548888279511619062011-03-14T13:08:48.127-05:002011-03-14T13:08:48.127-05:00Great post. Even though we are selling a few KWH ...Great post. Even though we are selling a few KWH per month back to the local utility, I want ahead and cleaned out a fridge I will unplug later today - one my honeycomb goes thru a freeze in the freezer to kill any wax moth larvae.<br /><br />We've had our 7kwh system up since January 2010 and even though the utility co. still charges us almost $50 a month just for having the lines to our house, I'm very glad we got it. Just too hot here in South Texas to go thru the 105 degree summer days without A/C that being off-grid might entail. Of course, I could do it, and have, but for now I'll (while keeping cool!) blame other family members for the A/C addiction!Laurenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10975493849986519152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post-87747219258652385912011-03-14T12:07:22.141-05:002011-03-14T12:07:22.141-05:00And I want to know what they were thinking putting...And I want to know what they were thinking putting nuclear power plants in an earthquake and tsnami zone? Ya sure they have backups, all of which failed!!! Stupid, stupid people.<br /><br />I'm unplugging!Sparklesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02806553694200529082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post-41493058352551607072011-03-14T11:49:48.987-05:002011-03-14T11:49:48.987-05:00Hi Greenpa,
Got any advice on solar & wind fo...Hi Greenpa,<br /><br />Got any advice on solar & wind for those of us who rent?<br /><br />Specifically, DH and I rent a house with several other people, and the landlady lives on the top floor. We're in a dense urban environment, but are lucky enough to have a reasonably-sized back yard. A typical building in this neighborhood has three floors, and most houses have one or more mature trees (generally mixed maple species) on the property. We were not permitted to attach a home weather station to the building. We may need to move at the end of this lease-year.Andrea G.noreply@blogger.com