90 Percent Project - Week 15

Another dose of My Weekly Values for the 90 Percent Project. I get the sense that some are bored silly with this weekly accounting, but I gotta, okay? Not to mention a couple of emails that have trickled in basically excoriating me for: 1) buying into this whole reduction plan in the first place because it’s just a dumb idea. 2) still driving a car (supposedly that negates anything else I’m doing). 3) not doing more if I’m really serious about this. 4) writing about it at all because it sends the message that I think I’m all that and more. 5) I’m not aggressive enough in making everyone else feel like crap because they aren’t doing what I’m doing—therefore, I’m not serious about it.

So, the email opinions seem divided between: If I’m not perfect in every way, the gains I’ve made are canceled out; I’m just a dope for participating because it’s a tiny little drop in the cosmic bucket and pointless and nobody cares; and if I was really serious I’d be beating you all over the head with what you should be doing. Interestingly, not one positive email. There does seem to be an unaccountable amount of hostility toward the whole idea of conservation and living with less. Apparently I twanged a few nerves last week. Or something.

Well, it’s like this. I’m not perfect and, clearly, will never be perfect...which is kind of human of me. Everyone has to start somewhere and I just started sooner than others, while some started way before I did and make me look like a piker. That’s not a virtue on either score, just an accident of time. I do what I can and it’s a learning experience. I enjoy it. I like the results so far. It makes me happy. Maybe some folks who read my weekly posts develop an interest in the idea or find the incentive to try a few things. Less is always better in this arena. Perhaps others are curious to see how I manage and watch my progress and hear my thoughts (and excuses) along the way. (And there are some who aren’t interested at all and that’s just the way the cookie crumbles.) A journey starts with one step and changing just one light bulb to a CFL or opting for reusable water containers rather than buying bottled water is a notable change in thinking and something to be proud of. I love it when I see that happen. I can’t think of anything that affords me this much pleasure that’s this inexpensive. And who in their right mind can’t see the benefits of an electric bill under $30? I’ll be there this month. Nyah nyah you email naysayers. People really do surprise me sometimes.

But, anyway. On with this week’s values.

Electricity
Week 15: 25 kWh

After my Whoo-hoo! last week, I’m back up a little in electricity use. Well, a lot, I suppose, if one considers the difference between 16 kWh and 25 kWh. I could rationalize and say that 25 kWh isn’t very much—which it isn’t—but if I’m more careful, I can use less. The question is...am I at the point where I can maintain 16 kWh a week without becoming a complete obsessive/compulsive type who runs to look at the electric meter 15 times a day? Is it worth it? This week tells the tale. I looked at the meter once a day and simply lived. Living on 25 kWh per week is low by most industrialized-world standards, but that’s too high for this project that I committed myself to. Those last few kilowatt hours per week are the hardest and that’s why we have a year to sort it all out. As I’ve said a number of times, the easiest way for me to peel away those last couple of kilowatt hours would be by ditching the desktop computer and acquiring a laptop. Unfortunately, a laptop has to take a lower priority than things like...oh...re-siding the house next summer. So, I suppose I’ll just have to live in a perpetual state of frustration over the computer eating electricity at a disgusting rate because, at this place in time, there is just no way I am prepared to limit myself to 1.5 hours per day on it. No way. Not. I’ll find other ways to cut the last few kilowatt hours. And that really is what it’s about at this point...the choices I make.

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Gasoline purchased (for 1 person)
Week 15: 0 gallons

I’ve managed to wring two and a half weeks out of 7.145 gallons. Might be able to squeeze another week out of the last remaining dribbles in the gas tank. Moving my mailbox to the end of the street has already made a huge difference.

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Water (for 1 person)
Week 15: 119.69 gallons

Up from last week, but not too bad considering. I have an older and water guzzling washing machine that uses about 40 gallons of water per full load. Energy saving tips say that one should wait until there is a full load before doing a load of wash, but I’d never have a full load of clothes saved up because I don’t own that many jeans and tee shirts. So, I’ve started doing an “energy saving” small load once per week for clothes. And it does use less electricity than a full load and, I suppose, less natural gas for water heating. But, overall, I’ll use about 24 more gallons of water per month than if I did one full load of clothes instead of 4 little ones. I also had to wash a large load of towels, sheets, and dish/cleaning cloths.

Now, here again, a new front loading washer, that uses a fraction of the water that my top loader machine uses, would be a real plus. It’s on my growing list. In the interest of staying clean enough to mingle with society, I don’t really see a way around this at the moment. I’m not ready to start doing small washes in the bathtub via the grape stomp method. Though it could be kinda interesting to try it once, just to see how well it works....

Aside from laundry, my other water use was about the same as last week.

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Natural Gas
Week 15: 4 cu ft

I wandered down to the kitchen the other night, in the dark, and noticed two ghostly blue lights emanating from the stove. It startled me for a second. First time I’ve ever noticed that. My stove has TWO pilot lights. Talk about excess and waste. I so hate pilot lights. That means I have four pilot lights instead of three. No wonder I use as much gas as I do without actually using it. Considering how often I don’t use the stove, it’s a ghastly waste. Energy efficient stove sans pilot light(s) added to my growing list. That would be nice. Mine is c.1980 and the oven isn’t remotely accurate. I kind of know what cooking in a wood cook stove must be like.

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Trash (for 1 person)
Week 15: 4 lbs

Junk mail has made a come-back. Interestingly, when I had a private PO box, there was rarely any junk mail in it. Now, with my address changed back to my street address, I’m getting every flier for nearly every store/business/financial institution in the area. It’s astonishing. Where was all that stuff going before? Some of it can be thrown in recycling, but too much of it is the glossy junk that the recycling outfit in this town won’t take and I don’t think it’s suitable for composting. Since much of it doesn’t have address labels attached, I assume that the mailman just stuffs everyone’s mailbox with this junk. I’ll have to have a chat with him. The thing is, though, even if I refuse to take delivery of it, someone still has to dispose of it.

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Consumer Goods
Week 15: $5.58 - dog chews

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Food
Farmer’s market, farmer’s market, farmer’s market. I love that place. Very soon it will be time to visit the apple orchard, too. They have several kinds of apples whose harvest dates are staggered from just about now through November. It’s a long season. I plan to can tons of applesauce this year. Can’t wait!