I'm way late on this, and don't really want to stay up anymore tonight. July is dedicated to veganism. Our awesome friends just had a baby, and Momma Jenna is a vegan. This month is for you.
New info and annoying stats to come...stay tuned.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Environmental impact of driving
I found this website online and thought I would share.
http://www.bikemetro.com/calculators/environment.asp
I figure that I travel roughly 70 miles per week between work and band practice. This isn't accounting for any other driving I may do throughout the week. Here is my environmental impact.
And my cost calculation:
I was actually shocked by this. At first, I thought it seemed to steep, until I realized they took into account the cost of insurance and maintenance. I can think of a lot of ways to spend some of that 300 bucks a month.
And my calorie calculation says I'm burning roughly 3136 calories per week. I have to be burning more because I didn't take into account for any hills, plus there are some days that I run to/from work which is going to burn more calories. For those of you that don't know, a pound of fat is equal to 3500 calories. Not too shabby, although I have noticed I am eating more for dinner when I get home from my commute.
You should check out the site. It's super easy and fast. It's food for thought. If you have a bike I highly recommend you give it a try. I only have one week left, but I'm thinking about continuing biking/running to work a few times a week.
http://www.bikemetro.com/calculators/environment.asp
I figure that I travel roughly 70 miles per week between work and band practice. This isn't accounting for any other driving I may do throughout the week. Here is my environmental impact.
| Total Hydrocarbons = 0.432 Lbs Total Carbon Monoxide = 3.222 Lbs Total Carbon Dioxide = 64.12 Lbs Total Nitrous Oxide= 0.214 Lbs Total Gas= 3.3 Gal |
And my cost calculation:
 |
|
I was actually shocked by this. At first, I thought it seemed to steep, until I realized they took into account the cost of insurance and maintenance. I can think of a lot of ways to spend some of that 300 bucks a month.
And my calorie calculation says I'm burning roughly 3136 calories per week. I have to be burning more because I didn't take into account for any hills, plus there are some days that I run to/from work which is going to burn more calories. For those of you that don't know, a pound of fat is equal to 3500 calories. Not too shabby, although I have noticed I am eating more for dinner when I get home from my commute.
You should check out the site. It's super easy and fast. It's food for thought. If you have a bike I highly recommend you give it a try. I only have one week left, but I'm thinking about continuing biking/running to work a few times a week.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Fact: flat tires suck
In typical Shelton fashion, I decided to make sure I had everything in order for my first day of this month by doing a quick check right before I went to bed...the night before. Turns out my bike tire was flat. I had 2 options to ride to work that would pass a gas station. Unfortunately I picked the one without an air pump. 50-some minutes later I arrived at work...sweaty and tired. It also didn't help when motorists would yell at me to get my attention "hey! did you know your tires are flat?!"
Luckily a guy at work had a tire pump, and the return trip only took half the time.
I have been alternating riding my bike and running to/from work. Twice a week I have to work at two clinics, which means I have a 5 mile ride to the first clinic, then a 7+ mile ride from one clinic to the other during my lunch, followed by just under 5 mile bike home. The tough part is having to make the lunch hour trip, which really cuts into me having much time to eat.
One of the perks of riding/running is that there is no excuse not to get some exercise (which slightly outweighs the fact my butt may get rubbed raw after another week or two of bike riding). By the time I get home, the exercising is done and I can relax. Currently I am not running barefoot on my trips home from work. For the most part it would be a nice run, but there are spots where I have to cross 4 lanes of traffic and I have noticed spots of glass. I have no issue running around glass, but not when I have to haul buns to avoid getting hit by a car. I will man up sooner than later, but I will have to take a slightly longer route. For now, I'm not trying to add any more miles to my day.
Luckily a guy at work had a tire pump, and the return trip only took half the time.
I have been alternating riding my bike and running to/from work. Twice a week I have to work at two clinics, which means I have a 5 mile ride to the first clinic, then a 7+ mile ride from one clinic to the other during my lunch, followed by just under 5 mile bike home. The tough part is having to make the lunch hour trip, which really cuts into me having much time to eat.
One of the perks of riding/running is that there is no excuse not to get some exercise (which slightly outweighs the fact my butt may get rubbed raw after another week or two of bike riding). By the time I get home, the exercising is done and I can relax. Currently I am not running barefoot on my trips home from work. For the most part it would be a nice run, but there are spots where I have to cross 4 lanes of traffic and I have noticed spots of glass. I have no issue running around glass, but not when I have to haul buns to avoid getting hit by a car. I will man up sooner than later, but I will have to take a slightly longer route. For now, I'm not trying to add any more miles to my day.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Emission this.
I feel like May was kind of a boring month, I didn't really feel like I had to "try" too hard. We have been doing a pretty good job at not buying too much unnecessary "stuff" and are both trying to be more conscientious with what, and how, we buy things, so we are already buying as local as we ever have. The challenge with this past month is that I have only bought 2 items, other than food. We just got a new cellphone, but my options were limited. It was either an Iphone or Inspire...both made in Asia. The other purchase was some soap, made here in the bluegrass.
I am going to continue the buying local as much as I can this summer, but I feel the need to kick it up a notch. The first two months were fun, and challenging, and that is what has been lacking the last few months. April and May haven't really been a struggle. I don't think they were bad ideas, but I really wasn't forced to think about the big picture and how we live day to day.
I have made a point to make the next couple of months much more challenging.
This month I am ditching my car...mostly. I am not going to drive my car for any trip less than 15 miles, unless I have to take Rowan somewhere, or any other instance that I have to pick anyone up. I think this comes at a pretty good time. Gas prices are ridiculous, the weather is getting nicer, and its time to take this flabby ass up a few inches. I have a half marathon coming up in August, so this will definitely help with the training.
I will try to keep everyone updated on how things are going. If anyone has any tips for me, I would appreciate it. I don't think I have ridden my bike since last year.
I am going to continue the buying local as much as I can this summer, but I feel the need to kick it up a notch. The first two months were fun, and challenging, and that is what has been lacking the last few months. April and May haven't really been a struggle. I don't think they were bad ideas, but I really wasn't forced to think about the big picture and how we live day to day.
I have made a point to make the next couple of months much more challenging.
This month I am ditching my car...mostly. I am not going to drive my car for any trip less than 15 miles, unless I have to take Rowan somewhere, or any other instance that I have to pick anyone up. I think this comes at a pretty good time. Gas prices are ridiculous, the weather is getting nicer, and its time to take this flabby ass up a few inches. I have a half marathon coming up in August, so this will definitely help with the training.
I will try to keep everyone updated on how things are going. If anyone has any tips for me, I would appreciate it. I don't think I have ridden my bike since last year.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Keeping it real (local)
Do you know how many local vendors there are in your town? Me neither. This month I intend to find out. I hear a lot of buzz about buying local, and the importance of buying products from the good ole' USA. I have to admit, I'm not sold American products are superior to those abroad, but I do realize there are a lot of good reasons to buy local products. This month I intend on buying completely American made products. Actually, I want to buy products made here in Lexington, Ky, but realize that may not be completely possible.
For starts, Nicki and I have enrolled in a community supported agriculture (CSA) program. For those of you not familiar, we have paid a one time fee to a locally run farm outside of town and in return get a weekly box of their produce each week for the next 22 weeks. Our local grocery coop also has clearly labeled foods/products that are made here in Kentucky, so we should be pretty set in the food department.
I have some more research ahead of me, but I think this month is going to be another good learning experience. I hope to blog a little more this month and keep updating our ongoings.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
politics of volunteering
Who thought it would be so hard to volunteer? This month didn't quite go as planned. I applied to volunteer at the Ronald McDonald house...no reply. I scoured the University of Kentucky's website for causes to help out with...nothing available at night/weekends. I sent emails to environmental groups for weekend clean ups and signed up for a local organic farms volunteer list...nada.
I did get to help out at my good friend Lego's camp one weekend. It was awesome. It was at a camp with adults and kids with disabilities. I met a camper who really opened my eyes to the importance of not judging a book by its cover. There was a man who was in his 50's (he told me his age, but I forgot it...so much for being a good listener). The first time I saw him he seemed very quiet/shy, but super sweet. I tried talking to him the first night of camp, but really didn't get much of a response. No big deal, it's not out of the ordinary for someone at camp to be shy or not communicate much. I just assumed he might be nonverbal, gave him a wave, and walked away.
I tried again the next morning, but more of the same. A sweet nod of the head, and a smile, but nothing else. Luckily one of the other volunteers knew him and informed me that he was deaf, but could communicate through sign language. I know how to sign a little, and the how to spell, so I started talking with him. This guy was awesome. He taught me a lot about sign language, helped me brush up on my skills, and was one of the nicest guys I met at camp. I'll never forget how patient he was with me. Anytime I couldn't remember a word, he would teach me. Anytime I didn't make sense, he would pull out a sticky note pad and we would write notes back and forth. Besides my buddy Lego, he was my favorite person to hang out with that weekend.
Thinking back, he made me realize how quickly I judge people. I have spent many hours hanging out with amazing people at camp. I really feel like I'm ahead of the curve as far as respecting peoples differences and disabilities, but here I was, judging someone on looks and a quiet first encounter. What I almost missed out on was meeting a really awesome guy who taught me a lot about sign language, and pointed out one of my character flaws. I'm judgemental as ten dudes, but I'm going to work on it.
All in all things didn't go as planned. The best unplanned part of the month was when Nicki went into labor a week early. The fact that we have a healthy baby boy is the best way I can think of ending a rather uneventful month.
I really don't have anything else to say about this month. So here are some updates on previous and future months.
January
I weighed myself today and topped off at 166.5 pounds. That's a 20+ pound loss since the beginning of the year. We are only buying organic food for the home (I should say mostly...I didn't argue when the Mrs. bought food during the pregnancy), but still enjoy the occasional restaurant trip. It's crazy how my food habits have completely changed. I now enjoy eating vegetables, I can now eat tomatoes and cucumbers without gagging, and I have fully made the switch from Qdoba to Chipotle. Not only does Chipotle have a more eco-friendly menu, but I think Qdoba tastes "cheaper". I didn't think it would happen, but I'm starting to become a food snob. Organic oranges are in a league of their own compared to any other oranges I have eaten. Organic juices are ridiculously good (J.W. Knudsen brand juices rule my face) whereas other store brand juices seem to have a fake artificial taste. It's hard to explain, but I feel really good after eating a nice organic meal. On the other hand, if we go out and I eat something highly processed, I feel like shit for a while.
February
We are both using Lush shampoo, conditioner, and a natural soap. I'm still making my own toothpaste, but have tweaked the recipe...adding hydrogen peroxide really dampens the salty taste, and gives me a more clean mouth feeling. I have given up on the notion of completely stopping the consumption of plastic, but now I get a guilty feeling if I find myself buying something in plastic, keeping the consumption low.
March
The fruit flies had a baby boom while we were at the hospital, but I am slowly killing those suckers off.
I think we have a full bin of ready to use compost now, and our worms must have gotten the memo about the baby boom also. We should be up to about 2000 worms now, but I'm too lazy to count.
I did get to help out at my good friend Lego's camp one weekend. It was awesome. It was at a camp with adults and kids with disabilities. I met a camper who really opened my eyes to the importance of not judging a book by its cover. There was a man who was in his 50's (he told me his age, but I forgot it...so much for being a good listener). The first time I saw him he seemed very quiet/shy, but super sweet. I tried talking to him the first night of camp, but really didn't get much of a response. No big deal, it's not out of the ordinary for someone at camp to be shy or not communicate much. I just assumed he might be nonverbal, gave him a wave, and walked away.
I tried again the next morning, but more of the same. A sweet nod of the head, and a smile, but nothing else. Luckily one of the other volunteers knew him and informed me that he was deaf, but could communicate through sign language. I know how to sign a little, and the how to spell, so I started talking with him. This guy was awesome. He taught me a lot about sign language, helped me brush up on my skills, and was one of the nicest guys I met at camp. I'll never forget how patient he was with me. Anytime I couldn't remember a word, he would teach me. Anytime I didn't make sense, he would pull out a sticky note pad and we would write notes back and forth. Besides my buddy Lego, he was my favorite person to hang out with that weekend.
Thinking back, he made me realize how quickly I judge people. I have spent many hours hanging out with amazing people at camp. I really feel like I'm ahead of the curve as far as respecting peoples differences and disabilities, but here I was, judging someone on looks and a quiet first encounter. What I almost missed out on was meeting a really awesome guy who taught me a lot about sign language, and pointed out one of my character flaws. I'm judgemental as ten dudes, but I'm going to work on it.
All in all things didn't go as planned. The best unplanned part of the month was when Nicki went into labor a week early. The fact that we have a healthy baby boy is the best way I can think of ending a rather uneventful month.
I really don't have anything else to say about this month. So here are some updates on previous and future months.
January
I weighed myself today and topped off at 166.5 pounds. That's a 20+ pound loss since the beginning of the year. We are only buying organic food for the home (I should say mostly...I didn't argue when the Mrs. bought food during the pregnancy), but still enjoy the occasional restaurant trip. It's crazy how my food habits have completely changed. I now enjoy eating vegetables, I can now eat tomatoes and cucumbers without gagging, and I have fully made the switch from Qdoba to Chipotle. Not only does Chipotle have a more eco-friendly menu, but I think Qdoba tastes "cheaper". I didn't think it would happen, but I'm starting to become a food snob. Organic oranges are in a league of their own compared to any other oranges I have eaten. Organic juices are ridiculously good (J.W. Knudsen brand juices rule my face) whereas other store brand juices seem to have a fake artificial taste. It's hard to explain, but I feel really good after eating a nice organic meal. On the other hand, if we go out and I eat something highly processed, I feel like shit for a while.
February
We are both using Lush shampoo, conditioner, and a natural soap. I'm still making my own toothpaste, but have tweaked the recipe...adding hydrogen peroxide really dampens the salty taste, and gives me a more clean mouth feeling. I have given up on the notion of completely stopping the consumption of plastic, but now I get a guilty feeling if I find myself buying something in plastic, keeping the consumption low.
March
The fruit flies had a baby boom while we were at the hospital, but I am slowly killing those suckers off.
I think we have a full bin of ready to use compost now, and our worms must have gotten the memo about the baby boom also. We should be up to about 2000 worms now, but I'm too lazy to count.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
March was great, April is off to a pretty slow start.
All in all, no waste March was pretty successful. It was pretty eye opening to discover how much unnecessary packaging is being used. Nicki and I ended up with just over a half bag of garbage for the month...not exactly my goal, but still much better than before. I realized how much planning goes into making meals( and found out that no one in town sells tortilla shells without plastic wrapping).
The big change for me is going to come in the way of paper composting. I know paper can be recycled, but most recycling places claim they will not take paper with any food or waste on it. I can only assume everything gets lumped together and recycled, and if I put in a dirty napkin it will most likely be recycled, but I'm not 100% sure. I have been very good about keeping my napkins, receipts, and paper towels from restaurants/work and composting them. It's almost automatic now, to the occasional eye rolling of my wife. The way I see it, it takes very little effort to put the paper in my pocket instead of the trash. I understand that the paper will biodegrade in a landfill, but then what? It's still taking up space, its still not being reused, and its wasteful. I feel good knowing that all this paper is being converted into soil that will then be reused and help feed a plant to grow.
We did run into a little issue with the composting this month, however. Our apt got a bad case of the fruit flies. The bad: they are kind of a pain, and used to hang out by the sink. The good: it has turned into a nightly game of "lets see how many fruit flies I can suck up with the vacuum hose" and they really don't bother anything. But like I said, they are slowly going away (into the vacuum bag) and I have started to put more paper in the compost to help combat the situation.
Now on to April. I had a real hard time getting inspired by anything life changing to do this month. My brother in law suggested volunteering, and I flirted with the idea of going vegan, or giving up dairy and eggs, all I think are great ideas. As I was looking around for different volunteering ideas I came across a website that suggested varying ways to give back and help those who need it. I got really excited about doing something nice/helpful for people. I feel like its already a part of who I am. It's my job. After thinking about ways to make a change in myself, I realized that although I help people physically, my job has caused me to make quick assumptions.
Imagine having to listen to peoples pain stories all day long. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do, but people want to tell me EVERYTHING about their pain. And to be honest, 50% of the information they tell me I pay little attention to. I have to try to sort out their problem so I am constantly redirecting questions, politely cutting people off, in order to try and figure out their problem. Unfortunately, I find this type of behavior has started to take hold in my day to day life. I find myself listening to people tell me stories, and before they finish talking my brain starts making conclusions. I notice I am agreeing with what someone is saying before I even hear what they have to say...and it annoys me.
This month is more about me. Not my health, or the environment, but my attention to the things around me. I want to try to be more aware of the things around me that I can help. I want to start listening to people more, in hopes of finding out what ways I may be able help them with something. I want to be more aware of others when I am out in the community. I want to volunteer and hear peoples stories, I want to help local organizations who share the same ideals I believe in.
My goal for the month is to do "something" for someone everyday, and to volunteer every weekend. Seems easy. But I was a bit naive to think I could just turn the corner and be able to do something helpful. There have been days so far that have been successful, some days not so successful. I'll keep you posted on what I've been up to this month.
If you live in the lexington area, and have any volunteering ideas, send them my way.
The big change for me is going to come in the way of paper composting. I know paper can be recycled, but most recycling places claim they will not take paper with any food or waste on it. I can only assume everything gets lumped together and recycled, and if I put in a dirty napkin it will most likely be recycled, but I'm not 100% sure. I have been very good about keeping my napkins, receipts, and paper towels from restaurants/work and composting them. It's almost automatic now, to the occasional eye rolling of my wife. The way I see it, it takes very little effort to put the paper in my pocket instead of the trash. I understand that the paper will biodegrade in a landfill, but then what? It's still taking up space, its still not being reused, and its wasteful. I feel good knowing that all this paper is being converted into soil that will then be reused and help feed a plant to grow.
We did run into a little issue with the composting this month, however. Our apt got a bad case of the fruit flies. The bad: they are kind of a pain, and used to hang out by the sink. The good: it has turned into a nightly game of "lets see how many fruit flies I can suck up with the vacuum hose" and they really don't bother anything. But like I said, they are slowly going away (into the vacuum bag) and I have started to put more paper in the compost to help combat the situation.
Now on to April. I had a real hard time getting inspired by anything life changing to do this month. My brother in law suggested volunteering, and I flirted with the idea of going vegan, or giving up dairy and eggs, all I think are great ideas. As I was looking around for different volunteering ideas I came across a website that suggested varying ways to give back and help those who need it. I got really excited about doing something nice/helpful for people. I feel like its already a part of who I am. It's my job. After thinking about ways to make a change in myself, I realized that although I help people physically, my job has caused me to make quick assumptions.
Imagine having to listen to peoples pain stories all day long. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do, but people want to tell me EVERYTHING about their pain. And to be honest, 50% of the information they tell me I pay little attention to. I have to try to sort out their problem so I am constantly redirecting questions, politely cutting people off, in order to try and figure out their problem. Unfortunately, I find this type of behavior has started to take hold in my day to day life. I find myself listening to people tell me stories, and before they finish talking my brain starts making conclusions. I notice I am agreeing with what someone is saying before I even hear what they have to say...and it annoys me.
This month is more about me. Not my health, or the environment, but my attention to the things around me. I want to try to be more aware of the things around me that I can help. I want to start listening to people more, in hopes of finding out what ways I may be able help them with something. I want to be more aware of others when I am out in the community. I want to volunteer and hear peoples stories, I want to help local organizations who share the same ideals I believe in.
My goal for the month is to do "something" for someone everyday, and to volunteer every weekend. Seems easy. But I was a bit naive to think I could just turn the corner and be able to do something helpful. There have been days so far that have been successful, some days not so successful. I'll keep you posted on what I've been up to this month.
If you live in the lexington area, and have any volunteering ideas, send them my way.
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