Environmental considerations of greening human waste: a good read (really!!)

I've been reading a book about poop and pee, and let me tell you, it's fascinating. The Big Necessity, by Rose George, covers the world of human waste from the high-end, built-in bidet with blow-dryers, heated-seat robo-toilets of Japan, to the hand-collection of excrement due to open defecation that happens in undeveloped parts of the world. And everything in between. 

Now, if you use a flush toilet like I do, you may think it's simple. Everyone just needs to do what we do. It's modern, efficient, clean and sanitary. Our senses are not assaulted by foul smells and sights. But modern is probably not a fair description. Most western urban sewers were built a long time ago, and have a hard time keeping up with the growth of our cities. Or they don't work during sudden severe rains -- and end up overflowing raw sewage into rivers, lakes and oceans. This happens in Portland on a regular basis. Surprisingly, it's not really the poop that is the bane of the sewer workers' existence: it's fat and Q-tips and liquid concrete and grenades. The ignorance of "civilized" people throwing everything down the toilet and just flushing it "away." Before I move on, I want to underscore that fat from residential cooking and especially restaurants going down the drains is especially bad because it builds up in sewer pipes, has to be cleared by hand and can cost millions of dollars.

Greener Homes & Garden Expo, May 19 & 20

This looks fantastic! (Thanks, Julie, for alerting us!) Check it out:

Greener Homes & Garden Expo:

Our 5th Annual sustainable home & garden show is designed to contribute to the tremendous momentum of public interest in green homes / building, sustainable landscaping / gardening, and alternative energy / biofuels. Additionally, we will feature two new exciting and timely pavilions:

• The Biofuels/Alternative Vehicles Show: This pavilion is an expansion of last year's biofuel theme and will incorporate a greater variety of transportation options designed to reduce global warming, increase energy efficiency, and decrease dependency on fossil fuels.
• New! The Self-Sustainability Forum: Preparedness, Self-Reliance & Relocalization: This new pavilion is focused on strengthening communities, self reliance, and preparedness. Concepts include neighborhood building, relocalization, food production & organic gardening, food preservation, alternative energy and modes of transportation, emergency readiness, rainwater collection, outdoor survival equipment global warming action, post carbon planning, and other related ideas.

The Greener Homes & Garden Show will take place next weekend, May 19 from 10am-6pm and May 20 from 11am-5pm at the Portland Expo Center. $3.00 suggested donation benefits the ReBuilding Center.

Soaring gas prices: are you feeling the pinch?

According to the Oregonian, Oregon has the dubious honor of the third highest gas prices in the nation. And many people -- especially working people -- are feeling it in the pocketbook. Are you feeling the pinch?

I know I am starting to make changes based on the high gas prices and changing weather. Earlier in the year, I had planned a camp-filled summer for the kiddos, and now I am rethinking that. I don't want to drive all over town, create smog and pay top dollar for gas. I'm finding activities closer to home. Places we can walk or bike to. We signed up for swimming lessons at a community pool that we can walk/stroll to, instead of driving to the SWCC as we have in past years.

What about you? Are you changing driving habits based on the high gas prices? Taking the bus more? Hitching up the Burly trailer to your bike? Switching to biodiesel or recycled veggie oil?

Is it worth converting from oil to gas heat?

My home is heated by oil, and my husband and I always thought we wanted natural gas (mostly for a cooktop). But we looked into it and found it would be way too expensive to install. Then about a year ago we heard that our oil provider, First Call, was offering a 20% biodiesel blend for the same cost as 100% oil. It required no modification to our furnace, and in fact, we don't notice any difference at all. No, it doesn't smell funny, and in fact the biodiesel blend burns cleaner so it keeps our furnace cleaner. Other oil companies offer the blend, too.

I still wasn't sure that the biodiesel blend was more eco-friendly than natural gas until I read a great comparison in the Portland Tribune. I definitely feel better about our choice to stick with oil, but I would still like that gas cooktop!

Heating with biodiesel

Here at ReadySetMom corporate headquarters (i.e. Starbucks) we thought we'd try something that might actually be helpful to someone. Enviromom! No, no, no we haven't created a new superhero (though if you feel inclined to don a green cape, please do) rather we want to celebrate the small victories of incorporating "green living" into our everyday lives. So, here's my latest victory:

My house is heated with oil. How delighted I was when I discovered that my oil company, First Call Heating and Cooling, now offers an 80/20 blend of oil and biodiesel, made from cooking oil, as an alternative to pure oil. It costs the same, it heats the same, it doesn't smell any different, but it burns cleaner than pure oil.

Send us your victories! What small - or big - things have you done to add more green to your life?

(Note: Originally published/posted by Heather on ReadySetMom.com)