Green company of the year

About a year ago, someone unknown with a bottomless sense of humor subscribed me to Forbes Magazine.  The reasons that this is incredibly ironic are many and go way back.  But, I must say, that each month the cover, on its direct route to the recycle bin, provides my family with much mirth.

We also enjoy the periodic Special Advertising Sections on how to choose which personal aircraft best suits your needs.  Because, really, who doesn't need help determining which Gulfstream is the right for them?

But, today is too good not to share.  

Really?  Wow.

Steve, I'm thinkin' it might be time to hang it up and just enjoy the dividend checks.

Not the solar and wind pioneers?  Not the urban gardeners?  No bone to the many, many companies developing ways to use our existing infrastructure to deliver renewable energy in a cost-effective way?  Exxonmobile as Green Company of the Year...

Hmm.

This is the same Exxonmobile that spent nearly 20 years fighting the Valdez lawsuit until it finally settled for about 1/10th the amount the Feds originally directed it to pay...right?  That Exxon?  Just checking.

Huh.  

The irony just never ends.

This even tops the cover, a few months back, of why women managers are on the rise - complete with all-pink type and the cover "exec" holding instruments normally reserved for housecleaning.

What ceiling?

Going Green - Shutting Down the Vampires

SSF is undergoing a tectonic shift in the personal computer arena. We had the opportunity to buy 2nd-hand MacBook Pros for a fraction of their retail value, so jumped on the deal and are switching off the desktops and powering up the laptops. The beefy Mac we bought 2 years ago to handle Mark's musical recording needs will now be used almost exclusively for that purpose. The Mac Mini that's been handling my stuff and serving as the family's calendar and internet is about to become Dylan's, used fairly sparingly, at night.

I am curious to see if this switch is readily obvious in our upcoming electricity bills. Newer laptops use something like 30% less energy than their desk-bound counterparts. Also, people - including us - are more likely to turn their laptops off at night. A study out this week estimates that corporate employees waste $2.8 billion each year simply by leaving their computers on at the end of the workday.

We are lazy, and I am ashamed to admit that even with good intentions often left both our Mac Mini and our energy hogging Pro on while we slept. Which is ridiculous. So, we'll see if our numbers bear out the statistics.

But, there's another, stealthier, energy thief at work in most homes. In this mobile life we all lead these days, we carry cell phones and digital cameras and cordless razors and iPods and who knows what else. The revolution that moved us away from disposable batteries into rechargeable electronics is significant - the throw-away nature of battery-operated devices is obviously unsustainable.

But, these devices are generally made as cheaply as possible and that means there's no mechanism that tells the charger when the device is good - nothing to indicate that it's time to stop sucking electricity out of the socket. So. Whether your device is charging, or, in fact, is even plugged into the charger, the charger continues to pull electricity.

A cell phone here or there, probably doesn't really amount to much. But look around your house and take stock of how many outlets have little black boxes attached to them. Hmm. So, you might want to try your own experiment - unplug those guys every time you grab the devices attached to them. Then look at your bill. Any difference? We'll be doing that on top of the leaner computers and seeing what the numbers are looking like.

Finally, if you're interested in seeing how community can come together while being scattered across the globe, consider participating in Earthhour this weekend. A global demonstration to illustrate how much power we have to reduce their carbon footprint, Earthhour simply asks people to power down their homes for one hour this Saturday, from 8:30 to 9:30PM.

We'll be having a small birthday sleepover, so we plan to bring out the candles and the board games and have a ball. Who says sustainability can't be fun?

Clothesline Therapy

I was frustrated earlier this beautiful March day, having midday words with Mark and annoyed that my to-do list got thrown under the bus. I'd told myself upon reviewing Wednesday's weather last night that today would be the year's first laundry load to be dried in the precious sunshine. So, before joining my husband to make some headway toward completing Dylan's nearly two-year-old Almost Finished Treehouse, I stomped outside to hang the wash.

Something funny happens when you are snapping clothespins on clean damp fabric under the warmth of that bright glowing orb. Fresh wash flutters all around you, drying even as you hang it. Like other elemental tasks, there's no hurrying it - it is what it is and "efficiency" only robs you of the satisfaction it can bring.

Birds are singing, our dog and cats casually case the joint, chickens saunter up to see what surprises I might be hoarding. I hear the neighbor's faraway chain saw hard at work at its first Spring project and the soprano baa's of our newest flock member.

Undies and socks on the inner lines. Next come PJs. T-shirts and track pants hold the middle ground, and finally, towels and napkins show themselves to the few neighbors who might pass this way. 1, 2, 3, 4. 1, 2, 3, 4. 1, 2, 3, 4. 1, 2, 3, 4. And, we're done.

It takes longer than tossing everything into the giant front-loading dryer, but when you take into account that each item is folded as it comes down, the total differential is probably less than you might predict. And, it's time well-spent - excellent for humming that funny song from high school or solving the world's problems or even just planning out the rest of the day.

It is easy in this small farm life, and I suspect most others, to rush to get through the chore that sits in front of you. But, then in its place sits another and another. If you rush to get through them all, all you get is tired. On the other hand, take a deep breath and enjoy what must be done and you can sometimes discover that it leads to unexpected pleasures.

Like taking joy in building a treehouse with your husband.