Never done anything special for this day... Except for in grade school or something, but that was literally a photo op for a tree planting.

I've gotten a lot of messages just this week for Earth Day discounts.

well my ac has been broken for about two weeks. I've been riding it out, partly because we've had cool nights. Also, I wanted to see how long I could take it and save some $$$ on electricity.

I don't think conservation is a bad idea. I too hate the consumerism of Earth Day, and the alarmism of global warming. I do believe that our Earth will decline in health (is that a good phrase? sounds funny) if we do not take some measures to at least conserve energy and resources, care for endangered species, etc. I don't think it's as dire as some like to make it sound, but there you go. My opinion.

Austin has this program where they install a free thermostat in your home. it has a radio receive in it (kind of wierd!) and on 10-15 days in the summer it shuts your AC off for 10 minutes and turns it back on. The bulletin says that that you don't even notice it. What do you guys think about this?

In the hottest summer months, on some days I turn the AC off when I leave (to save electricity), and turn it back on when I get home. Is this more or less efficient than just turning it up to a higher temperature? Is restarting the AC a bigger drain of energy?

I go and hug a tree. If it gets people to not be wasteful and actually pick up after themselves then good. I hate when people litter.
Actually to become earth friendly - you buy more. It is how they market it- give up your unfriendly products, recycle them and buy XXX cause the planet will love you for it. Oh and those products are usually more expensive. Now go hug a tree.
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"Ever tried, ever failed, no matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail Better." - Samuel Beckett

also, I've decided to just get a new AC and take advantage of the tax credit next year. My AC is original to my home and almost 30 years old. I am pretty sure when I sell the buyer would ask to have it replaced. Plus, getting a new one will be more efficient and get rid of the big freon using monster I have now.

I only have 700 sQ foot condo so I don't think a new AC would completely break the bank. It won't be cheap, but it won't be that bad.

Kris, I've heard mixed things about the AC and turning it off versus always running. We always leave it on (when in La.) but during the day it's at a pretty high temp like 76-78 (it's central AC, I'm assuming your's is too?). Then at night, when we're sleeping we'd turn it down to 75 because I can't sleep when it's hot.

I hate litter too Sam! I hate cigarette butt litterers and always scowl at them when I catch them in the act!

On the note of hugging a tree and litter, you know what you could do instead of buying a bunch of new crap, is to volunteer for a trash pickup on the roadside or clean up a creek. I've done this and it's very rewarding to see a clean road behind you! Also you find all kinds of wierd stuff out there, which is entertaining. Like last time I picked up trash, I was amazed at how many people throw porn out the window of their cars. Do angry girlfriends throw it out? What is the deal? Did they just get tired of this dvd and decide to toss it into the bushes?

A-freakin'-men! Being conscious of our resources is fine, but the commercialism is ridiculous. O'Reilly ought to do a piece on that: The War on Earth Day.

And I don't understand why people think it's ok to throw cigarette butts on the ground. When I see it (if I'm feeling feisty) I'll call after them, "Excuse me, you dropped something!"

Kris, I have sort of an opposite problem because I can't figure out which is a more efficient heat: run the whole system or just a space heater in the room I'm in.

Sy girl, I am one of those people who has to have it on 70 to sleep. I turn it up to 78 while I'm gone, if I don't turn it off completely.

Yet amazingly, I've done okay for all these days with the windows open and it being about 65 outside. Now listen, 65 in TX always comes with about 90% humidity, so it's not like camping in the mountains.

I don't have a problem with promoting shopping IF it's encouraging people to shop *smarter*, not *more*.

Now that my daughter is earning her own money, she summed it up pretty well. She says she'll shop "green" if it's not too inconvenient or too expensive. I, for one, am not going to pay more for cleaners that don't work or recycled TP that is tissue-thin or feels like sandpaper on my tender tush.
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Conservative in exile
Washington and Sacramento: Stealing our children's futures.

Kris imagine what they were doing with it before they tossed that porn. And they complain about talking on your cell phone when driving.
I over heard con ed people talking on the subway one day: they said the meters register you turning it on and off. That causes the spikes in the $$$$. Continual running is less expensive since the meters don't see the surge of turning it on. i am not sure how it reads the compressor kicking (for temp control) in but if you are running it at an average temp the compressor probably doesn't need to kick in all that much
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"Ever tried, ever failed, no matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail Better." - Samuel Beckett

I don't know Modus. I just generally feel better with a space heater and gas logs burning. But I can't stand hot air blowing in my face. It makes me all stuffy. In the winter here I usually just leave it off and snuggle up. I turn the fan blades the other way too and it seems to help.

When I was a kid I lived in a really old house and we had those gas burner thingys in the bathrom. Like a little grate installed in the wall. Those were awesome! they also warmed the cold potty seats.

Good advice Sam! Thank yoU!

Yeah, I get all dried up in the winter if the heat's on too much. I try to use my electric blanket a lot, too.

I saw a segment on the local news with an HVAC guy who said that its actually more efficient to leave the AC system running because if you turn it off, then you have to cool the whole house again to the point you want to be at. Where if you leave it, you're only making up a few degrees instead of, say 20, like here, in August.

Though I suppose you could set it to 78 while youre gone during the day and 75 when you come at night.

I try to keep the curtains closed too and I too do the fan blade trick!

Today for Earth Day I will hassle my husband for the 100x about using a travel coffee mug. Maybe I will buy him a Sigg bottle!

I wonder what the environmental impact is of those wet wipes that you flush. (I call them adult wipes). the package says they disintegrate, but I still wonder.

thanks haus!

I have to add that when I had my accident last august, it was hard to sleep and I had a concussion, so the light was terrible on my eyes. My mom came and installed blackout curtains on my windows. SO. GREAT! and then I rigged them up with ribbons so that if I decided I wanted light, I could roll them up and tie them in a cute way. I of course have reguar curtians in front of them.

for coffee buy him a personal thermos or he will curse you every time he burns his hand
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"Ever tried, ever failed, no matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail Better." - Samuel Beckett

he has so many, we have so many travel mugs. he's just lazy. but now i bought him a coffee maker for his office, so he doesnt go out as much and i gave him a mug from home to use. so he's pretty much set.

now i just have to work on the water bottle thing.

I buy water bottles occasionally, and when i get one I refill it a lot at the office water cooler. i know that doesn't eliminate the bottle/landfill problem, but maybe it helps a little?

I use reusable water bottles, but I can't find a travel mug that doesn't lessen the joy I get from my coffee. Plus I like to feel the warmth in my hand. So normally I just drink coffee in a normal, ceramic mug.

those water bottles get turned into polartec but i guess with global warm...i mean climate change we won't need any polartec. But we will need water- nice cool water.
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"Ever tried, ever failed, no matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail Better." - Samuel Beckett

I use this and love it. My sis gave it to me.

Once you get in the habit of not having bottled water, then you won't even notice.

I just use a brita pitcher at home and the water cooler at work to fill it up.

I just saw this:

I have a couple of siggs. I also installed a water filter system under the sink. Hubby won't part with his nalgene bottle.
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"Ever tried, ever failed, no matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail Better." - Samuel Beckett

Haus, I know what you mean about travel mugs! I used to be one of those people that got coffee every morning in the paper cup from the store. One time I read (actually on Sugar somewhere) a barista complain about how her regulars don't seem to realize all those plastic lids they use every.single.day. are landing in a landfill somewhere, and it finally hit me! Ever since, I bring my own mug ALWAYS.

I won't part with my nalgene, either. But I have the classic wide mouth. Er, mouths, I guess, since there are probably a dozen in the house.

I often use this, though, to keep from spilling on myself:

so does hubby and he got the insert for it as well. Sy if your coffee place offered a 5¢ discount w/BYM. They would save on ordering cups and the landfills would be less clogged. I like when i get a 2-10¢ credit for bringing my own shopping bags.
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"Ever tried, ever failed, no matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail Better." - Samuel Beckett

How does it work?

I like getting those credits too sam! And I do get a 10 cent discount for bringing my own mug!

pop it into the wide mouth and it makes it a huge sippy cup.
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"Ever tried, ever failed, no matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail Better." - Samuel Beckett

oh ok! Duh.

yea those are a great invention! its hard to drink from a wide mouth Nalgene without that thing.... I like my Sigg bottle but I feel like they could improve on their caps. The screw cap is fine, but the sports cap can be tricky.

Doesn't starbucks offer a ten cent discount? I thought they did.

And yeah, the thing above is sort of a flexible silicone so it just slides right into the wide mouth. It's nice because you get a small hole to drink out of (I always spill on myself otherwise) but you can take it out if you want to put ice in the bottle.

That's why I like this nalgene. No screwing involved.

LOL!

I like the nalgene caps with the loop so I can clip it to my keys.

its like mothers day. should we show love to our mom only on one day? overhyped stuff.

Ok so I was cracking up the other day. There was a walmart commercial about a little green clean machine carpet cleaner. The woman kept talking about how she wants to save money but also be nice to the earth. Then she went on to say how this carpet cleaner was made with a lot of recycled materials, blah, blah, blah and that is everyone in the US bought one is would be like recycling x pounds of plstic, blah, blah blah. So i was just laughing cause could you imagine the energy used to make all of those carpet cleaners for people who didn't need them but bought them anyway simply because they were "green" It just doesnt make sense. They are telling you to buy something that you wouldn't have already, simply because they used recycled materials. But it still take energy to produce them, not to mention use them, not to mention all of those old carpet cleaners that are going to fill up the landfills.

I totally saw that commercial and was really confused!!! I was like so, how is this saving plastic? How is this simplifying my life?

because I can tell you want I did with my Little Green carpet steamer, or whatever it was. I used it once, and now it lives in the shed. I've had it for over a year.

Obama flew his 747 to the Midwest to celebrate earth day with a speech. The jet burned over 9,000 gallons of fuel.

but he will sell out our coast line to anyone with a buck to put wind turbines out in the ocean. Phony, two faced, lying %^$#*(&@
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"Ever tried, ever failed, no matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail Better." - Samuel Beckett

Grandpa!

I would have suggested to Obama that in honor of Earth day, he video conference his speech, and save the environment from that extra pollution.

...I was thinking the same thing...

Also, he could have harnessed all the hot air that is in the elected official's buildings and use it to power a balloon to 'fly'.

officials'