Disqus - Latest Comments for Ben Schiendelman

Re: A Gallon a Day

Ben Schiendelman — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 20:53:12 -0000

Ryan, Microsoft should now offer you a bus pass for free - I don't know if you've tried going to your receptionist, but have a shot at it!

Re: A Gallon a Day

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 15 May 2007 02:19:32 -0000

Ryan - that's too bad that you don't get a bus pass. :( $25/month isn't all that much - I'm surprised at how little of a subsidy you're offered. I will tell you, though, that I'd be happy to buy you a bus pass for a month if you'd consider trying it again - say, commit to three days a week. You have my email. :)

I don't know about considering the cost of the car to be sunk - there will be a point at which you'll have to replace it, but I actually don't know how a car lease works. Do you return the car at the end of the lease?

Re: A Gallon a Day

Ben Schiendelman — Mon, 14 May 2007 21:13:42 -0000

First up, MS and the larger contractors offer you a free bus pass.

But I don't think you're taking into account the full cost of driving that car. For one thing, you're putting wear and tear on the vehicle - this reduces your maintenance costs, and can have an impact on how often you have to replace the vehicle. I suggest amortizing the cost of a vehicle over the number of miles you put on it - taking the bus 100 times in a year would take 2200 miles off your odometer. I take the bus every work day, so I would save more like 5000 miles. That's a lot!

You can also often get your insurance company to reduce your payment if you tell them it's not your daily driver.

You also get this bus time to do other things - I have my laptop on which I can work, or I bring a book. The book is a lot more relaxing than driving in traffic. :)

One more thing off the top of my head is your risk of being in an accident. You are vastly less likely to be in an accident on the bus - and you have much less financial stake. You're unlikely to get whiplash if a 3000 pound car hits your 40 ton bus. :)

Re: War With Iran Before November: A Prediction + Scenarios

Ben Schiendelman — Mon, 05 May 2008 13:41:59 -0000

We can't do much about it in the short term.

In the long term, we can do all sorts of things to stop creating new "mouthbreathers".

Re: Libertarian Democraphobia

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 05 May 2009 20:26:46 -0000

You can't 'prove' anything in sociology. Just framing things like that marginalizes your movement. Don't do it, let it go, and focus on things you can actually get people interested in. Otherwise you're relegated to the moon - that's the whole point here.

Re: Let Sound Transit pay bridge tolls - Bellevue Reporter

Ben Schiendelman — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 09:34:14 -0000

Sound Transit spends money collected on the eastside only on the eastside, and money collected in Seattle only in Seattle. The requirement is called 'subarea equity' - and it's why the eastside has about $1B in the bank today to be spent on East Link.

Neither the original Sound Move taxes nor the ST2 taxes could pay for East Link on their own. Waiting and saving up is the only way to pay for the project.

Re: War With Iran Before November: A Prediction + Scenarios

Ben Schiendelman — Mon, 05 May 2008 13:41:59 -0000

We can't do much about it in the short term.

In the long term, we can do all sorts of things to stop creating new "mouthbreathers".

Re: Heirloom Computing - The 100-Year PC

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 15:29:59 -0000

It's not going to be feasible to build computers intended to last 100 years without making that add value to the end purchaser equal to the cost of making them durable.

For all the attacks on them, Apple has done a pretty good job of this. They're better than any other manufacturer I'm aware of about using discrete components that can be individually recycled.

It is absolutely unrealistic to expect any actual segment of the computer purchasing population to consider any environmental aspect of their purchase - so if you want to reduce the materials use, figure out how to make it worth it for your customers to give the computers back - and design them to be disassemblable.

Re: Greener By Design 2009: Terracycle's Take on Trash and Sneak Peek at Next Year's Product (Video)

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 20 May 2009 20:50:40 -0000

I'm sorry, but I can't take seriously any discussion of green anything with bottled water sitting there in the images. It just sets of my greenwashing alarm, and I close it.

Re: Greener By Design 2009: Terracycle's Take on Trash and Sneak Peek at Next Year's Product (Video)

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 20 May 2009 22:22:39 -0000

Jessica, no, there is no excuse for bottled water when there's a pitcher right next to it. It's pure waste.

Re: Fresh2 Fluorescent Bulbs: Light and Air

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 12:57:10 -0000

How does one "virtually eliminate flicker of any kind?"

I have been looking for better bulbs, and you can bet I'll be buying some of these.

Re: Random: Big, Big News from Interior of B.C.

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 19:51:27 -0000

This also reproduces with Windows XP + Firefox.

Does an admin even read this?

Do you need help with the site? I'd be happy to contribute.

Re: Random: Big, Big News from Interior of B.C.

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 19:52:52 -0000

By the way, a working link is:

http://backcountrymagazine.com/rando_hill_third.html

Re: Recycler: 5 Q&As from the Q&A Category

Ben Schiendelman — Thu, 17 Feb 2005 13:32:34 -0000

gmb - new alkaline batteries are safe to dispose of in the trash. In the past, they contained mercury, but this is no longer the case.

Re: Griddle riddle: who's the best one of them all?

Ben Schiendelman — Thu, 17 Feb 2005 13:37:13 -0000

There are companies making non-stick pans that can be returned for re-non-sticking periodically. While the non-stick operation does still occur, you aren't using new metal - and metal mining or reclamation certainly do far more damage to the environment than putting on a non-stick coat.

Re: Supply Chain: From Organic Cotton to Organic Milk

Ben Schiendelman — Mon, 21 Feb 2005 14:13:29 -0000

d, there's been some research indicating that the acids in milkfat do more damage than the calcium prevents. You can find that in nations where more milk is consumed, there's a much higher incidence of osteoporosis.

Josh A., could you link to a study or real data indicating that milk isn't healthful?

d, could you link to data indicating that milk *is* healthful - that isn't funded by the milk industry?

Re: The Windcheetah : Not Your Little Brother's Tricycle

Ben Schiendelman — Fri, 18 Feb 2005 13:52:10 -0000

There are several kinds of enclosed recumbents (called Velomobiles). The speed record is 86mph on a flat, and that guy was no Jan Ulrich.

Here's another company that produces them:

http://www.go-one.de/ukindex.shtml</p>

Information is available:

http://www.velomobile.de/<br />
http://www.ihpva.org/wiki/index.php/Open_Source...>

Re: Radio Flyer’s Earth Wagon

Ben Schiendelman — Fri, 25 Feb 2005 22:23:53 -0000

I see some metal on that wagon, and somehow I suspect it's not made out of recycled plastic.

Re: The Vectrix Super Fast Electric Scooter

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 01 Mar 2005 16:44:15 -0000

hijiki, I live in WA state, US. More of our electricity is renewable than even Quebec. We're over

In almost every US city, you can choose to buy green power for your home. At that point, other than manufacturing/maintenance, you are zero emission. Buy a terrapass to make up for that.

Re: The Vectrix Super Fast Electric Scooter

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 01 Mar 2005 16:44:41 -0000

hijiki, I live in WA state, US. More of our electricity is renewable than even Quebec. We're renewable for over 90% of our power usage, although we generate some non-renewable for CA.

In almost every US city, you can choose to buy green power for your home. At that point, other than manufacturing/maintenance, you are zero emission. Buy a terrapass to make up for that.

Re: The Vectrix Super Fast Electric Scooter

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 01 Mar 2005 20:01:20 -0000

jerry - The electrical system couldn't support that.

In Japan, most commuter transport is electric rail. That's key - the US needs to do the same, or our energy consumption will continue to skyrocket.

Oxygen is found on every planet we've seen. I don't know where you're getting that. We even have water on other planets.

hijiki, if you want to move to Seattle, e-mail me.

Re: Howies Clothing

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 01 Mar 2005 16:31:34 -0000

I don't see anything here that's better than the Gap, frankly. Am I missing something? Third world labor, unsustainable materials?

Come on, let's hear about groups like Praxis.

Re: Sharp's 24-Hour Kitchen Composter

Ben Schiendelman — Thu, 03 Mar 2005 13:07:50 -0000

As an apartment dweller (previously a Japan dweller) who doesn't have space for a real compost pile, I think this is a good alternative. It sounds like what you end up with is fertilizer - exactly what I want for my plants. Since I'm vegetarian, this would cover most of what I can't recycle. The energy cost is high, but I already don't own a TV or a car, so I'd still be below par.

Re: Recycler: Dressing like a Damn TreeHugger

Ben Schiendelman — Fri, 04 Mar 2005 20:29:00 -0000

Do we know what the difference is between the IPath Hemp sneakers and the Adidas equivalents? There's not much information on the IPath site, they don't say where they're made, whether there are other petroleum products in the construction, etc. In comparison to several other shoe companies out there, they don't seem particularly good.

Re: Automatic Parking Garages

Ben Schiendelman — Fri, 04 Mar 2005 14:19:26 -0000

Mike, some of these are even straight-through - you drive into one side and out the other. The building footprint is even smaller that way. :)

Re: London Anti-Flyer Technique

Ben Schiendelman — Fri, 04 Mar 2005 14:17:21 -0000

In Seattle, they're putting up patterns of flat glass beads to do the same thing - it's quite attractive.

Re: Prototype: Honda Hybrid Scooter

Ben Schiendelman — Fri, 04 Mar 2005 14:21:06 -0000

Why not make it all electric with a fuel cell for energy storage? You could get more performance with less weight. If I could get a real motorcycle like that, I'd be riding one now.

Re: The Produce Riddle Part 1: Organic VS Local

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 08 Mar 2005 16:09:24 -0000

Locally, while some of us may dislike Whole Foods, they do buy much of their produce from local organic growers. I'm in Seattle, and I can usually do better - with farmers' markets and CSA, but sometimes I go to the Whole Foods or the Puget Consumers' Co-op, and I can find local organics there.

Re: Seattle RainCatcher Cistern Pilot

Ben Schiendelman — Fri, 11 Mar 2005 14:10:19 -0000

That's Fremont.

It's an excellent idea. I hope they route some of the runoff into the community gardening projects.

Re: Naturemill Low-energy Indoor Composter

Ben Schiendelman — Fri, 11 Mar 2005 13:46:43 -0000

random person:

On one hand, I agree with you. This 'plastic monster' is just something that will eventually have to go in a landfill itself, and it's extra unnecessary consumption. Personally, I won't buy one, because I've got access to a little bit of land I can compost on.

On the other, vast numbers of people don't have any sod under which to compost. While we *can* engineer even upscale condominiums with enough otherwise unused space to do something like this, we don't. A centralized composting site is on my list of necessities for a good shared housing system, but in dense urban areas, where are your options?

I'd like to see a product like this made entirely of sustainable materials - the less processing, the better.

Re: Control Tape For Hair by Aveda

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 15 Mar 2005 15:30:23 -0000

How is a new plastic container with a product for affluent people "eco-friendly"?

Re: Control Tape For Hair by Aveda

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 15 Mar 2005 21:34:42 -0000

Totally.

What I'd really like to see is more of what the local co-op in Seattle does - offering some soaps and shampoos in bulk, so you can come back and refill your bottle. I've harassed a few suppliers about it, and the most frank response I've gotten is that a product's bottle is considered good advertising. Ridiculous.

Re: Fun new ways to waste money and resources

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 16:13:12 -0000

Are we assuming these can be rewritten?

Re: Toilet Trees

Ben Schiendelman — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 18:53:58 -0000

This is really an abomination. A regular toilet plunger with a natural rubber head would be much more eco-friendly.

While looking for better toilet plungers, though, I found a neat link with a list of little things you can do (from New Zealand!):

http://www.environmentnetwork.org.nz/58.html</p>

Re: Sunlawn Lawn Mowers

Ben Schiendelman — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 18:37:04 -0000

Chris, I thought that marine batteries were generally lead-acid. Also, I agree with Steve - $20 sounds about right for a sharpening kit.

More importantly, though - are we continuing to teach people that lawns are a good idea? What about natural ground cover? Mosses and clover, or native plants that don't require any maintenance.

Re: Wind-Powered Cell Phone Chargers in Japanese Taxis

Ben Schiendelman — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 18:34:58 -0000

Amen, AP. Put the windmill on a second-story wall in a narrow street that's a known wind tunnel, hook it up to the grid, and just charge the phone off the outlet.

Re: Selsam multi-rotor wind turbine

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 05 Apr 2005 14:54:27 -0000

Seriously. That's terrible logic. Now, if for cost to build, this produces more electricity, that's great - but I suspect it does not, given that the market is moving to larger and larger rotors *because* they produce more power.

Re: Selsam multi-rotor wind turbine

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 05 Apr 2005 15:02:18 -0000

Jacob, you do have a point. You can more easily work with smaller blades, although I don't know that this design allows for taking a single rotor offline. In most cases, though, a farm owner doesn't maintain their turbines themselves - an outside agency whose job it is to maintain turbines comes in and does it for them.

Re: BYO Lunchbag: Later Paper

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 17:38:13 -0000

No way. If you don't already have a bag you can take lunch to work with, you've got other issues.

Re: In Search of the Biodiesel Hybrid Holy Grail

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 17:32:23 -0000

Hybrid diesel/electrics from DaimlerChrysler are, according to someone I spoke with at Dodge yesterday, a minimum of five years off - still in "concept" stage. I'll stick with my bicycle for now...

Re: Wave Power - Alternative Energy Available Today

Ben Schiendelman — Mon, 11 Apr 2005 14:10:36 -0000

VeggieDelite: We already build seawalls on many major cities. I think this would be a good replacement for those - not for virgin coastline.

Re: Kettle Foods

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 18:31:35 -0000

Wow! I've been eating these for years, and I didn't know this...

Re: Bamboosa: Bamboo Fiber Clothing

Ben Schiendelman — Mon, 18 Apr 2005 12:20:33 -0000

Christy, the US cotton industry is heavily subsidized. As far as I can tell, this is one of the effects of the WTO.

Re: Bamboosa: Bamboo Fiber Clothing

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 19 Apr 2005 18:31:02 -0000

I've ordered a pair of Bamboosa shorts - I asked that they be undyed. I'll send an update after I've tried them.

Re: It's Free Cone Day!

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 19 Apr 2005 18:27:27 -0000

Dan, profit only makes our system "go 'round". I'm in Seattle, and I take regular train trips to Vancouver and Portland to check out green progress. All three cities build public buildings to LEED silver or better standards, have recycling laws, and have huge numbers of volunteer organizations making a difference around the world. Washington state is in process of passing a law allowing individuals to get *state government help* to produce their own electricity, on top of the federal subsidies available.

All three cities have food co-ops, with local organic ice creams available. Many local food growers run at a small loss that volunteer effort makes up for, just to get local people involved and to prove they aren't out for profit. Family farms are not "for profit" when they're selling to their neighbors.

Re: Electric Vehicle Technology's Z-20 scooter

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 27 Apr 2005 00:32:25 -0000

Dominic - great post!

This is by far the most interesting vehicle I've seen. I'm cycle-only, and planning to stay that way for now, but when this becomes available with a Li-Ion battery (which EVT tells me they will soon), it'll be pretty hard not to buy one...

Re: Flat Bags by Snowline Designs

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 27 Apr 2005 18:03:35 -0000

Christy, there are several companies that make similar products - especially Splaff in CA. You should be able to find something similar in your city.

I suggest looking in your local rag for a vegan shop/mart that carries clothes, shoes, and accessories - they commonly have bike tube based bags, from many often local groups.

Where are you? Perhaps I can help you find something.

Re: Could you say "yes" to fur ?

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 27 Apr 2005 12:18:59 -0000

Except that you put pressure on the market - you create demand and lower the existing amount of fur available. Depending on the purchase trends, you would likely cause more animals to be killed to replace your item in the market.

Re: Adelaide Uni Breeds Super-Foods

Ben Schiendelman — Fri, 29 Apr 2005 11:16:52 -0000

While Stewart Brand may have decided he likes these - I do not.

There is no food shortage, nay, only wasteful treatment of our resources. I see no reason to 'edit' genes in ways we definitely do not know the long-term effects of when we can solve our problems with existing natural agriculture.

Plus, GM crops tend to actually produce less than native strains, so while each potato may have more Vitamin A, you get fewer potatoes. Especially in climate shifts native to the local environment, local plants fare much better.

Re: The Single Most Immediately Effective Thing a TreeHugger Can Do

Ben Schiendelman — Mon, 02 May 2005 12:44:18 -0000

John, this is a curve - and it has very little to do with posted limit. Your vehicle gets different mileage at different RPMs and in different gears - and it varies so much from vehicle to vehicle that I just can't find anything useful here other than simply to get people considering their mileage.

And I don't own a car, anyway. :)

Re: The Single Most Immediately Effective Thing a TreeHugger Can Do

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 03 May 2005 14:14:02 -0000

Hijiki, thanks for pointing out the soy milk versus dairy issue. Yes, you're absolutely right - if it's local, and the cows aren't in little pens, it's definitely better. If you can find local, organic soy or rice milk, though... :)

Re: First Penthouse

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 03 May 2005 14:08:06 -0000

$1500 per square foot for a penthouse isn't all that expensive in London. This is a neat idea.

Re: Timeless Timber Gives Submerged Logs New Life

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 03 May 2005 14:05:43 -0000

That's certainly cool, although I will note that it isn't ultimately sustainable, and it does continue to increase demand for old growth wood - I'm sure this is vastly more expensive than regular logging, so it's accessible to a small part of the market.

Re: Timeless Timber Gives Submerged Logs New Life

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 04 May 2005 12:36:59 -0000

I want a chainsaw-wielding underwater robot!

John, I've seen the Gates mansion from the lake, and it's beautiful. I wouldn't be surprised if he used this firm, the place is all hardwoods.

Are you referring to the Sundance catalog?

Re: Big Picture TV

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 04 May 2005 12:55:00 -0000

I recently read the book "Cradle to Cradle" by Bill McDonough. It's certainly worthwhile - and I think it's the only all-plastic book I own.

Re: Low Rolling Resistance Tires

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 04 May 2005 11:16:34 -0000

Wow! So, at $3 per gallon, this is a savings of $100, and at $10 per gallon, a savings of $330. As long as the basic components in these tires are natural rubber, I suspect this'll be a selling point for tire companies pretty soon...

Re: Breaking Down Braking's Problems

Ben Schiendelman — Thu, 05 May 2005 16:03:45 -0000

Mart, while it's not 400 million per day, world oil production is certainly not 40 million - I believe it's 82 million, as I recall from recent articles on Saudi oil production (10-ish million).

I can see US trucking increasing its use by 400 million barrels of oil *per year*.

Re: Cummins Demonstrates Road Map for High-Efficiency Diesel

Ben Schiendelman — Fri, 06 May 2005 11:01:55 -0000

Caterpillar's engines have actually beaten out Cummins in the emissions category lately. GM's New Flyer buses in Seattle are already using them in a hybrid system.

Of course, if you ask the Seattle P-I, the buses are terrible because they don't get 40% better mileage than the regular ones - ignoring the better emissions, and the fact that the buses are on express routes (freeway), where they can't really see the benefits of hybrid drives.

Re: Cummins Demonstrates Road Map for High-Efficiency Diesel

Ben Schiendelman — Fri, 06 May 2005 16:36:00 -0000

Justin, that's the thing. Remember that diesels get much better gas mileage than an equivalent gasoline engine, and with a biodiesel mix, you get even better emissions than pure ultra low sulfur diesel. A B50 or better mix is better than gasoline in everything but NOx, and you make up for that with increased mileage.

Heck, a VW Golf TDI is only $19,000.

Re: Green Goat Gives Diesel Trains A Serious Head Butt

Ben Schiendelman — Mon, 09 May 2005 17:29:46 -0000

The diesels are cut down to the amount required at the wheels. While a switch engine does idle a fair amount of the time, I suspect the environmental damage done by the batteries themselves is comparable to the amount done by burning the extra fuel. How much fuel is required to make those batteries? Where are the chemicals from? How are they disposed of? More importantly - how long do they last? That's what worries me about hybrid vehicles, too - I think we need to eliminate the personal vehicle culture.

Re: Harvey's Seatbelt Bags

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 10 May 2005 19:22:25 -0000

Anna, there is an argument that it's better than throwing away old seatbelts - but we should be designing the seatbelts out of something that can be upcycled.

Re: NorSing Bamboo Dinnerware

Ben Schiendelman — Fri, 13 May 2005 13:36:53 -0000

That's very cool. I do want to note that the only Bambu products I've been able to find in stores are their 'disposable' line of plates.

Re: The Long Emergency: a Long Review

Ben Schiendelman — Mon, 16 May 2005 17:18:34 -0000

The problem with making the argument extreme is that it ends up told so much that when it's really an issue, nobody will care.

Personally - I see that much of our economy will go back to being electric. We'll use rails and overhead wires for much of our transportation again (yes, for goods too). As oil becomes more expensive and demand increases for electricity, things like solar water heaters will become more widespread. Individuals will have solar panels and windmills to generate some of their electricity. In places like WA state, we're using hydro for most of our electricity anyway.

If the price of oil skyrockets, there will be innovation to return to electricity. Yes, it'll be slow. Many may die. But I don't see a fundamental shift in the way we live, just in how much electricity we use. People won't buy plastic junk anymore, at least.

Re: The Long Emergency: a Long Review

Ben Schiendelman — Mon, 16 May 2005 17:19:53 -0000

Lloyd, source your comment about 11 car trips per day. That's definitely way too high - I suspect the average is two or three.

Re: Telecommuting: Why don't you stay home?

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 18 May 2005 13:59:19 -0000

I work in the software industry, and I can't telecommute. There's no way, when the shit hits the fan and we have to figure something out or make a tough call *now*, to replace face - to - face discussion in a conference room.

There's another problem with telecommuting. It's our isolationist suburban lifestyle that makes it so hard for people to choose to move into dense urban communities anyway. Encouraging that will probably worsen the root problems.

Re: Ariston Point-Of-Use Hot Water Heaters

Ben Schiendelman — Thu, 19 May 2005 22:40:53 -0000

All right... let me start at the beginning.

I've used tankless on-demand heaters in Japan for years. They do not have any problem making the water hot enough.

Bernhard, economical is not renewable. There is only so much natural gas (correct me if that's a renewable resource, I may be off my rocker). "We have a lot right now" is *not* a valid argument.

DaveB, if I remember right, the Takagi was also the one I had outside my shower in Chiba. Thanks for remembering - it rung a bell. :)

Re: Ariston Point-Of-Use Hot Water Heaters

Ben Schiendelman — Thu, 19 May 2005 22:42:37 -0000

Justin - isn't *this* a tankless water heater? Why are you saying that "tankless water heaters still beat them"?

Re: New Biodiesel Station Opens In Seattle

Ben Schiendelman — Thu, 19 May 2005 16:36:35 -0000

That's actually a few blocks from where I live. If I had a diesel, I'd be buying that gas. They opened it up at 10 am last Saturday.

$2.96 per gallon should drop over the course of the summer, as well. Some of the oil production is over in Eastern WA, and they're starting to actually power their delivery tankers with the biodiesel they're shipping.

Re: FBI Alert for Treehugger Wackos

Ben Schiendelman — Thu, 19 May 2005 22:32:58 -0000

drew, right-wing nuts have killed tens of thousands in the last few years alone.

Check out the BBC documentary "The Power of Nightmares" - Al Qaeda and the folks currently in control of the US are two sides of the same ideological coin - a fear of moral relativism.

Re: Saving the Planet With Pesticides & Plastic

Ben Schiendelman — Sun, 22 May 2005 13:22:56 -0000

What's more interesting about milk is the distinct connection between milk-drinking countries and an *increase* in osteoporosis.

When we consider the calcium content of milk, we fail to note that the fatty acids in same milk digest the calcium before our body can use it.

Re: Eco-tip: Pine cones make good cat toys

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 24 May 2005 16:01:18 -0000

JonathnanD - your cat will love the bugs, if there are any. If it's been dry out, there won't be anyway.

This is the kind of post I like to see. Much more along the lines of voluntary simplicity.

Re: Prototype: Interstate Traveler Project

Ben Schiendelman — Sat, 28 May 2005 02:49:18 -0000

Of course, like most personal transporter projects, the amount of energy/money used to set it all up would be way more than the amount of energy/money required to do the urban planning and rebuild our entire infrastructure to use the existing and tried/true technologies that most countries do - cycles and feet for short distances, a *few* cars where necessary, commuter trains for mid-distance, high speed rail for long distance, and planes for really long distance (>500 miles). HSR is faster for

Re: Hybrid Version of Nissan Altima to be Made in USA

Ben Schiendelman — Sat, 28 May 2005 13:19:00 -0000

Does Ford sell the Fusion and Milan in the US?

Re: Capstone Micro-Turbines burn waste gas to make power and heat a greenhouse.

Ben Schiendelman — Sat, 28 May 2005 13:20:35 -0000

That is very cool.

I'm especially interested in the hybrid systems - solar during the day, 'something else' at night. I think Western Washington could do this with solar and hydro.

Re: BP Solar Profitable – Solar has Bright Future Ahead

Ben Schiendelman — Mon, 30 May 2005 02:05:25 -0000

Even GE is still in denial. It's just a marketing campaign to them.

I've been buying up stock in ESLR (Evergreen Solar) lately.

Re: Greening Your Computer

Ben Schiendelman — Fri, 03 Jun 2005 22:02:32 -0000

That "lighter" software thing is pretty hilarious. Most modern PCs aren't CPU-limited under normal use at all - mostly only for games.

Your load is almost entirely due to CPU. As long as the hard disk is still spinning, its use has very little variation.

You can save more power by making your desktop background black.

Perhaps Treehugger should go white-on-black instead of black-on-white.

Re: Apple Announces iPod Recycling Program

Ben Schiendelman — Sun, 05 Jun 2005 00:14:55 -0000

Lloyd, that's a few orders of magnitude lower than the amount of fuel used to ship *books*. Seriously, pick your battles.

Legislation to cut interstate highway funding and transfer it to rail upgrades, especially electrified rail, would be a huge help, and make this a non-issue.

Re: Sharp Electronics, Multi-Crystal SPV Integrated Roof Tiles

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 07 Jun 2005 09:09:19 -0000

These look like rebranded versions of the Kyocera tiles. If there's more than one company really doing these, I'm impressed - they need competition.

Re: Sharp Electronics, Multi-Crystal SPV Integrated Roof Tiles

Ben Schiendelman — Fri, 10 Jun 2005 15:13:17 -0000

An engineer from Sharp e-mailed me to let me know that these are *not* Kyocera tiles, they're Sharp's tiles. That's good to know - I know someone who's soon to re-roof, perhaps they'll be interested.

Re: Guilt-Free Biodiesel: a Global Perspective

Ben Schiendelman — Sat, 11 Jun 2005 02:54:46 -0000

Ivan... why does biodiesel require any fossil fuel?

Re: What About Mercury From Compact Fluorescents?

Ben Schiendelman — Fri, 17 Jun 2005 15:02:53 -0000

I've been buying my CF bulbs from Ikea - and in four years, I haven't had one burn out yet.

Re: White house to scupper efforts to tackle Global Warming

Ben Schiendelman — Mon, 20 Jun 2005 11:20:18 -0000

Jimmy, and Mart, the grass is always greener on the other side. This is one of the few countries where you can have a positive impact by staying and working, so please do.

Re: Recycled Squirrel Decanter

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 21 Jun 2005 01:29:12 -0000

It's an interesting idea. If it's really just from roadkill, I don't have a problem with it.

I do want to point out to those who *do* have a problem with it: Does it harm you? If not, be careful before you call it "sick", or suggest it "shouldn't be on the site". It's more sustainable than a leather wrapped bottle, and those are exactly the people target audience.

I'm also interested in the chemicals in the taxidermy process. They're probably pretty nasty.

I am vegetarian, and I don't drive a car. I might be interested in one just so that car drivers who come over would see their impact on the environment - did anyone consider the activism aspect?

Re: Recycled Squirrel Decanter

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 22 Jun 2005 01:06:45 -0000

Shanna - I actually have a piece of petrified poop here... and I just set down some chopsticks on it, just for kicks.

Re: Hybrids: Category Killers and Practical Investments

Ben Schiendelman — Sun, 26 Jun 2005 01:43:44 -0000

Leszek, you're really quite correct.

There's a reason hybrids don't sell in Europe - they already have cars that get 50mpg just for virtue of being small.

Re: Hybrids: Category Killers and Practical Investments

Ben Schiendelman — Sun, 26 Jun 2005 13:50:18 -0000

Joesph, I drive a Cannondale R5000, and I wouldn't bother with a hybrid when I can get a VW Golf TDI or Audi A3 diesel that get equivalent gas mileage but can run on biodiesel.

Re: Hybrids: Category Killers and Practical Investments

Ben Schiendelman — Sun, 26 Jun 2005 13:53:31 -0000

"Why can't we all just be happy that there's technology out there that's making cars use less fuel and pollute the air less? Why in the world would someone go out of their way to attempt to dampen enthusiasm for such a development?"

Check out a book called "Cradle to Cradle". "Less bad" is basically useless, because it doesn't address the fact that you're using up something finite. You must create a system by which you're doing no damage - even improving the environment and the availability of resources around you - or you're not solving anything.

Re: Zeneration: Bamboo Activewear for Women

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 21:05:42 -0000

Uh... I'd call my shorts from Bamboosa activewear.

Re: Cut Global Warming by Becoming Vegetarian

Ben Schiendelman — Sat, 09 Jul 2005 00:15:23 -0000

Cat, most livestock wasn't put on earth in the form it's in today - cows would never have occurred in nature because they're only suited to the purposes we've selectively bred them for. While I can see your logic applying to hunted animals (although I'm an atheist), I don't see it as that clear in livestock.

It isn't really an issue of harming the environment, at least for me - I recognize that you can raise animals in limited numbers without damaging the land you're using. The problem is that it requires much more arable land - many more calories - to feed that animal than simply to produce those calories with vegetable matter. I am vegetarian for that reason, although I would except some hunted food (deer overpopulation is an issue around here) and some local seafood.

The next question is really: Which is better, environmentally speaking? Organically supplied meat or conventional vegetarian meat products?

Re: Cut Global Warming by Becoming Vegetarian

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 12 Jul 2005 02:13:46 -0000

Nameless, it actually is as simple as I posit. Very, very few slaughtered animals get more than 10% of their calories from unfarmable land - they get 90% or more from feed grain grown on farmable land. If we raised the animals we actually could on unfarmable land, I wouldn't have a problem with it - the problem I have is with the farmable land taken up to grow feed for the animals.

Re: Cut Global Warming by Becoming Vegetarian

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 12 Jul 2005 02:14:21 -0000

Cameron, when were cows first identified?

Re: LIFE Organic Wool Upholstery

Ben Schiendelman — Sat, 09 Jul 2005 00:17:17 -0000

That's a great post. When I read "Cradle to Cradle", my first questions were "Where is the textile factory they're talking about? Can I get those products?" While I'm not in the market for new furniture right now, I'll be looking into those when I buy a couch.

Re: Live 8's Mountain of Bread to Fight World Hunger

Ben Schiendelman — Sat, 09 Jul 2005 11:52:05 -0000

Live8, at this point, is only about poverty inasmuch as the artists' labels feel that they are poor.

Re: Live 8's Mountain of Bread to Fight World Hunger

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 12 Jul 2005 02:11:02 -0000

MGR, as quite a bit non-mainstream media has pointed out, the money raised by the concert was less than the losses the concert posted. Simply donating money and time to causes here would have done better.

LiveAid was great, when it started. It is no longer such, but primarily a marketing tool.

Re: Tree Care Solutions with Rubbersidewalks

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 12 Jul 2005 02:07:24 -0000

O, if you're allergic to rubber, you'd probably have more of an issue walking next to a street than you would walking on this.

Re: Food Fight: A Vegan Grocery Store

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 11:23:11 -0000

Hah! I've been to Food Fight. They're nice folks.

They also told me about a store called Sidecar in Seattle which I now go to sometimes.

I think most major cities have one of these.

Re: Operation Soy Boat – Biodiesel For US Coast Guard

Ben Schiendelman — Thu, 14 Jul 2005 12:59:16 -0000

Al Petit, the Navy doesn't typically use fuels that can be replaced with biofuels - most of their new vessels are nuclear or gas turbine.

The US Army does use biodiesel, dependent on availability.

Re: Get Your Ford Mariner Hybrid Online

Ben Schiendelman — Thu, 14 Jul 2005 12:51:21 -0000

The VW Golf TDI gets better mileage and it's *not* a hybrid (it's diesel).

When did we get into this mindset that we need SUVs? Other countries don't have this need.

Re: Get Your Ford Mariner Hybrid Online

Ben Schiendelman — Fri, 15 Jul 2005 00:19:06 -0000

Thanks MGR - valuable stuff.

On the emissions - that's curious. On even 20% bio, I thought that the '05 Golf got some of the best emissions of any vehicle. As far as I knew, the only thing it doesn't beat the Mariner on is NOx, and that's because it's diesel - it output about 25% the CO2.

But, yes, I'll be sticking with my bicycle until a zero-emissions solution is offered that I can use.

Re: Boycott Exxon!

Ben Schiendelman — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 01:51:41 -0000

At this point, I can see a few safe courses of action. They cost a bit more money, but work well.

1) Look for products that are made without oil. Buy things made from wood or metal rather than plastic, cotton and wool rather than rayon.

2) Don't drive. I ride a bike. I got rid of my car and *made* myself figure out how to do without. The vast majority of people will tell me why they "can't" while stuck in a number of assumptions about things they need that they really don't. I choose to live in a place where I can bike and bus. The first step is making that choice - choose to live in an environment where a car is not necessary.

But, even when people recognize that they're burning up their futures, there's nothing to keep them from continuing as long as it suits them. Oh well.

Re: Cottagers: Take the Train to Toronto

Ben Schiendelman — Sat, 16 Jul 2005 20:42:08 -0000

Okay, now take into account the $5-10 million per mile it costs to rebuild that highway every thirty years, and consider the taxes paid.

Check this out: The WA State DOT realized it's cheaper to buy a railway than to pay the extra maintenance for a lot of trucks on the highway.

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Rail/PCC_Acqui...>

Re: Take Action: Green Investments

Ben Schiendelman — Thu, 21 Jul 2005 19:50:08 -0000

It is still more effective to simply not buy from the least sustainable companies - try to find products and services to fit your needs as sustainably as possible.

Granted, for full disclosure, I own Whole Foods and UNFI (United Natural Foods), but not that much of either.

Re: Wind Powered Cars Drive the Future

Ben Schiendelman — Fri, 22 Jul 2005 20:49:51 -0000

Tony, it'd be worth finding out if a condenser unit could meet the production needs.

Re: EUM-2000 – Whole House Energy Monitor

Ben Schiendelman — Mon, 25 Jul 2005 22:41:03 -0000

Who has so many electronic devices that it's worth $200 not to go around to each device individually?

Sheesh. I work for the Man (Microsoft), and that's NOT worth it.

Re: It Slices, It Dices: Pollution Eating Concrete

Ben Schiendelman — Mon, 25 Jul 2005 16:20:06 -0000

Wow - 41 million tons is miniscule. We'll be recycling that like we did aluminum.

Re: Organic Farming More Than Competitive

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 27 Jul 2005 10:38:16 -0000

The real question now is: How do we make organics competitive? Because whatever they cost to produce, you tack on certification costs and profits, and suddenly they're much more expensive than everything else.

Re: Kyocera's "Solar Grove" Parking Lot

Ben Schiendelman — Thu, 28 Jul 2005 12:55:34 -0000

Could this also reduce vehicle AC energy use?

Re: Kyocera's "Solar Grove" Parking Lot

Ben Schiendelman — Thu, 28 Jul 2005 20:19:23 -0000

Aaron, solar is incredibly expensive - it doesn't pay for itself in the current market.

Re: SustainableBusiness.com's List of Sustainable Stocks

Ben Schiendelman — Mon, 01 Aug 2005 12:15:40 -0000

They missed United Natural Foods Inc (Nasdaq:UNFI), Evergreen Solar (Nasdaq:ESLR), and I'm sure there are others.

Re: Invention: Eco-Flares

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 09:54:40 -0000

There are like four companies suddenly making these.

I'm not sure how a piece of plastic is eco-friendly.

Re: Biodegradable Cellulose Tape

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 03 Aug 2005 13:12:44 -0000

Neat stuff. Probably not bad as far as tape is concerned. They don't talk much about their other (unlisted) tapes, which use polypropylene and PVC.

Re: Hummers are bummers T shirt

Ben Schiendelman — Fri, 05 Aug 2005 00:01:39 -0000

brocked - seriously - Free Republic?

Re: Hummers are bummers T shirt

Ben Schiendelman — Sat, 06 Aug 2005 04:43:01 -0000

Unfortunately, compassion and understanding for folks who are raping our environment really won't get us that far. Negative social pressure is an excellent way to decrease use of something that's damaging to others.

I'd comment here more often, but there's no site design work being done, and now TypeKey has stopped "remembering" me, so it's more a pain in the butt to carry on a conversation than it used to be (which was a pain in itself).

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Until this site gains interactivity - threaded comments, something like a diary system where any user can talk about something they've seen - it's going to stagnate.

Re: Target Begins Carrying Seventh Generation Household Products

Ben Schiendelman — Sat, 13 Aug 2005 11:20:31 -0000

Very nice. I've been using Seventh Generation for a long time.

Re: Sub-Zero See-Through Refrigerators

Ben Schiendelman — Sun, 14 Aug 2005 12:54:00 -0000

littleCatalyst - that would be 2400W a day.

And 100W for a refrigerator seems kind of high to me. How much were the side-door comparison models getting when we were talking about top-opening fridges?

Re: Bamboo Dining Utensils and Dinnerware

Ben Schiendelman — Mon, 15 Aug 2005 12:23:59 -0000

Looks to me like the "Bambu" single-use stuff rebranded.

Interesting that they claim it's organic. Bambu is not.

Re: Q & A : Biodiesel Airplanes?

Ben Schiendelman — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 14:25:54 -0000

That's part of why high-speed electric rail is so much cheaper.

Re: Micro-Compact House

Ben Schiendelman — Mon, 22 Aug 2005 01:18:36 -0000

50k Euro is insane for a cabin. Unless it's significantly more efficient than the $6000 straw bale based homes that last just as long, it seems like a waste.

Re: Eco-Sofa by Greener Lifestyles

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 00:56:29 -0000

Justin, where did that $10,000 come from? Of course the materials you used were sustainable, the couch can be perfect - but the money you're given to make it comes from somewhere else.

I do appreciate that your research is toward sustainable living. :)

Re: Spain Proves Wind Power Works

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 15:34:37 -0000

That's nice to see. We're putting up more in Washington state as well, but not of that size.

Re: New Biodiesel Book for Kids

Ben Schiendelman — Mon, 12 Sep 2005 12:36:53 -0000

Did anybody ever answer whether it's energy neutral or better to make biodiesel?

Re: Another Volvo Plant to go CO2-Free

Ben Schiendelman — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 17:55:31 -0000

ek, he has a point. Some of the first cars in Seattle were electric in the late 1800s, and yet today we're "experimenting" with them. I "experiment" with my bicycle, and I've *moved* to a place where I don't need a car, ever. Rather than waiting for huge companies to pretend to have something right around the corner, as they have for decades, I prefer to take action myself. I suspect that there's always an excuse for others not to.

Re: Kimpton Hotels Offer Discounts to Hybrid Drivers

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 30 May 2006 16:00:11 -0000

Okay, how about to non-drivers, who are even more ecologically friendly?

Re: LA Community College Going Off the Grid

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 15:42:37 -0000

Why not just stay on the grid, and instead of wasting energy and materials on making batteries, just contribute to the grid during the day and use energy from it at night?

Re: Quick Quiz: Which Bottled Water has a bigger Carbon Footprint?

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 20:59:48 -0000

Matt:

You're looking at truck load as either 1 ton or 35 tons. Many trucks are partially full - and many trucks aren't new. Treehugger's math here looks right on - a mostly full, not brand-new truck, just like the average of what's on the road.

Re: Bill Encourages Telecommuting in USA

Ben Schiendelman — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 12:27:02 -0000

Unfortunately, telecommuting reduces community, social interaction, and the ability of workers to organize. It's not necessary all that great of an idea.

Re: Bill Encourages Telecommuting in USA

Ben Schiendelman — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 16:56:52 -0000

So, wait, because you have a long commute, you're suggesting that telecommuting is a solution? That's an urban planning issue that gets *worse* with telecommuting. If our city layout doesn't cause impacts in our work lives, that's just one less reason to do a better job of building transportation infrastructure and curbing sprawl.

Re: The (Earth) Hour was Nigh

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 13:50:40 -0000

An impressive "sight", perhaps?

Re: TH Forums Highlights: Water Conservation, Eating Out + More

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 01:27:32 -0000

Eating out is a "good thing" in terms of driving innovation because it centralizes the waste production and energy use. Because the electric bill or gas bill for a restaurant is astronomically higher than the one I have at home, they'll benefit more from reducing said bill (and see faster break-even on technologies to do so).

Also, it's easier for a municipality to regulate restaurant waste (and Seattle does) than to regulate personal waste.

I have a refrigerator again, but used to simply leave mine unplugged. It's likely I'll do so again in the future. At that point the benefit to eating out (although likely only if I walk there) is clear.

Re: Heirloom Computing - The 100-Year PC

Ben Schiendelman — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 12:29:59 -0000

It's not going to be feasible to build computers intended to last 100 years without making that add value to the end purchaser equal to the cost of making them durable.

For all the attacks on them, Apple has done a pretty good job of this. They're better than any other manufacturer I'm aware of about using discrete components that can be individually recycled.

Re: Greener By Design 2009: Terracycle's Take on Trash and Sneak Peek at Next Year's Product (Video)

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:50:40 -0000

I'm sorry, but I can't take seriously any discussion of green anything with bottled water sitting there in the images. It just sets of my greenwashing alarm, and I close it.

Re: Greener By Design 2009: Terracycle's Take on Trash and Sneak Peek at Next Year's Product (Video)

Ben Schiendelman — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:22:39 -0000

Jessica, no, there is no excuse for bottled water when there's a pitcher right next to it. It's pure waste.