Archive for February, 2007
February 27, 2007 10:20 am
February 26, 2007 10:04 pm
I think I’ve mentioned before that I despise doing laundry. The good thing is that I have a lot of clothes, and most of the time, I can wear things more than just once (except undies and socks, of course). This means I can usually go a couple of weeks without doing laundry, which is fine by me. The downside is that when you’re doing BIG loads, as was the case yesterday, when something goes wrong, then a whole lotta crap gets fucked up.
What went wrong? How about forgetting to check a pocket where a small tube of tinted lip balm hid? That innocent, little tube wreaked havoc once it was in the dryer. Did I mention this happened in the light-colored load? Yup. Pretty much ALL of the clothes came out spotted with pink. If I wear any of those things you’d think I had been poked with sharp scissors, multiple times, all over my body. It must be the eco-gods telling me to figure out a way to install a drying line outside.
I’m not dumping everything in the trash though. Many can still be worn around the house, and I don’t really care if my socks and undies have pink spots (as long as I know they’re clean, natch). The few pieces that can’t be salvaged will be thrown into my house-cleaning caddy.
I really hate doing laundry. At least now I’ll have a nice supply of rags.
Categories: random
1 Comment »
February 25, 2007 2:21 pm
So I’m still in the process of greening my household cleaning supplies and methods. Paper towels have been almost completely replaced by microfiber towels, of which I have a nice supply of so once they’re all dirty, I can throw them all in one small load in the washing machine. (Cold water, non-toxic detergent, and air-dried, natch.) It’s actually quite incredible to think of how much paper towels we used to go through before; where we once would go through one to two rolls a week, one roll now lasts us at least two weeks.
As for the Swiffer … well, I haven’t quite weaned myself off it yet. I did go out and purchase a microfiber mop by Casabella yesterday, but it doesn’t seem to pick up the dust and hair all that well. Plus, there’s no vacuum to pick up any bits of debris. Do I really have to resort to using a broom again? (They hurt my back.) One option could be switching to the Bissel Flip-Ease, which is like the Swiffer Vac and Wet-Jet in one machine. The neat thing about the Bissel is that it uses a removable and washable pad (unlike Swiffer’s wasteful disposable pads), and you’re not required to use their brand of cleaning solution. I can wash the pad with the rest of the laundry, and use my own non-toxic cleaning solution. (I wonder how well Mrs. Meyers’ or Ecover’s all-purpose cleaning solutions would work?)
The Bissel runs on a rechargeable battery, so I’m curious how well it holds a charge. Ideally, I’d fill the charge on the battery (an hour or so?) before using the machine, then keep the charging unit unplugged from the socket until the next time I have to charge.
Categories: home, environment
1 Comment »
February 22, 2007 8:44 pm
 I’m not a fan of Wal-Mart. In fact, I try to avoid having to go there at all costs. So how did I end up spending an hour there last night?
As I’ve mentioned here and here, I’m on a mission to replace as many of our bulbs at home with more energy-efficient compact fluorescents. Unfortunately, I’ve run into a few snags, specifically, the dining room fixture that’s on a dimmable switch. I read and heard from others who had the same problem that they found dimmable CFLs at Wal-Mart. I shuddered at the thought, but fuck it, if that’s what it takes to get those damn bulbs, then I’ll deal with Walmart for just a few. I mean, they’ve got to carry them, right? What with all the hype they’re giving CFLs and all.
So after work last night I decided to stop by my local Wal-Mart (at The Village of Orange) with high hopes of coming home and replacing five more incandescent bulbs. I got there and … boy, was I disappointed. Very, very disappointed. Sure, they had quite a selection of CFLs (more than the Target across the street, in fact), but there wasn’t a single compact fluorescent bulb that could be used with a dimmable switch. I must have gone up and down the aisle 20 times. Maybe it was even 30. I can’t even remember anymore because I was so bummed out.
Damn you, Wal-Mart. How I hate thee.
Categories: shopping
No Comments »
February 21, 2007 11:55 pm
I’ve been following this story on TheLiberalOC.com about 34th District Senator Lou Correa and his puzzling action of voting against the Democrats’ resolution opposing the troop surge in Iraq last week. For the past nine days, Mike Lawson of the TheLiberalOC.com, as well as several other OC bloggers, have been trying to get an explanation from Correa about his vote. Well, today, rather than release an official statement about the matter, Correa decides to return calls. And he’s asking to keep the convos private and off the OC blogosphere.
He DOES realize that he’s asking this of bloggers … does he?
I don’t have a number of how many calls and messages were left with Correa asking for an explanation of his vote, but I have to agree that releasing a statement would be (if anything) more time and cost efficient than calling each person back. And why the secrecy? If he’s responding by saying that he stands by his vote, then why not publicly claim it? Instead he asks to keep it on the down-low??
It just doesn’t make much sense, and it’s crap like this that makes me sick of politicians. You (the voting public) start asking more questions and simply put, it starts to chip away at the trust you’ve placed in them.
Oh, and if you’re curious too, just give Correa’s office a call at (916)651-4034.
Categories: politics
No Comments »
The Global Roundtable on Climate Change (GROCC) released a joint statement yesterday on where policy and industry need to be with regards to climate change and responsibility. The Path to Climate Sustainability statement is the result of three years’ worth of discussion by the roundtable, an initiative of The Earth Institute at Columbia University. What’s impressive about this group are the names behind it: CitiGroup, DuPont, GE, Patagonia, Volvo, and many, many more. I am, of course, somewhat skeptical of these big names and their true commitment to affect climate change. Are they promoting energy efficiency in their offices around the world? What steps are they taking to reduce their CO2 and other GHG emissions??
“Global businesses are assuming their just place as catalysts for action on climate change. But action by business alone is not enough,” said Jeffrey Immelt, Chairman and CEO of General Electric.
Here’s to hoping that they follow what they preach.
In lighter news, Brit retailer H&M will soon stock organic cotton clothing! Sure, it’s nothing new in many department stores (in fact, TreeHugger thinks they’re kind of late in the game), but with H&M’s reputation for providing affordable wares, this could mean we don’t have to blow our entire income when purchasing the stuff. Of course, the true test would be looking at how (socially responsible) their organic line is procured in the first place.
Categories: organizations, fashion, environment
No Comments »
|
