Apr 22, 2012 -- 12:42PM, teilhard wrote:

"There's just no pleasing some People (Dogs) ... "

Apr 22, 2012 -- 12:39PM, mytmouse57 wrote:

I took my dogs out for a long mountain bike ride.

One of them puked in the back of the pickup on the way home.

 

No big deal. It's one of the reasons I got a pickup for my outdoors activities. Keeps the dogs out othe interior of my Honda Civic.

Apr 22, 2012 -- 7:14PM, mainecaptain wrote:

Wish I'd know you sooner. I would have loved to work for the Park Service. And wear a cool hat . I love nature.

One of the great things about the Park Service is that, if you want, you can switch parks every 6 or so years. I think they pay moving costs or something. You can even live in the park, but you have to pay rent at something close to the local market rate unless it's an isolated park. And you get to wear that cool hat.... which is actually not very well ventilated and hot.

We burn wood, downed trees, old wood, not cutting down trees. I have converted all my light bulbs, and am switching over to LED as well.  We have lowered the electric bill considerably.

When I had a wood burning stove I bought fruit wood, mostly almond, that came from orchards that were taken out. One thing to remember about burning wood is that the carbon in plants is "short cycle" carbon and adds nothing to the atmosphere. Fossil fuel is "long cycle" carbon that has been locked away for millions, or more, years and is an addition to the carbon that's already there. Burning wood, while contributing to smog, doesn't contribute to Climate Change.

Apr 22, 2012 -- 9:09PM, farragut wrote:

Thanks, Dave, for that very useful item of information. I have fairly efficient wood-burning systems on both floors, but do not use them often. Partly because I was unaware of this fact. Next year, by gracious, we will do so much more.

That's not a license to burn all you want. It still contributes to local smog problems. Try that fruit wood. It's no more expensive than forest cut wood and since it is a denser wood gives more heat per pound.

In Yosemite Valley, especially in the morning, all the campers get up and start a campfire. That often causes unhealthy air quality in the "pristine" valley. If there is a wildland fire going on near the Valley, it can get even worse.

Apr 22, 2012 -- 10:21PM, costrel wrote:

The East and West Coasts seem so civilized compared to the rural farm and ranch country Great Plains. Out where I live, there is no public transportation and no recycling services besides centers for aluminum cans and scrap metal in the larger towns. I really need to get the hell off of these barbaric Great Plains and move someplace else. (Now, if I could only figure out how to land a job, and particularly one that would pay a decent wage, on one of the coasts....)

Like I've been saying.... try the Park Service. Many start with a seasonal job, you get 1039 hours which comes out to 6 months. Then when other jobs open up you apply for those. Any reasonably intelligent person can get a job at the entrance stations. That job is not as boring as it sounds. It's really a fun job. The only benefit though is working in the park.... and a really cool hat. Uniforms are paid for.

Apr 22, 2012 -- 10:21PM, costrel wrote:

Apr 21, 2012 -- 10:16PM, mountain_man wrote:

I've done that too. After some changes, compact fluorescents, more insulation under the house, a pellet stove (the pellets are made from waste products from sawmills), changing an old air conditioner for an evaporative cooler (aka swamp cooler), and a gas stove, my electric bill is less than $30 per month. I cut my propane usage in half with a hybrid water heater.

I recycle as much as I can. It takes me months to fill up two garbage cans.

I take public transportation to work. I drive 10 miles to a Park And Ride then a regional transit bus takes me to the Park.

The East and West Coasts seem so civilized compared to the rural farm and ranch country Great Plains. Out where I live, there is no public transportation and no recycling services besides centers for aluminum cans and scrap metal in the larger towns. I really need to get the hell off of these barbaric Great Plains and move someplace else. (Now, if I could only figure out how to land a job, and particularly one that would pay a decent wage, on one of the coasts....)

Like the huge coastal metropolis areas have done wonders for the environment?

I live in one of those "barbaric" areas --  right up against some of the most pristine wild country in the world. Millions upon millions of acres of it. All teeming with wildlife. I've also spent considerable time on the Great Plains, and don't have a clue what you're going off about. It's some of the most breathtaking topography on the planet. Much of it, also, teeming with wildlife. 

You want the coasts? Hey, knock yourself out. Personally, you couldn't pay me enough to live in one of those over-run rat traps. (but hey, at least they have subways and recycling centers, eh?) 

I think I'll stick with these here "barbaric" places.