Global Warming - Reduce Emissions

Global Warming
How to Reduce Emissions

Obviously, I don't think that there is any reason to reduce CO2 emissions ... but I do believe in reducing the number of dollars spent to purchase energy.

This page considers a few ideas.

Fluorescent Lights

If you think you can save electricity by using Fluorescent Lights, you can ... but it is not worth the effort.

The real advantages of Fluorescent Lights are

You don't have to change the bulbs as often
They put out less heat

Incandescent lamps are just way too hot to sit under - I could never get the AC low enough to be comfortable (in the summer). But when I replaced them with compact fluorescents, I felt much better.

In my opinion, the real savings with these bulbs is the reduction in air cooling in the summer - that is where the real savings are. The rest is just a bonus.

By the way, according to my calculations, LED lamps are just as efficient as fluorescents. The main differences are

Bulb life
Outdoor use
Ruggedness

LED's last about 10 times longer
Many fluorescents won't start in the cold
LED's will take a lot more abuse

Clothesline

This is kind of a no brainer - hang your clothes outside and let the sun dry them.

Not only does a dryer require fossil fuel (electricity or gas) to work, but some of that heat gets into your house - in the winter, that's desirable, but in the summer, you have to pay again to pump it back out.

The obvious corollary to this is - if the politician or green activist uses a clothes dryer ... or sends the laundry to the cleaners ... then they are a fake.

Note: To be fair, there are a few issues with hanging clothes outside

Birds can make you wash the entire load again
Spiders love clothes lines
The clothes dry pretty stiff - 2 minutes in the dryer will soften them
Many neighbors may complain - especially those who want to force people to conserve
The sun WILL fade the colors (hang them inside-out)
You will have to wash them during the day

Solar Water Heating

I have seen estimates that 50% of household electricity is used just to heat water. (Sorry, I don't have a current reference.) Yet, almost none of the Global Warming sites suggest installing solar water heaters.

Push Lawn Mower

In April 2008, I started using an old reel push lawn mower. It uses no gas or electricity. You just push it, the wheels cause the blade to rotate, and the grass is cut. It is actually easier to push than my gas lawn mower ... just because it is so much lighter. The extra effort to actually "cut" the grass is insignificant.

It is quite. There is no need for ear or eye protection.

Granted, this may only save one or two gallons of gas per year, but if someone wants to tell me how to live, they should at least dump their gas mower.

Disadvantages

You normally have to go over the same area twice, once from each direction
It does not cut long weeds - it just pushes them over
It cuts the grass too short - I would really prefer it to be about one inch higher
It jams on twigs and chestnuts

Move South

OK, this is a wild suggestion ... but what if everyone in the heavy snow zones simply moved farther south ... end of problem.

More than 80% of the people living in the "north" have no reason to be there ... except that they are there. There are some mines and factories that benefit from the Great Lakes ... in the summer. Why not go south when it's too cold to work?

Complete and Utter Nonsense

I was looking for data on cars and Global Warming and found this

Buy a Hybrid Car. Save 16,000 lbs. of CO2 and $3,750 per year.
You can get 50 miles to the gallon and reduce the demand on oil. Your government hears you by how you spend your money. Between tax credits and fuel saved, you can save a lot!
stopglobalwarming.org 04-28-2007

Lets assume that gas costs $3.00/Gal and that your current car gets 30 miles/Gal

($3,750/year) / ($3.00/Gal)    =  1,250  Gals/year
1,250 Gals/year * 30 miles/Gal = 37,500 miles/year
37,500 miles/year / [(50 weeks/year) * (5 days/week)] = 150 miles/day

Well, I'm glad to say that I don't drive 150 miles every day. Last time I checked, the average expected milage was about 10,000 miles per year ... not 37,500. (And people wonder why I don't take these sites seriously.)

The following table shows how much you will have to drive to spend $3,750 per year on gas. To save that much ... well, you will have to be driving an awful lot before a hybrid will help.

Price/Gallon	Miles/Gallon	Miles per year	Miles per day
$2.00	20	37,500	150
	30	56,250	225
	40	75,000	300
$3.00	20	25,000	100
	30	37,500	150
	40	50,000	200

For a *typical* person

(50 weeks/year) * (5 days/week) * 30 miles/day = 7,500 miles/year

7,500 miles/year * ($3.00/Gal) / (30 miles/Gal) = $750/year (about $15/week)
7,500 miles/year * ($3.00/Gal) / (50 miles/Gal) = $450/year (about $ 9/week)

In order to save $3,750 per year, lets assume you are replacing a car that gets 30 mpg with a hybrid that gets 50 mpg (a difference of 20 mpg)

[(93,750 miles/year) / 30 miles/gal] * $3/gal = $9,375/year
[(93,750 miles/year) / 50 miles/gal] * $3/gal = $5,625/year
			
                    $9,375/year - $5,625/year = $3,750/year

That's right, you will have to drive 93,750 miles per year (375 miles per day).

And this is why I question everything - especially Global Warming.

BTW, stopglobalwarming.org contains numerous *errors* of this type.

Author: Robert Clemenzi

Global WarmingHow to Reduce Emissions