How Much Would $10/Week Boost Your Local Economy? Posted on February 7th, 2010
I was reading Hartke is Online, as I often do, and saw a story about local food economies and a study done by Virginia Tech about the economics of local food purchases. It blew my mind. The study’s talking points are in PDF form at this link, if you want to read it.
The study shows that if everyone in Virginia spend only $10 a week purchasing locally-sourced foods, the VA economy would be boosted by a whopping $1.65 billion (with a B, folks) annually.
The study basically breaks down each region of the State of Virginia by population and assumes $10/week in localized food purchases per household. The Central District would see about $162.6 million on its own while the more populous Northern District would see over half a billion!
I decided to do a rough version of this study for my own state, Wyoming. Here’s what I got:
Wyoming’s total population is 532,668 according to the U.S. Census’ 2008 estimates. There are an estimated 193,608 households in the state. That number is what matters, since the idea is to calculate $10 per household per week. That’s $520 per year per household.
So, the local economy would see a $100,676,160 (one hundred million+) boost. Wow.
What about your state? How much of a boost would this kind of localized spending do for where you live? The calculations are easy, you just need to go to the U.S. Census website, search for the quick facts on your state, and do what I did.
Post your state’s local economic boost in the comments!
Naturally Clean Your Indoor Air For Healthier Children, Pets and You! Posted on January 15th, 2010
We’ve all heard the admonitions from the commercials trying to sell air cleaners and purifying products. These products usually have costly electrical needs or use nasty chemicals to “clean” pollutants. What these commercials aren’t lying about is how much higher the germs, dander, and contaminates are concentrated in the average home’s air as compared to outside.
Unless you live in LA or New York or somewhere. Then the outside air might be more nasty. I wouldn’t know. I live where you can see stars at night and all the smells in the air are natural.
Even those of us who live in the country have contaminated houses, though. Especially when your home is shuttered during the colder months. Air circulation and rejuvenation is important to everyone’s health, including your pets.
The more natural way to clean the air in your home is with house plants. The not-so-natural, but really necessary addition to the house plants’ work is the use of filters in your furnace and air conditioning units. All homes have these devices and they are responsible for most of the nasties that circulate through your house. Your filters should be replaced regularly, the actual frequency depending on the unit’s specifications. In our home, for instance, the furnace filter is replaced once per year. Our furnace is not forced-air, however (which are common), which requires more frequent filter changes.
Research in Australia has shown that toxins can be reduced to nearly insignificant levels in a room which has at least three large potted plants in it. The rule of thumb is to place one large plant, two medium plants, or four small plants per 100 square feet. To measure the square footage of a room, simply measure wall-to-wall in one direction, then in the opposite direction (north-south then east-west) and multiply the two numbers together. So a room that is 10 feet by 12 feet is 120 square feet of space.
House plants, believe it or not, pose their own hazards. Nearly all plants will help purify the air. Some more than others, but most will contribute at least a little bit to healthier air. If you have children or pets, however, there are other dangers with those plants.
One of their primary hazards is in what they might contain thanks to the grower, not the plant itself, and the soil it’s in. Children of a small age and some pets love to chew, dig in, and otherwise get physical with your plants. That could be bad if the plants are covered in pesticides, the soil is full of chemicals, or the plant itself is less than safe for consumption.
Some favorite plants that are friendly to both pets and kids are:
- Most orchids
- Palms such as Bamboo, Date, Cane, etc.
- The Boston Fern
- American Rubber Plant
These plants are the most common for sure. Another plant that is great for multiple things, but that should be kept out of reach of children (pets are OK) is your Aloe Vera plant (children might eat it and get sick). Most of your kitchen herbs are also a no-no for pet and child consumption. Be aware that if you’re a Flax grower and you have cats… Yeah, you probably already know that they love that stuff. Large potted plants with a lot of dirt in the bottom? Dogs and cats will use it as a sandbox and/or lunch-stash location. You can avoid that by placing old lace, cheese cloth, netting, or other “base covers” around the pot under the plant.
Hint: we bought huge lace curtains at the thrift store for $1 because they were stained. After washing them with vinegar, most of the stain was gone and we just cut circles to match the pots from them and placed them around the pot (held in place with tied string) like you would a Christmas tree rug.
There are tons of great benefits to come from having plants to clean your air. Not only do they keep your air healthy, but they aesthetically improve a room and really ad to the ambiance and cheery feel of an area. There are also other benefits to plants in your home. If you have high places to put smaller plants your children and pets can’t reach, you could grow food as well. Baby carrots, green onion (scallions), sprouts, all kinds of edibles can be grown year-round indoors if you have the space and ingenuity.
I promise to do an indoor garden DIY in the near future to show you how to make a food source that operates year-round and doesn’t require dedicated space or a specialized sun room or window setup. Watch for that.
In the mean time, plant something!
How to Survive Global Warming (Winter) Posted on January 12th, 2010
Here’s a few tips for some of you who’re looking to live through the latest bout of global warming (winter) here in the northern hemisphere. Since the Gore Factor has definitely hit and we are assuredly in the deep-freeze for a few months, I thought I’d show you how I make the most of it.
Surviving the Snow Shovel – unless you’re one of those yuppie types who owns a snow blower, an ATV with a plow, and a bunch of other equipment that you use to make snow removal easier, you probably do it the old fashioned way. If you do own all of that equipment, give the economy a boost and sell it. That stuff? That’s the reason you complain about not getting enough exercise or having a “spare tire” around your middle.
For shoveling here in Wyoming, I use two types of shovel: a large-blade snow shovel for most of the work and a standard flat-blade shovel for ice. The large shovel is what does just about everything, moving large amounts of snow relatively easily. Most snow shoveling is not shoveling, really, but pushing.
If you do it right, you’ll use the wide-blade to just push snow from one place to another and leave it in piles. This means you aren’t lifting, throwing, or otherwise manhandling the snow. You’re just pushing it into a new position. For the driveway, I start by pushing the shovel down the center from top to bottom, making a mound at the street. This I then break into pieces and push towards the edge of the driveway, in one direction and then the other. I do this repeatedly back up the driveway until I reach the top. Then I’ll have a “berm” or mound of snow along either edge of the driveway while the center is clear.
I use the flat-bladed shovel to break up ice and pick it up for tossing away. It’s got a nice long handle, doesn’t hold too much that I’ll hurt myself lifting it, and it’s a strong blade made for dirt, rocks, and whatever else, so ice is no barrier.
Dealing With the Cold – if you’re not used to the cold weather, you probably are either chronically cold or always too hot. I rarely get cold, being basically built for and good at handling winter weather, but I do get hot easily. The trick to winter weather in most northern climes is to wear layers. I wear a t-shirt and jeans most of the time and then just pile clothing on top of that as needed.
A light, fleece jacket is my preferred second-layer and a good winter coat will easily go over the top of that for a third layer. Wind or water-proof outer layers go over the top of that (I have an XXXL rain slicker, for instance). I put long johns under the jeans sometimes and wear an extra pair of socks with weatherproof boots as well. Most of the time, though, socks and good shoes are enough.
A stocking or other warm hat is essential and a scarf or thick collar is almost required in the Wyoming winds. Where you live, these may not be necessary. If you’re like my friend in Florida who’s just now experiencing “winter chills” with temps under 40°F? Quit whining, Craig. Anything over forty up here is shorts and t-shirt weather.
Driving in the Weather – This is probably the hardest thing for people to grasp. When the first couple of storms hit, there are two reactions that usually take place amongst drivers. The first is the “We’re All Gonna Die!” (WAGD!) reaction. This is where the driver slows to a crawl, turns on their hazard lights, has their high beams on, and hogs up a freeway lane at 20mph despite the fact that there isn’t actually any snow on the road yet, it’s just falling out of the sky. “Black ice!” is the usual breathless lament.
The other reaction is the “Hell, I’ve 4wd, no prob!” (HI4P) response. These idiots think that having 4wd and huge tires means that their monster truck somehow has better braking power, despite the fact that it’s still just four wheels with four brakes making your vehicle stop. You often find them in the ditch attempting to spin their four wheels out of the snow using nothing but steady, trench-digging forward and reverse shifting. You’ll see them at 8am when they slide into the ditch and they’ll still be there, revving the engine too much (and about two feet deeper in) at 5pm trying to work their way out.
The trick to driving in the weather is to know your vehicle, know your own limits, and take your time. Don’t creep along if there’s no reason to, but don’t hurl yourself recklessly into the elements either. Take your time, and have a full understanding of how your vehicle handles in various weather conditions and how you, the driver, handle those conditions as well. When in doubt, stay home. Few things are worth $1,000 in towing and body damage.
For the record, front wheel drive is more often better in the bad weather than four wheel or all wheel drive. This has to do with both traction and ground clearance. The higher your vehicle sits (as with most AWD or 4WD), the higher your center and gravity and the less control you actually have. Front-wheel driven vehicles also have the majority of the vehicle’s weight right where they need it: on the front tires, which are doing the driving and steering.
Hopefully this stuff helps. I may have more tips in the future, of course. Being an experienced northerner, I often forget sometimes how much of what I take for granted as “common sense” is actually experience.
The Best Times to Buy Anything, All Year Round Posted on January 11th, 2010
This is another awesome resource I found. LifeHacker is a great site no matter what, but this entry is one of the best they’ve done in a long time.
It details the best times to buy things, no matter what they are, year-round. So if you’re in the market to get a new bicycle, a new computer, a refrigerator, a house… whatever, then you’ll want to look at this guide. It can potentially save you hundreds, even thousands of dollars yearly just by timing your purchases to make the “hot season” for each.
Next year’s winter outwear? Buy it in the spring. Need a new notebook computer? Aim for September because most manufacturers come out with new stuff before Thanksgiving and are hurriedly unloading leftover stock about then.
Great stuff and useful! Check it out by clicking here.
DIY – Drain and Flush Your Water Heater for Better Economy Posted on December 29th, 2009
It’s amazing how many people are unaware of even the most basic home maintenance tasks. Did you know that your water heater, if you have a tank heater (which most do), should be drained and flushed out every year? This is especially true if you have very hard water or if the water from the supply line goes through your water heater before being filtered or softened.
The sediment that invariably builds up in a water heater over time reduces its efficiency, increases the probability of rust or corrosion, and shortens the life of your water heater. Throwing stuff away is bad. Right? Buying a new water heater at $400+ every 5-7 years sucks. Right? Then make it last!
All that’s required for this job is a place to drain the water heater to (in my case, a below-grade sump pump), some pliers to help coax along uncooperative valves, and about fifteen minutes’ worth of your time. Here’s the procedure, with pictures.
Start by cleaning the dust and debris off the top of your water heater. There’s always some, no matter how clean your house is. Your water heater is probably hidden in the corner of a utility closet or down in the basement. Most of us never look at our water heaters so long as they’re functioning. Now check which pipe going into your water heater is hot and which is cold. The pipes are probably covered in insulation (if not, spend the $4 and get some for the hot water line to increase efficiency). I took it off for this photo so you can see what’s going on. The large pipe in the center is the “chimney” from which the exhaust from the burning gas vents. This should be checked for leaks. Use a spray bottle with water and a little bit of dish soap and spray the vent to see if it bubbles up anywhere. If so, duct tape or use heat sink silver tape to close off the leak. That’s CO2 (pure Al Gore) leaking into your house, which isn’t good unless you have a lot of plants. I once knew a guy who vented his water heater and furnace into his greenhouse for added CO2.
The lines going into the water tank should be labeled hot and cold, probably stamped into the top of the water heater. Trace the cold line to it’s nearest shutoff valve. If there isn’t one, turn off the water main coming into your home. 
Either way, you want the water entering your water heater (cold) to be off. Now at the bottom you’ll find the gas controls. They’re usually a square box with two or three knobs on it.
One of the knobs will say “Off – Pilot – Hot” and another will have temperature ranges. Turn the first knob to “Pilot” and the second knob to its lowest temperature setting. Make note of where the second knob was positioned before–probably on a manufacturer’s mark for the optimum heat setting to save the most energy. You’ve now shut off the heat so the water heater will no longer try to heat water.
In the picture at right you can see the gas box with the Pilot-Hot knob on top and the temperature control knob at front. The large pipe coming into the gas box is the gas line. Directly below the box is a cover (humped). That cover shields the pilot light and gas burners underneath the water heater tank.
If you’re lucky, like us, and you have a separate valve just for the water heater, you can now go run the dishwasher, a load of laundry, or take a short shower to drain most of the water out of the water heater without wasting it. Otherwise, do this in the summer time so you can capture the water in buckets or something to throw on your garden or lawn. Most water heaters hold between 30 and 50 gallons. The label on the unit’s side will say what its capacity is.
Next, attach a garden hose to the drain valve, located somewhere near the bottom of the water heater. It should accept a standard garden hose “female” end. Make sure you aren’t attaching to the pressure relief valve, near the top of the heater, which will only accept the male end of a hose.
Fasten the hose as tightly as you can without damaging anything. This is important because you don’t want it to leak. If you have some, put plumber’s tape around the threads before attaching the hose for extra leak-security. This is important because the water in the heater is likely very hot and you don’t want it spraying all over you.
Once it’s attached, run the other end of the hose to your drain point. Even if the drain is right next to the water heater, you should use a hose. Otherwise, the water will come out in an uncontrolled splash. At the far end of the hose, attach something to act as a filter. In this case, I took a t-shirt, tied off one end, and then slipped it over the hose end and tied it in place with string. Socks, panty hose, or whatever will work. Something you aren’t really worried about getting rust stains on is fine. This t-shirt is destined for the rag bin anyway, so it was perfect.
Now open the drain valve slowly. Remember: lefty-loosey, righty-tighty. Let it drain slowly, opening the valve more 
and more as you gain confidence it won’t spray from the hose attachment. Open it most of the way unless you have some kind of drain restriction on the other end. I took the cover off of our sump pump hole so I could more easily see what was going on and fit the hose with its custom filter cover in there.
Don’t do like I did and put the hose in right where the float to activate the pump is located, blocking it so that you are threatened with a flood and have to run to move things before your basement becomes a lake. Learn from my mistakes, people.
Let the water heater drain completely. Then go to the shutoff valve you turned the water off from (the water going into the water heater). Turn the water on for about half a minute, then shut it off again. Do this two or three times to “flush” the water heater tank. For those bucketing the water, this will amount to about 9 extra gallons (at most).
Now shut off the drain valve on the water heater (righty-tighty) and remove the hose. Wipe the drain valve off and watch for leaks. Then turn the water on to the water heater again. You might hear it entering the unit, but you probably won’t because of the thick insulation. While that’s happening, go to a sink or bathtub and turn on the hot 
water faucet. It will likely spit a lot of air before finally producing cold water. Let the air blow out completely before turning it off again. This will help the water heater fill without back-pressure from air in the system.
Now go back to your hose as the water heater refills and remove your filter. Be careful, as it could be full of rust chips and minerals and sediment from the bottom of the water heater. Throw all that in the garbage. If you haven’t drained your water heater in years, you’ll likely have a fair amount of it.
Once the water heater has had at least five or six minutes to refill, turn the gas back on to “hot.” Wait for the ignition, which you’ll hear as a “whoosh” like when you light the barbecue. Let it run for a few seconds, then turn the temperature control knob back to its proper setting. Check everything again for leaks and you’re done!
Now a quick word about that pressure control valve. If your water heater doesn’t have a valve that looks like the one at the right, you should have a professional plumber look at it. If it’s been capped off or plugged with something, you’ll need to have it replaced. Why?
Because that valve is what literally keeps your water heater from turning into a missile should something go wrong and the water overheat and build too much pressure. That’s why. Have you seen Mythbusters? They have an episode where they removed that valve (plugged it), overheated the water tank and BOOM! The water heater launched like a missile through the roof of a house and into the air. That’s not good for your insurance or health, so make sure that relief valve is there and proper.
The gas will have a redundant “fuse” that’s made to burn and cut off the gas flow should something at the control box go wrong. If the gas won’t come back on and you smell a little funky burning metal smell, it means that the fuse was likely tripped for some reason. Get a professional to come in, evaluate it, and replace the box or fuse if necessary.
So there you go! If your water heater is an efficient model (most are now), flushing it occasionally will do wonders for improving its life span and efficiency. There are a handful of models that don’t require yearly maintenance, using some kind of swirling turbo action inside to push the debris out through centrifugal action. I saw one at Sears. It was expensive.
When this water heater finally needs replacement, I’ll probably switch it for an on-demand heater, which uses less energy and has no maintenance at all. We’ll cover how those work in another blog post.
