Don't waste the energy that I am trying to save

One of many frustrations that environmentalists endure is that of seeing so much energy wasted in our society while we are making conscious efforts to save it.

While it is a bit of a non sequitur to tie the electricity I manage to save by making active energy use choices to the waste of energy by any one particular user, it is annoying at best to make those choices and to see a case of unnecessary energy use and to know that it is wasting more energy than I am saving.

I heard that the new Memorial Bridge being built in Portsmouth New Hampshire and Maine will be illuminated by LED lights as kind of a show piece, a local focal point.  Probably something that will show up in tourist brochures.  The announcement spoke of energy efficient LEDs.  Now anyone who has followed my blog knows that I am a promoter of LED lights.  But, I promote LEDs as a replacement for other less efficient bulbs, NOT as excuses to light the world unnecessarily.

I found this article with photos on the subject:

http://portsmouth-nh.patch.com/articles/psnh-donates-40k-to-memorial-bridge-lighting-project

I hope that they use LED street lights, if they feel the need (I do not share the opinion that the bridge needs lights at all) to illuminate the road surface, but to put decorative lights on the bridge and to use the excuse that the lights are energy efficient masks the reality that energy is being wasted.  I am sure that the lighting of this bridge will not be "dark sky compliant" which is another reason to oppose such lighting of the bridge.

I remember reading an article somewhere that spoke of the moral hazard of energy efficiency technology.  It spoke of the risk that the low relative cost of energy efficient technologies would lead to wasteful use of those technologies.  Sadly I see this as an example of that process.

So whether it is lighting a bridge unneccesarily, or any other wasteful use of energy, please, don't waste the energy that I am trying to save.

A bit of dis-assembly facilitates recycling

Our humidifier "died" a few days ago.  We rarely use it.  Our home humidity generally remains at a decent level even in the winter (for one example why see: Hang your clothes to dry them, even indoors).  But recently the dry air won the battle, so I went out to the barn and got out our old humidifier.  After running it for a few days, I was awakened by our smoke detector which had detected an electrical short caused by a leak.  The bottom of the reservoir where the element comes through had corroded beyond being able to seal properly.  This was a non-repairable situation, so the humidifier was "dead".

This caused me to embark on my usual dis-assembly process of dead appliances.  All it took was a Phillips head screwdriver and a few minutes to separate plastics, metal, and electronics.  I was quite pleased as I took it apart to find the plastics recycling code markings on all of the large plastic parts, which made recycling even easier.

Recycling is very important for our planet.  Some things are easier to recycle than others.  When things are beyond repair, their serviceable life expended, it is time for disposal.  Many things can be recycled with a small effort.  Whereas this humidifier would not be recyclable whole, its parts were easily recyclable with a small bit of effort.

Having dis-assembled a number of things for disposal, I have found that many times there are even parts that can be saved for reuse.  Screws, bolts, springs, o-rings, and other parts can be put in stock for when they are needed in the future.

We really need to transition to the philosophy of the "cradle to cradle" manufacturing and recycling of products promoted by McDonough and Braungart in Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things.  While we wait for industry to get fully on board with that necessary advancement, one of the ways you can help to reduce waste and recycle items you are discarding, is to spend a few minutes dis-assembling and separating the parts for proper recycling. You will feel good about your efforts and the planet will thank you.