| Gas-saving tips ::
Make sure your tires are properly inflated. According to www.gasbuddy.com, a single tire under-inflated by 2 PSI increases fuel consumption by 1percent. Get regular oil changes and fluid checks, and make sure you've got clear air and fuel filters. Dirty air filters, old spark plugs or low fluid levels can contribute to poor fuel economy. Use the air conditioner conservatively, using the "economy" or "recirculation" setting, which reduces the amount of hot outside air that must be chilled. Don't drive over the speed limit, and do use cruise control to maintain a constant speed. Driving 62 mph versus 75 mph will reduce fuel consumption by about 15 percent. Don't drive with a lead foot: accelerating or braking hard uses a lot more gas. Slow, steady driving can increase your fuel economy by as much as 20 percent.
Officer Barely Dodges Pole through Car Window Tragedy
A chase ended with a pole smashed right through the windshield of a Edgewood ISD patrol car. The school district police officer was after two men who stole an air-conditioning unit. The Edgwood ISD officer saw the two people stealing the air conditioner. She chased after them into the street, where the two men separated and one ran right in front of her police car. She then swerved to avoid the suspect and instead smashed into a chain link fence. A post from the fence crashed through the windshield. Luckily no one was in the passenger seat of the patrol car, because the fence post went completely through the windshield and into the passenger seat of the police car. The two thieves got away with the air conditioning unit they stole from the abandoned Edgewood Elementary School.
Harvesting Rainwater by Not Letting It Go to Waste
This book provides you with a simple series of integrated strategies for creating water-harvesting "nets" which allow rainwater to permeate and enhance our landscapes, gardens, yards, parks, farms, and ranches. Small-scale strategies are the most effective and the least expensive, so they are emphasized here. They're also the safest and easiest to accomplish. They can empower you to become water self-sufficient. The benefits are many. By harvesting rainwater within the soil and vegetation—in the land, or in cisterns that will later irrigate the land, we can decrease erosion, reduce flooding, minimize water pollution, and prevent mosquito breeding (within water standing on top of the soil for more than three days). The process also generates an impressive array of resources: It can provide drinking water, generate high quality irrigation water, support vegetation as living air conditioners and filters, lower utility bills, enhance soil fertility, grow food and beauty, increase local water resources, reduce demand for groundwater, boost wildlife habitat, and endow us and our community with skills of self-reliance and cooperation! My Rainwater-Harvesting Evolution In 1994, my brother Rodd and I began harvesting water in our backyard by digging, then mulching a basin around a single drought-stressed sour orange tree.
Homes blend eco-friendliness, unique design
Theres been quite a buzz around town lately about energy and water conservation practices, and for years so-called green building has been a hit.
However a few homes in Truckee were built eco-friendly, not just to save heat and money, but because theyre just plain interesting.
One with the Earth
Sue and Jeff Cauhape have been living in their Tahoe Donner, earth berm home for 12 years. The couple maintains that, despite being for-the-most-part covered in dirt, their home is very bright and inviting.
Its not dark inside at all; we were surprised by how much light there was, Sue Cauhape said. We tried to sell it for two years, but I dont think a lot of people get the concept. Its odd, but weve been very comfortable here.
Comfort inside the home can be attributed to its thermal mass the walls absorb and retain heat, so the house requires neither heater nor air conditioner.
Ross Garnaut says greenhouse gas targets to tackle climate change are ...
THE V8, bar fridge and dodgy air-conditioner could be things of the past as the man commissioned to review climate change policy urges MASSIVE cuts. Professor Ross Garnaut released his interim report from the Garnaut Climate Change Review in Adelaide today and warns Australia could "possibly be the biggest loser among developed nations". The report also states that Australia’s interest in strong global action stems from its "exceptional sensitivity to climate change", and its "exceptional opportunity to do well in a world of effective global mitigation". "We have many resources and skills that will allow us to convert strong global action into an economic opportunity," Professor Garnaut said. "We have a first-rate skills base in areas related to innovation, management and financial services.
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