The Last Idigenous Tribe

My [Re]Evolver project has taken on new life here in the last month of the year. Phase 1 is in the bag, so the site is now a fully-functional social networking system, complete with a community wiki and forum. Phase 2 is where its identity is really going to blossom, though.

For those of you who don’t know, [Re]Evolver is a community-based massively multi-player online game. Members are given a rank, starting out at the low end of the totem pole, and are assigned quests. As they complete the quests they’ll accumulate points and credits and rise through the system’s hierarchy. The quests focus on sustainability methods, rekindling old ways of doing things, focusing on indigenous cultures and basically getting outdoors and experiencing the natural world. This is why our tag line is “The Internet and the outdoors are now interactive.” Visit the site to join, if you like. We still have some beta tester slots available.

Phase 2 is progressing, and we hope it will be fully-functional by spring of ‘09. In the meantime, [Re]Evolver has a new Facebook page, a Facebook profile and a Facebook group, all of which are intended to spread the word about what we believe is a worthy cause and what will be, for its members, an exciting challenge. So, join us on Facebook or join our own social networking site. One benefit of joining early: All the good user names are still available! In the meantime, throw us a link or two and help spread the word.

Sustainability has a new champion: [Re]Evolver, the Last Indigenous Tribe.

Photo by Jared Zimmerman.

Arm & Hammer

In my household, my wife and I are striving to reduce our carbon footprint. We already recycle, even though there’s no program in our city. There are recycling stations provided by Waste Management on the campus of the local university (Montevallo), though, so it doesn’t take too long for me to drop off our recyclables. It’s amazing how little trash we have now that we recycle. I’m already considering stopping my garbage pickup service because we have so little for them to take now. We’ve also begun composting, using cloth napkins at the table and cloth towels for cleanups, etc. So far we haven’t done anything that’s required a whole lot of effort. The point being here that I’m always on the lookout for things to do and ways to improve my eco-image.

One thing that’s always bothered me is packaging. I hate that you have to buy new packaging with every new thing you buy, which amounts to a massive amount of waste. But the good folks at Arm & Hammer have come up with a super idea that I hope catches fire. According to the commercial I saw today, household cleaners contain up to 95% water, so A&H have created this little bottle of cleaner that you can purchase using non-chemical cleaning agents (coconuts and palm kernel oil), mix it with water and reuse the old sprayer until it wears out. They’re even giving away the starter set for free at www.essentialsfree.com (of course, you have to pay the $4.99 shipping fee). This is a great idea, I think, and I hope other companies follow this example.

Renewable Power, Green Living

Photo by stormygirl

I’ve been looking into converting my home to solar power and, believe it or not, the subject has become depressing. Faced with power bills in the $300+ range, I thought a little investment up front might serve me well in years to come. Scratch that: a photovoltaic (solar panel) power source for a house the size of mine would cost nearly, if not over, $100k. Too bad I’m not in California, where the state government offers incentives as much as 50% for folks switching to solar power. For a $30k to $50k investment I can definitely see long-term advantages, especially when you consider the day you finally pay off the loan, and your power bill is nil. But for $100k, it would take longer than the proposed life of the product to break even, making it, unfortunately, a very, very bad sell. No matter what my carbon footprint is, I simply can’t afford to do it.

One article I came across in USA Today does give a little hope in coming years, however:

The outlook for solar, though, is getting much brighter. A few dozen companies say advances in technology will let them halve the price of solar-panel installations in as little as three years. By 2014, solar-system prices will be competitive with conventional electricity when energy savings are figured in, Deutsche Bank (DB) says. And that’s without government incentives.

If that happens, solar panels would become common home and business appliances, says Brandon Owens of Cambridge Energy Research Associates.

The infuriating part of all this is that there’s little or no hope of Alabama ever offering any incentives. Alabama Power is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, employer in the state, and they have a powerful lobbying network set up to ensure Alabama stays firmly attached to the grid. The “open-door policy” of the governor’s office, which is firmly closed, won’t give a guy like me an ounce of attention, so without a lobbying network it’s pretty certain that things are not going to change. I understand it, but that doesn’t mean I like it very much.

I long for a future where citizens can be self-sufficient and still comfortable. I want the best of both worlds, yes, to cut myself off from the grid but to enjoy all the benefits of being on the grid. Well, one thing’s for certain, despite the desire of corporate America to keep movements like this in check, it’s already got grass-root momentum, and the technology is advancing. I just have to bide my time. You’re on notice, Alabama Power, I’m actively looking to unplug from the grid.

In other green-living arenas, I’m also looking into a system that will allow me to re-utilize my shed gray water for toilet flushing and watering the garden/lawn, and maybe a rainwater collection system for the same. With global warming and drought conditions in the South, It’d be nice to know I had a water reserve that could keep me going for at least a little while should times get tough.

Also, I’ve got an old lawnmower that I hear will make a good generator for emergencies with only a small investment.