TariRocks’s Recent Comments

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  Inconvenient? Maybe. Worth it? Totally.

  I've always been pretty conservative when it comes to electric usage (shutting off lights, using energy star appliances, etc.), but over the past couple years, switching to CFLs and unplugging everything has made a big difference in what was already a pretty minimal load.  

  I have the entertainment center on a strip, which makes it really easy; my laptop pretty much stays packed up for travel; my kitchen appliances stay unplugged until I'm using them, and then I unplug them again - ditto for the printer, lamps, and miscellaneous other appliances.  The VCR, microwave, and stove all have clocks - but even when I kept them plugged in all the time, they weren't set to the right time.  The only clock I trust is on my cell phone.

  Admittedly, I don't have cable or high speed internet or Tivo devices to worry about messing up the programming...which I guess could be a pain; but personally, these sacrifices (such as they are) seem to me pretty manageable when it saves both money and the planet.On Umbra on power strips posted 2 years ago 13 Responses

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  I agree with most of this article, but...

  ...do the negative consequences of school food privatization really boil down to fat kids and diabetes?  Is the worst outcome of feeding kids cheap, pre-packaged meals en masse that they'll wind up with higher medical bills?  

  I don't think that industrialized foods are necessarily making kids fatter or more diabetes-prone - but I definitely see lots of room for making positive and more sustainable changes that provide better nutrition with less negative environmental impact.  In my mind, school cafeterias are a prime place where at-volume food choices could make a sizable impact, and send a clear message that even (or perhaps especially) school cafeterias ought to abide by environmentally sustainable practices - not only to give kids the best fuel nature has to offer, but also to teach them habits that could save the planet.

  Making sustainable food choices seems like a higher priority than fanning the flames of a fictional "obesity epidemic."  I'm a little disappointed to see that jewel of the mainstream media showing up here.On Time to reinvest in the school-lunch program posted 2 years, 1 month ago 9 Responses