Comments eheath1000 has made

  • I have tried, mrLee

    I have tried to use canvas bags at Walmart a couple of times. Now, I shop at Aldi (a bargain grocery store that appears to be a transplant from Europe). Aldi actually gives you a strong incentive to bring your own bags (or any type) by selling plastic bags, by having the cashier not bag anything (they ring and put back into the cart) and by providing a space for you to take your cart over to (after checking out) and bagging yourself.

    By contrast, if you want to use your own bags at Walmart, the cashier rings (rapidly as usual) and places the groceries on the small triangular space on top of the bag carousel. The first time I tried to keep up, transferring items from the small space into the bags in my cart. The second time, I gave up, just tossed the items back into my cart, and then wheeled the cart over to a bench after I finished paying for my groceries. I have found Walmart structurally hostile to the idea of canvas bags. No wonder they are looking abroad for most of the reduction in plastic bags.  On Wal-Mart will slice use of plastic bags posted 1 year, 2 months ago 5 Responses

  • 40 to 45 is most fuel efficient

    I agree with Wolverine on this. You car uses the least amount of gas when you just get into your highest gear (and are not lugging, for sticks). For some cars (three speed automatics) this might be 35 MPH, for my five speed Accent this is somewhere between 42 to 47 MPH depending on whether I am on a hill or not. Over that speed, road and wind resistance combine to reduce fuel economy. But 45 MPH is too slow for a trip of much more than a half hour, so 55 MPH is a good compromise. But to get almost hybrid like results, don't go over 50 MPH.  On Advocates push for return to 55-mph speed limit posted 1 year, 3 months ago 20 Responses

  • Maybe by referencing the Wikipedia

    Yesterday I discovered the Wikipedia has a page on the Global Warming Controversy (including who/what is causing it). It's a long page, and I suspect it includes the major figures who either dispute global warming or its origins. I think that anyone who wants to be fair who reads it would agree that it seems balanced. For example, it makes clear that essentially all legitimate scientific societies agree global warming exists and that man is a, if not the, major contributor to it. The page also notes the peer reviewed status of global warming dissenters. I think that proponents of either position would be annoyed that their opponents are even given a hearing on the Wikipedia.  But this would seem to be a way for journalists to cover their asses, by directing people to that Wikipedia page for a lot more detail. On Journalists need to evaluate strength of scientific consensus posted 1 year, 3 months ago 31 Responses

  • Re: To put it simply

    Amen.On More drilling in exchange for comprehensive energy legislation posted 1 year, 3 months ago 24 Responses

  • It's already happened

    What startles me is that few people pay attention to what is happening around them. From the time gas prices started their steep climb sometime in May until now, Americans stopped buying SUV's and pickup's (at least, those who had no reason to buy one (surbanites, as opposed to farmers or landscapers, etc), and people have cancelled vacations, some have started driving a bit slower and some are biking or taking the bus/train. Not just Americans, I believe people all over the world made these adujustments. Not surprisingly, oil traders added these factors into their calculations, and the price of barrel of oil fell from $149 per to $122 per. So Obama's comments have real world proof right in front of us.
    The problem is we need to do all we are doing and more, to conserve enough for our children to make the transition to using even less oil. On More oil can be found in your car than offshore posted 1 year, 4 months ago 8 Responses

  • Things we can do in the short run

    One thing I did not see mentioned here is a national 55 mph speed limit. Cars are going to be with us for a long time to come. The least wec can do is to drive at a highway speed closer to where cars get most mileage they can.On Short, medium, and long-term solutions to phase out oil posted 1 year, 4 months ago 46 Responses

  • So much corn

    We grow a whole lot of corn, and only use the kernals for food and ethanol. All the rest of the corn plant, stalk, cob and leaves, are waste. Farmers only farm during spring and summer, so they would appear to have extra time to collect the waste. And they are going to grow the monoculture corn because it is pushed by big agriculture and the government.
    So we might as well try to do something with the corn waste. I don't know about the processing of it, but with gas at 4 bucks a gallon, it seems worthwhile and maybe proiftable to try.On New study from mainstream ag economists at Iowa State posted 1 year, 4 months ago 46 Responses

  • One E you can ignore, one you can't

    The flip side of clmate change is the rising cost of oil, which happens to be running short just as we are reaching (yet another) a tipping point on climate change. We need to extend the model out a few more decades. If things won't be unbearable in the US in ten years, but they will be miserable in Mexico and Nigeria, we need to think about what will come ten years after that; a world population where the poor are demanding (and invading) the rich take action just as the rich are starting to get pounded by the climate. I'm probably off on my dates, but the issue must be presented as helping the poorer nations ultimately helps us too. Now the rising cost of oil and our concern with pollution will help the US take steps that can also address climate change (electric cars, increased use of solar and wind, etc). But we need to make sure our citizens know it is in there long term self interest (or their kids interest) to help the poorer nations as well. On The Freakonomists weigh in on the effects of warming posted 1 year, 4 months ago 14 Responses