I’m a big fan of Van Jones, so I just had to sign on to pass along this piece of news… the best thing I’ve seen all day. Van Jones will be advising the White House on how to use the stimulus money to create jobs in the “green” energy sector. Jones is inspirational, and he sees opportunities where others don’t. He truly thinks outside the box. I’m very excited about this pick.

Side note: I tried to come back and write, but it’s just not going to work out right now. I’m working 8 days a week, and that’s too much to add anything. Please follow me on http://delicious.com/terranotterror/green. I might also have a Twitter account soon, so you can subscribe to that too.

Yay… Van Jones!

We’ve touched on TVs in the past, but the digital switch is coming soon, so I thought a review would be good. (A delay has been approved by the Senate with a house vote expected soon) The most important thing to remember is that you don’t have to buy a new tv.  If you have a very old tv that doesn’t have a digital input, you have several options…

• Sign up for cable
• Sign up for a dish (DirecTv or Dish Network, etc)
• Buy a converter box. You can even get a rebate from the gov’t.

If you must buy a new TV, keep in mind that of the new options, LCD is preferable to the environment over Plasma screens. Plasmas use so much energy that new energy standards being considered in Europe may effectively ban plasma screens. In fact, I read that a plug in car uses less energy than a new plasma tv.

Slate has a great article about tv technology. It turns out that my old CRT (the old fat tvs) might use as much energy as a plasma. Yikes! Still, it’s best to let it die than to contribute to the new-product-production by buying a new one. When I do, I’ll get an LCD screen.

Garbanzo Bean Burgers from the vegetarian recipes at Allrecipes.com.

List of ingredients:

• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, grated
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red chile pepper, seeded and minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon tahini paste
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon olive oil (optional)

That’s a pretty easy list of ingredients. Follow the link for the instructions.  We have garden burgers every Friday at the Milo house. They’re a quick meal after a long week, and so tasty! I’ll thry these next.

The Akron Metro RTA system has completed the new hub! It’s a fantastic place with heated floors, schedule monitors, free wifi, and security. Akron’s commitment to the Metro, and to making our city bike-friendly is outstanding. Ohio.com has great photos.

If you don’t take the bus, you can text Google for directions and save paper by having them sent to your phone. Simply text your starting address “to” and the destination and Google will send directions to your phone.

It’s been about 6 months and I think I’m ready to come back. I’m still working 2 jobs, so I won’t post as often as I was before. I’ve been reading pretty exciting things that I can’t wait to share. First, I’ll do a little summary of some things I’ve done over the last 1/2 a year.

I bought a refurbished iPod touch. I love it! I use it more as a pda than a music device. I keep my calendar on it, notes, weather, contacts, etc. It does maps like a gps, and I can check my email without having to plug in and turn on the computer. So, it saves a little energy. To charge it, I got a Solio. The Solio is great for travel, but I’d probably wait for this power stick that supposedly charges in 10 minutes. The only thing I don’t like about the iPod is that the battery is not replaceable (which I didn’t know until after I bought it). Sure, I can send the iPod to Apple and they’ll send me another iPod. That’s not the point. I want a battery I can replace.

I’ve traveled a bit since I last wrote. More flight cancellations. I always get cancelled. It’s starting to become a joke. Planning another trip this summer. It’s unfortunate that travel has such an impact on the environment, but I love history and learning about the world, so I will continue to travel. My favorite mode of transportation is trains! Trains!

My favorite new site is Boing Boing.net with partner site Boing Boing gadgets.

Yes, I’m still trying to buy nothing new. It’s tough, and I’m not as strict as I could be. I am pretty strict about not buying things that are made in China. I watched “What would Jesus buy” and it reinforced my ideals about buying from countries that have a more positive human rights record.

My new favorite show is Chuck. That’s irrelevant, but it’s a tech-geek spy show and I just love it.

I will also resurrect Recipe Fridays, with vegetarian (low-impact) recipes that I find online.

Ok. That’s all you’ll hear about me. I just wanted to give a little recap. Now, back to the good ideas!

Do not miss these fantastic upcoming events in NE Ohio.

Farmers Markets

… are in full swing in August! Choose from Lock 3, Stan Hywet, Mustard Seed, and so many more.

Great Lakes Burning River Fest

Besides having a really cool name, this is seriously the best festival ever. You’ll find great food, education, activities for the kids, music, and fun!

Saturday, August 9 from noon to 11 p.m.
Nautica Entertainment Complex, Cleveland
$8 online preorder, kids Free

Green Energy Expo

by Green Energy Ohio. Meet local green energy companies, learn more about what you can do to reduce your impact, maybe even find a green collar job!

Saturday, August 16 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
John S. Knight Center, Akron
Free

I have decided to take a break from this blog. I hope to do it for just a month, but it may be longer. I’m doing this so I don’t quit outright. This decision has been influenced by 2 factors.

If you want to keep up with what I’m reading, you can follow my del.icoi.us news at http://del.icio.us/terranotterror/green. This is where I bookmark all the articles that I find online that relate to reducing our impact on the environment. These will include all the fantastic ideas that I enjoy reading. So, you won’t get my summaries, but you’ll be able to see the resources I find to write them.

Reasons:

1. I work two jobs, and am trying to continue my schooling. One job involves staring at a computer for 8 hours a day. Since I don’t write posts when I’m at work, I have to write them at home, when I’m pretty tired of looking at a computer.

2. See comments for my 2nd reason. It gets political, which I’ve decided won’t get a place on the main page. I will make one request – take a look at the 4th Amendment to the Constitution, and then call your Senator if you are as concerned as I am about privacy and upholding the bill of rights. The FISA bill (HR 6304) will be voted on July 8th. United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Super Thanks to Senator Sherrod Brown for sticking up for the Constitution so far.

Happy 4th of July!!

This video is from the Aprovecho Research Center, which created a “rocket stove.” A rocket stove is made of sturdy materials, such as cans, with a place for air circulation and tinder to start the fire. A rocket stove can be used to cook meals, even saute vegetables. This can really come in handy when you want to keep your house cool this summer – just cook outside!

Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen of Homegrown Evolution have built a rocket stove out of bricks. In West Akron, a lot of homes have a brick fireplace in the backyard, which is perfect for cooking. I think I’ll clean my off this weekend and use it to cook meals this summer.

- BoingBoing

Home Depot announced that all of their stores will have a collection point for compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). This is great news for those of us who have made the switch to CFLs to cut down on our carbon output, and our electric bills!

CFLs contain a small bit of mercury, which poses a problem when the bulbs are improperly disposed of.

Home Depot will accept any maker’s bulbs, no matter where you bought them. There are plans in place for other recycling systems for CFLs, but this convenient option offers a consistent drop off point and removes the burden from the consumer to find another solution. (75% of the nation’s homes are within 10 miles of a Home Depot – yikes!)

So, take your used CFLs to Home Depot when they burn out (in about 7 years) so they can be recycled.