I am moving to a new place in Texas, and I have the "Power to Choose"  http://www.powertochoose.com as I look for an electricity provider.  I see all sorts of options, with different % of "renewable" energy, so I thought I'd take my questions/thoughts to you.

First things are first:
1. Do you have electricity in your home?
2. What percent is "renewable"?
3. What is your "plan" (fixed, variable, length of terms, etc..)?
4. What do you pay per kilowatt hour?
5. What is your average monthly bill / no. of kilowatt hours?

Then, my specific concerns are here:
1.  What types of "renewable" sources have less impact?  Is energy from water better than wind, for example?
2.  How do I know from the company's websites what is BS and what isn't?
3.  While I'm not concerned with the price exactly, I'm not going to choose a more expensive provider if they aren't any greener, cleaner, reliable, etc...So how do I know?

Any experience guys?

Finally, as a corrollary...here are a few more questions:
1.  How do you reduce energy needs (specifically electricity) in your home? (thought this link was interesting: http://www.streamenergy.net/watt_zone_myths.asp)
2.  Is electricity a "need" in your mind or just a "really nice to have"?...would you give it up?
3.  What about all these "green" fads (sorry if that's offensive...but some are just bogus) that aren't really in the end much better since they simply shift the impact from one place to another (like from the home back to the factory, etc...)????  How do I pick and choose them all?  I don't have the time for in-depth research on each and every subject and while I do my best to stay informed, its overwhelming at times with the amount of faux-"green" efforts going on in order for people to make a buck from uninformed consumers ...

Wow, last bit was a rant...ignore it if you please...but any advice on the rest would be much appreciated.

Thank you :)

ETA :  What do you think of Gexa, if you know of them or have used them?

This is an interesting post on racialicious, in part about white folks envying all the "fun" that Black people have.

http://www.racialicious.com/2009/07/16/black-like-kirstiealley-twittering-about-race-with-the-fat-actress/

I particularly appreciate how the author explains precisely why it's offensive and not a compliment when white people say stupid "gee I wish I were Black" stuff.

Here's a quote:

Stating “I wish I was Black,” or variations thereof, is one of the most common ways white people directly offend Black people, even as, apparently, trying to endear themselves to us. I’ve observed that they usually make these statements after a Black person displays some high or unusual flair, style, or gracefulness, in a way that is popularly associated with Black prowess; e.g., dancing, or making music.

White people, however, typically don’t say this when Black people are being stopped by police, having their job applications turned down, or when they don’t have the money to pay their bills (thanks, in part, to the 10:1 white/Black wealth gap). That sedimentary layer of aggravation, disruption, and exasperation is the dominant one in Black life, but it’s the one from which white people least want to harvest, or whose existence they apparently don’t wish to ponder or acknowledge.

In other words, when it comes to being Black, they just want the fun part.

Sunday, My room.

Shane *looking at mug*: Is this where you're growing your kombucha?
Me *looks inside mug*: No I think that is really old molded beverage...

perhaps my natural living has become too liberal with my "natural mold collection". haha.

"Why let all the scorching heat your car accumulates go to waste? Harness the power of the sun and have fresh baked cookies in the middle of your work day."

LINK:   http://lifehacker.com/5313969/bake-cookies-on-your-dashboard

I have two completely unrelated questions:

1) Does anybody know anything about the agriculture programs at UMass Amherst?  I'm moving there soon and may end up going to school there.  does anybody have experience with any of the degrees that fall under their Plant Soil and Insect Science program?  is it worth it to go to school for this?

2) I have herbs and I have glycerin...how do I make my own body wash?

thanks everybody!

Hi everyone, I'm Nicole!

I just got bit by a mosquito (9 times on one arm. Seriously- what gives??). I tend to swell up fairly quickly, and my bites itch viciously for days. Does anyone have any natural remedies or ideas to stop the itch? I am reluctant do anything that will break the skin, as I am a massage therapist and the bites are on my arm.

Please help! I'm itchy and I need something that works!

How many times a day do you think is normal to have a bowel movement? Why?

What are your thoughts on using herbs to help have/increase the number of bowel movements? Should be just allow our bodies to do the cleaning, or is it necessary to help things along sometimes?

Considering the processed food available and the Standard American Diet today, is the colon really able to handle such a load? (no pun intended, lol!)

Is it less than natural to help move the bowels by means of enemas, herbs, colonics? Is it harmful?

Hello,

I'm Sarah, and I'm fairly new to the community. I'm also fairly new to the practice of living more naturally and more green, if you will. I've been starting out small and doing little things to conserve, recycle, be healthier, and less wasteful.

Please forgive me if I'm naive or on the wrong track here, but I just have a quick question... I've been toying with the idea of vegetarianism. However, there are a few foods I think I'd really miss, and I'm also a fairly picky eater, so I'm not sure how to go about transitioning to vegetarian, if I do decide to do so. Is it bad or wrong to be a type of sometimes-vegetarianism? What I'm trying to say is, is it okay to be vegetarian, but have maybe one day a month or something where you have a meal that has meat? I've been considering vegetarianism partially because of moral/ethical reasons, and partially because I think I would eat healthier things if I didn't eat processed meats.

What tips or help would you give to someone who is only beginning to consider vegetarianism? I haven't firmly made my decision yet, I'm just trying to get some feedback before I decide.

Thanks so much for your help!

i am starting to work here ASK A LIBRARIAN for school and it is mad rewarding to tell kids the population of china, let me tell you.

sometimes i feel like i am getting a graduate degree in web 2.0!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My question is of apiarists. I don't know much about apiculture, but I do know that wild honey harvesting destroys the bees' colony. Is this the case with apiarists?

I apologize. The answer seems obvious given the difference between wild vs. farmed honey, but I'd like to confirm that apiarists practice a much gentler form of honey harvesting.

I recently bought a dehydrated buttermilk starter, and the first batch turned out fine, like runny yogurt.

I split the starter batch and put half in cream (to make sour cream) and half in milk.  The cream worked out wonderfully, but the milk was still the consistency of milk and smelled off.  It also had a grainy look to it.  So I tossed it, and attempted to make a new buttermilk batch using some of the sour cream as a starter, but it's too runny-- basically like milk.

What am I doing wrong?  I'm using the right amounts (25% starter, 75% milk), our house is about 80 degrees (which seems to be right-on according to the instructions), and I'm letting it sit for about 24 hours.  I did wait a week before my last attempt; is it possible that the culture died?

Could it be the quality of milk?  I can't find any milk without added vitamin D, as our local dairy is undergoing major ownership changes, and I hate to use regular milk but don't have a choice at the moment.  I believe my first batch was in a different brand, but it was still standard HEB milk with added vites.  Any ideas?

Interestingly, on the whole "going green" and organic produce initiative,  eating locally is finally getting a lot of attention.   Organic is great, and I find it frustrating that organic produce ISN'T the standard in the grocery store, but I don't feel that's where the emphasis should be placed.  It doesn't really matter if your pears are organic if they've been trucked in from Oregon and, by the time they've arrived days later to you in Maine, they've began to turn, losing much of their nutrients and freshness in general.  

I live in Columbus, OH and there's a Chef here who not only uses FRESH, LOCAL produce, but much of it comes from an urban garden appended to his kitchen!  Seriously, it doesn't get any more local than that.  The restaurant uses only plant based materials in its cuisine, vegan by definition if one is so concerned with such titles, and I just find it beautiful and inspiring that the Chef goes to that length to have the freshest ingredients possible.  

If anyone is interested, the restaurant is Dragonfly Neo-V and there's a great article about the Chef and his garden that can be found here: http://www.lifeepicurean.com/?p=2287




 

Anyone know of a healthy, simple detox cleanse for beginners?
p.s. whats your take on raw milk?

Hey everyone, I apologize if this has already been discussed in the memories.

My wisdom teeth are impacted pretty bad, and didn't hurt for about 6 months but now they are starting to hurt again. They are hurting off and on pretty much all day. I won't be able to even see a dentist about it for at least a week and a half because I am out of town.


I was trying natural asprin (white willow bark extract), anti-inflammatory turmeric supplements, and a little valerian whenever they would hurt, which helped a little bit, but not much.

I got desperate and took hydrocodone for it last night and this morning, this morning it made me really sick (I took it on an empty stomach, i'm dumb) and after sweating and getting really pale and feeling kind of fucked up I made myself throw some of it up.

I really don't want to keep taking hydrocodone but my teeth hurt really really bad. I try to avoid taking "real" medicine unless I am desperate.

So my question is: can anyone recommend anything herbal that I could take to really help with the pain? the side effects of the hydro is just too much for me to handle. I need something pretty strong. Or should I just up my dosage of the tumeric and valerian? I'm not sure about safe dosage with either of those. the valerian is in a tincture form and the tumeric is in a capsule.


thanks for any help that anyone can give, and sorry if this is rambly, but I am in a hurry and still feel kind of fucked up from the pills.

xo

I thought I'd pass along that Gaiam is having some pretty awesome sales on their bedding right now. I just ordered a full/queen duvet for $63.00! They had one for $49.99 as well. Several of their sheet sets and other bedding sets are also marked down. I don't know about ya'll, but finding affordable organic sheets is expensive! I'm setting up my first real apartment, and I'm trying to create a safe, relaxing haven in my bedroom. I want as much of the harsh chemicals out of my room as possible, so being able to invest in some great sheets is fantastic!
Thought I'd pass along the sale news! :)

PS...Bed, Bath and Beyond are discontinuing their bamboo sheets and 2 of their organic sheets. They've been marked down some as well. Just so ya'll know!


EDIT!!!! This is my Duvet
I got it in berry. :)

I know plenty of people have been covering this, but I have to do it too.  Seriously.  

A year ago I posted this:

rev1.livejournal.com/66561.html#cutid1 

It was an article about Michael Bay, racism, and Transformers.

I'm no longer concerned with spoilers, so I'll just cut to the chase.

In the first Transformers live action film (2007) Michael Bay included a bunch of coons, a noble savage, and he killed the black autobot first. Yeah.  He did.

In the second Transformers movie, he introduced new characters that I can only call Steptron Fetchbot and Decepticoon, one of which had a gold tooth.  I am also about 75% sure that I heard one of these robots say "nigga" during an unmotivated fight.  Wait, did I mention that they admitted "they don't do much readin'" when it turned out they couldn't read?

( See Minstrelmus Prime and Sambot... )

Hey all,

I've begun experimenting with coconut flour, so far just little cakes/muffins. I've got some pork cutlets to use, and I was going to bread and pan fry them. I'm still confused on what sort of ratios to use with the coconut flour as it gets sort of gummy so easily.

What might be a good basic breading using coconut flour to use on my pork cutlets?

Okay I know there is varying views on vaccinations, but I wanted to pass this along and get your opinion:

(never mind that the link talks about the mother who died, they've updated the article and the first part has to do with the vaccine)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1200297/Swine-flu-mother-dies-giving-birth-leaving-premature-baby-fighting-life.html?ITO=1490

The first swine flu vaccine will be given to the public before full clinical data about its safety is available, it has been revealed.
The first samples of the pandemic vaccine will arrive at the end of this month and a decision whether to approve it would then be taken within five days.
But a spokesman for the European Medicines Agency has confirmed that no clinical trial data from human volunteers on the vaccines will be available until September at the earliest.....


A friend of mine sent me a link a few days ago about a program in Florida for a swine flu shot program. It came from the Miami Herald so I will give you the link to the original(MH) article than the article he gave me:

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/1134995.html

Florida’s surgeon general says the state is preparing for massive swine flu immunizations, starting with schoolchildren, as the Obama administration urges states to prepare for the likelihood that the virus might worsen in the fall.....

Now I'm reading that our government is waiting to see how the experimental batches do in August ( http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/1133866.html ), but how long should these last before they start giving them to children? I ask here because I know there are people here more knowledgeable on the vaccination issue. All I know is that I do NOT want them to give my child something they really don't know how its going to affect people.I'm scared enough to take my child out of school if they end up with it being manditory. AND I know that I probably shouldn't, but I keep thinking about the swine flu issue in the 70s and how more people were affected by the vaccination than the virus.
Actually its from the Miami Herald.