Car Project Day 1

So I started pulling the wire around my car for the lights. It was much more difficult than I thought as many of the spaces are tight to work in without moving massive amounts of the interior out of the cabin. I also discovered that with modern technology running a simple wiring configuration is both frustrating and impossible in many areas. Areas such as the rear doors. There is no way to run a single wire through the frame and in to the rear doors without drilling a whole through both. I'm kinda impressed that my car is so sophisticated and well built but it makes doing small modifications impossible. I did manage to get some done though and instead of putting the lights in the speakers wells in the rear I'm going to mount them under the seats with the light pointing towards the bench. A little traditional but still enough of a mod for me I think.

So I got my 14 gauge wire, screw drivers, wire cutters and flashlight ready to go. I then took off the trim and kick plates inside the car. They just pop off but be careful because most of the snaps are plastic and can be easily broken.














This is the shot of the interior fuse panel. This is where I will draw my power lead as well as run all the wires through. The switch will sit in the panel that covers this box. I have knock outs for 3 switches (2 after I'm done with this project). One of them will be devoted to lights in the engine compartment and lights for my license plate holder screws. (mwahahahaha) I think I'm going to paint my brake rotors and maybe something else I don't know....

This is the area I wanted to light up on all four doors but now only two:














The part circled in red is where the light will be.

More to come later on.

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LONG overdue post

Alright it's been over 2 weeks since my last update so here it goes.

Things have been going decently, the green plan is taking shape as I read through books and watch planet green with the Dad-it's important that I'm starting on this now and have a few years to put together because going green the way I want to is complicated beyond belief. It's not an impossible feat however.

The latest addition to my plan is instead of running the house completly off the grid I want a system that ties in to the grid in a reverse manner. That way my solar arrays will be generating power for the house and putting excess power on the grid that is clean and renewable-and helping my check book in the process. It's going to be nice to have the power company pay me for my power instead of the other way around.

On a weekly basis with time spent at home, at work, and at the girlfriends I threw a lot of crap away. More than I really want to admit but here it is directly from the record book:

Totals for One Week:
9 Nutrigrain Bar Wrappers
12 gum wrappers
2 Styrofoam Dinner Containers
10 sheets of paper (recycled)
14 chewed pieces of gum
20 Kleenex's
18 Q-Tips
15 Pepsi Cans (Recycled)
20 Root Beer Barrel Wrappers
15 Paper Towels
8 Reece Cup Wrappers and 2 containing wrappers
5 Card Board Boxes (Recycled)
6 HoHo Wrappers
1 Paper Bag
6 Plastic Salsa Containers (Recycled)
3 Plastic Forks (Recycled)
3 Plastic Knives (Recycled)
3 Plastic Spoons (Recycled)
4 Paper Plates

For one person, this list is pretty extensive and since the completion of the week I was recording I've mad several changes to my every day habits. For starters instead of using plastic silverware at work for my lunch and a paper plate, I bought a microwave safe dinner plate and brought an old fork, knife, and spoon from home. I got them from the old dinner set my mother has that we almost never use. I've also stopped using paper plates at home, washing a dish when done the right way creates far less waste than a paper plate going in to the trash-not to mention the amount of money saved on throw away plates and silverware. I've stopped using paper towels for the most part. In certain places, like public restrooms and the like, it's next to impossible-unless there are hand dryers present. But when drying dishes or my hands I've used more towels than anything. This includes the dish washing I do at work and the drying of my hands when using the bathroom. I have two towels I bring in on Saturday morning and take with me Sunday afternoon. I then wash these towels with my work clothes every week before re-using them. I'm seriously considering buying 7-14 handkerchiefs and using them for my ever running nose instead of the constant barrage of Kleenex. If used properly a handkerchief can be a clean and almost waste free way of blowing one's nose.

My next project I am undertaking is to light up the speaker wells in all for doors of my car. I ordered 4 blue LEDs, and fighter jet switch, fuses and a fuse box. I'm going to take step by step pictures of the process and put them up here just because I think it's cool. I'm more than likely going to light up the grill, engine compartment, rear license plate bolts and maybe a light or two in the cargo area just because I can :D

Things with my lovely continue to get better and better each day. I have been so blessed and feel lucky beyond words. She lights up my life in every way possible. You're my favorite SWEET PEA!
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My Baby Gets Me

Yesterday when I arrived at my darling's place of residence she surprised me with two gifts. Green Living for Dummies and Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies :D



I've been on such a green kick latley with no sign of it stopping and for once the woman I'm with instead of just going along with me or ignoring my interest actually thought about me and bought me the sweetest surprise I've gotten in a long time. So what? It's just books... is what you are probably thinking right now-but it goes so much beyond just books it's impossible to describe.

Which also makes me realize how damn lucky I am to have her in my life. To have her care, support, kindness, and sincere concern for me is unbelievable and so undeserved sometimes (like when I get angry behind the wheel or am being overly stubborn or any other number of things). I just wanted to put this post up to say Thank You Jessica for everything you've done for me, everything you will do for me and most of all for just being here giving me someone to walk this road with- you really do mean the WORLD to me and that continues to grow each and every day.

Well after a long but productive day at the office I'm going to kick back and watch a movie, drink some water and close my eyes for a few.

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Green Machine

Today I took a trip with my Dad and Brother up to see my Great Grand Mother. She lives a good hour and a half away from us which gave me plenty of time to think about things not just in the Green area, and talk with my dad about a lot of it.

We started out the conversation about how incredibly awesome it's going to be to get out of bed in the morning and already be on campus at school and ready to take on the day. In all honesty the hour drive in rush hour traffic to school Monday through Friday was killing me. I was already exhausted by the time I parked the car no matter how loud the music was on the way there or how much caffeine I took in-the result was always complete exhaustion. I got in to West hall, the brand new and awesome looking dorm where most of the people I know are housed. Life is going to be good, regardless of my roommate situation although I think I'll be able to get along with him just fine. After all I have lived with my brother for the past 18 years (lol just kidding Eric). It's going to be freaking amazing to finally feel like I'm in college too, away from home family and everything I've known-although honestly Elmhurst feels like home too in a sad and strange kind of way. I am seriously so very excited for this fall, not only because I'm getting the hell out of dodge, but academically as well. I want to finish and start teaching already. Seriously, come on now....

Anyways talking Green wise is a major point of conversation around this house lately. Conservation, alternative fuels, everything. One of the main points I keep bringing up is getting off this petroleum necessity that has consumed the world. I'm driving a Toyota Matrix XRS and getting on average 27-28 MPG, which I am incredibly pleased with. I love my car and am very glad I went with the Matrix when I was looking at cars. BUT I still have to roll in to a gas station every week to fill her up with gas, and I refuse to put anything but premium in her to keep her running like new for as long as possible. 40 bucks a week in gas, which is better than most I know, and come this fall I won't be driving as much as everything I'll need to get to is within walking distance, including the girlfriend :)

Still, the thought of having to pay more than 6 dollars a gallon for gas makes me both sick to my stomach and pissed off, so my solution is less than 5 years buy one of these babies and get off my petroleum addiciton for good. That Truck, or SUT as it's referred to by the website will go 100 miles on a single 10 minute charge and has zero emmissions. IT IS 100% ELECTRIC and still goes 0-60 in under 10 seconds and has a top speed of 95 mph! A pickup truck that does not use gas...now that sounds like a badass machine to me. My next vehicle is going to be a Phoenix SUT in blue unless Toyota stops draggin their feet. The 2009 Chicago Auto Show is going to be a very interesting event, and I'm excited to see what all the big names will have in the ways of fuel conservation-I hope that I'm not disspointed.

My record of how much I'm putting in to the waste stream continues on schedule with day 2 being today. This coming Saturday edition will have that full report, as well as what we do aroudn this house to conserve and recycle and what I do aroudn my office to conserve and recycle, and will most likely be published on Sunday just so that I get the full 7 day record down. So far my lists are not as massive as I initially thought, but I'm sure my weeks tally will be enormous enough for me to have to make some changes-we will see though. I've also just decided that my account with INGdirect.com is now going to be my Green Savings Account, and every pay check I will divert as much money as possible in to it- saving today so that I have a stable and Greener tomorrow :D.

Saturday Thoughts

Saturday Thoughts
July 12th, 2008
First Green Edition

Just took a break from a very busy day at the office with my weekend job and decided it would be a good time for Saturday Thoughts. This week for Saturday thoughts I really wanted to touch on Going Green. This will most likely be the first of many Saturday Thought Editions that touch on this topic as it has quickly become a big part of my life, thoughts and obsessions. I've spent many hours this past week coming up with a detailed outline of what I would need to live a sustainable life once I have a place of my own. A plan that drew out exactly how I was going to use photovoltaics, rain water collection, water recycling, recycling of everything possible, all the materials and items I would need and a step by step plan of how all of this was going to tie in to my house, vehicle and everyday life.

The outline is coming along slowly but surely and when I am happy with it and feel it is pretty well rounded I'll post it up here. The research is actually a lot of fun to me as well as time consuming-there is a TON of things out there (as you can imagine like everything on the internet). I have yet to find things that seem bogus, impossible or completely false yet aside from conflicting reports and calculations. Even the calculations are only off by a few digits. Needless to say, there is a lot of credible information out there on ways to make your whole dwelling green. The next step on my plan is to research codes and requirements for Chicago and the surrounding areas to make sure all of my items and ideas will be able to go in place legally-again I'll put it up here as soon as I am sure everything is right and attainable.

If you live in Chicago and want some excellent ideas the Museum of Science and Industry has a pretty awesome and decent exhibit called the "Green House". It has a huge amount of sustainable and AWESOME ways to build your house green-and many of them can be applied to existing structures too. Possibly the biggest point for me were dimmable LED lights ALL OVER THE PLACE. LED's put out an enormous amount of light, generate no heat, and consume the smallest amount of power possible. They almost do not register on a consumption meter! and they are super bright. A composter in the kitchen, bamboo counter tops, flooring and cabinets also made me hold my breath for a second or two. Bamboo grows insanely fast, is easy to cultivate anywhere, and is incredibly strong in any form. They even had blankets and towels made out of bamboo-and the blanket was soft to the touch and I'll bet was incredibly cozy. The home was heated and Air Conditioned with a radiant floor system. Instead of running the tubing through concrete, they ran it under the wood composite sub floor and used aluminum sheeting to help dissipate the hot and cold energy being circulated by the system-and only using 75 gallons the house was very cool and comfortable on a pretty warm summer day. All these things are now on my grand master green plan and will be-without a doubt- be integrated into my future home along with some improvements on the Museum's ideas.

If anyone has any questions or wants to collaborate via email: comment on here with your email or question and I will be sure to get back to you. The Green Movement is not and CAN NOT be a fad, we all need to do something to be less harmful to our planet. Even just starting to recycle your paper products would be an excellent help!

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Saturday Thoughts

I'd like to start this weeks edition of Saturday thoughts off with yet again something about driving. Driving consumes a lot of our time and energy from day to day, after all in order to do most things in our lives it involves travel of some sort even for a short distance. Most of this travel is done via personal vehicle.

My first thought is just about the same as last week. Drive 65 and stop being a jerk behind the wheel. We all have the power to be courteous and kind to each other and a responsibility to make sure that we and our fellow travelers have every chance of making it to and from their destination safely. Slow down, set the cruise or relax that lead foot and keep your vehicle moving at 65 mph at the most. The interstates are not race tracks, you ARE NOT Mario Andriette, your vehicle is not entered in the Indy 500. Seriously slow down. Not to mention the insane increase in MPG you will achieve. There is something about keeping your speed under 65 mph no matter what your driving that helps even the thirstiest engines consume less and become more efficient.

My second thought for the day has yet again to do with driving. Again we all have to do it, we all have places to go and people to see and we all want to get there safely-at least I hope we all do. So here is my challenge, while still maintaining safety behind the wheel, use a little kindness and let someone who has their turn signal on and is waiting patiently in front of you. The driver with their turn signal on that is not running people off the road deserves a favor. Let them over, slow down slightly, acknowledge to them some how and continue on.

This leads me to my next challenge. If someone lets you over on the expressway or on the streets, if someone goes slightly out of their way to help you out in some way, or even if someone smiles at you or is in any way nice to you. Do the same to three more people. Don't explain to them that they have to do this too, it will happen automatically. Not one, two, but THREE people. Tip a little extra, help someone drag a couch off their property that someone else very rudely left there. Pay it forward. An old concept being revived as of today.

A pretty amazing week once again. Spent a lot of time with the Angel in my life, walking, talking, sharing meals, coaching, and enjoying each others company. This year's fourth of July was the best 4th I have had in a very long time. It was low key and laid back, and wonderful :) Thank you Sweet Pea.

Love your neighbor as yourself.
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