Category Archives: outdoors

Going To The Illinois State Fair Today – Post Wednesday maybe

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Nuff said.

 

http://www.agr.state.il.us/isf/

CARNIVAL SPECIAL
NEW THIS YEAR- The Illinois State Fair will be offering Bargain Bracelets for all rides (excluding Giant Slide and SkyGlide). It will be conveniently available for purchase at the Carnival and Adventure Village when you arrive to enjoy the fair. This Bargain Bracelet will replace Children’s Miracle Network Wristbands.

Thursday, August 11 “Deuce Day” All rides $2.00
Experience unlimited rides with a Bargain Bracelet for $25.00!
Friday, August 12 12-6 PM
Monday, August 15 12-11 PM
Tuesday, August 16 12-11 PM
Wednesday, August 17 12-11 PM
Thursday, August 18 12-11 PM
Friday, August 19 12-6 PM
Sunday, August 21 NOON-10 PM

Grandstand reserved seats and track tickets on sale Saturday, April 30, 2011, 10:00 a.m. at ticketmaster.com and Ticketmaster Phone centers (800-745-3000, TTY-800-359-2525) and all Ticketmaster outlets. Grandstand ticket office will accept Mail Orders starting Monday, May 30, 2011. Grandstand box office will open for walk-up sales starting June 4, 2011 at 9:00 a.m. All adults and children 3 years of age and older MUST have a ticket for Concerts.MAIL ORDER WILL BE ACCEPTED – after May 30, 2011 at: The Illinois State Fair Ticket Office, P.O. Box 19427, Springfield, IL 62794-9427.

Order tickets via U.S. mail with our order form.

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More tomorrow maybe.

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Continuing To Take A Window Out Of Service – For about 2 bucks

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Sometimes you run into something that you have never faced before. Oh, by the way the last 2 requests for links and posting their website or guest posting turned out to be bullshit. Sorry, I mean internet frauds of one sort or another. But I went into the bedroom to repair some tinfoil that I used to shut down a window and the tinfoil was hot! That has never happened to me before so I am further blocking off the two windows with a layer of styrofoam. I am trying to create a dead air space to act as an insulation zone. Speaking of fraud wait to you see this space here tomorrow. I plan on closing out the week by beating the stuffing out of ArcticPro. First here is the modern way to make your windows functional.

Daylighting Window Films – Taking Window Film Out of the Dark Ages

 

In the dark ages of window films consumers had to make a tough choice between two evils. Do they select a dark window film to block glare and heat, or do they have a mirror like window film installed? Either way; the Hobbesian Choice had a down side. Today’s window films like VISTA Window Film created a new dynamic and resulting solution for consumers. Superior glare rejection and heat blocking while providing visible light and optimum clarity. No longer the “dark days” or what we used to call “Scotch Gloom” , but rather a perfect balance. The advances made in the last few years in the area of thin films and nanotechnology have been the vehicle for these advances in performance. Here in the Tampa Bay area where we install Vista Safety and Security Films http://www.advancedfilmfl.com our clients are extremely aware of their home’s aesthetics. They specifically request low reflectivity films for interior as well as exterior views. There is an entire industry related to this concept known as daylighting. Daylighting or more accurately side-lighting is the concept of using the sun’s natural light to illuminate interior space rather than electric lighting. Researchers like the Berkely labs and the Lighting Collaborative have produced studies that define the psychological benefits of natural light. Natural light is already being designed into homes and offices via skylights and light solar tubes. Now the new nanotechnology and nano-ceramic window films allow for daylighting without the associated glare and heat gain that raised the thermostat and forced employees and homeowners to drop the blinds and shades. There are critical benefits associated with daylighting at retail stores where traffic increases when there is more natural light, and security issues at retail stores is addressed since law enforcement can have visibility into the store during the day or night. Just think of a “hold up robbery” Today’s window films provide numerous historic benefits with none of the downside. A new bright future for consumers who wish to save energy costs but don’t want to live in the dark!

Mike Feldman – About the Author:

Mike Feldman is the President of Advanced Film Solutions an exclusive Vista and FormulaOne High Performance Films provider in the Tampa Bay area. He was formerly with 3M (mmm) for 33 years holding numerous positions including National Sales Manager of 3M Window Film

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More tomorrow.
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Outdoor Living And Their Learning Center Asked For A Link

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So here it is with the history of the hammock. Actually Melissa Anne was supposed to get me a guest post in Word. It did not come but my deadline did. Maybe some other time I guess.

http://www.outdoorliving.com/learning-center/cat/hammocks/post/the-history-of-hammocks/

Hammocks are one of life’s simple pleasures, but there are a lot of different types out there that can make choosing just one a hard decision. We’ve got all the info you need to know, from the major styles to materials to how to hang them, so you can get the most out of your hammock experience.

  • Hammocks have been around for hundreds of years. Read on to find out why they’re love by people all over!

 

Relaxation, a summer afternoon, ice cold lemonade – just some of the things that come to mind when you think of a hammock. An iconic image of backyard leisure, hammocks have been around for close to 1,000 years. Their exact location of origin is not clear, but European explorer Christopher Columbus encountered natives resting in them when he landed in what is now the Bahamas, introducing them to Europe when he later returned. Many Central and South American cultures were using hammocks at the time as well, such as the Mayans and the Venezuelans. Thanks to their functional design, they’ve been used throughout history by armies and navies needing a way to sleep safely without worry of insect bites in the jungle or being tossed from bed aboard a rocking ship. They finally went mainstream after World War II with the baby boomer families, becoming a popular choice for backyard recreation and leisure. Hammocks have come a long way from their original designs hundreds of years ago when they were made of bark from the hamack tree, but the dedication to quality and handcrafted workmanship still prevails. Today, consumers can choose from many different styles of hammocks, made from materials like cotton, polyester, and nylon. Whether you’re looking for a new way to get some rest and relaxation or another outlet for spending your leisure time, hammocks are an easy way to add a peaceful, relaxing accent to the inside of your home or your outdoor living space.

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More swinging tomorrow.

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Tomorrow Is The Last Day – Getting my AC fixed

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But that is no reason to stop putting up all these ways to cool your house tips. This one is down to earth and includes 2 big ones I had forgotten, closing off unused space and compromise. Unless you live alone you know that comfort is probably only about half of what you will get, unless you and your housemates response to temperature is all the same. That is hardly ever true. Anyway how cool is the title of this blog. I think she should meet the
Gardening Nude lady myself.

Air conditioning vs. fresh air: 10 ways to “keep our cool”

At the start of every summer, as the temperature rises, my husband and I seem to have the same discussion… when to turn on the air conditioning!

This is never an easy discussion (okay! read: argument!) as this is the man who wears shorts and t-shirts around the house when it’s 19 degrees outside in the dead of winter.

I prefer the open windows and doors, and want to breathe the fresh air.  To this my husband responds “Babe, it ceases to be fresh as soon as it’s 85 degrees with 70% humidity!”  Well, it’s still fresh but I guess it does cease to be RE-freshing!

Just like heating your house in the winter and whether you do or don’t choose to crank the AC, there are ways to keep your house cooler, stop some of the cool air loss and use less energy in the process:

  • Close blinds or curtains in various windows throughout      the day to prevent the sun shining in.  If it’s coming in, so is the      heat.
  • Use ceiling fans. They circulate the cool air and      don’t use a lot of energy.
  • Program your thermostat.  No need to keep it      blasting in the evening or when you aren’t even home.
  • When it’s cool outside at night, shut off the air,      open the windows and take advantage.
  • 74 degrees is all you need.  This is a bearable      temperature, and if you can tolerate it higher, do it!  Each degree      saves 3-4% on your cooling/energy expenses.
  • Don’t worry about unused rooms.  Close the windows, doors and vents in these rooms,      and block the bottom of the door if they aren’t
  • frequently occupied

ceil fan

  • Run appliances at night.  This includes dryers & dishwashers that give off heat. Avoid using      your oven… give it a rest and grill instead!  And if you do use the      stovetop, be sure to use the exhaust fan to take away the heat.
  • Turn off unneeded lights, TVs, computers, etc. when you aren’t      using them.  They all generate heat too.
  • Keep heat generating appliances away from the thermostat (TVs, lamps, etc.).  They’ll make the thermostat think it’s hotter      than it really is.
  • Don’t chop down trees that shade your house.       They simply keep a house cooler.  And even plant strategically.       Shaded AC units run more efficiently, but just be sure not to block the      airflow.

I do try to take my own advice.  It’s not always easy (living with my husband who compensates by turning up the ceiling fans to “jet speed”) but it’s a compromise we always seem to manage when it all “boils down”!

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Sorry for the clumsy post but I am at the library so I do not have time to pretty things up. More tomorrow.

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A Bicycle’s Best Friend – What happens when we quite using hydrocarbons

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The secession of the use of hydrocarbons for fuels could be sudden. The President could order it. He could order all American troops home. He could order them to convert anything nonessential like “factories making crap” to make solar panels of the water and electrical kind. He could order larger factories to convert to wind turbine manufacturing. He could order the closing of all coal mines and the opening of Yucca Mountain. He could prohibit the importation of liquid fuels beginning with oil and eventually including natural gas. As the coal runs out the coal plants would have to convert to natural gas. Or it could happen gradually as the planet warms and people  die. Either way the bicycle is gona be a big part of it. People can go 10 miles on a bike easy.

http://www.bicycle-riding-for-boomers.com/

Boomers Are Discovering The Fun Path
To Fitness Through Bicycle Riding

Bicycle riding for boomers offers a boomers perspective on the sport of bicycling that is almost never seen in the cycling world. It is a compilation of lessons learned over more than 15 years, on three continents and several islands, years of research, and the unveiling of new boomer-friendly cycling products.

 

There is an exciting re-awakening in the world of bicycle riding driven by boomer aged riders looking for fun and fitness. Old line bike manufacturers are producing more products for mature riders and new manufacturers are appearing frequently.

When riding a bicycle you notice the sights and sounds that you, almost always, miss when driving or riding in a car and you get a whole new perspective on your environment. It gives you a chance to leave the rat race behind and lets you stop and smell the roses. Or, if you are a more active type, you can step it up and get all the action you want.

 

The days of bicycles being just toys for the young are long gone. Older folks are finding new bikes that are boomer friendly and new ways to enjoy them. New bike paths, clubs, and organized rides are becoming more available then ever and the numbers are growing every day. And, it can be as solitary or social as you want it to be.

Remember how much fun bike riding was as a kid? Guess what. It can be more fun now and you don’t have to be home by dinner time. It is an awesome way to attain fitness and how many fitness programs are really fun? Yet, if you are having fun you are much more likely to stay with it and reap the many health benefits that it gives you.

 

Just about any sport, or fitness program, has on-going expenses like greens fees, membership fees, etc. But, a very modest investment in cycling gear will last for years and your on-going expense is almost zero.

The good news is there is a bicycle, or tricycle, for anybody that wants to ride, at any skill level. So, if you want to ride there is one for you.

Some of the articles and products shown here will be amazing to people that have not ridden for years but they are here now for us to enjoy. Bicycle riding is more attractive than ever to boomers and seniors.

An estimated 80% of the average persons travel is, driver only, and within 10 miles of home. Imagine how much money bicycle riding can save you!

I promise I won’t get too hi-tech. Unless you intend to ride competitively it isn’t necessary. ( I’ll leave that for the Lance Armstrong wannabes) It’s just us folks and it’s all down to earth stuff so……..

JUST RELAX AND ENJOY THE RIDE.

 

Daily news update on ..

Cycling

Boomer interests

Safe cycling

bicycle trails

boomer health

Boomer fitness

Electric bicycles

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More tomorrow.

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Animals And Other Forms Of Related Transportation

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This post was really difficult for me. Riding animals has been a human practice for thousands of years and still is in use in many parts of the world. From dog sleds in the north to camels in the south and horses all inbetween many hundreds of animals have been used to haul humans and freight. In some places humans even haul people in what Americans usually refer to as rickshaws. I contemplated making this a multiple post but the biggest question for me is how this move back to animals as a major form of transportation would restructure our world. How would we feed them all? How quickly would it happen? How many people would have to give way for all of the offset food? Anyway there are so many ways I could have diced this pie that a simple post will have to do. Please try not to think about how much manure this would generate.

 

Some animals are used due to sheer physical strength in tasks such as ploughing or logging. Such animals are grouped as a draught or draft animal. Others may be used as pack animals, for animal-powered transport, the movement of people and goods. People ride some animals directly as mounts, use them as harness one or a team to pull vehicles.

Riding animals or mounts

They include equines such as horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules; elephants; yaks; and camels. Dromedary camels in arid areas of Australia, North Africa and the Middle East; the less common Bactrian camel inhabits central and East Asia; both are used as working animals. On occasion, reindeer, though usually driven, may be ridden.

Certain wild animals have been tamed and used for riding, usually for novelty purposes, including the zebra and the ostrich. Some mythical creatures are believed to act as divine mounts, such as garuda in Hinduism and the winged horse Pegasus in Greek mythology.

Pack animals

 

A pack llama

Main article: Pack animal

Pack animals may be of the same species as mounts or harness animals, though animals such as horses, mules, donkeys, reindeer and both types or camel may have individual bloodlines or breeds that have been selectively bred for packing. Additional species are only used to carry loads, including llamas in the Andes.

Domesticated oxen, bullocks, and yaks are also used as pack animals. Other species used to carry cargo include dogs and pack goats.

Homing pigeons transport material, usually messages on small pieces of paper, by air.

Harness animals

 

Mule used to pull a wheeled vehicle in Morocco

An intermediate use is to harness animals, singly or in teams, to pull (or haul) sleds, wheeled vehicles or plough.

  • Oxen are slow but strong, and have been used in a yoke since ancient times: the earliest surviving vehicle, Puabi’s Sumerian sledge, was ox-drawn; an acre was originally defined as the area a span of oxen could plow in a day. The Water buffalo and Carabao, domesticated water buffalo, pull wagons and ploughs in Southeast Asia and the Philippines.
  • Draught or Draft horses are commonly used in harness for heavy work. Several breeds of medium-weight horses are used to pull lighter wheeled carts, carriages and buggies when a certain amount of speed or style is desirable.
  • Mules are considered to be very tough and strong, with harness capacity dependent on the type of horse mare used to produce the mule foal. Because they are a hybrid animal and usually are infertile, separate breeding programs must also be maintained.
  • Ponies and donkeys are often used to pull carts and small wagons, historically, ponies were commonly used in mining to pull ore carts.
  • Dogs are used for pulling light carts or, particularly, sleds. (e.g. sled dogs such as Huskies) for both recreation and working purposes.
  • Goats also can perform light harness work in front of carts
  • Reindeer are used in the Arctic and sub-Arctic Nordic countries and Siberia.
  • Elephants are still used for logging in South-east Asia.
  • Less often, camels and llamas have been trained to harness. According to Juan Ignacio Molina the Dutch captain Joris van Spilbergen observed the use of chiliquenes (a llama type) by native Mapuches of Mocha Island as plough animals in 1614.[1]

Assorted wild animals have, on occasion, been tamed and trained to harness, including zebras and even moose.

See also: Driving (horse)

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More tomorrow.

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What Happens If Fossil Fuels Are No Longer Feasible

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I should have made the topic of this meditation explicit yesterday. What effect would the absence of fossil fuels have on major sectors of our society? Some people think society would collapse other people think it would mutate. I think it would slow down but not change much. So I started thinking about the transportation sector. Yesterday the topic was walking, and today’s topic is water transport. It maybe academic but walking may have happened after swimming. That is the true upright bipedal walking. Some monkeys love to swim and swimming is the original transportation system. Going back to our talks about Abraham Lincoln. Two of the most important events in Abe’s life were boat rides. The first barge he took to New Orleans got stuck on the dam at New Salem and the people there helped him get the boat free. When his family decided to move to a farm in Southern Illinois he paddled to New Salem to start his adult life. Finally he took another barge to New Orleans where he bought his first horse. Now this next “history” believes that travel by boat started much later in man’s evolution than I do. I believe that boating could be as old as 20,000 or 40,000 years old. Nonetheless it is a good discussion of the sequence.

http://www.essortment.com/history-transportation-21230.html

As man overcame the boundaries of land travel, his curiosity about the world around him increased. To his aid, man had developed a means of traveling on water even before he had domesticated the horse. The origin of the dugout boat is one of history’s great mysteries. Historians are unable to pinpoint when or where the very first water vessel was set afloat, and even speculate that it might have been purely an accident the first time. But, however it happened, the addition of the boat changed the face of transportation. Boats allowed man to, for the first time ever, cross bodies of water without getting wet.

Over time, the simple boat evolved to include a large square of cloth mounted on a central pole. This cloth, called a sail, would turn the boat into a sail-propelled ship. This new addition gave man the ability to use waterways as a means of swift travel from one place to another, and even to travel against the current of rivers. However, the evolution of water travel didn’t stop with the sail. Ships would eventually take on a sleekness as they increased in size. Before long, they would add oars and rudders, then deck covers. By Greek and Roman times, ships had grown clunky shipboard towers, as well, which developed, over time, into the Medieval stern- and forecastles. By the late Medieval era, these castles were built solid, as a part of the ship’s basic structure. Then, by the Renaissance and the Age of Exploration which followed, ships had gained tiers of rigging and sails, becoming sleek and speedy.

Then, in the 1800s, ships began to shed their sails on the rivers once again. The advent of automation was changing transportation forever. The very first automation in ships was the cumbersome paddlewheel. Due to their bulky form and inability to turn easily, paddlewheel boats were confined to river travel, where they would experience calmer currents and need less manueverablity.

After the paddlewheel came the steamship. These vessels used coal or wood, burned to heat water, which in turn created the steam pressure used to work the pistons which moved the ship. The steamship was to enjoy a long and trusted run on both rivers and seas. Then, in 1912, the first diesel-powered ship, the Danish Selandia, was launched. That diesel engine design was to become the industrial and military standard until after World War II.

Then, in 1958, the first nuclear powered ship was launched. However, nuclear power was soon discarded by industry as too expensive and risky, though it would continue to find use in the military community.

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More tomorrow.

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Traipsing, Ambulation, Or Walk About – It is the way humans travel for 100s of thousands of years

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People today do not understand walking as transportation at all. When anthropoligists say that humans “spread” from South Africa to Asian and Europe what they really mean is walked. I love Abraham Lincoln stories. The legends have it that Abe used to walk to Springfield to borrow law books from his friend and mentor Tod Stuart whose office in Springfield he walked to. As the crow flies or as humans walk this was a 20 mile trip but he probably did not make this trip in one day, though he probably could have if he took off at first light or before. He likely walked in one day, partied the night away and walked back the next day. There were several since abandoned communities along the way that he probably stopped at as well including the twice revived Clayville stage coach stop.  People would have thought nothing of it. He would not been alone on the trail. There would have been fresh fruit to eat on the way in season. At noon he may have swam in the Sangamon. Abe was no stranger to walking. The year before he moved to New Salem he rode a river boat barge loaded with goods from Decatur Il. to New Orleans and walked back.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walking

Walking

 This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia’s quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. The talk page may contain suggestions. (February 2009)
 

Simple Walk-Cycle

Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of locomotion among legged animals, and is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ‘inverted pendulum’ gait in which the body vaults over the stiff limb or limbs with each step. This applies regardless of the number of limbs – even arthropods with six, eight or more limbs.

In humans and other bipeds, walking is generally distinguished from running in that only one foot at a time leaves contact with the ground and there is a period of double-support. In contrast, running begins when both feet are off the ground with each step. This distinction has the status of a formal requirement in competitive walking events. For quadrupedal species, there are numerous gaits which may be termed walking or running, and distinctions based upon the presence or absence of a suspended phase or the number of feet in contact any time do not yield mechanically correct classification[1]. The most effective method to distinguish walking from running is measurement via a force plate, but definitions based on the percent of the stride in which a foot is in contact with the ground (averaged across all feet) of greater than 50% contact corresponds well with identification of ‘inverted pendulum’ mechanics via force plate measurements for animals with any number of limbs[1].

An average human child achieves independent walking ability around 11 months old.[2] The word walk is descended from the Old English wealcan “to roll”.

Although walking speeds can vary greatly depending on factors such as height, weight, age, terrain, surface, load, culture, effort, and fitness, the average human walking speed is about 5 kilometres per hour (km/h), or about 3.1 miles per hour (mph). Specific studies have found pedestrian walking speeds ranging from 4.51 km/h to 4.75 km/h for older individuals to 5.32 km/h to 5.43 km/h for younger individuals.[3][4] A pedestrian is a person who is walking on a road, pavement or path.

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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/09/050916074420.htm

The Mechanics Of Foot Travel: With So Many Silly Gaits To Choose From, Why Have We Adopted So Few?

ScienceDaily (Sep. 16, 2005) — Despite having the bones and muscles to perform a variety of gaits, human beings have developed an overwhelming preference for just two: walking and running. Now, computer analysis that allows simulation of infinite two-legged locomotions has shown our favored modes of bi-pedal travel use the least amount of energy.

Indeed, in an article published in the current online edition of the British journal Nature, Cornell engineers Andy Ruina and Manoj Srinivasan compare the mechanics of walking and running with “many other strange and unpractised gaits.” They used a set of computer models that simulated physical measurements such as leg length, force, body velocity and trajectory, forward speed and work.

“We wish to find how a person can get from one place to another with the least muscle work,” they report. “Why do people not walk or even run with a smooth level gait, like a waiter holding two cups brim-full of boiling coffee?”

The engineers’ computer simulations conclude that walking is simply most energy efficient for travel at low speeds, and running is best at higher speeds. And, they report, a third walk-run gait is optimal for intermediate speeds, even though humans do not appear to take advantage of it.

The findings help to explain why the possible–but preposterous–gaits in the Monty Python sketch, “Ministry of the Silly Walks,” have never caught on in human locomotion. The researchers add that extensions of this work might improve the design of prosthetic devices and energy-efficient bipedal robots.

 

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More horsing around tomorrow.

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Hydropower In A Small Beautiful Package – New Development

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Beautiful power generation is the theme of this meditation. This grows out of a comment by a friend. We were talking about wind farms and all the silly criticism of them, the worst of which is that they are ugly. I said I found them elegant and he said he found them beautiful. Thus the theme. Here is a post about small hydro. The article includes a build up about large hydrodams and the negative impact on the environment as well as data about Germany where these dams were developed. I have only included the info about the new type dam itself but please feel free to read the rest.

Small Is Beautiful in Hydroelectric Power Plant Design: Invention Could Enable Renewable Power Generation at Thousands of Unused Sites

ScienceDaily (Oct. 20, 2010)

dot dot dot as they say…

A solution to all of these problems has now been demonstrated, in the small-scale hydroelectric power plant developed as a model by a team headed by Prof. Peter Rutschmann and Dipl.-Ing. Albert Sepp at the Oskar von Miller-Institut, the TUM research institution for hydraulic and water resources engineering. Their approach incurs very little impact on the landscape. Only a small transformer station is visible on the banks of the river. In place of a large power station building on the riverside, a shaft dug into the riverbed in front of the dam conceals most of the power generation system. The water flows into a box-shaped construction, drives the turbine, and is guided back into the river underneath the dam. This solution has become practical due to the fact that several manufacturers have developed generators that are capable of underwater operation — thereby dispensing with the need for a riverbank power house.

The TUM researchers still had additional problems to solve: how to prevent undesirable vortex formation where water suddenly flows downward; and how to best protect the fish. Rutschmann and Sepp solved two problems with a single solution — by providing a gate in the dam above the power plant shaft. In this way, enough water flows through to enable fish to pass. At the same time, the flow inhibits vortex formation that would reduce the plant’s efficiency and increase wear and tear on the turbine.

The core of the concept is not optimizing efficiency, however, but optimizing cost: Standardized pre-fabricated modules should make it possible to order a “power plant kit” just like ordering from a catalog. “We assume that the costs are between 30 and 50 percent lower by comparison with a bay-type hydropower plant,” Peter Rutschmann says. The shaft power plant is capable of operating economically given a low “head” of water of only one to two meters, while a bay-type power plant requires at least twice this head of water. Series production could offer an additional advantage: In the case of wider bodies of water, several shafts could be dug next to each other — also at different points in time, as determined by demand and available financing.

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More tomorrow.

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Wasted Food Is Wasted Energy – And we waste alot

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Remember when your mom used to say, “Clean your plate. There are children in the world who are starving.”? Well now it is save the world kind of stuff. Wasting food wastes huge amounts of energy. This brief article below sums it up nicely. Please click on the authors name to see more of this authors work.

http://boingboing.net/2010/08/03/theres-more-energy-i.html

There’s more energy in wasted food than there is in the Gulf of Mexico

Maggie Koerth-Baker at 8:42 PM Tuesday, Aug 3, 2010

Recently, while doing some research on the carbon footprint of food, I ran across some studies that reported Americans ate, on average, 3774 calories of food each day.

Something about that smelled funny to me.

Sure, Americans eat a lot. But 3774 calories a day? I have family members who subsist almost solely off fried meat and various sorts of potatoes and I’m not convinced that even they hit that number on a regular basis. When I took my questions to the researchers, I found out that my hunch was correct. Americans aren’t, technically, eating an average of 3774 calories per day. This figure is calculated by looking at food produced, divided by the number of Americans. It assumes we’re eating all that, but, in reality, according to environmental scientist Gidon Eshel we really only eat about 2800 calories per day. That whopping 3774 includes both what we eat—and what we waste.

And what we waste—not just at home, but from the farm field, to the grocery store, to our Tupperware containers full of moldy leftovers—is a big deal.

We use a lot of energy producing, transporting, processing, storing and cooking food we don’t eat. About 2150 trillion kilojoules worth a year, according to a recent study. That’s more kilojoules than the United States could produce in biofuels. And it’s more than we already produce in all the oil and gas extracted annually from the Gulf of Mexico.

Reducing that waste requires both changes in the way we eat at home, and systematic changes that address waste at every part of the food cycle. Right now, I’ve talked to a lot of researchers who can identify the problem, but don’t have a lot of suggestions for concrete solutions. I’m sure they’re out there, though, and I’ll report back as I track them down.

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More tomorrow.

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