Here's that stinkin' moon -- and this photo was taken the day before it got really bad. Yesterday I decided to finally make some curtains for my south-facing window. In the process, I discovered an excellent way to passively heat the house with the sun. I'd had blankets tacked up on those windows most of the year, because folks in neighboring houses can see into them easily and the light entering there causes a glare on the television. I took the blankets down to measure the windows, and just left them off while I was sewing. The entire room got so warm...this was a huge deal, because the power bill goes up SO much here in the winter. The heat diffused into the rest of the house, and it stayed warm even though it was in the low forties outside. If you have a south/south-west facing window, and you can bear the bright light during the day, give it a try. I don't know why I didn't think of this before...an Earthship, which is the type of dwelling I plan to build myself in the future, operates on this premise.
Also, I bought my fabric for the curtains at Goodwill. They often have yards and yards of interesting fabric, and it usually seems to be pretty clean and in good shape. I've found amazing prints from the seventies that obviously just sat in a trunk for 30 years and were never used. Sometimes the yardage smells like White Shoulders or Jean Nate (I'm very smell-oriented -- my good friend thinks that's gross, but I can't help it).
After my Goodwill find, I went to the Shop N Kart around the corner, and when I came out with my bags, there was a man standing behind my Jetta writing down (I assume) the web addresses from my Biodiesel bumper stickers. I asked him if he had a question about Biodiesel, and he seemed surprised to find that the car in front of him belonged to me.
This is what was exciting: He knew pretty much nothing about this alternative fuel, but he was so genuinely interested to learn. He used the back of part of my receipt, and wrote down the URLs of sites that would tell him more. I asked him what kind of a car he drove, and he said a Toyota sedan; his wife has a Camry. He seemed disappointed when I told him that his vehicles wouldn't be able to run on Bio. But he responded:
'Oh, we'd need different vehicles, then,' happily, as if he were really considering trading in for a car that would run on an alternative fuel.
He said something like 'It makes so much sense. Why would we stay the way we are?'
I would like to believe that this man's attitude typifies most Americans' at this point. They're not all going to be interested in Biodiesel. But I can't imagine that at some point over last summer most middle class Americans didn't ask themselves at least once "Why do we have to do this?" while we all watched prices soar and some were choosing between a meal and a tank of gas to get to work. How could the government let this happen? Actually, I shouldn't place the blame there. How could WE let this happen? We fell for it hook, line and sinker.
The beauty of humanity is that we know better now, and we WILL pick ourselves up and move on with solar power, biofuels, hydrogen fuel cell technology, and perhaps alternatives that have not yet been imagined. The Race to Space of this generation is going to be the Race to Renewable Fuel.
I imagine complete self-sufficiency in the future. Not relying on a technological infrastructure that's beyond my control or understanding. I used to think I was a closeted luddite, but I've come to realize that many complex machines are important and useful for us. I don't even know how radios really work, but I'm tuning in every day. My car is necessary...but if it breaks down, I'm helpless. Biodiesel was my window into a world of understanding and taking responsibility for the gadgetry around me and for the repercussions of using it, both positive and negative. Of course I've got a long way to go. But I think that this gift of knowledge and intention will enhance all of our lives, as we move into new energy and fuel territories.
--Nellamity
