Well the first round of results are in from my first attempts of hypermiling and I'm amazed!

Check out my results by clicking on the ecomodder signature banner below.

Please see my previous article on how to raise MPG by driving differently.

I've been inspired lately to re-up my efforts to help the environment. As I recently started replacing all my CFL (mercury laced) bulbs with LED bulbs, I started to think about what else I can do.

<p>Gas mileage came to mind. When I first got my 2000 Toyota Echo it got consistently 44-48 MPG and it's not even a hybrid. Sadly, this car was discontinued after 2005 and mine is now getting ONLY 38-42 MPG as it's gotten older. Not bad and still double what car dealers are claiming to be good, but I miss those higher numbers so I started doing some research.

<p>Hypermiling aka. Eco-driving to the rescue! There are many websites out there that detail the many different techniques to get super gas mileage. Most of the techniques are simply ways to change your driving habits. Mythbusters even proved that this works. With hypermiling techniques, people have been able to get double the EPA rating of their cars in many cases. It also happens to be safer and reduce the amount of pollution as well.

<p>The thing I really like about hypermiling is that it's accessible to everyone who has a car. You don't have to have lot's of money to buy a hybrid or other expensive technology. It's the kind of solution I heard Julia Butterfly refer to in a talk here in Asheville. To paraphrase, "we need more solutions that even poor people can implement." Not only are most of hypermiling's techniques free but they save people money in the end.

I came across this wonderful documentary today about the food industry that is both alarming and helpful to those concerned.  I've been aware of the issue of Genetically Modified/Engineered food for many years but this film provides a lot more detail.

I hope you find this film informative and useful.  Check out "The Future of Food".
http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi2420179737/
http://www.hulu.com/watch/67878/the-future-of-food   (alternate mirror)

If the above links expire, check out the films home page at
http://www.thefutureoffood.com/

And there's a wonderful interview of the maker of the documentary here.

I'm a little ashamed I was caught off guard by Earth Day today but to save face I think about ways to conserve almost as a way of life. In fact, last night I must have known subconsciously because I finally found and bought affordable LED(light emitting diode) light bulbs in Walmart of all places.

I know Walmart isn't exactly a world leader for environmental products, but how is it they started carrying these before our health food market leaders like Earthfare here in the Southeast. These have been around for several years yet until now have only been available online or through mail order. I was happy to see Wally even had LED bulbs "made in the USA" for under $10. 2 years ago these bulbs would have cost $30. Watch out though because they sell a smaller cheaper bulb of the same brand "made in China".

For Earth Day, I'd like to share a little about these eco friendly bulbs.

Surprisingly, most people haven't even heard that there is a much more environmentally beneficial alternative light bulb to CFL's (compact fluorescents) or that CFL's contain an average of 5mg of mercury and by law are considered hazardous waste and not suitable for landfills. Most people don't know this because of all the eco-hype they get, which makes it worse because they end up going in the landfill anyway. The energy savings is huge as well. While a compact flourescent substitute for a 40 watt incandescent bulb uses about 13 watts, an LED 40 watt substitute uses only 1.5 watts! WOW!!!!

They also have 3 to 10 times as long a lifespan average of compact fluorescent bulbs.
Here's a nice article about the lifespan of compact fluorescents:
http://blogs.lawrence.edu/greenroots/2009/02/compact_fluorescent_life_span.html
It should also be noted that stoplights have been aggressively converted to LED bulbs not only for their energy savings but primarily for their durability and long life. LED bulbs also do not burn out all at once so users are not left in the dark (or a car accident). Instead, individual diodes will give out leaving the timing of replacement flexible depending on the necessity for full brightness. They also turn on instantly in all climates and temperature whereas fluorescents don't fair too well in colder temperatures.

Lastly, they don't have that 60 hertz flicker and hum like CFL's that give some people headaches.

There is a practical drawback that prevents this from replacing all your lights though. They're still a little dim and the color is cool. But like with CFL's they're making advancements quickly.

For now, I find them great for my bedside lamp, closets, porch light, and hall lights.

So celebrate Earth Day with me and give an LED bulb a try!

During the mid 90's I spent most of my time in the woods learning primitive skills, tracking, and about nature in general. It was on one winter night that I had a particularly amusing event involving a fox.

I had gone to Hanging Rock State Park in January and setup camp in the public campground. On that evening I had the entire campground to myself, well mostly...

I went on a drive down the California coastal highway last night to do some thinking. I started to think it would be nice to bowl a couple of games at Sea Bowl, a bowling alley that overlooks the Pacific ocean and looks like a building straight out of the Jetsuns.

Anyway, the lanes were all booked for another 2 hours when I got there so I got back in the car, but instead of getting back on the highway, I went up the road behind the alley that seemed to beckon me. Little did I know that the road would dead end into a trailhead. So why not take a hike?

It was beautiful! The trail went up a ridge that encircled a huge valley. I looked the place up on the internet and discovered I was on Milagra Ridge overlooking Pacifica. I could see for miles by the moonlight. The air was thick with the smell of varying sage bushes. It was this same smell over 4 years ago that welcomed me to California. I wasn't able to figure out which plants emmitted the fragrance then, but it was easy on this night. But then again, 4 years ago I was barely alive it seems.

The moon rose over the top of the ridge I was climbing, welcoming and beckoning me. This was the first night hike I had been on in too many years. Sure, I had made a few attempts. The last one was cut short by a mountain lion. I had only gotten about 20 yards from the car before I had to turn around. But this night was different. Ever since I left the monastery six years ago the woods did not welcome me. But this night was different. In the past, if I attempted to force my way in, I was quickly ejected, like the instance with the mountain lion. But again, this night was different.

The moonlight was intoxicating. At times, it was encircled by a giant rainbow ring. When I reached the first crest, I could see out over the ocean which was incredibly lit on this night. To the North, I could see San Francisco, my home, which was about 12 miles away. Such a contrast! All the distant city lights versus the wide expanse of a mostly treeless and lightless (except the moon) mountain chain. Turning to the East there's a deep valley, undeveloped and void of lights to my delight, and another long range of mountains beyond it that circle to the South and meet the Ocean.

Wow! You see, I'm from North Carolina where I fell in love with the Appalachian Mountains. But who knew that you could be in the mountains and at the ocean at the same time!

So over the crest I went. For another six hours, I wandered, stopping frequently to sit, think, sing, and pray. It was sort of a reunion for me, with land and spirit. I had not felt this way since I last walked in the Pine barrens of New Jersey seven years before. Six years ago, I thought I had lost everything, including my heart. It's been a very painful six years interspersed with periods of numbness. But this past January, something began to stir. And on this night, I heard its voice.

You know what it said?

I'm still here!