Ski Green

My green guilt kicked in (again) last week as I enjoyed my favorite winter sport – downhill skiing – during a long weekend trip to the Colorado Rockies. We carpooled from the Denver airport over icy mountain passes in a (less than fuel efficient) vehicle that I will admit to being pleased to have had considering the many vehicles we passed which were either flipped over or crashed into the guardrail (we counted 6 auto and 2 truck accidents!) on our way to Vail, CO.

Skiing is an energy intensive sport, but Vail is one of the few resorts that have recently implemented self imposed energy reduction strategies. Using hybrid buses for mass transportation and making recycling receptacles readily available, were some of the more visible green efforts I noticed. Other efforts were noted in a Newsweek article last winter. Despite these surface efforts, however, I think the onus should be shifted to skiers to seek out ways to improve the green impact of our beloved winter pastime. Creating demand for energy efficient means of traveling to and from our favorite downhill destinations (like a high speed train or electric AWD vehicles capable of making the treacherous journey on I-70 safely) is just a start.

In addition, staying in green hotels, purchasing eco-friendly snow attire, and seeking out sustainable options for the boards we strap to our feet on which to speed more sustainably down the slopes, skiers passionate about our sport and our planet should be driving change.

If you are interested in learning more about skiing green, consider joining the Mountain Riders Alliance which is a “group of like-minded people dedicated to making a positive change in the ski area industry, as well as supporting the environment, surrounding communities, and what’s best for the ski community.

Stay Calm and Press On!

Ironing is one of my least favorite domestic tasks and I had hoped that going green might get me out of this much dreaded household chore. I considered simply not ironing, but realized after a short experiment in ironing abstinence, that I looked too unkempt to continue on in that manner.

Short of replacing 75% of my working wardrobe, I would simply have to fire up the iron and press on… (pun intended).

If iron I must, I decided to do some research to see if there was a more eco-friendly way to accomplish the tedious task.

One article I found instructed that one should, “collect as many pieces as you can to press at the same time.” As indicated by the photo, I could check this pointer off my list! The author also suggested that, “While the iron is heating up, press the thinner clothes that require less heat first. When the iron is hot, press the more difficult ones. If you have thinner items again you can turn off and unplug the iron and press the clothes that need less heat again to end.” These sounded like wise words.

A typical steam iron uses between 1000 and 1700 Watts/hr. According to another insightful blogger, there was an additional trick of the trade I needed to employ. The blogger advised, “to reduce ironing time and save energy, put foil under the ironing board cover. This will reflect heat up on the clothes as you iron.”
I tried this, and noticed that it did help get the stubborn wrinkles out more readily.

Do you have any green ironing insights to share? If so, please add your comments below!

A Garden of Resolutions for 2011

Happy New Year!

The holidays flew by just as quickly as 2010! In the last week of the year, I was able to spend time with family and friends and craft 2011 New Year’s resolutions.

During a visit with my Aunt Sallie, she shared a book received as a gift from her daughter Melanie that features Mel’s husband Aaron. Aaron and Mel live in Missoula, Montana where Aaron works as the Director of Development for the Missoula YMCA. This brilliant and dedicated young couple is admirable for so many reasons, but Aarons work with the YMCA and the Missoula Food Bank is truly inspirational. He has made great strides teaching people to grow their own food. In addition, he has managed to help incorporate this local fresh food supply into the Food Bank to support healthy and nutritional local food options for Food Bank recipients. The book he is featured in is called Growing A Garden City by Jeremy Smith.

In the travels to and from family visits, our carload of happy wanderers brainstormed 2011 resolution ideas. My son, who is a talented young creative spirit, resolved to work on his painting skills. My daughter wants to climb more trees and plant and care for a garden. Maybe Aaron can share some of his insight with us as we work out a plan for our garden this year!

If you have any resolutions to make the world a better place, please share them as comments to this blog.