Got Worms????

We met with Ginger G. the other day.  She has worms, and she puts them to good use.    Ginger had been looking for a way to do composting on a smaller scale.  She wasn't interested in a composting bin.  She and her husband, Sam, don't make enough waste for that.  She talked to several people who had composting bins and asked them how they liked them.  The typical response was, "Great!  Would you like mine?"  Her granddaughter's school project provided the solution.  It's called a worm tube.  This one is special,  it was even made by her granddaughter.  

Her daughter has one that she has placed in her herb garden.  The worms break down the kitchen waste and leave behind a beautiful addition to the soil, making fertilizers unnecessary.  If you would like to make your own worm bin, follow this link. Click here  This blog spells out everything so clearly in step by step, easy to follow directions.  It's not rocket science.  You cut a 3" plastic pipe to about three feet long.  Cut several holes in the bottom part of the tube to allow worms to get in and out.  Bury the pipe in the ground and fill it with kitchen waste.

Ginger wanted to get started in composting, but wanted to take baby steps.  We like her approach.  Initially a task can seem overwhelming.  But, if it is broken down into simple small steps, we can make progress.  Ginger collects her scraps in the plastic bucket (in the photo above).  When the bucket is full, she goes out and fills her tube.  

Sam and Ginger have also created a neat recycling bin next to their garbage can.  Sam is a wizard with glass and plexiglass so he made a nifty square box to hold their cans and papers.  These are three pretty basic steps that just about anyone could undertake.

After the interview Sam and Ginger asked us if we'd like some greens to take home.  "Yes" Pastor Mark said, "I do."  Their garden is a beautiful project filling about half of their back yard.  And now, slowly but surely, their worm tube is going to help improve this soil, making it even more productive in the years to come.  

McMinnville Water & Light Energy Audit

Sam Graham and I had the pleasure of meeting with Matt Deppy today.  I know Matt from the Habitat for Humanity Board where we served together for a year.  Matt's job is to consult with home and business owners about ways in which they can save on their energy bills.  We were meeting with Matt today to look over our church buildings at McMinnville Cooperative Ministries.  Sam was our guide for the tour.  He has spent several decades working on the buildings of this church and knows them inside and out (literally!)
We start in the depths of the basement in the old building.  Our heating system is a problem.  There is a mechanical switch which has to be flipped to turn have one of two thermostats running the heating system.  There is duct work running in every direction and even Sam has no idea where they all end up.  Surprisingly the natural gas furnace is fairly efficient for a building this old.
Any McMinnville Water and Light customer can call and request information about home efficiency.  After we are done in the depths of the basement we climb up to the top of the sanctuary and Matt looks over the insulation (or lack of insulation in spots.)  Caulking up cracks and openings in your home is the lowest lying fruit.  I heard someone once estimate that the average American home has the equivalent of a three foot by three foot hole going to the outside.  This hole is spread out in tiny cracks that flush out cool air in the summer and let out hot air in the winter.  Right after sealing those holes the next step would be to improve insulation (especially in the ceiling.)  The last thing we do is head into the new building.  Sam knows of a groovy little half door that goes out onto the ceiling above the kitchen.  The view from up there is great! Sam has the door open and is springing up the too tall staircase with the dexterity of man half his age.  Matt and I hustle to catch up.  There are two huge heat pumps which supply the heat and air conditioning for the Great Room downstairs.

When we are done with the tour Matt shows us a chart of the church's energy usage for the past three years.  Surprisingly our electric bill averages only about $600 a month.  With all of the baseboard heaters we have in our old building, and with all of the people who use it, I was expecting a higher number.  That's good news except that we won't realize amazing savings by making our buildings more efficient.  If we lived in Portland, our bill would be twice as high.  McMinnville's little independent power company is extremely efficient, and when Portland Gas and Electric was being decimated by Enron, McMinnville was quietly investing in infrastructure.  It's a great blessing, but it's going to make it a lot harder for us to get a pay back on those solar panels that I want to install on the tops of our roofs.  Matt suggests that they would pay for themselves in a relatively short century or so . . .  

Dear Kraft Foods . . .

You can see in the photos above that the cardboard box for the sugar free lime Jell-o packet weighs .03 ounces.  While the second photo shows that the packet and product weigh .04 ounces.  However, the envelope itself weighs .01 ounces, so the packaging for this Jell-o in fact does weigh more than the product it contains.  Doesn't that seem a bit strange to anyone else?  Also the package does not indicate that any recycled materials were used in it's manufacture.  What's a consumer to do?  One option would be to stop using their product, but we LOVE Jell-o.  So we decided to write a letter.  And, why just send a letter when you can send it to the CEO of the company!  So, here's the letter.  It went in the mail yesterday.   We'll see if we get any response.
Ms Irene Rosenfeld, Chairman and CEO of Kraft Foods,

         I am one of a small group of church members who are concerned for the environment and are seeking to reduce our carbon footprint.  Today my pastor and I phoned your Jello division with our concern about excessive packaging of miniscule amounts of product in large, wasteful containers.  The weight of the sugar-free gelatin packaging actually exceeds the weight of the product contained in that packaging.  Judy, the nice, helpful woman to whom we spoke, suggested that we write to you at the above address.       Is there a way that you could creatively reduce the amount of your packaging?  Also, we are wondering if you have green policies in place for your company?  If so, is there some way we could view those policies?  Also, there nothing printed on your package to indicate that the boxes are made from recycled materials.  Can we assume, then, that the packaging materials are manufactured from "virgin" ingredients?  Would the cost be prohibitive to use recycled materials?         I remember fondly what a treat it was when my mother made cherry Jell-O with bananas for dessert, and I have been a faithful Jello customer all my adult life.  I would like to see you reduce your wasteful packaging, and to pursue using recycled materials.  These small steps would help me and all Jell-O consumers to reduce our carbon footprint.
Sincerely,
Joanne Walker and Pastor Mark C. Pederson