In this morning's column, I wrote about boxed wine as a way to lessen the impact of imbibing.

There are, of course, many local wineries. And some top notch local beer breweries, some of which even let you buy the brew in refillable “growlers.”

(By the way, those in the eco-know tell me that when you’re at a bar or restaurant and you’re not sure whether the place recycles the bottles, order on tap.)

The region even has a local gin — Blue Coat, distilled in Philadelphia. It got top ratings from a local group of researchers and gin afficionados.

Then there’s the whole range of organic alcohol drinks.

But back to boxes:

At least one reader challenged the value of cardboard over glass, so here are more details from David Biddle of the Greater Philadelphia Recycling Council.

“The bottom line issue is that cardboard recycling tends to save 60 percent of the energy used to make cardboard out of trees. Whereas glass recycling, even at the highest level — bottles into bottles — tends to only save about 40 percent of the energy that would be used if you were making glass directly out of silica material.”
As for the plastic bladder, it looks like that can’t be recycled, at least for now.

I had hoped people could cut off the little spigot and put the plastic bag into the plastic bag recycling bins in grocery stores.

So I called Rocco D’Antonio, with the Philadelphia grocery bag and packaging supplier, Penn Jersey Paper.

He said if the bladder plastic was a laminant, that would be a problem. I wasn’t sure, but either way, he also told me they can’t accept things with food or liquid residue on them.

I’m betting that will change in not too long, and there will be a way to recycle the bladders.

Meanwhile … cheers!

     The September issue of Women’s Health magazine has come out with some amazing statistics from a recent study. To me, it shows people really are willing to make changes in their lives to conseve more.
     Seems like every week a new study comes across my desk, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen numbers this high.
     The study was done by the consulting firm McKinsey & Company. It found that 55 percent of consumers worldwide say protecting the environment is one of the three most important global issues that should be tackled in the next five years.
     Here are some of the things respondents said they were up for:
    

     * Use energy-efficient appliances: 72 percent
     * Recycle: 71 percent
     * Adjust thermostats to use less energy: percent
     * Drive a more fuel-efficient car: percent
     * Buy locally produced goods: 44 percent
     * Improve home insulation: 44 percent
     * Eat less beef: 21 percent
     * Fly less frequently: 20 percent
    

     Will “willing” translate into “action?”
     That would be pretty amazing if it did.

There's been a national call -- however quiet -- to institute a national speed limit to save on gas.

It was in my mind when I was going through some old letters recently and came across one I wrote in  February of 1974 to my mother-in-law to be.

I was in Georgia in my first newspaper reporting job, at the Columbus Enquirer, and the 55 mph speed limit had just been passed.  I told her about a wire story that quoted wall graffiti from a restoom in the Georgia state capitol:

 "Drive 80 and freeze a Yankee."  

Energy efficiency "may be the farthest-reaching, least-polluting and fastest-growing U.S. energy success story of the last 50 years," says the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

They've been promoting it, of course, but they keep running up against common myths that confuse people. Is it possible to change the thermostat too much? Should you warm up your car or not?

Today, they've released a list of 10 mythbusters, and here they are:

MYTHBUSTING FACT #1: Turning off lights, even for short periods of time, really saves energy, with little impact on the lifespan of the bulb.  Turn off the lights even when you’re leaving a room for just a few minutes.

MYTHBUSTING FACT #2: Today's compact fluorescent lightbulbs work just as well as incandescents, and are just as safe. CFLs have come a long way in terms of quality and variety, and use a fraction of the energy of incandescent bulbs. Look for the ENERGY STAR label to ensure high quality bulbs, and try out different color varieties to find the one you like best (“soft white” most closely mimics the color of an incandescent). As for safety, even if a bulb breaks in your house authorities suggest that there is not enough mercury in the bulb to present a substantial health hazard. That being said, efforts should be taken to dispose of CFLs properly.

MYTHBUSTING FACT #3: Don't spend time warming up the car when it’s cold outside. While it is best to avoid stressing the car while the engine is cold, simply drive a bit more “gently” for the first few minutes. Also, idling a modern car always wastes more energy than turning it off (even for short periods of time).

MYTHBUSTING FACT #4: Turn down the thermostat while you’re away from the house for the day. If you are out for a good stretch of time (say 8 hours or so), this temperature "set-back" will save more energy than it will take to bring your home back to the desired temperature. (Note: If you have a heat pump, make sure you have a heat pump thermostat that has been properly programmed.)

MYTHBUSTING FACT #5: Don’t forget the simple maintenance needed to keep your heating and air-conditioning systems running efficiently. Change the air filter regularly (once a month during heating and cooling season) and get a “tune-up” by a contractor every 2 to 3 years.

MYTHBUSTING FACT #6: While heating and air-conditioning equipment is much more efficient than it used to be, there are still significant variations in energy use. The most important decision is which contractor to choose, so the equipment will be the right size and installed properly, and the ductwork will be fixed so that it doesn’t leak a quarter of the energy you buy (the US average)!  Qualified contractors will ask about comfort issues, run a real load calculation program so they won't need to sell oversized equipment, and discuss options with you. Premium equipment offers even better efficiency, and features such as quieter operation and better humidity control.

MYTHBUSTING FACT #7: Refrigerators, clothes washers, and dishwashers on the market today are much more efficient than those available ten or twenty years ago, but there are still significant differences in energy use among models.  For example, side-by-side refrigerator/freezers generally use more energy than freezer-on-top models. Features such as icemakers also use extra energy. Most front-loading clothes washers save significant amounts of energy and water compared to conventional top-loading designs. On the other hand, products like stoves vary relatively little in their inherent efficiency.

MYTHBUSTING FACT #8: The best way to save energy for your computer is to turn it off when you’re not using it. The second best way is to set it to automatically go into “sleep” or “hibernate” mode to save energy. Also, make sure the next computer you purchase has an ENERGY STAR label. Contrary to popular belief, using a screensaver saves no energy.

MYTHBUSTING FACT #9: Energy-efficient windows save energy, but a window replacement is unlikely to pay for itself in energy savings alone.  If you need to replace your windows for other reasons, the premium you’ll pay for high performance windows (ENERGY STAR or better) is generally worth the investment. And like so many other major energy efficiency projects, much of the energy savings depends on the quality of the contractor you hire to do the work. Bad installations can not only leak and cause drafts, but can also lead to major moisture damage.

MYTHBUSTING FACT #10: While energy-efficient windows are a step in the right direction, walls always outperform windows. Be careful not to choose oversized windows, and take extra steps to increase the performance of windows, such as shading for western- and southern-facing windows.

Jim Crater is irked that we keep referring to “alternative” energy instead of what it really is: “renewable” energy.

Whatever it’s called, he’s leading a workshop on household systems and variations this Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. the Norco Fire Hall on Route 724 in North Coventry, just south of Pottstown.

Topics include solar water-heating for hot water and space heating, wind power, and ground temperature to community building through co-op buying.

Speakers include Robert Ihlein from Sunergy Systems, Matt Lillard from Greensavers LLC, Brian Creswell from Creswell & Company, Jon Costanza from Sunpower Builders, John Malm from Radiant Comfort Systems, and Jim Crater from Recycling Services, Inc.

Various environmental organizations will staff informational tables. Co-sponsors include Crater’s Recycling Services, Inc., the Environmental Advisory Committee, Chester County Sierra Club Committee and the Pottstown Mercury.

Contact Crater at 610-323-8545, www.recyclingservices.org or JimCrater@aol.com.

In today’s GreenSpace column, I wrote about water conservation.

Even in our rain-rich region, it’s important. Rivers sometimes run low. Groundwater, which provides most of the drinking water for the suburban communities, can be depleted. Indeed, portions of the region are considered a groundwater protected area by the Delaware River Basin Commission, which limits withdrawals from it.

Another consideration: It takes electricity to pump and treat drinking water, and we all know how important it is to conserve electricity. Besides, guess what one of the biggest industrial users of water is: electricity generation plants, which use water for cooling.

It takes energy to treat water after we’ve used it, too. And our aging wastewater treatment plants are generally burdened by a growing population, so putting more water through them doesn’t help.

Along those lines, in addition to a private well, I have an aged septic system. It passed muster when we had it inspected, but I still treat it as if it were tender as an egg, trying to eek a long life out of it.

If I’m ever feeling burdened by trying to conserve water, I can always think back to a time when it was more fun: My husband and I lived on boats in the Bahamas for a total of nearly two years.  The first boat’s onboard tank held only 40 gallons, the second boat’s tank maybe 100. The more we conserved (and the more rainwater we managed to catch), the longer we could stay “out” — away from towns, which was part of the point.

We flushed with salt water, of course. We washed the dishes in salt and gave a quick rinse in fresh. We bathed overboard, then took a quick rinse with fresh. A good downpour was a real bathing and laundry event!

Overall, we got our usage down to about six gallons a day.

The world has been wondering how Beijing’s air pollution would play out in the 2008 Olympics.

Plants have been shut down — or, says the Washington Post, moved to other areas. Driving has been curtailed.
Yet it seems the pollution persists.

Here are some of the latest reports:

ABC-Australia reported this morning that the city woke up to a smog “white out.” Reporter John Taylor noted, “The smog is so thick that passers-by on the streets fail to cast shadows.”

The New York Times wrote about four U.S. Olympic cyclists stepping off their airplane wearing masks over their moths and noses. Juliet Macur reported that the U.S. Olympic committee had issued the masks, and “lead exercise physiologist, Randy Wilber, had advised the athletes to wear the masks on the plane and as soon as they stepped foot here.”

At the same time, the committee, worried that the masks might embarrass the host country, chided the cyclists for wearing them.

According to the Times report, cyclist Barry Friedman responded, “They have pollution in Los Angeles, and if the Olympics were in Los Angeles, we would probably wear these masks, too.”

Stay tuned.

If anyone should know how to save energy, it would be the folks at electricity companies.  

Recently, PECO held competition for household ideas among employees. Phillies tickets were the prize.  Here are some of the tips they came up with:

Darlene Banks – When the grandchildren visit I put out a jug of ice water or juice. This prevents the fridge from being opened and closed all day with someone wanting a drink. This also saves the environment with me buying less bottled water and juice boxes.

Joe Bisti – Most automatic dishwashers have an automatic drying process that begins after the washing and rinsing is done. Turning the dishwasher off just before the drying process beings & allowing the dishes to air dry may cost a bit of extra time, but doesn't require extra pennies from your wallet on the side.

Sue Campbell – Clean refrigerator coils every three months to ensure maximum efficiency.

Jim Cooper – Use major appliances during off-peak periods to provide relief from the heavy summer electric load during peak hours.

Cheryl Dowd – Use the cruise control when driving the open highways. You car uses less gas by maintaining a steady speed.

Kathleen Duffy – We use room darkening shades and keep them down during the day on the sunny side of the house to keep out the heat and use less energy to cool our home.

Gerald Flynn – Before turning on the air conditioner, I open the ground floor windows, open the attic door and turn on the attic fan for half an hour. This draws the hot air up and out of house. I then close the windows and turn on the air conditioner and turn off the attic fan. This takes less energy to cool the house down.

Melanie Fratanduono – We have register boosters (small side-by-side fans the size of the register) on the highest floor in our house that force air down the return register to help make the rooms cooler.

John Hartenstein – Encourage children to turn off lights and keep doors closed by using a piggy bank or savings jar. Add a few coins each day when kids consistently turn off lights. Take a few coins out whenever lights are left on or doors left open.

Bernard Herron – I have a sump pump in the basement that runs about once an hour. I use the water that we pump out of the basement to water the garden.

James L. Johnson – Take the water from the dehumidifier in the morning and water the plants on the deck.

Jerry Natalini – When stove top cooking, use lids on pots to reduce heating time.

Jeffrey Stango – Caulking pipes and vents that go to the outside can reduce cold air and heat from escaping.

Robin L. White – We have installed motion sensored lights in rooms where we are forgetful about turning off the lights. The powder room, kitchen and basement stairwell have sensored lights that go off after three minutes without motion.

A health benefits provider and a bicycle advocacy group have teamed up to provide 1,000 bikes at the Democratic and Republic national conventions.

The idea is to spare everyone the congestion and carbon emissions, not to mention the excess calories that no doubt go along with a week of heavy-duty politicking.

In a show of bipartisan support, Democrat and Republican legislators have challenged the delegates to ride 25,000 miles over the course of the two conventions. The Democrats will convene Aug. 25-28 in Denver, the Republicans Sept. 1-4 in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Costs are being shared by Humana Inc., the health benefits provider, and Bikes Belong. They contend the program will constitute the biggest bike-sharing program in the U.S. to date.

“Freewheelin” bike stations will be at hotels and convention centers. Bikes will be available beginning at 7 a.m. each day and don’t have to be returned to a bike station — any bike station will do — until 7 p.m.

A new web site – www.freewheelinwaytogo.com – has been launched so participants can pre-register.
“The eyes of the world will be on Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul for these historic conventions,” Jonathan T. Lord, Humana senior vice president and chief innovation officer, said in a statement.

“Bikes and bike sharing are a way for political leaders of the United States to demonstrate our nation’s commitment and leadership in health and sustainability to the rest of the world. We are challenging residents of both cities, delegates, delegations and media members to participate, compete and have fun!”