let the sun shine in

The desire to go solar is a noble one.  I grew up with solar hot water and a chemical engineer as a father.  Back then my earthly conscious was not developed.  Now I am a mother of 4, living in the environmentally conscious Marin County.  I'd really love to be 100% solar to spare the earth of our electric consumption.  Plus it's pretty cool.

Problem, even with rebates and such, we can't afford to install a system to cover our high end electric costs.  Plus, my dad advised that it would take too long for it to pay for itself.  Solution, LEASING!  There is a company (solar city) that installs solar for the cost of a lease.  It's a 10 year lease including maintenance.  Now, I can't imagine that in 10 years that they would come take the panels off of my house, but 10 years of green power is 10 years of green power.

Solar City came out to my house to explain their process.  They handle the calculations, system recommendations, engineering, rebates, installation, etc.  The lease would net me potentially $20/month savings.  Based on our family's consumption we spent approximately $90/month.  Our lease would be $70/month and 2/3 of our power would be solar.  It would replace our expensive power, leaving our less expensive power to come from PG/E.  To replace all of our power, it would cost us more than we were paying a month.  Looks like dad was right.  To have solar power 100% cover our usage it would cost more than we were paying.  Hmmmm.

We were able to capitalize on all of the rebates being offered and Solar City did all of the work.  We just provided 12 months of power history and set up automatic withdraw.

20 months later, this is how I remember it.  My main frustrations were that because we were a lease, we were less of a priority than their customers paying up front.  There was also a lack of communication in between steps.  The person who initially came to my house was no longer with their company.  I was told it would be a minimum of 6 months before installation due to the economic downturn.  But, I want it now!  Well, luckily we didn't have to wait so long.  It was kind of like Disneyland where they under promise and over deliver.  My last issue was that they did not consult us on how they were going over our roof and we had to have them come back and paint the conduit black to blend in with the roof color. That's it.

Overages in power produced are put back into our numbers.  We were moved to an annual payment and tracking plan.  Our meter was converted to digital to enable it to work positive and negatively.  We are sent monthly statements.  In summer, sunny months, we have the ability to produce more power than we need.  In the grayer months, we consume more power.

We've now got 1 year of history.  Did we save $20/month?  No.  We did break even.  We had no problems.  We had a home system plugged in tracking our performance.  We successfully replaced lots (a super technical term there) of our power with solar at no increased cost to us.  Yes, we have panels on our house, but I think they are pretty cool.  Oh, and dad originally agreed that this seemed to be a no lose proposition.  Looks like Dad is always right.

It's a Breeze-drying that is

I have always wanted to have a clothesline to dry clothes on.  It seems like such an environmental thing to do.  Sure, lots of people compost, but how many do you know that dry their clothes on a line?  How would a family of 6 accomplish this?  In the foggy bay area?  With my Extenda 4 retractable clothesline.  Breezedryer.com is where I found this nifty item.

It is retractable, but I rarely retract it.  It has 4 lines, so I can hang tons of clothes, etc on it.  I have conveniently located mine 1/2 in the direct sun and 1/2 under a covered area.  This is handy because I tend to leave my clothes hanging for a few days and they get re-damp if left in the open (fog and rain will do that).  It has a crank to make it taut and can really hold weight.  All summer long I hung out the kids' towels after swimming at the pool.  I didn't want to rewash and dry them every day for 5 days in a row of lessons.

Some keys to my success with this is that it is conveniently located near my washer dryer area.  As I said before, part of the area is covered.  It does not take up a lot of space.  Mine is mounted over and in front of some plants.  It is really a pretty area to "have" to hang laundry in.  Also, I can put sweaters on top of all 4 lines to dry them without hanging and stretching them.

My biggest issue is that the jasmine and trumpet vines that are planted on the fence behind it like to send their tendrils to the lines to grow.  Also, my original one came broken, so I had to swap it out.  Breeze was a breeze to deal with and I was up and drying in no time.

I got the wall mount system and had brackets made to extend it from my fence.  Another option is to post mount it, of which they also sell the posts.  You can get yours or eco-clothes-drying advice/items at Breezedryer.com.  Mine was $108.75 + $16.95 for shipping.  Now I want the easifold laundry trolley to shuttle my clothes out to the line.

Two-Bushel Wheeled Hamper

Canvas wheeled basket - 2 bushel

I love this item.  It was originally a stuffed animal holder.  It's next life was a skateboard/scooter holder.  It's newest reincarnation is a laundry hamper.  So much so, I am designing 2 of them into my kids' new bathroom.  Problem...I purchased mine many many years ago at The Museum of Useful Things.  They are currently out of stock in this lovely item.  Remarkably, the price of $120 hasn't changed over the years.  It has been written up in design blogs, maybe this is why it isn't available any more.

Thorough searching led me to industrialhouse.com where they have the same looking cart for $182.   I tried to sweet talk my brother into selling me his.  He promptly found it on Ebay for $100/+$20 shipping.  I am going to try calling MUT to see if they have more coming in.  I am a loyal customer and love their products.  If they fail me here, Ebay, here I come.

clyrago: MBT - the anti-shoe

Update...clyrago: MBT - the anti-shoe

Even though our local summer isn't producing much heat, my shoes are running hot. I don't wear socks in the summer and the shoes have been getting sweaty. Well, really, it's my feet getting sweaty, but it doesn't help the shoes any. My solution was to look for these in sandals. Back to my local shoe shop, I tried the sandals on. Comfy, but again $250. Back to my resource of online shopping I went. Unfortunately the "cuter" versions were not as deeply discounted as the previous style I purchased. That's what I get for shopping with a need, in season. 3 weeks of vacation was upcoming the next week. Lots of heat and walking. I had to get these. I tried to use Orthosandals as a substitute, but they rubbed my feet on top and made owies. So, footwearetc.com I went and in less than 2 days I had my sandals. $200 that I do not regret spending. I have worn them everyday since receiving them, walked miles and miles, drove miles and miles and so on. This is saying a lot because I don't have a lot of disposable income right now. They are worth every penny.

The dry cleaning journey - SF Green Clean

Yes, I love my products.  I also love my services....  I want tell you about SF Green Clean.  I know that some of you are in an area that they service.  If you aren't, you can use their resource pages to learn more about green dry cleaning.

I am as picky about our dry cleaners as I am a dentist or doctor.  When we moved to Mill Valley, we could not find a local cleaner that pressed our shirts in a manner we liked.  We traveled back to our old haunt for a couple of years.  Lots of kids later, the time it took to drive for dry cleaning became frivolous.  We then switched to a local company that delivered for "free".  Their prices were higher, but delivery was free.  I LOVED that convenience.

Then, somewhere I read about SF Green Clean.  Yes, I know we don't live in SF anymore.  It never hurts to inquire if they'll be opening a branch near you.  It turns out, they were willing to deliver and pick-up to Southern Marin.  Woohoo.

SF Green Clean drives Prius, uses wooden hangers and fabric garment bags.  They are truly green with no PERC (see their site for technical explanations) and no home waste (no plastic bags or wire hangers).  They do not bug us for their wooden hangers we've kept in our closet.  We try to switch out to our own hangers, but don't have enough, so hang on to a few of theirs.  They have an online clothes tracker.  I think this would be helpful if you couldn't remember what you'd sent to the cleaners.  I always had to do a count to make sure the proper amount of clothes were coming back to me.  Now I can visit my clothes on-line to check on them.  Not that I ever do this... I've become lax in my personal clothes tracking.  They also e-mail to schedule delivery changes.  This is so helpful because I always forget to change my deliveries when I am out of town.  I never have my cleaners phone number with me, so e-mail works better for me.

Originally we had Ted doing our pick-up and deliveries.  I think he was the owner or something.  Now we have Christina.  They both make us feel like we're special and matter.  Shouldn't we feel this way about everywhere we spend our money?  Speaking of money, I've recapped my last 2 years' of cleaning bills and our cost looks to have gone down a bit.  How cool is that?  I get to use a green business, have happy clothes delivered and picked up and save money?  I'll take it, how about you?

Rock and roll on - Nirve MP3 Stereo Speakers

Yes, it has been a while.  We had an appendix issue at the beginning of March and then general spring chaos took over.  We are in the throws of it, but I couldn't wait to tell you about my new bike accessory.  I saw it, searched it, ordered it and am loving it within 24 hours of first sight.

I should start by saying that since the weather is nicer, I've been trying to ride my FR8 around town more.  We're running normal "car" errands on the bike now.  A trip to the store can be 10-15 minutes each way.  Some locations are up hills that I'm not very good at.  Music is a huge motivator.  When I am by myself, I can use my headphones.  If #4 is riding along, I cannot.  This is where the item below comes in...

The NY Times did a write up.  gear test and I poked around and couldn't believe how inexpensive and resourceful MP3 speakers could be for a bike.  The Nirve MP3 stereo speakers were well reviewed at most places I searched online.

These speakers are about the size of a padded sunglass case.  They have 2 velcro attachments to go on a bike's handlebars.  The case has a zipper opening and in the bottom section a band to hold your MP3 (or an iphone in my case) in place.  There is a plug that goes into the headphone port of the MP3.  In the top, there is an on/off switch.  4 AAA batteries.  That's it.  So simple, yet functional.

Now, can speakers the size of a sunglass case be heard?  Yes they can.  I have to make sure my music is not set too loud, because these speakers can project further than my local surroundings.

I found mine at Art's Cyclery .  They were $24.99 with $5 shipping.  They arrived the next day!  Woohoo.  Their price is pretty consistent at other online retailers.  Shipping varies.  The only issue I've had is that when I hit big bumps on the road, my iPhone skips to the next song.

Rock on....

MBT - the anti-shoe

I've meant to watch a dvd that came with my MBTs before I told you about them.  When I went to play it today, it didn't work.  Oh well, on to the most asked about item I have (even more than my bike)!

I've been seeing MBTs advertised in magazines for years.  I am also out of shape and have had back problems due to lack of core strength (or 4 kids, not sure which came first).  It took MBT coming out with a non-medical looking mary-jane style of shoe in red and it being in my local athletic store to consider buying them.  "What?"  "The style that I want is discontinued?"  Well, that was my $aving grace (see below).

According to their website, and probably their DVD, MBTs help you have proper alignment when standing and walking.  They engage your core to create more strength.

MBTs are comfortable.  When my back has been tweaked, they make it easier for me to walk.  The first week I wore them, muscles hurt that I didn't even know existed.  Now, I don't notice aching.  Does this mean they aren't working?  I have no idea.  I don't feel "more in shape" since I've been wearing them.  What I do know is that they feel good when I run around doing what I do.  They're not fancy, but as decent a look as any normal tennis shoe.  Online they have some cuter styles.  I guess if people saw cute in advertisements, they'd think the MBTs wouldn't work as well?

Footwear etc recommends that you order 1/2 size bigger.  This was true for me.  I also have a wide foot, and these are comfortable, even with socks.  So, I'm not sure how you'd fare if you had a narrow foot.  They are comfortable to stand in, in a way that my Danskos have never been.  In fact, my Danskos have given me blisters and aches when worn for extended periods of time.  My MBTs get a bit stinky when not worn with socks.  It would be great if they could combine Geox's ability to breathe with these, but oh well for now.

What was $250 (yes, for a relatively non-cute pair of shoes) in my local store, was $99 on-line at footwear etc.  In looking them up today, they are up to $130, but it's better than $250.  These came so fast.  I ordered them in the afternoon one day and they came the next morning from their east-bay distribution center.  Amazing service.  No tax or shipping.  Normally they don't take returns, but do for MBTs.

Update....

Update:  Even though our local summer isn't producing much heat, my shoes are running hot.  I don't wear socks in the summer and the shoes have been getting sweaty.  Well, really, it's my feet getting sweaty, but it doesn't help the shoes any.  My solution was to look for these in sandals.  Back to my local shoe shop, I tried the sandals on.  Comfy, but again $250.   Back to my resource of online shopping I went.  Unfortunately the "cuter" versions were not as deeply discounted as the previous style I purchased.  That's what I get for shopping with a need, in season.  3 weeks of vacation was upcoming the next week.  Lots of heat and walking.  I had to get these.  I tried to use Orthosandals as a substitute, but they rubbed my feet on top and made owies.  So, footwearetc.com I went and in less than 2 days I had my sandals.   $200 that I do not regret spending.  I have worn them everyday since receiving them, walked miles and miles, drove miles and miles and so on.  This is saying a lot because I don't have a lot of disposable income right now.  They are worth every penny.