tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936895898908526968.post6320142913295852000..comments2024-01-20T20:50:47.643-05:00Comments on Woodswoman Extraordinaire: Holy wood pile, batman!Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06370084953064042249noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936895898908526968.post-38731159595215007132009-11-24T09:55:49.033-05:002009-11-24T09:55:49.033-05:00Jonathan - thanks for the link! All excellent deb...Jonathan - thanks for the link! All excellent debate points, lots of which we considered but couldn't confirm or answer for certain. Some great new points to contemplate, too. Again, I lament my inability to weigh all the environmental factors in any decision - I never seem to know enough. I should have become an environmental scientist, in retrospect.<br /><br />A cord, by the way, is one of two things. A full cord of wood is a pile that measures 8' long x 4' high x 4' deep. However, since most fireplaces won't fit a 4' long log, most wood is delivered in "face cords", which are 8' x 4' by fireplace length, which in our case is about 16" - 18". When I use the word "cord", I really mean "face cord".Hollyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06370084953064042249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936895898908526968.post-4958441785606086562009-11-24T09:51:36.550-05:002009-11-24T09:51:36.550-05:00b - I'm completely with you on how hard it is ...b - I'm completely with you on how hard it is to be eco-friendly. And how expensive! All any of us can do is the best we can in our own circumstances, and to bear the environment in mind as best we can when we make decisions. Personally I think the government should make it easier and more affordable to make environmentally healthy decisions and purchases, given the state of our environment. Of course, lots of people disagree with me on that.<br /><br />Re: litter - dang it, we haven't found good options either. We use feline pine clumping litter rather than clay, and it works amazingly well. Disposal required plastic bags, though, as you say. We try to take the Mountain to Mohammad (i.e. transport the big kitchen garbage bag to the litter boxes) to reduce the number of bags we use, and feline pine works well enough on odor to make that possible. But there really isn't a great solution!Hollyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06370084953064042249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936895898908526968.post-33701247313391995742009-11-24T07:37:27.679-05:002009-11-24T07:37:27.679-05:00Hi and hello.
I just wrote a small blog post for ...Hi and hello.<br /><br />I just wrote a small blog post for my workplaces solar panel quoter blog on the very subject of wood burning and is it eco-friendly?<br /><br />This followed my colleague just finishing getting his installed and now manic about any 'stray' piece of timber he comes across.<br /><br />On a personal note, as a kid, our old house had a raeburn stove and a coal fire that needed constant kindling chopping etc. My Dad worked on a farm so a trailer load of logs appearing in the driveway was a regular autumn occurrence - brings back many happy (if eco-unfriendly) memories.<br /><br />Regards<br />Jonathan.<br /><br />p.s here's a link - perhaps you'd care to chip in with your experience.<br /><br />http://solarpanelquoter.blogspot.com/2009/11/is-burning-wood-as-fuel-really-that-eco.html<br /><br />p.p.s what's a 'cord' of wood?Solar Panel Quoterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02108311113523584850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936895898908526968.post-86577861162554733932009-11-23T14:20:35.933-05:002009-11-23T14:20:35.933-05:00Oh! And I do have a question. How do you handle ...Oh! And I do have a question. How do you handle cat litter? We (erm, meaning my girl) cleans them once a day & at the moment we use plastic grocery bags. Not a first choice, but we're not sure how to do it more responsibly. Any ideas?b.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08207355138789996933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936895898908526968.post-24613587445158586392009-11-23T14:18:34.954-05:002009-11-23T14:18:34.954-05:00Okay, so I will start off saying that I find it in...Okay, so I will start off saying that I find it incredibly inspiring to read about people making informed, conscious decisions about how to live. You, in particular, really, really think about how your actions & your lifestyle impact the earth (& thus, the rest of us). Here's my problem: I find that MOST of the things that are healthiest for both people & the planet tend to be more expensive. We're working on 1 1 /2 salaries at the moment (actually, it's more like 1 1/3) & almost living beyond on our means as it is (due to my having to work part time). While we splurge on some organic things, especially for The Boy, we just simply cannot afford to only eat organic. We diligently recycle & half-assedly compost, but we don't live in a pedestrian (or even bike)-friendly area, so we rely heavily on cars to get places. I feel like if good-for-you things were more affordable, more people would be able to choose them (of course, good-for-you-things tend to be more expensive because a) there's more work involved & b) fewer people are buying so fewer dollars go to the company, yadda, yadda, yadda). I'm just blathering, but it's something I really struggle with. And feel guilt about.b.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08207355138789996933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936895898908526968.post-70605801077433756742009-11-23T13:15:28.218-05:002009-11-23T13:15:28.218-05:00I can relate! From the agonizing over what mode o...I can relate! From the agonizing over what mode of heating is the most efficient and least toxic to the planet, to the hauling and stacking of cords of firewood. Well, face cords. At least you have two of you to do it! I got my lowly 3 finally tucked away in one afternoon - it was a good workout!<br /><br />Beautiful fireplace, btw!Ellen Rathbonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17684750034177425795noreply@blogger.com