What's going on on your world?

Hi All,
This is Gisele and I'm executive director of EndOil. We're thrilled that thousands of people have signed onto our national petition to demand our next President and Congress create a plan to end U.S. oil dependency. And we're also happy that we have a growing community here at the Bee Hive!

We'd love to know what you're doing in your communities, homelife, and work to end oil dependency. Big and smaller efforts--they all add up.

Where are you? And what are you doing?

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Permalink Reply by Sue on August 30, 2008 at 1:14pm: We are trying to make a difference by walking and riding bibyles as mich as possible. We cnanot ride everywhere becasue of safety/traffic issues. We are in support of a pedestrian bridge over the river so we can get to sdowntown charleston (which is only 3 miles away) withour taking a car. The weather is normally good for biking so there really is no reason more people could ride bikes except that we have so many bridges and very few bike lanes. We do have a great greenway/trail that we use a lot and it helps connect a lot of neighborhoods together and allows us to get to restaurants, and shops, relatively safely. We recently formed a group the "Friends of the West Ashley Greenway " and plan to make improvements and get the word out that the greenway is great!

I am very concerned about rising sea levels and global warming! We will be flooded and so will so many othere people if rising sea levels cannot be stopped. Ultimately I think we will have to move from this area because of the sea level rise. It is a same as this town has so much history and so many beautiful areas. There are also a lot of caring people here who like to volunteer to clean up the environmant and get involved in environmental issues. Unfortunately there are also a lot who drive huge SUV's, speed through our neighborhood and everywhere else, and are very self centered. I guess it is probably like that everywhere. Thanks for setting up this website...I hope to learn other ways to help the environment and END OIL! One more thing...I went to a seminar about a year ago about off shore wind power and it was very interesting. I hope we can get the power companies to use these technologies before it is too late!!!!! And I hope that affordable electric cars(and maybe even solar) are available very soon!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Stewart M Bestwick on September 9, 2008 at 9:44am: We live in a very rural section of the South Carolina Low Country. Though we have cars, we activitely attempt to use our motorcycles rather than the other means of travel. We changed from motorized boats to paddle boats, walk when able and bicycle if possible. Both my wife and I actively participate if community discussions concerning local, city then state government operational practices. That consideration must be given for the replacement of fleet vehicles to a more environmentally friendly means of transportation, ie; Hybred vehicles in lieu of the old standard of mid to full size sedans. Making all governmental employees accountable for the total mileage they drive, as with the manner that they operate vehicles. This is specifically directed at law enforcement, high profile governmental activities and both elected and appointed political personalities. If we can effect this level of activities perhaps it can become a populas and non-partican voice that can demand by the full weight of the people. Also to reassert to ALL politicans that they must stop their party dominated fighting and posturing, which causes zero advancements and or corrective actions. Further to mandate succesfull accomplishment of the desires of the people or removal from ANY political office, for failure to do their job. Perhaps the resinding of specific procedures (perks) the politicans have written into law for THEIR OWN betterment, without approval of "We the People" would stimulate progress and advancement for the future, as we MUST leave a possible life for the next generation.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by vegie50 on March 3, 2009 at 10:56pm: We are based in Philippines helping the poor cope with devasted land due to poor farming practice mostly due to poverty .
We are involved in teaching them organic farming .
We need a plan for wind powered water pump can you help?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Hal Hurst on July 1, 2009 at 7:15pm: Your problem has two parts:

First you must build a windmill that will turn when the wind blows.
here are some considerations:

http://chestofbooks.com/home-improvement/construction/plumbing/Plum...

The windmill shaft may be connected to a drive belt or rotating shaft, or something for providing a continuous rotation to power a string of buckets or a turbine, or the like.

But I like the simplicity of using a force pump connected to your windmill by a crankshaft, which will provide an up-and-down motion. Then a stick or rod of some kind connects to the cylinder of the force pump, which can be made from a smaller pipe which travels within the water pipe, each closed at the bottom end with a rubber flap cut from an inner tube. The smaller pipe is sealed to the outer pipe with a rubber ring cut from the same innertube, which allows it to travel up and down, or you can wrap it with string to get a fair seal.

The inner flap on the cylinder opens when you push down, closes when you pull up.

The outer flap on the pipe inlet closes when you push down, opens when you draw the cylinder up.

Your crank does the pushing and pulling. Most of this can be made with PVC pipe and whatever wood or metal rods you can find.

I uploaded a sketch of the pump.

You can also get the idea from this:

http://chestofbooks.com/home-improvement/construction/plumbing/Manu...; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Hal Hurst on July 1, 2009 at 7:24pm

here is the sketch.

Attachments:

pump.GIF, 12 KB

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Permalink Reply by Hal Hurst on July 1, 2009 at 5:51pm: Find a place to live within biking distance from work.
Trade in minivan, buy a more fuel efficient car. Bike when I can to work, and sharing the car with my daughter.
Use a fan or a sweatshirt instead of turning up air conditioning or heating. Buy extra blanket for the bed, afghan for watching TV. Or turn off the TV and read a book.
Use directed lighting instead of lighting the whole room when you are sitting in one place.
Swapping out tungsten bulbs for CFLs.
Replace old lenses and stick tinfoil on ceiling behind tube lights in drop ceiling to increase brightness, then replace each large 40w fluorescent tube with two or three 9-watt CFLs in sockets.
Using warm white LED strings from Christmas, remove globe fixture, stuff string inside, screw in 2-prong plug adaptor for light socket, and plug in string, replacing globe. Voila- dimmable light fixture.
Motion- activated porch light.
Trade in desktop computer for laptop.
Take the train when traveling alone. Take a passenger when traveling by car.
Make iced tea by steeping overnight in cold water.
Soak grains overnight before cooking them.
Turn down the shower, use less hot water.; ▶ Reply to This