Its Earthday!

[hillbilly4008]

Reduce!
Reuse!
Recycle!


Wait a second........what makes today any different than any other day?

 

[dumprat]

Cool I plan on going outside and burning a picture of David Suzuki, and some old tries.

 

[dmw56]

Yes Happy Earthday. Go hug a tree today. Everyday is Earthday. Be kind to your Mother and she will be kind to you!

DMW56
Environmental Scientist

 

[Willowbilly3]

Yes Happy Earthday. Go hug a tree today. Everyday is Earthday. Be kind to your Mother and she will be kind to you!

DMW56
Environmental Scientist

Yup, that.

 

[hillbilly4008]

i was actually refering to the fact that rat rodding shares the same values. Ya friggin hippies

 

[Tripper]

Yeah Earth!

I rode my bike around all day today in honor of Earth Day! I rode past a huge stand of Star Jasmine... awesome!!!

BoB

 

[Thunder1]

Reduce!
Reuse!
Recycle!


Wait a second........what makes today any different than any other day?

Those three "R's" reminds me of what else??? Rat Rods Rule!!! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, - Thats what Rat Rods are all about! How bout that? We're earth friendly!!!

 

[Willowbilly3]

I love bicycles, have since I was a pup. I love the planet and want to take care of it. I also love old tin and I love the smell of the crankcase vapors from old pre-pcv engines with road draft tubes.
I read somewhere that the carbon foorprint to manufacture a new car is way bigger than just driving an old one, don't remember how many years it takes to balance out but quite a few. Also the carbon footprint of manufacturing most electric solar panels can never be recuperated by the energy they save. There is a new one coming out that is cheap and efficient tho.

 

[timbo]

Instead of buying a new car, Pull a car out of the woods and recycle it and cruise it on the streets.
Tim

 

[moronthethrottle]

I'm spending a good part of my Earth Day researching residential wind turbines. Prices seem to range from $2000 up to $65,000 and boast savings of 30% to 90% on your utility bill. Lots of good tax incentives for these things!

I'm in the highest wind zone Iowa has to offer (freegin wind never stops blowin' around here +17mph annual average) and there are big generators being erected all around me. My location is also ideal since I live on 4 acres of land up on a hill, in the middle of corn fields.

I already have an electric heat pump, but am also considering supplementing that by using a corn burner in lieu of LP. Then I could take the farmland I will inherit and plant corn. 90% self sufficiency, or something like that.

I'd like to think this is more than a pipe dream, but I guess time will tell!?!

 

[Bonehead]

You know, I have always thought about buying an old portable welder that had a bad motor, and sticking a big wind prop on it. I am sure it would not be that simple, but I'd like to try it, just for fun.

 

[dmw56]

I'm spending a good part of my Earth Day researching residential wind turbines. Prices seem to range from $2000 up to $65,000 and boast savings of 30% to 90% on your utility bill. Lots of good tax incentives for these things!

I'm in the highest wind zone Iowa has to offer (freegin wind never stops blowin' around here +17mph annual average) and there are big generators being erected all around me. My location is also ideal since I live on 4 acres of land up on a hill, in the middle of corn fields.

I have some info on residential wind turbines. I'll have to send it to you next week when I'm back in the office. I've been lookin into it also. Sounds like you may be in a good area. Most wind turbine are most efficient at wind speeds up to 25-30 mph and must be mounted in a area with the least amount of turbulance. There are so simple ways to test for this using a kite or weather balloon.

 

[moronthethrottle]

Thanks Don, that'd be cool.

I've been looking at the following:
Freeticity
HighPlainsWind
Earth4Energy Homemade!
SouthwestWindpower, in particular the 3.7 model.

I'd never mount one on the roof of my house though!

My boss currently has over 100,000 sq ft of open manufacturing space and would like to get a wind generator company to set up shop here. It's kind of funny because he has always been such a promoter of coal. At 84, he's just following the $ now. I sure hope I have his energy when I'm that age...if you can find him, you'll never see him without one of his laptops and his Blackberry!

 

[Willowbilly3]

I see several loads of those 90 foot long wind mill blades come through here every week.
I have also talked to people who say you don't want to live near a bunch them. They make some kind of weird vibrations I guess.

 

[buckeyedon]

Thank you mother earth for your oozing black crude they make into gasoline. That I burn in my internal combustion engine emitting carbon dioxide. Which feeds all flora and fauna which intern emitts oxygen. Seems like a fare trade to me.

 

[moronthethrottle]

I see several loads of those 90 foot long wind mill blades come through here every week.
I have also talked to people who say you don't want to live near a bunch them. They make some kind of weird vibrations I guess.

My sister-in-law builds those fiber-glass blades in Pipestone, MN. It's cool watching them get trucked down the highways around here, too. Man their huge!!

I don't know about the weird vibrations, though I have heard of some complaints about noise and stuff. Try standing under one as it's turning, it'll blow you away!! They make it sound like the smaller residential ones aren't as annoying.

I like Boneheads idea-building a generator out of a welder. It would be a good idea for a guy who uses a lot of power with all your equipment.

 

[dmw56]

Here's a few sites for more info.

http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/getting_wind.asp

http://www.awea.org/

http://www.how2buildwindturbines.com/reviews2.php?apid=A15H&gclid=COKQhO3KkZoCFR0SagodCQQOLQ

http://www.windenergy.com/index_wind.htm

http://www.otherpower.com/otherpower_wind.shtml

There is a windpower convention next week in Chicago.
http://www.windpowerexpo.org/

 

[moronthethrottle]

Thanks DMW! Are you looking at the "power4home" self made units? It looks too good/easy to be true....I'm having a hard time not spending the $50 now and start making a bunch of them to sell locally. A lot of +1000 head hog & cattle confinements could save a fortune using these! What an easy sell.

 

[dmw56]

Thanks DMW! Are you looking at the "power4home" self made units? It looks too good/easy to be true....I'm having a hard time not spending the $50 now and start making a bunch of them to sell locally. A lot of +1000 head hog & cattle confinements could save a fortune using these! What an easy sell.

Yes, it's tempting isn't it and yes it sound too good to be true. But there is a 60 day money back guarantee. It might just be $50 worth of entertainment but I'm willing to give it a shot.

 

[moronthethrottle]

This was just too funny...had to share! Check it out in motion: modelAtest