Results tagged “environment” from Green Mesh

Partial Zero Emissions Vehicles (PZEV) are vehicles that came about due to California emission standards dating back to the early 1990's. This technology has trickled over into the 50 state market.

The designation means a near pollution free vehicle without the hybrid hype and warrantied at that level for 150,000 miles. It doesn't necessarily mean that the vehicle gets good gas mileage. Some PZEV might not necessarily have high gas mileage.

• PZEV pollute as much as 90% less than other new cars.
• Fifty percent of pollution comes from the oldest 10% of cars. One 1970's car equals the pollution of hundreds of PZEV vehicles.
• 600,000 PZEV's are already on California roads.

The technology crosses over into all 50 states in some cars. I tried researching a comprehensive list and it got confusing. For example: A 2008 Prius is 50 PZEV compliant, Subaru offers PZEV in Legacy and Outback, but doesn't extend the warranty beyond California. PZEV vehicles have been build by manufacturers from Chrysler to Hyundai.

Continue reading to learn the specifics of how Subaru make it's 2.5 boxer engine a PZEV

It Broke !

I went on break, came back and the IR tubes wouldn't relight. I have been careful not to shock them. I called the company that markets The Silent Paint Remover and they offered free replacement of the tubes with a 2 day turn around. I am not sure if it's a fluke or the nature of using a fragile heating element in a tool that moves around all day.

There is another IR paint remover called the Speedheater and it uses tiny shock springs on the tubes and sockets, and costs $300 more than my unit with some tools thrown into the package.

I only have a 3'.3' square left to strip of a 30'x10' porch floor.. ug.

Previous Infrared Paint Remover entry

I have been avoiding stripping paint on an old house construction project. Actually, the porch I rebuilt 16 years ago on my last old house construction project needs to be stripped first.

Paint formulation in the past few years has been going though a transformation as volatile compounds are removed in favor of water based mixtures. I use water based paint for everything, except porch floors where the latex substitute just doesn't seem to work well.

So now I have several layers of different formulations of paint on some really sound red pine that needs to be stripped.

I have been eying this really overpriced infrared paint remover for some time and a week of vacation and perpetual procrastination seemed like a tipping point to cough up the money.

Chemical Paint removers wind up in landfills and soak the wood with stuff that may retard a lasting finish

Sanding is really time consuming and makes alot of dust possibly making lead airborne and takes away the wood.

This device works by heating the paint with infrared light allowing it to be easily separated with a pull scraper. And it works.

The unit operates below the vapor point of lead so it isn't burned off into your lungs like may occur with a heat gun. The lower temperature of the unit also lowers fire risk over a heat gun.

Energy-wise it uses alot of electricity (1100 watts) that maybe produced by coal or some other non-renewable resource. For argument sake, I will be optimistic and say my electrons came from nuclear or the York Haven Hydro Station, which has quietly and cleanly been producing power since 1904.

( Paul Kuehnel - York Daily Record / Sunday News)

The York County Solid Waste Authority's Resource Recovery center was the first waste-to-energy plant in the state. Now there are about five, said Ellen O'Connor, the manager of the community services division.

By recycling trash to energy, York County saves 13 acres of landfill space each year. The plant generates enough electricity to power 20,000 homes.

The idea is that eating some foods, like meat, uses more fossil fuel than driving a car, so a bicyclist consuming food uses more fossil fuel than driving a car. bicycleuniverse.info

I don't know where a sedentary person who gorges on meat and drives a full-sized SUV fits into all of this...

• Meat requires much more fossil fuel to produce than vegetables and grains; about 145 times more for beef than for potatoes.


• If the entire world ate the way the U.S. does, the planet's entire petroleum reserves would be exhausted in 13 years


• The typical American could save almost as much gas by going vegetarian as by not driving.

I have debated the benefit of using an electric lawn mower over a gas powered mower for some time. I never spend more than about $10 for a lawn mower, as people usually throw them out and they still work with some cheap repair. My current mower is a free Lawn-boy. A friend put a new piston and rings in it after his brother-in-law ran it with straight gasoline which seized it.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), traditional gas-powered lawn mowers are a public nuisance to say the least. Using one of them for an hour generates as many volatile organic compounds--dangerous airborne pollutants known to exacerbate human respiratory and cardiovascular problems--as driving a typical car for 350 miles. The EPA estimates that, with some 54 million Americans mowing their lawns on a weekly basis, gas lawn mower emissions account for as much as five percent of the nation's total air pollution. Beyond that, homeowners spill some 17 million gallons of gasoline every year just refueling their lawn mowers. scientific american

About a month ago, I bought an electric lawn mower. I have used it for about a month in tandem with my gas powered mower to cut four different lawns. One lawn has no access to electric power. Follow along with this series as I share my observations.

Part II - 2-stokes, wires and batteries.