Provo/Orem Energy Source

Second attempt at Chicken ordinance passes

2009-05-19T22:21:00.004-06:00

I attended the Provo Council Meeting this evening and am gratified to report that the "second edition" of the chicken ordinance passed - on a 6-1 vote with all three of my representatives voting for it. There will be a registration fee of $15 per year in place of the permitting requirements.

I found it wonderfully fitting that as I rode my bike down to the council chambers I passed two girls out in front of their home playing with a young chicken. It was wonderful to see. :)

A note that the Mayor vetoed the original ordinance that the council passed.

(I had originally misunderstood the discussion about set backs in the meeting and thought that the council was adopting the Mayors proposal of
3 ft from property line, 6 feet from dwelling - but they left the language at 15 feet from property line and dwelling) - corrected May 20th - Matt

Chickens Welcome in Provo!

2009-04-21T22:29:00.006-06:00

Hooray for Provo!

Tonight the Provo City Council voted for the zoning ordinance that it had been considering to allow hens into the residential zones in Provo. The vote was a close 4 to 3 but it passed with some amendments striking some of the restrictions that the proposed ordinance originally had. I will provide a link to the approved ordinance as soon as it becomes available.

I was proud of those who came and voiced their opinions from the public and especially for my new neighborhood chair, Sherrie Spencer, for working hard to get the Maeser Neighborhood's input. (21 respondents for, 8 against) I'm ecstatic that the ordinance passed and that we have an opportunity now to raise chickens. The council will review in one year how this has gone and I hope to see those who voted against the ordinance swayed by the good that has come of it.

There will be a permit required and the fee has not been set yet, but there seemed to be some strong voices for a nominal fee, (and the motion to strike the permit altogether only failed by one vote).

I spoke in behalf of the ordinance as I think all the public at large who spoke. There was a mix of for and against among the Neighborhood chairs that spoke. I was very pleased that both Raquel and Oliver Smith-Callis spoke and helped balance some of the "chickens shouldn't be allowed on small downtown lots" comments with their experience of keeping hens and the strengthening of community ties that have resulted - including with the residence of the apartment complex the abuts their lot. (Raquel's blog is great! grittypretty.blogspot.com)

I was also pleased that Kanoni Horito, another Maeser resident, spoke in favor of the ordinance.

For those that represent me:
Dave Acheson and Steve Turley were strongly for the ordinance, Midge Johnson came out against, though it didn't seem strongly so and said that she was going to go out and get a coop now that the ordinance did pass.

I expect that IFA and CAL Ranch stores are going to do a good business this spring with Provo residents. :)

The following is the letter I sent to my representatives on the council a few weeks ago:

I'm writing to voice my support for allowing chickens in the residential neighborhoods in Provo. I'm a eight year resident of the Maeser neighborhood, purchasing our home here after the first few years of living in the neighborhood because we liked it here so much. I'm an avid gardener and would love to expand my work into raising hens, both for the fresh, healthy eggs and also for the manure. This will allow my family to be more self-reliant and for us to provide more benefit for the bit of Provo that we occupy.

After seeing others who are currently keeping hens (and ducks) on small city lots, I know that this can be done in way that promotes health instead of being a detriment to it. When odors or health become a real concern for neighbors, that can be dealt with through existing mechanisms as it is with garbage, etc. By nature, cats and dogs, both carnivorous animals, pose much greater health and odor issues than chickens which are vegetarian, (overlooking the insects and worms) - the issue is taking good care of the animals we have.

In addition, the local production and application of chicken manure as fertilizer is much better for our ground water than the application of chemical fertilizers that more easily leach into the water system and can cause major health threats when concentrated. We should all be more concerned about how our actions affect the water that we have available to us.

I would also like to see chickens allowed to roam in a fenced yard as opposed to be restricted to a chicken coop/run proper. This is a property rights issue that I just don't see the city having any say in. We let dogs run around the yard, why not chickens. They are still going to be roosting in the coop and if there are problems they can be dealt with among the neighbors involved or elevated to the health dept if that is the concern.

Thank you for your service to our city and for taking the time to look into this issue that I feel strongly about. I'm encouraged by this step that the city is looking at and hope that we can look for other ways to improve our city and make it a more sustainable, healthy place to live.

General Conference: Thou shalt not covet...

2009-04-05T08:30:00.008-06:00

Elder Robert D Hales began the Saturday Morning session of General Conference Apr 2009 with a rousing talk in the same vein as Elder L Tom Perry's talk that opened the Oct 2008 Saturday morning session. Elder Perry's talk, which he entitled "Let Him Do It With Simplicity", used Emerson's Walden Pond experience to talk about "the spiritual benefits of a simplified lifestyle." (For more information on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints see the church's website at LDS.org)

Link to: Becoming Provident Providers Temporally and Spiritually

Elder Hales gave what I feel is the gospel answer to the problems of dwindling natural resources and financial troubles - turning to the Lord and following his commandments. One of the most basic of the Lord's commandments is "Thou shalt not covet". The appetite for worldly things can not be satisfied by obtaining worldly things, and can only be overcome through coming unto Christ. We have hope through Christ that we can break the cycle of debt and uncontrolled excesses. Learn to recognize the temptations of the devil and with unflinching resolve to say "Get thee behind me Satan". Paying tithing and fast offerings teaches us to put the things of the Lord first.

By our unwise choices we can bind ourselves down so that we do not have the time, energy or resources to serve others or the Lord. He spoke candidly of a couple situations early in his marriage that made a large impression on him. In summary, he said that the four most caring words may be "we can't afford it". We often buy, consume, and engage in worldly behaviors for things we don't need and often don't even want. Learn to communicate better as husbands and wives and as families.

Our deepest hunger is for our Heavenly Father's love, His security, and eternal joy. Quoting 2 Nephi 9:51 "Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy." I would add that we also crave the love and acceptance of those closest to us, our families and close friends. As a husband and father, I liked the term Elder Hales used to describe my role as a "provident provider".

Throughout the sessions of conference yesterday I was gratified at the optimism. As we face the challenges of our day, we can do so with hope. "The best is yet to come" as Elder Perry said last conference. As Elder Packer said in Priesthood session, we are entering a time of hard work, the time of expensive toys is ending - thank goodness! Maybe these economic hardships and resource problems will be the shaking up of the devil's kingdom that will soften our collective hearts and turn them back to each other and away from the closeted lives so many of us lead.

I deeply believe that the gospel holds the answers to all of the world's problems - all of them. Resource depletion will not be solved by technological innovation; it will only be solved as we willing curb our worldly appetites, when we gain our sense of worth from our identity as children of God and our relationship with Him as our Father and each other as brothers in sisters. It is not a technical problem but a behavioral one.

Matt Whiting

I find it interesting that both Elder Perry and Hales come from a business background, and that Elder Hales was the Presiding Bishop for nine years.

My Electric Vehicle Test Drive

2007-07-12T15:03:00.000-06:00

5/31 - Yesterday, May 30th, I test drove a Xebra, a 100% electric car. We were down visiting family and very nearby, to Little Radio EV just east of Venice Beach in LA. They are a dealer for ZAP (http://www.zapworld.com/). I had emailed "V" (Vivine Tahapehi) prior to our trip to make sure that they had a car onsite that I could test drive. When we arrived V explained many things about the car while I test drove it. Eryn and Anya rode in back as it seats four. Anya thought they were really cool and Eryn even admitted that she could see us getting one sometime. I thoroughly enjoyed it and though I could see getting the sedan version, the pickup version seemed vastly more useful. Especially as a shared neighborhood use vehicle for trips to the hardware store, nursery, school, etc.

Maintanance:

Brakes and brake fluid (the only fluids required)
Batteries - sealed lead gell (replace every 3 yrs was what V said, but I'm not certain of the # of charges)
Tires
Simple suspension (The ride was a bit bumpy)
Cabin heater and radio
Price $9,900 + ~ $500 shipping to Utah, for a total of ~ $10,400.

Farmers will write insurance for it (V said ~ $340 for full coverage for a year). Not sure what the registration/license/etc would be in Utah for it. Need to check. They register as a motorcycle but don't need an motorcycle endorsement because its a three-wheeler.

Very simple set up mechanically. Onboard charger, batteries which connect to the controller, and controller to the motor. Motor connected to the back wheels by a drive chain, inside a housing. Truck has steel frame and skin, sedan has steel frame with a fiberglass skin. Walls of the truck bed fold down to make a flat bed. Truck has 500 lbs cargo capacity

Many components can be upgraded to meet varied circumstances. Neither model has any storage space. The whole system is completely accessible on the truck by raising the truck bed which pivots up at the back.

The steering took a bit to get used to as it is not power assisted. The braking was easy enough though. All the controls are easy to use and understand. The acceleration from standstill seemed to match a normal compact car's acceleration and I didn't feel uncomfortable entering/exiting traffic. My immediate impression of the acceleration was that it was similar to a bumper car at an amusement park. That impression changed as I drove more and got used to accelerating more smoothly.

Little Radio EV
600 Venice Blvd, Venice CA
310-467-0650

- This took me a while to post as I've been busy with other things. :)

Alternative Building Techniques

2007-04-13T17:35:00.000-06:00

I've been very interested in alternative building methods and using less energy in construction and living. I really started my learning reading about passive solar design about 2 years ago, but have made a much more thorough study over the past 6 months. Most of the learning has been book learning, but I have also visited a home designed and built with to be heated and cooled passively that I've already written a post on, and I've also visit a staw bale greenhouse in Feb up in Salt Lake, (800 S 600 E), the only strawbale structure I'm aware of anywhere close to where I live. The following is a list of the useful information that I have used in my search.

I bought and read: The Beauty of Straw Bale Homes - Athena and Bill Steen (Chelsea Green)
These were the best books on the topic that I read from the Provo City Library:
- The Good House Book: A common sense guide to Alternative Home Building - Clarke Snell (A Natural Home Book)
- The Passive Solar House: Using solar design to heat and cool your home - James Kachadorian (Chelsea Green)
- EcoNest: creating sustainable sanctuaries of clay, strawand timber - Paula Baker-Laporte and Robert Laporte
- The New Ecological Home: A simple guide to green building options - Daniel D Chiras (Chelsea Green)
- Earth Sheltered Homes - Rob Roy (A Mother Earth News Book)
These were the other books on the topic that I read from the Provo City Library:
- The Real Goods Independant Builder: Designing and building a house your own way - Sam Clark (Chelsea Green)
- The Solar House: Passive heating and cooling - Daniel D Chiras (Chelsea Green)
Websites I've found informative

http://www.PotKettleBlack.com
http://www.CobCottage.com
http://www.kleiwerks.com/ - nonprofit teaching natural building practices in thirdworld as well as here in the US - see video on YouTube?
http://www.ecobuildnetwork.org
http://www.strawbuilding.org/ CA Starw Bale Associations (CASBA)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw-bale_construction
http://www.balewatch.com/- fun home designs to look through, haven't seriously thought to build one
http://www.MonolithicDomes.com
OR building code
http://www.strawbale.com/ Andrew Morrison's sites, includes - audio casts

Passive Solar House in Provo

2006-11-02T20:31:00.000-07:00

Last night my family went to visit with Russell Sias and his wife about their home. They live in a passive solar house here in Provo. I met Russell through a yahoo group for Republican Utah State Delagates. In discussing an article on design I asked if any one knew any one who lived in a passive solar house. Russell emailed me back saying that he lived in such a house and would be happy to show the house and discuss it. It took a few weeks to find a time that would work for both of us.

Basics of the design:

1380 sq ft
Floor is a 4 inch concrete slab poured over 3 inch styrofoam, sitting on top of compacted gravel (can't remember exactly how much)
Exterior walls are 6 inch thick concrete with 3 inch styrofoam on the outside finished on the outside with stucco and the inside with a drywall mud texture.
Roof, has a 3 foot overhang which is enough to shade the south facing windows starting about April 1 every year. The roof is insulated to about R-40 with fiberglass batt insulation and blown in fiber insulation. Finished off with tar paper then clay tile.
Sheathing for the roof was reused plywood from the cement wall forms.
Not many windows on the north face, two large picture windows on the south, doubled paned, but nothing more. Also have a heavy screen door with glass panes they open in the afternoon to bring in more heat.
Earthbanked to just below the level of the windows with xeroscaping. (mostly rock that matches the color of the tile on the roof well)
Heating with a flueless gas stove, small in central location - if do again would do radiant heating in the slab.
Extra cooling in the summer provided by a one room A/C unit ran about 4 hours during the hottest days of the year.
The hip roof ended up being a real head ache as the people they contracted with couldn't get the trusses right.

My Observations:
The designed relied heavily upon the thermal mass of the walls to moderate the temperature changes, (6" x 8 ft x aprox 150 ft parameter ended up being 5 cement trucks (aprox 65 cubic yards) of cement - current price at Geneva rock about $7,000 delivered). The earth banking added extra insulative value and made wonderful planting beds. My guess is that the earth banks would also help with drainage. The earth banks also blended the building into the landscaping very nicely. The low light put out from what appeared to be solar landscaping lights made an inviting walk to the front door. There really wasn't that much glazing on the south face, maybe 36 sqft (2 aprox 3 ft x 6 ft windows). This to me seems the tricky part of the design, how much glazing do I need to get the warmth I need but no more. I think I would prefer going with more. As long as windows can open, the tempurature could be regulated that way on warmer days, or drapes could be utilized as well. They didn't use thermal shutters to cover the windows at night, but I always hoped that would be unnecessary as I didn't like the look of those I had seen in books. I think the glass technology has probably progressed enough to eliminate them. Russell corrected me in that they do use insulated drapes, but I just didn't see them, (they obviously were not the ugly things I was looking for). - 11/3/2006

R-40 roof insulation seemed like lots when I saw the attic, but I seem to remember higher values being recommended for passive solar houses. I have seen criticsm of fiber insulation for this purpose and a much lower R-value will suffice if foam is used, (spray-in). (The idea being that much of the insulative value of fiber insulation is lost when small air currents form from the temp differences in the top of the insulation and the bottom, spray in foam would have no currents. See R-Value Myth) This is an area I'm not very familiar with. With the design of the roof came the unexpected bonus of additional storage space in the attic which is always welcome.

The passive solar designs I've seen in books have focused more on thermal mass in the floors and used the relatively stable ground temperature (aprox 55 degrees F around here) to cool in the summer instead of insulating the pad with styrofoam below the slab. I suppose the trade off of connecting the thermal mass to the ground is helpful during the summer, but a detriment during the winter. Russell loved the warm floor, and I think that I would feel the same way regardless of losing the cooling value in the summer a warm floor in the winter is worth the trade off. Possibly a 6" slab over the styrofoam would increase the thermal mass enough to lighten the walls some. I should note that the walls were warm to the touch, very different from the masonry walls in my house right now (begin of Nov).

The cement walls were difficult to hang cabinets on, and once the home was arranged it became very difficult to change any of it. Drilling holes in cement to hang pictures is much harder than a nail or plastic anchor through drywall.

The rooms seemed overly large to me, but then my family of three lives in about 850 sqft. I think I would have carved up the 1380 sqft into more rooms, this was a 1 bedroom 1 bath home. I would think closer to 3 bed 1 1/2 bath would fit nicely and still feel roomy if laid out to my taste, (I prefer small bedrooms and a combined living room kitchen design which saves lots of space). Of course with that said, my wife doesn't necessarily agree with that. :)

See: http://www.monolithic.com/plan_design/passive_solar/index.html for more info insulating the outside of the thermal mass instead of the inside.

I would love to visit other passive solar houses in the Provo/Orem area if anyone reading out there knows of any.

The following was added as comments from Russell on 11/3/2006. As a preface, the house I visited was built next to another home that was built much earlier following the same methods:

Actually there are insulative drapes, and we do close them at night...you just didn't see them! They are insulative. A bit pricy, but well worth it, in my opinion. Not opening them during the day causes a significant heat loss from the sun entering, and will require much more time for the stove to run (in the winter time).

We didn't need or want more bedrooms,one was enough for our purposes. The other place, does have 3 bedrooms, it is also a few feet smaller in square footage, not much, but a bit. I really didn't care that it was oversized rooms, or bathroom, for I knew about what the cost was going to be, and figured, what the heck....

Book Review and Thoughts: Cradle to Cradle: remaking the way we make things

2006-10-11T20:59:00.000-06:00

I recently finished reading Cradle to Cradle: remaking the way we make things by William McDonough and Michael Braungart (2002). I would highly recommend this book to anyone. I bought the book and read it based on an interview I heard with McDonough on NPR a while ago and then a recent discussion in a Utah Republican email group I'm a part of. What brought me to the book was the authors optimism with regard to natural resources, including energy. It was easy to read, more like a management book focusing on concepts rather than numbers and research. The book references research in the notes, but the text is mostly free of it; instead it has lots of ancedotes and examples. I would suggest reading Natural Capitalism: creating the next industrial revolution by Paul Hawkin, Amory Lovins and L. Hunter Lovins (1999) for a more numbers/reseach based approach to the same subject. I'm in the middle of that book now.

The basic philosophy of Cradle to Cradle as I saw it was that the design of nature does not include waste. The apparent waste of one animal, plant or process is the food for another. As the ecosystem grows it becomes healthier and the resources for the ecosystem are multiplied, not deminished. In short, waste equals food (chp 4 see pgg 103-104). This is a closed loop cycle (with the exception of the sun's energy). Natures abundance is provided by the sun's energy which nature uses day to day; paying expenses with current income instead of a savings nest egg to use a financial analogy (pg 32). Diversity is nature's tool to accomplish this closed loop abundance. In nature, growth betters the ecosystem (environment).

As people we rarely mimic nature's closed loop system. From companies to farms, we generally take raw/virgin resources and transform them into products we buy and then send to the landfill or incinerator. Instead of our valuable waste feeding back into the system, closing the loop, we stuff it in holes in the ground, wash it down rivers, or burn it (pg 27). We call this consumerism, but in reality we actually consume very little of what we make and buy (pg 27). For instance, a load of wash "consumes" about 5% of the detergent that we put into the wash, the rest is sent down the drain to that magical place we call "away."

This linear cradle-to-grave system has wasted vast amounts of resources, including those "non-renewable" resources of stored energy in the form of gas, oil and coal (pg 32). As we give so little back to the the environment, our ever increasing taking from it will not last. We need to change to a cradle-to-cradle cyclical system that mimics and uses nature's systems. We need to redesign our way of making things so that we don't just more efficiently do the wrong things, but we effectively do the right things, so that our growth multiplies nature's resources.

We need to value the ecological services natures provides us of clean air and water, soil production, heating and cooling. So often we use brute force to accomplish the same things, but at huge costs, because we have altered and destroyed nature's ability to provide them to us for "free." Think of the money spent on water treatment plants, storm drainage, fertilizers, heating and cooling of buildings, cleaning of air, etc (and note that many of these things are services that the government provides or regulates). We can and should be designing our systems so that nature once again provides these services for us.

Our products need to become food instead of waste. To do this, products must be designed with this in mind. Products need to be made to become food for the biological sphere and composted, or for the technical sphere to be recovered and reused. Bioloical nutrients must be able to be separated from technical nutrients; toxic ingredients ideally should be eliminated and at least isolated.

The authors expanded my vision of what our future could be like and helped show how we can get there. They gave five incremental steps for working toward the end goal of eco-effectiveness in addition to a frame work for decision making to balance economy, equity and ecology. The ancedotes we relavent and motivating.

I found it helpful to look up some definitions, WIKIpedia was a great source for the chemicals discussed in the book. Belwo is a list of links that will hopefully be helpful:

Practical Energy Conservation 1: Clotheslines

2006-07-27T12:56:00.000-06:00

The Deseret Morning News ran a story titled Power facilities strained on Wednesday about the electric grid in Utah feeling the strains of high demand this summer. With the calls for electricity conservation I'd thought I'd offer my first tip in conservation.

A couple weeks ago I spent under $10 at Home Depot and installed about 80 feet of clothesline in my backyard, (about a 30 minute project). It takes a few minutes longer to hang the clothes out on the line, but less time to fold them afterwards. With the hot dry climate here in Provo clothes can actually dry faster out on the line, and they smell better, (if we had neighbors who smoked this would be more difficult). I enjoy my backyard more and my basement less. I also get to enjoy my neighborhood and neighbors more. The clothesline doesn't need dryer sheets to keep down the static, (more cost savings). Using the dryer heats up the house slightly and outside the house somewhat as well, a rather silly thing to do when it's 100 degrees outside and 80 degrees inside, (we have a swamp cooler not an AC unit). With all that said, we still use the dryer for our underclothes, but that takes about half an hour on low to dry.

In the next week or two, I'll measure how much electricity the dryer uses when running a full load and add that to the post with my current cost per KWhr. (The most accurate way I have available is to shut off the rest of the circuits in house and take meter readings, which I keep procrastinating.)

Aug 8, 2006 - Ran the dryer on medium heat setting for 70 minutes with a load of clothes (normal amount of time for our dryer to get the clothes completely dry). It took 4-5 kWHrs, (the most accurarate dial is for 10 kWhrs so that's as accurate as I could get). We pay $0.0698/kWhr so it cost $0.28-$0.35 to run a load. My wife assures me that we average 4 loads a week, so that amounts to $58-$73 a year saved if we stopped using the dryer. As I watched the Watt hour wheel on the meter turn I was suprised by how extreme the difference was between times when the dryer was heating and when it was only spinning.

I could have just as easily titled this post "Nearly Free Renewable Energy." I'm now drying my clothes/towels/sheets with solar power that had a $10 up front installation cost. Maintenance cost will probably amount to replacing the line every couple years and possibly taking it down during the Winter, (though I could use it year round also). Most of the world uses this renewable energy to dry their clothes. - See the following post by JD on PeakOilDebunked for more on this line of thought, RENEWABLES PROVIDE A LOT MORE THAN A "TINY" FRACTION OF PRIMARY ENERGY

We become so accustom to the way we do things in our lives that often we don't even question them. When I taught English in Russia for 4 months I lived with the grandmother of one of my students. I wash my clothes by hand and dried them on a line on the balcony even when it was below freezing. She didn't have a frig or freezer (that worked) so we made due without one. I wouldn't want to do without a wash machine or frig, but having gone without, I don't see them as necessities anymore. I see them as luxuries I'm very grateful to have.

West Jordan Planning: Missing a Great Opportunity

2006-05-23T22:36:00.000-06:00

Here's an article I read in the DMN yesterday:
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,635209473,00.html
My immediate reaction was that there was no mention of what is actually
going into the area they are discussing. It looks to me like they are
talking about developing housing only, and they are bickering about the
difference between 0.15 and 0.23 acre lots. Someone in the article
said, "Densities in big cities are appalling to us, but we are headed
there," he said. "We must plan for growth and preserve as much of our
way of life as we can." It seems to me that the only aspect of their
"way of life" they will preserve with such large lots and no discussion
of including places to shop or work within walking/biking distance is
auto dependence. They will not be preserving a rural feel. I doubt
the equestrian use of the trails will be much and am sure that the
quarter acre lots will not be keeping horses on them.

I think they are missing a great opportunity to plan a community with a
community center where kids and adults will be able to live near a
traditional town center, requiring higher density near the center. If
they really want to preserve some rural tradition, I assume this is
what they mean by their "way of life", they could preserve some of this
land as a Wheeler Farm type of development, so they could see, and
participate in "living history" near their town center.

Philip Carlson

My Honda CH80 Elite Scooter

2006-04-22T23:45:00.000-06:00

About two years ago I started to get interested in motorcycles. We had been a one-vehicle family for quite a while but as I contemplated going back to school I felt like I might need to have access to a vehicle every day, (as I would still be working full time as well). A friend taught me how to ride that summer on his 650cc Yamaha and made sure that I was going to be very careful if I did decide to get a bike. I shopped around a bit for used bikes, but didn't consider a scooter until test riding one in Nov (05). I bought my little 80cc 4-stroke Honda in January 05. It cost me about $2,400, (I extended the warranty which made it closer to $2,800). I already had a full face helmet ($90 ebay) and shortly after got a nice riding jacket ($120 internet?). I find that I can handle the 10 mile commute to work as long as its above 20 degrees F, (wearing layers). It doesn't really get that cold in Provo/Orem for more than a handful of days a year and as long as the roads are free of snow and ice I can ride to work. During the Summer, Spring and Fall its a blast to ride, (the winter's tolerable). So why the story here...

Actual MPG = 85
Maintenance - very low compared to other other vehicle
Great parking and other perks

I've ridden over 5,600 miles in the last 15 months of having the scooter and would like to compare some stats to our other vehicle - a '96 Ford Taurus.

Actual MPG in city = 21-22
Maintenance - rather high (especially since its a '96 with over 110K and an American-made car - meaning short life expectancy)
Can carry more than one person and a lot of supplies (2x4s etc.)
Spacious - which is nice for long trips

I tried to give some positives because the 85 MPG to 22 MPG comparison is so drastic. From Jan 17, 05 to Apr 17, 06 the average mid-grade gas price for the Rocky Mountain West was $2.38 / gal. (using data from DOE)

5,600 miles at 85 miles per gal = 66 gal. of gas @ $2.38 = $158
5,600 miles at 22 miles per gal = 255 gal. of gas @ $2.38 = $606

There are a lot of scooters and motorcycles out in Provo now, especially with the weather warming up. Are two wheels for everyone? Certainly not, but they're a blast, economical, and they are a real way you can personally make a difference in our nation's oil addiction. (It was also made in Mexico, employing Mexicans in their home country and building their economy, which is the only real long-term solution to the pressure on our southern border.)

Intentions

2006-04-18T18:47:00.000-06:00

This blog is intended to be a source for energy related issues in the Provo-Orem area of Utah. I hope to have links to businesses that design, make, or sell energy related products and services. I want to have links to blogs and other internet sites and information that I have found useful in my quest to understand energy issues and learn how to respond to them.