GoingTrueGreen's Blog Postings

Cooking, Giving Thanks, Saving Energy & Money

11/27/2013

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Thanksgiving with Family & Friends

The table is all set, the folding chairs are unfolded and the turkey is almost done... Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and for all those cooking for family and friends this time of year, please allow me to point out some energy saving steps to help lower your energy costs.

Since 1982, I have been answering questions about how to save energy and money when cooking and buying ovens. Below are just a few questions I will answer in this blog and in future postings.
- What is the best and most efficient way to bake?
- Is a window in the oven door necessary?
- Range top or wall oven, what is better?
- What is the difference between Convection or Conventional ovens?
- Do any wall ovens get the Energy Star rating?

Convection Oven

Cooking something in the oven? You can shut off the oven a few minutes early if you leave the oven door closed so to finish cooking, thus saving some energy each time.

Bake After Cooking

Just cooked dinner? Bake your pie, cake or muffins now so that you don't have to pre-heat. This is the best time to do your baking while the oven is still hot and you are eating dinner.

Ceramic Cookware

To save some energy each time you cook or bake, use ceramic or glass that is approved for oven use. Ceramic will retain heat better than metal, thus allowing you to lower your cooking temperature as much as 25 degrees F and still cook the food in the same amount of time. Glass and Ceramic made for oven use come in all shapes and sizes. So baking brownies or cooking chicken cutlets is no problem.

What is the difference between
Convection ovens and Conventional ovens?

Convection Oven Fan

Convection Ovens use fans inside the ovens to circulate the heated air over the food and around the food. The black arrow in the photograph points to the fan in the rear of the oven. Convection ovens cook food faster and more evenly, thus saving up to 20% of the normal cooking time when compared to a Conventional oven. You may also find that recipes will cook just the same with the oven temperature up to 20 percent lower than normal suggested cooking temperature.

Conventional Oven

Conventional Ovens are traditionally found in most homes. Like Convection ovens, Conventional ovens use heat created by the consumption of gas or electricity. However, a Conventional oven can have the created heat blocked by pots and pans on the racks inside the oven. This can cause uneven cooking. Remember that heat rises, so foods on the top rack will cook faster.

My next Blog posting on Appliances will cover what professional chefs prefer, what is the best type of oven for energy savings and answers to the rest of the questions at the top. A blessed and happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Bill Lauto, GTG

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Toys R Us vs Outdoors

11/19/2013

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I am amazed how companies with funds and available input from a significant staff can present something as if only one person "inside a box" worked on the project. Where is the team work, input, evaluations and intelligence.

I always said, "If you only do what you know and like, then you limit your knowledge."

Toys R Us went into the realm of ignorance. Yes, I am upset. This new 2013 promotion campaign I saw last month, immediately put a pit in my stomach and astonishment squelching my anger.

Bill Lauto

I take pride in teaching kids, teenagers and adults Outdoor Environmental Education. Everyone has a great time as we laugh, climb, build, swing, jump, explore, soar, discover, challenge, test, wonder, eat, and yes, even learn.

Yet, I guess none of this is known to the people who came up with this commercial that mocks our planet, our earth, our environment, and education as a whole, as being boring. Every teacher that works many hours to establish a field trip for the benefit of their students should be insulted. Every company that strives to bring their employees closer as a working team should point to this as "what not to do" in the business world.

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Going up to the ZIP LINE!

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Bridge in the sky that is outside!

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Is this Chip or Dale?

Instead of sneering at Outdoor Education, (field trips are first to be cancelled when budget cuts come down) Toys R Us should be promoting Outdoor Education. The video is still up on YouTube: Lower Left is the Commercial, and the Lower Right shows Behind the Scenes of the Commercial, to add insult to injury.

If you choose to watch, please comment on the true closed-minded messages this ad represents. The messages are numerous, dwelling on consumption, toys more important than our environment, playing indoors with a game is more fun than playing with others outdoors, to name just a few that will be contrived by many.

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Playing a TEAM sport with others Outdoors

In addition, if Toys R Us thinks spending a day in a toy store is more fun than playing outside, they are forgetting one major fact. Playing outside is FREE for the most part, spending a day in a toy store with little or no money and without a promise of a free toy, is depreciating to say the least.

To me, this commercial emphasizes that our children are being robbed by white collar crime. The ignorance of this major retailer that is supposed to care for the welfare, education and creative stimulation of children is appalling.

Bill Lauto, GTG

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Food Labels Decoded, Country Of Origin

11/8/2013

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Country Of Origin Label (COOL)

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The label on the left states the following...
Country of origin: Farm Cattle, Born in Mexico, Raised and slaughtered in the United States.

COOL labels came about from the American law know as the 2002 Farm Bill. The law and the expansion version now requires retailers to provide country of origin labeling for fresh beef, pork, lamb, goat, chicken, wild and farm raised fish, fresh and frozen fruits, vegetables, nuts, and ginseng. However, excluded from the law are all processed meats and processed food. For example, if you buy a jar of Blueberry jam, you will not see a country of origin label for the fruit inside the jar. If you buy "cold-cuts" in a package, you will have no idea where the meat or meats came from.

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Grapes from the United States

Bananas from Guatemala

Nevertheless, having information about what country certain fruit is coming from is very helpful when you want to avoid pesticides that are banned in the United States, but still used in a south American country.

"However, excluded from the law are all processed meats and processed food. For example, if you buy a jar of Blueberry jam, you will not see a country of origin label for the fruit inside the jar.
If you buy "cold-cuts" in a package, you will have no idea where the meat or meats came from."

In addition, please note that AMS (Agricultural Marketing Service) is responsible for administration and enforcement of COOL. AMS offers quality grade standards, grading, certification, auditing, inspection, and lab analysis. Industry pays for these services and they are voluntary.

Bill Lauto, GTG

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Sandy's One Year Later Wake Up Call

11/4/2013

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By Bill Lauto (As submitted to New York Times Op-Ed)
Environmental Science & Energy Consultant
Energy Advisor for Earth Day’s 20th Anniversary Committee
Operates GoingTrueGreen.com and EnergyHotwire.com

As men, women, and children, still struggle to get some respite from the massive storm we named Sandy, we hope and pray that everyone will be doing better before this Thanksgiving Day, over one year later.

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Super Storm Sandy from Earth's Orbit

For the future, we must begin the process to identify the prevailing causes for this much destruction. On the political front, blame is quickly placed on Global Warming and man’s lack of effort to curtail this phenomena. On the financial front we have man’s complacent attitude that favors the status quo and increasing profits.

Before we can identify proper solutions, data must be collected, evaluated, and realized. Let’s start with what is given to us and what we take away.

Disrespecting God’s Green Earth:

Our green planet provides us with free protection from storms along the coast. However for some reason, we humans, think we know better. Mother Nature gives us Salt Marshes, Primary and Secondary Sand Dunes held together by vegetation such as

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