GoingTrueGreen's Blog Postings - Going True Green

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Photos From Rome

4/15/2018

Rome, Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica, Saint Peter's Church, Father Rafael Pascual, Father Jesús Villagrasa, Pontificio Regina Apostolorum, Institute of Science and Faith, biotechnology and bioethical questions of Climate Change, climate change, sustainable living, sustainability, going green, Father Robert Blyman, Dr. Robert Blyman, MD, North American College

A Clear Winter's Day in Rome

Below are a few images from when I was in Rome lecturing and speaking about Sustainability as well as Climate Change. My lecture and discussions covered facts about Climate Change that shows how the two opposite sides have taken various approaches to issues while being guilty of the same fault. I spoke about additional issues that are not being addressed seriously. I presented a personal theory, (that has yet to be studied or evaluated) which can be a major factor with Climate Change and future health issues for us all.

Notwithstanding the above, I spent a majority of the time presenting solutions. Everyday solutions for individuals and complete solutions for corporations. These solutions range from Basement to Attic, from Appliances to Water Use, from Composting to Recycling, from Photovoltaic Solar Cells to Geothermal, from foregoing what is in vogue to taking the right actions as individuals. The end result saves us all Money, Energy, Water, Air, our Health, and our world's environment. All while living happier and without any sacrifices. I cited my own actions over the past thirty years that are slowly, but surely, directing me to Going True Green someday.

Having a positive stewardship to our world and ourselves has no negative pitfalls. I had previously posted some blogs on Stewardship (June 4th and June 13, 2013 for example) and will continue to do so in the future.

At this time I extend a gracious thank you to Father Rafael Pascual, LC and Rectory Father Jesús Villagrasa, LC at the Pontifical Regina Apostolorum, Institute of Science and Faith's Masters program. Their invitation for me to speak at their week long lecture series dealing with the biotechnology and bioethical questions of Climate Change is an experience I will always cherish.

I also extend my thanks to Father Robert Blyman, MD who is both a medical doctor and psychiatrist at the North American College in Rome. His invitation to attend Sunday mass, followed by a brunch with him and the seminarians was a blessing. At brunch, conversations abounded about sharing realistic sustainable solutions not only for our own families, friends, and workplaces, but also for the world's environment.

Finally, I must thank all the seminarians, Brothers, Sisters, professors and guests, at both institutions for allowing me an audience. Their spirits, enthusiastic approach and smiles are inspiring.These young people bring hope to our world.

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!

Jesus, Jesus Christ, Shroud, Shroud of Turin, Resurrection, Upper Room, L. J. Williams, BBV Publishing, crucifixion, apostles

Read a Historical Novel that presents data based probabilities proving the truth.

LOOK UP

10/8/2017

LEDs, lightbulbs, incandescents, fluorescents, saving energy, lower electric bill, going green, sustainability,

1980s Look Up Flyer

Have you “looked up” lately at the lights in your place of work, corner coffee shop, favorite store, or even you own home?

Lights are changing and I am presenting my old LOOK UP seminars from the 1980s once again. However, I am speaking about LED lights today and not about the compact fluorescents lights of the 1980s that saved money, energy, and earth. Yes, compact fluorescent bulbs have been available since 1982, unfortunately most people didn’t hear or learn about them until fifteen years later. That is another story.

Today, several questions are circulating more and more about LED tubes that can replace Fluorescent four foot tubes. More so now than before because of the lower prices and the recent popularity of standard LED light bulbs.

First I will list and answer the most common questions, followed by some specific queries:

Yes, LEDs are dimmable but confirm on package text.
Yes, LED tubes can fit into current fluorescent fixtures.
Yes, LED tubes have a longer life span than fluorescents.
Yes, LED tubes consume less energy, thus securing lower electric bills.
Yes, like LED bulbs, the four foot tubes come in different color ranges of light.
Yes, there is a far lower impact on our environment compared to fluorescents.
Yes, energy efficiency is increasing on LEDs and lower electric bills will abound.

With replacing four foot fluorescent tubes with LEDs you now have several options:

LEDs, lightbulbs, incandescents, fluorescents, saving energy, lower electric bill, going green, sustainability,

Four Foot LED Tube to Replace Fluorescent

A Hybrid LED tube is now available and that works WITH and then WITHOUT the ballast (transformer) in your old fluorescent fixture. Just install your new 4 foot LED light tube and the lamp will work with your old ballast. When the ballast stops working, the LED tube will run off of the line current directly.

A standard LED tube will cost less than a Hybrid and will be a more efficient way to operate. The reason is because you will be operating off the line current directly and there is no need for a ballast. Operating without the old energy consuming ballast will save more in electricity and money per fixture. However, when disconnecting just one or a few ballasts in a small shop or your home, it will be cheaper to buy the Hybrid tubes than to pay a licensed electrician to disconnect a ballast or two. For any location with a large number of fluorescent fixtures the opposite will be true. You will need to crunch some specific numbers for yourself to know how many fixtures represents which method is more efficient. On average, paybacks are less than one year when you disconnect your ballasts for each fixture and put in new LED tubes.

On the topic of different ranges of colors, you will mostly see these three labels for the most popular colors of light output:

Warm White , Soft White, and Bright White. The first will create a yellow warm light just like standard incandescent light bulbs. The Soft White will be close to the fluorescent light we all know in an office and the Bright White is also known as Daylight, this is cooler color and has an emphasis on blue tones. The name Daylight is used because the light is similar to the color of light we see in the North sky. Our sun travels from east to south to west, but never does the sun pass through the North sky, thus leaving us to see a very natural and balanced light.

So next time you are sitting in your office, store, or even your own play room down in the basement with fluorescent fixtures, Look Up! If you do not see LEDs, tell your boss, your doctor or dentist, store owner, and yourself to change over to LEDs. Only then, we the people can make a significant difference while saving money, energy, health, and our environment for our grandchildren.

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!

Macy's Exit Sign Secret

9/19/2017

Macy*s, Macy's, Macy's department stores, world's largest store, Philips, Philips LED bulbs, LEDs, sustainability, Philips light bulbs, going green, going true green, energy saving lights, lower electric bills

Herald Square Macy*s, New York

Hard to believe that 25 years ago, back in 1992, I presented a break-through project to Macy*s New York Department store. A project that has been a secret all these years. Macy*s was my largest client since 1981 and together we were saving Money, Energy, Earth, and thousands of barrels of oil for America. The implementation of energy saving compact fluorescent lights a decade before they were available in stores and redesigned valance lighting provide tremendous savings. We also addressed inefficient operations in store restaurants and air cooling systems with stores from New York to Florida. However, this presentation was different... Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) was being presented for all the Exit signs in every store that were on 24 hours a day, everyday.

Many people said that I was years ahead of everyone else when it came to saving energy, but this time my presentation was too far ahead. No one at Macy*s heard or knew about LEDs and I wanted to Retro-Fit EXIT Signs that was an emergency system that could not fail. If they did, the Fire Department would levy costly fines. Yet, the facts that I determined out weighed all concerns... First, LEDs had a long history and the best that we see today was yet to come.

Nevertheless, LEDs were discovered back in 1907 by British experimenter H. J. Round at Marconi Labs. A Russian inventor named Oleg Losev made the LED in 1927. Rubin Braunstein working at Radio Corporation of America used different elements in 1957, and in 1962, Biard and Pittman of Texas Instruments developed an efficient emission of infrared light.

More importantly was the fact that at the time of my presentation, exit signs employed not one, but two various sizes of 40 watt incandescent light bulbs.This was in case one bulb failed, the second bulb would still provide guidance to the fire exits. This incandescent 40 watt bulbs did two things well, they burned out every 3 months or so and they used electricity around the clock 365 days a year.

The LED retro-fit kits for Exit Signs in North East Macy*s stores replaced the two 40 watt bulbs with a total of 4 watts of LEDs. A high-polished reflector was place in the back of the LEDs to maintain proper lumen output, (light level). The expected life of the LEDs was 60 years. Eventually Macy*s changed to new modern looking Exit Signs with LEDs built in, but for some of the old Exit Boxes still operating in the back storage rooms of a few stores, those LEDs have yet to burn out.

The numbers I presented for savings on the Macy*s electric bills, labor to change bulbs, and the cost to buy new bulbs was the catalyst that started the project in earnest. With an average of 300 Exit Boxes per store, we saw a reduction from 24,000 watts to only 1,200 watts per hour, 24/7. Payback on Macy*s investment to retro-fit all Exit Sign boxes was around 8 months!

So after being years ahead of all other corporations in saving energy and our environment, Macy*s never bragged about what they accomplished so many years ago by being one of the first to change incandescent bulbs in Exit Boxes to LEDs. This well kept secret is now revealed and credit must go to Macy*s Operation Managers who had the foresight to make a change for the better. All I did was present the facts, they made the call against the status quo of wasteful building operations.

Philips, Philips LED bulbs, LEDs, sustainability, Philips light bulbs, going green, going true green, energy saving lights, lower electric bills

Today's LED bulbs

As of 2017, LED lights for the home are as cheap as a comparable compact fluorescent bulb with the same light level. However, the LEDs last longer and they are more energy efficient along with fewer environmental concerns. In addition, the efficiency of LEDs is increasing. I expect to see a 2 watt LED bulb replacing a 75 watt incandescent bulb very soon.

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!

Telomere, Telomeres, BBV Publishing, Living forever, L. J. Williams,

TELOMERE, by L. J. Williams "Telling The Untold Stories™ BBV Publishing

No Good FREE Energy Audits

9/6/2017

Going Green, Go Green, Sustainability, Energy audits, house audits, going true green, bill lauto, sustainable energy audits, house audits, saving energy, oil bills, gas bills, climate change

The "WOW" Factor!

We all heard the old platitudes, "You get what you pay for" and "nothing is really free." Yet, these adages did not apply to the Free Energy Audits my department did when I was a manager at an electric utility company almost 30 years ago. Our energy saving audits were truly free, we didn't sell anything, and they were done to build a better customer relationship and public relations.

Today the utility companies hire outside companies to conduct these so called "free" energy audits. The objective is to point out the most profitable making energy saving steps. Profitable for the auditing company who wants you to sign an agreement to pay them to do all the work to save yourself (the homeowner) some energy and money.

However, the audits are far from complete and lack comprehension since the entire audit fails to cover every possibility in all areas of the house. These companies will "WOW" you by bringing in exhaust fans and set them up in your front door to create negative pressure inside the house. This is very impressive and is telling if the house has leaks and infiltration of outside air. Well, no fooling Sherlock, all houses have leaks. The KEY is to know how to evaluate the situation and find where all the infiltration is actually occurring so you can consider a specific fix!

These companies come in and to make money they have to get a signed contract from you to allow them to install more insulation, a new heating system, or a new central air conditioner. The contract will have you making payments for 15 to 20 years and your payback would be in 21 years. (I am not pulling numbers from thin air, these are numbers from friends who had these audits done and the numbers were atrocious while ignoring a multitude of actions that are more affordable with paybacks of only a couple of years or a few months.)

When I managed the Energy Saving department for the utility that I worked for, we recommended steps based on feasibility, payback, and we were not there looking to implement the recommendations! We left the "When, Who, and How," up to the homeowners.

GTG Sustainability Home Energy Audits

Today, my company under Going True Green does a complete Sustainability Energy Audit from Basement to Attic. We cover appliances in the kitchen and we will talk health from kitchen countertops to the water you drink. We talk data on how to lower water bills, lawn and garden bills, electric, gas, oil, and propane bills. We explain why new windows do not save enough on the energy bills to justify changing old windows, but we cite the real reasons why you may consider changing them.

We point out approximate payback times for each suggestion we make and we charge a fee. Yes, our Going True Green Sustainability Audits are not free. Let them be on site or done by Skype or FaceTime, our fee is based on the time it takes to conduct a complete audit. Your payback on our fee will be less than one year when you implement between one and three energy saving actions we recommended. And we leave the implementations up to you. Hire who you trust, negotiate your best price, and do the work when the time is feasible for you.

Now, if you have any questions or concerns when dealing with a contractor and you are hearing a different story from them that will cost you more money than originally anticipated, we are still available to help. Let it be to confirm facts or squash out a bunch of lies. We will give you the verbiage and questions to ask that will put any contractor's ability to "spin the truth" into a tailspin.

I will never tell friends to have one of these Free energy audits again, they are not like the energy audits I conducted back at the start and if you had one done already, don't hesitate to contact us with questions before signing any contract. We will be happy to help with free info and my free blogs! However, we will need to charge if you hire us to conduct one of our sustainability house audits, because we cover every detail and we are very proud of our work, which does in fact have great value. Thank you.

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!

Science Mutilated Watermelons

5/9/2017

Watermelons, viagra, Big Bang Theory, ED, erectile disfunction, weight lost, rind, Trader Joe's, GMOs, genetically modified foods, God, fake fruit, fake watermelons, amino acids, John Pinette

Where are the Real Watermelons?

Springtime and what do my eyes behold as I walk into my local grocery store? The food market already had Watermelons! My favorite fruit since I can remember. I immediately checked for the light tan spot on one side of the watermelon that proves that this melon ripened while still on the vine. These melons were grown in Florida, had a nice sound and look, so I purchased one.

That evening I cut open the melon, set aside the skin to compost later, and sat down with a big bowl of watermelon as I watch the Big Bang Theory. I placed a piece in my mouth and... Science has mutilated our watermelons!

I have had it with Genetically Modified food, also known as GMOs. Science and greed took away the amazing refreshing taste of watermelons! The watermelon had no taste! Yes, the melon was ripe and filled with color, but hard to chew. Watermelons that didn't taste like anything had become commonplace. Believe me, I know watermelons, and I remember what they tasted like once upon a time before all this genetically modified crap.

First, they modified watermelons to get rid of the seeds, but I enjoyed spitting out the seeds and made a game of it when young. Seeds also allowed us to plant our own watermelons in the backyard.

Second, they modified watermelons to give us more melon and less skin. The skin is so thin now, that insects have an easier time getting through.

Third, they reduced the thickness of the Rind so we can have more melon. I loved getting a little Rind in two or three bites per slice. The Rind has vitamins and according to the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, plays a role in fighting toxins and free radicals. Also, the converted amino acid provides heart and immune system protection.

In addition, researchers have found that eating Rind and adding to smoothies, leads to 30% less weight gain, while having the ability to boost blood flow by relaxing blood vessels. This has been referred to as a natural viagra.

But now, these GMO watermelons are always hard, have NO Seeds, virtually NO Rind, and NO taste! What is the use of having more melon to eat when there is no taste to be found, no beneficial Rind, or seeds? John Pinette is crying up in heaven!

Young people of today, have no idea about how they are being ripped off and deceived. They think this is how watermelon tastes... No, no it doesn't. I want my real watermelons back!

So for all of you out there who think science has all the answers, No, no it doesn't. Some things should just be left the way God made them.

Bill Lauto, at Going True Green
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!

Telomeres, Telomere, Hitler, Cold Spring Harbor Lab, BBV Publishing, L. J. Willliams

BBV Publishing, Telling the Untold Stories™

ReTweak Medicine Cabinets

4/29/2017

Medicine Cabinet, Going Green, Going True Green, Earth Day, Recycle, prescription drugs, sustainability, environmental problems

How much is your Medicine Cabinet costing?

Yes, I trust you will also "retweet" this information, but I am referring to all of us "tweaking" our Medicine Cabinets. There are multiple reasons for doing so and they are: You will save Money, you will improve your Health, and yes, you will help our world's Environment!

Medicine Cabinets fall into the realm of perpetual status quo. We rarely clean them out, if at all, and they are almost always overlooked by people who do "spring cleaning" around the house.

The FIRST reason to "ReTweak" your medicine cabinet is to save you money and assist with your well being because…
Medicine Cabinets are the worst place to keep your medication!

A bathroom is plagued with wide temperature changes and moisture from hot showers to exhaust fans. From hair dryers to turning up the heat. Every time you open your medication or don't close the bottle tightly, moisture will get in and on your pills. Temperature change and moisture will degrade the life of your medications, causing them to crack, crumble, and lose their potency.

The best location for all medication is in a locked drawer, perhaps your nightstand next to your bed or a drawer behind an out-of-reach cabinet door, such as in the kitchen. Locked drawer and Out-Of-Reach are key for children's safety.

The SECOND reason will again assist with your health and help protect our world's environment because we must…
Properly discard all Expired Medicines!

Medicine Cabinets seem to collect and maintain items from years gone by. From old razor blades to unlabeled items that we don't even remember why they were used. When my Grandfather passed-over, I helped clean out his medicine cabinet. I found a glass bottle with a 1940 pharmaceutical prescription label. There was still liquid inside and the label stated, Methyl Salicylate. What in the world was this? How do I dispose of something I was unfamiliar with and didn't know? After some research, I discovered that the clear liquid was used as an external counter-irritant medication. To soothe a cut or relieve an itch from an insect's bite. The liquid is also known as Winter Green oil, something obtained by distillation from wintergreen plants since 1843. HOWEVER, if ingested this liquid can cause death.

Today methyl salicylate is an ingredient in muscle-pain relief topical products. Over application, especially with children, is very dangerous. A seventeen-year-old student of Notre Dame Academy died in 2007 from her body absorbing methyl salicylate after excessive use of a muscle pain relief cream.

Contact your local S.T.O.P. program or town recycling facility. Ask How, Where, and When, they are collecting expired medications. DO NOT POUR liquids down the drain and DO NOT THROW OUT any pills or creams. One way or another those chemicals and medication will find their way into our Waterways and our Drinking Water supply!
To learn more about this fact, consider our Water Workshop to save Money, Health, and our clean water!

Remove all labels from your medication, tear the paper up and recycle. This must be done today just to help protect yourself from Identity Theft. Then recycle any empty plastic bottles.

After your medicine cabinet has been cleaned out, I am sure you will have extra space inside. So here is another helpful accomplishment…
Place all Toothbrushes inside the Medicine Cabinet!

Every household that keeps their toothbrushes on the sink or countertop should move these toothbrushes into the medicine cabinet for better health. As you know, smells and aromas travel through the air in a room by the process of Diffusion. Bacteria will also travel through the air molecules and land on your toothbrush. The source of this bacteria can be from a sneeze or a flushed toilet when the cover is up. So put the lid down before flushing and keep your toothbrushes in a closed medicine cabinet, because just as the smell of Number 2 travels, so will bacteria.

Bill Lauto, at Going True Green
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!

Science Fiction, Telomere, Telomeres, L.J. Williams, BBV Publishing, Hitler, Living Forever, Cold Spring Harbor Lab

BBV Publishing, Telling The Untold Stories™

Mouths Drop Open

2/24/2017

Solar, solar panels, solar energy, energy saving, electric bill, going green, going true green, saving money, lowering electric costs

Holiday Conversations

This past year's holiday parties that I attended all had a common topic, Electric Bills. I guess when the weather outside is cold and all the lights are on by 5 in the afternoon, electric bills come to mind. Yet, I myself was surprised by the dynamism and strength of the conversations. Especially because I didn't start the conversations!

At one event, where I didn't directly know the host, guests took turns talking about various steps they have taken to lower electrical costs. Then while dessert was being served, the host proudly announced how much they reduced their electric consumption.

"We went from about $325.00 to $275.00 a month!"

Everyone congratulated our host and so did I which provoked another guest, who knew about my background, to inform everyone that I was an Energy Consultant.

"Oh, what are your electric costs?" Someone asked.
"Mine is around $120 dollars."
"Wow," people replied. "That is really amazing, 120 dollars per month."
"No," I responded. "That is per year."

Mouths dropped open with or without dessert still in them. They slowly closed as I explained:

For almost 15 years I have been making my house energy efficient and more sustainable. No rocket science, common steps everyone can afford to accomplish. So when I went with solar panels two years ago I have been producing more electrical power than what I consume. Prior to this winter, I had 2,000 Kilowatt hours in excess and with our sun low in the sky I have been using that supply to make up the difference. By the time winter is over, I will have about 1,400 Kilowatt hours still left over and the power company will write me a check after I start my new calendar year in April. The ten dollars or so that I pay per month is for taxes and fees. I hope the check from my power company will cover most of that cost. However, that will depend on how much my electric utility pays me per Kilowatt. They charge us at least 18 cents but pay out between 3 and 4 cents per Kilowatt. How do you like them apples?

If you want solar panels to work this well for you, there are many steps to be taken first. The most important one is to have a very energy efficient house and that does not mean a "smart" house. I mean a common sense efficient house. Just peruse through my blog posts, you will understand what I am talking about soon enough.

Bill Lauto, at Going True Green
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!

Telling the untold stories™

Top 50 Eco-Conscious Blogger Award

1/30/2017

Above Green, Going True Green, Going Green, Sustainability, Eco-Conscious, Blog awards, Top Blogger, Top Blog, Best Environmental Blog, Best Climate Change Blog, Best Energy Saving Blog, Bill Lauto

Top 50 Eco Blog

I am pleased to share the news that Going True Green's Blog has been honored with Above Green’s
Top 50 ECO-CONSCIOUS BLOGGER AWARD.

The Above Green team scoured the web to find the best 500 Eco-Conscious blogs worldwide. They then selected the top 50,
"the best of the best" as stated by the Above Green team.
Each winner shared their top tips for green and healthy living at home and at work.

Three of the Five scoring metrics to determine the Top 50 are shown below:
- Site Traffic (New and Returning Visitors)
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- Social Media (Feedback and Coverage)

In part, the email we received from Above Green stated:

On behalf of the entire Above Green team, I want to congratulate you for being featured as a Top 50 Eco-Conscious Blog Winner!

We received almost one hundred entries and considered hundreds more from around the world. We used 5 different, widely-recognized metrics to score each blogger and only the very best made our list.

Please enjoy the fact that you have been acknowledged as one of the World’s Top Eco-Conscious Bloggers. You deserve it!
Thank you for helping people everywhere with your thoughtful insight and experience. We can’t wait to share your blog to help others discover the quality of your content.

Again, I must recognize that a major contributing factor to receiving this acknowledgment is because of our followers and readers. I am happy to be able to provide useful details toward saving money, energy, and our environment, when living a more sustainable life without sacrifice. I graciously extend my sincere thanks to all of you and the Above Green committee.

Bill Lauto, GTG
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!

Quarters On Garbage Cans

1/25/2017

Going Green, Going True Green, bungalow, garbage tax, garbage collection tax, waste not want not, recycling, composting, woods, quarters on garbage cans

Bungalow in the Country

The story you are about to read Did Not take place hundreds of years ago in a land far away where all the people were honest. This is a story from when I was a kid and on vacation with my family.

My family rented a small country bungalow for a week in the summer. This was early in the decade that would close out with the New York Jets winning the Super Bowl, have men walk on the moon, and the New York Mets reaching their impossible dream.

I have so many memories from those special days outside the big city. Many are happy, some are sad. Yet, I treasure all the lessons learned, because today I am a better person for them…

Going Green, Going True Green, bungalow, garbage tax, garbage collection tax, waste not want not, recycling, composting, woods, quarters on garbage cans

Woods Across Road at Night

One evening, I was helping my father put out one silver metal garbage can to the road. Across the road without any curbs or sidewalks was the woods. Only three other bungalows, to each side, were in view from where we stood. The air was filled with the sounds of more living creatures acclimating to the night than I could name, but I wasn’t scared at all. I was with my Dad.

My listening attention to all of God’s animals and insects was suddenly lost as I witnessed my father take a quarter out of his pocket and put it on top of the garbage can. As he bent down to pick up a good sized rock, I asked, “What’s the quarter for?” After all, a quarter was a lot of money to me.

“To pay the garbage company for picking up our garbage in this can,” answered my father as he placed the rock on top of the quarter. “Everyone has to pay twenty-five cents for each garbage can they put out. So if you don’t have much garbage, you will not have many garbage cans and you don’t have to pay a lot for the garbage to be taken away. That is why we try not to waste anything.”

I then vaguely remember my dad sharing a story about when he was a boy my age during the Great Depression and how everything you owned, had a value. Wasting things was a sin and nobody ever went around the neighborhood to steal everyone’s quarters on top of their garbage cans. That too, was a sin.

I am gratified that I was part of that honor system and the lessons I learned. One lesson I am still acutely aware of, and this is a fact, when you Waste Not, you Want Not.

Today, I put out one garbage can, once a week, while most of my neighbors (there are many more than three in view) will put out two garbage cans, two times a week. Unfortunately the taxes we pay for garbage collection is now much more than a quarter per can.

Therefore, I am in favor of doing away with the yearly flat tax fee for garbage collections and have each household pay for the amount they throw away. Think of this for a few minutes:

We will waste less
We will help our environment
We will pay less and SAVE Money

The best approach to this, is for us to pay by the weight of our garbage that we need to be collected. This is easily accomplished by having RFID Tags on our garbage cans that match the computer data on the garbage truck so the following can be confirmed and used:

The name of the garbage can’s owner
The street and billing addresses
The Account number assigned

Going Green, Going True Green, bungalow, garbage tax, garbage collection tax, waste not want not, recycling, composting, woods, quarters on garbage cans, buffalo, buffalo NY

Pay Only for what's Thrown Away

The garbage truck picks up the can and records how much the garbage weighs, by subtracting the known weight of the can. This is already being done in European countries and some parts of America. Communities in Buffalo New York have implemented this system.

Allow me to offer just one example of this system helping us all to be better:

Currently:
You sweep up the dirt on your driveway or house floor, put it into a purchased plastic bag, and lug it to the curb. Yearly you pay your garbage collection tax and don’t save anything.

New System:
You sweep up the dirt on your driveway or kitchen floor or basement, place it in a small pail with a handle and toss it out on top of the dirt in your backyard or flowerbed.

You DO NOT spend any money buying a plastic bag.
You DO NOT hurt your back lugging it to the curb.
You DO NOT add another plastic bag to a Land Fill.
You DO NOT pay a yearly garbage collection tax.
You DO NOT bring any dirt to the curb.
You DO NOT have anything recorded or weighed.
You DO NOT pay any MONEY because you didn't throw anything away!

Eliminating our Garbage Collection Tax is one thing, paying only for the garbage we throw out is another. Yet, we all must stop wasting waste! Consider these steps to start throwing out less:
- Composting
- Recycle more than what you are recycling now [STOP buying Bottled Water!]
- Visit my Blog Categories to learn more, the Links are on the right side of this page

Now isn’t this a more sustainable way to live? Save Money, Energy, Health, and our Environment for our grandchildren. All that, without sacrificing anything!

Bill Lauto, at Going True Green
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!

Ghost In The Attic

1/12/2017

attic, vents, gable vents, attic vents, saving energy, going green, insulation, attic air, attic fans, sustainability, going true green, bill lauto, R-30, vapor barrier

Uninsulated Attic Floor

I am continuing with a ghost story to assist consumers when having energy saving work done in the attic. While some people may claim a ghost is in the attic, it is most likely the corrupt spirit of a living person trying to steal extra money out of an unsuspecting client.

I was called to conduct an energy audit on a fairly large house and as usual I started in the basement and worked up toward the attic. After some two plus hours of checking every possibility to save money and energy, the home owner informed me that the master bedroom was always freezing. A “Ghost-Like” freezing, he described.
Winter had just started and upon entering, the bedroom was as cold as it was huge. I started my hunt for all the contributing reasons.

I noticed newly installed Recessed Ceiling light fixtures in the bedroom's ceiling. The homeowner told me that he received a great deal on the labor, since he was friends with the electrician. Nevertheless, I immediately calculated the cost and savings for him to convert from the 75 watt incandescent flood lights his friend installed to 18 watt compact fluorescent floods. Today, I would recommend LEDs. Based on the local Kilowatt rate and hours of use for the bedroom lights, the payback on his cost to buy the new flood lights was less than two years. Yet, this did not solve the issue with why the bedroom was so cold. The main reason was lurking above us in the attic.

I first addressed the thermostat's location on the second floor for the bedrooms and the benefits to having a Multi-Set Back Clock thermostat installed in a different location. Then I pulled down the steps to the attic and went up without hesitation. Once my eyes cleared the hatch entrance, my portable light came upon the astonishing answer. I froze, not from the cold attic, but because of the great incompetence of some "so-called professionals." As I slowly backed down the steps and turned to look down at the homeowner, he knew from the look on my face, that something was seriously wrong.

"How well do you know this electrician friend of yours?" I asked cautiously.

"Very well, I know him for years. Since school. Why?"

"Is he a licensed electrician?"

"I think so. Why?"

"You can use my light and go up to look for yourself, but to install your new light fixtures in the ceiling, your friend moved all your insulation and stacked it up in a pile on one side. They never put the insulation back into the Bays between the wooden beams."

The homeowner took my light went up, looked around, and came down cursing while making a few angry claims.

We reviewed the solutions to his cold bedroom that included placing the current insulation back with the vapor barrier facing the attic floor. Also adding additional Un-Faced insulation on top (insulation without a vapor barrier) and the importance of always having a licensed electrician. One final note, always check on the work done yourself.

Alas... a ghost was not part of the reasons for the cold bedroom or for moving the insulation into a stack on the side.

Bill Lauto, at Going True Green
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
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Bill Lauto
Environmental Science and Energy Consultant

Bill Lauto, Environmentalist, Energy Consultant

Bill Lauto came on the scene in 1981 to present facts and teach details about how we can save our environment without making sacrifices. He demonstrated how correctly implementing the technology we already obtained in 1981, allowed us to save Money, Energy and Earth. He voice was one among the few who taught green facts long before anyone else talked about Going Green.
Bill Lauto's Credentials
By 1994 the Internet was being explored as a tool to provide energy saving information to all of America by Mr. Lauto. Having the foresight, he first launched the Light Bulb HotLine web site off of the company's Domain in 1996. Then in April of 2001, EnergyHotwire.com became a resource. Today,
GoingTrueGreen.com has joined in to help dispel the mis-information and provide the facts about truly Going Green.

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