Seahawks and Sounders see the light!

Qwest Field Event Center is a huge auditorium where events like Car Shows, trade shows home shows and Seahawks rallies are enjoyed. What is making this venue different than all others in the Seattle Area is the nearly the 2.5 acres the roof covers will be covered - this summer with solar panels.

The 3,750 solar panels will generate about 830,000 kilowatts of electricity per year, or enough to power 95 Seattle area homes. The system is scheduled to be up and running late this summer. The Qwest Event Center is located between Qwest Field and Safeco Field, and is operated by First and Goal, operators of The Seattle Seahawks and The Seattle Sounders and is funded largely in part by Paul Allen.

Pet-ZZZ Pads and Electric throw blankets- The Freeze Your Buns 2010 Update

Dear Chrunchetta- My buns are totally froze and have been solid ice for about a month now. I have been successful at keeping my thermostat down to 55 when not at home or in bed. The only difference with this years challenge is my increase in bad thermostat usage or BTU. This year, instead of keeping my thermostat off in the bedroom, I turn it up to a balmy 62 degrees about a half hour before I go to bed, then turn it to off. A bad habit I got into a few weeks back in the freeze fest here in the Puget Sound region. Even with my electric throw it gets very cold in my bedroom even with Romeo and Sammy Cat curled up under the comforter. Oh yeah the other thing I did for their comfort is I got them 2 Pet-ZZZ pads- a heating pad for pets that turns on when they lay on them- supposedly they use very little power but keeps my pets warm while at work! Something I worry about. I think they may be the answer for keeping your chickens water thawed as well. As seen on T.V., but also available at Bartells!

The Annual Crunchy Chicken Frozen Rump Fest!

Well the seasons come around and just like clockwork, so does Ms. Chicken's Frozen Rump-Fest. I join in on this one grumpily- she's not asking you to literally freeze, but rather, just turn down the thermostat. I am turning mine to 55 when in bed or at work, and 65 when at home. There are many advantages to this- lower utility bills, runny nose, pneumonia. But really it isn't that bad- just sit around in a snuggly blanket and wait for the goddamn winter to end. I guess I am not making it sound any better. Suffice it to say- I have survived the last 3 years doing this-so give it a shot

In defense of carbon offsets

My Pick-Up displaying its carbon offset

Today Crunchy Chicken had a post about purchasing offsets for travel. She used Terrapass. There is terrapass for cars, for your home, for travel, for college dorm life, even for weddings. I am familiar with terrapass, I saw it first on Living with Ed, and I have been buying offsets from them for my cars, in particular the Suzuki and the Tacoma Pick Up for a couple of years now. I would use the bus sytem to work, but working a late shift (2- 10:30pm) makes that near impossible-So i figure if I must drive why not make some good out of it? The Suzuki is really inexpensive to drive, gets a good rating from the EPA and is very inexpensive to buy a Terrapass offset for - Under $25 annually. The truck while being more comfortable (Think A/C, CD here folks) costs a bit more for it's offset (about $75). My low prices for offsets are due to the fact I don't drive much. And I think it is important to state that if I drive, I want the most for the $$$, and using an offset at least helps give back something. Terrapass invests the money received for the offsets into "green" energy- wind farms, manure methane, etc. etc. If I am going to drive and I am, I will use a carbon offset. There are a lot of carbon offsets out there- Terrapass, Native Energy, Carbon Fund.org to name a few- Of course a lot of times, like now I choose to drive my Honda scooter to work. It is the most efficient form of travel I own. Well that is not true- I do own a bike. But that ain't happening. So I drive the scoot, and I just watch out for the bugs at night. And never smile. And hope they come out with an affordable electric car soon. And if Terrapass is good enough for Ed Begley Jr., it is good enough for me!