Blog Action Day

Today, Oct 15, is Blog Action Day. The idea is to highlight a single important issue---the environment.

Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic.

So I thought I'd add my thoughts on this day. I'm not an environmental activist by any means. Rather, I'm much closer to being a lazy environmentalist. I like the idea of having:

...easy, stylish and super convenient ways to green your lifestyle.

So we own a Highlander Hybrid (okay, it's not a Prius, but it does carry 7, is a lot more spacious for the occassional camping trips, and has 4 WD for our Tahoe trips, all while giving 25-26 mpg). And we're signed up to get our home electricity from green sources (i.e., we pay a little extra and to have our utility increase the fraction of electricity they get from green sources). And I just used a non-toxic concoction (baking soda, white vinegar, and boiling water) to open up a slow drain instead of using some toxic chemicals. And we're considering installing water efficient toilet---either the dual flush Toto Aquia (1.6 gpf/0.9 gpf) or the Toto Eco Drake (1.28 gpf). All these nice "green" things without any sacrifices---being a lazy environmentalist is easy!

The latest thing I'm considering is getting photovoltaic panels on our roof. I'm not yet convinced that having these panels saves money (though there are various rebates and incentives in place). But they do free one from the guilt of using halogen light fixtures that don't take the new CFLs! Have any of you considered photovoltaics? If so, do you find them effective?