Tacomaness.com: Sustainable Tacoma: Part 1

With such a love as we have for technology, my wife and are certainly aren’t “green” by any means but trying to strike a balance like you mentioned. We have a rain barrel to help with watering plants around the place and a compost bin made from wooden pallettes. Our recycling bin is always about twice or more as full as our garbage bin. And we rarely drive separate cars to work—heck, just our commute from the North End to downtown save energy.

There’s more I’d like to do (e.g. solar) but that’ll take some time and money. It’s always good to be mindful of the environment and I always plan to be.

I’m not dissing the Netherlands or other first-world countries besides the US, but they still consume a lot of petroleum.

However, if you want a really good example of sustainability at work you need to take a look at Cuban society. I just watched “The Power of Community” from the Community Solution, which is an organization seeking to develop local solutions to the inevitable peak in worldwide oil production. As a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba lost a large percentage of its oil imports that it used for agriculture and transport. Since then they have had to adapt away from the “Green Revolution” model of agriculture and away from cars. In their place are urban gardens that provide 50-100% of the daily fruit and vegetable needs of urban residents as well as bicycles and buses.

Further, 2006 is the year of the “energy revolution” in Cuba, which is a national program to increase the energy efficiency of generators, lighting, and household appliances to reduce the energy needs (or ecological footprint) of Cubans. A side note being: Cuba still offers its citizens free health care and higher education. If Cuba is said to be 2% of the latin american population, it has 11% of the scientists. It should be a model to be followed.

From what I’ve heard about the Green Car Company, I think you might be better off trying to purchase a TDI from a private owner. (Only made more difficult by the fact that GCC posts their cars on craigslist…)

We are lucky enough to have biodiesel readily available all over the area. Associated Petroleum (APP) actually has two stations in Fife (one at Hwy 99 and Port of Tacoma Road, the other on 70th Ave E), or if you’re willing to drive to Lacey (and open a cardlock account) you can get it significantly cheaper.

If you have any biodiesel questions, we’ve been at it for 3 years now, so don’t hesitate to ask…

Instead of getting a new car, how about finding ways to avoid driving the one that you already have? I don’t know what area of Tacoma you live in, but if you commute downtown you have plenty of bus choices. If not the bus, then how about a bike?
Personally I ride the bus (or walk) whenever I can even though I own a new compact car that gets really good milage. I figure that the bus is and will go that way anyway with or without me on it, so I save whatever gas and pollution I would have burned in my own car making a repetitive trip.
Walking even saves me money grocery shopping, since I know I’ll have to carry home whatever I buy, I am much more careful about my choices.