Joe Mellett's blog

Missing the Point

One of my favorite things to do when I’m reading articles on the web is to read the comments that follow. Each and every one of them. People never cease to surprise me! In an article about extending transit services to the suburbs, someone rants about those crazy liberals and environmentalists who want to force him to live in a small condo in a crime-ridden, noisy urban neighborhood.

Super Green Homes

Any house that stays off the grid is an awesome house, in my opinion. What’s most impressive about this off-the-grid-ready house in San Antonio is that they get 100% of their water from rainwater collection. My first thought when I saw that was that they live in San Antonio. I’ve been there. It’s hot. It’s dry. VisitSanAntonio.com reports 300 sunny days each year and average annual precipitation at only 29.05 inches. The rainiest month is September, when they average 3.7 inches of rain.

Ways to Save While Buying Organic

As the economy spirals downward, seemingly out of control, people everywhere are cutting back. We’re cutting down on driving to save on gas. We’re cutting out luxury items. We’re not buying meat. So it seems like kind of an odd time to tout the benefits of organic foods, which have a reputation for costing more than their pesticide-laden, nutrient-lacking counterparts. But I think it’s never okay to eat pesticides that are going to contribute to your demise, and we all do it without questioning a single thing we put in our mouth.

A Rebuttal

Yikes. Walter Williams of George Mason is angry. I don’t know this guy, but I think he’d scare the living daylights out of me if we ever bumped into each other in a dark alley somewhere. In a column in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review yesterday, Williams spouts about the power environmental groups hold over Congress.

Just Have Your Paychecks Wired to Exxon

How’s this for sickening? One day the big news organizations are talking about seniors who are living on pasta because they can’t afford anything else in the midst of high gas prices and the struggling economy. The next, they’re announcing Exxon Mobil’s record second quarter profits of $11.68 billion. CNN does the math there to really drive home how staggering this is – their profit amounts to $1,485.55 per second. It’s Exxon’s largest quarterly profit in US history. Profit from the sale of oil was up 70%.

Largest Decline in Miles Driven… Ever?

It’s become a constant in the news – every day, someone
reports on what people are doing in the wake of such high gas prices. While
many people are cutting back on what they spend in other areas, resoundingly,
people are changing their lifestyles so that they don’t have to purchase as
much gas. Yesterday, the Federal Highway Administration announced that Americans
put 9.6 billion fewer miles on their

Walking for Fitness and Gas Savings

An article at Canada.com touts the health and cash saving
benefits of turning to walking as an alternative to driving. Author Helen
Vanderburg mentions the muscle groups that get worked during walking – legs,
buttocks and lower back – and reminds us that we can walk to accomplish daily
tasks that are located near our homes and offices and get fit in the process.
She recommends buying a pedometer (they cost as little as $5 and increase

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