The Great Water Bottle Debate

In honor of Earth Day today, I'd like to raise an issue that I keep hearing about. Water Bottles. Do you use the plastic ones that we're supposed to recycle and make polar fleece out of? Or are you a crunchy-granola-Nalgene carrying type? Or have you caught on to the latest trend - the aluminum Sigg? All have their merits and controversies, so I'll throw it out here for you to make your own call.


1 - The standard plastic water bottle. Now these have made some recent imprvovements, as Arrowhead is touting, their new Eco-Shape that uses less plastic, but still holds the same amount of water. I actually like these since they have a narrower "wasit" making them easy to carry while running/hiking etc.


2 - Nalgene bottles - These used to be the eco-friendly choice for hikers and college students, but recent research has determined that a chemical (BPA) that seeps out of the plastic could be harmful, as discussed in this NYT article. If you read the article closer, you'll see that you have to ingest A LOT of it, or be a baby, but still, who wants that in their bodies? Nalgene does have their response posted on their site too, so you can decide what you want. Plus they now have a bottle that pairs with a Brita filter so you can be drinking even cleaner water. Do you think that filter filters out the bad stuff from the plastic bottle? Now there's a question.


3 - The Sigg - I haven't heard any negatives on these, but then again, I've never used on either, so I can't really comment. My concern is that it would be heavy. But water's heavy anyway, so maybe not. And they do have pretty cool graphics on them, so you can really show off your personal style by your choice of water bottle. We always can use another outlet for personal style, right? Here are their environmental justifications. And they do say you can put alcohol in them, but not to store it there since it might ferment and blow up. Not the exact words, but you get the idea...







4 - Glass - I don't think these are really intended for carrying around, but if you really crave that plastic water bottle shape, but want to be more eco-groovy, these glass versions of the standard are just what you need on your dinner table.






5 - the good ol' drinking fountain - These seem to be much fewer and farther between these days with the advent of all these other water containers, but I think we should go back here. You only drink what you need, you don't have to clean them (someone else does...) you don't have to carry them, and they keep you on your toes since you never know if you're going to get water up your nose with a sudden burst from the fountain.

Let it all Hang Out

This is a new one - National Hanging Out Day - just in time for Earth Day. Instead of running even your energy efficient drier, the folks at Project Laundry List are encouraging people to hang their laundry out to dry on Saturday as a statement to slow global warming. The solar powered drier, aka the clothes line, has been in use for centuries, and still seems to work.

Here are some statistics from their website:
In this country, six to ten percent of residential energy use goes toward running clothes dryers. The average American uses more energy running a clothes dryer than the average African uses in a year for all her energy needs.

And if you can believe it, there are some communities that have rules against having clothes lines for aesthetic reasons. The Project Laundry List people are introducing "Right to Dry" legislation to help these people so that we can all enjoy that "outdoor fresh scent" straight from the backyard/fire escape/balcony/etc.

Hang it up!

Building the Bigger Mousetrap

Who said bigger is better? Were they talking about mousetraps? Well, if you subscribe to this theory, you should check out the Life Size Moustrap at the Haunted Barn this weekend. I remember loving that game when I was a kid, even though it took forever to set up, and was a little cloogy when you put the marbles through. But hey, I'd love to see it life size!

Head down towards Hunter's Point to check it out. They'll set it off 3 times during the operating hours on Friday (party night 9pm-12am), and 5 times Saturday (family day 2pm-12am). There will be other rowdy entertainment to keep you busy - from can can dancing mice to chicken sh** bingo. Don't ask me. I think you'll have to see for yourself.

Busy Bay

Unfortunately I work from home in a little room under the stairs. Not quite as little as Harry Potter's room, and there is a window, but it only looks out to an air shaft and a sliver of the window of the house next door where I hear all sorts of strange noises... So, it can get a little claustrophobic in here, especially when I realize I have no idea what it's like outside other than either it's raining or not.

Today I came across this HD webcam with a beautiful view of the bay. I've bookmarked it so I can pretend my office is really on the waterfront in Sausalito. It has the bonus feature of telling you the names of all the ships coming and going through the bay. Ever wonder where that tanker was headed as you saw it sliding under the Golden Gate? Well, this site will tell you!

And here's a timelapse shot of bay fog clearing over the course of the day, all the boat traffic zooming through, and the sunset fading into black, that just epitomizes what it's like to live here.

Austrian Wine Tasting

We've done South African, New Zealand, Napa, Sonoma, and I'm sure a few other wine regions on here, but not Austrian yet, until now. No, not Australian, Austrian. That little country in the middle of Europe known for its Grüner Veltliner. What's that, you ask? I have no idea! I have yet to taste many Austrian wines, so now's the time!

Next Monday, the 21st there will be an Austrian wine tasting event at the ferry building. It's put on by the Masters of Wine, a British organization "to promote the highest level of educational achievement for the wine industry." So you might just learn a thing or two while you're there. And if you don't want to show up knowing NOTHING about Austrian wine, I found this site to shed some light.