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My husband and I went to see “Who Killed the Electric Car” this weekend. We are suckers for good documentaries.

First, I must say, the General Motors EV1 electric car was cool, and (listen GM!), I WOULD BUY ONE, RIGHT NOW. I live in Boulder, Colorado, and it is perfect for my local daily commute. Please put that on your OFFICIAL SURVEY of folks who would buy one today.

Ok, opinion aside, back to the review. Like “An Inconvenient Truth”, this movie had the thought-provoking facts behind it. Instead of pointing blame on one particular suspect, the movie methodically went through all the “suspects”, including battery technologies, the oil industry, the govermnent, the California Air Resource Board, even new, unproven technologies such as hydrogen, and, us, the consumer.

I love these fact-based movies. In the end, it did put some blame on some or all of these suspects, but the movie still left us with HOPE. We can still change our ways. We can still CHOOSE to not use oil or gas when we have alternative energies to select from.

I am still looking at hybrids. If the electric car was available today, I would rather buy that. But since the american car manufacturers gave Toyota and Honda a market advantage, (and, yes, they took advantage of that market gap), I will choose to go with a Prius or another Civic hybrid.

Listen GM, please reinstate development of the electic car. You can help us save the planet. (again, my opinion!)

~Namaste

(and use green alternatives today! YOU can help save our planet)

I used to own a 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid. It got over 50 miles per gallon, and was pretty zippy, although, lacked the room needed to cart around three large dogs, a 6′ tall 15 year old, and a husband.

This week, I thought it was time to investigate another hybrid, the Ford Escape. I test-drove the 4×4 basic edition.

First thing I noticed was it’s pickup speed. The battery assists the engine, and thus gives it a ton of get-up-and go. It was hot evening, so the air conditioning was going. This did not effect any of the zip, however, when I was noticing the gas/electric gauge, it was always running at about 1/2 electric, 1/2 gas. Once I turned off the air conditioner, and slowed to city speeds, I could see it moving towards battery (and more efficient) power. One nice thing about the Escape, was that the engine and air conditioner did not shut off when I came to a stop (as my 2004 civic hybrid did).

I took the Escape on the highway, and it’s “continuous shifting” was smooth. It’s hard to get used to not shifting, as most drivers have been shifting all their lives, but this was nice. It was hard to tell if I was being efficient with gas though, because one thing the Civic had which this edition of the Escape did not, was the fun gadgets that showed you how many miles/gallon you’re getting. The dealer said that was an upgrade. In my opinion, if you’re going to get a hybrid, you should be able to know at a moment’s glance how much you are saving in gas.

The interior of the Escape was just like a Ford. Nothing fancy, just the basics. The seats were cozy, and the back seat seemed to fit the 6′ 15 year old just fine. The back seats flipped down to give you a roomy hatchback trunk for moving things. The battery was conveniently tucked away underneith the back deck, so it did not get in the way of storage (unlike the Civic, in which you could not fold down the seats as the battery was behind the seat).

Did I buy it? No, I didn’t. The real decision was based on the fact that the 4 x 4 Escape only got 6 miles per gallon more than my Audi A4. And, the maintenance was quite a bit more as well. The battery needed to be maintained every 5000 miles, and the trips to the dealer within the first 10,000 miles seemed to be around 4. That is a bunch. So, if I am only driving 300 miles per month, and that equates to 12 gallons of gas, I would only get 72 more miles out of the Escape per month. 72 miles per month x 12 months is 864 miles. 864 miles/29 miles per gallon (as estimated for the Escape) = 30 gallons of gas per year. That’s only $90 of gas at $3.00 per gallon. So, in essence, I would save $90/year if I bought this the Escape. That wasn’t enough to sway me to make the purchase.

I know we should all be moving towards Hybrids, and that is my direction. IMHO, if American manufacturers want the US dollars to come their way, they should start looking at how they can make their cars stand up to the Hondas and Toyotas in the miles per gallon arena.

Bottom line, nice car, not there for me yet.

Here’s a followup to my previous post: “Thoughts on the Environment, spawned by An Inconvenient Truth.”

I filled up the gas tanks on both cars (yes, I am ashamed to say I have two) on June 1. The total cost to fill both tanks is $90. (OWCH!). Here’s my driving for the month:

June 1-3, drove from Boulder to Steamboat and back. 1 tank of gas. ($60). That car still has about 1/8 tank left.

The balance of the month, the only other time I needed to drive a distance that would not be practical or time efficient on my bike was last Saturday, when we went to see ““Moving Out“, the Billy Joel musical, which was playing at the Buell Theater in Denver. We used approx. 1/8 tank in the other car for that outing.

The balance of the month, I didn’t need to drive at all. I rode my bike to the grocery store, scheduled errands at lunch (which made for a fun bike ride in the middle of the day), walked a lot, rode to local restaurants for outings, worked in the garden, and sometimes did my real work from home, and got to know my neighbors. I did, however, drive to a handful of yoga classes at CorePower Yoga, but not as many as I would have had I been driving every day. Instead, I got my yoga groove on in my new sunroom in my own home, in my own time, and when my mind and body needed it!

So, what’s the net-net? Had I filled up the one commuter car 3x this month (3 x $30=$90), and the other “vacation” vehicle twice a month (2 x $60=$120), my total cost for gasoline would be $210. My total cost for gas this month is $90, which is a $120 savings for the month. And, the savings will continue into next month, as I still have about 3/4 tank in the commuter car. That’ll go into my son’s college fund!

Keep riding and saving on gas…

~Namaste

Two weeks ago, I moved into a bigger house. Bigger mortgage, bigger utility bills, and new, unknown expenses to be had. With the release of “An Inconvenient Truth”, I am honestly feeling quite guilty about increasing my energy consumption.

To combat this guilt, I made a deal with myself. The deal was to drive my car only 4 days a week. Ride my bike everywhere, and anytime I possibly can. After about a week of riding my bike, I realized that I can actually get by with only driving 3 days a week. I just have to plan all my “road trips” (large grocery runs, doctor appts, Home Depot stops, recycle, etc) around one or two days, and then leave an extra day for the unexpected task or two.

Much to my joy, I’m finding that riding my bike (which has two baskets on it!), is quite easy. I can still get around during the day, and run some errands. Today, I actually rode home at lunch and hung my laundry out to dry (another promise to myself…”do not run the laundry dryer until I absolutely have to.”) And, another benefit; I am not lethargic from riding in a HOT VEHICLE after work. I have energy to cook and garden. During these fantastic long days of summer, this is a blessing.

I am looking forward to seeing “An Inconvenient Truth” when it arrives here in Colorado (I’ve watched the trailer a few times). I hope it makes the world take notice, and slow our hungry energy consumption to a crawl. We don’t need it.

~Namaste

“Do not seek to have everything that happens as you wish, but wish for everything to happen as it actually does happen, and your life will be serene.”
–Epictetus

“Live each present moment completely and the future will take care of itself. Fully enjoy the wonder and beauty of each instant”
–Yogananda

Mantras for myself, as I try despirately to get through this week with no more mental breakdowns about what the future may hold.

Just a note on living every moment in the present. I, personally love pets. I love my own pets, I love all my friends pets, and I would adopt every pet at the humane society if I could.

But, we know they don’t live our lives as long as we do. Yesterday, we put my friend’s beloved Golden Retriever, Boston to rest due to her pain from wide-spread cancer. While we knew she was sick, and we dreaded that day that would come, it was still terribly, terribly hard, and there was no way possible to prepare for the end of her life.

We lived in the present with her, ran, hiked, and she gave us her undivided affection, no matter what. We’ll cherish that former present, and feel blessed that she was always there. (Boston is on the left)

Enjoy your pets, your days, and your loved ones every day, being in the present for every gift life has to offer at the present moment.

~Namaste

Try this: The next time you find yourself wound up tight with too many things to do and not enough time to do them in, stop everything, sit down, and let go. Visualize all those to-do’s, issues, and problems turning into white feathers, as one by one you release them, watching them fall lightly to the floor. Just like the feather, these tasks cannot be rushed, but rather must take time to sort themselves out. A feather, like any object, cannot defy gravity, and it will come down eventually. Rather than worry about how quickly it will come down, focus instead on the ethereal dance of the feather. Imagine what life would be like if you came upon the events in your own life the way a feather alights — without pressure or weight. See yourself moving here and there throughout your day with effortless ease.

Reprinted from : The Journey to Wild Divine: The Passage

Now, personally, I use this practice frequently. Currently, I am in the process of buying and selling a house. The buying part is working out just fine. The selling part is another story. I find it hard to put such a large and personal task into the hands of a realitor. With all my frustrations building up, I have had to STOP, SIT DOWN, and LET IT GO at least two to three times a day. Sometimes, I close my eyes, use my heart breath, and just take a 20 minute snooze. That works too!

Last Sunday, I was asked to play in a golf tournament to celebrate a friend’s birthday. I am, in fact, terrible at golf. To prove this, I actually hit the head right off of my Nike 3 wood the previous weekend when driving some balls.

But, I use my heart breath, dive into my yoginess and try to enjoy. This past Sunday, I was teamed with three of my best girlfriends. We all know, girls like to have fun! Well, on the third hole, my one friend tee’d off, and then immediately (and just as spontaneously) dropped to her hands for Bakasana (crow pose). This spawned all of us to drop and hold Crow. Now to us, this captured the essence of the day; to be, to breathe, to play, and to enjoy every moment as it occurs.

Unfortunately, the course marshall didn’t approve. He must have seen our little asana, as on the next hole, he kindly asked us to speed up and catch up to the group ahead of us.

I should have given him a free pass for yoga…

Golf and yoga do go together. I think there should be a vinyasa at every hole…

~Namaste

Try this: Take a quiet moment, perhaps early in the morning or before bed, to practice your heart breath. As you breathe, become aware of that connection that connects and sustains all living things. This is not a time to wring your hands over the world’s many troubles; rather, it’s a time to focus on the power you have to heal, just through your awareness and intention. Imagine your breath sending out energy to all who need it, nourishing and nurturing the world with love and compassion.

Reprinted from The Journey to Wild Divine, the Passage, the Wild Divine Project.

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned in this blog that I teach yoga at a mental health center. This is me. Last month, all my students contributed to a newsletter article on the benefits of yoga. One of the quotes really stood out as outstanding:

“The class is better than a fistfull of tranquilizers”, states John.

While we all get a chuckle out of this, I am truly honored to know that John takes his tranquil state out into the world after every class. I’m sure the world is a better place…

~Namaste