Price Gouge Map

This is the new official Price Gouging Map.

If you can barely pay more for gas.

You will.

Here is a map of today's Gas Prices. Red = $4.07+
















Now here's a map of household income.
The darker the higher the household income.

Can you figure out the correlation between the two maps?














There is one.
And it's not pleasant.

Celebrating Our Success!!

We DID IT! We parked our car for 30 days! (32 to be exact) and are confident we cut our utilities significantly (hopefully in half).
As I mentioned on a local radio interview yesterday the 30 day mark was very uneventful. Our family's in-half conservation project has now turned into somewhat of a lifestyle.
Today, to save some time, we did decide to run one of our errands IN THE CAR! FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER 30 DAYS!

We fired up the blue monster and luckily she still started.
As we pulled out into the road in our big, polluting, love-able, clumsy behemoth I almost took out a construction barrel. I guess my spacial relationship needs to re-adapt from 'bike-space'

After we finished our shopping we went out into the hot parking lot and climbed into the hot car. Which I likened to crawling into a hot wet diaper. Gross, I know, but I think you get the picture.
I missed dearly, just jumping on the bike and zooming off. No A/C needed.

Here's a video we would like to share with you so you can celebrate with us, just how happy we are about today's car trip.

Will Someone Please Tell Me Who Is Responsible?!!

Why are our gas prices still so high?!!

Things We Take For Granted

Yesterday the boys and I visited one of our public works. The Waste Water Treatment facility. We spent a couple of hours learning about our cities water systems. It was fascinating to us. We had a great tour guide who was very patient with all of our questions.

It made me think of all of the other services, and systems of what it takes to keep a community functioning. Starting with food supply, water supply, park maintenance, road maintenance, policemen, firemen, libraries etc.

A lot of work and a lot of great people that I believe genuinely are passionately dedicated to keeping the gears of our community greased. So to speak. Our tour guide and his associates were evidence of this.

So, a big, huge, thanks to them, and all of the other people that work so hard every day to provide us with the every day things that honestly we (I) tend to take for granted.

-Pete and family

Day 28 | Report for Thursday August 7, 2008

Our car has now been parked for 28 days!

Today's comments:

Pete- You'll note from the last entry that we had a "moment".  Yes it's not all fun and games. But, those moments are far and few between.  I thought it was important to capture that moment. Probably felt more by me than anyone else.

Yesterday we were able to attend the opening ceremony for a local park.  Blake will be doing his Eagle project there.  It was quite nice.  Listening to the various leaders explain the cooperation needed to build parks was refreshing and informative.

I am really proud of Caitlyn.  The trip to this park was 5 miles each way and she did wonderfully.

Christelle- I've really enjoyed watching our family pull together over the past month.  We're almost at the end of our original "30 day in-half" project and I've learned so much. Implementing conservation into our daily lives will be a lot easier in the future.  The bike rides are phenomenal.  They are just so fun.  We're all together as a family, and instead of going for the car keys, we are all going for our bikes or skateboards, or scooters etc. 

Blake- Throughout this challenge, I've skateboarded to all of the places I need to go, and I'm sure that from now on I will always rethink my commute before I go for the car. Traveling long distances, like to Heroes Park, has definitely made me thankful for the car. The last couple days have been quite the commuting adventure! I'm thankful that we have somewhat been able to maintain our sanity to some extent, and look forward to skateboarding to scouts tonight.

By the way, my progress on my Eagle project is going great, I met with the park and recreation superintendent and discussed planting trees in a local park!

Brandon- About a week ago, my new bike broke! The freewheel somehow came lose, making it completely unridable, but thankfully I was able to return it (towing it back with my dad's bike). Still working on getting another bike. On my one-person trips, I have lately been taking our motorized scooter. On the family trips, however, I use my skateboard. This has really gotten me in great shape (like the 10 mile round trip to Heroes park and back). I've decided just to fix the bike I already have (new crank arm and pedals) so I can get places faster. As for my Eagle project, I think I've got some great options to choose from.

Caitlyn- I rode my bike to Heroes park.  It was really hot outside and I got really tired. We went to Settlers park and I cooled off in the water. They have like 4 gallons of water that drops on your head and 1 gallon that drops on your head. There are little sprinklers that you can go through. And there are giant fountains. There is a dolphin tail statue that squirts water and there is little things of water that shoot up in a circle. And there is a bunch of water that shoots up in the air. It's really fun.

Day 25 | Report for Monday August 4, 2008

Our car has now been parked for 25 days!

(and we're getting sick of it)

Ok, just kidding....sort of.

Living life without a car has really been a lifestyle upturndownsie. Want to go to a movie? Better think again...Think again about taking your life into your hands crossing that bridge that has a two and a half foot tall metal railing separating you from 40 feet of "Look Mommie, I can fly!" Splat.

Ok, yes, we're feeling a little rowdy here. Taking a bike everywhere for 3 weeks will do that to you. If you think it's easy...try it. We triple dog dare you. Yes we are also entertainment starved and have resorted to watching old Christmas movies and episodes of MacGuiver online.

And here's to the Real Man of Genius who almost ran me over.

Day 22 | Report for Friday August 1, 2008

Yes we are trying to cut our energy use In-Half!!

Some of our other endeavors have been monopolizing our time so please forgive the latency of this update.

The big news is!
Our car has now been parked for 22 days!!

Here is how much energy/water we have used in the past 22 days. (According to our best calculations).

Our Electricity Use: 123 kWh. = 5.59 kWh per day = 1.12 kWh per person per day. In 2005, the average monthly residential electricity consumption was 938 kilowatt hours (kWh), or 30 kWh per day according to the Energy Information Administration.

Our Natural Gas Use: 15 cubic feet = .68 cubic feet per day = .13 cubic foot per person per day.

Our Household Water Use: 3,559.7 gallons = 161 gallons per day = 32 gallons per person per day. Nationwide, the American Water Works Association estimates that the typical single-family home uses 69.3 gallons of water per person each day for indoor purposes.

Automobile fuel = ZERO!

So those are the stats so far.

In the past week we have been very busy. Christelle and I went on a date which included a 10 mile round trip bike ride to the theatre to see Batman. A little too violent for my tastes but I can see why it's so popular. I was hoping for a new bat-gadget-vehicle of some sort and was disappointed that they just recycled most of the stuff. New uniform to so he could turn his head? Big deal.

Maybe it's the fact that we made so much effort to go to the movies that I displaced some of the movies value. We should have gone to see hellboy.

The kids are still doing great. I'm sure the boys want to drive. Caitlyn is just happy, as all 8 year olds should be.

The dog wants to come inside more. The cat wants to go outside, and then inside, and then outside more.

There is only 1 more week of this experiment but we're cooking some other family project up so stay tuned.

Thanks to all of the kind comments, emails and support!

-The Skenandore's