Milk is costing my family almost twice what gas costs us.  With growing boys, it takes almost as many gallons to get us through the week.   I heard that one of the reasons is because the corn to feed the cows is being used instead for ethanol production.  But the new “green” fuel could be doing more harm than just that to my pocketbook.

Ethanol seems like a great solution to fuel needs.  After all, it can be grown in what ever amounts needed.  But many people forget that it takes fossil fuels to generate the ethanol.  This means that while the product itself is a carbon neutral fuel, its production is not.

There is also concern that existing forests will be cut in order to grow the corn needed for the production of ethanol.  It is the destruction of these forests that is the leading cause of green house gases.  The cost of moving to a regenerative fuel is just too much if this is the path we are going to go down.

Scientists have not quit searching for better fuels.  We shouldn’t be focused on something with all the potential problems that ethanol has when the real answer could be right under our noses.

My husband has been fascinated with the concept of a self-sustaining home since we went to an open house about eight or nine years.  With Y2K looming ahead, everyone was looking for a way to survive if the worst happened.  It didn’t, but my husband was hooked.  The biggest sticking point we have is the extreme costs of using alternative powers.

The green industry has been working long and hard to find ways to bring down the costs and to improve the products at the same time.  There are now solar panels available that won’t cost more than the house you can attach them too.  Mini solar powered accessories are showing up everywhere - even in discounts stores and bulk shopping sites.

Our second sticking point for going solar is that we live under some HUGE trees.  It isn’t the shade, as much as the occasional falling limbs, which have me concerned.  Before I spend a chunk of savings on buying and installing solar panels, I want them to be nearly indestructible.

There is still wind and water.  Every few months, my husband starts plotting about how we could harness the power of the running water from the streams and creeks around our property.  A good breeze will get him off on his windmill tangent. 

I like the idea of having an alternative power source, even if it is just an emergency back up.  Until it becomes more readily available (and more designed for a modest checkbook), I’m afraid my Don Quixote will have to wait.

The green in the military is more than just the uniforms.  The organization whose main goal is to seek and destroy is using eco-friendly technology to power its ability to do the dirty work.  The idea of an environmentally friendly army seems to be the ultimate oxymoron.

It actually makes sense that the military would use solar power, bio fuels, and hybrid vehicles.  Most of the time, there aren’t outlets that the military can just plug into.  It has to have a way to make its own power because being in the middle of no where is not conducive to “plugging in.”

The Army has been especially dedicated at developing tents that will power themselves.  Covered with thin amorphous silicon technology, these tents are like tiny power stations.  It these tents prove to be as tough as they are unique then they could give the Army a distinct advantage.

It is important that the military look at self-sustaining ways to deploy.  The last times that they have been in the field required the building of cities before forces could be moved in.  How much easier it would be if the forces had all the necessities neatly built in to their regulation equipment.

It seems that every time I turn around there is a warning about one food or another.  For while I thought I was safe staying with fresh foods, but now even those are showing up as contaminated.  I’ve decided that the only way I can make sure the food my family eats is safe is to grow it myself.

Growing organic food in small amounts (just enough for my own family) is not as difficult as people might think.  It involves some planning, some manual labor, and lots of attention. 

The first things you find out when you are determined to avoid poisons is that not all bugs are bad.  Even ants can have their place in a garden (native ants actually help aerate the soil).  Many beneficial insects (like the lady bug or the praying mantis) actually prey on the bad bugs.  Unfortunately, commercial insecticides can’t tell the good from the bad – one more reason to stay natural.

The next thing to know is that the very best fertilizer is a tea – compost tea that is.  This magic substance is made by “brewing” a liquid fertilizer from organic compost.  There are systems that you can purchase, or you can make your own.  The tea is then sprayed on the vegetables (or flowers) and has the added bonus of forming a film on the plants that will reduce the bad insects.

The most important thing about growing your own food is that it will be the best you have ever tasted.  Not only will it be the product of your own hand, but it will be picked at the very peak of freshness.  Who knows, the adventure of digging, planting, growing, and picking the vegetables and fruits may actually get your children excited about eating things that are good for them.