Crisis tips: energy, climate & food (Page 2)

This made me chuckle.

Very useful thread there, Bonheur. Lots of interesting info to remember and use in our everyday lives. I have a lot to learn from here.

Priyav - Half of the fresh produce I buy, ends up in the garbage at the end of the week. I don't know if I end up buying more b'cos certain produce is offered at a good price that week or b'cos if I'm not sure whether I canmake that trip to the Farmers market the following week etc., Reading posts such as these makes one re-think what they've been doing. 
I would love to follow your clothesline idea in summer - at least for a couple of months of summer that we get. This way can even salvage some clothes from the dryer's shrinking effect. I have various bugs/spiders in my backyard due to the large number of trees there. If you did have that issue, how did you solve it?

 

I have received this tip so many times via email on fuel saving, and one of my friend told me she actually practices it and it works. So to all the drivers.

Tips on Filling your Vehicles...


I don't know what you guys are paying for petrol... but here in Durban, we are also paying higher, up to 47.35 per litre. But my line of work is in petroleum for about 31 years now, so here are some tricks to get more of your money's worth for every litre.
Here at the Marian Hill Pipeline, where I work in Durban, we deliver about 4 million litres in a 24-hour period thru the pipeline.
One day is diesel; the next day is jet fuel, and petrol, LRP and Unleaded. We have 34-storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 litres.
ONLY BUY OR FILL UP YOUR CAR OR BIKKIE IN THE EARLY MORNING WHEN THE GROUND TEMPERATURE IS STILL COLD. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground, the denser the fuel, when it gets warmer petrol expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening.... your litre is not exactly a litre.
In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the petrol, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products play an important role. A 1degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.
Compiled by Ramesh Patel on 16.03.2008 @ 10:00Hrs. Page 1 of 2
WHEN YOU'RE FILLING UP, DO NOT SQUEEZE THE TRIGGER OF THE NOZZLE TO A FAST MODE. If you look, you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low,
Compiled by Ramesh Patel on 16.03.2008 @ 10:00Hrs. Page 2 of 2
middle, and high. In slow mode, you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapours that are created, while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapour return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapour. Those vapours are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TIPS IS TO FILL UP WHEN YOUR TANK IS HALF FULL. The reason for this is, the more fuel you have in your tank, the less air occupying its empty space. Petrol evaporates faster than you can imagine. Petroleum storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the petrol and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation.
Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated, so that every litre is actually the exact amount.
ANOTHER REMINDER, IF THERE IS A FUEL TRUCK PUMPING INTO THE STORAGE TANKS, WHEN YOU STOP TO BUY, DO NOT FILL UP - most likely the petrol/diesel is being stirred up as the fuel is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.
Hope, this will help you get the maximum value for your money.
DO SHARE THESE TIPS WITH OTHERS! LET'S SHARE INFORMATION AND BENEFIT ALL, FOR THE BETTER OF MANKIND.

wow. thanks caryn that was information for me!!! i shall take care from now on!

Thanks for the petrol filling tips, Caryn. I read the same thing somewhere. Problem is mornings are always a big rush for work and weekends ... er ... hard to get up. But still, at the prices that petrol is retailing for these days, it may be time I sacrificed some sleep.

Btw, some one has been sending round a cartoon that says, considering how expensive it is to fill up on petrol, it's about time we started drinking instead of driving

I use a timer switch -- hardly S$20.00 -- to regulate a light bulb in my living room that I switch on when I expect to be away from home till late. Living alone most of the time, I do need the light as a safety device -- to give the impression that someone's home. Perhaps someday I will consider installing a burglar alarm instead though that too would eat up electricity, I guess.

Edited by Bonheur - 10 June 2008 at 7:51am

Can anyone advise which herbs will survive well in the kind of weather we tropical folks experience all the time? Oh, and in pots rather than in gardens since I live in a flat. I have just started growing curry leaves and the plant is doing pretty well, so I shan't have to buy any more of it or go around after dark vandalising my neighbours' plants I tried growing mint but it's nearing death

hey bon this is for you

Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum)

Cilantro is widely used in both Latin and Southeast Asian dishes but is not to be confused with Vietnamese coriander (Polygonum odoratum) which is a perennial. Still as well as using the greens, cilantro seed can be ground and then is known as the spice,
coriander.

Cilantro goes to seed quickly when temperatures rise. Sow seeds directly into the garden at two-week intervals to keep a fresh supply of cilantro. Plants grow to about 2-feet tall, but leaves can be harvested when the plant reaches about 6 inches in height. Thin seedlings to 7 to 10-inches apart.

• Marjoram (Origanum majorana)

When looking for sweet marjoram, you may find it classed as Majorana hortensis and Majorana majorana as well as Origanum majorana. This petite annual reaches only 12-inches in height. Although often substituted for oregano, a pleasing fragrance and velvety gray foliage make sweet marjoram a popular
favorite as an ornamental herb as well as a culinary herb.
Sow seeds outdoors in early spring when soil temperatures reach about 60F. Sweet marjoram is also a naturally sweet addition to an indoor herb garden.

• Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)

Parsley is actually a biennial, but you.ll have the best luck growing it if you treat it as an annual and plant it every spring.
Although it is aggravatingly slow at germinating, the best way to propagate parsley is through seed. For best results start seeds indoors six to eight weeks before you expect the last frost.
Since it reaches only a foot tall, parsley is also an excellent plant for your indoor herb garden.

Fennel (Foeniculum officinalis)

Fennel is a perennial herb that looks like dill, but has a very distinctive licorice scent and flavor.
Fennel is best grown in a patio pot place in full sun. The herb grows up to 4 feet tall and self-seeds to the point of being quite invasive. Use young fennel leaves with fish, Italian dishes. Seeds are used in many sauces and also to flavor sausage.    Like dill, fennel also attracts swallowtail butterflies.

• Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)

Lemon grass is an aromatic tropical grass that provides the subtle taste and smell of lemon with a bright edge of ginger.
Lemon grass grows in cascading clumps that can reach up to 6-feet high and 3-feet in diameter. It.s usually propagated by bulb planting or division of a mature clump.
The sharp blades are ready for harvest when they are about to inch in diameter.

Oregano (Origanum vulgare)

Oregano, although known as wild marjoram, has coarser leaves and a fragrance more similar to thyme than sweet marjoram.
Plants grow to two feet in height and adapt well to containers. Although oregano is a perennial, beds need to be replanted every three to four years when stems become woody.
Propagate oregano either by seed or by division. Unlike most cooking herbs, oregano leaves are their most flavorful after they have been dried.


Edited by jasunap - 10 June 2008 at 9:58am

thanks caryn for the useful information on petrol..

bon, you can try planting tulsi.


Avoid plastic bags.Recycle your plastic bags/containers.

Carry your personal bag to grocery shopping, so you can avoid plastic/paper bags.

In my office they provided us all with coffee mugs, so we stop using millions of paper cups every year.

Thanks for the tips, Jasunap. Priyav, I do usually carry a cloth shopping bag, either a small Body Shop one or a large one from the NTUC supermarket in Singapore. Unfortunately, shopkeepers in Singapore have the habit of grabbing plastic bags and putting even single purchases in them even before you can open your mouth to say no. I decline them anyway.

Hmm, I should start using my own mug for coffee. Problem is the office washroom is like a mile from my room but I should expend that energy., Thanks for reminding.