In the last blog we discussed ways to detemine if you have poor indoor air quality while lounging in your moccasin slippers.
Today, we are going to look at possible sources for that inadequate air quality in the home.
1. One of the logically reasons may be smoking indoors or smoke coming into the house from outside.
2. Other things that burn such as, gas, kerocene, charcoal biquettes, wood or candles
3. Central heating, cooling or humidity systems
4. New or recently installed building materials and furnishings, including carpets and certain wood pressed products
5. Household cleaning and maintenance products
6. Personal care products such as hair sprays and soaps
7. Mold or mildrew
8. Tracking pesticides and pollens in on shoes or clothes
10. Improper circulation of fresh, outside air.
The most assured and practical way to clean indoor air is to invest in an air exchanger system that will filter out harmful pollutants and distribute fresh air throughout the home. They may "set you back a penny" but well worth the investment.
Quote of the Day:
"We don’t see things as they are; we see things as we are."
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
Not Too Late Part 1
Wandering in your moccasins from room to room in your house or cabin and darn there's that headache again. No, it is not the cooking but something else and it is affecting your health. You are sneezing and at times congested. The problem may be the quality of the air you are breathing. Most people are quite aware that outside air pollution can significantly affect your health, however, EPA studies have shown that levels of air pollution indoors maybe 100 times greater.
Indoor air pollution can be a concern because people can spend as much as 90% of their time indoors, and much of that time is in their homes. You can have an immediate or long - term reaction to poor indoor air quality.
One way to determine whether you have an indoor air quality problem is to look at how you or those in your household feel when at home.
1. Do you or others sneeze and cough in your home?
2. Do you or others in your home wake up congested or with a headache?
3. Do you or others in your home often have an irritated throat, nose or eyes?
4. Does anyone in your home have frequent asthma episodes or respiratory infections?
5. Do you notice that you feel better when you are away from home?
If you answered yes to any of the above, you may have an indoor air quality concern.
Next time we will look at possible causes of poor indoor air quality.
Quote of the Day:
"When you choose the lesser of two evils, always remember that it is still an evil."
-- Max Lerner
Indoor air pollution can be a concern because people can spend as much as 90% of their time indoors, and much of that time is in their homes. You can have an immediate or long - term reaction to poor indoor air quality.
One way to determine whether you have an indoor air quality problem is to look at how you or those in your household feel when at home.
1. Do you or others sneeze and cough in your home?
2. Do you or others in your home wake up congested or with a headache?
3. Do you or others in your home often have an irritated throat, nose or eyes?
4. Does anyone in your home have frequent asthma episodes or respiratory infections?
5. Do you notice that you feel better when you are away from home?
If you answered yes to any of the above, you may have an indoor air quality concern.
Next time we will look at possible causes of poor indoor air quality.
Quote of the Day:
"When you choose the lesser of two evils, always remember that it is still an evil."
-- Max Lerner
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Fanning the Seasons
Not only moccasins are comfortable for the body but also fans can play an important role.
Fans can improve year round comfort and energy efficiency, moving warm air around the home. Most fans feature a switch that allows you to change the spin direction of the fans. This is where I can get confused. During the summer you want the blades to spin COUNTER CLOCKWISE. That is, you want to draw the air up from the floor to the ceiling. In the winter it is the exact opposite. You want to adjust the spin to a CLOCKWISE position to allow better circulation of the warmer air close to the ceiling.
A ceiling fan can be effective , but only if you chose a fan that is the right size for the room. Fifty -two-inch fans are good for rooms approximately 15 feet by 15 feet or 12 feet by 12 feet. the air in larger rooms can be circulated by a 52-inch fan, however, 56- and 60-inch fans are better suited in a room of that size. For smaller rooms such as bedrooms, choose a 34-to 42-inch ceiling fan.
Quote for the Day
"If at first you don't succeed, do it the way your wife told you!"
Fans can improve year round comfort and energy efficiency, moving warm air around the home. Most fans feature a switch that allows you to change the spin direction of the fans. This is where I can get confused. During the summer you want the blades to spin COUNTER CLOCKWISE. That is, you want to draw the air up from the floor to the ceiling. In the winter it is the exact opposite. You want to adjust the spin to a CLOCKWISE position to allow better circulation of the warmer air close to the ceiling.
A ceiling fan can be effective , but only if you chose a fan that is the right size for the room. Fifty -two-inch fans are good for rooms approximately 15 feet by 15 feet or 12 feet by 12 feet. the air in larger rooms can be circulated by a 52-inch fan, however, 56- and 60-inch fans are better suited in a room of that size. For smaller rooms such as bedrooms, choose a 34-to 42-inch ceiling fan.
Quote for the Day
"If at first you don't succeed, do it the way your wife told you!"
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Easing the Pain at the Pump
It has been some time since we posted articles due to our wonderful summer weather. Now with the approach of Fall, this is about to change. Look for topics on moccasins, moccasin slippers and boots as well as articles on current events as well as various tips on everday things.
To get started here are some tricks to help you get your money's worth at the pumps.
1. Fill up your car or truck in the morning when the temperature is still cool. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanksburied below ground; and the colder the ground, the denser the gasoline. When it gets warmer gasoline expands, so if you're filling up in the afternoon or in the evening, what should be a gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and temperature of the fuel (gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products) are significant. A one-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for businesses, but service stations don't have temperature compensation at their pumps .
2. If a tanker truck is filling the station's tank at the time you want to buy gas, do not fill up; most likely dirt and sludge in the tank is being stirred up when gas is being delivered, and you might be transferring that dirt from the bottom of their tank into your car's tank .
3. Fill up when your gas tank is half-full (or half-empty), because the more gas you have in your tank the less air there is and gasoline evaporates rapidly, especially when it's warm. (Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating 'roof' membrane to act as a barrier between the gas and the atmosphere, thereby minimizing evaporation .)
4. If you look at the trigger you'll see that it has three delivery settings: slow, medium and high. When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to the high setting. You should be pumping at the slow setting, thereby minimizing vapors created while you are pumping. Hoses at the pump are corrugated; the corrugations act as a return path for vapor recovery from gas that already has been metered. If you are pumping at the high setting, the agitated gasoline contains more vapor, which isbeing sucked back into the underground tank so you're getting less gas for your money .
Hope this will help ease your 'pain at the pump'.
Quote of the Day:
"It's much easier to point out the problem than it is to say just how it should be solved. "
John Kenneth Galbraith (1908–2006) Economist
To get started here are some tricks to help you get your money's worth at the pumps.
1. Fill up your car or truck in the morning when the temperature is still cool. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanksburied below ground; and the colder the ground, the denser the gasoline. When it gets warmer gasoline expands, so if you're filling up in the afternoon or in the evening, what should be a gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and temperature of the fuel (gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products) are significant. A one-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for businesses, but service stations don't have temperature compensation at their pumps .
2. If a tanker truck is filling the station's tank at the time you want to buy gas, do not fill up; most likely dirt and sludge in the tank is being stirred up when gas is being delivered, and you might be transferring that dirt from the bottom of their tank into your car's tank .
3. Fill up when your gas tank is half-full (or half-empty), because the more gas you have in your tank the less air there is and gasoline evaporates rapidly, especially when it's warm. (Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating 'roof' membrane to act as a barrier between the gas and the atmosphere, thereby minimizing evaporation .)
4. If you look at the trigger you'll see that it has three delivery settings: slow, medium and high. When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to the high setting. You should be pumping at the slow setting, thereby minimizing vapors created while you are pumping. Hoses at the pump are corrugated; the corrugations act as a return path for vapor recovery from gas that already has been metered. If you are pumping at the high setting, the agitated gasoline contains more vapor, which isbeing sucked back into the underground tank so you're getting less gas for your money .
Hope this will help ease your 'pain at the pump'.
Quote of the Day:
"It's much easier to point out the problem than it is to say just how it should be solved. "
John Kenneth Galbraith (1908–2006) Economist
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Natural Moccasins/Natural World - tip #2
BUY LOCAL - EAT LOCAL FOODS 
As you know marieshoes.com features authentic Canadian moccasins. We consider as precious, nature and the natural world from which our products are made. We stand beside fellow denizens of this planet in protecting our environment and the world, as we know it. To this end we are bogging tips on everyday things that we can do to put the halt on global warming and it's irreparable change to our environment.
Tip #2 – Eat Local Foods …..Did you know that the ingredients for a North American meal typically travel between 2,500 and 4000 km? The cost of transport – in greenhouse gas production – is immense. We are paying for that – thereby condoning it. Discourage such folly! Make a choice to Eat Local Foods…visit Farmer's Markets and buy there; at the Grocers, read the labels and buy locally produced products; if there is a local producer of a product i.e.: honey or milk, and it's not on your grocer's shelves: "ask" for it. Your grocer (or store manager as we know them today) will bring it in for you and everyone will benefit. Be proactive in your purchases and indicating the your preferences. A little action, cumulatively, will add up to make a difference!
Frankly, their milk is better!!! Blackwell doesn't have to transport so far and can circulate their products more frequently. Therefore, the shelf life doesn't have to be so long, therefore they don't have to 'boil the good' out of their product to ensure that shelf life. It tastes…oooooh, like milk!
We all win…local producer, local jobs, better product health wise, taste wise, and the cost of greenhouse gases produced during transportation is dramatically reduced!!! This sort of positive message and initiative will impact the onslaught of global warming. If reproduced in every community it's cumulative effect would be immense!
Quote of the Day:
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Natural moccasins/natural world - tip #1
As you know marieshoes.com features authentic Canadian moccasins. We consider as precious, nature and the natural world from which our products are made. We stand beside fellow denizens of this planet in protecting our environment and world as we know it. To this end we are blogging tips on everyday things that we can do to put the halt on global warming and it's irreparable change to our environment.
- Tip #1 - Park The Car....not all the time....but consider taking the bus or rail, catching a lift (or giving a lift) to a friend, or - Lord help us - "w.a.l.k"!
We are encouraged by a recent VanCity Trust, British Columbia (Canada) initiative....they bought 45 brand-new red bicycles and gave them away - free - to anyone who wanted to ride to work/school/or just ride. The recipients were asked to utilize the 'free transport' for two weeks and pass them on to any other citizen of their choosing. In other words the bikes were given to society, an investment never to be seen again by the company.
Never to be seen again?, physically yes, but felt.....the verbal ripple just keeps on going. This sort of positive message and initiative will impact the onslaught of global warming. If reproduced in every community it's cumulative effect? well, immense!
The rib is - the cost of purchasing 45 bikes and giving them away (a good-news story snapped up by print and tv media alike) was "far less" than a 12-second prime time tv ad.
Let's encourage that sort of advertising!
Quote of the Day:
"The first rule of tinkering is to save all the parts."
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Canada Day
Canada Day has been called a few names in the past. It used to known as Dominion Day,
the First Day of July, Confederation Day and July the First.
Canada was formed on June 20,1867, by proclamation sign by the Governor General, Lord Monck. The proclamation called all the British North American provinces to form a federation under the name of Canada on July 1. The holiday celebrates the events that took place on this day.
The July 1 holiday was established by statue in 1879, under the name of Dominion Day which is why Canada Day was originally called Dominion Day.
In 1862, Dominion Day changed to Canada Day after a vote in Parliament. In 1985, Canada Day committees are established in each province and territory to plan, organize, and co-ordinate the Canada Day celebrations locally.
Happy Canada Day and all the best in moccasin trekking.
Quote for the Day:
"If you don't have a plan for yourself, you'll be a part of someone else's."--American Proverb
the First Day of July, Confederation Day and July the First.
Canada was formed on June 20,1867, by proclamation sign by the Governor General, Lord Monck. The proclamation called all the British North American provinces to form a federation under the name of Canada on July 1. The holiday celebrates the events that took place on this day.
The July 1 holiday was established by statue in 1879, under the name of Dominion Day which is why Canada Day was originally called Dominion Day.
In 1862, Dominion Day changed to Canada Day after a vote in Parliament. In 1985, Canada Day committees are established in each province and territory to plan, organize, and co-ordinate the Canada Day celebrations locally.
Happy Canada Day and all the best in moccasin trekking.
Quote for the Day:
"If you don't have a plan for yourself, you'll be a part of someone else's."--American Proverb
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