KAT

In my last visit to the lovely Lulu (way back in September), I walked many miles around Lu's campus (UT). While there, I noticed not only were that there were tons and tons of students walking to classes (OMG! UT is so big! I went to a college that has 100 times less students!), but that were also tons of students using the bus system.

(Pic from sleepless_aquarius, via Flickr.)

Knoxville's transit system is called KAT (Knoxville Area Transit), and I was impressed to find out that they use alternative fuels in the running of their buses. In further research, I discovered many of their buses are ran on biodiesel.

I am so happy to make this discovery. Especially, since I found it in a place where I did not expect it. I took a vacation from Asheville to Knoxville, and what did I find? Some of Asheville's best values right in the heart of a giant college campus. :)

So the next time you are in Knoxville make sure you use the bus system. You'll be helping out both the city of Knoxville and the planet Earth.
~Am~

omfg

Sorry guys, it's been a week. Yes, a whole week since any of us has written an entry. Our profoundest apologies. So let's get on with the business of the day: blogging!

I'm of the belief that to make our world a green and sustainable world we are going to have to make this way of life accessible and affordable to EVERYONE. This is the only way. If everyone can access it and afford it, then everyone can do it and will want to do it.

This brings me to solar power. Right now, solar power is one of the most expensive forms of alternative energy. It literally costs tens of thousands of get the sources and to convert. Yet, I find it to be one of the most promising alternatives. So for solar power, we are going to have to find new and cheaper ways to make this energy source work for everybody.

(A D-I-Y solar power kit.)

This leads me to the discovery of a $600 D-I-Y solar power kit. This little kit will give you enough power to use some objects around your home (for instance, in one week it will give you enough energy to power your laptop for 40 hours.). Don't get me wrong, $600 isn't really cheap to me. Trust me, this post-graduate girl will not be getting one for herself anytime soon. But it's a start. And for many families and small businesses, this kit could make the perfect start! Plus, I'm a firm believer that every little thing counts...and many little things add up to one big thing!
~Am~

southeast gas crisis

I wanted to take this opportunity to talk about something that is affecting me, my friends and family, and much of the Southeastern U.S. And this is the gas crisis that has been happening recently.

Fellow blogger SensibleKitty has also been blogging about the situation in Asheville. She has a unique position on this crisis because her housemate WordPlaySam actually works at a gas station. I think everyone should take a visit to her blog and read about her housemate's first-hand account of the situation.

(Photo from Mother Jones article.)

This gas shortage just really makes me more encouraged to start riding a bike, to take public transportation more often, to walk more often and to do carpooling. It also really emphasizes the need for our country and government to take charge of looking into more alternative energies and fuels. This complete reliance of oil is hurting all of us.
~Am~

merci

Hiya! It's Kimberly here - the newest addition to the Lu 'n Am blog.

I am chuffed to have been asked to be a regular contributor to the blog dedicated to living an affordable, sustainable, green lifestyle. As I said in my personal blog, I am not sure how I can add to this incredible site. However, I will do my best to live up to the high standards these fine women have created.

Since I am the "new kid on the block", I thought I'd briefly introduce myself...
Unlike the beautifully youthful Lu 'n Am, I am a thirty-something mother of two. My interest in helping the environment was born in the early 1990s when one of my closet friends was obtaining her Environmental Studies degree. She would share information with me about the state of our fragile planet. As they say, "knowledge is power" and once I was faced with the facts, I couldn't help but act and act I did. I reused all those worthless flyers as notebook paper, I cleaned up nature trails, I participated in protests - you name it!

As I entered adulthood and departed from the safe cocoon of university life, I saw that living green was a bit harder. During those darker years, I admit I wasn't always so "green". Now as I have entered the latest stage of my life, motherhood, I have rededicated myself to protecting the planet and reducing my family's footprint.

So I do what I can. I am not perfect and am probably, at times, a bit hypocritical but I do try. I haven't become cynical in my "old age" - I still believe that one person can make a difference. When I discover something, I share it. I hope you find it helpful!

That's me in a nutshell but before I sign off on my first post, I thought I would leave you with this little nugget. It's a film that I can not wait to get my hands on... Fields of Fuel. Fields of Fuel was this year's audience award winner at the Sundance Film Festival. This documentary follows one man's quest (Josh Tickell) to change the world over to alternative energy sources. (Think of it as An Inconvenient Truth for the petrol guzzling world!)

The film was originally scheduled for a May US release but has yet to make its way to mainstream audiences. While we wait on its release, check out Jost Tickell's two books on the subject entitled Biodiesel America: How to Achieve Energy Security, Free America from Middle-east Oil Dependence And Make Money Growing Fuel and From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank: The Complete Guide to Using Vegetable Oil as an Alternative Fuel. In the meantime, enjoy this trailer.



Cheers, Kimberly