It's not Easy Being Green

Gun’s Quote-of-the-Week:

“I think the environment should be put in the category of our national security.  Defense of our resources is just as important as defense abroad.  Otherwise what is there to defend?”

-Robert Redford

This week I was supposed to have my first sustainability committee meeting for the American Society of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Engineers
(ASHRAE) Instead, one of the community members got sick and the other I apparently was in the same restaurant with and couldn’t find. The one committee member who I did run into briefly talked with me. We discussed some ideas, but beings that only half of the committee discussed business, our meeting was quite short.

This is after finding only three other people out of an organization of hundreds that were interested in starting a sustainability committee in the first place.

I also learned that one of my projects this week is not going to utilize heat pumps on the project. A heat pump for this particular building would literally reduce the amount of energy needed for heating the building by less than half. The heat pumps were eliminated due to budget constraints. The alternative? Electric strip heat. For those not aware, it is the most inefficient way to heat a building, at least in Kansas.

I also spent a decent amount of money on the most efficient dishwasher I could find in my price range a few weeks ago. The new dishwasher uses only a few gallons of water per dishwasher full of dishes. That and new technologies in motor design mean that it actually uses less total energy than washing dishes by hand. (And almost 80% less water than washing dishes by hand.) How can an electrically-powered dishwasher use less energy than hand-washing dishes? Simple. Because it uses so much less water, that’s less water your house has to heat. Because your house doesn’t heat as much water, it doesn’t use as much energy.

Try explaining this to the various occupants of my house who run a sink-full of water to rinse the dishes off before the go in the dishwasher in the first place. (Or wash them by hand altogether)

Certainly, I’m not meaning to complain for help in the kitchen, but I’m frustrated at the general lack of mankind’s’ desire to change habits and form new ones for the greater good of us all. Instead of considering what our future generations might inherit – or consider how even in our own lifetimes we may be impacted by the decisions we choose to make today – we instead look immediately for what is less work, more familiar or cheaper. That people insist on running their heat all day long so they come home to a warm house when a $100 programmable thermostat would do the same thing is most infuriating to me.

While not wanting to lecture and simultaneously not wanting to go political on you, I would just ask that you carefully consider ALL of your resources. Money is an important resource, true, but if we all took basic steps to reduce the impact we had on the world around us, all of us would enjoy a higher quality of life.

So would our decedents.

…and that’s why it’s a Gun’s Quote!

...Better, Better, Better... BEST!!

Gun’s Quote-of-the-Week:

“Dreams are achieved by our persistence in pursuing them.”

-Kurt Hofman

Erik is still right.

Despite that fact, however, persistence won. That is why time and time again I continue to choose to sacrifice time and try to obtain the highest quality at the lowest price. This week, it happened, and in a big way.

I bought a car.

The beautiful, shiny, Acura TSX had sat on the dealer lot for over 60 days. They wanted to get rid of it. It was certified used, came with lifetime oil changes, a 1-year, 12,000 mile warranty, an extension of the factory powertrain warranty till 100,000 miles, all of the bells and whistles, and yes, even a spoiler. It was in the color I wanted, the price I wanted, the model I wanted, the model year I wanted, had the spoiler I wanted, and even had a navigation system to boot.

Did I mention it had a spoiler?

Yes, I stretched price-wise, but if Kelly Blue Book and Edmunds are any indication, I got a good deal. The car is in perfect condition. It looks like it rolled-off the assembly line and that nobody had driven it before. Whoever had this thing last had the dealer do all the servicing and it appears as though it had been babied.

I absolutely love it.

Some might say I’m lucky in terms of the things I have. I disagree. I’m stubborn. I refuse to give up and refuse to settle to the point of fault. Yes, this has caused problems before in life and certainly there are things that do not require dwelling on them to make a decision. (I freely admit that one of my largest character flaws is deciding how much time a decision should actually take) There are other things, however, that do justify the long wait and the careful discernment. Done well, the fruits of your labors can be well rewarded. This is a case-in-point.

There is simply no substitution for persistence, hard work, determination and patience. If you want something, go get it. It won’t come to you easily, but if it’s worth it, you’ll do what it takes.

Want something? Never give up. I’m proof-positive that persistence works.

…and that’s why it’s a Gun’s Quote!

Good, Better, Better, Better, Better...

Gun’s Quote-of-the-Week:

“Time. Money. Quality. Pick Two.”

-Phrase used, and others similar, by Project Management Professionals and Authors in various forms of business

Erik and I were talking in the car yesterday on our way to Cameron. The discussion centered on the fact that I’m trying to find a different car. It is time for the Bizzard Bullet to retire. I’ve sunk more money into her over the last year than she was worth, so it is time to move on. I absolutely hate it. I love that car… but I digress.

First of all, the used car market right now sucks. To find any of the options that I want, I’m looking at about $10,000 for a car with just shy of 100,000 miles. Ten grand! It’s absolutely absurd. So, I’ve been plodding around the internet, searching through classifieds, dealer websites, and creating custom searches and alerts on cars.com to try to find a good deal. The process has been time-consuming, and I’m getting tired of thinking I’ve found something, going to check it out, and being disappointed. This process is really one of the most frustrating that a human being can put himself/herself through, and it is the reason why I want to keep car-shopping a rare occurrence in my life. Its pain is second only to trying to buy a house.

As I explained to Erik, you have time, quality or money, and you can only pick two. This phrase I picked up in college and I’ve always found it to be true. It’s true at work, it’s true at school and, as Erik pointed out, it’s true at home, too. Simply put, if you want something cheap and high-quality, you have to not care how long it takes to get there. If something needs to be high quality and you need it now, you are going to pay out the nose. If you need it cheap and fast, it’s going to fall apart on you.

“You manage your money perfectly,” he told me going down the road, “but I wonder if the reason you struggle with time so much is because you care so much about your budget and making sure whatever you do is perfect that time gets scarified too often.” (Above paraphrased)

You know those “Ah Ha” Moments when things sudden get very clear? Yeah, that was one. Life has never really been balanced. I’m constantly robbing Peter to pay Paul, and there have been times when Peter has pounded on my door looking for me. While making sure that I’m happy with what I drive and also making sure that I can afford it long-term is important, throwing away weekend after weekend or choosing to blow-away an entire evening only to keep coming home with the same vehicle will cause problems sooner rather than later. Admittedly, I’m months behind on other priorities as well. Brian still doesn’t have a light fixture in his room.

It’s something I have to work on. At some point, you have to poop or get off the pot, pull the trigger and make a decision. I struggle with that; I want to know I couldn’t have done better.

Perhaps the lesson learned here is knowing that sometimes saving a little time is better, too.

…and that’s why it’s a Gun’s Quote!

Now

Gun’s Quote-of-the-Week:

“I wasted time, and now doth time waste me.”

-William Shakespeare

I do not believe in New Years’ Resolutions. I simply think that if you have a bad habit and need to quit it, you’re best served by quitting now. The same for good habits; why wait until a particular day – and especially one that only shows up once a year – to do something that for all intents and purposes you should be doing right now? Thus, New Years to me has always been the procrastinators’ favorite holiday.

There’s also the fact that New Years fell on the wrong time. Life changed and transitioned in the late summer, usually August. School would start. High school, then college, then a new job. New Years never felt like New Years because nothing changed.

I would like to take this opportunity, however, to tell you that we are now living in “Next Year.” You know what I mean. How many times have you said, “I’ll do that next year,” or, “Well, maybe next year…?” No, this is Next Year. Now. I’m not sure what that is for you in your life right now. Perhaps you need to start contributing to your retirement fund. Most companies begin their 401k plans in January. Perhaps it’s seeing a doctor about something that has been bothering you but you’ve been putting off, living in denial or simply are too afraid to go find out what is going wrong. Maybe you have a loved one you have lost contact with over the years. Perhaps you need to apologize for something you’ve done. Maybe you need to keep a promise. Whatever “it” is that you promised yourself “Next Year” for has come due.

So do it. It’s time. There is no longer any reason to put it off. You’ve promised yourself “Next Year,” so keep your promise.

…and that’s why it’s a Gun’s Quote!