The Little Things

There is an article in yesterday's New York Times about the Department of Energy failing to use fairly simple technology that lowers the thermostat temperature when people are not around - mainly at night and on the weekends. An audit found that if the technology was used, the department would save $11.5 million annually. $11.5 million! I don't know about you, but this is a lot of money to me. A lot of money that could be put to much better use - or just not spent (imagine that!). The DOE encourages citizens to think wisely about purchases (EnergyStar) and daily living in order to decrease energy usage and increase conservation. It seems counterproductive when they don't follow their own advice, especially when many of the DOE facilities already have the equipment in place. I encourage you to check out the article. It's definitely interesting and worth 5 minutes of your day. Don't get me wrong though - I definitely appreciate the work they do, especially with the Weatherization Program, but this article brings to light the easy ways we can all contribute to saving energy. Turn down the thermostat, turn off lights when you leave the room, don't leave our work computers on all week long (I need to be better about this!) and other simple things. We can all make a difference.


On a training note.... I ran 15.45 miles on Saturday!! It was the last weekend of Summer Streets and even though it was raining when we started out and was extremely humid, it turned out well! Matt ran the first down & back with me (over 8 miles, a record for him!) and then I ran back down to City Hall and up to Astor Place. I then walked up to Union Square and stopped at the Farmer's Market to purchase a couple ears of corn, apples, and Ronnybrook chocolate milk for a recovery drink! I picked up the bus at Madison Square Park and made my way home. I am so glad I did it. I feel great and I'm encouraged that I'll be able to finish 18 miles this Saturday!