Our Christmas celebrations were very much green themed this year and I received numerous green gifts! One of my favorites is the Solio Classic-i solar charger battery which my wife bought me.

My Solio Classic-i Solar Charger Battery

The Solio Classic-i has an internal Lithium Ion 1650 mAh battery which can hold a charge for up to 1 year. It has three solar panels which fold out into a three blade design.
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My husband and I have taken quite a few bike rides in the fall and spring; cruising the many biking trails available in the area.  While riding we typically listen to our iPods, kind of a serenade along the trail.  Last time we were out, about 10 minutes into the ride, my iPod went dead. Don’t get me wrong it was still a great ride and the scenery was peaceful, but I missed the accompaniment of my music. When we got home I took a little time to search the Internet for an eco-friendly way to charge my iPod or iPhone while out enjoying nature.  I found what looks to be a great product;

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Hi, I’m  Jim, a new contributor to Our Everyday Earth.

This picture of me is included to show an unfortunately unforgettable example just how practical the strategies described in future posts to this column will be.  Real Problem ~ Solution stuff. “P ~ S”

In this case, the problem  was my fear of Sharks.  My job as chief hunter (Karen was chief gatherer) on our Sailing expedition forced me into the water almost daily.   My real instinct was to follow the plan endorsed by one of our cruising companions who claimed he had a deal with sharks, “If the sharks would agree to stay out of the Pubs he would promise to stay out of the water.”

Having seen many tearful interviews in which the victims, or their next of kin,  stated that the shark must have mistaken them, in their black wet suit, for a Harbor Seal or Walrus, I resolved to make sure that I did not – by proportion or color – resemble any standard selection on  “The Bull Shark Catch-of-the Day Menu.”

“P ~ S”.   “Problem ~ Solution”  Still alive and not so much as a close call.

In our sailing days we fitted out both of our boats with wind power and solar power and the deep cycle batteries to store all that we generated.  In future posts we will discuss those systems and power conservation strategies .  We even had a wind powered self-steering system to drive for us on long passages.

After our sailing days we moved to a totally undeveloped 10 acres situated 2 hours west of San Antonio Texas.  There we designed a super energy efficient  home, using passive solar principles and SIP Panels, that included a solar hot water outside shower, grey water system, tankless propane water heater, rain water capture system and a composting toilet.  We did all of the work ourselves.

Like on our boats, through research,  careful design and installation,  our homestead was very successful.  The climate in that area is desert-like. It gets over 100 degrees for days at a time and then down into the teens.  And yet, we never had an electrical bill over $100. and never felt like we were camping out.

Future posts will cover these green adventures and more.

See you then,

Jim