Curtis Newport

So, there is a lot of talk these days about “Being Green”. You know, trying to be a little more earth friendly, reducing our carbon footprint, leaving the planet a little better than we found it, that sort of thing.I don’t really know all that much about what it means, but I know we will eventually run out of coal, oil, gas, whatever, and there seems to be plenty of wind, sun, etc. As I ride my lawn tractor (which still burns gas, I’m sorry to say), I look up at the sunny southern slope of my roof line, and think about how wasteful it is that I am not capitalizing on the free energy that is just bouncing around up there.

With each statement about being “green”, there is often some snide remark uttered somewhere about how difficult it is, or how impractical, or how much it costs. It reminds me of Kermit the Frog’s favorite song, which inspired the title of today’s blog. True, if you want to buy enough Solar Panels to power your house, you’re probably looking at a 15 year pay off. With current incentives from the US Government (and some State Governments) that can get down to 6 or 7 years, maybe less. Yet, it’s still a chunk of change up front.

We hear about replacing burnt out light bulbs with Compact Fluorescent light bulbs, and how much energy they save, but then we see the cheaper “standard” light bulbs at the store, and we just do the same old thing. They can’t be as bright, right?

For every person who is gun ho about recycling, you hear another who says that it is completely counteracted by the amount of diesel that is burned by the recycling trucks driving around to pick it up.

So, why is this so difficult to be green? In reality, it’s not. Now, it should be noted that I am not some raging environmentalist. In fact, I am definitely more to the right than the left. However, I don’t know that there is anybody on either side of the political spectrum that would stand on the argument that we need to waste more. That being said, I want to give three quick hits that I have made personally in my house, that will have or have had a positive financial impact on my bank account, and are definitely greener…. something I’d like to teach to my kids.

1) I have replaced every light bulb in my house with Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs. I did not wait until my lights burned out. I saw them on sale at Home Depot, and had already done my research, and made my move. It took me about 3 hours to change all of these bulbs, including recessed lighting, can lights, regular lights, pantry lights, closet lights, everything.

My research had shown that, of your electric bill, approximately 25% is attributable to lights. So, I’m looking at my $350 monthly electric bill, and I see about $90 in lighting there. If I look and see that, of all the 60, 75, 80 and 100 watt bulbs that I changed, and replaced with 6, 9, 11 and 14 watt bulbs (that, due to their shape, produce the same ambient light), I was swapping, on average, an 85 watt bulb for an 11 watt bulb. , or about an 85% reduction. 85% of $90 is $76.50 I would stand to save every month. A 3 month payback isn’t bad. Turned out it was better than that.

Number of Fixtures: 96. Average Cost Per Bulb: $2.10. Investment: $201.60

Average Actual Monthly Electric Bill Drop: $90/month over 12 Months

2) Turn down your water heater 2 degrees. You don’t need it THAT hot. My wife said that you shouldn’t have to have the shower on MAX to get it the way you want it. True, but if it’s at the middle of the setting when you are showering, then that means you are mixing hot and cold, and your water heater is working and burning fuel to keep the water so hot that you have to mix it with cold to get it the way you like it. What sort of cockamamie logic is that?

3) Go Solar. By June 16, our house will be producing between 1/2 and 2/3 of our own electricity via solar panels. No up front cost. No investment. We found a company that would lease us the panels, with an option to buy at Fair Market Value in 10 years. We will pay $125 a month, and the reduction in our electric bill, in today’s prices, will be about $140 on average. Even though those savings will grow as electric rates rise (never mind what happens with Cap and Trade and other taxes that are sure to be coming). It’s not a LOSS of money, and it certainly makes us the greenest ones on our block. If I wanted to buy the panels now, the ROI is within a few years, but I didn’t really want to take out a big loan, even short term, so the lease was right for me. I’m happy to share the name of the company with anyone who is interested.

I’ve done a few other things, too, like teaching my kids (and my wife) to turn lights off, to adjust the thermostat, and to cool the room with ceiling fans. It’s really about being smarter. These steps, and a few light bulbs, are already saving us about $100 a month…and that’s significant.

Oh, and I think I can pretty comfortably say, I’ve taken a big step in reducing my carbon footprint. Whatever that is.

The text of this, and my other blogs, appears on my main page at http://www.newport-enterprises.com/blog

Since we will are hitting 80 degrees in our area with some regularity (Washington DC), I think it’s time to re-publish last Spring’s blog on Water Safety. If you read it last year, please read it again. It’s like learning CPR. If you don’t review it periodically, you forget it. Thanks for reading! -Curt

As the weather gets warmer, many of our thoughts (or at least our children’s thoughts) turn to spending some time by the pool this summer. Pools can be a lot of fun, but, of course, are a big responsibility. Whether you own a pool. Or just visit one from time to time, there are a lot of things to consider, when it comes to safe practices, and many of us forget how dangerous swimming pools are. In many areas, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in the home of children under 5 years old. Each year, nationwide, more than 300 children under 5 years old drown in residential swimming pools, usually a pool owned by their family. In addition, more than 2,000 children in that age group are treated in hospital emergency rooms for submersion injures.

In researching this article, I came across the following facts from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The facts are taken from states where swimming pools are commonplace (mostly Arizona, California, and Florida), but I find it hard to believe our habits are much different:

• 75% of the submersion victims studied by CPSC were between 1 and 3 years old; 65 percent of this group were boys. Toddlers, in particular, often do something unexpected because their capabilities change daily.

• At the time of the incidents, most victims were being supervised by one or both parents. 46% of the victims were last seen in the house; 23% were last seen in the yard or on the porch or patio; and 31% were in or around the pool before the accident. In all, 69% of the children were not expected to be at or in the pool, yet they were found in the water.

• Pool submersions involving children happen quickly. A child can drown in the time it takes to answer a phone. 77% of the victims had been missing from sight for 5 minutes or less.

• Survival depends on rescuing the child quickly and restarting the breathing process, even while the child is still in the water. Seconds count in preventing death or brain damage.

• Child drowning is a silent death. There’s no splashing to alert anyone that the child is in trouble.

Not a substitute for supervision, but an important part of having a pool, is the barrier that goes around it. Even if your children “know better” than to go into the un-gated pool, other children may not. Aside from a potential tragedy, there is enormous liability risk. While having a fence or a gate does not make the area childproof, it does provide a layer of protection for a child that strays from supervision, giving caregivers additional time to locate a child. Another idea would be to include door alarms for the house, and a power safety cover for your pool or spa. In addition to door alarms for the house doors, there are also pool alarms. If the water level changes and the alarm has not been deactivated (ie, someone falls in, causing little waves), an alarm sounds. Often, these alarms can also be connected through your home alarm system, to automatically contact authorities, similar to your burglar or fire alarm. Fences and gates should be at least four feet high, and be without footholds or handholds that would assist a child in climbing over it. Slats should be less than 4 inches apart, so that small children are unable t squeeze through. Gates should be self closing, and the latch should be unreachable to little hands. For those that have an above ground pool, steps and ladders should be removed and secured (locked away), to prevent access. Remember, though, that kids are resourceful, and may find another way. Again, this is not an acceptable substitute for supervision.

We all have “rules” for our pools. Clever signs are marketed, that usually contain generic statements about the speed at which one should move around the pool, and the acceptable amount of urine that may be left in the pool, and the tolerable volume level for pool users. I submit, for your consideration, some additional rules more focused on safety than convenience:

• If you have babysitters, discuss potential pool hazards to young children and about the use of protective devices, such as door alarms and latches. Emphasize the need for constant supervision. • Never leave a child unsupervised near a pool. During social gatherings at or near a pool, appoint a “designated watcher” to protect young children from pool accidents. Adults may take turns being the “watcher.” When adults become preoccupied, children are at risk.

• If a child is missing, check the pool first. Seconds count in preventing death or disability. Go to the edge of the pool and scan the entire pool, bottom and surface, as well as the pool area.

• Do not allow a young child in the pool without an adult.

• Do not consider young children to be immune to drowning, just because they have had swimming lessons. Children must be watched closely while swimming.

• Flotation devices should not be used as a substitute for supervision.

• Learn CPR. Babysitters and other caretakers, such as grandparents and older siblings, should also know CPR. A“certification card” is good, but general knowledge (refreshed regularly) is imperative. Rescue personnel don’t have much of a chance when they arrive, if no efforts have been made in the meantime.

• Keep rescue equipment by the pool, and check it each season to make sure it is not damaged. Be sure a telephone is poolside with emergency numbers posted nearby. If it’s a cordless phone, make sure it is charged, and ready for use. Remember, seconds count.

• Remove toys from in and around the pool when it is not in use. Toys can attract young children to the pool.

• Never prop open the gate to a pool barrier.

• WHEN YOU ARE SHOWING A HOME WITH A POOL, ENSURE THAT THE POOL AREA LOCK IS ENGAGED, IF THERE IS ONE. This includes even if you and your clients did not unlock it. Sometimes home owners forget things. Do everyone a favor, and double check the locks. Certainly, if you or your clients open the gate, make sure that it is latched again. If it was NOT latched before, latch it now. If something happens with an unlocked gate, and there is evidence you were on site, don't think that you won't end up in court trying to prove that you were NOT responsible.

Enjoy the pool, but let’s be safe out there!

As we get excited about going Over The River and Through The Woods this week, let's remember to keep our heads. Thanksgiving is tradition. We all have different ones, but for most of us, it involves Turkey. It also involves family, traffic, crowing in the kitchen, and watching the Detroit Lions get destroyed on national TV. Generally, we all look forward to it, which is why the roads and airports are never busier.

This year, it is also a dangerous week. If you haven't heard about swine flu, the risks, the risk groups, vaccines, preventione measures, etc, you have been under a rock. A big one. In a hole. On Saturn. The other side of Saturn. However, I am willing to bet there is someone out there with the sniffles, a mild fever, and a slight cough, that is hell-bent on getting to Grandmas house this year for her stuffing and Pecan Pie.

Folks, please take this warning: If you are sick, let's take a rain check on Thanksgiving. Virtually every gathering will feature people from high risk groups (elderly, young and/or pregnant). It is highly likely you would like to see them next year, and at least not have huge hospital bills to boot. People will be crammed 200 strong into hollow metal tubes for hours on end, breathing on each other. These tubes are called airplanes. This is H1N1's "Big Chance" to really hammer this nation.

If you are feeling ill, take a rain check on Thanksgiving. We'll do it again next year. The Lions will still lose without you.

I came across the following in my inbox last month. It is from a personal acquaintance of mine from Denver, who has firsthand experience of having had CPR used effectively and successfully.

“I am sending this out to virtually my entire mailbox so that I don't forget anyone and to make things simpler here. If you receive this and do not feel it is for you, I understand and you may delete. I send this not as a message of fear or doom, but of faith. God has been strongly at work in our lives this past week and many of you have been praying for us. I want you to know that prayer DOES WORK! We have been given many miracles. Last Friday, Nick (17 and healthy) collapsed when his heart stopped. His breathing stopped as well. He was in a friends' front yard and thankfully fell onto the grass. His friends that were with him called out to the Mom who was home sick that day. God provided us a Mom who is a nurse and who immediately began CPR while others called 911.

The paramedics responded and began to prepare for transport. They had to shock him twice to restart his heart. He suffered seizures during this time as well. Nick did not wake up. They admitted and began a hypothermia protocol to cool his body to 91 degrees, a paralytic to keep him from seizing and shivering, and a heavy sedative so he would be (hopefully) unaware of what was happening. This continued for 24 hours. We had no idea if he would come out of it or not, or what state he would be in if he did. He recovered with remarkable quickness, and other than some short-term memory loss does not seem to have any ill effects from the ordeal.

Tests have failed to reveal anything wrong with his heart. Thanks to modern science they have been able to implant an ICD (Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator) into his chest and heart. This device will be with him for life but will know if his heart is not pacing correctly and if it stops. A shock will be sent to the heart automatically. Once every 30 days (later less often) they will read the device to see if any activity has taken place. We hope to be going home today of tomorrow. It is by the grace of God that the son and brother we almost lost just a few days ago is currently sitting in bed eating Dominos pizza. Our thanks to everyone who prayed and for those who will continue to.

Rebecca

I submit the above for your consideration.

Many of you have taken CPR classes from me because you have to (due to job or school requirements). Some have taken it because you just wanted to be in possession of knowledge in order to make a difference should the need arise. Please remember, practice makes perfect. If you have taken a class, double check your card’s expiration date. If you’ve been considering taking a class in the near future, there is no better time than the present.

Thinking of "sprucing up" some areas on the outside of your home? Me, too. However, once you've been to your neighborhood home and garden store, and you've completed your shopping list, don't forget to go through a mental checklist of how to keep yourself well during the repairs. This goes beyond getting a drink every few hours, and not remembering how to work well in the heat can have devastating effects.

Heat emergencies, such as Heat Exhaustion or Heat Stroke, are silent emergencies that can sneak up on you. We are usually fairly responsible about putting sunscreen on ourselves and our children, but that only extends the amount of time we can be in the sun without getting sunburned. Sunscreen does nothing to regulate your body temperature. The reality is, allowing your body temperature to get too high can be a serious, even life threatening emergency.

Heat-related illness usually comes in stages. The signal of the first stage is heat cramps in muscles. These cramps can be very painful. If you are caring for a person who has heat cramps, have him or her stop activity and rest. If the person is fully awake and alert, have him or her drink small amounts of cool water or a commercial sports drink. Gently stretch the cramped muscle and hold the stretch for about 20 seconds, then gently massage the muscle. Repeat these steps if necessary. If the victim has no other signals of heat-related illness, the person may resume activity after the cramps stop.

The signals of the next, more serious stage of a heat-related illness (often called heat exhaustion, which is defined as a body temperature up to 104 degrees) include:

* Cool, moist, pale skin (the skin may be red right after physical activity, and this is to be expected, but should subside after a short period of rest in a cool environment)

* Headache

* Dizziness and weakness or exhaustion

* Nausea

* The skin may or may not feel hot.

Someone who is experiencing heat exhaustion should be moved indoors and/or to a cooler environment. Add moisture to their skin (like pouring or spraying water on them), to create an evaporation (cooling) effect, and have them evaluated by a medical professional.

The signals of the late stage of a heat-related illness (often called heat stroke, which is defines as a body temperature at or above 105 degrees) include–

* Vomiting

* Decreased alertness level or complete loss of consciousness

* High body temperature (hot to the touch)

* Skin may still be moist or the victim may stop sweating and the skin may be red, hot and dry

* Rapid, weak pulse

* Rapid, shallow breathing.

This late stage of a heat-related illness (heat stroke) is life threatening. Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number, and get them to an emergency room. Above all, take sensible precautions when it is warm outside, especially on high humidity days. Keep plenty of fluids with you, and drink lots of water. If you spend time outdoors, these are critical steps to ensuring a happy and healthy summer.