Did you know the average person in the USA uses 100-175 gallons of water each and every day? Even more incredible, that does not include the 1,300 average gallons used every day to feed and clothe each person.

It takes 2,900 gallons to produce one hamburger. For those vegetarians out there, it still takes 130 gallons to produce one individual salad!

Your one cup of coffee requires 37 gallons of water to produce, and an additional 3 gallons for one tsp. of sugar.

Perhaps the most touching part of the story so far, (and I’m only 1/3 of the way through) is a man named Baltasar Uscha. For the last fifty years, he has climbed Mount Chimborazo once a week to chip ice off of the glacier. He wraps this in a special plant for insulation, hikes back 4 hours with his donkey, and sells it in the marketplace for water / ice drinks. All this for seven dollars.

Check it out - it’s worth the time. After reading through this, I may have to go back to bucket showers like I did in Africa.

J24, originally uploaded by JCTownsley.

The boat is almost ready to be splashed. Bottom and deck are painted. Just need to finish reattaching the deck hardware. Hope to splash next week sometime. Click on the picture for more, including the two person mast raising using the gin-pole!

Monday, April 28, 2008 - 2:51 PM PDT
County appoints 19 land use committee members
Portland Business Journal

Multnomah County, in planning to more closely study its unincorporated lands, has named 19 citizens to a panel that will study land use issues.

The county has appointed the 19 volunteer members to a committee that will advise decision makers as the county, over the next 18 months, explores how unincorporated lands will take shape. The group will explore whether it should designate some land as urban reserves and others as rural reserves.

The Multnomah County Urban and Rural Reserves Citizens’ Advisory Committee will study such issues as farming, conservation, home building, real estate, neighborhood and property owners’ associations, planning and transportation.

The group’s first meeting will take place May 1.

“I think they will do an excellent job of representing diverse interests in Multnomah County and that will help us create good policies for the future, said County Commissioner Jeff Cogen, Multnomah County’s representative in the regional planning effort.

The county believes creating such land reserves will provide greater predictability about expanding the urban growth boundary over the next 50 years. The tactic could also protect some farmland, forestland and natural areas from urbanization.

Metro representatives will work with the county on the land use plan.

The county’s committee members include Patricia Anderson, Peter Finley Fry, Greg Hockert, Mads Ledet, David Persons, Joe Turner, Zelijka Carol Kekez, James Thayer, Laura Masterson, Katie Pearmine, Dale Burger, Kria Lacher, David Treadwell, Carol Chesarek, Lora Creswick, George Sowder, Josh Townsley and Robert Wiley.

As I played with my mileage today (I’m still only averaging 48-50 mpg, but getting better) I thought about the BMW M Roadster I used to own. It was a blast to drive, let me tell you. Even if the top wasn’t down, just going around the corners and feeling so much power underneath your feet was incredible. But there was one major flaw with the car - big enough to convince me to trade it- you could not use the full potential of the car.

Driving it was like a child being locked in a cage, with their favorite toy just out of reach. I would drive the speed limit down the highway, dreaming of being attacked by a helicopter, racing away in mind-numbing speed. Sitting in traffic was the worst- as you knew you had the fastest car around, but you had to go 2 mph just like everybody else. Owning it left you frustrated, not exhilarated.

So if the utility or practicality of a car is in using its full potential- the Prius wins hands down. Driving down the road in electric mode is incredible. Sure you aren’t going faster than anybody else on the road- but you have the satisfaction of knowing you are reducing your carbon footprint. And as the computer flawlessly switches back and forth from the Internal Combustion Engine to the Battery Powered Electric Engine, you effortlessly glide down the road. I can’t tell you how many people I have scared in parking garages or downtown as they don’t even know you are there in electric only mode. Who knew that driving a car could be so much fun?

Barn Owl, originally uploaded by JCTownsley.

A barn owl got stuck inside the pump house the other night. Got a few good shots before I climbed up the 60′ ladder and opened the roof hatch. Sometime during the middle of the night he figured it out and escaped…

1. 1973 VW Camper Bus
2. 1986 Lincoln Continental
3. 1970’s? Surburban
4. 1989 Honda Hatchback
5. 198X Motorhome
6. 197X Jeep CJ5
7. 1981 Fiat Spider
8. 1979 Fiat Spider (Parts Car)
9. 1985 Yamaha Virago (motorcycle)
10. 197X Chevy 3/4 ton pickup
11. 1982 Yamaha Maxim (motorcycle)
12. 1997 Ford Aspire
13. 1980 Ford Pickup
14. 197X Fiat Spider
15. 198X Chevy Diesel Pickup
16. 2000 BMW M Roadster
17. 1979 Buick LeSabre
18. 2007 Dodge Dakota Pickup

This list does not account for all the cars I have driven regularly over the years. Whether it was a friends car in high school for a month or two, or the cars here and there that were used regularly. If you included those I would be over twenty and counting. And granted, 2 or 3 of the cars listed were project cars that may or may not have ever been used much.
With that said, of all these cars, the Honda Hatchback and Ford Aspire were the least damaging to the environment. They also lacked said qualities of air conditioning, stain-free seats, etc. I drove the Aspire for over 50k miles, hating every single moment of it. When my driver window shattered to pieces simply by closing the door, I finally gave up and rejected my simplicity- hence the BMW convertible.
As dogs and boat projects took over my life, I realized the BMW was not cutting it. Taking a dog to the vet, transporting somebody home from the airport, or picking up lumber necessitated borrowing a car from a friend. So in December I broke down and traded in my baby for a brand new pickup truck.
While the truck has been great the last few months- especially for the mid-winter trips to Montana and Lake Tahoe, it has lacked in one important quality- fuel mileage. On good days I can squeak out 20 mpg, but its nowhere near the 40 mpg I got in the Aspire. With fuel prices over $3.50, and our world’s dependence on fossil fuels, can I really keep driving it?
When I was car shopping in December, eventually deciding on the Dodge Dakota, I created a spreadsheet that rates numerous cars on several qualities, then calculating each quality by its value to me- finally coming up with a final number for each car. I cheated in December, the Jeep Rubicon actually won in the final points over the Dodge, but I couldn’t afford one.
Tonight I revisited that document and added a few new cars: mainly the Toyota Prius, and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid. While I cannot afford the latter anyway, the Prius of course knocked all the other cars off the chart. While “Fun to Drive” and “Sexiness” were on my list, “Fuel Economy” is valued such that the Prius won hands down.
So that leaves me in my current dilemma. I’m sure to lose a few thousand by selling my truck so soon. I’m sure to save 2-3k in fuel costs if I do it anyway and buy the Prius. However, Hybrid technology is definitely going to improve in the next 2 years, (including the Prius. Rumor has it that the next generation one in 2009 will be both a better car, and considerably cheaper.)
So what say you fine readers? Do I make the socially conscience move now and reduce my carbon foot print? Do i sit on the truck another year and hope the blue book value doesn’t drop too much? Or should I sell it all and just ride my bicycle an average of 350 miles a week? (I’m hoping you recognize this one isn’t feasible at this time!)

Live at the Obama event!, originally uploaded by JCTownsley.

Earl blumenhauer is up now. Rumor is gov Richardson will be here to
endorse Obama today! Thousands of people here!

J24, originally uploaded by JCTownsley.

I sold the Islander this week, after 5 years of owning it. Two days later I purchased this J24 racing boat out of the Seattle area. I’ve got a couple projects to do on it, but hope to be on the water racing on Thursday nights sometime in April.
Click on the picture for more views.

Bridge and Fall Leaves, originally uploaded by JCTownsley.

October is almost over- but what a pretty October it was! Here’s a shot from fishing on the Clackamas River a week ago or so.

Sunrise on Sauvie Island the other day. This is my favorite time of the year. The geese and ducks are coming back for the winter, the fog rolls in every night and blankets the fields, beautiful time on the island!
Click on the picture for another shot of a barn in the fog…

Kiva lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world. By choosing a business on Kiva.org, you can “sponsor a business” and help the world’s working poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates from the business you’ve sponsored. As loans are repaid, you get your loan money back.

Today I lent $25.00 each to Santiago Quenta of Bolivia and Glenda Amaridis Briones of Honduras. I urge you to sign up to Kiva.org and do the same!