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Keeping Up with the (Green) Joneses
Posted at 07:21 PM on November 05, 2007 comments (2)
By Heather Stephenson, IdealBite.com
Growing up in rural America, where every neighbor has an acre or so of land, you quickly learn how self-sufficient you need to be to keep up the place. With no landscaping company to take care of the lawn, no condo HOAs to ensure that trees are pruned, "keeping up with the Joneses" takes on a whole new meaning and carries with it a whole lotta necessary tools.
Do you have your snowblower? Ladder? Giant pruning shears? Riding lawnmower? Small edging lawnmower? Compost chipper? Compost bins? Chainsaw? Leaf blower? Power paint roller?
Thousands of dollars and a very full tool shed later, you kinda need to step back and reevaluate. Really? Really, do you need all of that? You're gonna mow your lawn once a week, maybe. Prune a few times a year. Paint the house every so often...
So here's a radical idea: Go meet your neighbor. Loan, borrow, buy together. That ladder you have and use three times a year? Let everyone on the block have at it when they need one. Then, when you need a chainsaw to get rid of that downed tree across your driveway, you can feel just fine asking to borrow the Jones's.
Sharing tools isn't gonna make your roses the prettiest on the block, but it might remind you to stop and smell them every so often.
Heather Stephenson
CEO and Co-Founder
http://www.IdealBite.com
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comments
Posted by: Kris Petersen on November 6, 2007 08:03 PM
I love the idea! Besides helping the environment, it helps people actually get out and meet the neighbors. Since you brought up HOAs, check out www.NeighborHuddle.com to help your HOA simplify their operations and reduce their environmental impact. It's a great tool to help facilitate your idea in communities of all kinds!
Posted by: shannon on November 7, 2007 11:52 AM
There is a company I know that can save around 10% of the worlds oil with a centrifuge technology they created for mass transit and other forms of industry including extrusion. Who could they speak to in regards to this technology. Their system is currently online at the TACOM military base in michigan. This system means you will never have to change your oil again and is a fantastic new green technology. It is the only one in the world that gaurantees cleaner than new oil. They are also in talks with Kuiwat and other oil rich countries. This technology can make our country billions of dollars and save oil!!! Please contact me with further information. Thank you.
Best regards,
Shannon