Environmental Karma

This was the year when I swore off Tim Horton's Roll Up the Rim to Win contest. I sacrificed my 1 in 9 chance of winning a prize to save a shwack of non-recyclable wax-coated paper cups from being buried in a landfill for eternity. The truth is, the only fun I get out of this contest is feigning a temper tantrum when I inevitably don't win.

On the two occasions when someone brought me a disposable cup (much to my chagrin) of Tim Horton's coffee, I won a free cup of coffee. Both times (much to my delight). Then, when I fell off the wagon and bought a cup for myself, I lost. But get this: In separating out the garbage in the paper recycling bin in the office lunch room, I pulled out a misplaced Tim Horton's cup that didn't have the rim rolled up. So I rolled it. And I won.

So, on a year when I committed to not playing a silly environmentally unfriendly contest, I essentially won three times in three tries.

I can't explain it. Must be some weird kind of environmental karma.

Refrigerator Efficiency

I read an article in a recent issue of the National Geographic Green Guide that suggested that I might save a shwack of cash by cleaning the condenser coils behind my refrigerator. As I hadn't (nor had my wife) done this since moving in to our condo four years ago, I figured it was overdue.

Back of the fridge before...

...and after.

Condenser fan before...

...and after.


The article suggested that this (combined with a couple of other tips) could save me $50 a year. Strangely enough, my utility bill arrived two days later and, for completely unrelated reasons, it showed a 12% decrease from the previous month.

Harbinger of good things to come?