The first is a link to a recent Science Friday episode discussing a recent study that shows that for 3 varieties of strawberries, organic farming leads to healthier soil which leads to healthier foods. “Healthier” here means “more biodiverse” and “containing more nutrients and anti-oxidents” respectively… but listen to the episode for details.

The summary of the second study (published in the same journal) may be more eye-opening. Generally speaking, organic pesticides have a lower environmental impact than others, but widespread use of some (specifically “Superior 70 oil”, a mineral oil that smothers aphids) can have a much larger (negative) impact on the environment than targeted use of synthetic pesticides. Cue the debate about organic labelling…

To prepare for talking with a reporter who was interested to know of any difference we may have seen in our heating and electricity costs after moving into a “green” home, I recently dug up bills from our last home and looked at our energy usage and costs there compared to here.

What I found was encouraging. I expected some savings on energy here, but the size of the difference is impressive….

Previous home: ~$2,000 for oil for the last year we were there.
Nubi home: ~$1,100 for our share of wood pellets for one year.

In both cases (previous home and here), the fuel was for both heat and hot water. What I find impressive is that the approximately $900 annual savings is for a home that is slightly larger than our previous home and a winter that has been colder than last winter in the Boston area.

I assumed we were moving into a more efficient home here, but it’s been nice to see that confirmed in hard facts and figures.