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7 Golden Valley News & Billings County Pioneer Thursday, August 31, 2006
15
GoE, North Dakota's own brand of ethanol-blended fuel, is wrap-
ping up its summer "GoE! Givin' Ya Gas" tour. The tour was part
of an effort to raise awareness and encourage all North Dakotans
to use ethanol-blended fuels in their cars, beats, lawn mowers, and
anything else that runs on gasoline.
The "GoE Guys," funny and energetic young men traveling in
a white car decked-out in GoE d cor, participated in a variety of
parades all across North Dakota. Besides entertaining parade goers
with their crazy antics, they were "Givin' Gas" - buying tanks of eth-
anol for lucky drivers that happened upon them at local petroleum
retailers. Pictures from the successful, and fun, summer tour are all
chronicled online on the GoE Web site: www.GoEfuel.com.
North Dakotans have until September 15, 2006 to register for
$500 worth of GoE Fuel. Registrations are taken online at www.
goefuel.cem/givinyagas/freegoe and the winner will receive a $500
gil card to a fueling station nearest to them, selling GoE.
"The GoE campaign has been very successful for us," says Kim
Christianson, program manager of the State Energy Office. "This
year's 'GoE Givin' Ya Gas!' tour was another fun way to remind
people to choose ethanol when filling up their vehicles or anything
that runs on gasoline. And with the increasing cost of gas, we have
seen a lot of people registering to win that $500 worth of fuel!"
GoE was launched in spring of 2004 as part of a comprehensive,
statewide marketing campaign to increase ethanol consumption in
the state The goal of the campaign is to increase sales of ethanol,
such as E-10 and E-85, and other renewable fuels. GoEfuel.cem
features a wealth of information about ethanol and its production,
benefits to the state's economy, pollution facts, and statistics.
By Lloyd Omdahl
Afew weeks ago, I joined the science com-
munity voicing alarm over earth warming
and recommended that everyone who drove
a car should plant trees in proportion to the
emissions they generated. Well, I checked
with your neighbors and found out that you
didn't plant any trees. You didn even plant
a shrub. On top of that, you sprayed the car-
ben dioxide fighting dandelions.
It still isn't too late to rid yourself of
guilt. In fact, you can get some real deals on
trees and shrubs at your nearest Wal-Mart.
They've been picked over pretty well but
they're really cheap. An ugly tree is better
than no tree at all. If that is too tough of an
assignment, just grow anything green and
legal.
Because I know that you are not going to
plant anything, it will be necessary to sug-
gest other options. That or let the earth turn
into a Kenmore oven. Since the federal gov-
ernment has abdicated its responsibilities in
regard to earth warming, states are moving
to fill the vacuum. Indiana just framed out
an energy conservation program. Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger and Prime Minister Tony
Blair signed a pact against earth warming.
So North Dakota, too, could cut a swath in
this field. In fact, everybody should have a
personal energy policy.
Lowering the speed limit on the Interstate
and state highways by 10 miles would be the
most significant move to reduce unnecessary
gas combustion. The North Dakota land-
scape may be plain but it isn't so boring that
we need to tear through it to get somewhere
five minutes early. Most North Dakota meet-
ings don't solve real problems anyway so you
can be late without missing much. And if it's
shopping that's on your agenda, the sale at
Wal-Mart will last and the stuff will still be
cheap no matter when you get there
Admittedly, most drivers will oppose a
reduced speed limit and drivers vote. So that
suggestion is politically unacceptable and
unachievable. If you are old enough, you will
remember that we had a federally-mandated
speed limit of 55 in the 1970s. That was
one of the seven wonders of the Twentieth
Century. We should at least require all tires
to be inflated to 40 pounds. That would save
an undetermined amount of gas.
Air conditioning is an energy hog that
could be used more judiciously. Instead of
cooling down to 68 degrees, every retail
outlet should be required to keep its tem-
perature at 80. That would not only save on
energy but it would save us from ourselves.
Last year, consumers spent more money
than they earned by using credit cards and
home mortgages. If this continues, we will be
owned by the Chinese central banks by 2010
But we won't quit shopping until somebody
turns up the heat
As I was taking my weekly shower, anoth-
er thought came to mind. Heating water uses
a lot of energy. In the good old days (they
were good because they are old), one tub
of bath water washed six kids - dirty ones,
too. And that was before BO was invented
by Lifebuoy soap. Nowadays, the box stores
have whole rows of deodorants and scents
for those who can't wash aider every game.
Right Guard can be used effectively under
either arm. It's time for the 75-second show-
er every other day.
Athletic events guzzle shiploads of gas.
Sports leagues should be required to cancel
at least one game per season. Every team
probably has a game nobody wants to play
anyway. Of course, the Kansas City Royals
would probably like to cancel their whole
season If just one Vikings game were can-
celled, it would save 121,000 gallons of gas.
However, it would be a better idea for them
to play all of their games just to keep the
highways safe and the jails empty
Then there are the auction sales. Except
for curious neighbors, auction sale addicts
drive for 80 miles to load their cars and
pickups with cheap stuff. Chronic stuff col-
lectors! They already have so much stuff at
home they can barely get beth vehicles in
the garage but they still can't resist buying
their third pipe wrench for two dollars. They
still haven't forgotten the trauma of paying
$19.95 for one 23 years ago when the well
needed repairing.
Instead of expecting others to step up to
the earth warming plate, I suppose I'd better
do it myself. Yes, I planted two shrubs last
week. My gas-guzzling S-10 pickup stays
home a lot more I don't drive the speed limit
on the Interstate. And I've signed up at the
Toro store for the first hybrid riding lawn-
mower My personal energy plan is in place
and working.
Recent rains were too late for especially those with adequate
many producers to salvage their potassium.
2006 alfalfa crops for cash or
livestock feed * Frequently cut stands are at
"However, not all areas greatest risk for winter injury if
have succumbed to the wrath cut during the fall. Fall cutting
of Mother Nature's dry spell," will be safer if at least one cut-
North Dakota State University ling during the regular growing
Extension Service dairy special- season reached flowering stage.
ist J.W. Schroeder says. "In these
regions of the state where a fall * Younger stands are healthier
cutting will be possible, the good than older ones; thus, they are
news is the demand is high." less susceptible to winter dam-
HarVesting at the proper time age if cut in the fall.
and selecting the right fields to
harvest are the keys to mini- * Alfalfa-grass mixtures
roiling the risk of making the should be less susceptible than
crop susceptible to winter injury, pure alfalfa stands.
according to Schroeder.
Here is some advice from * Alfalfa varieties with win-
agronomists at Midwestern uni- ter survival scores of 2 or lower
versities: should be most tolerant of fall
cutting.
* Avoid cutting during the sev-
eral-week period when alfalfa
is restoring root reserves prior
to a killing frost In the upper
Midwest, that usually is from
Sept 1 to mid-October.
* Choose well-drained fields
with high levels of soil fertility,
* Don't cut fall fields with soils
susceptible to heaving.
* Leave alternating strips
uncut to catch snow.
5
With the beginning of a new
school year, the North Dakota
Department of Health is remind-
ing parents and schools about
the importance of playground
safety.
According to the U.S.
Consumer Product Safety
Commission (CPSC), more than
200,000 children are treated in
the nation's hospital emergency
rooms for playground equip-
ment-related injuries each year;
of those, about 148,000 involve
public playground equipment
and about 51,000 involve home
playground equipment. In addi-
tion, about 15 children die each
year as a result of playground
equipment-related incidents.
"The majority of playground
injuries occur to children ages
2 through 9, and most of the
injuries are caused by falls,"
said Diana Read, health edu-
cator with the North Dakota
Department of Health's Injury/
Violence Prevention Program.
"These are mainly falls from the
equipment to the ground, but
falls from one piece of equipment
to another also are reported.
Most of the deaths are caused
by strangulation, although some
are the result of falls." Other
ways children are injured on the
playground include impact with
moving and nonmoving equip-
ment and contact with hardware
that pinches, has gaps, or has
sharp edges
Parents and school officials
can help children to understand
the potential hazards and help to
prevent them. The state health
department and the CPSC rec-
ommend the following safety
checklist for public and home
playground environments:
Install and maintain a shock-
absorbing surface around the
play equipment. Use at least 9
inches of wood chips, mulch or
shredded rubber for play equip-
ment up to 7 feet high. If sand
or pea gravel is used, install
at least a 9-inch layer for play
equipment up to 5 feet high.
Another option is to use surfac-
ing mats made of safety, tested
rubber or rubber-like materials.
Install protective surfacing at
least 6 feet in all directions from
play equipment. For swings,
make sure surfacing extends in
the back and front, twice the
height of the suspending bar.
Never attach - or allow chil-
dren to attach - ropes, jump
ropes, clotheslines, or pet leash-
es to play equipment; children
can strangle in these.
Check for hardware that can
be hazardous, like open "S" hooks
or protruding belt ends
-" Check for spaces that could
trap children, such as openings
in guardrails or between ladder
rungS; these spaces should mea-
sure less than 3.5 inches or more
than 9 inches
Make sure platforms and
ramps have guardrails to pre-
vent falls.
Check for sharp points or
edges on equipment.
Remove tripping hazards
like exposed concrete footings,
tree stumps and recks.
Regularly check play equip-
ment and surfacing to make sure
both are in good condition.
Carefully supervise children
on play equipment to make sure
they are safe.
The CPSC has published a
handbook for playground safe-
ty that contains more detailed
information, including recom-
mendations about playground
surfacing materials, equipment
layout and design, suggested
maintenance checklists, general
hazards, and more
"Because we know the major-
ity of playground injuries are
caused by falls, we can help pre-
vent or reduce the injuries by
providing a safer landing, sur-
face," Read said. "We may not
be able to prevent every fall,
but we can at least cushion the
fall. Grass, turf, asphalt, and
concrete are not recommended
surfaces for playground equip-
ment because they have poor
shock-absorbing properties."
For more information about
playground safety or to receive
a copy of the CPSC Handbook
for Playground Safety, contact
Diana Read or Dawn Mayer,
North Dakota Department of
Health, at 701.328.4536 or visit
the U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission website at
www.cpsc.gov.
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