The 90-Day Plan: DAY 55

The 90 Day Plan - 90 Ways in 90 Days
The 90 Day Plan: Day 55  Americans tend to use 1-3 pounds of paper everyday. GO PAPERLESS to save trees and ease clutter. Most banks and other companies allow for secure, convenient account access and provide paperless statements, make the switch today. Another way to save paper is to widen document margins and print double-sided. How many phonebooks are hiding in your home? How often do you really use them? Buy a Kindle!  www.belowthesurface.org		Challenge: Cut junk mail today—call 1-888-5 OPT OUT. How do trees and plants minimize erosion? Why is water clarity important for aquaculture?

The 90-Day Plan: DAY 54

The 90 Day Plan - 90 Ways in 90 Days
The 90 Day Plan: Day 54  Please BEGIN USING COMPACT FLORESCENT bulbs (CFLs) in place of conventional ones. By making the switch to CFL's you are installing a bulb that will last ten-times longer and use 75% less energy than conventional bulbs. Although CFL's are a great way to save energy, make sure that you dispose of them as you would other HHW. Get some HCFs today!  www.belowthesurface.org		Challenge: Compared to their present electricity bill, if you were to replace every bulb in your home with CFL's, how much money could you save this year?

The 90-Day Plan: DAY 53

The 90 Day Plan - 90 Ways in 90 Days
The 90 Day Plan: Day 53  To maximize heat when cooking food on the stove, KEEP a LID on IT! By covering dishes on the stove as you prepare food, cooking time will be reduced and you can save as much as 2/3 of energy. For More Information:  www.belowthesurface.org		Challenge: It may not sound like much fun, but you can save energy by cleaning the burners on your stovetop. Is it a good idea to pour grease down the drain?

The 90-Day Plan: DAY 52

The 90 Day Plan - 90 Ways in 90 Days
The 90 Day Plan: Day 52  Nothing has changed the way we eat more than the refrigerator. RE-THINKING the way we use the REFRIGE can cut energy costs on one of the kitchen's most costly appliances. For More Information:  www.belowthesurface.org		Challenge: If your refrigerator was purchased before 2001, technology and efficiency have greatly improved. How quickly could the savings of a high efficiency refrigerator add up to pay for itself?

The 90-Day Plan: DAY 51

The 90 Day Plan - 90 Ways in 90 Days
The 90 Day Plan: Day 51  While we are still in the kitchen, PLAN a NO-BULL MEAL. An appetizing figure suggests that Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, CAFOs, located in the US produce three times the amount of sewage as American citizens. It is estimated that 60-pounds of animal waste are generated for every one pound of beef produced. America's Environmental Report Card: Are We Making the Grade. By: Harvey Blatt  www.belowthesurface.org		Challenge: What is a CAFO and how do these feedlots impact the water? Why is nonpoint source pollution difficult to regulate and enforce?

The 90-Day Plan: DAY 50

The 90 Day Plan - 90 Ways in 90 Days
The 90 Day Plan: Day 50  There can be a high cost to low prices. BUY FAIR TRADE certified products. Fair Trade products increase environmental, social, and consumer standards. For More Information:  www.belowthesurface.org		Challenge: What began the Fair Trade Movement? Why is important to know the origin of products you purchase?

The 90-Day Plan: DAY 49

The 90 Day Plan - 90 Ways in 90 Days
The 90 Day Plan: Day 49  Now that you have considered what it takes for most produce to travel to your plate, GIVE ORGANIC FOODS a TRY. For More Information:  www.belowthesurface.org		Challenge: Groundwater provides 50% of our country's drinking water; what happens when fertilizers and pesticides get in the groundwater? How can ground water be cleaned? Are there any obvious benefits to the water that would come from reducing pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers?

SUP Mississippi Expedition Blog: I am Small

When the waves come, I am a dwarf. Across the channel a white tug pushes over 30 barge containers, each close to 200 feet long, 35 feet wide and 12 feet high. The rollers start when I am level with the mid-section of the craft but the water only begins to churn properly behind the tug, a long line of white water jumping up and down, snakelike. You could surf these waves but if you fell you'd need a good three minutes of breath. I stay away, just little old me on my paddleboard, rising and falling at the whim of the river. The key is to go with it, but don't let it take you.

<img class="alignnone" title="Mississippi Barge" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6139/6019452220_7fa06a53ab.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="256" />

For 1300 miles I have been at home on the Mississippi; this famous, iconic waterway, this giant among rivers, a second in a name, a breeding ground for generations of writers and musicians. The river starts small, as we all do, but it didn't take long to become strong. It has let me be its friend, so far. Mike Clarke, the St Louis-based waterman who has paddled more miles on this river than most, described his relationship with the Mississippi perfectly; 'it is benevolent, it gives and gives and gives, but now and then it will take something, we call it an offering. If it doesn't take you, it's a fair offering.'

This is not the typical rattling of a foreigners cage forced by either over-protectiveness or ignorance, Mike knows what he's talking about, and once the Middle Mississippi is joined by the other Big Miss, the Missouri, the true nature of a big river is revealed. Up until now I've seen endless new sights, things that made me tense up or murmur 'wow' beneath my breath, but just as I was getting the hang of life on the Mississippi the challenge is ramped up, the costs are obvious whether you see them or not. The river isn't just big anymore, it is enormous. I am very small and there are reminders everywhere.

<img class="alignnone" title="Davenport, Iowa" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6027/6019453258_dddc8a154d_z.jpg" alt="" width="427" height="640" />

Sure, the barges are enormous, but the river has never been so dominant. I had become used to my pace but the arrival of the Missouri has forced a recalculation. Suddenly a hard paddle can bring 9 miles per hour, where at the headwaters it was 3.5 mph and at Minneapolis 5.5 mph. I am travelling faster, which means there is more water, which means more danger. All at once parts of the river fold in on themselves. A thin ripple metres ahead of me can break apart as though a chasm in a violent earthquake, and in milliseconds the two sides of the void curl and spin around each other, creating a whirlpool with an eye two-foot across. I could jump in and not touch the sides, and instinct tells my toes to grip a little harder, my knees bend to brace against the river's attempt to pull my board down. Awesome is a word too overused, but this is nothing but awesome, to see hydraulics like this.

The river is wide, and so is the sky. Many of the bluffs that followed the Upper River have been etched away over time and now sandbars and a thin tree line border the Mississippi, the grasslands and plains beyond them are hidden unless you go walkabout. I find myself stood on my board, drifting downstream, my paddle to attention at my feet like a Masai Warrior on guard, both of us becoming accustomed to our surroundings, learning to understand just how small we are when set against this river.

<img class="alignnone" title="Dave Cornthwaite on the Mississippi River SUP Expedition" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6129/6018899583_ae05baa345_o.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" />

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Dave Cornthwaite is currently Stand Up Paddleboarding the length of the Mississippi River. To find out more about his journey visit <a href="http://www.davecornthwaite.com" target="_blank">www.davecornthwaite.com</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/expedition100" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/expedition1000</a> and follow Dave on <a href="http://www.Twitter.com/Davecorn" target="_blank">www.Twitter.com/Davecorn</a>

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Dave Cornthwaite
Adventurer | Author | Motivational Speaker

Official Website: davecornthwaite.com

US Mobile (throughout Mississippi Exped June - September '11) 760-453-3059
UK Mobile: 07872 986084

Twitter: @DaveCorn

Facebook: Expedition1000

YouTube: DaveCornthwaite

On June 20th 2011 Dave started the 4th journey of his Expedition1000 project, a 2400 mile source to sea descent of the Mississippi River, by Stand Up Paddleboard. Dave is aiming to raise £1,000,000 throughout the project, please find out more about his charities, here

Expedition1000: Twenty-five journeys of 1000+miles, all by different means
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAkfvWwL0-U