Bubble Wrap Insulating

In my effort to practice what I preach I used some bubble wrap to insulate two side panels in the front entranceway to our house. I also did a window on the inside door and a side window in the entranceway with clear layers of plastic to create AIR insulation. I thought the bubble wrap side windows would look cool with Christmas lights on the outside or inside but have not have a chance to do that yet. When my wife came home from work I showed her my new experiments with AIR insulation. She did not even notice the windows with clear glazing but liked it when I told her about it. She did not like the bubble wrap insulation on the side windows. She said it was because it was not clear, but I think it was because it was bubble wrap. I told her about my Christmas light idea but she will need to see it to believe it. Bubble wrap is not yet an accepted way of insulating.

This small experiment reminded me of a story I heard about Dorothy Day recently, the founder of the Catholic Worker movement. A friend told the story how she and Dorothy were on the ferry on a cold, windy day in New York. When the friend complained about the cold Dorothy said she was glad she had learned from the homeless men and woman on the streets about stuffing old newspapers in your coat to keep warm. She had just done that, using the pockets of air created by the newspaper as insulation.

I have one of those jackets that has another layer of cloth that you can zipper into the inside when it gets very cold. I thought I would put a layer of bubble wrap between the two layers. One could not see it and my theory was that it would be a light looking inexpensive jacket warm like an expensive down (feathers inside layers of cloth) jacket. But I cannot find the inside layer that zippers in.

I tried to measure the difference of heat with the bubble wrap side windows but the data logger was not working correctly and the storm door, despite being double-pane, is the major source of cold air into the entranceway. I will keep you informed on this experiment when I have some data, and of the jacket experiment if I find the inside.

A local and respected peace activist wrote me today about some Cost/Benefit Analysis assessment tool he was using with students interested in nonviolent action at Marquette. It sounded very academic and theoretical to me. Perhaps in days past in my 24 years of formal education I would have been interested. But for right now I rather learn about nonviolence or growing power by doing, being successful or making mistakes, reflecting and doing again. How else would I have learned about bubble wrap as insulation or would Dorothy Day have known about using newspaper to keep warm.

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