04.15.07
Posted in energy, global warming at 8:17 pm by greengirl
I recently went to Starbucks (yeah, I know, I know) while traveling because I was jonesing for chai tea. The receipt had a code printed on it to play a game (though the code ended up not being required to play). The game is Planet Green Game. Despite the fact that it was brought to you by a chain store, the game itself has a lot of good information. It centers mostly on what individual choices can do to make a difference in energy efficiency and, ultimately, global warming. Plus, I always like a good game of Memory. So, if you’re looking for a break at work, I recommend it.
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04.08.07
Posted in energy, home & garden, recycling, pollution, shopping at 8:03 pm by greengirl
After looking into the very full trash can at my favorite coffee shop and realizing what a waste all those paper cups are, I went in search of a travel mug that would hold the 20 oz of chai tea goodness that the shop serves up as their large. Every mug (in all the cool colors) that I found at all the stores in my local mall was 16 oz. When I’m in search of a chai buzz, 16 oz just won’t cut it. The 20 oz cup proved quite elusive. To save you a similarly endless internet search, I ended up with a Timolino desktop mug
in the usual boring silver (will someone please make a 20 oz mug in a cool color - like magenta or burnt orange?!?!?) The mug itself is a little larger than 20 oz, but this allows you to put the top on without hot liquid squirting all over you - one of my favorite baristas measured it for me. Timolino also makes a 20 oz travel mug, but it looked way too precarious to trust to my clumsy hands. The mug I bought got bad reviews on Amazon, but I drink my chai too fast to care how many hours it keeps tea warm, and I don’t have a briefcase. So, it works great for me.
And how much of a difference am I making? Well, according to Treehugger (who borrowed the info from Organic Style magazine), if everyone who read Organic Style magazine used a reusable mug for one week’s worth of daily morning joe, trees filling two football fields would be saved. Switching for just one day would save the energy equivalent to 1,000 gallons of gasoline. Sadly, Organic Style is no longer being published, so I have no idea what their readership was. I’ll have to do more checking for more meaningful numbers…
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03.05.07
Posted in energy, education, global warming at 11:37 am by greengirl
Al Gore won an Oscar this year for An Inconvenient Truth. While he was helping to present another award, he mentioned that the Oscars have gone green this year. So, I went to their website as he instructed and checked it out. Hiding inconspicuously in a lower corner of the Oscar site are the words Go Green. While it doesn’t specifically say what the Oscar organization staff did to make the Oscars more green (they “endeavored to select supplies and services with a sensitivity toward reducing the threats we face from global warming, species extinction, deforestation, toxic waste, and hazardous chemicals in our water and food”), it does have a long list of items that consumers can do to make a difference in their energy usage. All their suggestions were taken from the Natural Resources Defense Council website. It’s a small step, but a step forward nonetheless.
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01.15.07
Posted in energy, recycling at 9:05 pm by greengirl
At the International Consumer Electronics Show, held last week in Las Vegas, a Green Wednesday was included on the list of special events. Part of this day was the launch of mygreenelectronics.org, which includes information on where to recycle computer and other electronic devices in your zip code. It also includes information on green electronics brands, energy conservation and computer trade-in programs. The site is just getting started and the lists are still growing.
Dell has long been involved in responsible environmentalism practices in the computer industry. They even have a special website devoted to their Dell Earth program. According to their website, their recycling program has helped to avoid nearly 10 million tons of CO2 emissions. They’ve also recently launched the Plant a Tree for Me program, allowing computer purchasers to not only recycle their old computers but also allow them to donate $2 to have a tree planted as a simple choice in the computer configuration process.
So, now you can give in to your techie gadget desires and still help conserve resources and protect the environment.
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12.20.06
Posted in energy, home & garden, water at 10:22 pm by greengirl
According to the power calculator at MGE’s website, I can save $14 dollars and 245 pounds of carbon dioxide yearly by washing my clothes in cold. And I only do one load of laundry per week! Washing your clothes in cold water is actually better for your clothes than warm or hot, and laundry detergents are available that are designed for cold-water washing. In fact, most enzymatic cleaners can probably handle washing in cold water. Since heating the water accounts for 90% of the energy use of washing clothes, the average household will save $61 and 1,281 pounds of carbon dioxide yearly.
Is washing in cold effective? Don’t tell your mom, but your whites don’t need to be washed in hot to get them clean. The only things that really needed to be washed in warm water are heavily soiled clothes, baby diapers and clothes stained with grease or oil. So, go do your laundry!
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12.16.06
Posted in energy, ecotravel, pollution, shopping at 10:08 pm by greengirl
If you’re anything like me, you’re down to the last one or two people on your Christmas list. You have no idea what to get them because they have everything. And the few things they might want cost more than you make in a year. So this year, I decided to make a donation in their name. I have it narrowed down to a few causes to choose from.
The first is holiday cards from NativeEnergy. These are carbon offset cards that come in 1 ton ($12) or 6 ton ($72) denominations. You can choose from helping to build new Native American wind turbines or a renewable methane generator on a family farm.
Another choice in the running is greendimes. For a dime a day, they will rid you of junk mail - all those annoying credit card offers, solicitations, catalogs, etc. Their theory is that its cheaper to pay them to get rid of your junk mail than doing all the legwork yourself. And, they plant a tree a month for you.
The third possible charity I’m considering is terrapass. A friend mentioned this to me as her preferred source for carbon offsets. Like NativeEnergy, they send a card and, depending on the type of offset purchased, they include a window decal or luggage tag. They also have a really good calculator to determine how much offset your vehicle requires. (Sustainable Travel International has information on the quality of Terrapass, NativeEnergy and many other carbon offset programs)
The final charity I’m considering is the World Wildlife Fund. They’re offering virtual ‘adoptions’ of 40 different animals. If you donate $50 or more, you get a little plush version of the animal you’ve adopted. If you donate online, regardless of the amount, you get screensavers, wallpaper and AIM icons for the recipient. If someone on your gift list has a favorite animal, this would be a great choice.
So, happy gift giving and congratulations on finishing your holiday shopping!
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12.11.06
Posted in energy at 4:23 pm by greengirl
A common myth is that you can burn out the computer by turning it on and off, and it uses more energy to turn it on than to leave it on. Pardon me while I put on my mythbuster hat… Modern computers can handle 40,000 on/off cycles; your computer will be obsolete long before it will burn out. The power used to boot a computer is less than the amount used in leaving it on for 3 minutes, so that myth is out the window. (source: Ohio University)
One computer left on 24 hours a day uses between $65 and $115 annually and releases 850-1,150 pounds of CO2 into the air, at least at UMass Amherst. According to statistics from Ohio University, a computer left on around the clock releases 2,161 pounds of CO2 and costs $45 a year (apparently, power is cheaper in Ohio than in Mass.). Reducing computer on-time to 8 hours per day saves 67% over the year.
According to the National Energy Foundation, monitors can account for as much as a third of the electricity consumption in a modern office. The old CRT-style monitors use about twice the energy as the new flat-panel monitors, so use that as justification to buy the fancier monitor! CRTs also produce more heat than flat-panels, so it can help your air conditioning bill to own a flat panel and turn it off when not in use.
And by the way, screen savers don’t save any energy. It’s very unusual for an image to be burned into the tube, flat or CRT, anymore (the initial reason for screen savers), so turn your monitor off instead of letting that horrible Starfield Simulation come on.
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12.08.06
Posted in energy, ecotravel, pollution at 10:08 pm by greengirl
I’ve been hearing more and more lately about carbon offsetting. Carbon offsetting involves donating an amount of money determined to be equal to the monetary impact of the carbon you use in your everyday life while you drive your car, have your packages shipped or fly to see grandma at the holidays. The money is then used to fund wind farms, energy efficiency projects and reforestation.
Ecobusinesslinks.com recently chose carbonfund.org as most affordable in their carbon offsetting price survey. Cool Driver offers offsets for your driving habits and type of car, and they even offer a free pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream for signing up. Make mine Half Baked, thank you.
Most carbon offset purchasing sites have calculators of varying complexity to determine your carbon footprint. At some retailers, you can choose to offset the impact of your purchase with them. You can also offset someone else’s carbon footprint by purchasing carbon offset gift packs at Nigel’s Eco Store, Carbon Clear and CO2 Balance, to name just a few.
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12.01.06
Posted in energy, home & garden at 5:18 pm by greengirl
As a winter storm makes driving into a carnival activity for much of the midwest, I figured I should get the plastic up on my windows. The HVAC guy and I agree that my house is held together by spiderwebs, so I’m sure insulation is nonexistent, unless you count dust. Even though I plastic every year, I wondered how effective it is, so I did some research.
Many communities offer free weatherization services, especially for low-income families. Though, if you rent, your options may be limited. But, start by checking with your utility company to find out what programs they have. If you don’t qualify for free weatherization or don’t want to bring someone in, there are things you can do yourself to check for leaks.
The plastic window sheeting that I prefer is made by 3M/Scotch - it’s installed on the inside and if you put it on tightly, you can hardly see it. Doing this is actually considered putting up a storm window. It certainly cuts down on the condensation that forms on the insides of windows. And, it’s rather satisying to watch the plastic bow out, knowing that you’ve prevented that draft of air from coming into your house. Air infiltration can account for one-half of the heating cost in a house with leaks.
Weatherizing your entire house typically reduces a household’s heating consumption by 33% and reduces energy bills by $300. If you rent, your returns may not be as high because you don’t have the ability to take all the recommended steps, but you’ll still save some money.
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11.30.06
Posted in energy, education at 4:32 pm by greengirl
By purchasing 2.1 million kilowatt hours of wind energy, Southern Methodist University is saving its corner of Texas from 3 million pounds of pollution. It’s the equivalent of building a 390-acre forest yearly, according to the SMU student paper. A student-led group did the legwork to convince SMU to join the EPA Green Power Partnership, which requires that at least 3% of the energy SMU purchases be sustainable. SMU became the first large university in Texas and the southwest US to join the Partnership. As of September ‘06, a few universities throughout the country have 100% sustainable energy use: University of Central Oklahoma, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Western Washington University, Evergreen State College in Washington and Hamilton College in New York. Go Mustangs!
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