Green Daily

You thought our garbage load overall during the year was high? Here's a shocking fact from Use Less Stuff: Americans throw away 25% more trash during the period between Thanksgiving and New Year's versus any other time of the year.

Although we are getting quite close to Christmas now, and you've probably done most of your holiday shopping by now (or not!), here is a sample of tips from Use Less Stuff's 42 Ways to Trim Your Holiday Waistline:

• When buying electronic toys and other portable items that are used regularly, remember to buy rechargeable batteries to go with them.
• Plan holiday meals wisely and practice portion control to minimize waste.
• Turn down the heat before the guests arrive. You'll save energy and the extra body heat of your guests will warm up the room.

Be sure to see the rest of the article for the other 39 tips!

We're full of tricks, tips, and ideas for making your holiday season as green as possible. Check out our Green Holiday Guide and have an eco-friendly season!

[Via Suddenly Frugal]

Here's some good news!

Three-quarters of Americans plan to be more environmentally responsible in the new year, by reducing their energy use or recycling more, according to a recent survey. Two-thirds plan to cut their use of household chemicals, while 42 percent said they plan to take reusable bags to the supermarket.

Rob Densen, chief executive of Tiller, the company that commissioned the survey, had this to say, "New Year's resolutions being what they are, let's hope that Americans are more successful at reducing waste and energy consumption than we are at reducing our waistlines."

Ouch! Ok, he might have a point. Let's hope that this resolution sticks.

Stop laughing, this is serious. It's the Hymini Portable Wind Powered Charger, and it's one of the few (actually the only one I've seen) wind and solar powered charging devices that works while you're on the go. Simply strap it to your arm while you're out jogging, or to your bike during a ride, and it'll charge up your phone, mp3 player, or any other number of misc gadgets. It comes in 3 colors (white, black, or green) and if you want you can even get little mini solar panel attachments to up the charging power if you need more juice.

Or, if supplying wind isn't your thing you could go the easier route and go for something like this Soldius1 Solar Phone Charger. Instead of going for a run or ride you can just fold it out and take a nap if you want while your stuff charges up.





[Via Book of Joe]

Think Americans aren't willing to give up their gas guzzling cars and power hungry high tech toys for low power alternatives? Well, for the most part you're probably right. But a recent Forrester report suggests that 12 percent of American adults are willing to pay more money for environmentally friendly consumer electronics.

12 percent might not sound like much, but that's 25 million people. Imagine the impact it would have if that many people bought energy saving televisions, cellphones, and computer.

Of course, the big question is how much extra money people are willing to pay. We all know that compact fluorescent light bulbs cost more when you pick them up at the store. But over time, you should save enough money on your electric bills to make back your initial investment and then some. But if each bulb cost $200, that wouldn't be the case, no would it?

[via Information Week]

It's all about alternative energy these days, and in my corner of the world the results can be seen in fields of windmills turning in the breeze. There are arguments for and against large "wind farms," but of course compared to the alternatives wind energy seems to be a better deal by far.

Or is it? Global warming and climate change are results, in part, of our consumption of fossil fuels and other non-renewable energy sources. But wind energy also carries risks -- if wind farms expanded to cover just 10% of the Earth's land area they could theoretically change air patterns enough to affect global weather patterns and climate. Although, experts say, it seems it may actually be a good thing if it served to work against the current trends.

As much fun as they might have with it no, the kids aren't going to be drinking the stuff. The Tynecastle High school in Edinburgh, Scotland will be getting a new building by 2010, and part of the new plan is to cut energy costs by using waste heat from the neighboring North British Distillery to heat the classrooms. Water will pass from the school through to a heat exchanger where it will be warmed by the distillery's wasted energy. The project initially added an extra £200,000 to the cost of the new building but it is expected to pay for itself in savings after only 4 years.

Interesting thought: if you live in that area now buying a bottle of whiskey is suddenly something you can do "for the children."

One way to cut energy consumption in your home is with the use of smart electronics. One of the most popular applications are motion sensors used to activate lights. If you're like me, you cannot be trusted to remember to turn an outside light on at night and off again in the morning. However, you may like how light can be a good deterrent for unwanted house guests.

We recently installed two motion activated lights onto the back our our house, replacing the old flood lights that were there. The lights themselves were easy to hookup although programming them made me feel like a dolt. I was able to choose from a "dust 'til dawn" option or for the light to turn on only when it picked up movement in the yard. My new fixture paired with a couple of CFL floodlight bulbs will undoubtedly save me money on my electricity bill.

The number of small ways you can help make your home more energy efficient are too many to count -- if everybody's tips in the world were condensed together you'd probably have a book about 3 feet thick! But there's no doubt that certain basic principles keep coming around again as good common sense ideas that can really make a difference: insulation is one. Take a look at these inexpensive and easy suggestions and see if they're appropriate for your home:

• Get a water heater insulation jacket. For only $10-$20 bucks it will likely pay for itself in the first year just in reduced loss of "stand-by" heat.
• Get weatherstripping (and actually get around to installing it!) for doors and windows that leak air
• Insulate any hot water pipes that run through unheated areas
  
• Consider displaying decorative rugs not on the floor, but on the walls. They'll be beautiful and will provide an extra layer between you and the cold outside.

Usually, I'm as competitive as it gets. Give me any lighthearted game and I'll turn it into a bitter deathmatch that can drive a wedge between the most established friendships -- but this is one competition I'm OK with coming in second... or last. A new study found that Australians (not Americans) are the world's worst green house gas polluters, as least when defined by power sector emissions.

The big winner, Australia took the top spot with a whopping 11 tons of CO2 produced per Aussie. No wonder their law makers are considering a ban on energy-hogging plasma TVs. Don't worry though, the good ol' US of A comes in a healthy second place with 9 tons of power station CO2 emitted per person. The study, put together by the Center for Global Development, examined power sector output specifically because power stations account for the most concentrated releases of green house emissions.

Also in the report: America is home to a sixth of the world's power stations and produces nearly 25% of the world's total CO2 emissions. Compare that to Europe, which produces less than half the emissions per person by following different energy policies (less energy consumption/nuclear power). Also a surprise, the world's affluent no longer contribute the majority of world's total emissions. That prize now goes to developing countries with an abundance of coal fired power.

Fujitisu Siemens recently showcased a monitor that can make your computer much more energy efficient. Amidst a growing awareness that computers are huge power guzzlers, this monitor actually stops using electricity as soon as video feed stops coming from your computer. Bam! Using a good old-fashioned relay, the monitor clicks off -- going to zero energy consumption -- and it can stay on standby for 5 days.

The reason most appliances have standby mode is for a snappy startup, but most people aren't aware the amount of power going down the drain by keeping all of these appliances on standby 24/7. According to the Dept. of Energy, 20% of your electric bill will come from sleeping appliances by 2010.

According to the bigwigs, this technology is ready to be put into other appliances as well, like TVs and CPUs. As usual, for this technology to reach its full energy-saving potential, other manufacturers and their legal teams will have to figure out how to get around Fujitsu's 6 patents.

You've heard that Jesus turned water into wine, now Canada's wine country will turn it into electricity -- for homes in the Niagra area. StormFisher Biogas is offering Ontario's wine producers a productive way to get rid of about 2,000 tons of smooshed grape stuff, which up until now had been sent to landfills.

It basically works like this: dump grape remnants into an industrial digester (whatever that is) then use the methane created by the decomposing grape skins and seeds to produce both electricity and natural gas. Cheers!

If you're lucky enough to have a fireplace or a wood stove then burning wood for supplemental heat in the winter can go a long way towards offsetting some of your gas or electric use for warming your home, not to mention make for a cozy gathering place to visit around over the holidays. Buying firewood can be expensive though, so it's probably best if you have access to wood in your immediate area and can chop it yourself. To that end, keep these tips in mind:

• Always wear eye protection
  
• Wear pants of thick material and heavy thick shoes
• Use equipment that's in good repair (a sharp axe with a solid handle with no cracks or chips)
• Position the log you're chopping so it's stable and sitting straight up (not at an angle)
  
• NEVER try to chop a log that you're holding onto or stabilizing with the other hand
• Choose logs that have had a chance to dry adequately (they'll split easier)
• Use a solid chopping block with a flat surface (a large stump works well)
• Aim carefully and give the axe a good solid swing -- if you hesitate or swing too lightly you may just jam the axe in the wood.

In 2008, homes in the state of New York will be running on wind power due to a new wind farm approved Wednesday by NY utility regulators. Located near New York's border with Quebec, a fitting place for these 72 monstrous eyesores -- I mean windmills -- the turbines will supply power for an estimated 86,400 homes, or 1/3 of Times Square. Take your pick.

At a cost of $200 million dollars to build, Noble Environmental Power expects the farm to produce an economic benefit of $152.9 million over the next 20 years (depending on which way the wind blows). While it's not necessarily something you'd want in your investment portfolio, at least New Yorkers get to feel better -- and their tax dollars aren't footing the bill.

While we've been running around trying to figure out how to save the planet, it turns out some scientists have figured out how the planet can save us. And when I say the planet, I mean the ground beneath our feet.

Living Power Systems has developed a commercial microbial fuel cell similar to the plant-powered fuel cell we told you about a fee weeks back. But the Living Power Systems fuel cell runs on dirt. Or rather, it generates electricity from bacteria in dirt.

If you think back to your third grad science class, you'll probably remember that you can generate electricity from a potato or other living material. But you generally get such a small amount of energy that it's not really worth the trouble to harvest it. Living Power Systems' technique is exciting because it actually makes dirt power usable. I'm not saying you'll be able to power your laptop computer with dirt anytime soon, but home lighting and cellphone chargers aren't out of the question.
Microbial Fuel Cell technology will probably be deployed first in developing nations where access to electricity is a bit more inconsistent and unpredictable than in say, New York City. But as the technology gets more and more refined, we could see dirt powered cellphone towers or even homes.

[via Earth2Tech]