By John King, CNN Chief National Correspondent
- Using alternate energy, Susan Chandler's energy bill is a third of what it was a year ago
- Hawaii's electricity rates are the highest in the country
- State law now requires new homes to use solar panels at least to heat hot water
It was an energy audit at work that first nudged Susan Chandler to think green.
"The
first thing I did was change all my light bulbs" to energy-efficient
models, Chandler said during a recent visit to her Honolulu home. "Then
I started tracking my energy bill."
She began walking into rooms
her husband and son had just left to turn off the lights. A significant
cutback in the use of the clothes dryer was another step. Still,
Chandler said she wanted to do more.
"So I put up the panels."
Continue reading "Hawaii in Early Stages of Energy Revolution" »
View full article via www.nytimes.com
By Jennifer Steinhauer
It is
a nibble weird that a guy who describes his relationship to Christmas
as “hostile” runs around greater Los Angeles in a floppy red Santa hat
and answers his iPhone, “Merry Christmas, this is Scotty Claus!”
But bummed as false merriment and gift obligations render him, Scott
Martin — landscape architect and tree hugger in a literal sense — was
unnerved by the sight of post-Christmas trees lying about like so much
discarded sausage casing.
What people really ought to do, he reasoned, was rent a Christmas tree, and return it, alive, to the nursery after the season.
Continue reading "Business Delivers Christmas Trees for Rent" »
I had read about about this when Ann Arbor, MI converted all their downtown lights to LEDs. This issue obviously needs to be addressed. That being said, the energy savings of LEDs is significant - they use 90% less than incandescent bulbs!
Slightly switching gears, I recently converted our most frequently used lights in our home to LEDs with the help of my friends at illumigarden. The light is fantastic, better than the incandescent bulbs that I replaced. If you have not tried an LED bulb, I would strongly encourage you do do so.
Here is a link to a site called Productdose.com that has good information and comparisons on Incandescent, CFL and LED bulbs. While LEDs are more expensive, they last 60,000 hours compared to 10,000 hours for CFLs and only 1,500 for incandescent bulbs. And if you live in San Francisco or Marin, stop by and see Michael or George at illumigarden. They can help you and give you some samples to test in your home.
View full article via www.msnbc.msn.com
Cities around the country that have installed
energy-efficient traffic lights are discovering a hazardous downside: The bulbs
don't burn hot enough to melt snow and can become crusted over in a storm — a
problem blamed for dozens of accidents and at least one death.
Continue reading "Energy-Saving Stoplights Blamed in Crashes" »
Four University of Chicago Alumni Prove Environmentally Friendly Vehicles Can Go the Distance
Link to Full Article
Jeff Bladt says he has a penchant for traveling “by the seat
of his pants.” The idea of buying a plane ticket and figuring out the rest of
the trip once he gets there is very appealing to him. Next spring, Bladt plans
to embark on an expedition with three of his friends that promises to be more
extensive than any he’s been on previously: the first trip around the world in
an electric car.
The group has titled their expedition Project EVIE (EV for
Electric Vehicle) and for the last several months, they have been involved in
rigorous planning, a search for sponsorship, and ongoing research in
preparation. As Bladt anticipates the trip, he depicts it as simultaneously
paying homage to the spirit of self-reliant, pants-seat travel and following a
carefully mapped-out course, contingent on the support of other people.
Continue reading "Around the World in an Electric Car" »
By Patrick Oppmann, CNN
Link to Article
Trash study tracks how pieces of garbage may travel hundreds
of miles
MIT researchers hope study will help people better
understand impact of garbage they produce
"Can we create a situation of minimum waste?"
researcher says
Seattle, Washington (CNN) -- The plastic Ziploc bag thrown
in the trash in Seattle, Washington, spent a week traveling 300 miles to an
Oregon landfill. The old Apple iBook that was recycled is a month into its
journey. And a pair of worn Asics running shoes is still logging miles even
after being dropped in a bin for used shoes.
Those are just some of the trails of trash exposed in a
high-tech trash study.
Continue reading "Tracking a Trail of Trash in the Pacific Northwest" »
Kudos to Bundanoon for banning bottled water! Let's hope many more follow!
Link to Article
An Australian town pulled all bottled water from
its shelves Saturday and replaced it with refillable bottles in what is
believed to be a world-first ban.
Hundreds of people marched through the picturesque rural
town of Bundanoon to mark the first day of its bottled water ban by unveiling a
series of new public drinking fountains, said campaign spokesman John Dee.
Shopkeepers ceremoniously removed the last bottles of water
from their shelves and replaced them with reusable bottles that can be filled
from fountains inside the town's shops or at water stations in the street.
"Every bottle today was taken off the shelf and out of
the fridges so you can only now buy refillable bottles in shops in
Bundanoon," Dee told AFP.
Continue reading "Australian Town First to Ban Bottled Water" »
