January 25, 2010
· Filed under New Technology · Tagged computers and energy, computers and hazardous waste, eco-friendly electronics, EPEAT, green computers, Green Electronics Council, green technology for electronics, Motorola and cell phone technology, new technology for computers, Nokia and cell phone technology, recycling computers, smart strips, solar chargers
The Electronic product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) was created by the Green Electronics Council. This newly launched standard encourages manufacturers to design products that us less energy and can be harmlessly recycled. 
The EPA estimates that in the next five years, purchases of EPEAT-registered computers could reduce hazardous waste by 4 million pounds and save enough energy to power 2 million homes. This is very exciting news. $250 billion is spent per year on powering computers worldwide – 85% of that power is wasted while the computer simply idles. This is something to think about when we leave our computer on when not in use. If you don’t want to worry about remembering to turn off your computer, a new “smart’ power strip will be available. It automatically senses when your computer is not in use and shuts it down.
Cell phone manufacturers are also jumping on the bandwagon. If you charge your phone overnight, you are wasting a lot of energy. Nokia is preparing to introduce “unplug alerts” for their units. They will cause fully charged phones to beep and display an alert to unplug the phone. Just this one simple advancement in technology could save enough electricity to power 85,000 homes annually. Pretty amazing statistics.
Solar chargers are also going to be a great alternative for cell phones, Ipods, and laptops. Motorola is working on a phone that always remains charged – no plugs, no cords.
As these companies are designing electronics with “green” technology, it will be interesting to see what the future brings.
January 3, 2010
· Filed under New Technology · Tagged air cars, bio-fuel, Chevy Equinox, electric cars, fuel cell cars, future of cars, hydrogen cars, Norways hydrogen highway, Paris Motor Show, recycled car parts, zer emission vehicles
2010 is going to bring many changes. The development of new cars is at the top of the list. We are going to see many things we never thought possible. There are going to be cars run on hydrogen, air, solar power, electricity and biofuel. Sounds like a Jules Verne prediction.
The new air powered cars will use compressed air. A compressor on the car will create the air and will eliminate the need for a generator. It will actually clean and cool the atmosphere. They will be light weight and you will be able to drive 200 miles at a time. Tata Motors has just invested 30 million dollars to get these cars on the road. The American distributor, Zero Pollution Motors already has set a price of $17,800. Not a bad price at all. They will be working on getting the cars to go further and faster, but we are certainly off to a good start. The Paris Motor Show is the place to be in 2010. They are going to be showing off all the new cars. The new hydrogen car is pretty amazing. This car can power a house. The universe is 92% hydrogen. Hydrogen is flammable but lighter than gas and safer. These cars have a fuel cell that generates electricity from a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. They are zero emission vehicles that look very promising. Unlike electric motors which take hours to recharge, these silent cars can be re-fueled in minutes. Norway is the front runner in this technology. Norway just opened a hydrogen highway to test out these cars. These cars use water vapor. They are a sustainable technology for a better environment. They will reduce our dependence on petroleum. The Equinox Fuel cell vehicle from Chevy is the most advanced fuel cell propulsion system to date. This vehicle was given its 2008 Green Car Vision Award for its forward thinking technology. It won over the Honda FCX Clarity and the Toyota prius Plug-in. These cars when parked will be able to produce electricity, a very interesting concept for the future. It is pretty amazing what we are going to see in the year ahead. We are now starting to recycle car parts to make fuel. 85% of cars would get recycled, but mostly the metal parts. Now we are recycling the 15% of parts that were discarded and turning them into fuel. The plastic and foam from car mats and steering wheels are put into a reactor and heated to 900 degrees F. It is then pressurized with 600 lbs of pressure. Even though there are PVC’s in this plastic and foam that could be dangerous if near a flame, there is no danger in this method. It is very safe. The recycled parts are then mixed with water to create bio-fuel. Who would believe that old car parts could power our new car. It is exciting to see what develops this year in the car industry. This will be a year like we have never seen before.
December 26, 2009
· Filed under Did you know? · Tagged Akeena Solar, do-it-yourself solar panels, energy saving options, solar energy, solar panels
Did you know that 2010 is going to be a great year for energy savings? Companies are realizing the need for consumers to save money and go green, so you will be seeing in increase in energy saving products.
Lowes is one company that is starting to sell do-it-yourself solar panels. Their stores in California are already stocking the shelves for the New Year. Manufactured by Akeena Solar, Inc., one solar panel will generate about 175 watts. That is enough energy to power a flat-screen television. This is great news because people will be able to see the effects of solar energy without having to spend money to hire a professional installer. The homeowner will need to get clearance from their electric company and a permit and do their own rebate application, but the benefits will be worth it. The panels will sell for about $900.00 each.
This is a turning point for Americans who consume about a quarter of all the worlds energy. Having more options on how they consume this energy is important. “Pocono Green”
December 13, 2009
· Filed under Interesting info · Tagged bovine diets, cow burps, cow farts, greenhouse gas emissions, greenhouse gases, methane gas
In my blog post on cow farts in “Go Green Questions For Thought”, I talked about cows and methane gas. I recently found an article about cow burps. I found it interesting. Scientists are developing a new cow diet to cut global warming by decreasing methane in bovine burps. Cow burps along with cow farts are a source of greenhouse gas. The feed prepared with garlic extract and oats could reduce the amount of belching and cut stinky animal emissions by up to 25% reports “The London Daily Mail”. Researchers began measuring the amount of methane burped out of the animals mouths and adjusted their diet. Methane has been linked to the global warming trend. The burps from bovines and other farm animals produce some 4% of the global greenhouse gas emissions. Wales is trying to improve the green credentials of the country with this research. They are hoping to partner with farmers. One drawback for Welsh farmers is that garlic extract might change the taste of the beef and milk. This might be all right in meat, but I don’t think I would like a garlicky milkshake. What do you think?
December 13, 2009
· Filed under New Technology · Tagged gen art, plastic dresses, plastic is the new black
“Plastic Is The New Black” is the cover of Italian Vogue, June 2009. Designers Prada and Versace featured lucite plastics in recent collections. Plastics have recently adorned models from their jewelry to their heels. This year plastic has become the new trend, from Paris to Milan to New York. Plastic is showing up in a variety of innovative ways including jewelry, shoes and dresses made from plastic bottles. “Plastics Make It Possible” a program sponsored by plastic industries of the American Chemistry Council is parterning with Gen Art to create a nationwide design competition creating womenswear made from fabrics with plastic based fibers. With many advances in technology, todays plastic water bottle can be tomorrows black dress.
December 5, 2009
· Filed under Green Tips · Tagged green Christmas, green holidat gifts, making green gifts, wrapping paper
With only a short time until Christmas, everyone will be rushing out to buy wrapping paper for their gifts. It is estimated that during the holiday season there is an increase of 25% in garbage from paper and boxes that are thrown away. Using re-used materials to wrap just three gifts will save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields. If every family used two feet less ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved would wrap around the planet. Something to think about when we are making our bows and buying our wrapping paper this year. Many papers have dangerous dyes and inks and I am sure that glitter is not good either. According to Eco-chick.com most paper will have tape on it also which is not good for the recycling process. If you do use wrapping paper or you receive wrapped gifts, try to save the paper to re-use. Some people are buying “green” gifts that the stores are promoting which is a step in the right direction. Many good ideas include solar powered products. But, even more important than the gift may be how we wrap it. There are many ways to be creative. If you have children, let them help. They always come up with ideas. You can make the wrapping part of the gift. Get a basket to fill with items, a decorated box or use a resuable tote bag. Children love to draw. Let them decorate the box. You can use fabric to wrap presents in or to make cloth bags. It will be fun to use your imagination to come up with ideas instead of using the standard store bought papers. Your gift recipients will be impressed with the thought you put into their gift. Be proud to be part of the green movement and let your friends know why you are wrapping the gifts the way you do. This is a good opportunity to spread the word. You can find beautiful ‘green’ shopping bags in all the stores. These are perfect to put your gift in. If you knit, you can make a bag. Instead of spending the money on paper you will throw away, why not let the bag be an extra gift. The comics from your newspaper are a great way to wrap kids presents; saves you money also. You can make a pecan pie or bake cookies. These do not have to be wrapped. There are many things you can give without wrapping them. As you celebrate this holiday season, have fun experimenting with different ideas. We get caught up in doing things in the same traditional ways and sometimes a change can be a welcoming surprise. There is no better time than now to become imaginative. Enjoy!
November 21, 2009
· Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged deposits on bottles, recycling rewards
I was watching Fox News and they were discussing recycling rewards. This was a subject that I was interested in. I always thought that was a good idea. We live in a society where people need to be rewarded. People will do things for money. An example is bringing back a soda bottle for a nickel. People would pick up bottles they found just to get the money. It works. Years ago, peole had to put a deposit on milk bottles, to be sure that they were returned. Recycling rewards makes so much sense. If companies give you something for your recycling effort then you will be more inclined to recycle. It even works with shopping carts. I went to a store the other day where it cost 25 cents to get a shopping cart. I put my quarter in the slot and got my cart. I brought back my cart to get my quarter instead of leaving it in the parking lot where it would dent another car. It seems that having money is important. Even if it is only a small amount, it makes us do the right thing.
November 21, 2009
· Filed under Interesting info · Tagged decomposing garbage for beneficial use, methane gas, turning methane gas into electricity
Methane gas is produced as garbage decomposes. Alliance Landfill in Pennsylvania will turn that gas into electricity under plans which were approved by the Department of Environmental Protection. Governor Rendell has been working with landfills encouraging them to put the methane gas they produce to good instead of burning it off. Methane gas then becomes a renewable source of energy that can power our homes, schools and businesses rather than polluting the environment. The gas will be transmitted to an off-site facility. The methane gas that is generated by the landfill will be cleansed and piped to the PEI Energy Co-generation facility in Archbald Bourough where it will produce an estimated 15 megawatts of electricity – enough to power 12,000 homes. The DEP is continuing its review of a permit application from Alliance for an 87 acre expansion. For more information visit www.depweb.state.pa.us Waste management
November 21, 2009
· Filed under New Technology · Tagged climate change, clean energy, China, China and the US, coal, carbon capture, CCS, new technologies, global greenhouse gas emissions, greenhouse gas
China has been in the news often, especially since President Obama’s visit this week. There has been much news-worthy information about China. They have developed a “Top-1000 Energy Consuming Enterprises Program”, which focuses on energy-efficient improvements in large enterprises. So far they have produced more than 10,000 energy saving projects. At the rate they are going, they will be able to exceed their goal of saving 100 million tons of coal – an emissions reduction of about 250 million tons of CO2. China generates 80% of its electricity from coal, the least “friendly” fossil fuel. China burns more coal than any other nation. and they are pioneering technologies in CCS. China is taking steps to capture carbon. CCS is “carbon capture and storage”, and is one approach to curbing global greenhouse gas emissions. The idea is to capture CO2 produced by coal-fired power plants and store it underground. China is starting storage experiments – some in partnership with the US.
China’s cities also are an environmental concern, but they are trying to correct this through a range of policies designed to improve building efficiency, mass transit and energy use. They are already seeing improvements. Real progress is possible in the future. China is developing systems for collecting accurate energy and emissions data. This week China and the US announced agreements to tackle climate change and grow our respective economies through clean energy. It looks like they are already on their way toward that goal. sustainable business update Nov 09 China FAQ.org
November 12, 2009
· Filed under Interesting info · Tagged carbon emissions, carbon food connetion, carbon labelling, eliminate fossil fuels, food guidelines, impact on farming on the environment, Soy and rainforests, Sweden gets serious
Sweden is getting very serious about the environment. The country is launching the world’s first carbon label on food along with nutitional advise that could cut emissions 20 – 50%. 
Restaurant menus and grocery items are listing the carbon emissions next to every food on it’s menu. A large hamburger is responsible for 1.7 kilograms of carbon emissions, while a chicken sandwich produces 0.4. Max, the largest hamburger restaurant in Sweden, lists carbon emissions next to every food item. The company hired a consultant to measure the chain’s carbon footprint. 75% was from its meat. Growing rice creates double to triple the emissions as does growing barley. Soon farmers that use organic practices won’t be organically certified unless they use low emission growing techniques. Greenhouse tomatoes will not be organic unless they use biofuels for heating. Dairy farmers will no longer be able to import cheap soy to feed cows. They will be required to get a minimum of the food locally. Cheap soy is at the root of much of Brazil’s rainforest deforestation. Sweden is committed to eliminating fossil fuels to produce electricity by 2020 and gasoline by 2030.
