2nd Green Revolution

For the first time in my driving age life I don’t own or have easy access to a car. Yesterday, I sold my 2003 Hyundai Elantra with 80,000 miles on it. Elantras are apparently in demand, perhaps because word has gotten out they are inexpensive but reliable. Mine served me well. If you have one and have contemplated selling it, this may be the time. Even while living in Japan- the epitome of convenient and efficient train transportation – for two years after college, I was far enough out in the country in a town with no train station that a car was necessary. Let me be clear up front: Read the rest of this entry »

If you live in Washington D.C., you may want to do some light shopping on New Year’s Day. This Friday, all seven Giant Food stores in D.C. will be bag your groceries in reusable totes. This is Giant’s way of using the introduction of a 5 cent bag tax in Washington D.C. as a clever marketing ploy to get people into its stores. Those totes could come in handy. Starting January 1st, shoppers at all grocery, drug, and liquor stores in the District will have to pay a 5 cent tax on paper and plastic bags they use for their purchased goods unless they bring their own bags. The bag tax, along with having to pay to park on the city’s streets on Saturday (currently free) and extending parking meter times until 10pm (currently 6:30pm in many places), is seen as one way to help close the city’s $104 million expected deficit next year.

The other day I picked up the Kill A Watt EZ from Costco (mentioned in an earlier post for their recycling program with Gazelle) for $20. Being the type of person that doesn’t read instructions I ripped open the package and plugged the device into a three-pronged outlet. Unsure what to do next, I plugged a computer cord into the other side of the device (see the picture at right). It read 120.6 volts. Since I couldn’t figure out how to change it, I unplugged the device and read the instructions.

The Kill A Watt EZ allows the user to choose from several different settings, including kWh (for kilowatt hours), voltage, or cost – which depends on one’s electricity rate. One neat feature is the programmable electricity rate. Type in the rate you pay (ex. $0.10 per kWh) and the Kill A Watt will calculate the cost to power your device. This feature comes in particularly handy for devices that consume large amounts of electricity (such as flat panel TVs), especially when plugged in but not in use. In addition, when deciding whether or not a new appliance makes sense (and cents), use the Kill A Watt to determine the appliance’s electricity consumption. Read the rest of this entry »

In yet another symbol of China’s rapid development and increasing technological prowess, a high-speed train called the Harmony express shortened a previously 11 hour trip across China to a mere 3 hours. The Harmony express raced along the 1,100km (684 mile) route from Guangzhou to the central city of Wuhan at an average speed of 350km per hour (218mph), reaching a top speed of 394km per hour (245mph). Japan’s “Shinkansen” bullet trains and France’s TGV service, two pioneers and models when it comes to high-speed rail, have maximum services speeds of 300km per hour (186mph). The U.S. has the so-called “Express” Acela service from Amtrak which takes 3.5 hours to trundle between New York and Boston, a distance of only 300km (186miles) or roughly 30% of the distance that the new Chinese route can cover in the same time. Here is a summary of the new rail line and China’s rail ambitions by the numbers: Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday’s post about fake and real Christmas trees and menorahs developed out of several conversations during the holidays, but was precipitated by an article in The New York Times about the use of so-called rare earth elements in the manufacture of clean energy components. Cradle to cradle design would suggest that all materials used in consumer products ought to be capable of serving some function once the original purpose of the object has long passed. This design philosophy necessitates making components for consumer goods out of materials that can return to the ecosystem with toxification of the soils, water, or atmosphere. Read the rest of this entry »

Having just posted our Five Friday Facts about Christmas, and the ensuing discussion about buying a live tree or a fake one that can be re-used, the notion that live trees are a renewable resource was brought about in order to suggest that this made them the better choice. Cost aside ($50 a tree for 20 years or $5 for an after Christmas sale at Target), live trees are renewable, yes, and fake ones are reusable. However, both have serious issues associated with them. Just because trees are renewable, does not mean that they are sustainable. The devil is in the details. Read the rest of this entry »

Today is Christmas in the United States, so we’ve gathered a few facts related to the holiday.
Merry Christmas!

• This year, Americans will use more than 38,000 miles of ribbon.
• Americans will also leave millions of Christmas trees on the curb. A fake tree is petroleum based and not biodegradable. Some other possibilities are to buy or rent a live tree (see livingchristmastrees.org) Or get a cut tree and, after the holidays, take it to the county recycling facility, where it can be turned into mulch. (Source:#1-2, Newsweek)
• The 2.6 billion holiday cards sold each year in the United States could fill a landfill the size of a football field 10 stories high.(Source:Mahalo)
• LEDs (light-emitting diodes) can be used instead of incandescent bulbs to decorate your tree and home. They’re more expensive, but last much longer and use 80% to 90% less power than conventional mini bulbs. They cast a bright white light and stay cool to the touch so they won’t singe the tree—or someone’s fingers. (Source: TIME)
• The swiftest way to eliminate waste is to give less. A 2005 survey by the Center for a New American Dream showed that 78 percent of Americans wish the holidays were less materialistic.

- The 2nd Green Team

The United States Green Building Council is a relatively new organization, founded at the start of the last decade. However, communities have embraced energy efficient structures and natural materials throughout the history of mankind. Using the materials locally available to construct homes represents the fundamental approach to green building. Born out of the 1970s, Earthships are homes built into the side of hills for insulation. Many of these use old tires, glass bottles, and aluminum cans packed with clay, soil, or mud to serve as the foundation and basis for walls. The recycled – or reused – materials act as bricks and add a high level insulation to the buildings. (See the video clip after the “read more” link.) Read the rest of this entry »

Last weekend the number one ranked Kansas University (KU) Jayhawks played the Wolverines from the University of Michigan (U of M) in Ann Arbor. Aside from being an intriguing match-up of two Division I basketball teams, ESPN, who aired the game, teamed up with Kansas University to present what they termed a “Green Game.”

Tidbits relating to energy efficiency and steps that consumers (or fans) could take to reduce their energy consumption were displayed throughout the broadcast. According to KU Athletics, ESPN

“produced two short features about go-green initiatives on the KU campus. . . . The first highlights the 15 elliptical machines in the David A. Ambler Student Recreation and Fitness Center that convert kinetic energy created by individual workouts and feed it back into the building’s electrical grid. The Center is one of the only student-fitness centers in the nation to house such machines. The second video features KU’s Biodiesel Initiative, which collects used cooking oil from campus dining halls and converts it into biodiesel fuel. This fall the converted fuel was used to power campus lawn mowers and help kids have fun in an eco-friendly way at KU home football games by powering generators in the HyVee Kids’ Fun Zone.”

The first highlight recalls a recent story we ran on 2nd Green Revolution Read the rest of this entry »

There is some interesting news today from Montgomery County, Maryland. The county in which I spent two years of high school (Go, Cougars!) has decided to buy 59 new buses that use clean diesel technology. Thomas Built Buses, the school bus manufacturing unit of Daimler Trucks North America, has just received its first order for Saf-T-Liner HDX school buses equipped with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems. The SCR system eliminates most nitrogen oxide emissions and allow the buses to meet the 2010 emissions standards for heavier trucks. According to Thomas Built Buses, “selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR), not only reduces NOx emissions to near-zero, but Cummins testing shows a 5-9% fuel economy advantage compared to In-cylinder exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). Read the rest of this entry »