Emeco chairs are traditionally made from 100 recyclable aluminum (80% recycled conte
nt). Their expected life of 150 years makes adds to the sustainability.
Now they are making a chair from recycled Coke bottles … 111 bottles per chair. " … 111 Navy Chair: When you recycle a plastic bottle, you’re doing something good. When you recycle 111 of them, you’re doing something great. Help your bottle become something extraordinary again."
Via: Emeco Chairs LINK
Green Touch is a program at Alcatel-Lucent that focuses on green aspects of technology. " … looking at how the world of telecommunications is responding to the urgency of preserving our natural environment. … Green Touch … a consortium of telecoms operators, manufacturers, universities and non-profit organisations with a mission to conceive and demonstrate the effectiveness of this revolutionary low-energy network – all within the next five years… "
To see the associated video follow the link and look for "Innovation at Work / Green Touch" LINK
Via: Alcatel-Lucent LINK
Want to get an idea of your carbon footprint? Know what a "carbon footprint" is?
" … measure of the impact our activities have on the environment, and in particular climate change. … amount of greenhouse gases produced in our day-to-day lives through burning fossil fuels …"
"… units of tonnes (or kg) of carbon dioxide equivalent."
" … primary footprint is a measure of our direct emissions .. including domestic energy consumption and transportation … secondary footprint is … indirect CO2 emissions from the whole lifecycle of products we use – those associated with their manufacture and eventual breakdown. …"
Check out the link below for a great personal carbon footprint calculator. There is also a calculator for business.
Knowing what makes up your carbon footprint gives you options to reduce its size.
Via: carbonfootprint LINK
Idea
lly you should use a reusable cup rather than a disposable cup. I try to …. how about you?
Some coffee places even reward you for using your own cup. Starbucks gives a 10 cent / cup discount when you bring your own cup.
But sometimes you just need to use a disposable cup … but rather than toss it when the coffee is done — can you find another use for it?
"58 billion paper coffee cups are thrown in the trash each year. … teamed up with the betacup to bring you the Coffee Cup Challenge! … Enter your awesome idea for a paper cup reuse and win a solar-powered Voltaic backpack!"
For the rules see the link at the bottom of this post …
Via: Instructables LINK
Everyone has seen trucks idling when they seem to be "just waiting" at a truck or rest stop. Many drivers keep the engine running to allow for heating / cooling and even to run appliances in their sleeper cab.
While diesels are efficient they are polluting … and use fuel at the rate of a gallon / hour at idle.
TSE – Truck Stop Electrification "… helps drivers, their trucks and our planet rest a bit easier. Supported by Carbonfund.org … reduces tailpipe emissions … system consists of an in-cab service module … that heats, cools, and powers the interior of the truck … without forcing the engine to burn diesel while saving about a gallon of diesel per hour. … over one hundred locations throughout the United States."
Via: CarbonFund.org Blog LINK
A recent report from the Washington Times shows that a significant amount of printing by US Govt employees is never needed … it is thrown out or recycled. Wow – 1/3 of all printed paper is wasted !!
" …. Washington Times reports that a full third of the printing performed by U.S. government employees is instantly tossed out or recycled."
"… high time government … takes the lead from businesses that have their printing costs under control. … Duplex printing is only part of the story. … "
"… asking these kinds of questions before they click ‘Print’: … Is it vital that I have a hard copy of this right now? … Have I run the electronic file by my colleagues first? … Does the item I am about to print have to be “perfect”?"
How about you? Do you really need to print everything you do print? Can you print 2 – sided ?
Via: ZDNet.com LINK
China is looking to use off shore wind farms to help power the country … with a significant part of the population on the eastern shore this may prove to better than bringing coal generated power in from the west of China.
China will " … bring online … its first offshore wind farm, a 102-megawatt array located in the Yangtze River delta …"
"… latest in a series of moves … to pad its lead as the world’s largest market for wind power. …"
" … Azure International predicts that China will install 514 megawatts of offshore wind over the next three to four years. By 2010, … expected to invest $100 billion to install up to 30,000 megawatts …"
Via: SmartPlanet LINK
Folks in Sonoma, California are working to design and refine a Passive House … but what exactly is a passive home?
" … a building that has a minimal impact on its surroundings. … as systems unto themselves. … well-insulated — virtually airtight — … most of the “heat” … comes from the humans and appliances and other stuff running in them. Heat exchangers are used to circulate it. … in the United States … focus has been certifying according the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED framework …."
Via: SmartPlanet LINK
Do you hate to waste energy at home? How about when you travel? Some travelers are a little less energy efficient on the road then at home. Some hotels are helping to change that …
I remember when I was in Singapore in 1990 and the hotel had a neat way to save energy. If you wanted the lights and A/C to work in the room you had to put the key chain (actually a block of plastic with metal at the bottom) in a slot by the door. This completed a circuit that "turned the power on" in the room. And when you left … you took the key and off went the power.
Starwood Hotels Element brand has some interesting ideas to make your hotel room a little greener …
" … testing … energy management system … that curbs heating and air conditioning usage – the guestroom’s biggest energy hogs, … is invisible to the average customer and doesn’t require guests to alter their behavior … "
" … motion- and heat-sensitive sensors … detect when people leave their rooms or fall asleep inside, he said. … automatically trims heating or air conditioning … cuts energy use without radically altering the temperature …"
" … cut heating and air conditioning use by 47%, … equivalent of about 50,000 pounds of CO2 emissions or about 2,500 gallons of gas … "
Via: USA Today LINK
Bio fuel is being looked at for cars and commercial jets … now the USAF is looking to see if J8 jet fuel can be supplemented or even replaced by bio-jet fuel.
"… Air Force consumes 2.4 billion gallons of jet fuel each year … 40th Flight Test Squadron is on a mission to change that. … climbing into the cockpits of jets filled, in part, with alternative fuels."
" … A-10C Thunderbolt II took off from Eglin Air Force Base in Florida powered by Hydrotreated Renewable Jet (HRJ) and JP-8 (Jet Propellant 8, the military standard and kerosene-based). … mission is being considered a success: a fighter jet can fly on a synthetic fuel blend."
Via: SmartPlanet LINK
Canva
s Dreams is a green sustainable web host service based in Oregon. They are green from their source of power to their business practices.
"… is a sustainable Web host based in Portland, Oregon. … firstt Web hosting company in the Pacific Northwest to use 100% clean wind energy, generated locally by Portland General Electric … commitment to sustainable practices … a sustainability program, including a reduction in waste and energy usage, responsible electronics and plastic
recycling, telecommuting and carpooling, …"
Via: Canvas Dreams Sustainable Web Hosting LINK
While at the National Geographic Museum in DC I noticed that their entrance doors are made by Besam and were marked as "low energy power operated door".
Many businesses are reluctant to not have the door always open to make the store more inviting and easier for customers to come in – this wastes tremendous amounts of energy and money in heating and cooling costs. 
" … Besam strives to manufacture … automatic entrances in a manner that limits their impact on the environment, … "
" …study conducted …. energy use and customer counts were monitored before and after the installation of Besam Holland’s “Green Door” …"
" … cost of heating the shop was reduced by 43%. … there was virtually no decrease in the number of customers entering the store after the installation of the automatic sliding door."
Automated doors have been shown to both save energy and keep store traffic at high levels.
Via: Besam.com LINK
Just a reminder that EARTH HOUR is today at 8:30 pm local time.
Turn off your lights for an hour, think about the earth and how you can help make the world more sustainable. Take a look outside and see if your neighbors / town have embraced Earth Hour and turned off their lights.
For more on Earth Hour LINK
Via: Green Dude @ Greentechnolog.com LINK
Ghost power users are devised that are "turned" off but still draw power. Included in this category are batter charges used for cell phones and the like.
Most people leave these charges plugged in all the time and they are "burning power" all the time. Feel the charger and it is usually warm …. wasting electricity.
"AT&T estimates their customers consume enough energy by leaving idle phone chargers in the walls to power 24,000 homes for a year. … their new ZERO charger …. Available at the end of May … will sense when it is not connected to a cellular phone and will block the power supply from the socket."
Via: SmartPlanet LINK
Whether you are a landlord, run a bar or hotel there are things YOU can do to celebrate Earth Hour.
"Earth Hour 2010 is a global call to stand up, to show leadership and be responsible for our future. …"
Show you support for Earth Hour by … "Turning off your lights at 8.30PM on March 27 … Adding Earth Hour widgets, logos and banners to your blog or website …Get together with your friends and family, by hosting an Earth Hour party or holding your own candlelit affair …Encourage your employer and workmates to take part in Earth Hour and make energy savings every day … "
For the full list LINK
Via: Earth Hour LINK
To create the next generation of water heaters, GE rethought every aspect of this appliance from the ground up. The result is an innovative new product that can reduce water heater operating cost up to 62% and save $320 per year.* That adds up to significant savings, and you won’t have to give up a single drop of hot water.
Via: GE LINK
Syracuse University’s new green data center follows LEED guidelines and is both green and energy efficient.
" … constructed in accordance with LEED … more than 99 percent of all construction waste … has been recycled. … over 1,200 tons … of waste that did not go to a standard landfill."
" … anticipated to use about 50 percent less energy than a typical data center in operation today … "
"IBM intends to showcase the data center and its energy-efficient technologies to help clients design new data centers or improve their current operations…."
"… features an on-site electrical tri-generation system that uses natural gas-fueled microturbines to generate all the electricity … will be able to operate completely off-grid."
Via: Syracuse University LINK
In an earlier post I wrote about Enviance software for measuring carbon footprints … LINK Read how LAX is using this software today …
" … Los Angeles World Airports group … operates three airports in southern California … has “the same complex emissions requirements and reporting challenges as a medium-sized city.” …
" … the airport network has been working with Enviance for some time … new FastTrack service will allow the airport network, which also includes the Van Nuys and LA/Ontario facilities, to begin fulfilling its reporting goals more quickly …"
Via: ZDNet LINK
Earth Hour 2010 is just a few days away.
Earth Hour is a symbolic way of supporting global action for the environment. For the lst few years folks all around the globe haves turned off their lights for one hour as a very visible show of support.
"Earth Hour 2010 will continue to be a global call to action to every individual, every business and every community. A call to stand up, to show leadership and be responsible for our future."
"Pledge your support here and turn off your lights for one hour, Earth Hour, 8.30pm, Saturday 27th March 2010."
Via: Earth Hour LINK
Which is less carbon intensive: electic heat or wood stovfe heat?
The Sierra Club’s "Hey Mr. Green" tells us …it depends on the quality / newness of your wood stove and where the pollution ends up — at a power plant or in your neighborhood. No easy answers but some good info.
" … carbon footprint depends on the source of your electric power and the quality of your wood burner. … power … generated from coal or other fossil fuels … footprint might be bigger than if you’re burning wood in a new, efficient, EPA-approved firebox or stove. …"
" … wood burner … releases a lot more other pollutants into the air … releases them right where you and your neighbors breathe … wood … emits 250 times as much global-warming methane as burning coal in a power plant."
Via: Sierra Club LINK
India has lots of gas and diesel powered rickshaws … these emit significant quantities of pollution … there is work to outfit rickshaws with batteries and an electric motor. These cost close to 3 x the cost of a traditional rickshaw but the government may offer loans to help offset the cost differential.
" … Soleckshaw … can either be pedaled or run off of a 36-volt battery that is charged every 45 miles from a solar charging station … prototype … seats three and has electric lights, an FM radio, four mobile phone chargers, and can travel at 12 and a half miles per hour. …"
Via: cleanechnica LINK