Harvard university has started looking into the carbon cost of the Internet and the IT industry.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article5489134.ece
Still in debate but Harvard claims one google search = 17grams of CO2
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Track your energy usage online
Today I would like to share a great website that allows you to understand your engergy usage.
http://www.wattzon.com/
"WattzOn is a free online tool to quantify, track, compare and understand the total amount of energy needed to support all of the facets of your lifestyle with the goal of helping you find ways to reduce your personal power consumption."
Simply make an account and then answer some questions about your lifestyle and wattz creates a profile for you.
It starts by looking at the catagories of:
Goverment (your states average usage to run and Mass is in the higher range of the states)
Flying habits
commuting
housing
food
Stuff you use
My quick profile says:
Post your badge in the comments and lets see how you do.
My badge stats:
I am a little over half the average usage of an american
I use as much power as the average american in 1965
my total power consumption is equal to running 457 CFL bulbs 24/7 for a year
A 20% efficent solar panel 197.9 Meters squared would be able to power me
If all my energy was converted to oil I burn 4 gallons a day (I live 4 miles from work and carpool so that helps)
your personal power consumption produces enough CO2 to fill 1,256 one-foot ballons per day.
This is a very cool site to see your impact and learn how to cut it down.
http://www.wattzon.com/
"WattzOn is a free online tool to quantify, track, compare and understand the total amount of energy needed to support all of the facets of your lifestyle with the goal of helping you find ways to reduce your personal power consumption."
Simply make an account and then answer some questions about your lifestyle and wattz creates a profile for you.
It starts by looking at the catagories of:
Goverment (your states average usage to run and Mass is in the higher range of the states)
Flying habits
commuting
housing
food
Stuff you use
My quick profile says:
Post your badge in the comments and lets see how you do.
My badge stats:
I am a little over half the average usage of an american
I use as much power as the average american in 1965
my total power consumption is equal to running 457 CFL bulbs 24/7 for a year
A 20% efficent solar panel 197.9 Meters squared would be able to power me
If all my energy was converted to oil I burn 4 gallons a day (I live 4 miles from work and carpool so that helps)
your personal power consumption produces enough CO2 to fill 1,256 one-foot ballons per day.
This is a very cool site to see your impact and learn how to cut it down.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Bee state news on Organic farming no so Organic
Interesting article from California this morning. Turns out most commercial Organic farms from this state have been unknowing using synthetic fertilizers
" California Liquid Fertilizer sold what seemed to be an organic farmer's dream, brewed from fish and chicken feathers."
"But a state investigation caught the Salinas-area company spiking its product with ammonium sulfate, a synthetic "
Ammonium sulfate is a natural product and can be found in nature, but not it the amounts needed to maintian a fertilizer buisness. Under federal standards, the nitrogen in a fertilizer for organic farming must come from a natural source. But standard laboratory analyses used by organic regulators tell only how much nitrogen is in a fertilizer, not where it came from. Isotope testing was done to determine the source.
So when buying organic buy from a local source that you trust.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
First tip of the year
Heating and cooling are some of the most energy intensive applications in a home and also the most costly in terms of electricity, gas, oil or even wood.Ceiling fans - summer and winterWhile you may be familiar with using a ceiling fan during summer, have you considered using it in winter also?
Heat rises and most of the heat you want is close to the ceiling during winter. A ceiling fan on a low speed can help push that heat down to where you are. Additionally, it can help reduce the instance of condensation on your windows. During winter the fan will need to run clockwise, which is the opposite of the direction you want it running in summer. The reason for this is that as cold air is denser, running the ceiling fan clockwise draws that cold air up, pushing the warm air close to the ceiling aside, which then travels down the walls to the lower level of the room. So when shopping for a ceiling fan, ensure it has a clockwise/anti-clockwise feature so you'll be able to use it all year round.Using as little as a hundred watts, an ultra-efficient ceiling fan can shave up to 10% off your heating costs.
Heat rises and most of the heat you want is close to the ceiling during winter. A ceiling fan on a low speed can help push that heat down to where you are. Additionally, it can help reduce the instance of condensation on your windows. During winter the fan will need to run clockwise, which is the opposite of the direction you want it running in summer. The reason for this is that as cold air is denser, running the ceiling fan clockwise draws that cold air up, pushing the warm air close to the ceiling aside, which then travels down the walls to the lower level of the room. So when shopping for a ceiling fan, ensure it has a clockwise/anti-clockwise feature so you'll be able to use it all year round.Using as little as a hundred watts, an ultra-efficient ceiling fan can shave up to 10% off your heating costs.
happy new year
Happy New year Marlborough
Lets all make 2009 a great green year
Coming to the Blog spot this year:
More tips to being green at home and in the office
Tips to help you be green and save you money [green and green :-) ]
Full detailed garden blog
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