Daily Archives: April 24, 2008

Reducing the Amount of Juice Electronic Gadgets Consume

Posted on April 24, 2008 by Laura B.

Read the full post from David Pogue. “Vampire power” has been bugging me ever since I first heard of it. It’s the juice consumed by electronic gadgets even when they’re turned off (also called phantom loads, standby power or leaking … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing/Consumer electronics, Energy | Leave a comment

Riding the power of undersea waves

Posted on April 24, 2008 by Laura B.

Read the full story at News.com. Back and forth, back and forth. That’s the idea behind WaveRoller. The company, based in Espoo, Finland, says it has devised a way to generate electricity from waves without buoys or other floating devices, … Continue reading →

Posted in Renewable Energy | Leave a comment

Are Bill and Ben trashing the planet?

Posted on April 24, 2008 by Laura B.

Read the full story in The Guardian. The horticultural industry has its own overpackaging problem – common or garden plant pots, spewing out of sheds and littering paths until they eventually get chucked into landfill. We get through some 500m … Continue reading →

Posted in Green Lifestyle | Leave a comment

Group touts telecommuting's green benefits

Posted on April 24, 2008 by Laura B.

Read the full story in the San Francisco Chronicle. An estimated 1.35 billion gallons of gasoline could be conserved annually if every U.S. worker with the ability to telecommute did so 1.6 days per week, according to a report released … Continue reading →

Posted in Green Lifestyle, Transportation | Leave a comment

How Biofuels Could Starve the Poor

Posted on April 24, 2008 by Laura B.

Read the full story in Foreign Affairs. Thanks to high oil prices and hefty subsidies, corn-based ethanol is now all the rage in the United States. But it takes so much supply to keep ethanol production going that the price … Continue reading →

Posted in Biofuels | Leave a comment

Efficiency: the Unloved Solution That Works

Posted on April 24, 2008 by Laura B.

Read the full post at U.S. News and World Report. In a way, the TV news producer was looking for the same thing we all are looking for. She was considering having me come on air to talk about our … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Green Lifestyle | Leave a comment

Stop waiting for 'leaders' to act on global warming

Posted on April 24, 2008 by Laura B.

Read the full commentary in the Christian Science Monitor. The success of the environmental movement in calling attention to the dangers of global warming has led to an ironic outcome: It’s become easier for the public to adopt a passive … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Green Lifestyle, Local Initiatives | Leave a comment

Waste Not

Posted on April 24, 2008 by Laura B.

Read the full story in The Atlantic. Forty years ago, the steel mills and factories south of Chicago were known for their sooty smokestacks, plumes of steam, and throngs of workers. Clean-air laws have since gotten rid of the smoke, … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Manufacturing | Leave a comment

Mary Ann Liebert offers free online access of Sustainability: The Journal of Record

Posted on April 24, 2008 by Laura B.

Publisher Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., US, has announced free online access to the new journal, Sustainability: The Journal of Record, in recognition of Earth Day 2008. The premier issue is available free online as well as the table of contents … Continue reading →

Posted in Publications, Scientific Publishing, Sustainability | Leave a comment

EPA Announces New Energy Star Specifications for Boxes that Deliver Television and Video Content

Posted on April 24, 2008 by Laura B.

Read the press release. Today, EPA announced a new specification for boxes that deliver television and video content, also called set-top boxes. Effective Jan. 1, 2009, new cable, satellite, and telecom set-top boxes that carry the Energy Star will be … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing/Consumer electronics, Energy | Leave a comment