Tag Archives: energy

How Ike Saved Cents

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Out of sight, out of mind

In the height of hurricane season, it seems proper to feel a bit humbled by natural forces.  Forces that in spite of our best technologies we are unable to control or even marginally predict.  While the damage in comparison to Katrina was minimal, the storm still traveled across ten states and killed over 150 people in the United States and in the Caribbean.

This is all very unfortunate, but was it all bad?  Students of all ages were freed from the bounds of school  to marvel at amazing weather patterns and to *gasp* play without videogames, movies, and IPods.  Maybe they played in puddles or in the breeze. Later, perhaps due to the dark and exhaustion of real outdoor play, they actually went to bed on time!  My brother-in-law at Texas A&M  and my brother at Westlake High School both experienced cancellations.  At Westlake High School, students were released to make room for evacuees from Galveston and Houston who stayed for days in their gymnasiums and auditoriums. What better way to appreciate one’s own home and family then through community service? On a more personal level, I got three days off of work. I got to have purely candle-lit dinners with my husband, and I opened my windows!

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Earth [h]our

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Shadow of moon upon earth during eclipse

  • Shadow of moon upon earth during eclipse

    • Voluntarily plunging into an hour of darkness….no, this isn’t a thrill-seekers adrenaline boost. It is Andy Ridley’s idea for raising awareness about global warming.

    Some 2.2 million people participated in last year’s ‘Earth Hour’ in Sydney, cutting the central business district’s energy usage by more than 10 percent.

    It is hoped that the movement would expand in 2009, which would be a particularly significant year since it is the deadline for United Nations talks to determine action going forward on the topic of climate change, as set after the Kyoto Protocol.
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    Daylight (Energy) Savings

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    Still trying into the hour spring forward? So are environmental researchers! Traditionally, daylight saving has been seen as a positive switch for the environment because of the decreased need for artificial lighting, which, with small appliances, accounts for 25% of United States’. In fact, the installation of daylight savings has always been for energy saving reasons (although not always environmental). According to the California Energy Commission, 1% of California is saved by each day daylight savings. New research that took place in Indiana indicates, however, that energy use increases just after daylight savings. Lara Grant and Matthew Kotchen, researchers at the University of California in Santa Barbara, conclude that electricity consumption increase 1 to 4 percent as a result of Daylight Savings Time.

    According to the dates of DST practice prior to 2007, we estimate a cost to Indiana households of $8.6 million per year in increased electricity bills. Estimates of the social costs due to increased pollution emissions range from $1.6 to $5.3 million per year. (Does Daylight Savings Time Save Energy?)

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    Google going green(-ish)

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    Is it noblesse oblige or something more that is driving Google to a leading role toward a greener tomorrow? I’d love to see Google’s name on this list – there’s some impressive names already there. Like Shaklee, climate neutral since 2000.

    Joshua S Hill brought to my attention today at Green Options that the world need not wait for government to do the work of the hungry consumer. To me, this means entrepreneurs and corporates alike will no longer have to make do with the energy sources that brought us the horseless carriage and the steam engine. Using oil and coal to run today’s technology is what’s called transitional technology. It’s time for a new normal and I’m buyin’.