The General Electric’s Green Beijing Olympics, 2008
By Nick |August 11, 2008
The General Electric Olympic games, wait, I mean Beijing Olympic games got off to a big bang last Friday with probably the best opening ceremony, ever. With the start of the Olympics, companies from every sector are touting their sponsorship and involvement in this years’ Olympic games. While many companies have big investments in place to get their name in front of a billion Chinese people, no other company is more involved this year than General Electric, and part of their involvement is comes from their green efforts, coined GE Ecomagination, for the Olympics. Here’s a look at GE’s green efforts showcasing in Beijing, and probably the rest of the world’s cities soon to come.
General Electric’s involvement
Well, first off, the massive conglomerate owns Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Structures | 1 Comment »
SunTable launches for $2,200, not good for Beer Pong
By Nick |August 8, 2008
Engadget just reported that the eco friendly not so splendid SunTable is now officially launched, and shipping for $2,200. As its name suggests, the table is made of solar panels which generates electricity to be stored in a 120 volt battery on the table. The table provides 150 watts of power (a few hours of laptop usage) and recharges in four hours of sunlight.
While the table is kind of interesting, it’s pretty pointless for $2,200. It has a nice design, is very sturdy and durable, and could really impress your fellow high rolling friends, but it’s definitely not worth the all eco fuss. It seems to be too short for it’s only practical usage as an outdoor beer pong table, and considering it’s price is equivalent to 146 cases of cheap beer (3500 beers!) it does not seem economical enough to serve its party, beer pong, tippy cup purpose.
Topics: Consumer Products | 1 Comment »
Texas alone to pass Germany in Wind energy: Invests $4.9 Billion for Transmission lines
By Nick |August 6, 2008
“Everything is bigger in Texas” is proven true, again with their growing commitment and investment in wind energy. Texas recently previously announced that they’re investing $4.9 billion for wind transmission lines which will be carrying electricity from the rural western part of the state to the more populous eastern cities like Dallas, San Antonio, Austin and Houston.
This development came along with T Boone Pickens‘ media bombardment and call for state and federal investment in wind, because the lack of transmission lines is one of, if not the largest, problem facing wind energy which generally operates in remote areas off of the grid.
These new transmission lines will be able to handle 18,500 megawatts of power by their completion in 2013, which will bring the state’s total wind energy production to over 20,000 megawatts of electricity - a figure easily allowing them to maintain the #1 wind producing state ranking, and even placing them close to producing more wind than Germany by themselves, according to the New York Times article (via below).
Wind energy, being a location-constrained resource, will need a big boost in public funding to become a major player in the US because much of the windiest spots in the US wind corridor are not on transmission lines or the grid, making this valuable resource worthless and unable to be harnessed by the masses. Essentially, it’s in the hands of lawmakers and the President, so try sending them a letter. And tack on Texas’ future rank as #2 nation in wind energy production to the list of things that make Texans think they’re bigger and better than everyone else.
Story via New York Times, National Academies
Topics: Energy, Government | No Comments »
Top 3 Eco Friendly Green Dekstop Computers
By Nick |August 5, 2008
Continuing the Green computing series, here are Ecofuss’ top 10 eco friendly, green, environment loving computers. By using the techniques presented in How to find a green computer, here are the top desktop computers that are available to environmentally conscious consumers.
Green Desktops
The key to buying an eco friendly desktop, generally, is its size. Small form desktop computers, which are often created for business environments, have enough memory and capacity to handle the average consumers demands. Their smaller size reduces waste and is much more energy efficient.
 |
Lenovo ThinkCentre M57p eco - This “eco” business desktop comes in at $1300 and is a solid choice with Lenovo’s credible brand. It’s a solid business desktop that should not disappoint. |
 |
Apple Mac Mini - At a cute, and tiny form, the Apple Mac Mini is very energy efficient and starts at $600. Pair it up with a sexy Energy Star certified display and you’ll have the most stylish eco friendly desktop available. |
 |
Dell Studio Hybrid - Wait, did I already crown Apple as having the most stylish eco friendly desktop? Check that, with Dell’s new offering which starts at $500. This ultra compact system is Dell’s most energy efficient desktop ever coming even in a bamboo case - and wtouted to use 70% less energy than other desktops. It’s hot, functional, and eco friendly which goes along with Dell’s plan to cut energy consumption in desktops by 25%. |
There are a wide variety of other small, compact computers offered from every major computer brand as well which are the next best options after these highlighted options.
Topics: Consumer Products | 1 Comment »
How to Find a Green, Eco Friendly Computer
By Nick |August 4, 2008
The first post in a short Green computing series on how to be an eco friendly, green computer user no matter who you are:
Computer manufactureres have come along way with computers, mostly by boosting performance with more CPU, memory, faster chips, and bigger brighter screens. This resulted in a lot more energy consumption with each successive generation of computers. Now, though, manufacturers and the public is taking green computing more seriously, and their are a variety of ways to search for eco friendly computers to make sure you’re being environmentally friendly with your purchase.
The Energy Star Rating
All computers, notebooks, monitors, consoles, and workstations are able to earn the legendary Energy Star rating. So when shopping, it should be denoted whether the product is energy efficient if it has an Energy Star rating. If you’re not sure, you can also search for products at the Energy Star website to check their rating.
Climate Savers Smart Computing Catalog
Climate Savers is a organization Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Consumer Products, Tips | 2 Comments »
« Previous Entries Next Entries »
