Archive for the ‘Technology’ Category
May
8
Green TechnologyThroughout the years eco friendly products have progressively increased in quality and in quantity. Now there are green products for every part of your life. The most innovative items include eco friendly computers and cell phones. Apple’s MacBook Pro is the most environmentally safe notebook. It has high efficiency power supply and hardware, it is made from recyclable materials, and also packaged into smaller boxes which limits the amount of trees being cut down as well as limiting CO2 omissions. Apple is not the only company that is taking initiative in making their products safer for the environment, Dell recently came out with a bamboo computer. This computer has a bamboo casing, uses less energy and is much smaller than their standard computers. Phones have also come a long way from the over sized old school cell phones. Companies such as Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and LG have all developed phones that reduce the negative impact on the environment. The two main factors that allow companies to call their phones eco-friendly is that they are made partially from recycled materials and use less power. Samsung Blue Earth phone even uses solar panels to help charge the battery while the Samsung Evergreen also comes is packaging that is not only recycled but also is printed with soy ink. Green technology is continuing to improve everyday.
But technology is not the only category of products that are becoming more environmentally friendly. Everything from household items to cars and entire buildings are starting to be built in a more “green” way. Green cars have become popular and affordable not only to wealthy celebrities but also to middle class families. Producers of green cars use innovative technology to develop cars that reduce or even eliminate carbon emissions and therefore curb the amount of pollution being released into the air. Green technology also refers to products that we use in our home and garden everyday. For example products such as solar lamps, eco friendly cleaning products or clothes made from organic fabric. Making everyday products more environmentally safe is a technology within itself. Just a few years ago it very difficult, if not impossible,to find items made from recycled materials or devices that use less energy, however now they can be found in every store. It is a technology in the respect that it is inventing new, more efficient ways to use an already existing product. We are well on our way to creating a world where organic and eco friendly products are going to go from being an option to being a standard. This article appeared today in The Telegraph about a Croatian coffee shop that has replaced daily newspapers with iPads for its customers to read news on instead. This isn’t the first time iPads have been used to replace paper in eateries–there have already been reports of restaurants using iPads for wine lists and menus. From a recent article on Geek Sugar: “One steakhouse in Chicago has reported a more than 20 percent increase in wine purchases per customer after they switched their wine lists to the tablets.” Even fast service chain restaurants like Au Bon Pain are using them. What do you think of this trend? Eco-friendly or over the top? Would you prefer to read news or order food from an iPad or would you stick with your traditional newspaper and menu?
Dec
20
The Green Cloud?We’ve all heard about the cloud by now, and many of us probably use cloud computing on a daily basis. It’s convenient, accessible, and helps us stay organized…but will cloud computing significantly help companies (and individuals) decrease our carbon footprints?
A recent report from Pike Research claims that cloud computing will drastically reduce energy use. The report states that “38% reduction in worldwide data center energy expenditures by 2020″ is possible by adopting cloud technology. However, this article at Reuters argues that the adoption of cloud computing can actually generate more energy consumption. Here’s a snippet: “Simply put, data traveling to and from the cloud to the user’s device (often times a computer) still requires energy. Most researchers overlook this fact in lieu of focusing solely on the energy consumed within the data center. While the energy required to transport data from the cloud to each device is nominal on an individual level, across thousands and millions of devices it can add up; in certain cases, transporting the data actually overtakes any efficiencies gained by putting applications in the cloud.” What do you think? What kind of online computing tools do you use? Have you noticed that you use less paper and/or energy since you started using them? Does the thought of giant garbage clumps in our oceans stress you out? “Garbage gyres” are made up of discarded plastics that are carried by currents and accumulate into huge patches (the one in the Pacific Ocean is estimated to be larger than the state of Texas–you can read more about gyres here.) A Swedish company called Electrolux has found a way to put these masses of plastic bits to use. Electrolux is producing vacuum cleaners made with plastic pieces collected from garbage gyres around the world. In fact, they produce five models, which each are made with plastic materials found in the garbage gyres of a different ocean. From an article on the Record Searchlight’s website: “The North Sea vacuum’s plastic — collected off the Swedish west coast — is a mixture of red, yellow, blue and white. The Indian Ocean model is made exclusively from the clear plastic water bottles that washed up on Thailand’s coast, not surprising, says Nord, given the region’s hot climate and large tourist industry. The Mediterranean Sea model resembles crumpled pieces of world globes, while the Pacific Ocean’s model is a more muted mixture with smaller plastic chunks. The Baltic Sea edition contains larger round pieces. Their collection was unique, said Nord. Electrolux invited island vacationers in that region to gather plastic for the collection.”
The vacuum cleaners aren’t going to be sold, but are instead meant to get attention for a very real and very large problem: we’re consuming and discarding plastics at an alarming rate, and need to start finding innovative ways of both decreasing our waste and putting it to use. What other ways have you seen garbage repurposed into something useful?
Every college student knows the feeling of dread when that time of year rolls around again: time to buy another semester’s worth of textbooks. Buying textbooks new often costs hundreds of dollars, hours of your time waiting in lines at crowded bookstores, and frantic nights of catch-up reading because the books that you ordered online arrived late. In short, it’s a nuisance, but there isn’t really a way to get around buying textbooks for class–those 200 page readings are just a part of the college experience. In an attempt to cut down on waste, energy, and publishing costs, Arizona State University is partnering with HP to run an on-demand textbook printing technology, along with only two other schools in the country (The University of Kansas and Portland State University). According to an article from ASU’s website: “HP has developed new technology that can print a perfect-bound book, with a laminated color cover, within minutes, and is rolling out the concept in a pilot program with three universities.” “What we’re excited about is that we’re literally never out of a book if we have the digital file,” Mekelburg noted. And, he added, the “print a textbook on demand” process is very ecologically sound. “The books aren’t printed on the East Coast, stored by the publisher and shipped here.” In the article, Thurman Holder (director of new business for HP’s Imaging and Print Group), states that on-demand printing can reduce the publishing industry’s footprint by an estimated 25%. The cuttings from the printing process are even collected and reused to make note cards. What do you think of this technology? We already knew that green buildings use up less energy and resources and have a decreased carbon footprint, but now it seems that they have a positive effect on those who live and work in them, too. A recent article from the LA Times reports on a study done at MSU that employees were more productive, happier, and healthier when they worked in green buildings versus regular ones: “Researchers from Michigan State University did two case studies evaluating the physical and mental health status of people who moved from traditional to green office buildings. One scenario involved 56 people and the other 207, and employees were asked through surveys about absenteeism from work in both types of buildings for asthma, allergies, depression and stress-related conditions. They were also asked about productivity in the two settings. …Being absent from work for asthma, allergies, depression and stress decreased following the move into the green buildings; for example, hours absent from work due to asthma and allergies was on average 1.12 per month in conventional buildings and 0.49 in green buildings. The average number of work hours affected by illness per month also declined after the move. Productivity improved.”
Have you ever worked in a green building? What was your experience? This month, the Producers Guild of America released the Green Production Guide, a website and resource to help make film production a little more sustainable. The guide includes tips for recycling props and other materials used on-site, an extensive list of vendors and companies offering green products and services, a carbon calculator, and many more resources for tracking and improving the use of energy and materials in producing films, TV shows, and new media projects.
From the website: “With seed funding and support provided by Disney, Fox, NBC Universal, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Warner Bros., the PGA, as part of its PGA Green Initiative, has developed this tool for the production and entertainment community to further its goal of integrating sustainable practices into its operations and reducing the environmental footprint within the production process.” Fun fact: past carbon-neutral productions include “Syriana”, “An Inconvenient Truth”, “The Day After Tomorrow” and “Sweet Land”. To be considered a carbon-neutral production, producers must calculate their total carbon footprint (all energy expended–transportation of actors and crew, electricity used on set, materials/labor to make props and costuming, etc.) and then offset that total footprint by doing things like planting trees and investing in clean energy.
Aug
14
Baumraum TreehousesHave you seen the amazing (and green!) treehouses made by the German company Baumraum? If you ever built or fantasized about the perfect treehouse as a kid, take a look at these. They are installed with great care taken not to harm the trees they’re built on and around, and Baumraum has a wide selection of sustainable materials clients can choose from for the making of their treehouse.
From the website: “Baumraum is specialised in the planning and realisation of treehouses and other constructions in natural surroundings. We transform your individual ideas and wishes into ingenious and inspiring dwellings that combine versatility with craftsmanship of the highest quality and maximum safety standards. A major objective thereby is to handle the trees and their surroundings with the utmost care, ensuring their protection and preservation.”
Ever wonder how, exactly, solar energy works? Watch the video for a short but sweet explanation of how the sun’s light is transformed into electricity.
Jul
28
Greening Your Home OfficeIf you get a lot of use out of your home office, chances are it uses up a lot of energy. Here are a few tips and tricks to make your home office more sustainable and eco-friendly.
Use Dropbox to share files and projects. Download the application for free onto your computer and/or smart phone and access your documents and their most recent changes. This is a great way to eliminate unnecessary paper waste! Trade in your planner for a computer or phone organizer. Some great alternatives to paper planners: Google calendar, iCal, Outlook, the Organizer iPhone app, Action Complete for Android. Utilize natural sunlight as much as possible. When you need to turn on a light, screw in an LED lightbulb, which last longer and are much more energy efficient than regular light bulbs. Definitely worth the investment!
If you depend on sticky notes, try the recycled kind. Use biodegradable pens to write on them! Recycle your printer cartridges. Many cartridges come with instructions for recycling on the box. For more information about recycling office supplies, visit Laser-Tone.com. Instead of buying new office furniture, check out used options at cubicledepot.com.
Reduce your energy and your carbon footprint by cutting down on the electricity you use. Keep appliances and electronics that you don’t use often unplugged and only plug them in when you need to use them. When you turn things off, make sure they’re really “off” and not on “standby”–this setting still sucks up energy. Plug your computer and other often-used electronics into a Smart Strip, which monitors energy consumption and cuts off the power supply when your electronics aren’t in use. It’s simple, but effective: keep a receptacle for recyclables in your office. Use Skype or another video-calling service to conduct meetings instead of burning gas to drive to them. Last but not least, eco-friendly and sustainable furniture and accents will complete your space. Don’t forget! There are only a few more days to use the Verde Lifestyles summer coupon code! Use summer2k10 to get 15% off of orders of $100 or more until August 1! |
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