Easy Eco Blog » Conservation

How to have a Green Valentine’s Day – What is Eco Friendly Green Sex?

easy eco blog — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:00:43 +0000

Having an Eco Friendly Green Valentine’s Day or any holiday, is more and more desirable these days. How can you green your Valentine’s Day?

Instead of a Valentine’s Day card, send a virtual Valentine’s Day card
If you must send flowers, try to purchase flowers that were grown locally to your area or ones that are fair trade certified
Why spend a large amount of money and resources eating out, when a romantic dinner is even better?
Buy your meats and vegetables for your big meal from a local farmers market or from local sources
Buy any new garments from a high-quality used clothing store
Utilize reusable bags to hold gifts
Compost any meals leftovers, etc.
Give out green oriented treats like handwritten poems, homemade scents, and handmade arts and crafts.
Observe eco-friendly romantic relations

With a little preparation we all can make a difference, even on Valentine’s Day.

Eco Friendly Green Sex

We couldn’t believe that eco-friendliness has extended itself to another realm, sex. Eco Friendly Green Sex is described in the new book Eco-Sex: Go Green Between the Sheets and Make Your Love Life Sustainable.

The book covers eco-friendly alternatives to a wide variety of merchandise from bed sheets to mood lighting to fair-trade condoms to green dating sites to hair and makeup to lubricants to toys and romance. It also covers the resource usage results if you have children.

Full Spectrum CFLs to beat Winter Blues

easy eco blog — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:00:27 +0000

Full Spectrum compact fluorescent light bulbs are now available. These light bulbs produce a white light that produces a light spectrum similar to that of the Sun’s light. This type of light source has been use used to treat Sleep Phase Disorders, Seasonal affective disease or winter blues, and other conditions.

Look for bulbs with full spectrum on CFL bulb labels. They mimic daylight so they have a temperature rating of 5000K – 6500K. Home Depot’s are called “Daylight Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs”. They do not cost much more.

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

This malady is finally getting more press. It is characterized by episodes of depression that usually occur during a certain time of the year, usually during winter. If your location has long winter nights, with little sunlight, you might be affected. A recent article has additional tips on beating this syndrome. Light therapy, Dawn simulation, Negative Air Ions, Antidepressants, Behavioral Therapy, Vitamin D, Diet, and and Outdoor Exercise are therapies to help ease the Winter Blues.

Philips even has a new Wake-up Light with Dock for iPod

“Gradually wakes you up by light for a more pleasant feeling” – Anything that makes waking up easier sounds good to us and a lot of others!

Wind and Solar Mobile Charger for Cell Phones, Gadgets, Yogen Universal Mobile-device Charger, Green Self-Powered Speaker

easy eco blog — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:00:40 +0000

The nPower PEG personal energy generator is placed in your backpack or purse or belt strap and generates energy as you walk, hike, or bike. The energy is stored in a battery and allows you to charge up your cell phone or mp3 player, etc. Exercise to lose weight and generate energy too! One drawback is that it costs $159.99.

K3 Wind and Solar Mobile Charger generated clean energy and saves it to its internal battery. It charges mobile phones, iPods/Mp3 players, PDA’s, GPS and Digital Cameras and a fully charged K3 will charge a Blackberry or iPhone 5 times. At $89, it is an expensive way to go green.

One of the most interesting dad-endorsed gadgets is the Solar Powered Battery Backup by Scosche Solar Products. The device (no bigger than a cell phone) is equipped with a 1500ma lithium-ion battery that stores power for when you need it and recharges from the sun (or the USB cable included). Perfect for charging iPods, iPhones, Blackberry, and cellphones, use your existing USB cable to charge your devices. For less than $20, the battery backup also comes with a windshield cradle and universal carabiner mount.

Self Powered, Foldable, Green Powered Speaker

Origaudio makes a unique green self powered speaker that is foldable. No need for any batteries, ac adapters, etc! It is also made out of Recycled Materials, comes in a variety of designs, and costs less than $19.99.

Samsung Blue Earth Eco Friendly Cell Phone

Samsung launched a new eco friendly Blue Earth cellphone that is made from old water bottles and has a solar panel for charging it. It uses very little power and they use soy-ink on the packaging. Samsung Blue Earth is launching in Sweden in October and will soon launch in France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Portugal and other European and Asian countries.

What makes a Green Computer or Electronics Product?

easy eco blog — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:00:43 +0000

You are interested in a new computer or new TV or new electronics gadget. Your old electronics have been recycled. You want to be green, to minimize the impact on our planet, and are recycling your old product. Very few people know how to judge the eco-friendliness of electronics. Hundreds of new products have hit the market with reduced power needs. Here are some criteria to judge new electronics on greenness:

Buy from a Green Company

Greenpeace has a ranking guide to the top 18 manufacturers. You can see which manufacturers are more serious about the environment. Select ones that are higher up the list. Nokia and Sony Ericsson rank well.

Computers and electronics

Energy Star rated products have their logo on them and use less energy. If all computer sold in the US had the Energy Star label we could save $2 billion on energy costs. They have certified everything from TVs, monitors, printers, computers to cordless phones. Desktop/integrated desktop and notebook computers, products must meet stringent TEC requirements for estimated annual energy consumption, power supply efficiency, and phantom power or vampire power. Lawrence Berkley National Labs estimates that 10% of residential power use is wasted toward this as most homes have 40 products constantly drawing phantom power. Keep in mind that their testing has been called out of date, so you still need to follow techniques to save power.

RoHS logo is the European Directive on the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances
in Electrical and Electronic Equipment, also known as the RoHS Directive. Examples of
materials restricted by RoHS include lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, and
the brominated flame retardants (BFRs) PBB and PBDE. Look for products with this marking.

DigitalTips has an Energy Calculator to show how much powering your electronics costs as well as how to find green electronics.

Computers – desktops, notebooks, and monitors

EPEAT is a certification that helps purchasers evaluate, compare and select electronic products based on their environmental attributes. It is based on the IEEE 1680 standard. Any computer that has an EPEAT rating is good. Ones with EPEAT Gold ratings are even better.

Televisions

Cnet has good reviews of flatscreen TVs that include power consumption. Newer LCD TVs will meet California’s low power guidelines. Newer sets draw less power when idle and when operating. Some Flat Panel TVs have room sensors to turn off when you are not in the room. Optimize your TV with our LCD Flat Panel Power Saving Tips.

TVs made after May 2011 are required to have a EnergyGuide label that shows an estimated annual energy cost as well as cost for similar size TVs.

Cable set top boxes consume a lot of energy. Check with your local cable company to see if they have new energy efficient models that meet the Energy Star 3.0 standard, effective Sept. 1, 2011. A single whole house DVR may remove the need to have DVRs on every TVs

General Guidelines

Economically upgrade your current machine within reason to extend its life first. Windows XP software tips to speed up and secure your computer.

The product should be made with as many recycled materials as possible. No toxic materials like mercury, brominate, PVC, or arsenic should be use. The product should be easily recycled when the its life has expired.

Electronics should draw as little power as possible especially when in standby mode. Do not assume that your product is completely optimized to save energy. Follow our techniques to save power using special power strips and power measuring tools to ensure phantom or vampire power is not being drawn.

Packaging

Look for minimal amount of packaging. The packaging should be made from recycled materials and should be recyclable with itself. Manuals should be the same.

Examples of Green Electronics

Sony VAIO notebook computer

D-Link wireless router

Amazon Green Electronics Section

Energy-Efficient TVs

Garmin Nuvi with eco-route fuel savings

Energy Efficient Notebook Power Adapter

Antec makes the new SNP90 Energy Efficient, slim, lightweight Notebook Power Adapter that supports a wide variety of notebooks including models from Dell, Toshiba, Acer, HP, Sony and more. It includes 7 detachable connectors for compatibility with nearly every laptop on the market. This power adapter has a minimum high-efficiency rating of 87% at full load, saving you money and energy. It is also energy Star certified.

Targus Spruce EcoSmart Backpack made from recycled bottles

It is great that recycled materials are getting more mainstream. The new Targus Spruce EcoSmart Backpack for 15.6-Inch Widescreen Laptops is a new green backpack is made of polyster fabric made from recycled plastic bottles. It also has no PVC and no nickel hardware. They also make a Spruce Toploading case and a Spruce Messenger Bag.

Ecogear also makes backpacks and other bags from recycled plastic bottles.

Be sure to read our article:

Extend Battery Life, Laptop Battery Life, iPhone Battery Life

Losing Weight During the Holidays, Diet vs Exercise and Walkstation – Multitask – Fight Obesity, Exercise while Working

easy eco blog — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:00:39 +0000

The holidays are here! The media has reported that the average person gains 7 to 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Ouch. Big dinners, more alcohol, more snacks, more finger foods, tempting desserts, and appetizers. How can we work to combat those pounds?

Exercise and keep going. Do not abandon your exercise routine during the holidays. Work out longer or just start to exercise. Shoot for 30-45 minutes, three to five times a week. Having someone push you to exercise works.

A recent Time Magazine article raised eyebrows with the proclamation “Why Exercise Won’t Make you Thin”. The article sums it up with: “In short, it’s what you eat, not how hard you try to work it off, that matters more in losing weight. You should exercise to improve your health, but be warned: fiery spurts of vigorous exercise could lead to weight gain”

So we need to focus on eating less and eating right.

1) Fill up your stomach with low calorie healthy foods including fruits and vegetables. Shoot for 7 servings or more a day. Fill up BEFORE you head to a party.

2) Avoid areas with temptations. Do not hang out by the buffet table or dining table.

3) Splurge on that fatty item, but limit it. Be a picky eater, do not waste your calories on items that are not worth it.

4) Drink low calorie drinks that will fill you up. Mineral water anyone?

5) Use a small plate, avoid sauces, load up on low cal salads, and focus on socializing not eating.

6) Visualize the party or holiday dinner ahead of time, and think about how you are going to attack the situation.

7) Learn to override your cravings. A thought is just a thought that doesn’t require a rush to action. Think before you put something in your mouth. Will putting this item in your mouth make you that much happier.

Drinking cold water helps the body burn more calories, so skip all those calorie filled drinks.

Get a dog? Average dog owners exercise up to 6 hours more a week than those who work out at a gym. Beware, some dog owners are obese and typically mirror the appearance of their dogs.

Walkstation – Multitask – Fight Obesity, Exercise while Working

Details from Steelcase just introduce the new $4199 Walkstation.

“The Walkstation is the combination of a fully integrated electric Height-Adjustable Work surface with an exclusively engineered, low speed commercial grade treadmill. At a maximum speed of 2mph the Walkstation lets you walk comfortably, burn calories, feel healthier and more energized…all while accomplishing the work you’d normally do while seated.”

Multitask! Fight obesity, improve your health, and exercise while Working. Or spend more time working and less time outside the office.

Somehow this product reminds us of this:

photo credit: lorda

Green EcoMill Treadmill

Woodway has a new EcoMill green manually powered treadmill that uses zero electricity. It has a battery that recharges as the user exercises. Many treadmills uses almost 1000 watts of power. Wow, that is one major step forward.

These guys even make a Desk Mill Desk Treadmill

Federal Tax Credit for Consumer Energy Efficiency – Fuel Cells Power Generators and Microturbine System

easy eco blog — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:00:41 +0000

Fuel Cell Power Generators are now available for residential, home use. They claim to reduce your utility bills by up to 50%, and to cut CO2 emissions by over 33%. They take natural gas and produce electricity and heat for your home. ClearEdge is one of the providers of MicroCHP (combined heat and power) residential fuel cells.

A Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency – Fuel cells and Microturbine System is also available. This can save homeowners 30% of the cost of the fuel cell unit, up to $500 per .5 kW of power capacity. This will typically yield a $5000 total tax credit. Businesses have a 30%, up to $3000 per kilowatt tax credit, making $15,000 tax credit available.

This Federal Tax Credit for Fuel Cells especially well when coupled with a state rebate program.

On the tax credit, existing homes & new construction qualify. Both principal residences and second homes qualify. Rentals do not qualify.

This Federal Tax Credit on Fuel Cells and Microturbine System reduces the amount of tax you owe. The credit is a reduction of total income tax at the bottom of your tax return. This tax credit is a non-refundable tax credit. Consult your tax adviser for details about Fuel Cell power. Use it or lose it!

How does it work?

Fuel-Cell Power Generators convert natural gas into clean hydrogen through lack catalytic process. Through a electrochemical reaction, the fuel cell creates electricity and heat. This unit helps reduce pollution and greenhouse gases. The power is converted to AC and connected to your home, while the heat is transferred using a hydronic system or a heat exchanger. Extra electricity is generated can be sold back to your utility company. The unit can work day or night, and in most environments.

The unit can generate electricity at 6 cents per kWh, compare that to San Francisco Pacific Gas and Electric rates from $.13-$.32 per kWh. This is based on $1.20 per therm for natural gas.

Ideal customers

To be cost effective, you need to spend approximately $1000 a month on your utility bill or use at least 44,000 kWh a month. You also need to have substantial heating demand for a pool, radiant flooring, etc. Businesses are clearly the biggest beneficiaries of this type of product.

How much can I save?

Most fuel-cell power generators that achieved a 30% electricity only generation capacity, qualify for a variety of rebates. Many utility companies have Self Generation Incentive Programs or SGIP available. These typically pay $2.50 per watt for fuel cells. A typical model would yield a $12,500 check from this program. Check with your local utility company.

These units are expensive at $50,000 for a 5 kW fuel-cell, costing roughly the same as they solar electric system of the same size. No doubt that they compare themselves the solar as pricing after rebates is pretty close.

Residential Wind Power Federal Tax Credit for Consumer Energy Efficiency

easy eco blog — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:00:19 +0000

The new residential Small Wind Turbine Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency is a large credit with many advantages. The old tax credit was capped at $2,000. With the new one one you can claim 30% of cost, up to $500 per .5 kW of power capacity, for a new system. It expires 12/31/2016. This Federal tax credit works well when coupled with a state rebate program. Combine this with state rebates like those in California or New York and you have a sweeter deal. Moderate sized 10 kW wind power systems cost over $50,000. The rebate has a nameplate capacity limit of no more than 100 kilowatts.

Existing homes & new construction qualify. Both principal residences and second homes qualify. Rentals do not qualify.

The Federal Tax Credits for Consumer Energy Efficiency reduces the amount of tax you owe. The credit is a reduction of total income tax at the bottom of your return. This tax credit is a non-refundable tax credit. Consult your tax adviser for details. Use it or lose it!

All Small Wind Turbines has a good list of most of the world’s small wind turbines. American Wind Energy Association has lots of information on Wind power.

Interested in Solar?
Read our article Are Solar Panels for Me? and No money down Solar Panels.

Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency on GeoThermal Heat Pump

easy eco blog — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 07:00:10 +0000

A reminder that there is a Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency on Qualifying GeoThermal Heat Pumps, with no cap. If you have been thinking about replacing these items, you might as well upgrade now and save some money.

For 2012, the Federal Tax Credit for energy efficiency for GeoThermal heat pumps is 30% of the cost (including installation/labor costs), with no upper limit . (2010 Federal Tax Credit information)

Existing home and principal residence. New construction and rentals do not qualify.

Units must be placed into service by December 31, 2016.

Geo-thermal heat pumps are similar to ordinary heat pumps, but use the ground instead of outside air to provide heating, air conditioning and, in most cases, hot water. Because they use the earth’s natural constant heat, they are among the most efficient and comfortable heating and cooling technologies currently available. This allows the system to reach fairly high efficiencies (300%-600%) on the coldest of winter nights, compared to 175%-250% for air-source heat pumps on cool days.

Units can cost from $5,000 to $10,000 installed and take about 5-10 years for payback.

All ENERGY STAR geo-thermal heat pumpsqualify for the tax credit.

Criteria for heat pumps:

Water-to-Air

· Closed Loop: >=17.1 EER; >=3.6 COP

· Open Loop: >=21.1 EER; >=4.1 COP

Water-to-Water

· Closed Loop: >=16.1 EER; >=3.1 COP

· Open Loop: >=20.1 EER; >=3.5 COP

· Direct Geoexchange (DGX): >=16 EER; >= 3.6 COP

Energy Star has a store location finder to help you find local dealers.

The 2011 tax credit reverted to 2005-2008 levels. Anyone who previously took advantage of the program can’t apply for incentives that exceed $500. IE If you claimed $500 between 2005 – 2008 on a previous energy efficiency project, or at least $500 tax credit from 2009 – 2010, you are ineligible for the 2011 energy efficiency tax credit.

If you used say $200 of the $500 energy efficiency tax credit from 2005 – 2008, and did not utilize the 2009 – 2010 energy efficiency tax credit, you would still have a $300 credit available.

Federal Energy Efficiency Tax Credit on Qualifying biomass fuel stoves or Wood Heat Stoves, Pellet Stoves, Fireplace Inserts. There is also a Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency on Water Heaters, Wood Heat Stoves, Pellet Stoves, Furnaces and Boilers, Geo-Thermal Heat Pumps, Windows, Doors, and Skylights.

Double dip! Local utilities like PG&E have their own rebates for Energy Efficient Appliances. To find out if rebates or other incentives are available in your area, visit the ENERGY STAR Rebate Finder.

See: Weatherize your home – Fix Leaky Ducts – Reducing Air Leaks

Save Money with Water Filtration – Non Green Bottled Water

easy eco blog — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 07:00:02 +0000

Noticed a couple water delivery trucks on the street and wondered why people would waste money on Water Delivery services. This is definitely a big business and generates lots of revenue for companies. We have covered how unnecessary bottled water is in the past.

Water.com even touts how green they are: “And, with reusable recyclable bottles and hybrid vehicles in our delivery fleet, we make it easier for you to be environmentally-friendly.”

They even offer a Water Filtration system. – “If bottled water coolers do not fit your needs, we offer a variety of quality drinking water systems.”

Water delivery trucks use lots of fuel and generate pollution. Plastic Gallon Water Cooler bottles require lots of resources to make and recycle.

Buying bottled water and schlepping it home is just as wasteful and costly. Paying $1 for a 20 oz bottle adds up fast.

Water Filters and Filtration Systems

Filtrete recently released an interesting Water Station that allows it to fill several water bottles at one time. Anything to get people off of bottled water is great to see.

Water in most locales is safe to drink. Check the EPA’s site to verify. If your water has impurities that need to be removed for taste or chemicals like arsenic, lead, perchlorate, or atrazine, install a good water filter. We have an Everpure water filter system that cost a couple hundred dollars and works well. Just change its filter every so many months.

Everpure is only recycling their water filters in California. Purcell Murray 800-892-4040 is coordinating the recycle program. Hope fully they will extend this program nationwide.

Amazon sells low cost water filters from $15. Choose from pitcher style ones from Pur or Brita or faucet mounted models. Save hundreds of dollars over bottled water each year. There is no guarantee that the bottled water is better than filtered water you can generate. Environmental Working Group has a page on helping you with filtered water tips.

Be sure to use a BPA Free water bottle to drink your water.

Save money by just saying NO to Water Delivery and Bottled water.

If you use a Brita water filter system, make sure you recycle the filter.

SteriPEN Handheld Water Purifier

Here’s a cool little tool. SteriPEN Handheld Water Purifier destroys viruses, bacteria and protozoa–including Giardia and Cryptosporidium–using ultraviolet (UV) light in 48 seconds. 90 seconds for 32 ounces of water. This is a great little tool for those traveling or camping in the wilderness. This might be useful for those with bad municipal water systems.

Make sure you use a BPA free water bottle.

Power Bricks aka Wall Warts

easy eco blog — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 07:00:33 +0000

We all have power supplies littered with little power bricks. These wall warts can constantly jack up your power bill, even when items are not in use, hence the term vampire power or phantom power use. Lawrence Berkley National Labs estimates that 10% of residential power use is wasted toward this as most homes have 40 products constantly drawing power. Older power bricks are also not very efficient in converting AC power to DC power, causing waste. Save up to $125 a year by zapping hidden energy use.

We have covered power use by technology products in the past, including use of a Kill a watt to measure power consumption. Yes, just unplugging them or turning off the power strip they are plugged into will work.

New devices now come with power saving power bricks that were required July 1, 2006 by the California’s California Energy Commission or CEC regulation, as well as the federal government’s Energy Independence and Security Act of July 1, 2008.

You should see an “Efficiency Level IV” tag on the brick that have very low “no load power consumption”. You could even replace old power supplies with these newer ones. They should draw a maximum of 0.75 watts when in No Load mode. Energy Star 1.1 requires minimum power efficiency of 80%, while a future 2.0 version will up it to 87%.

California 2012 New Energy Efficiency Charger Rules

In January 2012, California regulators passed a more stringent rules to ensure power chargers are more efficient. The motivating factor was the fact that 66% of power chargers use is wasted aka vampire power. Many chargers already meet this new rules. It is expected that $300 million will be saved by using the new products. The new rules take effect on Feb. 1, 2013, for chargers used with consumer goods, such as phones and power tools. Jan. 1, 2014, for industrial chargers, such as forklifts. Jan. 1, 2017, for commercial equipment chargers, including walkie-talkies for emergency personnel and portable bar-code scanners.

Be sure to read: What makes a Green Computer or Electronics Product?