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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

PG&E Wireless Smart Meter Controversy

easy eco blog — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:00:48 +0000

PG&E has started installing Smart meters in many locations throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. These industry standard gas and electric meters measure a customer’s energy use. Electric meters read power consumption hourly, while gas meters record information daily. Both types periodically transmit your energy use information over a secure wireless network back to PG&E or your local utility company.

A wireless smart meter controversy has arisen stating that the meters are not accurate and customers are being overcharged. Hackers may be able to hack into your meter and there are concerns about wireless RF radiation. PG&E counters by saying that a rate increase occurred during the smart meter rollout. Third-party labs need to test the meter to verify accuracy. At the end of May, 2010 PGE finally responded with a report. In early May 2011, PG&E finally admitted that some meters got to hot when internal temperatures past 100°, and misread electrical usage. Customers were overcharged due to this bug.

Health Effects

A small minority of people complain about headaches, insomnia, ringing in their ears, and other symptoms once SmartMeters were installed. This is a deeply disputed area though. PG&E has offered non-transmitting meters to these folks, but they content that the power switching device within these digital meters also causes symptoms. There will be a $75 one-time fee to switch to a non-SmartMeter plus a $10 monthly fee. The monthly fee would help pay for utility workers that manually read the meter’s numbers every month.

About 15 million customers Nationwide have these Smart meters, with more added daily.

The pluses of a Smart Meter

Utility companies could allow customers to see how much power, gas they are using. San Diego Gas & Electric even supports Google’s PowerMeter. Microsoft Hohm uses Smart Meter data to help you save energy.

PG&E lets SmartMeter customers check their usage power, gas online. You can see how it varies from day to day and compare your usage with others. Seeing your energy use and cost in real time allows you to adjust your lifestyle to reduce your power bill. Some PG&E smartmeters are made by Landis+Gyr. These show how much power you are using right now. SmartMeter technology can also give customers access to new electric pricing plans like the PG&E SmartRate summer pricing plan. If you use less electricity from 2-7 pm, on no more than 15 of the hottest summer days, you will be charged less.

A SmartMeter can alert PG&E or other utility companies if there is a power outage, so the power can be restored faster than before. In the future, a Home Area Network (HAN) will allow you to automate your energy use and take advantage of special variable time pricing plans to help you save money.

Power is measured in kilowatt hours (kwH). If you leave a 100 watt light bulb on for 1 hour a day, for 30 days, you will have used 100 watts x 30 hours = 3000 watt hours = 3 kwH.

In the San Francisco Bay Area most PG&E customers have tiered energy pricing (E1 Residential Pricing plan) that starts at 12 cents, but jumps to 14, 29 cents, 40 cents and 40 cents as you use more power. With a smart meter you know how much you are using. You can sign up for alerts via phone or email that tell you when your are entering a more expensive energy tier.

Future of Smart meters

Smart meters could automatically adjust appliance power consumption during peak times, causing a reducing in power costs. Reliant Energy in Houston has 2 price levels for power in the winter, 3 in Summer. The highest prices are from 4-6pm in the Summer. Cook dinner after 6pm, or turn off the air conditioning for 2 hours, and you will save money.

In California, days that require the most power cause the least efficient and most polluting plants to have to be put online. PG&E has Critical Peak Pricing (CPP) where you pay less in exchange for higher prices 15 days a year.

One thing is for sure, the meters add another RF radiation source to our lives.

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

Picking Solar Panels – Finding the Best Solar Panels

easy eco blog — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:00:34 +0000

The Earth receives more energy from the Sun in one hour than the whole World uses in a whole year. Time to tap into that. Solar power is used to power everything from calculators to Coast Guard buoys to highway signs to the International Space Station.

You have read Are Solar Panels for me? and Solar Panel Installation – Planning and are ready for more details. Photovoltaic Solar panels were invented at Bell Labs in 1953. They have evolved over the years and several different types of solar panels exist, and choosing between then is confusing. No one vendor will have access to all products, so you will have to do some shopping around to find the best solar panels.

Monocrystalline or Polycrystalline Panels

These solar panels are made either from single crystal cells or stringing ribbon of multiple crystals. They are the classic version of solar panels and are rated for good efficiency, around 12-13% power conversion, and a Long lifespan, possibly 30 years+? Sunpower has a model with a very high 19.3% efficiency. Monocrystalline panels are less efficient in hotter climates and work best in unobstructed sun. A panel’s power will drop by 50% if a even one cell on the panel is half shaded. Temperatures typically above 75 degrees F cause most solar panel power generation to decrease. Solar panel suppliers include: Sharp, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Kyocera, Schott, SolarWorld, SunTech, Sunpower, bp solar, Mitsubishi electric, Evergreen solar.

Thin Film Panels

Less efficient than the Crystal Panels, but they much thinner and easier to make. Less efficient than monocrystalline, at 10-12% efficiency. They work better when you have slight shading and are not affected by hot weather as much as monocrystalline. Major Drawback of performance degradation over time. Possible lifespans of 10 years. Suppliers include: Nanosolar, Unisolar

Hybrid Panels

Hybrids of single crystalline silicon surrounded by ultra-thin amorphous silicon layers. Produces 10% or more electricity (kWh) than conventional crystalline silicon solar panels at the same temperature. Good efficiency levels of 16%. Hybrid Solar Panel Suppliers include: Sanyo

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.

Save Money – Rainwater Harvesting – Drain Water Heat Recovery Systems

easy eco blog — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 07:00:52 +0000

Rainwater harvesting or rainwater collection systems are simple ways of taking advantage of mother nature to reduce your water bill and become more green.

It looks a possible drought year for the San Francisco Bay area again. Thoughts turn to capturing any rain we get to reduce our need for water and commensurately our water bill.

Rain Water Harvesting Barrels Or Cisterns

You can get started with an easy barrel or bucket under areas where rain comes off the roof. You could easily make a downspout feed into a barrel. Every 100 square feet of roof can yield 55 to 60 gallons of water per inch of rainfall. Irrigate using a shutoff valve and a garden hose. Amazon even sells Rain Water Harvesting Barrels.

Rain Garden

Store harvested rainwater in the soil by diverting roof downspouts towards shallow basins full of water tolerant plants.

More complex rainwater harvesting can be done using a living roof full of plants or a street curb side planter.

HarvestH20.com is a site with lots of tips on capturing rainwater. Several interesting videos too.

ARCSA – American rainwater catchment system association has a link page with many useful resources and examples of what others have done.

Drain Water Heat Recovery Systems

Drain Water Heat Recovery Systems heat up water by using heat from your waste water. Not many people know about these interesting systems. They are usually hooked up to sinks, showers, dishwashers, and clothes washers.

Systems cost only $300 to $500 with paybacks ranging from 2 1/2 to 7 years depending on the particular situation. Some states offer rebate, making pay back even faster.

Rainwater capture – Costco Eco Round Wooden Rain Barrel

Costco is keeping up with the green wave. They have a Eco Round 67-Gallon Wooden Rain Barrel for $199.99 shipped. A lot more expensive than using a trash can but certainly a lot more elegant.

It has a connector that attaches to your rain gutter’s downspout. A heavy duty bladder inside actually holds the water. It even uses FSC Certified Canadian Spruce wood. A solid brass tab lets you access the water