We saw this cup at a museum store that looked like a standard coffee cup but was made with porcelain.  It is  called “I Am Not a Paper Cup” and is dishwashwer and microwave safe, $12 from Amazon. eco cup is another similar reusable coffee cup or beverage cup.

Many coffee shops will not allow you to use your own cup, claiming health code problems. Starbucks sells a $15 reusable Venti cup and applies a 10-cent discount on the price of the drink of your choice each time you bring your cup in and order. Apparently these sold out an are being scalped on eBay.

I wonder how many other coffee places will let you use this.  Most independent coffee shops have no problem with this. Just thinking about how many paper cups are tossed each day is mind boggling.  Few people wash their coffee cups and recycle the cup and plastic top.

Credit: PowerGen

The RollerGen Power System attaches to bicycles (Either stationary or standard) and turns Pedal Power into Electric Power for Electronics Devices.  It powers cell phones, MP3 players, GPS units, anything powered by USB, the standard for modern electronic devices. Power is stored in a pocket sized miniature battery that has the dual USB output plugs.

It charges up 30 watts in a short 4-5 miles of riding. The unit fits bikes like a standard rear rack and has a spinning flywheel that contacts your tires. The only downside is that it costs $495.  Hit $99 and they will sell a ton of units.

New organic food rules have recently been announced by the US Agriculture Department (USDA) regarding organic meat and organic milk.  Organic Milk and Organic Meat must come from livestock grazing on pasture for at least 120 days a year, and that 30% of their feed must come from grazing pasture during the grazing season.  Producers must have a pasture management plan and Ranchers must have a plan to protect soil and water quality.

Previously the rules state that livestock needed to have  “access to pasture”, which could mean the door was open but they never went out.

New rules take affect in June 17, 2010.

Your Energy Bill arrive and it is way to high. You can start by asking your energy provider to check your meters accuracy, but you will have to do detective work to really save money. Our local utility, PGE, just announced another energy rate increase for 2010. You can go green and save money by following our energy saving tips.  This is an overview of the many energy saving tips we have covered over the years along with links to detailed articles.

Energy Monitoring

How can you save energy without knowing you have reduced usage? The Killawatt is a low cost energy meter that can show you how much energy your appliances use. For serious energy savers, the TED 5000 Energy monitor also helps to measure energy use. It is very advanced with connectivity to Google’s new PowerMeter tools and even an iPhone app.

Federal Tax Credit

Take advantage of the 30% upto $1500 Federal Tax Credit on install Energy efficient items such as solar panels, windows, doors, skylights, water heaters, furnaces, boilers, pellet stoves, etc at a nice discount. This tax credit expires 12/31/2010.

Heating & Cooling

Caulking, weather striping, thermostats, fixing any leaks are easy to do. Set your thermostat to come on before you get home and before you wake up. Set heat to off when you are gone.
Get a home energy audit to help find your problems. They use blowers that will detect areas causing heat loss.

Computers

Set your Mac – PC to sleep or hibernate after of inactivity. There are tutorials on how to do this and free software. Use a smart power strip as wall warts draw power even when nothing is on. No need to buy a new PC or operating system to save power. Also consider installing a Digital Timer to control the smart power strip.

TVs

People are realizing their TVs eat a ton of power. California’s CEC is proposing new power rules for TVs. When purchasing, try to buy a green LCD TV. You can optimize your TV set’s power use by making sure all energy saving options are on and that the picture is not set to the energy draining “Torch mode” setting used in stores to show off the brightest of pictures. Also use a smart power strip as wall warts draw power even when nothing is on.

Water

Water rates are sky rocketing.  Save water in your bathroom and kitchen. Check your sprinkler system for leaks. Buy an advanced sprinkler controller that uses weather or soil information to adjust watering times. Switch to native drought tolerant plants.

Solar

It is a great time to go solar.  The Federal 30% Tax Credit is now uncapped. Panels are more efficient than ever.  A solar system can pay itself back in 7-10 years.  There are no money down leasing options that drop your monthly bill and require no large initial outlay. Solar Panels require a little Maintenance and cleaning.

Swimming Pools

Cover your pool with a vinyl cover, not a solar blanket. You’ll reduce the water evaporation, chemical usage, and lower the time you need to run the pool pump.  Newer multiple speed pumps run longer but at slower speeds, reducing power use. Upgrade to one when your current one fails. Install a solar pool heater system, they work great.

photo credit: lpwines

We saw Biodynamic wines listed on a restaurant’s wine menu and wondered what it meant. With the holiday season in full swing, a lot of wine is going to be bought, gifted and consumed.  Folks want to be green so they are paying more attention to labels.

Biodynamic wines are wines made with grapes farmed without chemical fertilizers and pesticides.  They allow only sulfides to be added to the wine. This type of wine is popular in Europe as the movement started there in 1924.

Organic wine is made from organically grown grapes and made without added sulfites.  Certified Organic Wines will have the USDA organic logo emblazon on them.  If you get headaches after drinking wine and cannot tolerate sulfites, try an Organic wine.

You will also find Wines labeled made with Organic Grapes but not labeled USDA Organic.  These probably have sulfites.