Computers use a lot of power. We have covered how to save energy on computers in the past. Here are additional tips on saving energy.

Software Tools to save Power

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It is spring and many people including us are interested in remodeling. Our last project was in our kitchen, here are some lessons we learned.

Green Construction

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Different types of tires have different fuel efficiency characteristics, so when you are shopping for new tires, you many want to keep in mind how Energy Efficient auto tires are. Of course you should keep your tires inflated to their recommended pressure levels. Tires affect vehicle fuel economy mainly through rolling resistance. Bigger tires, rims and wider tires are heavier, less aerodynamic, and create more rolling resistance. Unfortunately no standard on rating efficiency exists. Bills have been introduced to create such a rating.

An interesting publication on Tire Fuel Efficiency states:

“A 10 percent reduction in average rolling resistance, if achieved for the population of vehicles using replacement tires, promises a 1 to 2 percent increase in the fuel economy of these vehicles. About 80 percent of passenger cars and light trucks are equipped with replacement tires. Assuming that the number of miles traveled does not change, a 1 to 2 percent increase in the fuel economy of these vehicles would save about 1 billion to 2 billion gallons of fuel per year of the 130 billion gallons consumed by the entire passenger vehicle fleet. This fuel savings is equivalent to the fuel saved by taking 2 million to 4 million cars and light trucks off the road.”

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Credit: Washington Post

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a controversial chemical used to make plastics and has been in the news again. Many regard it as a dangerous chemical while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it is safe at the levels people are exposed to it at.

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Saving Money and Energy by Washing Clothes in Cold Water

We use Seventh Generation laundry detergent (Great for those with sensitive skin or allergies) in our washer and noticed that the box suggested saving energy by using cold water for washing all clothes. US Dept of Energy calculates that 90% of energy used in washing clothes goes toward heating the water. Save up to $60 a year by using cold water. If 70% of US households washed their  clothes in cold water, we could provide energy 4.4 million households. In 2012 it was estimated that approximately 40% of homes washed their clothes cold water.

In the old days, you would not think about doing this, but with modern washing machines and improved detergent formulations, it is now feasible to only use cold water to wash clothes.

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We are in the midst of the holiday season, and toys are flying off the shelves. We want to purchase safe toys made of innocuous materials, but how can we ensure that this is the case?

Center for Environmental Health filed a lawsuit alleging high levels of lead have been found in dozens of vinyl and faux leather women’s handbags, purses and wallets purchased from Bay Area outlets of major retailers. Full report.

In 2007, they tested a Curious George doll and found extremely high levels of toxic lead that could cause life long problems for kids. CEH was able to pressure Congress to pass a law preventing this type of problem.

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Business accounts for 18% of total US energy use with heating and cooling consuming a whopping 36% of electricity energy use. US Energy Information Administration predicts heating oil, electricity, and natural gas will cost 2% to 10% more this winter. Want to increase your profits, advertise your customers that you are hip, and help the environment?

Your Energy Bill arrives 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, PG&E, just announced another energy rate increase. 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.

One of the keys is to have all your employees on board with your energy efficiency goals. They can provide a lot of useful input and need to cooperate with any changes.

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Remodeling and Paint

We selected Yolo Colorhouse paint when we did our remodeling. It is Green Seal Certified. They produce zero VOC paint and primer in a variety of beautiful colors.  As Yolo puts it – VOCs are bad for people and the environment. You can smell them and they easily off gas throughout your home and into the atmosphere. They cause health problems and may be depleting the Ozone.

This part of green affects people directly as you inhale any chemicals coming from the paint in your home.  The cost premium was only a couple dollars a gallon. Yolo also has poster sized color swatches with actual paint on them. No need to buy wasteful small sample cans.  You can also reuse the swatch as gift wrap. Quality of the paint was decent and there was no need for many coats.

The next time we needed to paint a room, Benjamin Moore had a line of no VOC paint that we purchased. The Natura paint line has virtually no odor and no VOCs. Even if you have your paint tinted, it will still retain a no VOC rating unlike other paints.

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Technology is rapidly invading the personal healthcare industry aka personal tech. New gadgets are springing up daily to help us exercise more and to sleep better. Not getting a good night sleep causes many problems. Some recent headlines reminded us that technology can get in the way of a good nights rest and can cause sleep disorders.

America is not getting enough Sleep

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Vacation? Traveling on a plane or car?

A recent article analyzed the fuel efficiency of airlines and found they get 60 to 75 seat miles per gallon of fuel in 2009.  Better than the 50 mpg of a Toyota Prius hybrid automobile. Alaska, JetBlue, Southwest, and Continental were best.  The most fuel efficient planes were the Boeing 777-200ER wide body at 82 mpg and Boeing 737-900 at 99 mpg.  The Airbus A320 at 77 mpg is their best.

Want to go a step further? We noticed a Climate passport kiosk in the airport.  You can pay to offset your airplanes emissions. A 2,000 Miles (4 hr flight) generates 1,869 lbs of  CO2, and costs $11.44 to offset. The money goes toward:

Climate Passport Carbon Footprint Calculator uses carbon offsets from the Garcia River Forest. This project is based Mendocino County, California and is focused on the capture of carbon dioxide and the storage of it within native redwood forest. They also work to create a sustainable inventory of eco-friendly wood.

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