Archive for August, 2011
August 31, 2011 at 1:11 am · Filed under Climate, DIY Projects, Green Tech
Almost everywhere in the United States and Canada a home without air conditioning can be effectively cooled by a single, powerful fan, mounted on the floor joists of an attic and controlled most simply and easily by a switch downstairs in the home . The fan pulls cool, fresh air into the house through open windows and in return as part of the circuit pulls cool fresh air through gables and soffit vents. Much less expensive and much more energy saving and efficient than central or room air conditioners the fan costs a lot less thermal generated electrical or hydro generated energy to run. Read the rest of this entry »
August 30, 2011 at 2:22 pm · Filed under Green Tech
Just when you thought you were energy efficient with your consumption of electricity and natural gas, you read the title of a post like this and say to yourself, “now that sounds cool.” Well, it’s because it IS cool. Water desalination has been a technology which has been around for decades, but it has not yet had its day in the sun. Read the rest of this entry »
August 24, 2011 at 8:00 pm · Filed under DIY Projects, Green Tech
In summertime our air conditioners work overtime. Yet what can we do to lighten the load and save wasted power use when it comes to cooling our homes and reducing electrical power use and consumption with air conditioning units. After all the power that runs air conditioners is usually thermal generated from the burning of fossil fuels – coal mainly and some diesel. Hence it behooves us to make our coolers run as efficiently as possible and save the earth’s resources. True at some future point in time solar power will fuel these units and in addition in some areas of the world – Canada and especially the province of Manitoba have vast hydro electric power and reserves for the creation of hydro-electric power generation.
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August 23, 2011 at 4:41 am · Filed under Bio Fuel, DIY Projects, Off Grid
Uncontrolled air flow through the “building envelope” which protects us from outside air temperatures is the major source of heat and energy loss from living areas of your home and in addition can subsequently result in a host of other humidity, building maintenance and health / allergy / mold problems and issues.
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August 22, 2011 at 9:20 am · Filed under Activism, DIY Projects
We all need to do our part, and more, when it comes to energy conservation and limiting our profligate use of energy. So advises President Obama and his minions at the EPA first and foremost administrator Lisa P. Jackson. First of all – what is retrofitting a home or building?
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August 19, 2011 at 12:33 pm · Filed under Green Tech
For many years we have lived in a “throw away” society. Fortunately, today, we are becoming more aware of our need to live responsibly. The “living green” philosophy addresses this in many practical ways. Here are 5 ways that we can “go green”.
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August 19, 2011 at 4:14 am · Filed under Bio Fuel, Green Tech, Off Grid
What did people do before air conditioning and mechanical air conditioners came on the scene and were installed in homes and offices? Somehow “people lived” and they got through long hot and humid summers – even the elderly and those comprised with breathing illnesses. Yet how did previous generations manage to cool their homes and buildings with little external supplementary energy and power sources?
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August 18, 2011 at 12:26 am · Filed under Green Tech, On Grid
Businesses, especially start-ups, are looking for practical and sometimes extreme ways to save money in whatever ways they can. Electricity is no exception. I have a friend whose wife works at Amazon. Back in the earlier years at the company, they were actually quite extreme when it came to saving money. And, being the analytically anal company they are, they assessed the costs of electricity being consumed by the vending machines throughout the office. After some simple math, they discovered they could save $XX each month by simply pulling out all the light bulbs from the vending machines. This may sound extreme, but if you are in the business of making money, it only makes sense.
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August 17, 2011 at 2:18 am · Filed under Ecology
Are old style infant’s cloth diapers the best choice for green ecology and ecologists? We all want to do our part with the wisest use of the earth’s resources, energy utilization and non-waste and reduce landfill fill ups. No doubt about it – disposable diapers and their plastic – petroleum based pieces as well as other “disposable” throw away one use items are estimated to roughly make up 10 % of the weight and volumes of land fill “waste”. It used to be that newspaper – especially the large Sunday weekend edition newspapers were the lion’s share of what went one-way into landfills and incinerators. Luckily with e-books, the internet and Apple iPads we are reading more online and disposing of less waste newspaper and useless flyer ads. Read the rest of this entry »
August 16, 2011 at 9:04 pm · Filed under Green Tech
It was recently announced that Qatar has successfully won their bid to host the 2022 World Cup. Qatar is a Middle Eastern emirate located close to the border of Saudi Arabia and its climate is typical of desert regions with an average sweltering temperature of 46 degrees Celsius during the peak of summer. The 2022 World Cup is being launched in the month of March but even during this cooler month, the average temperature high is 27 degrees C – that would be declared as heat wave here in the UK! Read the rest of this entry »
August 13, 2011 at 6:37 pm · Filed under Activism, Green Tech
Its a downright shame the things and volumes of items that we routinely throw in the trash. Where do we think these waste items are going ? What about the energy costs involved both in the production of these commercial products which serve us , the waste of limited resources on our globe senselessly and lastly the energy and energies involved to transport these items to the landfill or perhaps incinerate them. Its a one way sinkhole that few give much thought what so ever. Perhaps they should . Read the rest of this entry »
August 11, 2011 at 6:05 pm · Filed under DIY Projects, Off Grid, Solar
We all have heard the phrase “His (or hers) heating budget is just up the chimney. What a waste of energy and the limited resources of the earth. Yet what if the chimney itself is defective or in poor repair and losing heat and energies becoming highly inefficient itself? Defects in masonry chimneys are often neglected because overall they cannot be easily seen or viewed. Yet unseen is neither unheard nor good for overall home energy usage and wastage. Such neglect can be dangerous as well as power and fuel wasteful.
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August 10, 2011 at 11:28 pm · Filed under Solar
There are a number of business technologies that are “oh so hot right now.” I wonder how many cloud computing and green energy businesses have been started in the last couple of years. And, rightfully so, there is money to be made there if you can execute on your business plan effectively. Entrepreneurs generally know the logistical processes of actually starting a business. However, few are versed in the nuances of starting a solar business. Here are a few general tips to get you started. Read the rest of this entry »
August 8, 2011 at 11:03 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Most of us have heard about deforestation and while we understand what it is, few of us fully grasp the depth of its impact. Deforestation is to an extent, a fact of modern life. The world’s population continues to grow and every time a new life enters the world, the need for food and shelter increases. Read the rest of this entry »
August 7, 2011 at 11:14 pm · Filed under DIY Projects
Most of us may give very little thought to the water that gushes out of our faucets every time we turn them one. The cost of the water we use only becomes apparent when a bill comes through our letter box at the end of each month. Water is a valuable commodity that we should not take for granted and here are 5 changes you can make that will help you save water and cut your bill.
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August 7, 2011 at 1:14 am · Filed under Green Tech, Off Grid
Many of us trying to be “green” and working to reduce our power and electrical consumption may find handicaps in trying to calculate electrical “loads” themselves as part of the scale down and scaling down process themselves. If you do suspect that even if a circuit is drawing too much power overall and wish to bring this downwards you will need to calculate the load factor. In sum total the maximum load of any household or industrial electrical circuit will be indicated by the amperage rating of the circuit breaker of fuse – which should be clearly stamped on it. Obviously both for safety and to be green and not greedy with power and energy usage you should be way lower than that – and always working and thinking diligently on means of ever decreasing power drains. Read the rest of this entry »
August 6, 2011 at 3:33 pm · Filed under Solar
A Massachusetts Institute of Technology team of mechanical engineering students and their professor announced recently successful testing of a new design in solar power generation that, once perfected and adopted, could potentially be commercially viable and costing as low as seven cents per kilowatt-hour, competitive with today’s pricing.
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August 5, 2011 at 9:59 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
You don’t have to be a horticulturist to appreciate the beauty and splendor of these five breathtaking gardens. The work that went into these gardens is awe inspiring. This list comes in no particular order because each one has something special to offer its visitors. Read the rest of this entry »
August 5, 2011 at 9:43 pm · Filed under Activism
Aging baby boomers are now retiring and birth rates are actually declining, but that does not mean we are going to see a decrease in overall American energy consumption. No, the opposite is most likely true, in fact. Certain statistics peg the growth of energy in the United States at about a steady 2% annual growth rate. This is expected to remain flat, but do the math. A growth rate above 2% means we can expect to see the consumption of energy (all types of energy) jump 100% over a 35 year period. The question is not if, but when. The bigger question at hand: what do we do now that we know we have more mouths to feed, so to speak? Read the rest of this entry »
August 5, 2011 at 5:49 am · Filed under Off Grid
For comparison normal average household electricity voltage is about 115 volts in the US & Canada and 230 volts in the rest of the world. Both alternate in the ranges of 50 to 60 cycles a second. A standard 100-watt old style incandescent light bulb draws about 1 ampere of current, whereas a toaster will draw about 7 amps. A doorbell will operate on about 10 – 12 volts.
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