1. Heat and Cold Loss
2. Electrical Consumption
3. Resident Behavior

• When is the house being used
• What are the ambient temperature settings
• What are the high and low temperatures set at
• How much energy is normally used to run the house, ie. electrical and gas bills
  
• What technology and building materials are in place on the structure
  

• Blower Door Test - a special fan called a "calibrated door" is fitted to an exterior door of the house in combination with smoke pencils and other tools to suck air out of the house and determine how air tight it is. When determining how much leakage a house has it is important to remember that some leakage, in the right areas, is good. Without the ability to breathe, the house may become moldy or experience indoor pollution. More information on the blower door test is available here
  
• Thermographic Scan - this technique can be used to capture heat signatures on the interior or exterior of a home and may lead to recommendations of more insulation or insulation repairs. Usually interior heat signatures are easier to read since there is less air disturbance inside of a home. This type of scan may be useful in combination with the blower door test and is recommended when there are extreme differences between the indoor and outdoor temperatures ie. the winter months. This type of test is highly recommended before buying a house and more information on thermographic scans and the types of tools used in a scan, such as a spot radiometers and thermal imaging cameras, can be found here
• PFT Air Infiltration Measurement - PFT stands for perfluorocarbon tracer gas which is a harmless, odorless gas that is transmitted and received with special instrumentation designed by the Brookhaven National Laboratory to detect changes in temperature and air leakage in a room. In contrast to the blower door test, which puts stresses on a house to determine the quality of its air tightness, the PFT test measures air tightness over time as ocupants actually go about their daily routines including the influence of seasonality and weather. This technique can also be used to determine exposure to harmful substances and pollution such as radon. More on this topic can be found here

• Identify and repair gaps and leaks in the following areas of your house:
•  walls, floorboards, electrical outlets
• windows, and mailbox slots
• electrical outlets, internet and cable outlets, and lights - recessed ceiling lighting is one of the leading heat loss sources. As heat rises it easily escapes through these poorly sealed light ducts
  
• You may already know of a draft or a chilly or cold area in your house which can be repaired using caulk or foam insulation.
• Weather stripping around doors and garages often gets overlooked but is very easy to repair and replace using rubber door jams or foam.
• Fireplaces, attics and window mounted fans and air conditioners are other sources of air leakage.
• holes where pipes from sinks and other utilities go into your walls
• exterior foundation lines, chimneys, and corners where two materials meet such as brick and wood
  
• Consider replacing old warn out air leak sources with the following technology
• Use caulk to reseal old cracked areas and touch up on areas that may have been overlooked
• Purchase new double paned windows or put clear plastic sheets over existing windows and walls for a more affordable approach
• Jiggle your doors and windows and look for light streaming through to determine if you need to reposition them or add foam strips
• Conduct a do it yourself blower door pressurization test by closing all of your homes doors, windows, fireplaces, and other outlets and then turn on your bathroom and kitchen oven fan. Now explore your house using a smoke producing device such as incense or a punk from the fourth of July celebrations and watch how the smoke is influenced as you hold it near different areas. Always be careful with this technique as not to start a fire, one alternative is to carry a damp wash cloth in one hand and then wet the surface of your other. Hold your damp hand near possible air flow leaks and sense air coming in from outside. While doing this test be wary of sucking smoke or other pollutants into your house that may compete for oxygen and cause you to suffocate. Also recognize that your heater, stove, or furnace may be burning oxygen and if you have no fresh air coming in you could run out. Understand the environment that your house is in and take the proper precautions including contacting a local energy auditing professional.
• Add more insulation to your attic or foundation and consider using environmentally friendly cotton "blue jeans" insulation that is easier to work with, natural, and sustainable. Insulation is the most cost effective way for most home owners to reduce energy use - many homes were built to meet minimum requirements for their time and as prices for energy continue to rise one the easiest ways to conserve heat or cool in your house is to not use it in the first place and insulation helps you keep temperatures more stable. Additionally, if you have an attic you will want to seal it the same way you have sealed your doors and windows.
  
  Dig under your attic insulation and look for a vapor barrier which is usually plastic, tar paper, or fiberglass. This barrier prevents moisture from leaking down into the house which can cause structural damage. In many cases, simply adding an additional layer of new insulation to pre-existing layers can make a dramatic difference in the way your home stores energy, especially heat.
  
  In order to test your house wall insulation it is recommended that you use a professional to conduct thermographic testing as discussed above. There are many electrical hazards in walls so always be careful when investigating these sources.
  
  One other great source for improving insulation is in a basement. this will keep the temperature between the main living floor and potentially unused spaces from blending together and wasting energy. When adding insulation to walls, ceilings, attics, or basements consider using too much rathar than too little and follow the R-Value guide which says that a minimum level of insulation has an R-Value of 25 which is equal to the insulation properties of 25 feet of earth.
• Change filters and clean electrical devices (at least once per year) including your forced air furnace or heater. It is recommended for most of these devices to replace filters every two months which may be long past due in your household and could be causing unnecessary strain on the system which takes energy.
• Replace old systems that have been in place for more than 15 years. You may be amazed at how your electrical bill changes. This is especially true of old refrigerators and furnaces.
  
• Use duct tape to reseal your ducts and use insulation to make them more efficient. If you see streaks of dirt inside or outside of your ducts you probably need to clean the filter and make the duct tighter because hot or cold air is leaking out. when adding insulation around ducts aim for an R Value of six or seven.
• Replace old light bulbs. The average US house uses ~10% of it's electricity to power lighting which can be improved significantly by using CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs) which are now available in different color tones and with dimming functionality. CFL's are four times more efficient than regular bulbs and last up to ten times longer on average! This improvement in technology is also helped by government rebates and incentives to change out old lights and even replace lighting fixtures. LED lights are also gaining in popularity and may soon replace CFL's in certain lighting applications. Already LED's are being used for car headlights and road signals, they offer increased durability and brigtness but are cost prohibitive at this time.
  

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Green Job Feed.... get it? get it??? Yum!

We here at Green Home Authority are proud and excited to be a part of the Green Job Feed network. As you can see to the lower right we've got their new widget which helps users like you discover positions in the emerging clean technology industry. Greening your home is a great first step in building a sustainable lifestyle. However, considering that the average American works at least 40 hours per week, taking a green job can go a long way in making a difference.

Head on over and check out the latest jobs. Keep in mind that the site is still in beta and there are a few glitches. Over the coming weeks and months we'll keep you up to date on new features and tools in the cleantech job world. If you already work in the green job industry or just aren't up for a job change then head on over here and enjoy a throwback of pacman with this free web based flash remake.

Sustainable Ideas

In recent years environmentalists have introduced the word "sustainable" into everyday language. The word itself, "sustainable," can be defined by the New Oxford American Dictionary as having the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level. One unfamiliar to the context of the word used today would not quite grasp the full idea from this short and simple explanation. The true root of the word in the context concerning this paper was identified in 1983. It was created by a division of the UN created to assess the concern for our depleting resources as the discourse needed to work towards correcting human behavior for fear of further global social and economic problems. This division, The Brundtland Commission, formally known as the World Commission on Environment and Development, drives towards pushing this concept of sustainability. However, one must look towards finding their own concise understanding of the necessity of this change and how their individual participation is an integral part of achieving this goal. The pressing need for change is now; as all around us, our changing world is conforming to one species alone, Homo sapiens. I believe in sustainable practices and I believe in the necessity of sustainable practices.

Over the course of time human observation has provided distinct association with similarities between ourselves and other species. Renowned psychologist B. F. Skinner observed in the seventies "Any elements of culture that do not contribute to the long-term survival of individuals and of the group tend to be weeded out and those elements that do contribute tend to be retained." So how do we push to move away from our commercial driven materialistic world? To assess our damage on life (not just our lives) we can look toward how discovery has influenced society. One discovery may be groundbreaking but the intriguing aspect is how one leads to another which branch to many more evolved iterations. I tend to feel many of our greatest new inventions are a crock. The map and compass have been helpful way finding tools for centuries. 19 out of 20 individuals donʼt need GPS; we are caught away from our original individual needs in this space-age technological world. It is our accumulation of knowledge base through discovery that is fueling these spin-offs. This accumulation is exponential, resembling many of the worlds other greatest problems ie. population growth. A paradigm-shift must take place to correct this.

Sustainability is a concern for the future generations. It is a concern for all things that make up our lives, whether it is what we eat, to job security, to being lucky enough to have an HMO. Most individuals, however, find it hard to see this faint light of interconnectedness. Concern is inversely at the core of sustainability nay sayers. Whether it is a concern that they donʼt understand what they can do to work towards it, or just a lack of care due to a concern for how it will affect their lifestyle. I am sure these are two polar opposite realms, and these individuals fall all over the spectrum. Sustainability: Life Chances and Livelihoods, by Michael Redclift sheds light on a framework for understanding sustainability to work towards action, that I whole heartedly believe to be true.

According to Redclift, individuals must have an:

• Understanding of the natural world, and how our production and thus consumption impinge upon it.
• Understanding of human perceptions and motivations, so we can know why we indulge in behavior which is destructive to nature.
• Understanding of Ethical systems, so we can determine if human motivations which are destructive to nature might be morally constrained.
• Understanding of the effectiveness of various systems of incentives and restrictions on human actions, so that the appropriate restraining measures can be embodied by law.

Sustainable measures are often impeded by lack of this understanding. It is upon these individuals who have found understanding, to take measures to shed light on others, almost in a "pseudo-evangelistic" approach. It is tendency in industrialized northern culture to place emphasis on lifestyle. Life style, can be broken down to reveal what it embodies. The industrialized emphasis on this style of life has become far too prevalent to avoid. Any individual can fall victim to it, and tendency is to do so. This idea has been identified and observed for ages and seems to be one of the downfalls of culture and societal life. The tragedy of the commons, an issue facing cultures everywhere, was originally observed by Garrett Hardin in a publication of Science and ties environmentalism in regard to lifestyle. This tragedy once hardly disserving its mythical pretense, is increasingly becoming greater in magnitude and is further proving reason for many of the environmental issues facing the world today. Simply put, it is behavior brought about by an individualistic point of view that then when repeated and replicated by others proves disastrous to all society.

The Tragedy of the commons applies to consumption of near everything. When the assembly line was first noted as a brilliant practice of production, the basis was not consumption, it was production. Production could be quick due to interchangeable parts, efficiency of workers, and streamlined practices. This worked in the industrial age, but ideals were different and no one had concern for the overall impact of our ways. Hailed as the greatest invention of the 20th century the car has shaped every aspect of life as we know it. Infrastructure has been a point of our economic success through accessibility, but it has ruined our landscape and altered our values forever. Emphasis on "quick and fast" everything has helped ruined our cultural values and is in ways the antithesis of sustainability.

Today, proper education on sustainable ideals is not found many aspects of society. This can possibly be explained due to upbringing; the concept is deemed "new", flashy, and trendy in some ways. The same applies to sustainable ideals concerning the built environment. Since inception, the built environment has always conflicted with the natural realm. Spatial consciousness of the built environment in context to the natural environment is an essential piece towards achieving purity of design. For years, in the post-modern era, all felt change arising, but what to move to was still quite unclear.

Context in design is now further reaching and expanding. I feel designersʼ jobs in many ways are more difficult than ever by means of rethinking the craft to fit a new way of life. However, Iʼm torn with the belief that it is also much more obvious in regard to the approach of a project. There are more "givens" than ever before. Sustainability out of necessity calls for a new view on our world as designers let alone individuals. A new view on materials (uses and reuses), a new stance on function, a new way of order, and most importantly a new definition of purity and beauty must be achieved out of this new architecture. Denver International Airport is one of the only airports in the country with terminals in the country to be mostly powered by means of solar power. While driving to DIA, upon approaching the structure, one can see open space between street infrastructures used for solar panel fields. I view this to have a quality of beauty. The same mindset should be and inevitably will be applied to all design.

Sustainable practices in architecture are slowly being pushed through policy. This is a very important shift. Construction practices provide a massive amount of waste year in and out. The Architecture 2030 initiative is at the forefront of this move. The initiative promotes not only new sustainable output from designers but retrofitting of all otherwise unsustainable structure. Sustainable architecture in my mind should concern not only the aspect of sustaining of the natural world but also the built environment. The life cycle of a building or structure should be assessed from day one. What if the life cycle was planned and construction of that structure were planned accordingly? I.e. The structure is planned to function for one use now and two uses later. Or, the structure is predetermined to be reconfigured for an alternative use at a certain point in its lifecycle, giving life to a new object itself. Iterations of our technology as discussed earlier evolve and evolve; this would be brilliant if applied to sustainable structure, which I feel will happen in less than a lifetime. Architecture 2030 as well as many upcoming Green Build, LEED and Eco policies promote reuse of higher percentages of materials than ever before. What society needs is this reuse of materials to be applied to all spheres of design. The use of modular units can be predated to centuries upon centuries ago. Given that architecture has succeeded in this form of order many times over, it wouldnʼt be hard to apply the aspect of modularity to sustainable design. This can be attained through experimentation; whether it is a module of material or of a reused structure. Order is grounded in the foundation of our craft, sustainable architecture will apply this order to a methodology of reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Education and Change

The philosophy of education can be recognized as one of oldest practices in history. The distinct abilities to associate, assess and comprehend are that which set humans apart from nearly every other species in the world. The human mind particularly, that of a young person, has the inherent ability to cognitively recognize and learn high capacities of new information all the time. The education ideology recognizes this and thus we find education to be a globally imperative practice. Human babies are born with essentially blank slates to write and fill in. "It is obvious that children are born illiterate and innumerate, and ignorant of the norms and cultural achievements of the community or society into which they have been thrust" (Phillips). The importance of education in no way can be disputed. A child learns from the world around them. However, help from individuals the child is exposed to is vital for development of the brain. This is where the educational institution comes into play. Schooling systems try to harness this room for educational growth, and replicate the vast cultural knowledge and understanding found over time by others.

The philosophy of education has come leaps and bounds over its history, however aspects still remain constant. The process of schooling for most individuals and their personal development during their schooling will have direct implications on their economic opportunities later in life. This has been at the foreground of debate for philosophers, teachers, parents, and pupils alike. The process of schooling has a tendency to weed out select individuals based on performance. Is this necessarily the way to go? I believe that there are students who donʼt test well, and the factors that produce these results are highly circumstantial for each individual. I believe also, in agreement with many tests and surveys, that there are specific areas an individual can excel in and other areas they may not. This is unique once again for each individual mind. I feel the schooling systems in America suffer in liberal arts programs. Children are raised to read and write, which I feel is all cultural education but harnessing creativity should be an integral part of education as well.

Students in America tend to not always reach the same level of critical thinking when finished their schooling system. This could be viewed as failure of the system but I feel strongly to say that itʼs a combination of each unique individual and the schools that they attended. However, I feel there is a direct correlation between development of creativity and the acute understanding of how to analyze and think critically. Students at a young age should be subjected to art courses as well as the two givens, math and reading/writing. Tests have shown that the "best" thing to give a baby is the original set of blocks. This helps to develop cognitive recognition of shapes and geometry, develops visualization skills, and harnesses the creative brain at a young age.

Montessori schooling system is a private system that defies traditional stereotypes. Childrenʼs minds are cultivated towards a unique educational approach. At a young age, a childʼs education is based around analytical thinking through hands-on exercises. This strengthens their abilities to develop critical thinking and comprehension. Montessori classrooms tend to be unique because the age group of a classroom can span up to three years different. This can be seen as a lack of the structure other schools have but the schools direct hands on approach is successful in its own right. I also feel the weeding process of schooling should rework itself with a fine toothcomb. There are left-brain thinkers and there are right-brain thinkers and combinations of the two. I believe that the philosophy of education should work towards catering to each student. "The concept of competency cannot, in fact, be reduced to its function of articulating education with the demands of the labor market." (Stoera, Magalhães)

The place that a child receives education is just as important as the education itself. Educational systems should be designed in conjunction with the sense of place. Larger more open classrooms with daylight ambiance should be key in the design. Schools should push to be sustainable. The concept of education itself is a sustainable practice, so the connection is there. Children at a young age as already discussed learn from culture and action. Right now our world is in a state, all cultures included, where sustainability needs to become commonplace. The arguable best place to start would inevitably be schooling where it has already begun to permeate through curriculums. If children were taught from a young susceptible age to act towards sustainable practices then they would develop the mindset out of necessity. There are clear parallels between the "place of education" and the relative "education," so when put in a sustainable environment, individuals will recognize, understand and rationally adhere to sustainable practices.

The defining of a place in congruence with sustainable architecture in my mind would only have beneficial results. The children would have a sense of belonging that is of dire importance to sustain their attention and focus. From an economic standpoint initial build estimates of a sustainable school are much higher than a non-sustainable school, however considering that the longevity of a deconstructable reusable structure is so great it is more reasonable off paper. One thing is certain however, in a paradigm shift a change occurs and the new ideology instilled is there until the next related change. The necessity to educate humans to live non-destructive paths and be sustainable is cementing the need for unique educational institutions for many years to come.

Sources

Redclift, Michael. Sustainability: Life Chances and Livelyhoods. New York: Routledge, 2000.

Gardner, Gerald T., and Paul C. Stern. Environmental Problems and Human Behavior. Boston: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2002.

Skinner, B. F. Beyond Freedom and Dignity. New York: Bantam Books, 1971.

Hardin, G. "The Tragedy of the Commons." Science 162 (1968) 1243-1248.

Architecture 2030 Ed. Edward Mazria. 2008. Architecture 2030. 17 January 2009 <http://www.architecture2030.org/home.html>.

Philosophy of Education. Ed. D. C. Phillips. 2008. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 16 January 2009 < http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/education- philosophy/>

Thompson. "High Performance School Study" SECO. State and Energy Conservation Office. 18 January 2009 <http://www.seco.cpa.state.tx.us/zzz_re/re_reporthighperformance. doc>

Siegal, Martin A. "Future of Education" Wisdom Tools. Wisdom Tools. 19 January 2009 < http://wisdomtools.com/documents/Future_of_Education-handout.pdf>

Cirillo, Jen.. "About the Sustainable Schools Project" Sustainable Schools Project. 19 January 20, 2009 <http://www.sustainableschoolsproject.org/about/>

Grobstein, Paul. "Parallel Changes in thinking about the brain and Education." Serendip (2007) 18 January 2009 <http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/sci_edu/brainedparallels.html>

Foster, Jane. Young People at the Centre : Participation and Social Change. London: Commonwealth Secretariat, 2001.

We did a story recently on the new BPA free Nalgene and CamelBak bottles in combination with portable filters, but what about the times when you can't bring your reusable bottle? There are many sporting events and other situations when it just makes more sense to buy a recycleable disposable plastic bottle instead.

These bottles have gotten a bad rap because it takes a lot of energy to fill and then ship them across the country (or world) verses just filling and filtering your reusable bottle on site. Additionally, these bottles are often made from two different types of plastics that biodegrade differently or respond differently to water (floating vs. not floating). Get this, if you throw a bottle away without the cap birds can choke and die on them, but if you put the cap on the bottle will waste space in a landfill (this is all considering the bottle doesn't get recycled, but even then, the caps can still be picked off or lost en route to the recycling center).

Not all of these problems have answers or concise solutions yet. Maybe it's best to squish the air out of plastic bottles then trash/recycle them? Fortunately, companies are hopping on the green bandwagon of late and one water bottle manufacturer, Aquafina (owned by Pepsi), is doing what it can to save money, plastic, and the environment. Since 2002 the plastic used to make their bottles has been reduced by 50%! Additionally, they have a distributed network of "filling sites" across the nation that significantly reduce the distance, and thus energy, required to deliver the filled product into stores. See their official fact sheet and press release below:

Bottle Overview
Aquafina's new package, the Eco-Fina Bottle, is the lightest half-liter bottle of any nationally distributed bottled brand in the market today, weighing just 10.9 grams. The Eco-Fina Bottle utilizes 50% less plastic than similar Aquafina packaging produced in 2002 and is estimated to eliminate the use of 75 million pounds of plastic annually. The new Eco-Fina Bottle features a contemporary "rippled web" design that goes beyond aesthetics, ensuring its structural performance and functionality.  Eco-Fina Bottle packaging is 100% recyclable.

Bottle Description

• The Eco-Fina Bottle weighs 10.9 grams, approximately 2 grams lighter than competitive bottled water packaging in the market.
• The Eco-Fina Bottle features a contemporary "rippled web" design which ensures its structural performance and functionality.
• The Eco-Fina Bottle will be sold in 24-packs featuring new, contemporary shrink wrap packaging graphics, which will prominently display the Eco-Fina Bottle logo and sustainability achievements.
• The Eco-Fina Bottle offers consumers the same great-tasting, pure water in a much lighter, more eco-friendly 100% recyclable bottle.

Bottle Innovation

• The Eco-Fina Bottle utilizes 50 percent less plastic than the 2002 era bottle and will eliminate an estimated 75 million pounds of plastic annually.
• Over 80% of Eco-Fina Bottles are manufactured on site at Aquafina purification centers where filling occurs significantly reducing emissions associated with transportation.
• PepsiCo and its Aquafina brand are committed to removing corrugate packaging materials from multi-packs.  Starting in 2009, traditional cardboard base pads will be removed from Eco-Fina Bottle 24-packs, contributing to the removal of approximately 20 million pounds of corrugate by 2010.
• Best-in-class packaging innovation has allowed Aquafina to reduce its half-liter package weight from 24 grams in 2002 to 10.9 grams in 2009.
• Aquafina bottled water offers pure, great tasting water. Aquafina's rigorous HydRO-7 purification system, including seven different processes such as ozonation, carbon filtration, and reverse-osmosis processes, removes nearly all of the trace elements and impurities which may affect water's taste.
  

Bottle Design
"Lightweighting" the Aquafina bottle has been an ongoing process for many years. Aquafina has reduced its half-liter package weight from 24 grams in 2002 to 10.9 grams in 2009.
Careful thought went into the design and construction of Aquafina's 10.9 gram bottle. It went through several prototypes, consumer and quality testing before we were extremely satisfied with its design, structural integrity and functionality. The bottle's eye-catching "rippled web" design goes beyond aesthetics, ensuring its structural soundness and functionality.

Press Release:

PEPSICO'S AQUAFINA LAUNCHES THE, ECO-FINA BOTTLE™, THE LIGHTEST WEIGHT BOTTLE IN THE MARKET - Half-Liter Package Uses 50 Percent Less Plastic, Saving an Estimated 75 million Pounds of Plastic Annually

PURCHASE, N.Y. - March 25, 2009 - PepsiCo's Aquafina, the nation's best selling brand of bottled water, is launching the, Eco-Fina Bottle, the lightest half-liter bottle of any nationally distributed bottled water brand in the market.  The Eco-Fina Bottle is the latest evolution of Aquafina's ongoing efforts, which began in 2002, to develop the lightest and one of the most environmentally-friendly bottles in the market. The Eco-Fina Bottle will be available in 24-packs and begins shipping to retail outlets nationwide this April.

At a weight of just 10.9 grams, the Eco-Fina Bottle is made with 50 percent less plastic than the half-liter Aquafina bottles produced in 2002, eliminating an estimated 75 million pounds of plastic annually.  In addition to light weighting the half-liter bottle, Aquafina is driving additional environmental benefits by producing the Eco-Fina Bottle right at Aquafina purification centers where filling occurs and by eliminating cardboard base pads from Eco-Fina Bottle 24-packs, which will contribute to saving 20 million pounds of corrugate by 2010.

"The Eco-Fina Bottle represents more than simply innovative packaging design.  It showcases our commitment to develop best-in-class products, packages and manufacturing processes while acting responsibly in everything we do," said Rick Gomez, chief marketing officer, hydration brands at Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages.  "We're excited to answer the call of our consumers by offering the same great-tasting, pure water in a much lighter and more eco-friendly 100% recyclable bottle."

The new Eco-Fina Bottle features an eye-catching "rippled web" design that goes beyond aesthetics, ensuring its structural soundness and functionality.  New, contemporary shrink wrap packaging graphics, featuring the Eco-Fina Bottle logo, will further enhance the brand's on-shelf presence.

"Consumer research confirms that we achieved our desired objective, which was a 'sustainable design trifecta' - a bottle that looks better, functions better and is better for the environment," said Robert Le Bras-Brown, vice president of packaging innovation and development at PepsiCo.  "The new design leverages structural engineering which allows the Eco-Fina Bottle to support 50 times its weight in water while offering consumers a contemporary, attractive package that meets their needs."

PepsiCo and its Aquafina brand have been leading the way in pioneering sound environmental practices from the continuous improvement of its rigorous water purification process, to its approach in the design and construction of its packaging.

PepsiCo continues to explore newer ways to achieve optimal efficiency in the use of natural resources in the development, manufacturing, packaging and distribution of all of its products. The company has committed to considerably lowering its environmental impact by reducing the use of water and energy by 20 percent and the use of fuel by 25 percent by company conserved nearly five billion liters of water across its global operations compared to 2006 through technological improvements in global manufacturing operations and resource conservation programs.  Last year, PepsiCo took nearly six million kilograms of packaging per year out of its system globally and reduced greenhouse emissions by 18,000 metric tons annually by introducing a new half-liter bottle for Aquafina flavored waters.

About Aquafina
Aquafina (www.aquafina.com) is a product of Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages, the refreshment beverage unit of PepsiCo, Inc., in the United States and Canada. In addition to Aquafina and Aquafina FlavorSplash, its US brands include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist, IZZE, SoBe, Mug, Tropicana Twister Soda, Tropicana Juice Drinks, Dole and Ocean Spray single-serve juices. PepsiCo also makes and markets North America's best-selling ready-to-drink iced teas and coffees, respectively, via joint ventures with Lipton and Starbucks. For more information, visit  www.pepsiproductfacts.com.

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo is one of the world's largest food and beverage companies, with 2008 annual revenues of more than $43 billion. The company employs approximately 198,000 people worldwide, and its products are sold in approximately 200 countries. Its principal businesses include: Frito-Lay snacks, Pepsi-Cola beverages, Gatorade sports drinks, Tropicana juices and Quaker foods. The PepsiCo portfolio includes 18 brands that generate $1 billion or more each in annual retail sales. PepsiCo's commitment to sustainable growth, defined as Performance with Purpose, is focused on generating healthy financial returns while giving back to communities the company serves. This includes meeting consumer needs for a spectrum of convenient foods and beverages, reducing the company's impact on the environment through water, energy and packaging initiatives, and supporting its employees through a diverse and inclusive culture that recruits and retains world-class talent. PepsiCo is listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index and the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. For more information, please visit  www.pepsico.com.

Just the other day I received a notice from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District relating to Maybeline. Apparently, as a way to cut down on emissions the local government is offering cash for old vehicles which are then scrapped. Even though this program is specific to the Bay Area, there are programs nation wide offering similar incentives and sometime soon there may even be a federal "cash for clunkers" program put out by the Obama Administration. I would never in a million years do this to Maybeline as she is worth well over $5,000 and as I mentioned earlier is just as, if not more efficient than today's enormous gas guzzlers but the program may be of interest to other old car owners. The contents of the letter I received are listed below:

Dear Vehicle Owner:

Since the registration on your model year 1986 vehicle is expiring soon, please consider an alternative to driving this vehicle. You can receive $650 for your 1987 or older car, van, or pick-up truck from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (Air District) and help reduce air pollution. The Air District is the regional government agency that regulates air pollution within the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties.

The Air District's Vehicle Buy Back Program buys and then scraps 1987 and older vehicles. These older vehicles have less efficient emission control equipment and therefore produce much more air pollution than newer vehicles. This program is completely voluntary. If your vehicle is a classic car or otherwise valuable to you, please disregard this letter.

The following is a partial list of requirements your vehicle must meet in order to qualify to receive $650:

• Vehicle must be a 1987 model year or older.
• Vehicle must be currently registered as operable.
• Vehicle must have been registered as operable in the Bay Area for the past 24 months.
• Vehicle must be in operating condition.
• Vehicles with 60 days of a required smog check must take and pass their smog check.

Please call 1-888-690-2274 toll-free for the names and phone numbers of the auto dismantlers who will determine if your vehicle meets all of the program requirements. If your vehicle meets all of the requirements, the dismantler will buy and scrap your 1987 and older vehicle and give you a check for $650.

We hope that you will take advantage of this incentive to retire your vehicle and help improve air quality in the Bay Area.

Sincerely,

Vehicle Buy Back Program
Bay Area Air Quality Management District

939 Ellis Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
415.771.6000
www.baaqmd.gov

SPRANQ is a dutch company with a creative line of products. Ecofont was created through a desire to save resources and is inspired by dutch holey cheese. The font looks much like a normal font but instead of using solid black lines it has tiny holes throughout the letters, much the way that bone marrow, plane wings, and other light weight materials have holes and pockets of air. As a result of this simple holey solution Ecofont uses 20% less ink than an average font would require.

The Ecofont works best in OpenOffice, AppleWorks and MS Office 2007. Printing with a laser printer will give the best printing results and letters will appear like the above image. Get your free copy of Ecofont by visiting their website here and selecting your location then begin green printing!

Here are a few more bright ideas from the people behind Ecofont:

• End Users: print only when necessary, use a modern, efficient printer and use unbleached paper.
• Graphic Designers: use modern colour separation techniques to avoid unnecessary wastage in ink. In paper choice, take the environment into account.
• (Offset) Printers: avoid modern laser techniques that make ink indivisible from the paper. Keep an eye on innovations, such as plant-based ink.
• Printer Manufacturers: invest in environment-conscious innovation.

Shopping
Next time you get the urge to shop, grab your laptop and browse the online aisles. Shipping a 10-pound package overnight by air uses nearly 50% less fuel than you'd use going to and from the mall. Do even more by opting for ground shipping which uses 20% less energy than air shipping. Many online stores such as ABSTRACTmall also use drop shipping which means they don't stock items, instead they are shipped direct from manufacturer and that saves even more energy!

In The Home
Attaching aerators to your faucets can significantly cut down on water use. The savings in gallons-per-minute that you create will be close to 50% and most aerators cost under $5.

In The Kitchen
Next time you want to heat up a TV dinner or a leftover casserole, use a toaster oven instead of a conventional oven. As long as it's got enough room for air to circulate around it, the smaller appliance will consume about 50% less energy.

At The Office
Did you know that paper account for more than 50% of all trash? Cut down on the amount of paper you're using by paying attention to what you send to the printer. The next time you print a document through Microsoft Word, change your layout settings to print 2 or more reduced-sized pages per sheet. You can also make your printer's ink cartridges last a little longer by using Ecofont - an environmentally friendly font that uses up to 20% less ink. Developed by SPRANQ, the font is totally free and compatible with Windows and Mac operating systems.

On The Phone
If you still have a landline, make sure you're using a corded phone. Because corded phones don't need to spend any time in a recharging cradle like their cordless counterparts, corded phones cut down on energy use by over 50% and are much less harmful on the environment because they don't require batteries.

Washing Clothes
Filling your washing machine up with cold suds instead of hot ones will cut down on your energy usage by at least 50%. Combine this with non-toxic, biodegradable laundry detergent like Natural 2x Concentrate Laundry Liquid from Seventh Generation and you can get clean clothes with a clean conscience. When you do eventually wash your clothes or do the dishes, do it late in the evening when the electrical grid is less packed, during the day electricity is more expensive and more limited because everyone is using it all at the same time.

Laundry Detergent
Pay careful attention to the amount of liquid detergent you use and pour only the recommended amount. Most people use twice as much as needed. Using less can save 50% of the product, which equals 50% less packaging.

Drying Clothes
If you're throwing a half-sized load of laundry into the dryer, only use 50% of a dryer sheet. And when the load is done, you can repurpose the used dryer sheet as a duster. Keep one in your glove box to wipe down your dashboard or use it around the house. The antistatic properties of the laundry sheet will attract dust.

Grocery Trips
Try to plan your grocery shopping trips so that your purchases will keep you from going back as often. 50% of the pollution it takes to transport food comes from your drive to and from the store.

Removing Stains
Instead of spending money on stain removers that could be environmentally toxic, do a search for helpful home remedy tips. For instance, you can get rid of sweat stains on laundry by soaking the garment in salt water for an hour, then rubbing the area with a mix of 50% white vinegar and 50% water before washing it.

Outdoor Grilling
With summer coming up, some of you will be investing in a new grill. Consider purchasing a gas grill which produces 50% less CO2 than charcoal grills and about 1/3 as much as electric grills. This also goes for your indoor stove! If you are going camping consider this biomass powered solar camp stove that doesn't require any fuel aside from a few twigs you can pick up along the trail, the unit also weighs less than a conventional camp stove.

At The Table
Your diet has an effect on greenhouse gas emissions. Start substituting only one meal a week with a vegetarian option, and you can reduce your carbon footprint. If you take the plunge and go completely vegan, your diet will be 50% more effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions than switching to a hybrid car. Vegetarian options are usually cheaper, require 1/10th of the energy that livestock use, and livestock in the US are fed nearly 50% of the fresh water produce across the country so you'll save water too!

In The Home
Opt for a universal phone charger instead of one designed for your specific wireless phone and you'll save yourself some hassle, plus use about 50% less energy. Don't forget to recycle your old charger. You might also consider a portable solar charger which can cut 100% of the energy you use to charge your ipod, phones, and other electronic devices.

In The Shower
Install a low flow showerhead and use 50% less water every time you shower. These shower heads come in many different styles and can actually feel better than traditional high flow shower heads. You will probably spend between $15 and $50 depending on the style you choose, while you're at it, fix that leaky sink or toilet and save even more water!

Leaking
Got a leaky faucet? Fix it! A dripping faucet can leak enough in one month to provide enough water for one person for two weeks. Fix that faucet and use 50% less water. You can call a plumber or depending on the situation you can buy Teflon Plumber's Tape for less than $5 and try to fix it yourself.

Energy
Swap out your conventional incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents and you'll use at least 50% less energy in every room. Plus, you'll have to change them much less often; fluorescents last up to 10 times longer than their traditional counterparts. These days you can get many different styles, even dimmable CFL's!

Printing
Buy recycled paper for your printer and your school or work notes. A ton of paper made from recycled material saves 17 trees and uses 50% less water.

Dust
Dust your light bulbs frequently and you'll get better use out of them. A coat of dust on a light bulb can prevent 50% of light from illuminating your room. When you are cleaning or first installing lights, try to keep your fingers from touching the glass as it can heat up and cause the bulb to burn out faster.

Water Pollution
Recycle all your glass products and purchase products made from recycled glass when possible. Recycled glass produces 50% less water pollution than glass made from non-recycled materials.

Landfill Waste
Recycle all your paper products. If every American recycled all their paper products, landfills would be filled with almost 50% less waste.

Lawn Watering
Water your lawn as little as possible. Most people water their lawns twice as much as needed. One way to know how much water is enough is to place an empty tuna can in your yard. When the can is full, turn off your sprinkler and you'll use about 50% less water. You should also try to water your lawn and other plants in the evening or shady times of the day so the water seeps down into the ground instead of evaporating.

Buy Aquafina And Biota Bottled Water Or Use A Nalgene / CamelBak Bottle
Many of the "Save 50%" tips shared here are courtesy of Aquafina which has cut the plastic used in their water bottles by 50% since 2002. Biota uses biodegradable compostable plastic made of corn for their product. Using a Nalgene or CamelBak style bottle will save over 50% and if you don't want to pay $10 for one of these, just use a glass bottle from a drink like Snapple.

Got another way to save 50%? Add it using the comment system below...

These days you can get several different designs and colors in Nalgene type bottles and other companies like CamelBak have also entered the market. New designs are made to fit in cup holders and backpacks, store more or less liquid, and feature bite valves or screw tops. Thankfully, the standard that is emerging for lid design and opening size is the wide mouth... This is a great design because it makes cleaning and filling much easier, especially when adding ice. That said, drinking from a wide mouth bottle can be a sloppy process because the opening is SO wide. Splashguards help to diminish this challenge and the latest lineup of splash guards do more than just keep the splash down, they have a built in filters!

Introducing the TapGuard from Guyot Designs (shown above). Add it to any widemouth bottle and you've got instant carbon-filtered water from any safe source. I bought one of these today from REI for a cool $15 and have been very impressed with the performance. The TapGuard comes with the splashguard unit in blue, orange, or black and contains two replacement carbon filters (shown in the aluminum pouches above) which is enough for 200 liters of water - the equivalent of hundreds of disposable bottles of water! When those two carbon filters eventually run out you can get two more replacements for just $6. That's way more affordable and convenient than a pitcher filter, and it takes up less space in a refrigerator.

Since I take my bottle everywhere with me (and leave my fridge at home) this method of filtering allows me to use water from drinking fountains, friends houses, and garden hoses and still get a great taste and cleaner water. Compared to a regular splash guard I had to suck a bit but it's not much different than the sippy cups of my youth. This is a great product that is both healthy and environmentally focused. Guyot Designs seems like a responsible earth minded company and has several other cool products coming out, so keep an eye on them!

The CamelBack "Better Bottle", which is BPA Free, is my favorite model and definitely what I'd recommend for use with the TapGuard. Bisphenol-A (BPA) is an ingredient used to make polycarbonate; suspected of being hazardous to humans since the 1930s. According to Wikipedia, concerns about the use of bisphenol A in consumer products were regularly reported in the news media in 2008 when several governments issued reports questioning its safety. Some retailers even removed products made from BPA from their shelves.

CamelBak BPA-free bottles feature the same great properties customers have come to expect from polycarbonate "old fashioned" style Nalgenes: vibrant color, clarity, durability, dishwasher-safe, and no residual taste. Additionally none of CamelBak's bottles have ever contained phthalates. Phthalates (pronounced thal-ates) are a component added to some plastics to make them soft and pliable. As of the end of April 2008, the entire CamelBak bottle line will be available in BPA-Free materials in North America.

I'll be the first to admit that I forget my reusable bags from time to time, and sometimes I just get lazy. You've probably seen the bags I'm referring to, Safeway and other stores sell them and they're usually made of recycled plastic or cloth, even organic cotton cloth if you shop at Whole Foods. I got a couple free promo bags with the Toyota logo on them from the recent EDTA conference in Washington DC and one more from the NRDC in the mail. This type of green branding has become quite popular and the point I'm trying to make here is that anyone can get a reusable shopping bag, they're not exactly hard to come by, just hard to remember to use.

While these reusable bags are great for reducing plastic and paper waste and the environmental impacts of littering, they do tend to clutter up your passenger or back seat during non grocery related trips and honestly, I'm just not in the habit of checking my trunk before entering stores. Walking to the grocery store or going by bike would solve this problem, but not everyone lives within range. Furthermore, even when you're in the grocery store itself - before actually leaving, plastic bags and packaging abound. From vegetables to fruits and meats, plastic bags are everywhere and sometimes required for weighing and separating.

To address this seemingly inescapable problem, some stores have put out plastic bag recycling bins. I took the picture shown above at a Safeway in my neighborhood near San Francisco, and while it's a nice service to see, I highly doubt it's being offered nation wide. I live in one of the greenest states and cities in the country, but having been raised in Colorado (which is still fairly green) and visiting often, I know it's not like this everywhere. Furthermore, if people have a hard time remembering to bring in a clean reusable bag for shopping, how will they remember to bring in a bunch of junky plastic bags for recycling? I personally think it's more about branding and greenwashing than anything - but hey, progress is good.

You should know, plastic bags along with bottles and other disposables that don't biodegrade naturally, pile up in our oceans and kill hundreds of thousands of animals annually. Birds mistake colorful plastic for fish or jellies and naturally, they try to eat them or feed them to their young. Eventually these birds starve to death or suffocate. Virtually all ocean dwelling creatures are impacted in some way and in turn our seafood is contaminated. You can learn more about these effects in this 8 minute TED video by Charles Moore entitled Sailing the Great Pacific Garbage Patch - take the time and watch it now.

So what are the options? I've already discussed the "bring your own bag" model. Anyone can buy one of these non-disposable cloth bags and as long as they remember to use it, things improve drastically. Unfortunately though, remembering is tough... there aren't any local impacts, people aren't ostracizing each other about it, yet. Grocery stores are still happy to ask "paper or plastic" but I believe those days are numbered. Let me compliment Trader Joe's for offering a weekly raffle to shoppers who bring their own bag. As someone who shops with his own bags regularly, let me just say, people DO notice when you bring your own bag and they DO react positively. A creatively decorated bag could even get you a date, or at least a few good looks from the preferred sex. Smart is sexy...

One company has created a smart solution to the BYOB model (bring your own bag...) and it has to do with packaging. Unlike the stiff recycled plastic bags that don't compact very well and the cloth bags that tend to be fairly thick, their bags are thin and nearly seamless. They actually resemble the shape and volume of a plastic bag. In doing so, these bags compact very easily and are much easier to store. The real innovation, however, is in how they are stored. One small stuff sack is included with either three or six of these thin cloth bags inside, and the stuff sack fills out to the size of a cup... So now instead of having junky looking dirty bags floating around your car or out of reach in the trunk you get several clean bags (because they're washable) inn a cup sized stuff sack that fits in your cup holder. Let me repeat that, the stuff sack fits conveniently in your front seat cup holder! Voila! No longer will you forget your bags in the trunk, no longer will your back seat be cluttered, no longer will you be reduced to a walking shopping billboard.

The company is called Olive Smart, as in "All Live Smart", and the bags are available in 3 and 6 packs for $24 and $39 respectively. While this may seem a bit expensive, remember that these bags are washable and you'll be supporting creative sustainability... We're all for it! If you know of other great solutions like this by all means please post them below, and please, take the time to bring your own bag shopping :)

Simply put, as land based icebergs melt they phase shift from a solid (ice) into a liquid (water) and run downhill into the world's oceans. This in turn causes the oceans to rise. Furthermore, as oceans warm, due to the greenhouse effect and warm glacial runoff, they expand and take up more space. So the issue of rising oceans is really hinged on global warming in two distinct ways, it's not just more water that's causing the problem it's also the temperature of the ocean itself.

Now, is global warming real? Yes, the atmospheric temperature on Earth is steadily rising and people are causing the rise by burning fossil fuels. Has global warming happened in the past before people started using cars and burning oil? Yes, the earth's atmosphere has warmed and cooled many times over the past several hundred thousand years. In terms of cooler periods scientists now have evidence that two asteroids hit the earth at different times. The first one killing off large dinosaurs and once again killing off woolly mammoth's and other "ice age" creatures. Researchers have able to find one crater as evidence just North of Venezuela (for the dinosaurs) and a rich deposit of nanocrystals (only formed by asteroids) in the south pole. The latest theory accounting for the lack of a second crater is that the asteroid hit an icy region of earth and thus did not leave a crater. Okay, so both of those events caused the earth to cool, when and why has it warmed?

The Earth has warmed several times throughout history as its rotational patterns have shifted and changed. This process is natural, and while still potentially damaging to Earth's ecosystems, it is not preventable. So is this recent phase of warming caused by the Earth's rotation? No, it is being caused by man, and what's more concerning is that CO2 levels today are higher than they have ever been over the past 400,000 years (as shown in the chart above borrowed from PBS). You may be wondering, how can we even know what the CO2 levels were that far back? Well, scientists have been drilling into ice sheets in Antarctica and pull out core samples (big tubes of ice). These core samples contain hundreds of layers of ice dating back hundreds of thousands of years, and the ice contains bubbles with prehistoric air... that in turn contains CO2. So these readings are very accurate and basically serve as irrefutable evidence of global warming.

Bummer, I know... So the next time your grandpa or says "bah, global warming isn't real, people can't do that kind of damage, we're too small" like mine does all the time... You can point him to the official United States Environmental Protection Agency website here which says that sea levels have already risen 5 inches in the past 100 years and are expected to rise up to 2 feet in the next 100. And that's just the EPA, many scientists estimate 2-3 feet of rise. Furthermore, the world community of researchers focused on glaciers have been shocked and amazed by the speed at which ice glaciers have been receding in recent years, much faster than first estimated.

Now I know what you're grandparents are thinking right now. Thank goodness I'll be dead! And you may even be thinking, sheesh, 2 feet isn't that big of a deal and I'm not going to live to 100 anyways. Well, it's actually more than it sounds like and it could happen a lot faster than we think. You see, as the ocean rises vertically one foot, it comes inland about 10 feet. So if  you live in India or many parts of Asia which are already at sea level, you are going to be displaced. Some places will be able to cope by using levvys (such as Denmark) but that cost's a ton of money and those systems are prone to failure. We'ere talking billions of people on the move as a result of changing landscapes. And what happens when billions of people are displaced? We could have war, but I'm hoping for one giant beach party! Another point worth mentioning here is that fresh water is going to be harder and harder to come by because those glaciers we talked about earlier (at least the ones in the Rocky Mountains) are where people in the US get a lot of fresh water. Without fresh water we will have to rely on desalination of ocean water, and that water will be increasingly polluted as oceans rise. Double bummer.

So if you have a beach house are you screwed? In my opinion, yes, you should get out of there quick or at least swap to a house that's a bit further back with roads going directly inland. I have already areas of Northern California near San Francisco (where I live) sliding into the ocean. One area called Devil's Slide was completely cut off when the road slid out into the ocean a couple years ago and now the state is spending millions to move the road closer inland by building a bridge and tunnel. The houses that line the cliffs there no longer have road access and people have to hike to get home each day. I've attached an aerial photo below showing the specific areas I'm talking about but the problem is happening everywhere along the coast, especially in Southern California. Now if you live in Colorado (where I used to live) it's easy to deny rising oceans, but it's not a very attractive trait. Who wants to be known as "Grumpy Grandpa" the one that denied it to the end and was really the source of most of these problems to begin with.

While the oceans are not expected to rise all at once and swallow up houses and coastlines like some kind of giant hurricane, storms are something to watch out for. If hurricane Katrina and others are any indication, changing gulf streams and other environmental shifts could devastate coastal areas such as Florida. The ocean currents that keep places like the UK livable are expected to slow down killing off millions of fish and making the dreary cold weather even worse. I personally think it's kind of ironic that Florida is such a popular place for grandpa types to retire, because it is poised to be under water within the next 100 years (or at least behind levys)... I just hope Mickey can swim, he didn't do so well in Fantasia. For more serious references definitely watch the new PBS NOVA special called Extreme Ice - and invite your parents or kids to join you. People can and will adapt, but I personally do not want to deny that a problem exists - taking personal responsibility and choosing to live more within your own means is a great step in the right direction. And remember, NOVA (the source of the videos listed above) is funded by the Public Broadcast Service which is run by our government and paid for by our taxes. They are as close to non-biased as you can get.

At one point in an intense standoff Greenzo confronts Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) with "Wait! What's in that styrofoam cup, huh? The Earth's blood? Gimme that!". Tragically, styrofoam cups and individually wrapped plastic utincils are still in high demand and use. These compounds are toxic to produce and nearly impossible to dispose. According to WikiAnswers it takes upwards of 50 years for a styrofoam cup to decompose... so what are the alternatives?

Thankfully, a whole new industry is "sprouting up" around biodegradable consumables such as forks, knives, plates, takeout boxes, and even water bottles! I first noticed this trend two years ago while working at the Googleplex in Mountain View California, the epicenter of cleantech (in the US). Google is well known for its employee benefits, free food, pets at work, etc. etc. but not so many people know that their takeout utencils are made of corn which is completely compostable. They have also have one cafeteria that only utilizes ingredients grown within 150 miles known as "Cafe 150". Recently Google also added organic gardens to their portfolio of green eating options. These gardens supply ingredients used daily to prepare meals at their main cafeteria.

These days it's not just Google clearing the way to a greener future in the food industry. Several local restaurants and corporations are jumping onboard as well. Hewlett Packard, for example has made an internal commitment to rid themselves of styrofoam coffee cups in break rooms and cafeterias. Microsoft has begun using recyclable silverware in their cafeterias. As a soccer Mom (or Dad) who serves up pizza and casserole you could also be making a difference. Instead of using Solo plastic cups and styrofoam plates for your next playdate or sleepover consider the alternatives being offered by the Dine Green Store. You can also do a bit of homework on your local restaurants and figure out which ones belong to the Green Restaurant Association. The GRA connects sustainable product suppliers and producers with consumers and restaurants providing a convenient way for all sectors of the restaurant industry, which represents 10% of the U.S. economy, to become more environmentally sustainable. Shown here are food containers made out of Bagasse, a fiberous resadue leftover material from the production of sugarcane.

It won't be long until Costco and Sam's club are offering these products in bulk, in the mean time check out the websites we've shared and keep your eye out for recyclable materials like Bagasse, Bioplastic, Corn, Bambu, BioPak Fiberboard, Clamshell, Organic Cotton, Recycled Paperboard and of course Recycled Paper. Share your own source of bio utensils and organic materials below.

The problem of raging forest fires, habitat loss and home destruction isn't just limited to California. Slash and burn agriculture throughout the tropical rain forest regions around the world can also spur on seasonal wild fires capable of mass destruction. What begins as a way to release nutrients from tropical plants in order to produce bean crops quickly (slash and burn) turns into blight and starvation as vast grasslands overrun the lands as nutrients are lost. This all leads to wild fires. In recent years the problem has grown, forcing thousands of farmers in lesser developed countries around the world to move deeper and deeper into the rain forest destroying more and more habitats and animals as they move forward.

In February 2009 Willie Smits was featured on Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) which is a network much like YouTube focused on educational videos presented in 18 minute segments. His talk entitled A 20-year tale of hope: How we re-grew a rainforest addresses the problem of forest fires and deforestation. Many of the discoveries made during his experiments in Borneo may be applicable to California and other places in the US where forest fires are a real problem. His initial goal was not to stop fires but rather to save orangutans. This goal resembles the challenge of saving homes in California and his solution can be applied in much the same way.

What Mr. Smits found is that reforestation can take place, even in the most remote and hostile environments. By creating a perimeter of thorny Salak Palms he was able to keep the people separate from the orangutans and the rain forest zone which attracted moisture and rainfall. Around the Salak Palms he created a "people zone" where villagers could resettle and grow beans and sugar cane (used for ethanol in some cases). A final perimeter was created around the settlements made from fire resistant trees and shrubs to protect from the seasonal forest fires. All of this was tracked using Google Earth and as the reforestation and planting work was being done a culture of sustainability, based on protecting the inner forest and orangutans, was fostered in the native culture of villagers who chose to join the project.

With this same type of environmental engineering and community involvement Californians should be able to create a fire boundary for their own communities. Advanced irrigation techniques that are not available in Borneo could be used to grow back swaths of Redwoods and other fire resistant trees and new vegetation might also attract moisture release from otherwise dry clouds.

When you leave appliances plugged in they drain power or create heat which wastes power. I was wondering, aren't there smart outlets that stop the flow of energy for appliances when not in use? If so, how would these work and where can I get them? I know there are power strips that you can manually turn off, but what about a smart outlet that could be used in houses across the nation. I asked Lee if he knew how to build something like this or if it exists already. Maybe it would require an actual switch at the outlet or maybe it could be smart enough to figure it out on its own.

Below is an image taken from a recent National Geographic story we covered about saving energy at home, the bright red represents heat from the flow of electricity even though none of the chargers are being used. Take note that while this image is very dramatic in it's appearance, the actual power loss experienced may not be so.

Lee responded to my question with the following tips: There is a device called a Kill-A-Watt that will measure current draw on power cubes and that would help to determine whether leaving a charger connected is a cause for concern. It will measure down to a very low power consumption, about a watt. I have yet to find any modern chargers that consume much electricity when nothing is connected to them. My iPhone's power cube doesn't even register a watt until I plug in the iPhone. Then it registers about 4 watts while it's charging and 0 watts after the phone is charged. The iPhone's battery has a capacity of 7 W-h, which is about .07 cents worth of electricity. Even if I drained and charged it every day, it would use only 25 cents in electricity per year. So if a charger left plugged in for a year drew another 25 cents in electricity, it would be hard to justify spending very much to prevent it.

Suppose there was a device that cost $25 that sensed whether any DC current was flowing from the charger, and if not, turned off the current at the wall outlet. It would take 100 years of energy savings to pay for itself, provided it didn't consume electricity. But it would need to use electricity, and therefore would likely create a net loss of energy overall.

Generally speaking, something that is left on all the time but draws less than a watt isn't a major concern. A one watt load over the course of a month adds about $.07 to your electric bill.  Having said that, there are plenty of items that even when they appear to be turned off will draw 5 to 10 watts or more, and these things can add up on your bill. Over the course of a month, a persistent 15 watt load will add about  $1 to your monthly electric bill. That's the best place to direct one's attention when looking to save energy.

Regarding the image above, images from IR cameras can be very misleading and should not be used as a way to estimate relative power consumption. An IR camera is self-adjusting so that it can read even the slightest change in temperature variation in its view and then it adjusts its color range to achieve the maximum color differential. This often gives the false impression that there is a wide variation of temperatures and a large amount of heat being generated. However, it may only be a few degrees of temperature variation even though it shows colors going all the way from blue to red, causing people to think that some parts of the picture are below freezing and other parts are 'red hot'. A small temperature differential can be achieved with just milliwatts of power. Rather than using an $2500 IR camera, a Kill-A-Watt, which costs $18 at newegg.com, is much more useful to show where in your household you can achieve energy savings. In general, it makes sense to attack persistent loads that are more than 5 watts, and ignore anything less than 1 watt, because those loads will make little difference in the grand scheme of things. I know that every little bit adds up, but the best use of your time is to go after the big offenders, and you'll be surprised where you'll find them. My very expensive Bose Wave clock radio draws 10 watts continuously whether it's playing music or not, whereas my el-cheapo clock radios, that essentially perform the same function, all draw less than 1 watt.

If you don't have a Kill-A-Watt, I would highly recommend you get one.  They are very valuable in helping sort out where your electricity is being wasted, or not being wasted, whatever the case may be.

The best kind of smart outlet I see in the future will be the kind that is connected to a smart grid. This grid will monitor use and charging so that appliances can actually store electricity and act as a back up power source, a sort of distributed battery... Stay tuned for more on this topic and check out EV Authority for more battery related news and stories.