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Reasoning with the smart grid

by The Green A-Team

America’s new energy grid gets smart.  What does the new stimulus package mean for your electric bill?

President Obama’s recent stimulus package includes large resources devoted to energy efficiency, renewable energy research, guaranteed loans, and tax credits.  This means big changes on the horizon for the way America produces the energy it needs to run itself.

The challenge is that renewable sources like solar and wind deliver power sporadically which means a new grid will have to be laid out in order to regulate the flow.

According to IBM and the Global Intelligent Utility Network Coalition, the so-called “smart grid” dramatically reduce outages and faults, improves responsiveness, handles current and future demand, increases efficiency and manages costs. Consumers benefit with new power options like customized pricing and real-time monitoring of their usage and costs.

The Intelligent Utility Network also helps consumers actively participate in solving critical energy problems by making “smart” homes and energy-conscious choices possible.

For a complete breakdown of how the smart grid works, check out IBM’s awesome podcast presentation:

ibm

Photo by Gilfer.


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Office waste: Is paperless possible?

by The Green A-Team

Whatever happened to the idea of the paperless office?

As soon as CD-Roms replaced library card catalogs, the notion of swapping physical information for the magic of binary code has enticed business owners in every category to “go paperless.”  Those refusing the intangible wizardry have held onto their markers in place of Macs but have been paying for it not only in storage costs, but environmentally.

Alex Szabo, CEO of the GreenOffice.com:

The better we get with technology and the more pervasive things like video conferencing are as opposed to just calling in on a conference call, the more easier that’s gonna be for folks to palette.

The resources to find a happy balance between the old ways and the new are abundant.  Little things like shutting down all your office equipment at night, setting printers to draft mode, and procuring planet-friendly paper may bring your office’s old ways to an acceptable present.

For the full interview with Alex Szabo, click here.

If your office mates are still too stubborn to follow some simple steps toward sustainable office space, check out some of the following links:

Smart Office

Stocking the green office: Sustainable Supplies (Ecopreneurist.com)

The Sustainable Office

Sustainable office furniture (Ecowork.com)

Photo by whiskyx.


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My pet is green!

by The Green A-Team

Has your pet gone green yet?

There are 72 million pet dogs and 82 million pet cats in the United States.  The pet population has an impact just as we do, but the difference is that we’re making the calls as to how we care for them, decisions that can also have strong impact on our health and the environment.

Here’s a few tips for greening up your pet:

1.) Adopt. The shelters are teeming with abandoned pets that are desperate for a home and the cost of adoption is minimal.

2.) Feed them right. Meat byproducts, commodity corn, and chemical fillers in pet food are as bad if not worse for them as they are for us.  Nourish their little bodies with brands that are certified to have the good stuff or make  your own pet food!

and 3.) Compost pet waste. Keep it out of your vegetable garden but it use it your flower beds and lawns for them to come up really strong!

For more ways to green your pet, check out some of the following sites:

How to go green: Pets (Planet Green)

Great Green Pet

Bideawee

Photo by hippolyte photography.


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Gr’investing: ETF’s make cents

by The Green A-Team

With stocks at bargain prices in this volatile market, which green energy companies are your best bet?

The future of energy is in critical condition and the largest investment firms are looking more and more to the new industries whose clean energy supplies could salvage the sputtering market.

One way to get involved is with green exchange traded funds, commonly known as ETFs. These are essentially mutual funds supporting renewable and cleaner sources of energy and technologies.  EFT shares are traded all day long on the major stock market exchanges.  These funds can hold dozens, even thousands of companies under one umbrella unified by an environmental theme.

It’s clear that despite the market-wide downturns of late, green ETFs have performed with stability and predictable gains.  The slow and steady approach to green investing may be just the way to inch your way out your hole and be a part of the inevitable movement toward sustainable, locally produced energy.

For more tips on green investing, check out some of these links:

Green ETF’s providing alternatives (ETF Trends)

Clean energy ETFs for green investors (Business Week)

Green ETFs: Super volatile or supercharged? (EVX, PZD) (ETFExpert.com)

WSJ Sunday turns eight (Wall Street Journal)

Photo by Lamanda2.


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The First Farmer

by The Green A-Team

Grassroots movements converge on Washington to urge the Obamas to appoint the nation’s First Farmer.

It wasn’t difficult for the first family to decide on a personal chef - Sam Kass has been preparing them local and organic meals since their Chicago days.  But now that the Obama’s every morsel is up for discussion, some feel that the food eaten by the President should come from his own land.

In response, three separate organizations have sprung up, all calling for one thing:  Turn the White House lawn into farmland.

The first, called the White House Organic Farm Project is touring it’s “topsy-turvy” bus around the nation teaching the code of the green thumb.

Another group called “Eat the View,” with its 1,600+ members are all buying up virtual plots of the First Lawn as donations.

Lastly, a local Illinois farm family created WhiteHouseFarmer.com and attracted over 100 nominees for the position of First Farmer.  Out of 56,000 votes, three emerged and have been recommended directly to the President.

Get involved and visit these sites:

The WHO Farm Project

Eat the View

White House Farmer

Photo by Monroedb1.


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Green data centers: How nature goes digital

by The Green A-Team

The natural and digital worlds combine to help decrease the global impact of today’s internet addiction.

Nowadays it’s nearly impossible to imagine a world without the internet when just over a decade ago, the internet itself was scarcely a thing of the imagination.  With it’s billions of users, the earthbound mechanisms that keep this digital universe expanding are showing signs that surfing the web can lead to an environmental wipeout.

The bulk of the information that flows through our computers is stored and powered by a network of high-tech data centers.  The hardware used at these sites needs shocking amounts of electricity that generates lots of heat.

New green data centers like Oregon-based Taproot Hosting, power their boards on 100% wind energy.  They even tell their employees to stay home, opting for tele-commuting over terrestrial commutes.  Other centers bury their gear, taking advantage of natural geothermal cooling instead of conventional air conditioning.

For more on how to reduce your carbon e-print, have a look at some of these sites:

Sun’s take on green data centers in 2009 (GreenTechMedia.com)

Green Data Center Blog

Google: Our green data centers get a lot greener (GreenerComputing.com)

Photo by ibmphoto24.


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Trash blasting:
The future of waste removal

by The Green A-Team

The future of trash isn’t too hard to predict - there’s going to be a lot of it.

So what’s in store for the future of trash removal?

According to the EPA, the average American produces about 4.4 pounds of garbage a day. Thats an annual 240 million tons produced nationally. So how can the country that invented the internet and the airplane maintain it’s technological leadership under this hulking mountain of trash?

One very high-tech solution involves the blasting of garbage with lasers. While it may seem too sci-fi to be true, the process is known as plasma gasification and uses high electrical energy and high temperature to obliterate the molecular bonds that hold garbage together. The elements are separated and collected as gas, later to be used to power the facility itself.

Garbage zapping is already being used abroad with Florida on deck to be the first state in the US to bring this futuristic form of trash blasting into the present.

For more on the future of trash tech, check out this video.

Photo by gardinergirl.


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E-waste: Where do all the gadgets go?

by The Green A-Team

The International Consumer Electronics Show wrapped up in Las Vegas but what happens to these soon-to-be-obsolete electronic devices once their lifetime has expired?

Electronic waste, made up of discarded TV’s, computers, and cell phones, known as E-waste has swiftly risen to become the fastest growing component of our country’s waste stream.  In reality, the physical stuff of these magic machines consists mainly of lead, mercury, and cancer-causing dioxins that poison the people and habitats around them.

One such habitat can be found in the Guiyu region of China.  Here, nearly 80% of the world’s e-waste is shipped to be sorted, dismantled, and melted down to its valuable elements, including gold.  The result is the highest concentration of cancer and child lead poisoning in the world.

Ensure your e-waste isn’t contributing to this toxic scourge by checking out recycling brokers and accredited e-stewards the next time you’re ready to toss a used gadget.

For more on what to do with e-waste, check out some of these resources:

Electronic Waste - Guiyu, China

Regional Computer Recycling and Recovery (ewaste.com)

E-Waste: Dark side of digital age (Wired)

Following the trail of toxic e-waste (60-Minutes)

Photo and slideshow by alistair.ruff.


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My dirty little Valentine

by The Green A-Team

When choosing gold jewelry for your Valentine this year, consider the dirty secrets of this so-called precious metal.

The world’s gold is in short supply and the amount collected in the last 500 yearsd could fill two Olympic sized swimming pools.  Within the last 50 years, the old wild west methods of panning and prospecting have been replaced by mountain leveling, open-pit mining that creates man made earth gashes that can be seen from space.

Having the least vital relevance to human existence, gold generates more waste per ounce than any other metal.  One ounce, the amount found in a typical wedding ring, requires the removal of more than 250 tons of rock and ore.  Cyanide is used to leach gold from the ore and the lead and mercury heavy waste slurry is commonly dumped into local water resources decimating fish, wildlife, and poisoning the food chain for generations.

If you really want to dazzle your Valentine this year, try buy from retailers like Tiffany & Co that are pushing mining standards higher.

For more facts and alternatives to dirty gold, check out some of these powerful images and links:

Women Gold Miners (Chocó, Colombia)

Chocó is a no man’s land. The large inaccessible rainforest jungle area in the western lowlands of Colombia is mainly inhabited by Afro Colombian population, descendents of African slaves. High presence of malaria, guerilla drug traffic routes, tropical deseases and only an irregular river transport makes this region virtually lost. Gold that is found in the jungle rivers of Chocó is the only hope for many although they never find what they dream about. Women goldminers work in a hot tropical humid climate, miring in the goldbearing mud, searching for the gold and platine dust. They will never give up their effort simply because there is no other way to live off. © www.jansochor.com

Alternatives to Dirty Gold (NoDirtyGold.org)

Jewelery retailers target ‘dirty gold’ (Marketplace)

Cleaning up dirty gold (Washington Post)

Photo by danielle_blue.

Slideshow by Jan Sochor.


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Autoshow electrifies and trians are back in style

by The Green A-Team

Electric cars win big at the Detroit Autoshow and a real plan is emerging to fix the nation’s transportation problems.

Foreign automakers aren’t the only ones rushing electric cars to market, it’s domestic manufacturers including Ford who’ve unveiled prototypes at this year’s auto show.  Unlike the electric golf carts you may be familiar with, the new green fleet of autos are quiet and quick and don’t require the noxious burning of ancient plants.

While this innovation does reduce carbon emissions, what about it’s effect on the power grid?  Experts agree that cars won’t burden the grid if owners charge their batteries at night.

Other solutions to our transportation dilemma include airport improvements, expansions, and creating high-speed rail links. Eliminating the horror of terminal gridlock on our runways may lessen headaches for travelers and increase jobs for contractors.  High-speed rail links between city centers bring the classic form of train travel up to date ushering time-crunched travelers to and from their points of passage.

For more transportation innovations, check out some of these sites:

Green Transportation (Mother Earth News)

League of American Bicyclists

Green Autos

Green Eye

Photo by rmarinello.


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Time’s up for gas guzzling automakers

by Rich Awn

The rubber hits the road as President Obama puts car and truck emission regulations in reverse.

With petroleum fueling foreign conflict and gas prices mercilessly gouging  the American people, President Obama announced his plans for decisive action in his first steps toward real energy independence.

The new energy policy now before Congress calls for a massive overhaul in the physical engineering of our current grid; a project that will create a new energy economy loaded with green collar jobs.

As for the new green American auto fleet, the President declares it will be built right here at home.  By 2020, new manufacturing standards will only produce autos that can get at least 35 miles per gallon.  This 40% increase in fuel efficiency could save 2 million barrels of oil per day.

While his wish is not to burden the struggling American auto industry, the President’s swift actions have automakers scrambling to meet these new standards slated to begin in 2011.

For more on the new energy economy, have a look at some of these links:

Environmentalists for Obama

Technology’s fingerprints on the stimulus package (NY Times)

US Secretary breaks with ‘drill only’ energy policy (AP)

Photo by Subject is too Cute.


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Give a tweet!
Twitter quenches the world’s clean water crisis

by The Green A-Team

How is Twitter helping to provide clean water to developing countries?

Still fuzzy on what Twitter is? If you can express it in 140 characters, you’re ready to “tweet” yourself into the micro-blogging community some 750 thousand strong.

One thing you may find difficult to express in 140 characters, however, is the dire need for clean water in countries outside our own.  Unsafe drinking water and lack of sanitation cause 80% of all the sickness and disease worldwide.  So how does a seemingly trivial web gadget help this planetary plight?

On February 12th, over 100 cities will be hosting Twestivals, bringing together Twitter communities to raise money and awareness for the non-profit organization called charity:water.  All donations will directly fund costly yet vital clean water bearing systems.

Because of the power Twitter has to connect, mobilize, and inform people, these Twestivals have turned a quirky phenomenon into a force for global change.

Join the Twestival in your city by clicking on the following links:

Anaheim Asheville Atlanta Augusta Austin Baltimore Baton Rouge Boca Raton Boston Calgary Charlotte Charlottesville Chicago Cleveland College Station TX Columbia MO Columbus OH Dallas Denver Des Moines Detroit Durham Edmonton Fargo Galveston Halifax Hampton Roads VA Honolulu Houston Indianapolis Ithaca Iowa City Kansas City Kelowna Lafayette Lakewood Las Vegas Los Angeles Madison Memphis Mexico City Miami Milwaukee Minneapolis Moncton Montclair Monterrey Montreal Nashville New Orleans New York Ottawa Philadelphia Phoenix Pittsburgh Portland Raleigh Richmond VA     Rochester San Diego San Francisco San Jose Santa Barbara Savannah Seattle Somers CT South Padre Springfield Tampa Toronto Traverse City Vancouver Washington Wichita Wilmington International Cities and South America


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Bush saves an ocean on his way out

by The Green A-Team

In like a lion and out like a lamb.  An unlikely green super-hero emerges to protect the fragile seas.

The Bush administration may not be remembered for it’s ground breaking conservation efforts but just before his departure from office, President Bush effectively protected a whopping 195,000 square miles of the central Pacific’s untouched ocean oasis.  With the stroke of a pen, the President set aside an area the size of his home state of Texas as the largest swath of protected ocean on the planet.

And Bush didn’t skimp on the protection either: these marine monuments are granted the highest level of conservation, prohibiting commercial fishing, mining, and drilling of this newly safeguarded underwater Yellowstone.  While the initial proposed ocean and island plot was over 700,000 square miles, Bush’s declaration went above and beyond expectations and is still a huge and important initiative.

Only recently have we come to discover the finite nature of our ocean as a natural resource and it’s efforts like this we hope will endure through our emerging administration.

For a look at the largest marine monument on earth, check out some of these images:

Photo by Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Slideshow by volcanojw.


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The price of green

by The Green A-Team

The high price of green energy culls consumers and Clean Air restrictions on big shipping have port workers gasping for air.

The New York Times released a comprehensive evaluation of American green power programs and found that only 2% of households can voluntarily afford electricity powered by renewables.  The study reveals that while green power may be expensive now, resources like wind and sunlight are free and safe from the price jumps found in oil, coal, or natural gas.

Los Angeles, California: The green wave has rolled into port and commercial shipping giants say less cargo will mean less revenue in 2009.  Pollution from big shipping isn’t from the boats but from the 16,000 trucks on land.  Old, dirty trucks are slated to be replaced with cash from municipal bonds but the weak market is preventing California state money from reaching the program.  The port hopes to postpone any further green initiatives based on declining cargo volumes.

For more on the price of green, check out some of the following links:

California study shows high cost of renewable power (Reuters)

Economists caution Oregon on high cost of biofuel (Renewable Energy World)

One-two punch of high cost renewables (ACCF)

Photo by TW Collins.


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Big tech claims carbon neutrality without standards

by The Green A-Team

The world’s biggest technology giants have vowed to reduce their carbon emissions to win your green dollar.

So who decides what “going carbon neutral” really means?

According to the Wall Street Journal, companies like Dell, Google, and Yahoo are all active in cutting the amount of carbon dioxide produced in their operations.  The problem is that each company defines their carbon neutrality in a different way.

Dell calculates their 490 thousand ton footprint from what comes out of their offices, company cars, and employees who fly.  20 thousand of this was cut making some green building improvements and grounding some of their airborne employees. So what about the other 470 thousand tons?

The solution seems to be in the good work of others. Renewable-energy certificates, or carbon credits, are created by clean energy companies and sold off to offset the remaining tonnage acquired by these big companies.

Until a universal standard for carbon neutrality is decided, the onus is on the consumer to find out how green a product truly is.

For more details on how to calculate corporate carbon neutrality, try out some of the following links:

Google to outspend government on environment (Planetsave.com)

Revealed: How the Times got confused about Google and the tea kettle (Tech Crunch)

Dell, Apple, Microsoft, H.P. perceived as U.S. green tech leaders (Environmental Leader)

Photo by bobby__emm.


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Gorilla in the Greenhouse:
The ancestor that’s saving our future

by The Green A-Team

Children are the future of our planet but are grown-ups doing enough to steer them green?

Everyone had their favorite superhero growing up whether it was Superman, Spiderman, Cat Woman, or Mighty Mouse they inspired and entertained us, and in some cases, may have even been our role model.

With the internet, a new generation of casts and characters are reaching kids in new ways.

Jay Golden, creator of Gorilla in the Greenhouse, an environmentally conscious animated series.

Dr. Hufflebot has a worm in his head named Wormulus, and actually that’s the character that I play.  He sounds like this.  I want results, results I need!  Not meaningless mush! The worm actually represents the worm that’s in all of our heads where we just want to block off the natural connection we have to the earth.

This colorful interactive cartoon can be found at GreenGorilla.com.  But don’t stop there, there’s a whole lot of positive, kid friendly entertainment to grow and be inspired by.  And who knows, maybe your child’s favorite will be a green superhero.

For our full interview with Jay Golden, click here.

For links to cool green cartoons for kids and adults, check these out!

The Meatrix (Free Range Studios)

The Story of Stuff (Free Range Studios)

Environment Cartoons by Chris Madden (MSNBC.com)


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White House Farmer Polling Results

by The Green A-Team

This just in from WhiteHouseFarmer.com:

Thank you for your outpouring of support for a White House Farmer – we received nearly 56,000 votes from all across the country in just 10 days!

This amazing grassroots effort has sent a huge wave of awareness across the nation.  You have spoken loud and clear — not only to encourage the new administration to make Michael Pollan’s call for a White House Farmer a reality — but also for the larger cause that we are working toward with our farms and with our forks, delicious food grown sustainably by farmers in our communities.

We offer our congratulations to all the nominees, and to farmers across the nation who steward the land and grow good food.  You are all winners, and we are grateful for the work you do.

The top three vote-getters in this poll were:

1. Claire Strader, Troy Community Farm, Madison, WI

2. Carrie Anne Little, Mother Earth Farm, Puyallup, WA

3. Margaret Lloyd, Home Farming, Davis, CA

Congratulations, Margaret!

Scroll down for more of Margaret’s fight to farm the White House lawn.


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*Special Report*
White House Farmer Nominee, Margaret Lloyd

by The Green A-Team

I just got off the phone with a brilliant young woman named Margaret Lloyd.  She’s a grad student at UC Davis going for her Masters in International Agricultural Development and Plant Pathology.

Why is she so significant at this very moment?

Today, January 31st, is the FINAL DAY of her campaign to become the official White House Farmer! Margaret is one of over 100 nominees selected to till, sow, and harvest 5 prime south-facing acres of the White House lawn at the start of this year’s growing season.

Here’s Margaret in her own words:

Q: How’s the campaign going?

A:

Q: How did you become a nominee?  What kinds of things on campus have you been doing?

A:

Q: Obviously you have farming experience but have you ever had 5 acres all to yourself?  What kinds of crops do you intend to grow?

A:

Q: Do you think you’ll be able to fuel the farm with the crops you grow?

A:

Q: What other challenges are you facing going into this?

A:

Q: What do you have to say to the world in support of your campaign?

A:

Our guest has been Margaret Lloyd, grad student of International Agriculture and Plant Pathology at UC Davis and nominee for White House Farmer.

There’s only a couple hours left to vote so log onto WhiteHouseFarmer.com and vote for Margaret!


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