Someone is about to become very rich

Hopefully you have heard along the way that the appliances that we keep plugged into power outlets are still sucking power, even when we don't have them turned on. They have also been referred to as "vampire power", since they "suck away your power" and it turns up on your electric bill. Around 10% of our electric bills represent electronics that are what we think are off and really they are not. To solve this issue, power strips have been a common solution since you can turn the whole strip off by flipping the on-off button. What about for the lazy person in us? I am expected to do this every TIME I leave the room?

Have no fear, you have no excuses now, because Monster Cable has come up with a "green" power strip, that automatically turns off power to electronic items that are on offline or stand-by mode. This works for computers, TVs, computer modems, and other electronic energy sucking items. When you need them back on, the power center recognizes this and gives the power back when you need it. While they are a bit pricey (ranging from $70-$130), they are an investment for sure. You get the quality surge protection for electronics, and you'll save a big chunk of change on your electric bill. I also don't have to mention you are doing something great for the environment by CONSERVING ENERGY. :)

I know what will go on my Christmas List this year!

Energy Saving Search

The power of our computers can be a huge, energy-consuming matter. While I love my computer dearly for all it helps me with in life, its not always a friend to the environment. There are lots of great computers out there that allow for an "energy saving mode", or carry the energy star compliancy sticker. So what if a new computer is not in your future right now or you don't have an energy saving computer? Well, believe it or not there are even more ways to save energy than just buying an energy star compliant computer, or turning on the energy-saving mode on your computer.

The colors used on your display screen can be an energy waster by the brightness of the color used. For example, Google is a prime example of a absolute white screen, that takes more energy to produce than, say, black. While I know not all of us can have the advantage of choosing a black over a white backdrop, its something to think about when putting a picture on your desktop, or keeping some windows down on the scroll bar, rather than keeping them up on your screen if you aren't using them.


Treehugger.com also wrote an article regarding this phenomenon:

"Take a look at Google, for instance, who gets about 200 million queries a day. Let's assume each query is displayed for about 10 seconds; that means Google is running for about 550,000 hours every day on some desktop. Assuming that users run Google in full screen mode, the shift to a black background will save a total of 15 (74-59) watts. Now take into account that about 25 percent of the monitors in the world are CRTs, and at 10 cents a kilowatt-hour, that's about $75,000/year, a goodly amount of energy and dollars for changing a few color codes."

Also, many people have created "black" versions of Google's popular search engine:

• http://black-google.blogspot.com/
• http://www.blackle.com/
• http://www.blackoogle.us/

While I know it seems using these search engines may be only a small drop in the bucket, every little bit helps! If we all adopt this strategy, it will begin to add up. You'll also save slightly on your electric bills for conserving energy, so its a win for our environment and your pocketbook!

Happy Labor Day!

Hello everyone, my apologies for fleeing off this week, but it has been a crazy week. Right now I am currently studying for my Master's degree examination, which is on the 19th, in addition to starting new classes and jobs, so my future apologies for my less frequent entries on here, they will likely be once or twice a week. It comes with the craziness of a new school year.

Anyways, here are a couple of things I have been trying/doing lately to help the environment and/or save money:

• Cutting down on appliances used to do my hair. On weekends, since I don't have to look so amazingly beautiful, I don't dry my hair with a blow dryer or use my straightening iron. I know not all of us can get away with it, but I have actually had people tell me they like my hair better without all the product and finesse. It takes less of my time to work with too!
• Spending less time in the shower. I do this by either cutting back on shampooing (not everyday) or just trying to do things quickly. Shampooing everyday can actually harm your hair since it is removing the natural oils that make your hair smooth and pretty.
  
• Take a look at what your city provides in terms of recreation facilities. My husband and I just took advantage of using the local indoor aquatic center, and found it to be a great facility where kids can be separated from adult swim, and we can work on all of those strokes to be the next Michael Phelps. And the great part is, because it is run by the city, it won't cost you an arm and a leg to go every time.
  
• In addition to facilities, our city also runs adult sports leagues, which are also quite cheap. We are looking to play some old-school dodge ball this year, and they also offer kickball, softball and other fun sports that you can enjoy. Its a great way to meet and socialize with friends without spending a lot of money to go out.
  
• Devising recipes for your favorite restaurant dishes. I have put together a potential recipe for Pizza Hut's Meaty Marinara Tuscani pasta, and that will save me some money since I love to eat it so much! I'll be sure to let you know how it turns out!
  
• Michael's craft stores have teamed up with Wilton cake decorating to provide classes at a very cheap price. During September, tuition is 50%, from the usual $36 4-week class. I consider this an investment, especially for what cakes today cost. You can make your own amazing cake for a made-from-scratch price. Plus, the compliments are always great to boost your self-esteem. The only disadvantage is it makes me want to quit school and open a cake shop. They should have offered that in home ec.
  
• Catch stuff at the end of the consumer season. I have wanted patio furniture for a long time now, but I didnt want anything big since we will be moving in a year. Going to the local department stores, I found some nice $7 lawn chairs on clearance with it being the end of the summer season. Now I can sit outside with out being uncomfortable in the grass from bug bites.

Well, that's most of what I have been discovering lately! You should be covered for a little while ;) Happy Labor Day everyone!

Home Drying

Today on my journey out, I decided to purchase a clothing dryer rack. Primitive, I know, but I am slowly realizing that going green is a lot of going back to the way things were before there were modern conveniences, like dryers. I remember many times as a kid when my mom would hang laundry to dry out on the line, and how wonderful it smelled, especially bed sheets. Mmmmm... Nothing beats the smell of sun dried laundry, I don't know what it is about it that brings out the wonderful clean smell. So anyways, our dryer is so inefficient as is, (typically taking around 90 minutes to dry one freakin' load) I thought this could be an awesome venue to try. Putting clothes on a drying rack is not limited to someone with a house either, anyone living in a space no matter how small can work this into their life due to the drying rack's collapsability. Getting a drying rack is also a very wise and cheap choice for two big reasons: 1) you wont be paying as high of electric bill, and b) you being green by are conserving energy.

In my area during this time of year, it is usually around 96 degrees everyday. I washed a blanket before my in-laws came last week and it dried in a little over an hour hanging it over my back patio fence. Drying outside is especially great for the summer, since it is so hot out and the sun does all the work. In the winter, you can dry inside, it will just obviously take longer without a sun.

But then my clothes will take forever to dry, you say? Drying clothes inside will typically take about 24 hours, and if you are running into a "clothes emergency" that frequently, then you need to plan better :)

Anyways, go check out the laundry section of your local department store and pick up one of these bad boys, they are fairly cheap, and will save you loads of money on electricity in the long run, and by the by, helping conserve energy.