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ListsNews
- Clotheslines (Awesome Library)
Discusses clothelines as energy saving devices, including how to build one." 08-07
Papers
- First Steps to Living Greener (CNN News)
"It all seems so daunting: Climate change. Carbon credits. Not to mention biofuels, hydrogen power and solar energy. The vocabulary of a new century. There's a lot to learn."
"The news is full of disturbing reports about global warming, threatened species, and the gradual realization that the way we live -- particularly in developed nations -- will have to change if we want to enjoy a clean and sustainable future."
"But there's no reason to feel overwhelmed. Every journey begins with a single step. We've rounded up the 10 easiest ways for you to start moving toward a lighter lifestyle. Some cost nothing at all."
Editor's Note: Biochar instead of burn your organic trash. 04-10
Projects
- Awnings to Reduce Heat Gain (EERE.Energy.gov)
"Window awnings can reduce solar heat gain in the summer by up to 65% on south-facing windows and 77% on west-facing windows. You can use an awning to shade one window or have an awning custom-made to shade the entire side of your house." 06-06
- Directory of Alternative Energy Services and Suppliers (James and James)
Provides a world directory of alternative energy services and suppliers, including over 5,000 companies and 700 classifications. Provides contact information and a listing of services or products, but does not describe either. 5-01
- Efficiency of Cook Stoves (Science Today)
"The same researcher who helped create fuel efficient stoves for refugees in Darfur is now testing the fuel efficiency of stoves being distributed in Haiti after the country's devastating earthquake earlier this year." 09-10
- Electricity - Comparison of LED and Fluorescent Lighting (CCrane.com)
"If every U.S. household replaced just one standard 60 watt bulb with a CC Vivid LED bulb, we could save 24,184,400,000 watts or 24,184.4 mega (million) watts per day." 11-07
- Electricity - LED's to Replace Bulbs (MSNBC News)
" 'It's hard to convince consumers based on energy savings alone,' said Nadarajah Narendran, director of lighting research at Rensselaer. 'If you look at compact fluorescent lamps, they're four times as efficient as incandescent lights, and how many homes have those? It's less than 5 percent penetration.' "
"But development is brisk, and the Department of Energy has estimated that LED lighting could cut national energy consumption for lighting by 29 percent by 2025. The total savings on U.S. household electric bills until then would be $125 billion." 4-05
- Energy Conservation Tips (Sierra Club)
Provides suggestions for reducing use of electricity, gas, and water in the home. 2-01
- Global Trend Toward Local Alternative Energy (New York Times)
"With the advent of cheap solar panels and high-efficiency LED lights, which can light a room with just 4 watts of power instead of 60, these small solar systems now deliver useful electricity at a price that even the poor can afford, he noted. 'You’re seeing herders in Inner Mongolia with solar cells on top of their yurts,” Mr. Younger said." 12-10
- Greenest Building in the U.S. (CNN News)
"While the monastery officially opened last August, the Benedictine sisters just found out last month their building achieved the highest LEED Platinum rating ever awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council for a new construction building, 63 out of a possible 69 points." 04-10
- Greensburg Goes Green (CNN News)
"City leaders are using solar and wind technologies to harness power and geothermal heat. They're also conserving energy by building with solid concrete, using more natural light, and installing better insulation and state-of-the-art windows." 04-09
- Inexpensive Air Conditioning by Underground Heat Exchange (MB-Soft.com)
"Using ONLY locally available materials, it is possible for ANY homeowner to virtually eliminate their electric bills for air conditioning FOREVER!" 4-05
- Reduce Wasted Paper Printing (GreenPrinter.com)
GreenPrint eliminates wasteful pages in any printout automatically, saving you time and money, and maybe more importantly, saving trees, reducing greenhouse gasses, and decreasing waste."
"GreenPrint's patent-pending technology does this by analyzing each page of every document sent to the printer and looking for typical waste characteristics (like that last page with just a URL, banner ad, logo, or legal jargon)." 11-08
- Roof Turbine Vents (AsktheBuilder.com)
"A single 14 inch diameter turbine vent that is subjected to 15 mph winds can expel up to 1,342 cfm of air! If the winds are still, the vents still allow air to drift up and out of the attic space, although not nearly as much."
"It is also a myth that these devices remove warm air from attic spaces. If the air temperature in your attic space is very warm, I maintain that you might have inadequate insulation and/or you are up in your attic on a bright sunny day where the radiant energy of the sun is heating the attic space. Well-insulated attic space temperatures are often very close to the actual outdoor temperature." 06-05
- Schools - Energy Efficiency Tips for Schools (U.S. Department of Energy - Rebuild America)
"Energy consumption can vary widely from one school to the next but in general, the greatest potential for energy savings comes from improvement of:
Indoor lighting
Heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) systems
Windows, doors, and insulation." 3-02
- Simple and Cheap Home Energy Efficiency (EnergySavingsCasa.com)
"Close the doors and vents to rooms that are not in use. Only use energy to heat and cool the rooms you are occupying." 10-09
- Solar Window Film (Scientific American)
"Help may soon be available in the form of a smart film that can block heat--but not light--from the sun. Recent findings indicate that the window coating can reduce room heating by as much as 50 percent." 8-04
- Sun Light Tubes (World-Science.net)
"Scientists are developing a technology to save energy by transmitting sunlight into buildings through tubes." 05-05
- Tips To Green Living (TimesOnline.co.uk)
Simple things we can do to reduce energy usage. 03-06
- Tips for Improving Energy Efficiency in the Home (U.S. Department of Energy)
Provides recommendations related to each use of energy in the home. 9-01
- Transparent Wood (Forbes.com)
"Though researchers at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm have developed a way to chemically treat wood so that it not only becomes opaque—even completely transparent at times—but also stores and releases heat during the course of a day." 05-19
Purchase Resources
- Green School - How to Start a Green School (Alliance to Save Energy)
Provides the steps necessary to start a Green School within your community. A Green School involves teachers, students, administrators, school staff, parents, and the community in converting an existing school into an energy efficient school, with interactive projects for students. 8-00
- Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (U.S. Green Building Council)
"The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality." 02-07
- Awnings to Reduce Heat Gain (CheapAwnings.com)
Awnings can be used to reduce heat gain into southern-facing windows. Awesome Library does not endorse this product, but provides it as an example. 06-06
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