Your Future Appliances

I recently discussed Smart Grid pilot projects and some initial consumer reactions to a smarter grid. I've been looking for a simple Smart Grid introduction and some specific examples for homeowners.

Fast Company has a short article on GE's new Smart Appliances, including hot water heaters, ovens, clothes dryers, and refrigerators. There is also a link to a video of a GE representative discussing the appliances and their interactions with the electric system. It's a good intro to the appliances we may all be able to purchase in the future.

GE is working with the power utility in Louisville, Kentucky to test the appliances and related upgraded electric meters. If fully implemented, the system would allow homeowners to set the appliances to run at lower power or postpone operation when electricity is most expensive (e.g., hot summer afternoons) and automatically restart when power is cheaper.

Fast Company says the GE appliances may be available yet this year. Maybe my hot water heater can last a few more months.

-Chris, Green Expert

Your Little Green List. Hang it; Save it; Make it A Reality

OK all you urban folks, now that the recycling thing is embedded into your brain and your muscle memory lets get the ball rolling a bit. Here is a checklist for all of us to lower our carbon footprint. Hang it on the refrigerator door to motivate and remind you of the little things you can do everyday to tread lighter.

• Unplug your appliances not in use (PC, TV, stereo, printer, window A/C unit, coffee maker, toaster, older phone chargers that are hot to touch when plugged in, etc…) you will see a decrease in your electric bills as well!
• Conserve water. Don't let the water run if you aren't using it when washing dishes, brushing teeth, etc., Install low-flow shower heads and water saving faucets. Run your washing machine and dishwasher only when they are full. You can save up to 1,000 gallons a month.
• If you can, lower that thermostat in the cold season and turn it up in the hot summer months
• Eat organic foods and less meat
• Change out your normal light bulbs for Compact Florescent Light bulbs. Here are a few, but a huge choice of options is here
• Try to buy organic clothing, bedding, bath and other products
• Location, location, location. Choose products made, grown closer to home (less travel means less carbon)
• Choose chemical-free, organic cosmetics and body care products
• Clean green also with organic and natural cleaning products from everything for your windows and floors to your laundry
• Choose chemical free furnishings, fabrics and no or low VOC paints when decorating
• Buy recycled paper products made with post-consumer waste. Choose unbleached or chlorine free paper products such as toilet paper or tissues and paper in your printer
• Choose natural energy from your utility company
• Mass transit, ride sharing, walking, biking are great in the city
• Try swapping, borrowing or buying used things that you thought you really “needed”
• Go for energy star appliances when in need of a new refrigerator, freezer, washer, dryer, air purifier or dehumidifier for example. Plus, there are lots of rebates!

OK Lisa, I mean you city folks. No more excuses. You have a list to get you going, now make lowering your carbon footprint a reality.

Tread Lightly and let me know if you have any questions,
-Phyllis, Green Expert

Jonesing for dirt

I'm addicted to gardening. By that, I don't mean that I enjoy gardening. I mean that I'm happiest when I spend every daylit moment of the weekend digging in the garden, ignoring the need to eat or rest. I mean that when I walk into a garden center, my skin tingles with euphoria and I'm a few breaths away from hyperventilating. And I spend money I don't have on plants I don't need, and then feel — well, not full-blown shame, but certainly a little sheepish. Baaah.

As it turns out, there's actually a biochemical basis for my gardening Jones. British researcher Chris Lowry has found that the soil-dwelling microorganism Mycobacterium vaccae enhances mood by increasing serotonin production. So, in effect, when I garden I'm breathing an SSRI anti-depressant. To which I say "Hooray!" You can read more about it in Psychology Today.

As you might imagine, winters are not good for a gardening junkie. And by "not good" I mean very very bad. This winter I think I'll try hauling a tub of garden soil into the house and digging around in it every few days. Perhaps bury my face in it. If it works, I can skip the expense of a February trip to someplace sunny. I'll keep you posted.

-Erin, The Editor

Guerilla Gardening

Gardening hardly seems like a form of activism, but around the world gardeners are taking over abandoned lots, sullied sidewalk strips, ailing alleys and other wobegone parcels to plant flowers and vegetables. In Los Angeles, London and other cities, the surreptitious sowing of these vegetation vandals has revitalized blighted blocks, produced food for food kitchens and unified neighborhoods.

If the idea of sowing sunflowers beside the railroad tracks makes your green thumb twitch, there's plenty of information in books and online about getting plants for cheap, asking the forgiveness of city officials and improving sorrowful soil. A good starting places is guerrillagardening.org. Golly, they look like nice people in the photos.

-Erin, The Editor

In Manhattan Alone, Diesel Trucks Carried Garbage 7.8 Million Miles Annually, Which Is The Equivalent Of Circling The Earth 312 Times

Treading lightly is important no matter if you live in a dorm, apartment, townhouse, stand alone home, or a McMansion. However, the next few blogs are dedicated to all you city slickers and apartment dwellers out there. Whether you rent or own, there are so many things you too can do to lower your carbon footprint.

Let's just start with recycling.

Recycling turns materials that would otherwise become waste into valuable resources. The Environmental Protection Agency has set goals to boost the nation's overall recycling rate to 40 percent by 2011 and you can be part of it. Why? Well, for example of the 251 million tons of trash Americans generated in 2006, it seems that well over fifty percent of that goes into landfills while the other percentages get incinerated and the rest recycled. Developing and maintaining landfills and incinerating are very expensive options so lets try recycling instead. Landfills tend to mummify our garbage vs. composting it and they are not completely efficient which means sometimes there are leaks into our groundwater.

Here is an image that will encourage you to recycle: In Manhattan alone, diesel trucks carried garbage 7.8 million miles annually, which is the equivalent of circling the Earth 312 times reported the Environmental Defense Fund in 2004.

There is no national law for recycling but mandatory recycling is legislated through state and local governments so find out what and how you can recycle in your city. For example, New York City has an extensive recycling program as well as laws that enforce fines upon citizens who throw away certain recyclable materials. Here are just a few recycling resources you can use if you live in the big apple here and here.

Landlords in New York must notify tenants about recycling requirements and designate an accessible recycling area. However, what to do if space is a commodity for you in your apartment? Use small inconspicuous plastic baskets such as these or try a fancier looking basket container made from bamboo — a renewable resource or go all out for the all in one recycling system

Anyway you slice it, recycling is something we can all do at home, at work and when we are out and about. To cut down on recycling consider using reusable bags, containers, and water bottles; reuse newspapers, magazine and other household supplies while cutting down on your catalogs and unwanted mail. Use cloth napkins instead of paper, and rags instead of paper towels and use electronic bills instead of snail mail. The list is endless but this should get you started.

Tell us what tricks you used in your pad to take on recycling.

Tread lighter using less waste,
-Phyllis, Green Expert

Building Integrated Wind

The May edition of Environmental Building News includes an article on the advantages and disadvantages of building integrated wind power. The article focuses on commercial applications, though the technology would be similar for residential applications.

The logic behind building integrated wind power seems solid. There is typically more wind higher above the ground as the interference of buildings, trees, etc. decreases. Roof-mounted turbines can take advantage of the higher wind speeds without construction of towers and support equipment. Building integrated wind turbines can also supply electricity where it is needed, reducing energy losses during transmission. Turbines can be integrated into building design for aesthetic purposes.

Technical difficulties from building mounted units include nuisances such as noise and vibration. Potential malfunctions also create safety issues that would be less likely with a turbine in the middle of a cornfield or pasture. Most importantly, the article discusses the poor performance of small-scale turbines mounted on buildings. The units rarely achieve even a fraction of their rated performance, due to turbulent winds and other issues.

The author isn't totally down on wind power. He notes that large-scale turbines are very cost effective. Solar power may be better for small-scale or residential renewable energy.

-Chris, Green Expert

Who Will Use the Smart Grid?

Last week I discussed ongoing Smart Grid pilot projects, the first step toward making our electricity grid more efficient and responsive. Forbes.com has an article that examines whether consumers will use Smart Grid technology.

The quotes in the article from the Association for the Advancement of Retired People (AARP) are priceless. AARP says the 55+ crowd may not be interested in paying higher utility bills to facilitate a Smart Grid when they can't even figure out the internet. AARP may be underestimating their membership, but I'm OK with some Baby Boomers ignoring the TiVo and the Twitter. However, it's silly for an interest group to opt their members out of new technology that may save the country billions of dollars (e.g., fewer power plants constructed) and reduce air and water pollution. AARP can relax. No one is proposing a law mandating hour-by-hour management of refrigerator performance.

I recently wrote about my beloved programmable thermostat. Smart Grid tools will be like a programmable thermostat on steroids (in a good way), so obviously I'm in. What about you? The crowd here is typically pretty quiet, but I really want to know what you think. What would it take for you to actively manage your home energy use — monetary incentives, a “black box” with pre-programmed settings, someone to walk you through the process? Drop us a comment.

-Chris, Green Expert

Amuse yourself with Sunshine Farm and Gardens

I like unusual plants and I like funny people, so it's worth writing about when I find both in the same place. Just now I spent a shameful amount of time poking around on the website of Sunshine Farm and Gardens, which is set in the far-flung hills of West Virginia and run by Barry Glick, who I suspect sharpened his wit defending his name as a child (but now makes good use of it in the Glick Picks section of the site).

As you'd except of a plant vendor, Barry packs his useful/educational site with plant photos and in-depth descriptions. But it's the thread of humor running through his writing that makes it worth a visit even if you live in a high-rise condo and fear worms. Plus he likes cats, and I like people who like cats.

-Erin, The Editor

P.S. For more funny garden writing check out the Renegade Gardener for his amusingly realistic gardening advice and myth debunking.

Invasion of the Emerald Ash Borer

This week is officially Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week. I'm not quite sure how one observes such an event, but chocolate is always appropriate.

Hilarity aside, the Emerald Ash Borer is a quite serious menace to ash trees that has killed tens of millions of them in the US and Canada. The borer was first identified in 2002 near Detroit, and officials suspect that it snuck into the US in wooden shipping material from its native Asia. The pest has now spread from Michigan to 14 more states: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, New York, Kansas and Nebraska. It's also in Canada.

The adult beetle is 1/2-inch long, slender, and metallic green. Its the immature larvae, not the adult, that does the damage. It tunnels under the bark, breaking the tubes that carry water from the roots to the leaves (the xylem) and sugars from the leaves to the roots (the phloem).

Because woodpeckers find the beetle tasty, an early warning sign is many woodpeckers feeding on an ash tree. Other symptoms include dying branches, starting at the top of the tree and progressing downward, and a lot of small branches sprouting from the trunk. An infested tree usually dies within 5 years.

To keep the beetles from spreading outside infested areas, the USDA recommends the following:

• Keep firewood in the county where you bought it.
• Know where your firewood comes from — and don't accept any from infested states.
• Never bring firewood when you go camping or hunting — buy it at your destination.
• Burn it where you buy it. And burn every piece of firewood by May 1, before the beetle can escape to cause more devastation.

The borer has its very own website where you can learn what an ash tree looks like, what your treatment options are, what other beetles you might mistake for the Emerald Ash Borer and much more. It includes several videos, notably how to identify the beetle and what symptoms to look for.

-Erin, The Editor

Solar Hot Water Heating

I discussed my home water heater replacement project last month. I'm trying to balance long term cost savings and green benefits vs. the initial capital costs for equipment and installation. The Department of Energy (DOE) has a comprehensive description of the technology and costs of solar hot water heating. I had the opportunity the talk to a solar system manufacturer about the costs and benefits of solar hot water heating.

Bubbling Springs Solar builds solar collectors for hot water heating and other applications. The system I saw used a pair of 4' x 10' solar thermal collectors to heat water and a much smaller solar photovoltaic panel to generate electricity to operate the pumps and other equipment. The heated water is stored in a tank with a supplemental heating source (e.g., natural gas). The DOE and the suppliers report that these systems may save 50-80% of the energy used to heat water in a typical home.

The large solar thermal panels should face south to maximize solar exposure. My house is situation with east/west roof exposure, so I would need some additional structure to get the solar collectors in the right orientation. Equipment and installation would cost $8000 - $9000, much higher than a typical tank heater (~$1000, installed). The DOE determined that a homeowner that rolled the costs of a solar system into a 30-year mortgage might reduce overall monthly expenses, depending on hot water use. Not a bad deal. I'm not planning to refinance, so I'd have to pay the capital cost up front.

I think I need to dig a little more before I can justify spending that much money. More to come on tankless hot water systems and traditional tank heaters.

-Chris, Green Expert