21 Energy Saving Tips

Power plugHome appliances & electronics are responsible for 20% of your energy bills. Learn simple ways to save energy and money while using them.  Read More >>

37 Heating & Cooling Tips

FanHeating and cooling account for about 56% of the energy use in a typical U.S. home. This makes them the biggest opportunity for saving money on your energy bill. Read More >>

25 Ways To Save Water

Water DripWater heating can account for 14%–25% of the energy consumed in your home. You can reduce your monthly water and energy bills with these simple tips. Read More >>

Long Time, No Post

Posted October 25, 2009 - 1:00am by Brian Rish

Saying Goodbye Movie posterWell it's been almost 4 months since the last post, but we are now back and ready to continue to bring you the best in going green with a Southern Twist. So just where have we been you ask? We’ve been making a movie!

A while back, my sister and I won a grant through the state of South Carolina to make a movie, so for the past several months, we’ve been producing that movie.

It's called "Saying Goodbye" and is a short film that will be released during the first quarter of 2010.

To find out more about the movie, and to follow our adventures, check out the blog we created for "Saying Goodbye": http://www.sayinggoodbyemovie.com and help us build some “buzz” by becoming a Fan on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Saying-Goodbye/119785993310

 

 

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Renewables top 11%

Posted July 29, 2009 - 8:00pm by Brian Rish

In a report just released by the Energy Information Administration (the official energy statistics gather of the US government), renewable energy accounted for 11.1% of the Nation’s electric power year-to-date as of April 2009.

I had no idea renewables contributed that much power to the grid! The renewable total is made up of 7% conventional hydroelectric and other green energy (biomass, geothermal, solar, wind, etc.) generated the remaining 4.1%.

Another interesting fact from the report is that year-to-date, total generation is down 5% from 2008. This was the ninth consecutive month that net generation was down. Many argue this is due to the economy, but others think it is due to conservation efforts and energy efficiency. What do you think?

Coal-fired generation was also down 13.9% from April 2008 to April 2009. As renewables and other non-CO2 emitting alternatives such as Nuclear continue to increase, I hope that coal-fired number will drop faster and further. Read more >>

Let's Go Fly A Kite...

Posted July 25, 2009 - 11:28am by Brian Rish

KiteFor some scientists, the answer to the world’s clean energy problem is blowing in the wind… like a kite. Ok, so it’s more complicated than that, but not much.

Researchers at the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology in Stanford, Calif, believe they have found a way to satisfy all of the world’s energy needs 100 times over thanks to the constant and powerful winds located in the jet stream. Unfortunately, the jet stream is a mere 30,000 to 50,000 feet in the air.

Their answer to the height problem is simple. Fly a kite-like apparatus into the jet stream to harness the energy. The kites would be tethered to land via cables capable of transmitting the harvested power and feeding it into the power grid. Current designs are capable of generating 40 megawatts of power per kite, and generating capacity would probably increase as the technology matures. Read more >>

H2-Oh No They Didn't!

Posted July 11, 2009 - 6:45pm by Brian Rish

Row of water bottlesResidents of a rural Australian town named Bundanoon have decided they aren’t going to put up with plastic water bottles anymore. In fact, they’ve decided to ban plastic water bottles in their entire town. Instead they are opting to sell reusable water bottles in their stores and encourage people to fill up for free at the tap or from water coolers for a small fee.

This, of course, has the water bottle companies crying foul, and trying everything they can to make the town reconsider. But the town won’t budge. Good for them! It may be a little extreme, but they believe in something, and they won’t back down.

They town says they have water that’s just as good flowing from their taps, and that’s good enough for them. Read more >>

Hooray for Hollywood!

Posted July 8, 2009 - 8:47pm by Brian Rish

Hollywood Marker and Reel

Hollywood, specifically Warner Bros., has decided it is sometimes cost effective to go green on an otherwise very expensive movie set.

From simple acts like printing new scripts on the backs of old scripts and eliminating plastic water bottles on set, to more complex changes like using sustainable wood in set construction and installing elaborate night cooling system on sound stages, WB has taken some pretty big steps towards reducing the impact their shows and movies have on the environment. 

The moment seems to be thanks in large part to the stars on some of the shows--the video below highlights Kyra Sedgwick on the set of The Closer.

No matter what the reason, it is nice to see the entertainment industry moving in the right direction when it comes to going green. So I happily boast “Hooray for Hollywood!”

Check out the video below for a story on CNN about the steps WB is taking. Read more >>