Earth Day 2009 - The Big Picture - Boston.com
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Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Your guide to Earth Week 2009 events at MIT
Your guide to Earth Week 2009 events at MIT
- MIT News Office
- MIT News Office
MIT will celebrate Earth Week 2009 with four days of exhibitions, fairs and a film screening. The events begin on April 21 with a screening of "Our Daily Bread." Following the film Jamey Lionette of the South End's Lionettes Market will lead a discussion of the film and his role in the local food system.
The following day, April 22, the MIT Energy Initiative is sponsoring an Earth Day Colloquium with the Board Chairman of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), James J. McCarthy, in Kirsh Auditorium in the Stata Center.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Laundry
I started hanging my laundry up to dry . . . saving tons of electricity on dryer usage. It's really not inconvenient at all.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Lights Out 16-56 | Sustainability @ MIT
Lights Out 16-56 | Sustainability @ MIT
The project
Buildings 16 and 56 have been identified as good testing grounds for new techniques using automated feedback to inform building users about energy use and providing positive reinforcement for conservation. Lighting in the building will be monitored and participants will receive feedback based on lab-level and building-level energy use. Results from this study will be used to inform future conservation efforts on campus and beyond.
Please contact closingtheloop@mit.edu for any questions or concerns about the project. If you work in a laboratory or office in building 16 or 56, please contact us to participate in the study.
Friday, April 17, 2009
E.P.A. to Clear the Way for Regulation of Warming Gases - NYTimes.com
Finally!
E.P.A. to Clear the Way for Regulation of Warming Gases - NYTimes.com
E.P.A. to Clear the Way for Regulation of Warming Gases - NYTimes.com
The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday is expected to formally declare carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases to be pollutants that threaten public health and welfare, setting in motion a process that for the first time will regulate the gases blamed for global warming.
Related
Room for Debate: Who Should Regulate Greenhouse Gases
E.P.A. officials, briefing members of Congress in advance of the ruling, said that the agency had found the science supporting the so-called endangerment finding “compelling and overwhelming.” The ruling triggers a 60-day comment period before any proposed regulations governing emissions of greenhouse gases are published.
But even as the E.P.A. begins the process of regulating these substances, Congress is engaged in writing wide-ranging energy and climate change legislation that will pre-empt any action taken by the agency. President Obama and Lisa P. Jackson, the agency’s administrator, have repeatedly said they much prefer that Congress address global warming rather than have the E.P.A. tackle it through administrative action.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Air Dry Laundry Racks at Home Doctor.net
I recently switched to using an air drying rack even though I have easy access to a dryer. It really isn't so inconvenient at all. I'm amazed by the comments that I get though along the lines of "don't you know we have dryers?"
Air Dry Laundry Racks at Home Doctor.net
Air Dry Laundry Racks at Home Doctor.net
Why Do Most People Avoid Air Drying Clothes?
The major reason given by Jill Cooper, author of "Air Drying Clothes without a Clothesline," is that most people think it is inconvenient to air dry one's clothes, or they do not know how to do it without an outdoor clothesline. She says that if no clothesline is available (if one lives in an apartment) one would need at least one drying rack and a clothes rod to take care of one's needs.
Why Should People Consider Air Drying Clothes?
Why not use or minimize the use of a clothes dryer? There are several great reasons to minimize dryer use. Using a large, energy-hog appliance, like a clothes dryer, just does not make sense for small loads. Air-drying racks make the perfect alternative. Air-drying as much as possible reduces energy use, and thus, helps the environment, not to mention how much money is saved on utility bills.
Other Benefits to Air Drying Clothes
Air-drying increases the life the clothes, by minimizing the damage done to fabrics by appliance-generated clothes drying. Drying clothes in a dryer slowly breaks down the fibers of the clothing, which is why lint is formed, and lint traps are essential. The inherent safety of air-drying is a side benefit. Improper venting of clothes dryers can result in fire, caused by excessive build up of lint, coupled with high heat. Use of an air-drying rack does not necessitate that one be present while the clothes are drying, as is the case with an electric or gas clothes dryer. Drying racks require very little space and can be moved around, used in or outdoors. Air-drying racks are actually less inconvenient and more of a benefit than one might think.
Where to Find Air Dry Racks
The Internet has a number of sites that feature such racks, ranging from wooden fold-up racks, to those that also function as wall-mounted towel rods that easily expand to become air drying clothes racks. Simple drying racks can be found in retail stores. Movable garment racks that can be used for either storage or air-drying are reasonably priced, depending on their respective features.
Air Drying for the Environment
For those who are environmentally conscious, a number of earth-friendly products are available, including a wide range of air drying products, such as pulley-operated clotheslines, wooden drying racks, and combination towel rods. These racks can be installed in a laundry room or hanging outside a window. They come in black cast metal, or natural wood.
In sum, it is unnecessary to do away with an electric or gas dryer entirely. However, for someone who wants to reduce energy use -- for the sake of the environment and one's pocket book, air drying racks offer a great solution.
Clothes Dryer - the Zero Energy Option
Clothes Dryer - the Zero Energy Option: "One of the most significant, almost hidden, costs of living to a human being involves the clothes we wear and all the cloth based items we use on a daily basis.
Grouped under the heading of “Clothes Drying” it is something we rarely see in a household budget because it is normally lost in some sort of energy cost. Even then we simply make no allowance for the area we live in, air pollution, weather, especially the winter months. except perhaps for heating and lighting bills.
Clothes dryers are mainly thought of as electric tumble dryers, which are essentially a 2/3 kw heater, switched on to maximum for hours on end. Surveys speak of an average; per tumble dryer, of 460Kw hours per year. Multiplied by a town of 10,000 homes in simple terms it is 4,600.000 Kw/hours per town or a city of 100,000 it would be 46,000.000Kw/hours per city.
How can we save a significant portion of that? By simply using natural or secondary drying methods. The old fashioned washing lines used by our grandparents did the trick but only in fair weather. With approaching winter shirts frozen on the lines was a familiar sight."
Grouped under the heading of “Clothes Drying” it is something we rarely see in a household budget because it is normally lost in some sort of energy cost. Even then we simply make no allowance for the area we live in, air pollution, weather, especially the winter months. except perhaps for heating and lighting bills.
Clothes dryers are mainly thought of as electric tumble dryers, which are essentially a 2/3 kw heater, switched on to maximum for hours on end. Surveys speak of an average; per tumble dryer, of 460Kw hours per year. Multiplied by a town of 10,000 homes in simple terms it is 4,600.000 Kw/hours per town or a city of 100,000 it would be 46,000.000Kw/hours per city.
How can we save a significant portion of that? By simply using natural or secondary drying methods. The old fashioned washing lines used by our grandparents did the trick but only in fair weather. With approaching winter shirts frozen on the lines was a familiar sight."
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Obama Looking at Cooling Air to Fight Warming - ABC News
Obama Looking at Cooling Air to Fight Warming - ABC News
The conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute has its own geoengineering project, saying it could be "feasible and cost-effective." And Cato Institute scholar Jerry Taylor said Wednesday: "Very few people would rule out geoengineering on its face."
Holdren didn't spell out under what circumstances such extreme measures might ever be called for. And he emphasized they are not something to rely on.
"It would be preferable by far," he said, "to solve this problem by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases."
The conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute has its own geoengineering project, saying it could be "feasible and cost-effective." And Cato Institute scholar Jerry Taylor said Wednesday: "Very few people would rule out geoengineering on its face."
Holdren didn't spell out under what circumstances such extreme measures might ever be called for. And he emphasized they are not something to rely on.
"It would be preferable by far," he said, "to solve this problem by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases."
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Cool Tools: Sodastream Home Soda Maker
Cool Tools: Sodastream Home Soda Maker
Concerned with our household's waste stream of plastic bottles and cans, we started using this counter-top soda maker to concoct our own soft drinks with tap water processed through a Britta. It's easy to use; the bottles are durable and said to be good for three years; and Sodastream's proprietary CO2 cartridges can be conveniently exchanged either via mail or at accessible chain stores like Williams-Sonoma.
If you're handy and looking to save a little money, you can build your own set up, like the previously-reviewed carbonation system. However, since I enjoy this product primarily for environmental reasons, secondarily economic ones, I was happy to spend a little more up front and over time (Sodastream has a cheaper all-plastic model, but the midrange model I have is $30 more than the DIY setup; three of the company's carbonators, good for 60 liters, cost $40). In addition to buying something that required no tinkering and worked perfectly out of the box, I will never have to lug around a big scuba tank every time I need a CO2 refill. And, to be honest, I'd rather not have the clunky, DIY setup in my home. To each his own, no?
Friday, April 03, 2009
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