Good Move HP

Image courtesy of art_es_anna via flickr

You all know what electronic waste is, but did you know that since 2005, it is the fasting growing category of solid municipal waste in the US? According to the EPA, in 2006, we generated 2.9 million tons of e-waste in the US alone. Of this amount, only 330,000 tons (11.4%) was recycled. Part of the problem of the low recycling rates is that not all of the material used in electronics is recyclable, but some think the bigger problem is that there is no incentive for people to recycle their old cell phones, PC's, and printers. I have half a closet full of outdated electronics that I never use, and according to these stats, I'm not alone.

Hopefully those e-recycling rates will change for the better when more companies follow HP's lead, and actually offer consumers cash back or credits for their unwanted electronics.

Screw ebay, I'm going to clean out my closet this weekend: www.hp.com/go/ConsumerBuyback

The Greeniuses Buffet: Now Serving Tasty Green News

We're dishing out links hand-selected by The Greeniuses for your consumption.  Here are the daily specials:

• Green Building:  "First Net Zero Energy Commercial Building in Florida" from MarketWatch
• Green Investments:  "Profits triple at Envrionment & Ecology" from BusinessFirst
• Green Living:  "Downhill trend seen in number of miles driven by Americans" from The Dallas Morning News
• Green Politics:  "Obama Should Implement Carbon Tax" from TreeHugger
• Green Technology:  "Tokyo Station Installs New Floors to Generate Electricity" from GearCrave

Hungry for more?  Click here:  The Greeniuses Buffet

Buffy the Vampire Power slayer

We've seen the awareness campaigns. We know we're supposed to unplug unused electronic appliances, turn off power strips, and only plug cell phone chargers into outlets when we are actually charging. But how many of us really make the effort? And what about the appliances that we can't unplug?

The Madrid based company Good for you, good for the planet claims to have solved the phantom load problem with their 100% off product. GreenSwitch is another company that sells products to combat the vampire...and still be lazy.

Do you guys think these energy saving technologies will become mainstream soon? Where will it take off first, businesses or residential? Or will the majority of people just let it slide for now, and rely on electronic manufacturers to incorporate smarter standby modes into future devices?

Home Solar Power

So Mike's last post got me curious about installing a PV solar power system at my home. Apart from the aesthetics of installing 800 sq feet of solar panels on my roof, I'm 100% open to the idea if it is cost feasible. I found a site that allows you to input your zip code (so they can determine how much sunlight on average you are going to receive), your utility company (so they know how much per KW/H you pay for power), and your average monthly bill for electricity.

Honestly, I was skeptical that it would be cost effective, but when I got my results, I was blown away. Including property value appreciation, it would take me less than one year to break even (this includes the state and federal rebates available). Removing property value appreciation from the equation, it would only take 7 years for this investment to break even. Not to mention the 203 tons of CO2 saved, or nearly half a million auto miles.

Check it out for yourself.

Blockbuster getting Green, whether they know it or not...

Okay, I don't know much at all about Blockbuster's GQ (Green Quotient), but their new online movie service can't be bad for the environment:

"Blockbuster Launches Internet Movie Downloads"

This is a prime example of how IT is making the Green Revolution possible.

By the way, I know Blockbuster isn't the first to offer this service, but they're so damn big that anything they do to cut down on auto travel can have a huge positive impact. Imagine no trips to the video store and no mail trucks carrying your DVD's to your mailbox.

So, what other items/activities in your life could be obtained/performed online, thus eliminating auto travel? Correspondence has long moved to e-mail and Facebook. You can renew driver's licenses and do other government-related crap online. I read the NY Times online. What hasn't been thought of yet?

Green Funeral

So I'm driving home from work today listening to how bad the Red Raiders choked on the local sports station, when a construction site catches my eye. I look closer, and its another freaking funeral home! Funeral homes and Senior living communities are popping up like Starbucks in the Dallas suburbs.

When I get home I do some research and learn that the National Funeral Directors Association needs a new website, and expects 2.6 million deaths in 2010...then over 3 mil in 2020. According to their fact sheet, in 2004 the average US cost of a funeral was $6,500. That cost includes an outer burial container, but does not include cemetery costs. Are you kidding me? These guys are ripping people off.

Then I start thinking more about the funeral ceremony and all the wastes involved in the process. Doesn't it seem weird that when a loved one dies, we embalm'em then store'em in a bulky, decay-resistant wooden casket?

So naturally I type 'green funerals' in google, and BAM....I'm inundated with great ideas that others (mostly Europeans) have already thought of. Things like cardboard biodegradable coffins, or super-eco friendly recycled newspaper coffins that look like those Yakima storage containers that the lesbians in Oregon put on top of their Subaru's.
The Spaniards are even getting creative with their new solar power cemetary. So what do you guys think? Maybe there's a serious future for an inexpensive green funeral service in the US.