I Can't Help It. I Love Target.

I know, I know...there are so many reasons to hate and shun the "Big Box" store, but I just can't help it. I love going there. Thankfully, Target is giving me one great reason to feel less guilty about my inevitable, non-local, impulse purchases. The store is now making its own eco-friendly clothing. And while that link only shows a few of the options, I saw many more cute t-shirts when I was over there during my lunch break today. Way to take a step in the right direction, Tar-jet!

Additionally, with a little research, I discovered that (at the time of this post) there are 8343 organic products sold in Target's online store. From baby clothes to home goods to beauty products, it looks like the store is making a real effort to give its customers more green choices. With even more research, I learned that Target is also making a significant effort to understand its environmental impact and continuously improve its business practices in many different areas. Seriously, check out that link to their corporate website. Their commitments are definitely more than just "greenwashing."

Maybe Target isn't SUCH a bad guy after all. While buying local is always better, we don't need to feel so bad about our wayward megastore moments.

Light Green

The website cOnservitude posted this definition of "Light Green" environmentalism over the weekend.

"Light green environmentalists tend to emphasize lifestyle/behavioral/consumer change as key to sustainability, or at least as the best mechanism for triggering broader changes. Light greens strongly advocate change at the individual level. The thinking is that if you can get people to take small, pleasant steps (by shopping differently, or making changes around the home), they will not only make changes that can begin to make a difference in aggregate, but also begin to clamor for larger transformations. Light green environmentalism, as a call for individuals to change, has helped spread the idea that concern for sustainability is cool. Consumers make a big difference when they stop supporting products that negatively impact our environment."

This particular definition struck a chord with me because it didn't simply state that "light green" environmentalists promote small, "easy," minor ways to impact the environment. Instead, it defined the movement in the way that I see it and the way YBG embodies it...if YBG can effect small, painless changes in its readers' thoughts and actions, then hopefully these little efforts will grow in both magnitude and number as my wonderfully responsive readers become more conscious of the ways in which they can make an impact and comfortable with making larger and/or more numerous changes. YBG strives to show its readers that being green is fun, easy, cheap, and cool, and once y'all realize that, there's no end to the positive impact you can make!

Earth Hour Activities

Initially, I was going to post a list of Earth Hour activities for people to partake in, but on second thought, I'd love to hear what my READERS are planning to do for Earth Hour. Set your fingers a typin' and please leave a comment below letting me (and the rest of my totally devoted YBG following) know what you'll be up to on Saturday night. For example, I'll be out celebrating my friend Jenn's birthday, and since I have no idea where we'll be at 8:30 sharp, I plan to carry candles and headlamps so that I'm prepared to celebrate Earth Hour anywhere in the city. Additionally, because I'll be with a crowd of similarly green-minded friends, I'm hoping to convince them to head to Dolores Park for "Fun in the Darkness" or Medjool to dance under the stars on the rooftop. Howevs, I know no matter what we do, we'll take part in the action...even if we have to crawl over a bar and turn off the lights ourselves (which is not unheard of)!

So what are you waiting for?! Let's up know what you're up to.

Earth Hour: Cast Your Vote

Hi YBGers,

This Saturday, March 28th, from 8:30-9:30 pm local time is the 3rd annual Earth Hour. If you're not familiar with Earth Hour, it is a global movement in which people all over the world turn off their lights for an hour to show worldwide unity in fighting global warming. Famous landmarks all over the world also participate, and I'll have the pleasure of watching the Golden Gate Bridge go dark for an hour on Saturday night. Earth Hour is not simply an exercise in saving energy. It is a demonstration of our personal commitment to sustainability and a greener Earth. So, if you care about the future of our planet and want to be a part of a worldwide movement to make a change, turn off your lights for an hour on Saturday and make a difference.

Stay tuned for fun Earth Hour activities to be posted tomorrow!

YBGly,
Dale

The following information was taken directly from the Earth Hour website:

VOTE EARTH: YOUR LIGHT SWITCH IS YOUR VOTE

This year, Earth Hour has been transformed into the world’s first global election, between Earth and global warming.

For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, race and background have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote – Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming. WWF are urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.

This meeting will determine official government policies to take action against global warming, which will replace the Kyoto Protocol. It is the chance for the people of the world to make their voice heard.

Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008 the message had grown into a global sustainability movement, with 50 million people switching off their lights. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square all stood in darkness.

In 2009, Earth Hour is being taken to the next level, with the goal of 1 billion people switching off their lights as part of a global vote. Unlike any election in history, it is not about what country you’re from, but instead, what planet you’re from. VOTE EARTH is a global call to action for every individual, every business, and every community. A call to stand up and take control over the future of our planet. Over 74 countries and territories have pledged their support to VOTE EARTH during Earth Hour 2009, and this number is growing everyday.

We all have a vote, and every single vote counts. Together we can take control of the future of our planet, for future generations.

VOTE EARTH by simply switching off your lights for one hour, and join the world for Earth Hour.

Saturday, March 28, 8:30-9:30pm.

Old Dr. Bronner...and His Magic Soap

Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My dad has used it since I was a kid, and I especially remember its inclusion in our family camping trips (the soap is biodegradable). Even though it's been 10 years since I've lived at home, I continue to make sure that Dr. Bronner is a part of my life.

First off, the soap is magic. It says so on the label. How could you not want magic soap? Second, Dr. Bronner's soaps are all natural, organic, free trade, and live in recycled plastic bottles. Those are 4 reasons to love them right there. They also come in multiple delicious scents. I'm currently using peppermint, and after a shower, I not only smell minty-fresh, but I also feel all tingly and awake. Other scents include rose, citrus, tea tree, and eucalyptus.

Additionally, the soap can be used for just about any cleaning task you could possible imagine, and maybe even some you can't imagine. Seriously, from sudsing up in the shower to laundry to brushing your teeth, the magic soap is purported to have 18 uses. In fact, I have a list of said uses in Dr. Bronner's own overly-excited words:

1. Always dilute for Shave-Shampoo-Massage-Dental Soap-Bath!
2. Peppermint is nature's own unsurpassed fragrant Deodorant!
3. A drop is best Mint Toothpaste; brushes Dentures Clean!
4. A dash in water is the ideal Breath Freshener & Mouth Wash!
5. Peppermint Oil Soap for Dispensers, Uniforms, Baby, Beach!
6. Dilute for ideal After Shave, Body Rub, Foot Bath, Douche.
7. Hot Towel-Massage the entire body, always towards your heart.
8. Pets, silk, wool & body tingles head to toe - keeps cool!
9. 3 dashes in water rinse most Sprays Off fruit & vegetables!
10. 1/4 oz in qt H2O is Pest Spray! Dash, no rash Diaper-Soap!

Another reason to love Dr. Bronner's soap is the fact that he was a complete crazy-train (as the 18-1 list hints), and he decided to share his crazy-train life philosophy (the "Moral ABC," if you will) with the world on the labels of his magic soap. A few choice quotes include: "Each swallow works hard to be perfect pilot-provider-builder-trainer-teacher-lover-mate, no half-true hate! So, each day like a bird, perfect thyself first!" and "100% Vegan! Health is our greatest wealth." The entire label of the soap bottle is plastered with his rantings and prove VERY entertaining reading if you ever get locked in the bathroom.

Finally, the soap is very reasonably priced, especially considering all it's uses. In fact, you can buy it in the gallon size for about $50 dollars, and not only do you save packaging waste, but you may not need to buy soap again for years (remember that you dilute the soap for most uses). Do the math...it's FAR less expensive than the Dove Body Wash you're using now, so what are you waiting for? Bring the crazy doctor into your life!!!

Oh, almost forgot to mention that you can get the magic soap at places like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, as well as Target and some drugstores. It's magic AND easy to find.

Make Your Own Dry Shampoo?

A fellow green blogger recently wrote a post about creating your own dry shampoo that I just have to share. For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, if you have greasy hair but no time to wash it, there are now products out there that you can spritz/spray/squirt on your hair that fight the greasiness without water. Bumble and Bumble has an great but pricey ($35) option, and while B&B doesn't test on animals and they use some natural ingredients, they aren't 100% eco-friendly (yes, those mystery ingredients). Another option is the Fekkai Au Natural Dry Shampoo, which IS all natural but is also pricey ($23). Therefore, Becky at Green Updater wrote a great post about making your own dry shampoo.

Basically, all you need is a little cornmeal or cornstarch and you're good to go. Sprinkle the corn product in your hair, massage it in a bit, brush it out (thoroughly!), and off you go. Sounds crazy, right? But apparently it works. I'll give it a try sometime soon and update this post with how the experiment worked out.

Back Away from the Bottled Water

When was the last time you bought a bottle of water? How much did you pay for it? $1? $2? $5??? Well, did you realize that, by purchasing and carrying around a Klean Kanteen or a Nalgene water bottle, you not only significantly reduce the resources required to quench your thirst (plastic bottle, shipping, etc), but after only a few fill-ups, your reusable bottle has paid for itself! It's a no-brainer. For example, I brought my beat up Klean Kanteen with me to SXSW this weekend. Not only did I fill it up twice in the airport(s) during both days I spent traveling, saving myself about $20 in expensive airport water...but it also went with me to Waterloo Park on Saturday afternoon and kept me and my friends hydrated in between adult sodas. All in all it probably saved me $25 this weekend, which is more than it's original $17 cost.

So, save some money, oil, and energy, and buy yourself a durable reusable bottle...and if you have an emergency and absolutely HAVE to purchase a regular bottle of water, at least save the bottle for a bit of reuse before it reaches the end of it's lifespan and must be recycled. You'd be surprised at how convenient it is to have a few extra bottles around.

YBG Goes to SXSW

Wooohoo! Vacation here I come! I am currently chilling in the Houston Airport, waiting for my connecting flight to Austin, TX, where I'm meeting two of my best friends for South by Southwest. One friend, Elizabeth, is a 3L at UT law school, so I'm going to enjoy the glorious experience of having a "local" as my tour guide for the weekend. Does it get any better than your best friends in a fun city full of awesome music? I'm not sure it does.

SXSW, while a large and crazy multimedia extravaganza, definitely makes an effort to be a greener large and crazy multimedia extravaganza...and despite the fact that cross-country air travel is decidedly NOT environmentally friendly (or cheap), I can feel a little bit better about my weekend's carbon footprint, knowing the steps SXSW is taking to reduce the impact of the week's activities. From paperless planning to promoting films with a green agenda to making lists of sustainable hotels, the event's website has tons of tips and suggestions for greening your festival experience. While it's no burning man, SXSW is taking baby-steps in the right direction.

Additionally, Austin is a very walkable city, so we plan on hoofing it everywhere, saving not only dollars but carbon emissions (and burn off a few calories too). Apparently, there are pedi-cabs too! Just in case we do end up a little fatigued after a long day outside.

I've already done a bit of research on local watering holes, and I think there going to be more than a few local beer options. Local microbrews are something that I will never cease to get excited about each time I travel to a new city.

Finally, if you're trying to find a music festival that won't break your wallett, SXSW is a great one to explore. With ZILLIONS of free events and lots of free music, I'm fairly convinced you can spend the entire weekend eating, drinking, and listening without spending a dime. In fact, we're hitting the Insound's Party the moment I touch down for free music and $2 all-you-can-drink beer. YES, PLEASE!

Free Food/Drink for a Good Cause Alert!

SF YBGers, I have a great event for you! Tomorrow night (yeah, late notice) Greg Mcnamara, the big wave surfer, is going to be at 111 Minna for an event in partnership with Outside Magazine and Surfrider. Check out the details on the flier below.

Just in case you can't read it, the details are this:

5:30-9pm tomorrow - Free Hawai'ian food and beer at 111 Minna
7pm - Mcnamara will speak

Space is limited so sign up fast! Reply to cwaldrup@outsidemag.com if you want to attend. See you there!

A Question for All Those Twitterers Out There

I have recently joined Twitter in an effort to gain friends/contacts in the green blogging community, keep up with friends outside the Bay Area, and most importantly, effortlessly stalk my favorite celebs. Being fairly new to the Twitterverse, I have an etiquette question...some of my green tweeting colleagues send me, um, approximately 92,785 tweets a day. A little on the high side, no? Can I politely suggest that I don't appreciate 12 tweets in 1 minute? Should I just de-friend them and call it a day? How do I deal with the over-aggressive social media spammers?

PS You can follow me at twitter.com/YoungBrokeGreen. I promise I won't spam you.

"Green" Beer

No, no, no...not beer that's colored green (though we all know St. Patty's is right around the corner), but beer that's organic and environmentally friendly. Because work is killing me right now and I don't have time to research my own post (yes, I'm admitting it), I borrowed today's post from Ideal Bite.

IB recommends the following green beer choices:

• Eel River - The IPA or Amber comes highly recommended.
• Wolaver's - This is the best-selling in the US, for good reason - the taste.
• Samuel Smith - the old English fave now has organic brews.
• Stone Mill Pale Ale - nice and light, but not without a bite.
• Wild Hop Lager - a refreshing lager from the makers of Bud.
• Seven Bridges - brew your own with easy-to-use kits ($26-38).
• The Complete Joy of Homebrewing - from pilseners to porters, learn how to brew it all at home ($10).

Having brewed beer with my grad school roommate, I can definitely attest to the fact that it's no only fun, but you can end up with some really delicious (and occasionally not so delicious) brews. Also, the following info tidbits are ALL great reasons to choose organic:

• Convenience. Even the big guys like Anheuser-Busch have started selling their own organic brews.
• Cheers to your health. A 2003 FDA study found about 17% of barley and 32% of wheat products sampled had pesticide residues...ewwwww. We prefer the less than 5% offered by organic beer.
• Smaller microbreweries like Wolaver's have made a commitment to sustainable agriculture. Organic farming reduces topsoil erosion - 1/3 of which has disappeared due to modern farming.
• And the BEST part about organic beer...most organic brews compare in price to regular microbrews (about $8/6-pack). It may not win the price war against that Natty Light you were eying, but it will at least tie the Dogfish Head. And if more of us buy organic, it will drive prices down even more.

Buying LOCAL beer is also vastly preferable, and you win the prize if you're drinking local, organic brewskis. So, tomorrow when you're drinking your green pints, look for "green" green pints and do both the earth and your taste buds a favor.

Looking for a Green Deal?

White Apricot has an entire page devoted to deals at sustainable fashion and beauty websites. Using the coupon codes listed on the website, you can get up to SEVENTY PERCENT off of goods at the affiliate websites. Not a bad deal, I say. The interface at White Apricot is a little bit annoying because you have to scroll down, sorting through lots of capital letters, colors, and bold faced type...but if it means I can get 20% off at Nimli every time I shop there, well, I think it's a no-brainer.

Lesson of the day: being sustainably stylish doesn't cost any more than being unsustainably stylish.

Clean veggies for pennies

Want to know a super cheap way to make sure your fruit and vegetables are dirt and pesticide free? Mix up at batch of 3 parts or water to 1 part of white vinegar in a squirt bottle. Now all you need to do is give your apples a few spritzes in the sink, rinse, and you'll have fruit that just a clean as if you'd used an expensive eco-cleaner. Not a bad way to use that rando vinegar on your pantry, is it?

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Green Light Reflections

Readers, I have a great blog written by a very good friend from college that you all should check out: Green Light Reflections. GLR (we're all about acronyms at here at YBG) documents my buddy's attempts to adopt a greener lifestyle, as well as shares his thoughts, tips, ramblings, and developments relevant to the "green" movement as he sees it. Because my friend is being Bobby Bigtime and is too cool to let his identity out to the e-masses (shhh, I can't blow his cover), I get to be all cryptic about his identity...but let's just say we went to college together, he may or may not have a twin, and he's an all-around awesome, closet eco-geek. Anyway, check out GLR...it's definitely worth a read.

Guilty as Charged...

I put air in my tires this past weekend, and I am very embarrassed to say that they were terribly low. Who knows how many gallons of gas I wasted? I definitely learned my lesson that going multiple months without checking tire pressure is pretty much equivalent to dumping gallons of gas (and many dolla billz) out on the sidewalk. AND what's even worse is that, with all the hype about Obama's "tire pressure" comment, I knew that I needed to check my tires, but still didn't do it. Inexcusable. So YBGers, please don't follow my example and check the air in you tires at LEAST once a month, ok? Promise? Ok.

Drakes Bay Oysters

Yesterday evening, my boyfriend and I finished off a phenomenal weekend hiking and camping in Pt. Reyes National Seashore by stopping by Drakes Bay Oyster Farm for sixty of their finest. Armed with naught but an oyster knife, a dirty t-shirt (our towel), a lemon, and some cocktail sauce, we spend the last hour of daylight cracking those babies open and slurping them down.

Drakes Bay is a pretty amazing place. It's the only sustainable oyster farm in NorCal, using no inputs, chemicals, fertilizers, or feed. Additionally, the water temperature of Drakes Estero is too cold for the non-native oysters to spawn on their own, so they must be seeded by hand, eliminating the risk of unintended invasion. The Farm also employs an off-bottom, Japanese-inspired, “hanging culture” method (like I know what that means, but it sounds good) that is used by less than 5% of U.S. oyster farmers, and results in "uniquely flavored, ultra-clean oysters." I can definitely say that these are some of the very best oysters I've had in my whole life, and we enjoyed these local, sustainable delicacies at wholesale prices right from the source. I mean, when are the last time you ate huge, perfectly delicious oysters for $0.60 a pop? Yeah, that's what I thought.

So, Bay Area readers and tourists, next time you're planning a YBG weekend of camping, hiking, sea kayaking, or whatever up in Marin County, stop by Drakes for an experience not to be missed.

PS I almost forgot to mention that Drakes Bay needs your help! The National Park Service plans to shut down the historic oyster farm in Drakes Estero, but your participation can help protect sustainable shellfish farming in Marin County. Visit www.alsamarin.org and support the campaign to SAVE DRAKES BAY OYSTER FARM by signing up and learning more about this threat.

Meet A New Favorite Website: Green Loop Apparel

I discovered Green Loop today, and I think I'm in love. Green Loop is "a style conscious, eco-retail company, specializing in sustainable apparel and accessories for men and women, grounded in good design." See that everyone! They are style-conscious and grounded in good design! No fuddy-duddy beige hemp bags or recycled patchwork skirts/shirts reminiscent of the trust-afarians lining Haight St in San Fran. No, no, no...Green Loop has really cute clothes and accessories for both men and women from designers like Simple, Grace and Cello, and jack&marjorie. While they don't always fit into the YBG budget (no, I can't afford that $1000 Vegan Queen hobo bag...but I can wish), their sale section has tons and tons of great stuff on it, like this great men's Loomstate jacket that's %50 off. Also, if you sign up for their e-newsletter, you get a coupon for %15 off your first purchase...only $850 to go on the hobo bag...

Seafood Watch 2009

Speaking of sustainable fish, I think it's important my readers know that every year Monterey Bay Aquarium puts out a free pocket guide called Seafood Watch that is "designed to raise consumer awareness about the importance of buying seafood from sustainable sources. We recommend which seafood to buy or avoid, helping consumers to become advocates for environmentally friendly seafood." The little guide easily fits in your wallet and/or purse, and if your budging wallet (full of $1 billz and change, I'm sure) can't handle anything else or you don't have the patience to wait for them to arrive in the mail, there's a new iPhone application (free, obvs) available. The Aquarium also puts out a sushi guide, which follows that same principles as the regular Seafood Watch but also lists the fish with their Japanese names.

Initially, you might feel a little "high maintenance" pulling out your SW card at a restaurant and asking the waiter, "'Scuse me, where is your yellowfin from? Oh the Atlantic? And it was pole caught? Oh then I would definitely like the seared ahi this evening?" But honestly, it's a great conversation starter, and your dinner companions will be impressed by the confidence you showed in making a sustainable decision. Doooo iiiiiit.

The REAL Cost of Farmed Salmon

It's Tuesday morning and you're mentally making your shopping list for a spin by the grocery store on the way home from work. Butter, pizza dough, toilet paper, and salmon...because you've been told that salmon is a sustainable fishery. This afternoon when you get to the store, you'll see "Fresh Farmed Atlantic Salmon $7.99" and "Frozen Wild Alaskan Salmon $10.99." So, as a YBG, you'll choose the cheaper farmed fish and be on your merry way, right? WRONG!

On the surface, it seems that farmed salmon are cheaper than wild, but when you look at the real cost of the farmed fish, it's actually much higher than the wild variety. But...I see...$3, you stutter. Well, wild salmon eat fish, but at the farms they are fed pellets of fish meal, fish oil, and added food coloring to make their flesh artificially pink. The fish meal food is made up of wild fish, and it takes 8 tons of wild fish to make up 1 ton of fish oil for their feed. Not very efficient, is it?

Also, crowded farm fish are fed antibiotics to ward off infection. In fact, farmed salmon have more antibiotics administered by weight than any other form of livestock.

Finally, Atlantic salmon are being farmed in the Pacific, and they regularly escape from their nets. Because Atlantic salmon are not native to the Pacific Ocean, when they breed with Pacific salmon, their offspring are rendered infertile further depressing wild salmon populations.

So, next time you're at the store, contemplating that $3 you could save...think again and make the right decision for yourself, salmon, and our oceans (you can put back that pint of B&J's instead, right?).

PS It is important you know that fresh wild salmon is available in the winter only. If you are eating wild salmon any other time and you bought it fresh, it had to have been previously frozen or it is not wild salmon.

A Tip for Those With LCD Computer Screens (i.e. most of us)

Well, while Blackle is all fine and good for those people who still use CRT monitors (i.e. the giant, bulbous, old-school ones), it turns out that Blackle only results in significant energy savings if your monitor is stuck in the 1990s. Most people these days have LCD screens...think laptops and flatscreens. Therefore, the best and easiest way to save a few watts on your laptops is...drumroll please...turn down your monitor's brightness! Pretty obvious, right? But, I know from experience that even smart people don't think of that simple tip. Another added bonus to reducing your screens wattage is longer battery life, so you'll be thanking me for multiple reasons next time your trying to watch Wedding Crashers, crammed into an Amtrak Coach seat on your way to NYC from DC.

Getting a Good Night's Sleep

Like I Tweeted last night, I have an hand-me-down hand-me-down mattress that was originally owned by my aunt circa 1956. Needless to say, it sucks. It is currently make somewhat bearable by the pillow top that I randomly inherited from my best friend's ex-boyfriend after college...but even with a few pillowly inches of synthetic cotton, I need a "ticket to a better night's sleep."

There are two green options for a nice but affordable mattress (cause a decent bed is expensive! and mattresses are resource intensive). Either you can look on Craigslist, or the like, for a lightly (and hopefully cleanly...ew) used mattress, thus avoiding both the consumption of resources and paying full price. Alternately, you can get a new, green mattress from Keesta without breaking the bank. According to the company, "Keetsa is committed to presenting a line of sleep products that has a minimum impact on your pocketbook and on the environment." They also get GREAT reviews on Yelp. Using organic and recycled materials, Keesta mattresses start as low as $439. Heck, and if you can get a nicely used Keesta mattress...well, then you're really in business.

I know where I'm headed this weekend.

Lightweights rule!

Last night, after getting unacceptably tipsy off of two glasses of local pinot noir (please note that I hadn't eaten dinner yet), I realized that, if reducing our consumption is the key to living a green lifestyle, then lightweight drinkers have a distinctive head start. Let's think about this...alcohol is a decidedly wasteful way to use crops, requiring lots of resources/pesticides for result that is low in nutritional value. However, it is a staple of many world cultures, and therefore, we're not going to give it up anytime soon. This means that the next best way to reduce our booze consumption while maintaining our social acceptability is by simply drinking less. And that's where lightweights win because we just can't function past a drink or three. If I can reach the same state of fuzziness with two drinks that my brother requires an entire case of Fatweisers to acquire, then, well, I'll let you do the consumption math.

This is obviously the argument I'll use at my 5th college reunion in June when being coerced into my 9th game of quarters for the evening. Right? Right.

Being Used

Who here knows about half.com and/or the used book option of amazon.com? Did you know that you can get books for half price while using none of the natural resources?! While borrowing from the library (or a friend) is obviously the greenest choice for readers, everyone has books that they have to own for one reason or another. For instance, I bought a used copy of "The Writer's Market 2009" last night because I didn't think the library would appreciate me writing/highlighting all over their copy, and I knew I'd need the book for more than a few weeks. Therefore, I searched Amazon and found a used copy of the book for 25% off. Who doesn't like a deal, and we can feel great about saving trees, water, and oil.

Putting My Codes Where My Keystrokes Are

In honor of my last post, I redesigned YBG to use less energy while you read it (i.e. changed my white background to dark green). Hope you like the redecorating!

Blackle

Ready for something super easy and free to do that will save energy? Meet Blackle, a Google search page that is black and therefore uses far less energy. According to ecoIron (a green IT firm), an all white web page uses about 74 watts to display, while an all black page uses only 59 watts. ecoIron then did a little match to see what kind of savings we'd accrue by using Blackle vs regular old Google:

Google gets about 200+ million queries a day. Assuming each query is displayed for about 10 seconds, Google is running for approximately 550,000 hours every day all over the world. Assuming that each user runs Google in full screen mode, the shift to a black background (on a CRT monitor...aka not a flatscreen) will save a total of 15 watts per view per person. That turns into a global savings of 8.3 megawatt-hours per day (8,300,000 watts/day), or about 3000 megawatt-hours per year. Now, taking into account that about 25 percent of the monitors in the world are CRTs, at $0.10 a kilowatt-hour, that's $75,000 per year, not too shabby for changing a few color codes on a single website.