Greening your electronics

If you are looking for ways to reduce the effect that your electronic gadgets have on the environmental and on global warming, then Treehugger.com is a resource that you should look at. Their article titled "How to Green Your Electronics" (click here to read it) gives some great ways to go green. The page includes:

• Top 10 Tips - including "Kill vampire power," "Bright idea: The Solar Charger," and "Look for EPEAT"
• So You Want To Do More - including "Offset Your Energy" and "USB-It"
• By The Numbers - "40% of the energy used for electronics in your home is used while these devices are turned off." Ouch!!
• Going Techie - Information about Li-Ion and NiMH batteries
• Dig Deeper Into Treehugger - including a list of various products to help reduce energy usage (including some solar chargers that I am dying to get my hands on...)

This is a fantastic article for everyone who is plugged into the Electronics Age (all of us with our iPods, cell phones, laptops, PDAs...)

Also, I am an avid reader of the Lifehacker blog. Their post that discussed this Treehugger.com article has some great comments that include other ideas about how to reduce your electricity usage. Check out the Lifehacker blog at "How to go green with your electronics" (click here to read it).

If You Can't Install Solar Panels...

Who says that to be green you have to spend thousands of dollars installing solar panels on your roof? Many electricity companies offer green power alternatives. For a few extra dollars per month, all of your energy can be from green power sources like wind, hydro, and photovoltaic. This means that for less than the cost of a daily cup of coffee, with a simple telephone call you can buy green energy without having to mortgage the house to install solar panels on your home.

In Kennebunk, ME, the Village Green program allows customers to purchase 100 kW-hr blocks for only $1 per month. That adds only 1 cent per kW to my energy bill. Our family buys 6 blocks at $6 per month to cover most of our base electrical load.

If you are a customer of Kennebunk Light and Power (which is a non-profit), visit their website (currently under construction) or send an e-mail to sastaz@klpd.org to sign up for this program.
If you are a customer of Central Maine Power or Bangor Hydro, the Maine Energy Investment Corp. has an overview of similar options at their website.

In my opinion, this is the easiest and cheapest way to begin to reduce your "carbon footprint" and help to make a clean, renewable energy future a reality.