Greenversations

About the author: Ashley Sims, a senior at Indiana University, is a fall intern with EPA’s Office of Children’s Health Protection and Environmental Education through the Washington Leadership Program.

“Come on and Click it, flip it, turn the handle to the right, turn off the water, twist the handle real tight” -Click it, Flip it Rap

I’ve blogged about many things we all can do to address global climate change and its effects on children’s health since we launched our campaign on October 6th. We’ve talked about issues such as water and energy efficiency, paper usage, taking public transportation, and packing a waste-free lunch. We learned that it only takes simple things, such as choosing to turn the water off while you’re brushing your teeth, to help address global climate change and its effects on children’s health. Now this brings me to this week’s topic - Turn It Off! As mentioned in the above rap, you can “Click it, flip it” to conserve energy and save the planet too.

Did you know some appliances still use a small amount of power when they’re switched off and plugged to an outlet? Most appliances that use electricity when switched off are things like VCRs, televisions, stereos, kitchen appliances, and computers. And if you’re like me, you keep your phone charger plugged in when not in use, but not anymore! According to the US Department of Energy, 75% of the electricity used to power home appliances is consumed when they are turned off. Seems like a waste to me. A way to avoid this is to simply unplug the appliances or use the switch on a power strip to cut the power off.

Another way to take action is to look for energy-saving ENERGY STAR home electronics and make sure your parents do too. These ENERGY STAR qualified products use less energy, save money, and help protect the environment and our health. Electricity generation from the combustion of fossil fuels contributes to unhealthy air quality, acid rain, and global climate change. It’s important to use less electricity to prevent harmful effects to our health.

In conclusion, make sure to switch off your electronics and lights when they are not in use. Even better, unplug them. Electronics still use a small amount of energy when they are plugged in, even when they are turned off. Plugging electronics into a surge-protector with an on/off switch is an easy way to do this. How do you use less electricity?

For more information, check out http://www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/home_office.html

About the author: Maria Tikoff Vargas has worked at EPA for over 20 years and is currently the Brand Manager and Communications Director for EPA’s ENERGY STAR program.

Choosing holiday gifts can be challenging. I try to consider what each person wants, what they need, what’s on sale – the usual. But, since I work on EPA’s ENERGY STAR program, I realize that new purchases can have a big impact on household energy use and on the environment. Luckily, by looking for the ENERGY STAR, it’s easy to find gifts that save energy, save money on utility bills, and help fight global warming.

ENERGY STAR’s new, stricter qualification for televisions was recently released, so a flat-screen TV will certainly make my husband happy while using 30 percent less energy than standard units. He’s excited to watch HD programming, and both he and my son will be thrilled to play their new video games on a big screen. I’ll also pick out some movies that we can watch together on our new ENERGY STAR qualified Blu-ray DVD player.

My daughter is taking piano lessons, so she’s getting an MP3 player loaded with Mozart. I’m sure Miley Cyrus will find her way on there soon, though. I’ll look for a model that comes with an ENERGY STAR qualified power adapter, which is 30 percent more efficient than a conventional model. We’ll also set up a power strip where she can plug in the charger, making sure to switch off the strip when not in use.

For the kids’ teachers and the newspaper carrier, I’ve stocked up on ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs, which make small but useful presents. At home, I’m planning to switch to ENERGY STAR qualified decorative light strings. They consume 75 percent less energy than conventional incandescent light strands. We’ll also make sure that our regular green habits don’t fade away during the holidays, diligently using our programmable thermostat and sealing any drafty cracks to make sure the house stays cozy. These and other actions throughout the year are simple ways our family tries to help our environment and reduce our carbon footprint.

I definitely have some work ahead this season, but I feel good about giving fun, useful gifts that are also environmentally friendly. And just in case you know my husband, I’ve had my eye on this great little ENERGY STAR qualified laptop… Maybe you could drop a hint?

De la autora: María Tikoff Vargas ha trabajado en EPA por más de 20 años y actualmente es la directora de comunicaciones y gerente de marca registrada del programa de EPA, ENERGY STAR.

El seleccionar regalos para las fiestas puede ser un reto. Normalmente, tomo en consideración lo que la persona quiere, lo que necesita, y lo que está en venta especial. Sin embargo, como trabajo en el programa de EPA ENERGY STAR, me doy cuenta que muchas nuevas adquisiciones pueden tener un gran impacto en la energía utilizada en el hogar así como en el medio ambiente. Por suerte, al buscar los productos ENERGY STAR, es fácil encontrar regalos que ahorran energía, ahorran dinero en la factura eléctrica, y ayudan a combatir el calentamiento global.

Nuevos requisitos más estrictos de ENERGY STAR para los televisores fueron publicados recientemente por lo cual un nuevo televisor de pantalla plana definitivamente agradaría a mi esposo mientras a la misma vez utilizaría 30 por ciento de energía menos que las unidades tradicionales. Le encantará ver la programación de alta definición digital y tanto a él como a mi hijo les encantará jugar con los nuevos video-juegos en una pantalla grande. Yo aprovecharé para seleccionar algunas películas que podamos ver juntos con nuestro aparato DVD tipo Blu-ray con la etiqueta de ENERGYSTAR.

Mi hija está tomando clases de piano y está descargando mucha música de Mozart en su aparato MP3. Estoy segura que eventualmente la música de Miles Cyrus llegará al MP3 también. Estoy buscando un modelo con el adaptador electrónico con la etiqueta ENERGY STAR que es 30 por ciento más eficiente que los modelos convencionales. Además, lo conectaremos a un enchufe múltiple donde se pueda enchufar el cargador para asegurarnos de apagar la unidad cuando no esté en uso.

Para los maestros de los niños y el joven que reparte periódicos, ya he seleccionado varias bombillas fluorescentes compactas que serán regalos pequeños, pero útiles. En el hogar, ya estoy planificando seleccionar bombillas decorativas con la etiqueta de ENERGY STAR. Estas consumen 75 por ciento menos de energía que las luces incandescentes convencionales. También nos aseguraremos que nuestros hábitos normales verdes no desaparezcan durante las fiestas, y de manera diligente utilizaremos nuestro termostato programable y habremos de sellar cualquier grieta para que la casa permanezca en una temperatura acogedora. Estas y otras acciones durante el año son pasos sencillos que nuestra familia toma para ayudar a nuestro medio ambiente y reducir nuestra huella de carbono.
Definitivamente tengo muchas cosas que hacer durante esta temporada, pero me siento bien por el hecho de ofrecer regalos que sean divertidos, útiles y también beneficiosos al medio ambiente. Y en caso de que conozca a mi esposo, he visto una pequeña computadora portátil tipo laptop que sería un gran regalo….¿Acaso podría plantearle la idea?

About the author: Ashley Sims, a senior at Indiana University, is a fall intern with EPA’s Office of Children’s Health Protection and Environmental Education through the Washington Leadership Program.

My weekly blog is part of EPA’s campaign to engage middle and high school students in a discussion on global climate change and its effects on children’s health. As mentioned before, it’s my privilege to give students the opportunity to express their own thoughts on this issue. I look forward to hearing your comments. Now let’s get started on this week’s topic - energy efficiency.

Some of you may have heard of the ENERGY STAR label - you can find it on qualified light bulbs, cordless phones, and other electronics. If I may say so myself, ENERGY STAR qualified products are great to have because they use less energy, save money, and help protect the environment and health. The ENERGY STAR label means a product has met the energy-efficient standards set by EPA and the Department of Energy.

We use electricity for lighting, operating appliances, and producing hot and cold water. When coal and other fossil fuels are burned to create electricity, greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere. In fact, according to the greenhouse gas calculator on the EPA website, the average household of two produces about 16,290 pounds a year of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Did you know that different power plants use different types of fuel, and a power plant that runs on coal gives off more greenhouse gases per unit of electricity than a power plant that uses natural gas? The build up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is causing the climate to change.

It’s really important for us to be energy conscious and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Here’s what you can do –

• Get involved today and encourage your parents to replace their light bulbs with ones that have the ENERGY STAR label. According to the ENERGY STAR website, if every American home replaced one light with an ENERGY STAR qualified light bulb, the reduction in greenhouse gases would be the same as taking 800,000 cars off the road.
• Get your parents to take the ENERGY STAR pledge.
• Check out how you can save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emission in your own room.
• Join the campaign to create a new climate for action.

And make sure to let me know what you’re doing to save energy.

About the author: Rob Lawrence joined EPA in 1990 and is Senior Policy Advisor on Energy Issues in the Dallas, TX regional office. As an economist, he works to insure that both supply and demand components are addressed as the Region develops its Clean Energy and Climate Change Strategy.

EPA offices in Dallas and Kansas City, through a public/private partnership group – the Blue Skyways Collaborative, hosted a conference on Energy Savings for utilities in the central part of the United States on September 25 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The participants included investor owned utilities, local electric cooperatives, municipal and other publicly owned utilities as well as state and federal regulators. Since energy efficiency programs are scalable, the approach is as easily implemented by a small co-op with 15,000 customers as it is for large multi-state operations with millions of subscribers.

One of the principal messages of the conference was that an aggressive energy efficiency campaign for residential properties, farm & small business operations, and commercial & industrial customers should be the first option when a utility is managing an increase in power demand. Several utilities said that it was possible to harness the same amount of power created by new generation and transmission facilities through efficiency efforts for between 10 to 50% of the cost of new construction.

Glenn Cannon of the Waverly, Iowa, municipal utility outlined why this approach was a win/win solution. The environmental benefits include lower emissions including greenhouse gases than from new power plants as well as a reduction in water usage. The economic savings go to consumers, including low income and fixed income residents. Since steps like rebates for buying newer appliances and retrofitting houses with more insulation and higher quality windows and doors happen in the local area, there are positive impacts to the local economy through local purchases and the use of nearby workers. The utility benefits from a quicker response to the power demand with ongoing, long-term benefits; lessening the need for building and permitting new generation and transmission facilities, and without increasing carbon emissions.

As one of the members of the conference planning committee, I was impressed that all of the participants felt that energy efficiency programs will be an important tool to meet these future demands with certainty and benefits to all involved.

About the author: Lina Younes has been working for EPA since 2002 and chairs EPA’s Multilingual Communications Task Force. Prior to joining EPA, she was the Washington bureau chief for two Puerto Rican newspapers and she has worked for several government agencies.

Lea la versión en español a continuación de esta entrada en inglés.
Some links exit EPA or have Spanish content.

The other day I was translating a press release on energy vampires. Energy vampires, you may ask? Yes, they are lurking around in our homes, backyards, and communities. No, I’m not trying to be funny nor creepy. They are real! I’m talking about those electronic devices, big and small, that continue to suck up energy (and money from our wallets) even when they are officially “off”.

I confess that I had fun with the translation. As it often happens, I learned something in the process. These electronic devices continue to use energy even when we turn them off at night, so we recommend pulling the plug or using a power strip to limit the flow of energy when these appliances (TVs, VCRs, computers, chargers, etc.) are not in use.

On my way home from work that night, I saw a house that definitely gets the prize for Energy Vampire of the Month, perhaps, Energy Vampire of the Year! Every year the owners go the extra mile to decorate their house to the nth degree according to the holiday of the season. Be it Halloween, Christmas, Easter, the 4th of July, you name it. The place is full of decorations. But we’re not talking only about simple colorful decorations covering every square inch—there are lights galore!

So, in addition to eliminating the mysterious energy vampires in our daily lives, we should start thinking of those vintage holiday decorations that might have been in the family for years, but are not environmentally friendly. Maybe it’s time for some greener substitutions. There are new decorative lights with LED (light emitting diodes) technology that consume 75% less energy than conventional incandescent light strands. These EnergyStar certified lights will help you get into the holiday spirit without risking heart failure when you get the bill.

So by all means, go green this Halloween, but pull the plug on those energy vampires!

Los vampiros de energía nos amargan la existencia de muchas maneras

Sobre la autor: Lina M. F. Younes ha trabajado en la EPA desde el 2002 y está a cargo del Grupo de Trabajo sobre Comunicaciones Multilingües. Como periodista, dirigió la oficina en Washington de dos periódicos puertorriqueños y ha laborado en varias agencias gubernamentales.

El otro día estaba traduciendo un comunicado de prensa sobre los vampiros de energía. ¿Se preguntarán si existen esos vampiros? Efectivamente, están al asecho en nuestros hogares, patios y comunidades. No, no estoy bromeando ni tratando de asustarle. ¡Existen! Estoy hablando de los aparatos electrónicos grandes y pequeños que continúan chupando energía (y el dinero de sus bolsillos) aún cuando están oficialmente apagados.

Confieso que fue divertido hacer la traducción. Y como sucede muchas veces, aprendí algo. Estos aparatos electrónicos continúan utilizando energía aún cuando están apagados por la noche, por lo tanto recomendamos que los desenchufen o utilicen un interruptor especial (power strip) para interrumpir el flujo de energía a enseres como televisores, VCRs, computadoras, cargadores, etc., cuando no están en uso.

Cuando regresaba a casa las otras noches, ví una casa que definitivamente se gana el premio de Vampiro Energético del Mes, o quizás, Vampiro de Energía del Año! Cada año los dueños decoran su casa a la enésima potencia dependiendo de la temática de la celebración del momento. Sea la fiesta de las brujas (Halloween), las Navidades, la Pascua Florida o el cuatro de julio. Cualquier ocasión es buena para desplegar las decoraciones. Y no estoy hablando simplemente de coloridas decoraciones que cubren cada centímetro cuadrado del lugar. ¡Allí hay luces por doquier!

Asimismo, además de eliminar los misteriosos vampiros de energía de nuestras vidas cotidianas, debemos pensar en las antiguas decoraciones de luces que llevan años nuestros hogares, pero no son muy beneficiosas para el medio ambiente. Quizás ha llegado el momento de optar por sustituciones que sean más favorables. Hay nuevas luces decorativas con tecnología LED (diodos emisores de luz, por sus siglas en inglés) que consumen 75% menos energía que las bombillas de luz incandescente convencionales. Estas luces con la certificación de EnergyStar pueden ayudarle a entrar en el ambiente de las fiestas sin correr el riesgo de un fallo cardíaco cuando le llegue la factura de la luz.

Por ende, adopte prácticas verdes en la fiesta de las brujas y desenchufe esos vampiros de energía!

Each week we ask a question related to the environment. You can answer the poll or let us know your thoughts as comments. Feel free to respond to earlier comments or post new ideas. Previous questions.

Vampires could be lurking the shadows of your home. Energy vampires continuously suck energy from electrical outlets and unnecessarily waste energy. These vampires won’t drain your blood; they’ll drain your pockets! Energy vampires cost Americans almost $10 billion a year, and account for almost 11 percent of all U.S. energy use!

Energy vampires are the electronics, adapters, and appliances with fangs in your outlet, sucking power even when apparently not in use or “off.” For example, a TV always uses a little power so it can always receive the “on” signal from the remote control. Adapters, too, use power even when not plugged into their device. You can easily check your home for energy vampires using your power meter. Turn everything off as you normally do, as if you were leaving for the day - but don’t unplug anything you don’t normally unplug. Now, look at your power meter. What do you have for vampires sucking energy from your home?

What are your energy vampires?

(en español)

How fast is it moving? Like a... vampire - flying like batwings at high speed (31%, 48 Votes) zombie - limping along but not dangerously (28%, 43 Votes) mummy - barely shuffling around at all (22%, 34 Votes) werewolf - chasing around faster than expected (20%, 31 Votes) Total Voters: 156  Loading ...

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En español: Cada semana hacemos una pregunta relacionada al medio ambiente. Por favor comparta con nosotros sus pensamientos y comentarios. Siéntase en libertad de responder a comentarios anteriores o plantear nuevas ideas. Preguntas previas.

Podrían haber vampiros al asecho en las penumbras de su hogar. Los vampiros de energía continuamente chupan energía de los interruptores eléctricos y malgastan innecesariamente la energía. Estos vampiros no le chupan la sangre. Al contrario, ¡están vaciando sus bolsillos! Los vampiros de energía cuestan a los estadounidenses alrededor de $10 mil millones cada año lo cual representa cerca del 11 por ciento de toda la energia usada en EE.UU.!

Los vampiros de energía son los efectos electrónicos, adaptadores, enseres eléctricos cuyos colmillos clavan al interruptor y chupan la energía aún cuando aparentemente estos aparatos no están en uso o está apagado (”off”). Por ejemplo, un televisor siempre usa un poco de energía para que pueda recibir la señal de “on” del control remoto. Los adaptadores también usan energía aún cuando no se le haya enchufado el efecto electrónico. Usted puede verificar si hay vampiros de energía en su hogar utilizando un medidor de energía. Apague todo como normalmente hace como si fuera estar fuera de la casa por todo el día, pero no desenchufe nada. Entonces mire su medidor de energía. ¿Cuáles son algunos de los vampiros que están chupando la energía de su hogar?

¿Qué son los vampiros de energía?

¿Cuán rápido se mueve? Quizás como un vampiro -- volando como alas de murciélago a alta velocidad (58%, 7 Votes) una momia -- apenas deambulándose (25%, 3 Votes) un hombre lobo -- asechando de manera más rápida que lo previsto (17%, 2 Votes) un zombi -- cogeando lentamente sin ofrecer peligro (0%, 0 Votes) Total Voters: 12  Loading ...

About the author: Lina Younes has been working for EPA since 2002 and chairs EPA’s Multilingual Communications Task Force. Prior to joining EPA, she was the Washington bureau chief for two Puerto Rican newspapers and she has worked for several government agencies.

Lea la versión en español a continuación de esta entrada en inglés.
Some links exit EPA or have Spanish content.

This summer I went to Lebanon for our family vacation, a country that we’ve visited several times over the years. While the country faces many environmental challenges, I was impressed by their efforts to go green. There were several things that I hadn’t seen in previous trips to that country so I was motivated to write this entry to Greenversations.

First of all, I noticed that many houses had solar photovoltaic panels! I was shocked. I’ve driven through many neighborhoods in the US and I have never seen any. Second, I noticed that light bulbs being sold at the local grocery and convenience stores were all the equivalent of Energy Star-qualified CFL light bulbs sold in the US. Consumers didn’t have a choice. Only energy efficient light bulbs were being sold. The homes that I visited all had these CFLs. Thirdly, in a trip to the grocery store, I saw reusable cloth bags for sale with a green “Save the Earth” logo in English on the bags! Just like the ones we now see in U.S. grocery stores. Fourth, there were billboards along the roads and ads in the local press advertising for eco-tourism events and sites throughout Lebanon.

When I returned to the U.S., I visited the web site of the Lebanese Ministry of the Environment and saw some green tips similar to the advice given by EPA to encourage environmental awareness.

Although much remains to be done in the US and worldwide to further protect the environment and human health, I am heartened by the fact that more and more individuals and countries seem to be marching towards a green goal. Hope more people will become inspired by the words of the Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Together, we can make it happen. What have you done for the environment lately?

Esfuerzos ecológicos alrededor del mundo

Sobre la autor: Lina M. F. Younes ha trabajado en la EPA desde el 2002 y está a cargo del Grupo de Trabajo sobre Comunicaciones Multilingües. Como periodista, dirigió la oficina en Washington de dos periódicos puertorriqueños y ha laborado en varias agencias gubernamentales.

Este verano pasamos las vacaciones familiares en El Líbano, un país que hemos visitado en varias ocasiones durante los años. Mientras el país enfrenta numerosos retos medioambientales, enseguida noté sus esfuerzos ambientalistas. Varias cosas que no había visto en viajes anteriores me impresionaron y me motivaron a escribir mis vivencias en nuestro blog, Greenversations (Conversaciones verdes).

Primero que nada, en El Líbano este verano me sorprendió ver que muchas casas tenían paneles fotovoltaicos solares! He conducido por varios vecindarios en Estados Unidos y jamás los he visto. En segundo lugar, noté que las bombillas (focos) a la venta en las tiendas locales eran el equivalente de las bombillas fluorescentes compactas CFL con la etiqueta de Energy Star que se venden en Estados Unidos. Los consumidores no tenían otra opción. Sólo las bombillas energéticamente eficientes estaban a la venta. Todos los hogares que visité tenían estas bombillas. En tercer lugar, cuando fuimos de compras al supermercado, vi las bolsas de tela que se pueden volver a utilizar con el logotipo en inglés de “Cuida el Planeta Tierra” —tales como se venden ahora en muchos supermercados estadounidenses. En cuarto lugar, había anuncios a lo largo de las carreteras y en los medios locales promoviendo eventos y lugares de eco-turismo en El Líbano.

Cuando regresé a EE.UU. visité el sitio Web del Ministerio del Medio Ambiente de El Líbano y ví que tenían muchos consejos verdes similares a los que brinda la EPA para fomentar la concienciación ambiental.

A pesar de que queda mucho por hacer en Estados Unidos y a nivel mundial para mejor proteger el medio ambiente y la salud humana, me alienta el hecho de que más y más países parecen estar marchando hacia una meta verde. Espero que más personas se inspiren por las palabras del filósofo chino Lao-tzu, “Un camino de mil millas comienza con un solo paso”. Juntos podemos lograrlo. ¿Qué ha hecho para el medio ambiente últimamente?

Each week we write about the science behind environmental protection. Previous Science Wednesdays.

About the author: Matthias Fripp is a doctoral student in the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley. His work is funded by an EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Graduate Research Fellowship.

Before I started my studies, I thought that graduate students were free to study any topic they liked. That’s true in principle, but in practice we need to find funding for our research. Fortunately, I was granted an EPA STAR fellowship in 2006, allowing me to pursue a question I consider particularly important: how much wind and solar power should we use in the electricity system in upcoming decades?

Over the last couple of years, I’ve gathered data on the amount of power that could be produced every hour at potential wind farm sites and solar power facilities all over California. I’ve also collected information on existing power plants and transmission lines, and forecasted the cost of building new wind, solar or conventional power plants or transmission lines in the future.

Next, I built a computer model that determines which combination of new and existing power plants and transmission lines will give the least expensive electricity between 2010 and 2025, while also ensuring that the state has enough power every hour. I also use this model to see how much our power bills might change if we work seriously on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The results of this research are exciting. I found that wind and solar power are available at complementary times in California, so we can use them together to make a more reliable (and cheaper) power system than we could if we just used wind or solar alone. I also found that even if we didn’t care about greenhouse gas emissions, we should still plan to use a lot of wind power, because it is beginning to be less expensive than power from natural gas plants. Finally, I found that there is no sharp limit to the amount of renewable power we could use in California: power bills rise slowly as we build more and more renewables, but emissions could be reduced substantially with little or no extra cost.

The EPA STAR fellowship has made a huge difference, freeing me to focus all my efforts on this work, and providing the resources to do it right.

Each week we ask a question related to the environment. You can answer the poll or let us know your thoughts as comments. Feel free to respond to earlier comments or post new ideas. Previous questions.

It’s time to go back to school, so many Americans are replacing their computers. You can look for the Energy Star label to find one that uses less electricity. When you get your computer home, you can choose energy-saving settings like when to turn off the monitor.

When it comes to computers, do you minimize energy use?
(leave a comment | en español)

Do you know how to adjust your computer's energy saver settings? Yes (64%, 172 Votes) No (36%, 96 Votes) Total Voters: 268  Loading ...

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En español: Cada semana hacemos una pregunta relacionada al medio ambiente. Por favor comparta con nosotros sus pensamientos y comentarios. Siéntase en libertad de responder a comentarios anteriores o plantear nuevas ideas. Preguntas previas.

Ha llegado el regreso al colegio y muchos estadounidenses están reemplazando sus computadoras. Busque la etiqueta Energy Star para encontrar una que use menos electricidad. En casa, puede seleccionar opciones para ahorrar energía como apagar el monitor.

¿Cuando se trata de computadoras, cómo minimiza el uso de energía?