Who Wants to Go Green?

Twenty-nine years ago (according to the date on my drawing), I designed a roofing system that could be retrofit to any home and which would provide up to one-half of winter heating needs on sunny days. At the same time, I designed a geothermal heating/cooling system that would provide a constant stream of air into the home at a temperature of 55 degrees year-round; cooling in summer, heating in winter. At the time, these designs coupled with homes that were three-quarters underground would have been the ultimate in *green*.

These days, with all of the focus on global warming, *going green* means much more than just having an energy-efficient home--it means doing everything you can to reduce your contribution to the greenhouse gases that are responsible.

So, I figured I'd tell you about a few things this Geek is doing to reduce his *carbon footprint*:

• Crank-power radios and flashlights. One of my radios uses no batteries at all; one of them is recharged by cranking. Same with the flashlights.
• I turn my PCs off when I'm not using them.
• Most of the time, I use my laptop instead of my desktop PC; a little over 50 watts energy usage instead of 250 watts.
• I use those spiral florescent lights instead of conventional bulbs (yes, LEDs would be better, but they're still too expensive).
• I recycle what I can.
• I cook with the microwave whenever possible (less energy used to cook a meal than with my electric stove).
• I cool only the bedroom to comfort level and keep the rest of the house bearable.

I wish I could do more, but certain job constraints prevent my limiting my gasoline usage. When I get my own house again, I'll do much more. Stay tuned.

Cheers!
The Geek

Technorati tags: go green, greenhouse gases, global warming, carbon footprint, save energy, ask the Geek, kenny Hart