Green Thinking for the Average Joe » solar power http://www.ecojoes.com Environmental news, eco-friendly experiments, and green mess Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:07:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 Three Cool Earthship Videos: Eco-friendly cheap house http://www.ecojoes.com/three-cool-earthship-videos-eco-friendly-cheap-house/ http://www.ecojoes.com/three-cool-earthship-videos-eco-friendly-cheap-house/#comments Wed, 14 Apr 2010 01:52:28 +0000 ecojoe http://www.ecojoes.com/?p=800
Earthships. The very name conjures up an image of otherworldliness, but there are more earthships around than you might think. Whether you have no idea what an earthship is, or you are an earthship guru, hopefully you can enjoy the following moving pictures (“talkies” as the old-timers say), and maybe even learn a thing or two about these mystical structures.

Earthship Video Uno

Earthship Video Dos

Earthship Video Tres


Dang, now wasn’t that informative? If you feel that your brain can handle yet MORE information about earthships, then head on over to Earthships 101.

]]> http://www.ecojoes.com/three-cool-earthship-videos-eco-friendly-cheap-house/feed/ 0 Carnival of the Green #173 http://www.ecojoes.com/carnival-of-the-green-173/ http://www.ecojoes.com/carnival-of-the-green-173/#comments Mon, 30 Mar 2009 05:43:48 +0000 ecojoe http://www.ecojoes.com/?p=578
Welcome to the Carnival

Bienvenidos al Carnival o’ the Green!. Last week Evangelical Ecologist did a fine job hosting it, and next week GreenDealsDaily is ‘posed to host it.

But enough idle chit-chat; let’s get this show on the road.

Organic Mess

Have you ever wanted to compost, but it just seemed too dang complicated? Then you’re in luck, for Talia has provided some tips on simple composting.

Neighbor Nancy shows y’all how to get some free vegetable seeds and how you can grow a ton in small containers. I’m about to go plant even more plants in old containers now.

Julie has ten reasons why organic lipstick is the way to go, to get that special bee-stung look that’s all the rage.

Jennifer took composting to the extreme and even composted her finger! What a true eco hero!

Ed Biado spouts off about organic this and that. While I approve of most organics, I don’t think they’re always the best option.

Go Green and Save Green

Ah, helping the environment whilst helping your wallet. That’s what EcoJoes is all about.

ishan is all about that, too. He dared to ask the question “Do hybrid cars really save you money?“. His conclusion is much the same as mine.

JT has some leftover stuff, but doesn’t want to throw it away. Here’s how he makes money by selling used mess.

Energy

FreeOrganicNews ponders what exactly is solar energy? His findings may shock you; then again, they may not.

Big Mack has found some zany CFL designs, and he brought them for show-and-tell.

Nancy Miller has found 50 blogs that have good info on energy. Not to be one to judge, but her site is kinda weird and spammy.

Getting out and Enjoying the World

TravelCat4 has some handy eco-tips for how to travel in an Earth-friendly manner. My favorite tip was the ‘grow a beard’ one; zero effort required, plus you get that rugged look that draws all the ladies in!

The Barefoot Badger proclaims, “Ain’t nothing like the real thing baby“, and I wholeheartedly agree. All our new-fangled technology is no substitute for the real world and real life. Get out and enjoy the real world now, people!

Global Warming

Not content with one submission to the Carnival, Mack also wrote this Debbie Downer article about global warming. Heed his warnings, people.

Sally decides to go all the way to the top, and ask Mr. Barack Obama to help prevent future extinctions.

Other Green Mess

Another post by Ed Biado gives some tips for living a greener life.

The aptly-named Mesquite Pete is all about some DEET. He has had enough mosquito bites, and decided it’s time to fight back.

Earth Day is right around the corner (April 22). Astrid Lee has provided this handy chart of ways to celebrate this planet we live on.

Beth Terry contemplates the pros and cons of recycling plastic into oil. I think it’s great that they’ve found a way to do this, but I do understand Ms. Beth’s concerns.

Ryan and Leslie help us visualize the huge number of plastic bottles used in the U.S. in just five minutes.

Alex has some easy ways to save car fuel, and it looks like he’s from England, talking about “tyres” and “boots”.

Scott is eager to let you know that this recession is a great time to start a green business.

Dang, that about wraps it up for this Carnival. Thanks for all the submissions; hopefully I didn’t forget anyone or mess up a link. Until next time, this is EcoJoe, signing off.

]]> http://www.ecojoes.com/carnival-of-the-green-173/feed/ 6 Solar Plane Sets New World Record http://www.ecojoes.com/solar-plane-sets-new-world-record/ http://www.ecojoes.com/solar-plane-sets-new-world-record/#comments Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:47:53 +0000 ecojoe http://www.ecojoes.com/?p=244
To see the video and read more about the Zephyr-6, head on over to BBC News, and tell them EcoJoes sent you.

Zephyr-6 -- running on moon power??A solar-powered plane flew for a little over 82 hours, shattering its old record. The lightweight plane, known as the Zephyr-6, was flown as a demonstration for U.S. military, which is looking for new ways to provide air support for its ground troops.

Dang, 3 days in the air just from solar power. This might be even better than the solar powered bra. Pretty amazing. If they could somehow make solar-powered passenger planes, we could cut down on air pollution while also reducing our dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels. It’s a win-win situation.

]]> http://www.ecojoes.com/solar-plane-sets-new-world-record/feed/ 2 Solar Powered Bra: Japanese Ingenuity with Solar Power http://www.ecojoes.com/solar-powered-bra-japanese-ingenuity-with-solar-power/ http://www.ecojoes.com/solar-powered-bra-japanese-ingenuity-with-solar-power/#comments Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:45:13 +0000 ecojoe http://www.ecojoes.com/?p=214
Hooray Japan
I don’t have much to say about this, except that if I was a girl, I would be wearing one all the time.

Triumph International Japan has finally done it; our world’s environmental problems are as good as solved now, for they have done the un-possible — invented a solar powered bra. I haven’t seen a “green” invention this innovative since the new milk jug design came out and confused some people.

The bra is green (in color and philosophy), and has a solar panel attached to it that can be worn around the stomach. It generates enough energy to charge small electronics, like a mobile cellular phone or mp3 player or what have you.

Not only does this bra collect solar power, but it also has plastic pouches that can be filled with water in case you get thirsty. So I guess it might save some water bottles?

But alas, this ingenious invention has some downsides. It can get messed up if it rains on the solar panel, and also, it doesn’t work if it’s covered up with actual clothes. To me, it looks like someone just glued a flexible solar panel to a tanktop. We will be closely monitoring Triumph International’s continuing work on this creation…

]]> http://www.ecojoes.com/solar-powered-bra-japanese-ingenuity-with-solar-power/feed/ 0 Normal-Looking House Uses 90% Less Energy http://www.ecojoes.com/new-house-uses-90-less-energy/ http://www.ecojoes.com/new-house-uses-90-less-energy/#comments Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:50:51 +0000 ecojoe http://www.ecojoes.com/new-house-uses-90-less-energy/ This made the front page on Care2, vote for it with all yer might! 

When many people think about a “green” house, they picture a small hut made out of mud where people sit on dirt floors, desperately trying to not use any energy. But by doing some careful planning and designing, and paying about 10% more on construction costs, this family’s home uses 50% less water and a whopping 90% less electricity than a similar-sized “normal” home.Some of the things they did are:

  • capturing rainwater and snow melt to flush toilets or water the lawn
  • “recycling” heat from hot water to help the water heater
  • energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs
  • Insano insulation
  • install solar panels to get some free electricity

Take a looksie at the video:

If you’re thinking about building a home in the near future, and you’d like to cut the water bill in half and the electricity bill by 90%, then here’s how. I plan on one day following some of the tips in the video to make my house as cheap (and eco-friendly) as possible, while maintaining that normal home look.

]]> http://www.ecojoes.com/new-house-uses-90-less-energy/feed/ 8 Earthships: Simply Jawsome http://www.ecojoes.com/earthships-simply-jawsome-sustainable-homes/ http://www.ecojoes.com/earthships-simply-jawsome-sustainable-homes/#comments Thu, 06 Mar 2008 18:01:08 +0000 ecojoe http://www.ecojoes.com/earthships-simply-jawsome-sustainable-homes/ Earthships are houses made with discarded tires, bottles, and cans, put together with lots of dirt. Many of them are self-sufficient, creating their own energy, and capturing their own rain-water. Since they’re made from reused/free materials, and supply their own electricity, heating, and water, they help conserve natural resources while also saving chunks of money. I’m down for anything that helps the environment AND saves me some dinero.

But I digress. I now present to you, courtesy of Earthship.net, “Earthships 101″.

Earthships 101: Part One:

Earthships 101: Part Deux

:


Dang I want one.

]]> http://www.ecojoes.com/earthships-simply-jawsome-sustainable-homes/feed/ 4 Get Rid of Your Electric Power Bill http://www.ecojoes.com/no-more-electric-bill/ http://www.ecojoes.com/no-more-electric-bill/#comments Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:42:36 +0000 ecojoe http://www.ecojoes.com/no-more-electric-bill/
Solar Nanners! Amory Lovins, who won a MacArthur Genius grant back in 1993 (and an Eco-Hero Award just right now), has been living in a house he built since 1983. It looks like a very nice and comfy house, especially when you consider that, despite living 7,000 feet up in the Rocky Mountains (where it gets pretty dang cold), he pays $0 a year on his heating. Not only that, but his house actually generates more electricity than he needs — so he sells the surplus energy to the power company for some extra cash. Here are three ways to cut your electric bill like crazy.

CLICK HERE TO SEE AN INFORMATIVE YET FUN YET NEAT VIDEO OF HIS HOUSE

Insulate, Insulate, Insulate

His secret (one of them) is that he designed his house to be very well insulated. His walls are 16 inches thick, and his large super-insulated windows (made with special glass that insulates as well as 14 normal panes of glass) mean that his house can retain heat quite well.

Passive and Active Solar Heating

Lovins’ house is heated in two main ways: both from sun-rays passing through his many windows, or by means of Amory’s solar panels, which supply his house with more energy than it even uses.

Energy-Efficient Appliances

Much of Lovins’ house is naturally lit by the sun. Besides that, motion-detector lights and energy-efficient bulbs help to cut down on electricity use. His fridge is thickly-insulated, which reduces its energy consumption by quite a lot. His dryer is solar powered, and looks like it uses no electricity at all (watch the video to see how).

Amory Lovins’ home took some extra thought to design and build. It also cost a little bit extra ($6,000). But by cutting his power bill to zero, the extra planning and money spent were easily worth it. If more and more contractors start building this way, you could kiss our “oil prices” and “energy crisis” problems good-bye.

Thankee to Sam for telling me about this homey

]]> http://www.ecojoes.com/no-more-electric-bill/feed/ 12 How to Get Energy from the Road http://www.ecojoes.com/how-to-get-energy-from-asphalt/ http://www.ecojoes.com/how-to-get-energy-from-asphalt/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2008 14:32:10 +0000 ecojoe http://www.ecojoes.com/how-to-get-energy-from-asphalt/
Parking lot energy!Roads and parking lots. They are everywhere in today’s busy, dog-eat-dog, modern world. They sit there all day, selfishly absorbing the sun’s rays, then squandering all that heat at night by simply releasing it into the night air. Welp, a Dutch company named Ooms Avenhorn Holding BV is now working on ways to take that solar energy and use it to heat homes and offices.

Ooms has already implemented this technology in several places around the Netherlands; solar energy collected from nearby roads and parking lots helps heat an industrial park of 160,000 square feet in Hoorn, a 70-unit apartment building in Avenhorn, and an air force base hangar.

This is a great idea; even on cloudy days, this system of getting heat from roads is effective. Let’s hope that America can build off of this Dutch technology and start using our numerous roads and parking lots to heat our buildings. Just think about how much of our land in cities is taken up by roads and parking lots. Imagine if we were using that captured solar energy to heat our buildings. We could cut our power usage in a huge way, while not sacrificing anything in the way of personal comfort.

A good article about getting energy from asphalt can be found right about here. Thanks to my pop for letting me know about this.

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