According to a study by the Cleantech Group, you need to download 23 books for the Kindle before it breaks even in CO2 use.
Also, as pointed out in the comments, Kindle versions are $9.99 compared to maybe $15 for a new book, but you need to add $299 to the price of the device. At that rate, you have to buy a Kindle and 60 books ($900) before the Kindle’s prices win out.
New York Times’ David Pogue has a fascinating post up about the Solar Decathalon, a semi-annual competition to design homes that run entirely on solar power, that was exhibited this year on the National Mall in DC (and which I totally would have attended had I known about). There’s more info on the official page and there are some nice shots on Flickr.
The truth about recycling | Economist.com
Lots of information about how recycling works.
Something (I think) very cool about the Wii is that it was designed to use very little power so that you can leave it on 24 hours a day, enabling it to download updates and demos when you’re not using it. According to Kotaku, the power consumption breaks down thusly:
Wii:
- In Standby Mode: 10w
- Idle @ Wii menu: 17w
- Running a Wii Game (Test with Zelda / Trauma Center) in 480i: 17w
[…]
XBOX 360:
- In Standby Mode: 2w
- Idle @ Dashboard: ~140w
- Running a Game: ~160w
- Playing a DVD: ~110w
Allowing for 3 hours of play a day, with either console left in standby for the other 21 hours, that means the Wii uses 261 watts while the 360 uses 522 watts, or exactly twice the power the Wii uses.
How much power do your electronics use when they’re turned off? How much money would you save if they were all more efficient?
Google’s HQ will be the largest corporate solar installation in the world.
Very good article from Fast Company about CFL light bulbs
In an impressive move, Wal-Mart plans to sell 100 million CFL bulbs in the next year.
Equating Prius hybrids and Fluorescent light bulbs
Replacing 15 bulbs with fluorescents roughly equals buying a hybrid, environmental impact-wise.
Apple - Hot News - Key to “An Inconvenient Truth”
Piece on how Al Gore’s production team uses Keynote (instead of PowerPoint) for his global warming presentation.
Washington Post article about the rise of green roofs in DC, and how the new ballpark isn’t planning on having one.