And I'm not talking about American Cheese either! (That's just my diet talking...)
I can't remember the last time I was this excited about an American Car. Well, unfortunately I can. I was really excited about the Dodge Neon, I bought one the first year it came out when no other car looked quite like it. Back when it was in the same price range as a Honda Civic but I really really really wanted to buy American so I got the Neon. While I loved the heck out of that thing, I didn't like that the price dropped 10K the next year, the nicer options were dropped and my nice car became the cheapo rental car. Ok, so obviously I still have a little grudge. I've learned the lesson to never buy a product it's first year out. And I've gotten a bit of a chip towards the American Car market.
But ALL of that could come to a crashing halt if GM actually brings their Volt to the market in the next few years!!! I may have to dump the change from my "Pennies for Prius" jar into a "Mama wants a Volt" jar.
Speaking it's praises for just a moment. This is NOT just an electric car, but it's not a hybrid either. It's better than both worlds. The engine completely runs via the electric motor AND the electric motor is powered by either electricity, gas, E85 or biodiesel. How cool is that? At first you may say, but isn't that a hybrid? But no. Ya see, from it's initial charge it can go 40 miles without needing to use any other source to draw in energy. So, say you live 15 miles from work so you have a 30 mile commute each day. And maybe you pick up the kids and grab some groceries on the way home. How much gas did you use? None. Yea, that's right, mister. None.
Plug it in when you get home and by the time the baby sitter gets there that night you and your special someone can make it a night on the town in the same car. Say you go 50 miles that night painting the town red? You've used a couple ounces of liquid energy to go a total of 90 miles that day. How much gas would that be even in a Prius? Now you see the genius of my baby the Volt.
Well, I know it's not coming out any time soon. And I know when it does the fact that it's sporty and can go 100 miles an hour will mean that it will be WAY above my price range but still... If they can make this technology work - how long before it's picked up to use in other cars? How a bout in a minivan - even if the "free" miles drop down to 20-30 because of the extra weight? That could work when taking the kids to school 3 blocks away and the soccer game down the street.
Yes GM. You got me. My ears are perked. I can't wait to see more. BUT - if you don't come to market with this puppy, I don't know if my faithful Buy American spirit will ever be the same again.
Ok, it will. But please, PLEASE bring this baby to market. Mama wants a Volt.
Showing posts with label Energy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Energy. Show all posts
Monday, October 1, 2007
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Micro-eco steps
Lately I'm obsessing over little things.
Example One: Which is better - a small paper towel, a paper plate, or wasting water to wash a dish when in a drought. Answer - I go dish, unless I'm feeling unbelievably lazy - which happens. Then paper towel.
Example Two: Is it ecologically better to drive to the music store to purchase a new CD or to download the album - when I know I'll end up burning it to a CD anyhow. I mean, the energy to Internet search and burn + disc (and possibly trashed disc if first one doesn't work perfectly as happens sometimes) + Jewel case I'll end up using + paper I'll end up writing names of songs on or using the gas to buy something that already exists? Answer. I buy the cd. From a local independently owned music store like Stinkweeds. I feel like that somehow balances things. Though considering the nearest one to me is 20 min away, I'm not sure it's quite an even trade.
Example Three: I start debating about which way to drive to work in the morning. Fairly straight path on regular surface roads (lots of lights) that gets me here in about 25-30 min, 45MPH with exception of 4 school zones that take it to 15. OR do I take the freeway which is actually a farther in miles driven, takes 20-25 min on a good day, 30-35 on a bad day - but is almost completely non-stop so I'm theoretically using less gas. But then you have to factor in that you use more gas going faster. Answer - I take the streets. But I wrestle with this one often. [And yes - I know it would be better to take the bus, and I would LOVE to do it, but that just doesn't work well in my city. Not would I have to walk more than a mile each way to and from the stops, but also it would take an hour an a half of just driving time. So, that plus 20 min of walking on each side would make for an approximate 2 hour and 15 minute commute. And no one wants to be walking 40 minutes in Phoenix heat before walking into a professional office. Just doesn't work.]
Yes - these are helplessly small things. But if I put a nickel a day in a piggy bank from the time I was 5 until now it would be almost $550. Is that huge? No. But it adds up. And it wouldn't have hurt much to give it either. Just like these little things I do, or try to do. They may be small decisions, but if each one of those were an ecological "nickel", and I found 10 of those tiny things to do, then 25 years from now I will have added almost $2300 to the ecological economy. Not too bad.... not bad at all.
Besides, wouldn't you rather be paying INTO it, than to get that as a bill in a few years?
Example One: Which is better - a small paper towel, a paper plate, or wasting water to wash a dish when in a drought. Answer - I go dish, unless I'm feeling unbelievably lazy - which happens. Then paper towel.
Example Two: Is it ecologically better to drive to the music store to purchase a new CD or to download the album - when I know I'll end up burning it to a CD anyhow. I mean, the energy to Internet search and burn + disc (and possibly trashed disc if first one doesn't work perfectly as happens sometimes) + Jewel case I'll end up using + paper I'll end up writing names of songs on or using the gas to buy something that already exists? Answer. I buy the cd. From a local independently owned music store like Stinkweeds. I feel like that somehow balances things. Though considering the nearest one to me is 20 min away, I'm not sure it's quite an even trade.
Example Three: I start debating about which way to drive to work in the morning. Fairly straight path on regular surface roads (lots of lights) that gets me here in about 25-30 min, 45MPH with exception of 4 school zones that take it to 15. OR do I take the freeway which is actually a farther in miles driven, takes 20-25 min on a good day, 30-35 on a bad day - but is almost completely non-stop so I'm theoretically using less gas. But then you have to factor in that you use more gas going faster. Answer - I take the streets. But I wrestle with this one often. [And yes - I know it would be better to take the bus, and I would LOVE to do it, but that just doesn't work well in my city. Not would I have to walk more than a mile each way to and from the stops, but also it would take an hour an a half of just driving time. So, that plus 20 min of walking on each side would make for an approximate 2 hour and 15 minute commute. And no one wants to be walking 40 minutes in Phoenix heat before walking into a professional office. Just doesn't work.]
Yes - these are helplessly small things. But if I put a nickel a day in a piggy bank from the time I was 5 until now it would be almost $550. Is that huge? No. But it adds up. And it wouldn't have hurt much to give it either. Just like these little things I do, or try to do. They may be small decisions, but if each one of those were an ecological "nickel", and I found 10 of those tiny things to do, then 25 years from now I will have added almost $2300 to the ecological economy. Not too bad.... not bad at all.
Besides, wouldn't you rather be paying INTO it, than to get that as a bill in a few years?
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Green computing
Like many folks, I work in an office. In most of my jobs over the past many years, I've worked right along the IT (Information Technology - aka the computer geeks) group learning their struggles, interests and culture. I always fit in just enough to blend, but not so much I was completely taken as one of their own. But only in the last week did I hear about green IT.
In a recent article of PC Magazine it was discussed that currently 40% of an IT budget is spent on Energy. This is a shock! These folks are typically paid QUITE well and that equipment is not cheap, and needs constant attention/upgrades - so 40% is a big number. 70% of the companies said that power and cooling were their biggest issues. Again - a bigger issue than having to make these systems talk to each other? Or making the IT folks get along with sales? Now, as someone who is often freezing because they can never JUST cool the tech equipment, they always make the office freezing too - I kinda get it. And of course if you're making the whole office that cold, we're using a ton more energy than we should - and coincidentally paying more for it than is needed. They've estimated that by 2009 Energy costs will be the second highest cost for IT groups - behind only labor. And did I mention how much these folks often make?? That is huge.
Now, just to follow this one more step, the same research found that based on that these business will be looking to make some changes based on these rising costs. What happens when costs go up? Well, the end client pays more AND they start outsourcing. It's anticipated that by 2010 half of all data centers will either relocate or outsource their data center. And when they move, those great paying jobs that currently manage the data will go with it. So the question becomes, what can we do about it??
We have options. Companies can add solar panels to help offset their total energy output. Let's put solar ceiling tiles on all the buildings in Silicon Valley! Industry as a whole can invest in finding less expensive renewable energy sources. But while those are more long term solutions, apparently there is also green computing for today.
Green computing is new to me, but not to IT professionals. There are web sites talking all about it. It's been wikipedia'd. Turns out Google (my dream company) already has plans to be carbon neutral by the end of 2007. I'm shocked, elated, and feeling a bit behind the times.
Almost every company has an IT department. Almost every home has a computer. What aren't we doing? What should we be doing? What should we not do?
One final thing to peruse from the PC Mag source...
Each 1 megawatt datacenter requires:
- 17,000,000 kwh Electricity
- 60,000,000 gallons of water
- 145,000 Copper
- 21,000 lbs Lead
- 33,000 lbs Plastic
- 73,000 lbs Aluminum
In a recent article of PC Magazine it was discussed that currently 40% of an IT budget is spent on Energy. This is a shock! These folks are typically paid QUITE well and that equipment is not cheap, and needs constant attention/upgrades - so 40% is a big number. 70% of the companies said that power and cooling were their biggest issues. Again - a bigger issue than having to make these systems talk to each other? Or making the IT folks get along with sales? Now, as someone who is often freezing because they can never JUST cool the tech equipment, they always make the office freezing too - I kinda get it. And of course if you're making the whole office that cold, we're using a ton more energy than we should - and coincidentally paying more for it than is needed. They've estimated that by 2009 Energy costs will be the second highest cost for IT groups - behind only labor. And did I mention how much these folks often make?? That is huge.
Now, just to follow this one more step, the same research found that based on that these business will be looking to make some changes based on these rising costs. What happens when costs go up? Well, the end client pays more AND they start outsourcing. It's anticipated that by 2010 half of all data centers will either relocate or outsource their data center. And when they move, those great paying jobs that currently manage the data will go with it. So the question becomes, what can we do about it??
We have options. Companies can add solar panels to help offset their total energy output. Let's put solar ceiling tiles on all the buildings in Silicon Valley! Industry as a whole can invest in finding less expensive renewable energy sources. But while those are more long term solutions, apparently there is also green computing for today.
Green computing is new to me, but not to IT professionals. There are web sites talking all about it. It's been wikipedia'd. Turns out Google (my dream company) already has plans to be carbon neutral by the end of 2007. I'm shocked, elated, and feeling a bit behind the times.
Almost every company has an IT department. Almost every home has a computer. What aren't we doing? What should we be doing? What should we not do?
One final thing to peruse from the PC Mag source...
Each 1 megawatt datacenter requires:
- 17,000,000 kwh Electricity
- 60,000,000 gallons of water
- 145,000 Copper
- 21,000 lbs Lead
- 33,000 lbs Plastic
- 73,000 lbs Aluminum
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Canada is my not-so-secret BFF
One more reason to move to Canada!
Free health care, equal rights, and now this! A Canadian Premier has said that to save energy this summer, businesses should keep it at 79F vs the 73F where it normally rests during the summer. While 79 is certainly comfortable enough - it's not very comfortable when you're wearing a suit so he's suggesting that everyone dress in a cool, comfortable and CASUAL manner! No heels??? No suits with matching purses and shoes and scarves? WOO HOO!
I have a strong opinion on this for several reasons.
1. How awesome is it to put on clothes that actually fit for the weather and not for how cold it's going to be in the office! This would also save energy as most folks end up wearing 2 outfits a day - work and home. Less clothes getting worn, less clothing to be washed! For folks "going out" right after work you either have to bring clothes with you to get wrinkled under your desk or you have to go home to change. Which does what - oh yea - wastes gas.
2. I happen to work in an office that tries to keep it at 73F. Every once in awhile I can get it down to 76F, but that is on a lucky day. Most of the time - I'm wearing a jacket. A jacket. In Phoenix. In June. Why should businesses be wasting that kind of money on AC? How about putting that money towards the rising costs of health care? Or maybe into a profit sharing program?
3. Let's admit it. It's summer vacation. Half the folks in the office are talking about what they are going to do on vacation or what they did on vacation. Or they're talking about what they wish they were doing on vacation. The other folks don't have anywhere to go, don't have any money or don't have any time off left after spring break. We know it's summer at the office - why not look like it? Do my shorts offend your eyes? I didn't think so. Let's go with it!
In the mean time I'll be driving in the heat, in heels and a suit, to a super cold office - unable to even telecommute. Come on American politicians! Get inspired! Steal some great ideas from your own back yard! We can do it!!!
Free health care, equal rights, and now this! A Canadian Premier has said that to save energy this summer, businesses should keep it at 79F vs the 73F where it normally rests during the summer. While 79 is certainly comfortable enough - it's not very comfortable when you're wearing a suit so he's suggesting that everyone dress in a cool, comfortable and CASUAL manner! No heels??? No suits with matching purses and shoes and scarves? WOO HOO!
I have a strong opinion on this for several reasons.
1. How awesome is it to put on clothes that actually fit for the weather and not for how cold it's going to be in the office! This would also save energy as most folks end up wearing 2 outfits a day - work and home. Less clothes getting worn, less clothing to be washed! For folks "going out" right after work you either have to bring clothes with you to get wrinkled under your desk or you have to go home to change. Which does what - oh yea - wastes gas.
2. I happen to work in an office that tries to keep it at 73F. Every once in awhile I can get it down to 76F, but that is on a lucky day. Most of the time - I'm wearing a jacket. A jacket. In Phoenix. In June. Why should businesses be wasting that kind of money on AC? How about putting that money towards the rising costs of health care? Or maybe into a profit sharing program?
3. Let's admit it. It's summer vacation. Half the folks in the office are talking about what they are going to do on vacation or what they did on vacation. Or they're talking about what they wish they were doing on vacation. The other folks don't have anywhere to go, don't have any money or don't have any time off left after spring break. We know it's summer at the office - why not look like it? Do my shorts offend your eyes? I didn't think so. Let's go with it!
In the mean time I'll be driving in the heat, in heels and a suit, to a super cold office - unable to even telecommute. Come on American politicians! Get inspired! Steal some great ideas from your own back yard! We can do it!!!
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