The Fun Times Guide > Living Green > renewable energy

Solar in UK Schools

solar in uk schools

This is a really fun new development in the UK. Climate activist group 10:10 is behind it, but really, it’s all about local communities. The short story: 10:10 has created a website, Solar Schools, where people can easily donate as little as £5 to put solar panels on a local school’s roof. The organization creates a webpage for each school involved that shows who has donated (unless you want to remain anonymous) and how much, by replacing some of the solar cells with donor photos, … [Read more...]

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7 MORE Cool Solar Power Technologies

Solar boat

Following up on my post last week on 7 cool solar power technologies, here are 7 more cool solar power technologies. 1. Solar-powered Cars: I’m not sure if you’ll ever be able to buy a solar-powered car, but some researchers at Japan’s Tokai University and Panasonic, among others, are trying to make it possible, and there are some pretty wicked solar-powered car races out there, like the World Solar Challenge in Australia (the 2011 race is coming up next month -- October 16-23). 2. … [Read more...]

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7 Cool Solar Power Technologies

logitech k750 wireless solar keyboard for mac users

Solar power is cool, and is very widely supported by the public -- who doesn’t support getting our electricity from the sun? But as solar has developed over the years, more and more interesting solar power technologies have popped up. Here are 7 that I think you’ll find pretty interesting. 1. Solar shingles. Want to 1-up your neighbor who just bought a solar power system? Go with some solar shingles! They aren’t available yet, actually, but mass production is scheduled to begin in 2012. … [Read more...]

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How to “Use the Force” to Lower Gas Prices

darth vadar kid using the force

If you are not one of the 42 million or so people who have watched the Darth Vader kid & Volkswagen commercial (“The Force”) on YouTube or who saw it during this year’s Super Bowl, you should go check it out now (and then come back to this post). One of the best Congressmen out there today, in my humble opinion -- Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) -- and the Natural Resources Committee (Democrats) recently made a great spoof of this video, or sequel you might say. But, beyond just spoofing or … [Read more...]

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Making Solar Power a Community Thing

Community-Solar-Power

Americans love solar power, really. Nearly every poll concerning the matter shows tremendous support for solar power across the United States, across political preferences, and so on. No, unfortunately, that hasn’t translated into a lot of solar power use yet. (But we’re getting there -- solar power growth has been tremendous in the last decade or so.) Now, when you think of going solar, you think of doing so on your own, right? But that one person at a time thing is sort of slow, … [Read more...]

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Clean Coal: Reality or Myth or…Neither?

The clean coal debate has been raging on for several years now.Can coal really be utilized for energy in a clean and responsible way or is that the dirtiest lie of all time?Maybe it's time for a different perspective on that argument. Afterall, few things in life or so cut and dry.Regardless of what side of the fence you find yourself on, you may leave this post with some questions about your position... … [Read more...]

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Is Renewable Energy Worth The Cost?

Everyone talks about the greatness of renewable energy, but is it really worth it? I mean seriously, does it really pay off or make a difference? Of course the biggest question regarding renewable energy is, "Why does it cost so much?!" Even the USA Today ran a story earlier in the week about many municipalities around the country are scaling back their green energy plans—and some returning to fossil fuels completely—because the cost of using renewable energy was too great. … [Read more...]

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2008 Superbowl Goes Green

What's the least known corporation that's been offsetting its environmental impact for the last 14 years? Answer: The NFL. Who knew? Obviously not me. This year is actually the 2nd year in a row that the SuperBowl will run on 100% renewable energy. Wow, chock that up to yet another fact I didn't know. I have to ask, why is the NFL not promoting this more and how else will this year's SuperBowl go green? Let's find out... … [Read more...]

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Going Green: A Philosophical Perspective

hugging-a-tree

Why would a person want to "go green"? That is a question that every person must answer for themselves and themselves alone. Why I have decided to explore the nuances of a greener life, may or may not have any relevance to why you may want to. You may find yourself in a number of different places on the spectrum of the green conversation, and maybe even sliding up and down the scale until you find where you really want to be, and that's ok. In this post, I'd like to explore some … [Read more...]

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Expanding Your Green Vocabulary

Making the decision to get involved in the environmental conversation and to go green can feel much like stepping into a new world altogether, including in vernacular. RenewableEnergyWorks.com has a great vocabulary resource that will greatly aid in your familiarity, and hence, productivity with the green conversation. Here's an excerpt from the site: … [Read more...]

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