Plastic Solar Cells Built Into Windows

How’s this for innovative yet perhaps overdue? Solar company Konarka has created a solar cell to be built into energy-generating windows in the future. Not only will it be fitted into windows, but also other building materials. With this invention, we’ll no longer be confined to overhead solar panel applications.

Two major components that will need to be worked out are efficiency at converting sunlight into electricity and the potential life of the solar cell. So far, the solar cell has reached 6 percent efficiency and the silicon solar cell version is at over 20 percent.

Before you know it, we’ll be charging our cell phones and laptops through electricity generated through our bedroom windows. How nifty is that! Head on over to the Green Tech section of CNET for more details.

Mars Bars to Earth's Rescue

Mars has announced opting into the Fairtrade movement for sustainable cocoa and fair working conditions by partnering with Rainforest Alliance. With the world’s biggest chocolate company on board, huge waves will be made on the local and national levels.

The commitment starts with the Galaxy bar, a UK bestseller, and Mars and will also include Snickers, Twix and M&Ms by 2020. Sourcing their entire cocoa beans supply from Fairtrade-compliant farms will cost more than 1 billion dollars a year. Fairtrade standards consist of “minimum wages for farmers, conserving water and biodiversity-friendly pest management”.

So, next time that Snickers bar calls your name, go ahead and reach for it and snack with a clear conscience knowing that you’re supporting a candy giant that makes the world a better place to live in. For more information on Mars plans, visit this article in Guardian.

Hydrogen Road Tour 2009 Begins

With most of the attention on electric cars lately, including the release of the new Toyota Prius and Honda Insight, it’s time to divert our eyes to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Automakers from around the world will be showcasing their prized fuel cell cars by setting them on a road trip through 28 cities starting on May 28 in Chula Vista, California and ending on June 3 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The aim is to demonstrate the practicality of fuel cell car ownership.

The eight fuel cell cars that will be hitting the road are the Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell, Honda FCX Clarity, Hyundai Tucson FCEV, Kia Borrego FCEV, Mercedes F-Cell, Nissan X-Trail, Toyota FCHV-adv Highlander and Volkswagen HyMotion. These cars create their own electricity through a chemical process using hydrogen fuel and oxygen from the air. This technology has the potential to radically reduce energy use and harmful emissions and our dependence on foreign oil.

If you’re on the west coast and would like a sneak peek at these cars, check out Hydrogen Road Tour 09 for when the tour will be stopping in a city close to you. For more information on how fuel cell cars function, visit this article from How Stuff Works.

Saving Energy and Keeping Your Fridge Cool

I'm a big fan of my appliances. They make my life easier, and do things for me that I'm physically incapable of doing, such as making my food hot or cold. Granted, I could always do things like wash my clothes on my own, but who needs that when I can tell a machine to do it. They're not going to revolt any time soon, are they? Wait, isn't this how Terminator: Salvation starts?

Anyway, as much as our appliances make life easier for us, they also cost us money in terms of electricity and energy consumption. However, there are always things we can do to cut back and save. Just a few weeks ago, in fact, the New York Times did a piece about saving money through smart use of the freezer. Well, after doing a write-up about that, it was only a matter of time before they looked at ways that we can conserve energy with our refrigerators, as well.

Apparently, the amount of things that need cooling doesn't affect how your refrigerator runs. However, items that give off moisture do make the refrigerator work harder, in order to evaporate it. Likewise, putting in dishes that have already cooled off substantially will go a long way towards saving some money on your next bill. The less your fridge has to do, the better.

To read these and more tips about energy conservation with the refrigerator, be sure to visit the New York Times.

The Golden Arches Have Gone Green

The most readily recognized universal symbol – the infamous golden arches of McDonald’s – now represents a rise in major corporations’ attempt to greenify themselves. On April 22, McDonald’s headquarters in Chicago received the platinum level certification from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Surprisingly, this face lift only cost them $150,000 which is considered chump change in the McDonald’s kingdom.

There are only 126 buildings worldwide that have been recognized with this highest level of certification and there are a number of factors that are examined. Energy and water consumption, environmental impact and indoor conditions are just a few.

So, the next time you gorge on that biggie-sized Big Mac and fries, eat happy knowing that you’re involved with a company that takes environmental conservation seriously. However, you may need to jog five miles to have your heart and blood vessels happy again. For more details on McDonald’s LEED certification, visit Business Week.

WhiteFence Featured on Fox Business Channel

We all know what time of year it is. Spring is ending and Summer looms just around the corner. In Texas, Summer typically means dreading each month's utility bills and searching for ways to cut costs and save money. The need for savings tends to escalate when facing an economic crunch such as the one our country faces right now.

Recently, WhiteFence was highlighted on the Fox Business Channel to talk about some of these very issues. Click here to see the video!

What's the Carbon Footprint of US Junk Mail?

We all know the pain. Coming home after a long day of work, only to find your mailbox stuffed to the brim with junk mail. Trying to sort though it can be a hassle, and especially disappointing when you're waiting for something important to arrive. I mean, we can only be told the latest pizza and carpet cleaning deals so many times before it just gets old, right?

Considering that trees are needed to produce all of that junk mail paper, have you ever wondered what kind of toll this is taking on our environment? Well, Matador Change did a little research about the effects of removing all those trees in terms of the carbon footprint, and the results are shocking. Basically, 100 million trees are used each year to produce the nation's junk mail. These trees could offset up to 48,000,000 pounds of carbon emissions, the equivalent of the emissions of 480,000 cars!

So, by eliminating junk mail, we could help offset up to 480,000 cars' worth of emissions. That's a pretty hefty number, if you ask me. To read more about the carbon footprint of junk mail, visit Matador Change. Also, to find out more about how to eliminate your junk mail, there are several sites such as Eco-Cycle trying to cut down on the junk mail behemoth.

DVR Use Steadily on the Rise

I remember a time when DVRs were a luxury of the financially-privileged with the rest of us limited to watching TV shows when they aired. Now, broke college students and the wealthy alike are known to possess and overuse DVRs, making commercials an inconvenience of the past.

According to a report recently released by Nielsen, nearly one-third of U.S. households have DVRs. There’s been a steady increase quarter over quarter since the beginning of 2007. Soon enough, DVRs will be as common as laptops across the U.S.

For those of you without this commercial-evading tool that frees you up to attend all those company happy hours, birthday dinners and other gatherings that intrude on prime-time slots, visit WhiteFence to browse DVR prices and compare cable plans.

The 100 MPG Foam Car

As a sci-fi geek, I've seen more than my fair share of futuristic cars making use of the most bizarre materials. There's the Back to the Future DeLorean that runs on waste. The cars that fill with foam to protect inhabitants from crashes in Demolition Man. And now, there's the Spira, a car made mostly out of foam, only this one isn't from the movies, it's from designer Lon Ballard, a contestant in a progressive automobile contest.

The Spira is made out of 90 percent foam, and looks kind of like a shoe. Or a twinkie. Supposedly, the foam body, which is reinforced with an aluminum cage, will be safer for automobile accidents as well as pedestrians. The most amazing part of all, though, is that the car can go up to 70 mph and even pulls in 100 miles per gallon.Talk about fuel conservation!

To read more about the Spira, be sure to visit Wired.

Study Finds Increase in Number of Injuries from Furniture/Television Tip-overs

Is your new flat-screen TV more dangerous to your family than you think? While many parents may not consider furniture and televisions to be dangerous, children are often injured when these items tip over. A recent study conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital found that from 1990-2007 an average of nearly 15,000 children younger than 18 years of age visited emergency departments annually for injuries received from furniture tip-overs.

According to the study, published in the online issue of Clinical Pediatrics this month, most furniture tip-over-related injuries occurred among children younger than 7 years of age and resulted from televisions tipping over. More than one quarter of the injuries occurred when children pulled over or climbed on furniture. Children ages 10-17 years were more likely to suffer injuries from desks, cabinets or bookshelves tipping over. Head and neck injuries were most common among younger children, while children older than 9 years were more likely to suffer injuries to the lower body.

Despite warnings from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the number of injuries involving televisions and other furniture tipping over onto children has increased in this country since the early 1990s.

You can minimize risks to children by placing televisions low to the ground and near the back of their stands and strapping televisions and furniture to the wall with safety straps or L-brackets. Look for furniture with wide legs or with solid bases, installing drawer stops on chests of drawers and placing heavy items close to the floor on shelves will also help prevent tip-overs. It's also important to reduce a child’s desire to climb furniture by not placing attractive items, such as toys or the remote control, high on top of furniture or the television.

For more information on this growing problem and additional safety tips, download this Furniture Tip-overs Fact Sheet (PDF).