The U.S. Green Buildings Council Partners with Girl Scouts to Create Greener Schools and Communities

Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently announced that they have joined forces to help girls take action to improve the environment and their communities by promoting green schools.

Local Girl Scouts will participate in Forever Green projects as part of USGBC’s National Green Schools Campaign. Girls will team with USGBC volunteers throughout its extensive chapter network to develop and use their leadership skills to significantly impact the environment by working in schools and throughout their communities to save energy, conserve water, increase green space, improve air quality and reduce waste.

“Through our partnership with the Girl Scouts of the USA, we have the potential to reach and inspire millions of girls – America’s future leaders – to impact the way school buildings are designed, built and operated, enabling a healthier and environmentally responsible built environment for future students and teachers,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, USGBC.

To learn more about what Girls Scouts are doing to help better the environment, check out It's Your Planet—Love It! Maybe you'll even find something inspiring to help you make changes in your own community.

Donating to Haiti Relief Funds

By now, I'm sure many of our WhiteFence Blog readers are no doubt aware of the unbelievable tragedy that has taken place in Haiti this week. The 7.0 earthquake that devastated the country could be felt as far away as Cuba, and has left many thousands of people homeless, injured, missing or worse.

Last night I found myself feeling the tug to give, but I wasn't quite sure exactly where I could do so. You can't always be sure that you are giving to a trustworthy source. I did some research and as a result, I wanted to put up a link I saw today that compiled a list of charitable organizations helping Haiti. We certainly wouldn't want to pressure anybody to give, but if you are feeling so inclined, I thought the link would be helpful. A little bit of money could easily go a long way. Who knows, maybe you'll see an organization listed that you were unaware of before.

Haiti Earthquake: How to Help

PG&E; to Purchase and Operate Major California Wind Energy Project

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E;) recently announced that it plans to purchase and operate a major wind generating plant to be built in Southern California to serve the utility's electric customers.

With a power capacity of up to 246 megawatts, the proposed project would be the first wind project owned by PG&E.; If approved by the California Public Utilities Commission, the project could begin producing wind power by December 2011.

With a projected annual output of up to 670 gigawatt-hours per year, equal to the energy consumed by about 100,000 average homes, the project would contribute significantly to PG&E;'s efforts to meet California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard.

Find PG&E; service available in your area

Qwest Donates More Than $10.5 Million to Communities in 2009

Qwest Communications recently announced that its employees and foundation increased their commitment to community service in 2009 by collectively donating more than $10.5 million, in addition to volunteer time and in-kind resources and equipment, to local education and community programs.

More than half of Qwest’s employees participated in their employee-giving campaign, conducted in partnership with the United Way, which was an increase of nearly 20 percent over 2008. The Qwest Foundation provided a 75 percent match to employees’ contributions resulting in a total gift of $5.1 million to communities across the country. It is the largest gift the foundation and Qwest employees have made through the campaign in the past decade.

“Qwest is able to deepen its partnerships with local education and community programs thanks to the remarkable generosity of its employees and the Qwest Foundation," said Rich Baer, executive vice president, general counsel & chief administrative officer and Qwest Foundation president. "In an especially challenging year, Qwest employees continue to answer the call to service, through donations of time and money, and are making a true difference in their communities.”

Kudos to Qwest for their generosity to the communities they serve!

The Home Depot to Launch Martha Stewart Living Paint Line and Offer Martha Stewart Clean Products

Planning to spruce up your home with some new paint or be greener in the New Year? The Home Depot may have you covered on both. The home improvement store recently announced that it plans to add more products from queen of homemaking herself, Martha Stewart.

Beginning in March 2010, The Home Depot will offer a Martha Stewart Living paint palette that will consist of 280 handpicked colors created by Martha Stewart and the her design team. The company plans to offer the line in stores across the U.S. and Canada and all colors will be available in interior and exterior paint in four interior and two exterior sheens.

If you aren't planning any major home improvement projects but you still want to your house to be a little greener, The Home Depot will also offer the Martha Stewart Clean collection, which includes 10 environmentally friendly cleaning products for laundry, kitchen, bath and general cleaning needs for every room. The collection will carry the Eco Options label, The Home Depot's certification for products that meet certain environmental performance criteria.

"I'm thrilled to be working with The Home Depot to provide consumers with a beautiful paint palette inspired by nature and unique objects," said Martha Stewart. "I'm also delighted that our natural Martha Stewart Clean products will be available at The Home Depot, providing safe and effective cleaning solutions for those who are concerned about the environment in their home and in the wider world beyond it."

For more info on these new products, check out The Home Depot To Launch Exclusive Martha Stewart Living Brand of Paint in March 2010.

Cable vs. Satellite

There are more options for television service out there than ever before. While this is good news for consumers, all the choices can be a little daunting when it comes time to order a television package. One of the first things most people have to figure out is whether they are going to go with a cable provider or a satellite provider.

In order to make that first big decision just a little easier, I’ve come up with this handy list of things to consider when comparing cable and satellite.

• Similarities – Cable and satellite have a lot in common. All of these are features available on both platforms: HDTV service, local channels, pay-per-view programming, on-demand options, DVR service and premium channels (such as HBO, Showtime and Starz).
• Availability – Unfortunately, not every area is served by a cable provider. In areas like this, satellite is usually the only choice for non-broadcast television. If you’re unsure on what your options are, enter your address at WhiteFence to find a list of providers that serve your area.
• Digital vs. Analog – All satellite channels are 100 percent digital, but with cable some channels may be analog. Analog is quickly becoming a thing of the past though, so it’s possible to have a totally digital cable package.
• Equipment – Satellite service requires more equipment than cable, the biggest addition being a satellite dish that has to be mounted on your house for reception. Depending on the provider or contract you sign up for, this equipment may come at a price. Also, while both satellite and digital cable require a box for each television, basic cable content does not require a box.
• Bundling – In general, cable companies provide a little more choice when it comes to bundling telephone and Internet service with your television package.
• Programming – While most channels are available on both platforms, some things can be exclusive to one provider. For example, NFL Sunday Ticket is only available on DIRECTV.
• Weather – In bad weather, satellite reception quality can suffer. If you live somewhere with lots of extreme weather, this may be something to consider.
• View – For satellite television to function, you’ll need to have a clear view of the southern sky. This is not a problem for most people, but something to keep in mind if you live in dense forest.

Whichever option you end up choosing, WhiteFence has you covered. Start comparing your options now at our television service page!

Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency Home Improvements

It's tax time again! When you are filling out your returns (before April 15, 2010!), don't forget to claim any tax credits relation to energy efficiency home improvements you did in 2009.

For improvements made in 2009 and 2010, you can get an income tax credit of up to $1,500 for installing efficient new windows, insulation, doors, roofs, and heating and cooling equipment in your home. However, efficiency criteria will vary dependent on when these items are installed.

Not sure what counts and what doesn't? The Alliance to Save Energy offers a handy Guide to Energy-Efficiency Home and Vehicle Tax Credits.

TV and the 3D Question

The tech-minded among the WhiteFence blog readers are no doubt aware that a major event is happening in Las Vegas this week and throughout the weekend. Well, at least major to geeks like me. CES, the Consumer Electronics Show, happens every year around this time and it's pretty much the summit for techies and gadget-o-holics.

Like last year, this year's focus seems to be on bringing 3D to the home TV center, allowing viewers to wear dorky glasses and become immersed in movies and shows in a new way. No, it's not really that new. Yes, it's just like what happened in the 50's and the 70's, only in your house and all the time.

My question is this: given that HDTVs are just now starting to hit a 50 percent adoption rate among US households, is 3D TV really the way to go? Now that people are just starting to get warmed up to the idea of buying new TV sets, are we going to really want to drop the money on even newer sets?

It's not just the TV manufacturers pushing this, either. There are already 3D TV channels being talked about. Last night, the Texas/Bama game was being watched in theaters in 3D at several places across the country (I watched it in a theater myself, though in boring old regular 2D).

The message from the entertainment industry is clear: 3D is coming, whether we want it or not. So how do you feel about it? Are you excited about viewing 3D content in your home, or are you OK with where things are right now? Tell us in the poll and in the comments!

Charter Customers Watching More Video On Demand

Charter Communications recently announced that its digital video customers are watching more Video On Demand programming with a record 110 million programs viewed from July through September of this year.

The company says that the many choices and features now available with Charter On Demand is what is driving the growth.

“By using Charter On Demand, our customers have access to a wide range of outstanding network shows," said Rich DiGeronimo, Vice President of Product Management at Charter. "There are more than 50 programs from our On Demand Primetime Free category, many of which are available a day after their cable television premiere."

To help you catch your favorite shows, Charter is also offering a new On Demand reminder service that sends text or email reminders alerting you about upcoming movie releases, events or premieres available On Demand. You can register and then receive these reminders by title or category searches.

If you are not currently a Charter customer, find service available in your area.

American Wind Energy Association Says 2009 a Good Year for Wind Energy

The American Wind Energy Association thinks that 2009 was a pretty good year for wind energy in the United States. The association recently identified the wind industry’s top accomplishments and developments of the year, including:

• Saving Water: The electricity from the entire fleet of turbines installed through 2009 will conserve over 20 billion gallons of water annually, which would otherwise be withdrawn for steam or cooling in conventional power plants.
• Avoiding Carbon: Those same turbines will avoid emitting over 57 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, based on the conventional mix of fuels used for electricity generation. That is equivalent to taking over 9.5 million cars off the road!
• Improving Environmental Health: They will also help avoid annually 200,000 additional metric tons of acid-rain causing sulfur dioxide which would otherwise have to be abated to achieve the national Acid Rain Program goals and 80,000 additional metric tons of smog-causing nitrous oxide which would otherwise have been emitted.

To see all the AWEA's thoughts on wind energy in 2009, check out American Wind Energy Association Notes Wind Industry Highlights of 2009. If you'd like to purchase greener energy in 2010, be sure to visit Green Energy Choice to find the best offers available in your area.