Greg Galitzine : Green Blog
Greg Galitzine
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December 2007

You are browsing the archive for December 2007.

Only 1 in 5 Recycle e-Waste Properly

December 28, 2007

The Daily Green is reporting that a scant 1 in 5 of us recycle old electronics.   Disappointing.   With many consumers upgrading to newer versions of their gear this holiday season, replacing existing gadgets such as TVs, monitors, cell phones, video game consoles, etc… it’s troubling to think that only 21% of that e-waste is destined for proper disposal.   The article directs consumers to a variety of sources to help with recycling their used electronics, notably E-cycling Central, a national database maintained by industry of local recycling opportunities, and eRecycle.org, which lists additional options.

Silicon Valley VCs Seeing Green for Green's Sake

December 26, 2007

USA Today has an item online that sheds some light on what some of tech’s wealthiest individuals are doing to help the world become a little greener.   The article describes Vinod Khosla, a leading venture capitalist, and how his children view his rising passion for renewable energy.   “They think it’s cool Dad is saving the planet,” he says.   The article goes on to laud the efforts of other notables such as Google’s Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Nobel-winning ex-vice president Al Gore, and eccentric billionaire Richard Branson.   It’s defintiely worth a read.    

Toronto Star: Will New Social Climate Lead to Green?

December 26, 2007

The Toronto Star has an item today about green living and a message to the citizenry of Ontario that going green doesn’t have to be all about sacrifice.   Amid messages of new technologies and altering lifestyles, Canadians looking to make a change in 2008 should take heart that it doesn't all have to be sacrifice.   Experts say an environmentally friendly lifestyle can mean not only lower household bills but also improved mental and physical health when forgoing the automobile.   Of course, whether or not recent polls showing that consumers would be willing to pay more or take that extra step for a greener planet will translate into real world changes remains to be seen.   Clifford Maynes, executive director of Green Communities Canada, told the Star: “You have polls where people say, ‘Yes, we’re willing to pay more to be green.’ I think this is a premise that has yet to be fully tested.”   To check out the article Is new social climate needed for green living? click here.  

Forrester: In Search of Green Tech Consumers

December 19, 2007

As the environmental movement has gained momentum, one of the key questions facing companies that felt pressure to “green up” was “would consumers pay more for green tech and related products?”   Well, according to a recent Forrester Research poll, fully twelve percent of U.S. adults, or what amounts to nearly 25 million people — are willing to pay extra for consumer electronics that use less energy or come from a company that is environmentally friendly.   Forrester has termed these consumers “bright greens” and believes they are at the forefront of an emerging class of consumers that will be an attractive target for marketers at technology companies.   The report, based on a survey of 5,000 U.S.

Investors Still Keen on Green

December 19, 2007

A recent Investors Business Daily feature holds forth that venture capitalists are forecasting another solid year for investing in clean, “green,” technologies.   According to the report, based on a consensus estimate of 170 venture capitalists polled by the National Venture Capital Association, a full quarter (25%) of survey respondents forecast investments of $30 billion to $39 billion. The $39 billion number would represent the largest investment year since 2000.   The results show increased interest in clean technology investment, with 80% of respondents believing they will saying they will increase activity in the space.   For more, check out the article here.

Ausra to Build Solar Manufacturing Plant in NV

December 17, 2007

Todd Woody over at Green Wombat writes that “Big Solar’s time has come.” He’s referring to the news that Ausra Inc., is building the first U.S. manufacturing plant for solar thermal power systems in Las Vegas.   According to the press release on Ausra.com, “The 130,000-square-foot, highly automated manufacturing and distribution center will produce the reflectors, towers, absorber tubes, and other key components of the company’s solar thermal power plants.”   “Ausra can fill four square miles with solar collectors every year from this one factory, enough to provide market-priced zero-pollution power to 500,000 homes. Americans want clean power, and are tired of the market fluctuations, price increases, and pollution from fossil power plants. With market-priced solar power, we are entering the Solar Decade, in which massive construction of solar plants will take place.

Equitrac Helps Organizations Stay on a 'Green' Track by Reducing Paper Waste

December 12, 2007

In the early 1990s, just as the Internet revolution was getting underway, many tech companies and analysts were predicting that the Web and the rapidly advancing business solutions of the day were going to result in a drastic reduction in paper consumption – not only in practically every business sector but also in education, government, not-for-profit -- even in consumers' homes. Of course, this “paperless society” didn’t quite pan out: Although there has certainly been shift in terms of how paper resources are used (for one thing there are less printed bills filling consumer’s mailboxes these days), organizations of all types and sizes, as well as individuals, are actually consuming more paper today than they did 15 years ago.

And -- let’s face it -- it’s mostly because people are printing stuff from the Internet left and right. The “print” button has become ubiquitous through the Web and users are happy to irresponsibly click on it anytime they want something printed out – even if they don’t really need the whole thing on paper. In many respects, the simplicity and ease of using the “print” command has only made us less conscious of how much paper we are using: It takes much less effort – and as a result much less thought – to simply click “print” in order to get 25 copies of a document than it does to take the document to a copy machine and print copies “manually.” Here’s another example: It used to be that when you went to your local library you would go and find the book you needed, put it on a copy machine and copy a few pages.

TSA, Continental Airlines Go 'Green' and Secure with Encrypted Boarding Pass Info On Mobile Devices

December 5, 2007

Passengers flying out of the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas airport during the next three months will have an opportunity to make their travels a little bit more ‘green.’ Continental Airlines and the U.S. Transportation Security Administration are piloting a program that lets travelers use their cell phones or PDAs in lieu of a paper boarding pass.   Houston Chronicle reported Tuesday that the system involves displaying encrypted bar codes on mobile device screens. The information displayed onscreen is then scanned by airport officials at boarding checkpoints.   If everything goes well with the pilot program, mobile device-based boarding passes could eventually do away with the need for paper documents entirely—with the exception of photo ID.
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