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1. Cleantech Market Snapshot: Get Ready for Innovation — and Consolidation
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2. Fisker Unveils First Production Version of $88K Karma
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3. San Francisco Considers Nation's First Congestion Pricing Plan
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4. Smart Fridges to Invade the UK
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5. The Sleek Shape-Shifting Scarab Vehicle
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6. Econcern Putting $1.1B Into Chinese Wind
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7. Make A Holiday Ice Wreath
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8. Daily Sprout
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9. Why EEstor Hooked Up With Zenn
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10. Avista Stalls Its Wind Power Plans
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11. EDF Commissions 70-MW Wind Farm in Italy
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12. New "Vivace" System Draws Renewable Energy from Slow Water Currents
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13. Masdar PV Partners with Helmhotz-Zantrum to Increase Module Efficiency
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14. Sharp Enters Thin-film Joint Venture with Enel
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15. Endesa Signs 190-MW Turbine Supply Deal
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16. SunPower & City Solar Sign 100-MW Deal
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17. European Wind Energy Market Shows First Signs of Slowdown
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18. SOLAR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL HELPS YOU LOG ON TO YOUR SOLAR FUTURE!
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19. 5 River Power Players to Watch
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20. SunPower Signs German Supply Deal
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21. Recycling Car Tires
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22. Cell Phone Makers Half-Hearted On Green Initiatives
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23. Future of the Auto Industry: EVs, Biodiesel, Bikes
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24. Quick Energy Saving Tip - DIY Energy Audit
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25. Deck Your Tree With Shades of Green
Cleantech Market Snapshot: Get Ready for Innovation — and...
Celeste LeCompte - Startups
I attended the Sustainable Industries Economic Forum in San Francisco this morning, where green jobs guru Van Jones’ opening remarks kicked off the morning with an it’s-a-great-time-to-get-down-to-work tone that was carried on during the following executive panel. While all the speakers — Kevin Surace of Serious Materials, Don Shaffer of RSF Social Finance and Susan MacCormac of Morrison Foerster — had interesting things to say, I thought MacCormac’s presentation had several gems that were worth sharing with the Earth2Tech audience. So, fair readers, here are some nuggets from her panel comments:
- Investors Double Down: In the current economic climate, consolidation is the name of the game. Investors who have put capital into cleantech companies that look solid — carbon accounting systems, for example — are looking to “double down” on that investment, and that means buying up shaky competitors in the space. MacCormac said her firm has been engaged by several clients in recent weeks to help with this kind of work. We’ll keep our eyes open for examples as they come to light.
- Crisis Can Help Build Skills: Morrison Foerster gives its lawyers equal billing for paying clients and pro bono work. In a recession, when lawyers want to keep up their hours — and their paychecks — that means taking on more pro bono work. Innovative cleantech-related enterprises that qualify for pro bono support actually have a better chance of getting their accounts accepted in this climate. While she didn’t say this, specifically, I also gathered that it’s also a good time for lawyers looking to develop an expertise in cleantech: Pro bono work can help them gain experience to land paying clients in the area down the road.
- Greenwashing Crackdown: The Federal Trade Commission’s effort to put the kibosh on greenwashing is serious. According to MacCormac, there’s been a five-fold increase in staff at the FTC, and warning letters have been sent out to some offending companies. At least two suits have already been filed against companies for misleading green claims. Those that want to put a green spin on their product had best proceed with caution. For those that are doing good green work, though, the FTC’s new, toothier rules could help weed out the competition.
- Carbon Pricing Is Coming: For companies working in industries where impending carbon regulations could become an issue, drafting proposals and contracts that “bake in” a placeholder for carbon prices is a great strategy. All the panelists agree that companies will be facing carbon pricing sometime within the next two years, and MacCormac says the clear pricing and forward-looking practice has helped her clients win contacts. (At least that’s what I understood. I’ve reached out to her and will update with additional information.)
Disclosure: Previously, I was the Managing Editor for Sustainable Industries, and I occasionally contribute feature articles on a freelance basis.
Fisker Unveils First Production Version of $88K Karma
Josie Garthwaite - Automotive
Fisker last month finalized plans for Valmet Automotive of Finland to assemble the Karma when it reaches full-scale production. Today the Irvine, Calif.-based startup slightly narrowed its window for entering the next phase, delivery to North American showrooms, saying it expects to begin that in November of 2009, compared with the fourth-quarter time line laid out in previous announcements.
As we’ve noted before, that’s an ambitious schedule. Manufacturing and production — things Detroit’s Big Three have had decades to master — can prove to be a minefield of delays for green car startups.
San Francisco Considers Nation's First Congestion Pricing Plan
Mike Chino - automotive
Today San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors is meeting to review plans that would combat congested roadways by instituting the United States’ first traffic toll. A congestion pricing plan would most likely create a charge motorists entering the city via the Bay Bridge or Golden Gate Bridge, encouraging the use of environmentally-friendly modes of transportation. Although the initiative comes at a turbulent economic time, the plan stands to get people out of their cars and empower San Francisco’s public transportation, pedestrian, and bicycle projects while increasing traffic speed, and cutting carbon emissions.
Smart Fridges to Invade the UK
David Ehrlich - Big Green
If our appliances get too smart, can they still be unplugged? People in the UK are about to find out, as smart grid technology will make its way into their kitchens under a new government program that will give away 3,000 smart fridges in the country (hat tip to the Guardian). UK energy utility npower, part of Germany’s RWE, is working on the project with UK smart-energy startup RLtec, which will provide “dynamic demand” technology. The fridges are expected to be rolled out next year.
The new appliances are designed to be easy to use, involving little or no user input, and are expected to save people a significant amount of cash on their energy bills. One recent study from the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford found that energy management systems can help cut residential electricity use by up to 15 percent.
According to a report from the Department of Energy and Climate Change, widespread use of the smart fridges, which can automatically modify their power use in response to changes in supply and demand on the grid, could save about two million tons of carbon dioxide per year and £222 million ($331.5 million) in energy costs.
In the U.S., General Electric is working on its own pilot project for smart appliances. The company announced in October that it’s working on smart refrigerators, ranges, washer and dryers, dishwashers and microwave ovens. GE plans to test some of its first smart appliances in Kentucky in the first quarter of next year in a partnership with Louisville Gas and Electric.
The next-gen appliances can make decisions on their own on when to curb power consumption, based on information relayed by the power grid operator about the availability and price of power. The RLtec-equipped units can check their current status and adjust their power use, all without the utility or the consumer needing to fiddle with the dials, and without affecting performance — a key component of smart-energy technology.
Three hundred fridges fitted with RLtec’s technology will be distributed to homes in the UK in first phase of the project, with a total of 3,000 fridges and freezers, of different types and models, to be deployed following the initial roll-out.
The Sleek Shape-Shifting Scarab Vehicle
Jorge Chapa - TransportationTuesday
Concept vehicles serve the useful purpose of showing us new ideas and charting a path towards the future of transportation. Similar to MIT’s Stackable Car concept, the streamlined Scarab is an ultra-compact electric concept vehicle that is able to transform from a flat shape for speed driving to an inclined state for space-conscious urban travel. Designed by David Miguel Moreira Gonçalves, the Scarab shows how a new type of vehicle could change the systems of transportation that we currently use.
Econcern Putting $1.1B Into Chinese Wind
David Ehrlich - Energy
Netherlands renewable energy developer Econcern announced today that it’s expanding its wind development into China with plans to invest €863million ($1.1 billion) into onshore wind farms in the country. Venture-backed Econcern is teaming up with some big players for the move: CNOOC New Energy, part of state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corp., and Sinohydro Renewable Energy, a subsidiary of Sinohydro Corp., another state-owned business.
Econcern plans to build three wind farms with CNOOC New Energy and one with Sinohydro Renewable Energy for a total of over 720 megawatts of wind power capacity. Construction on all four projects is expected to start next year.
China has the world’s fifth-largest amount of installed wind power capacity, according to BusinessWeek, and there’s still room for much more growth, making it an attractive market for companies such as Econcern. Earlier this year, the Chinese government doubled the country’s installed wind capacity target to 10 gigawatts by 2010, with the Guardian reporting that China reached its old goal of 5 GW three years ahead of schedule and that the target will likely need to be doubled again.
Today’s deals appear to be some of Econcern’s first renewable energy projects in China. The company, which also does consultancy work in renewable energy and climate change issues and has its own venture development group, works on projects in wind, biomass, and solar, as well as green buildings.
Econcern’s largest project to date is a 330 MW offshore wind farm that’s expected to go up off the coast of Belgium in the North Sea. That €900 million project is still in the development phase, but it’s scheduled to be operational by 2010.
Econcern back in May raised €300 million in financing when Rabobank and the Delta Lloyd Group came on board as joint investors, with previous investor SHV Holdings also participating in the round. At the time, Econcern said investor Good Energies had sold its holdings in the company. SHV, Rabobank, and Delta Lloyd collectively hold 50 percent of Econcern, with the remaining 50 percent owned by Econcern management and employees.
China’s cleantech sector has been attracting a number of foreign investments over the last few months, including funds from chipmaker Intel and investor Warren Buffett. In October, Intel Capital, the investment arm of Intel, said it would invest in thin-film solar company Trony Solar and large-scale electricity storage specialist NP Holdings, both based in China. And in September, Chinese electric car and battery maker BYD got a boost when Buffett, through a subsidiary of his Berkshire Hathaway investment group, put up $230 million for a 10 percent stake.
Make A Holiday Ice Wreath
jchait - Home & Garden
Here in Oregon, it’s never too snowy. At least not where I am in Oregon. However, if you live somewhere super chilly, this beautiful ice wreath above is the perfect alternative to store-bought holiday outdoor decor. It’s completely recyclable, made of all natural materials, and so lovely. It would look great hanging on a gate, and a smaller one could even hang on your door.
BEST OF ALL: You will not believe how easy this is to make. Plus it’s way fun for kids.
Learn how to make Festive Ice Wreaths
[Image and tips via Junk Creation]
Daily Sprout
Josie Garthwaite - Misc
Smaller Automakers Line Up With Big Three for DOE Loans: A $25 billion auto industry loan program from the Department of Energy is open to any company with a plan to make more fuel-efficient cars. Startups EcoMotors, XP Vehicles, and Tesla Motors have applied under the program. — New York Times
No Fun for Solarfun: Solar-cell maker Solarfun Power Holdings reported third-quarter results today. The company saw a 53 percent increase in module shipments, but shares of the company have lost nearly 79 percent (excluding the fall seen in early trading this morning) of their market value in the last six months. — Reuters
Obama National Security Advisor on Climate Change: President-elect Barack Obama introduced James L. Jones, Jr. as his national security advisor yesterday, saying he understands “the connection between energy and national security.” But Jones has headed up a U.S. Chamber of Commerce energy institute that challenged climate change, worrying some groups that he may compromise the administration’s environmental agenda. — LA Times
Power Plants and Fish Protectors Go to Court: The Supreme Court is hearing a case today over use of billions of gallons of water for cooling power plants, and whether electricity producers are doing enough to protect fish and aquatic organisms. At stake for electricity producers is the cost of expensive upgrades for existing power plants. — Associated Press
BP to Commercialize Energy Tech in China: BP and the Chinese Academy of Sciences agreed last week to form a $73 million joint venture to commercialize energy innovations from China’s research institutions. It’s called the Clean Energy Commercialisation Centre, but planned focus areas range from zero-emission technologies and carbon capture to cleaner coal. — Press Release
Why EEstor Hooked Up With Zenn
Katie Fehrenbacher - Startups
We’ve always wondered why, if high-profile Texas energy storage startup EEstor has such disruptive technology, it did an exclusive deal with small Toronto-based electric automaker Zenn Motor Co. for small- and mid-sized cars. EEstor’s energy storage technology can supposedly provide 10 times the energy of lead-acid batteries at one-tenth the weight and half the price, and move a car 400 kilometers after a 5-minute charge.
Well the Globe and Mail was wondering the same thing, and as such asked Zenn Motor founder Ian Clifford why EEstor made such an important deal with Zenn and not some large automaker. Clifford tells the paper that last year EEstor was raising development funding for its untested technology by selling licences to the rights for various applications; Zenn paid $2.5 million for the rights to use the tech for small- to mid-size cars, and then invested another $2.5 million into the energy storage maker.
Clifford says Zenn had the opportunity because the big automakers wanted to make safer bets on more well-tested technology than EEstor’s. In addition, both companies had cultures of being young and passionate. In describing the EEstor deal to the Globe and Mail, Clifford said:
“We were willing to take the risk when no one else would. Part of it was a leap of faith, part was due to diligence…We were like angel investors, in at the ground floor, able to negotiate a strategic agreement which, when they commercialize, will creative a massive global opportunity.”
Now that EEstor is a little more high profile and has started to show some testing milestones, we’re wondering how EEstor sees the deal in hindsight? Perhaps they’re kicking themselves for being held to a deal with a smaller automaker. It would also be interesting to see if EEstor has made it onto the radar of the big automakers — while they’re busy riding their green cars to D.C. this week, they can feel rest assured that for a miniscule investment a few years ago (Zenn’s $5 million) they could have secured first dibs on a promising EV tech.
That’s not to say that EEstor is a sure thing. The energy storage maker is behind on its estimated production start dates and is still quiet about how its technology is so revolutionary.
Avista Stalls Its Wind Power Plans
Jennifer Kho - Energy
Avista Corp., a utility based in Spokane, Wash., has become the latest in a series of U.S. companies to pull back on its wind power project plans.
The company has delayed plans to build a 50-megawatt wind farm in the state for at least two years, The Spokesman-Review reported today, the same day as Avista announced it had lined up $200 million in credit. Avista, which cited the high cost of wind turbines over other forms of renewable energy – such as an upgrade of an existing dam — now hopes to build the farm at the end of 2013, according to the newspaper.
“This stuff is really expensive,” Hugh Imhof, a spokesman for Avista, told the newspaper. “Why build a $125 million wind farm if we don’t need it for another two years?”
The news comes a month after T. Boone Pickens, the oilman turned wind power and natural gas advocate who chairs BP Capital Management, said he was considering paring down plans for a 4-gigawatt wind farm — which would have been the world’s largest — after some investors asked to pull out of his fund.
Last month, FPL Group also announced it was cutting back plans for more wind projects next year and Gamesa, a Spanish wind manufacturer, said it would temporarily shutter some of its factories amid concerns about customers’ commitments.
Some companies have been waiting to see how their sales will be affected by the economy before making buying commitments. Michael Butler, CEO of Seattle-based investment bank Cascadia Capital, told Earth2Tech that many companies are putting off major investment decisions until the new year. “Many people are just saying ‘Let’s shut down until the end of the year,’” he said.
But Butler maintains that long-term prospects for wind and other renewables still look good. After all, some large long-term wind plans are still getting funding. Spanish wind company Union Fenosa said Monday it would spend more than $1.9 billion to develop wind farms in Australia. That’s after Matthew Simmon’s Ocean Energy Institute last week proposed building a 5-gigawatt offshore wind farm, a project that could cost as much as $25 billion.
EnXco Inc., a subsidiary of EDF Energies Nouvelles Co. in France, announced Friday it had closed funding for a 150-megawatt wind project in California, slated to produce electricity for the PG&E.
DeWind, a Composite Technology Corp. subsidiary, Monday announced the installation of a 2-megawatt turbine in Minnesota. And Idaho Power Co. also said Monday that its projects are still on track.
“There’s clearly been a slowdown,” Butler said. “But I think, especially at the start of next year, money for good projects will be available.” Wind power manufacturers and project developers surely hope he’s right.
EDF Commissions 70-MW Wind Farm in Italy
New "Vivace" System Draws Renewable Energy from Slow Water Currents
Masdar PV Partners with Helmhotz-Zantrum to Increase Module Efficiency
Sharp Enters Thin-film Joint Venture with Enel
Endesa Signs 190-MW Turbine Supply Deal
SunPower & City Solar Sign 100-MW Deal
European Wind Energy Market Shows First Signs of Slowdown
SOLAR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL HELPS YOU LOG ON TO YOUR SOLAR FUTURE!
5 River Power Players to Watch
Josie Garthwaite - Energy
Rivers have powered grist mills since before Mark Twain sent Huck Finn afloat on the Mississippi, and the Great Miami River even generated electricity for some early Ford factories. But mounting political pressure to develop alternative sources of energy has sparked new interest — and investment — in river power technology that’s far less obtrusive than the hydroelectric dams that now generate about 10 percent of electricity used in the United States. Companies like the five below are leading a new wave of river power, or hydrokinetic, technology.
Free Flow Power: Massachusetts-based Free Flow Power has its eye on the Lower and Middle Mississippi River for turbine arrays that can be mounted to free-standing pilings or existing docks and piers. The company secured its first preliminary federal permits from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission at the beginning of this year, winning exclusive rights for three years to evaluate sites from St. Louis to the mouth of the Mississippi. It’s now studying 55 sites for a 1,600 megawatt, $3 billion project.
Verdant Power: Selected as one of six teams to receive DOE funding for water power technology development, Verdant Power is negotiating an award (up to $600,000 for a max of two years) to develop a larger, higher-power turbine blade system and streamline the manufacturing process. The New York-based startup began testing turbine prototypes, first made of fiberglass and steel, and then aluminum and magnesium, in the East River (technically a tidal strait, not a river) two years ago. Verdant bolted its latest prototypes, made from an aluminum alloy, to the riverbed in September. If these turbines hold together, company president Trey Taylor has told the Washington Post, Verdant expects to apply for permits to launch a commercial operation. Smooth sailing is hardly guaranteed, however. Planned installations in Cornwall, Ontario, were delayed last week after an important investor pulled out, despite more than $2.2 million in funding from the Ontario government.
Hydro Green Energy: This Quercus Trust-backed startup plans to generate 5 gigawatts of energy from two rivers (and some wind) in the Gulf of Mexico, using its modular, barge-mounted turbine arrays. It also has projects and preliminary permits in Alaska, Maine, Minnesota and New York. According to a recent report from The Hill, the company has also begun lobbying for federal appropriations.
Vortex Hydro Energy: Founded in 2004 to commercialize then-early-stage research from the University of Michigan, this startup found its inspiration in fish, which use natural vibrations in water to propel forward. While engineers typically try to suppress those vibrations, the ocean engineers behind Vortex Hydro decided to exploit them, creating a stationary underwater device (with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and the Office of Naval Research) that can generate electricity from currents moving slower than 2 miles per hour. According to the researchers, existing turbines and water mills need flow speeds of at least 5 mph to operate efficiently. The completed study appears in this month’s Journal of Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering. Next up, the company says, is a multi-kilowatt field demonstration.
Hydrovolts: Hydrovolts, formerly Puget Sound Tidal Power, specializes in modular turbines that resist debris buildup in rivers and canals. While each turbine generates enough electricity for up to only three average American homes (suggesting potential for areas not connected to a reliable power grid in developing countries), the company says large installations could result in utility-scale generation without altering the water channel.
SunPower Signs German Supply Deal
David Ehrlich - Energy
California’s SunPower announced its second supply contract in as many months today, an agreement to ship 100 megawatts of solar panels to German solar power plant integrator City Solar Kraftwerke. Under the 3-year deal, SunPower will also provide City Solar with commercial rooftop and ground-mounted systems.
Last month, SunPower signed a deal to supply its solar panels to Italy’s Ecoware, another solar power plant integrator. That contract is a 4-year deal for SunPower to supply at least 130 MW of its solar panels to Ecoware, starting in the first quarter of 2009. SunPower didn’t disclose the financial terms of the City Solar or Ecoware contracts.
This latest contract with City Solar includes SunPower’s solar roof tiles for commercial rooftop installations and trackers for utility-scale, ground-mounted systems. City Solar, founded in 2002, has at least 20 solar projects under its belt, according to its web site. Most of its projects are turn-key solar power plants, including ground-level and rooftop projects, in Germany, but the company has also ventured into Spain with its five largest solar power plant installations.
City Solar’s biggest project is in Beneixama, Spain, generating 20 MW. The company said that ground project involved 200 solar panels, with work starting in August 2006 and finalized in the late summer of 2007.
SunPower has also done some work in Spain, last week announcing the completion of the 18 MW Olivenza solar power plant in Badajoz, Spain. SunPower, which has an office in Madrid, said it has completed construction of more than 165 MW of solar power plants in Spain, and more than 400 MW worldwide.
Recycling Car Tires
jchait - Home & Garden
Solutions:
Don’t own a car: Not practical for everyone, but the absolute best option if you live in a mass transit friendly city.
Don’t own more than one car: Way more practical then most people think. If you’re one person with more than one car - why? That’s a waste of so many resources. If you’re a couple or family with two cars - also why? Plenty of families manage quite well with one vehicle to share. It’s not totally practical for every situation, but car sharing is more easily done than many people think.
Keep your tires in great shape: Expanding the life of your tires is a great way to conserve resources. To get the most out of tires be sure to rotate them every 8,000 miles, and keep them inflated and balanced.
After they die - recycle: You can locate a tire recycling place through Earth 911, or you can use some to make other things. A tire swing, a sandbox, a garden planter, and more.
Have you been keeping up with your tire care?
Cell Phone Makers Half-Hearted On Green Initiatives
Katie Fehrenbacher - Energy
We’re all very aware of how cell phone companies are claiming to make “greener” phones — less toxic parts, more recyclable, using less energy. But according to a report out from ABI Research this morning, aside from the efforts of a couple large companies, most attempts at selling green phones are not being deployed at a very large scale.
ABI says while Samsung and Nokia have the scale to sell green phones economically, the majority of cell phone makers’ green phone intentions often fade “like a wireless signal in an underground parking lot.” Mainly, cell phone companies’ efforts are aimed at compliance (likely with environmental regulations like RoHS) and a “trickling down of proven green elements” for the rest of the product pipeline, ABI says. And even worse than making green products that fall short, ABI says that less than 5 percent of the cell phones shipped globally every year are recycled or disposed of sustainably.
There are a few issues with the greening of the cell phone market. While consumers say they will buy more sustainable cell phones — the report cites a Nokia study that says 76 percent of survey responders are more likely to buy phones from companies they view as “environmentally responsible” — there’s very little data on the actual green buying habits of consumers. Saying you support green products, and potentially paying more for those products, are very different issues — particularly in a recession.
And while compliance may drive foreign markets, in the U.S., there are a hodge podge of mostly voluntary green standards concerning electronics. More standards are needed to help cell phone companies and consumers figure out what defines “green phones,” and potentially something like the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) could help set the performance criteria for cell phone design and production.
Future of the Auto Industry: EVs, Biodiesel, Bikes
khallgeisler - Bikes & Cars
Oregon Public Broadcasting’s call-in show, “Think Out Loud,” was about the future of the automotive industry this morning. The program focused on the state of Oregon, and most of the guests and callers were from the state, but the show had a lot to say about where personal transportation is headed in the next decade for the entire U.S.
The show, which aired Monday, December 1, was called “A Sustainable Auto Industry.” Guests included John Viera, Director of Ford Sustainable Business Strategies; Mark Perry, Director of Product Planning for Nissan North America; a representative from Governor Kulongoski’s office; and an assistant professor at Oregon State University’s College of Business. So they had their bases covered.
Highlights of the show (though you should listen to the whole thing):
- Viera says Ford will not go back to making so many trucks, no matter what the price of gas is. The company apparently is trying to learn its lesson and produce for the tomorrow instead of yesterday.
- Perry says Oregon will be one of the first launch markets for its new EVs in 2010. Yay!
- He also said Nissan wants to have 10% of its sales to be EVs by 2020 — that’s about 100,000 vehicles in the U.S.
- My favorite phrase came from Chris Warner, Kulongoski’s transportation adviser. He says there is no silver bullet, only “silver buckshot,” which includes alternative fuel cars, bikes, walking, public transportation, and whatever else the future holds.
A lot of basic alternative-fuel questions were answered, like shifting emissions from the tailpipe to the smokestack, and the recyclability of electric-vehicle batteries. It’s a good listen for newbies and alt-vehicle veterans alike.
Quick Energy Saving Tip - DIY Energy Audit
jchait - Home & Garden
You can hire someone to run a home energy audit for you, or with the help of Home Energy Saver, you can actually do an energy audit easily by yourself.
At Home Energy Saver, you enter your zip code, and what shoots out is a typical round up of energy costs in your area. For example, after I enter my zip code, it shows that the average home’s energy costs are $1395 a year, while an energy efficient home in the same area costs about $737 a year.
There’s also a graph that shows which appliances typically drain the most energy in your area.
Next there are some questions to answer - all were pretty easy, so you don’t need technical know-how for this audit. Questions like…
- Does your house have foundation or floor insulation?
- Do you have a clothes washer?
- How many freezers do you have?
- What kind of heating equipment do you have?
- And so on.
After filling out all the answers, the site will show you where you can make changes, cut costs, and save more energy. It’s a really nice site, and even if you aren’t planning on making any immediate changes, it’s cool to know your options.
Deck Your Tree With Shades of Green
jchait - Home & Garden
The other day we looked at how to choose the most eco-friendly Christmas tree. Today we’re going to start looking at how to deck it out in style (and in green).
Start with LED lights: Always use LED lights for your tree. Nowadays with so many options around, there’s no excuse not to use them. We’re going sans tree this year, but last year we had a tree, and LED lights. I thought that the LED lights were so much more cleaner looking and brighter than traditional lights. They were great. Some nice options for LED lights include:
Colorwave LED Lights (see below) or the LED Snowflake Lights, Icy White (see above)- both are eco friendly. One comes in pretty shapes, and the other is color changing. Fun!
If neither of these LED styles suit you, visit Holiday LED for the biggest collection under the sun of LED holiday lights.
Earth Friendly Ornaments:
- You can make your own ornaments with your kids, say out of recycled materials, popcorn, homemade clay, and more. This is not only earth friendly, but extra special and a great way to spend a cold afternoon.
- You can purchase reuse ornaments at a thrift store, antique shop, or garage sale.
- You can buy new, but purchase ornaments made from natural or eco-friendly materials.
Some eco-options for purchased ornaments:
Amenity Holiday Ornaments - Moons and Amenity Holiday Ornaments - Stars - made with non-toxic, water based inks.
Glow Glass Ornaments - Hand-blown glass ornaments that are not only beautiful, and recyclable, but solar powered! By day they collect sunshine via photo-sensitive paint and by night the energy is released and the glowing starts. How neat are these?
This 2008 Snowflake Ornament is made from recycled broken window panes - plus it’s lovely.
Coming up, we’ll continue our eco-holiday table series, look at more earth-friendly holiday decor and gifts, plus more.
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