GOING GREEN ISN’T ALL ABOUT THE CAR YOU DRIVE

On January 27, 2008, the New York Times ran an eye-opening article titled, “Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler.” When we talk about energy consumption, we tend to talk about transportation, but transportation isn’t our only problem when it comes to the environment. We also have to rethink the amount of meat we consume and, more importantly, the way we produce it.

Here are a few quotes from the article that will probably surprise you and you can use the link below to read the whole article.

“… an estimated 30 percent of the earth’s ice-free land is directly or indirectly involved in livestock production, according to the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization, which also estimates that livestock production generates nearly a fifth of the world’s greenhouse gases — more than transportation.”

“… a study last year by the National Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science in Japan estimated that 2.2 pounds of beef is responsible for the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the average European car every 155 miles, and burns enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for nearly 20 days.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/weekinreview/27bittman.html?em&ex=1204606800&en=6823b9a5c8f1c620&ei=5087%0A

Wanda Shapiro

Carbon Atlas

Amazing cartogram on world carbon emissions. Click on the image below to view the full article with downloads and additional images.

How to green your electronics

We all love our electronic devices (for the most part)! There are many ways you can be green with your electronics. The key is to know what tech to get, how to use it best, and what to do with it when its useful life is done.

Here are a few tips:

1. Go rechargeable
Only a fraction of batteries are recycled. Look for electronics that are rechargeable.

2. Kill vampire power
To make sure you aren't wasting energy, pull the plug on devices when not in use. There are also a number of "smart" power strips on the market that sense when electronics are turned off

3. Buy with energy in mind
Doing research on different technologies and their respective energy consumption can save you a lot in the long run. For example, LCD TVs use much less energy than plasmas. The Energy Star site will help you identify energy-saving electronic devices as well.

4. Make it a short circuit
So, you just bought an iPhone. What should you do with the old phone? Whatever you do, don't just throw it in the trash. There are plenty of organizations and charities that recycle and reuse old electronics.

5. Bright idea: The solar charger
There are an increasing number of options for on-the-go solar power. From handheld to backpack power, solar chargers now come in a spectrum of types for juicing up phones, PDAs, Bluetooth headsets, iPods, and laptops.

6. Look for EPEAT
EPEAT (electronic product environmental assessment tool) is a new attempt at environmental certification for computers (CPUs, monitors, and notebooks). Released in early 2006, only a limited number of products have been registered with EPEAT so far, however, look for this certification to pick up steam in the near future.

Tatiane Perazzo

Guidance Recycling & eWaste program

I don't want to toot the Guidance horn, but beep beep! We are doing our best to engage all of the Guidance employees to contribute to our green initiatives. Last week we had a successful e-waste week, where Guidance employees dropped off their e-waste for proper recycling. Here is a sample of items (with their nasty chemicals) that should never be thrown in the trash, but instead recycled properly:

Lead: solder, CRT monitors (lead in glass), lead-acid batteries
Tin: solder
Copper: copper wire, printed circuit board tracks
Cadmium: light-sensitive resistors, corrosion-resistant alloys for marine and aviation environments
Aluminium: nearly all electronic goods using more than a few watts of power (heatsinks)
Iron: steel chassis, cases and fixings
Silicon: glass, transistors, ICs, printed circuit boards.
Nickel and cadmium: nickel-cadmium batteries
Lithium: lithium-ion battery
Zinc: plating for steel parts
Gold: connector plating, primarily in computer equipment
Americium: smoke alarms (radioactive source)
Germanium: 1950s–1960s transistorised electronics (bipolar junction transistors)
Mercury: fluorescent tubes (numerous applications), tilt switches (pinball games, mechanical doorbells, thermostats)
Sulphur: lead-acid batteries
Carbon: steel, plastics, resistors. In almost all electronic equipment. *

*Full Wkipedia entry

This is a great way to engage your own co-workers/peers because it is not only good for the environment, but there were laughs galore at the antiquated laptops, computer monitors, CPUs etc. that people had! It was a fine collection that Old-Computers.com would have been proud to exhibit!

Free ways to help the environment

Unfortunately, going green isn’t always cheap. At least that’s what I’ve noticed in my efforts to live on the green side of things. For example, organic food is better for the environment but it’s usually more expensive. The same goes for the plethora of green products on the market.

Here are a few free things you can do to help the environment today.

1. Stop the catalogs.

Clean out your mailbox by going to http://www.catalogchoice.org/#welcome. This free service lets you say no to all those unwanted catalogs that make their way into your mailbox each week.

2. Inflate your tires.

Consult your owners manual to find the appropriate pressure for your car’s tires. By keeping your tires properly inflated you save a little gas, but more importantly you reduce the wear on your tires. You’ll leave less rubber on the road and your tires will last longer.

3. Switch to online bill payments.

This service, available at most banks, will reduce the number of envelopes being driven around the country and this little tip can actually save you money. Many banks are now offering incentives for online bill payment services.

4. Educate yourself.

If you’re not sure where to start, let me suggest a book called Cradle To Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough and Michael Braungart. This book will change the way you think about green. Even the book itself is constructed with the environment in mind. And you don’t have to spend money to read. This book and many others are available at your local library.

Each of us can effect change one little step at a time. If you’d like more ways to help the world in which we live, visit http://blog.blogactionday.com/environment/50-quick-painless-ways-you-can-help-the-environment-today/. This website offers 50 quick, painless ways you can help the environment today.

Wanda Shapiro

Oak Woodland Restoration at Malibu Creek State Park

Guidance employees teamed up with Culver City
Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts in November to plant
Oak trees and native grasses and to pull mustard plant
weeds at Malibu Creek State Park. We drove through
burn areas but were happy to discover that the park itself
was spared in the recent wildfires. Oak Woodland Restoration
volunteers provided all the tools and instructions.

Oak Woodland Restoration volunteer, Jo, demonstrates
native grass planting techniques.

Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts work side by side with
Guidance volunteers.

The Guidance Green Team

Nothing satisfies like a good dibble!

Jon tries his hand, or foot, at dibbling while son, Alex,
admires his technique.

Alex gets to the root of the mustard plant problem.

Steven between two freshly planted Oaks. Job well done
Everyone!

Green IT

Data center energy savings are a huge opportunity. Data centers consume more energy per square foot than any other part of an office building. But they're part of an information and services supply chain that begins with raw materials and ends with the disposal of waste. The chain includes people, the space they occupy, and the cars they drive. Along the way, the chain increasingly gobbles energy and spews greenhouse gases. The it department is in a unique position to change that. And therefore as per Gartner Green IT is in top 10 strategic technologies for 2008.


Please find some recommended resources for Green IT below:

• 5 Steps to Green IT
• Why it matters
• Green IT insight article