Regarding compact fluorescent lightbulbs, Fast Compnay Magazine had this great article to say:

In the energy business, it is called a "CFL," or an "energy saver." One scientist calls it an "ice-cream-cone spiral," because in its most-advanced, most-appealing version, it looks like nothing so much as a cone of swirled soft-serve ice cream.

If every one of 110 million American households bought just one CFL bulb, took it home, and screwed it in the place of an ordinary 60-watt bulb, the energy saved would be enough to power a city of 1.5 million people. One bulb swapped out, enough electricity saved to power all the homes in Delaware and Rhode Island. In terms of oil not burned, or greenhouse gases not exhausted into the atmosphere, one bulb is equivalent to taking 1.3 million cars off the roads.

That's the law of large numbers--a small action, multiplied by 110 million.

The single greatest source of greenhouse gases in the United States is power plants--half our electricity comes from coal plants. One bulb swapped out: enough electricity saved to turn off two entire power plants--or skip building the next two.

Swirl bulbs don't just work, they pay for themselves. They use so little
power compared with old reliable bulbs, a $3 swirl pays for itself in lower
electric bills in about five months. Screw one in, turn it on, and it's not just
lighting your living room, it's dropping quarters in your pocket. The advantages
pile up in a way to almost make one giddy. Compact fluorescents, even in heavy
use, last 5, 7, 10 years. Years. Install one on your 30th birthday; it may be
around to help illuminate your 40th.

Read on. Are you sold now?

I have signed up for this class at Emory Academy for Retired Professionals.
The class examines the most serious environmental threat facing us - Global warming. It will explore specific personal changes that can be made as an early response to this issue.
The instructor is Woody Bartlett, a retired Presbytarian minister who has written a book "Living by Surprise : A Christian Response to the Ecological Crisis". Some years ago he spent a day at the San Diego Zoo that changed his life. He saw so many animals that were on the endangered species list and some only existed in zoos. He then became an expert on extinction which eventually lead him to Gobal Warming. From his comments, it is evident and satisfyng that the Christian Community is responding to this crisis. Some local churches are showing Al Gore's Film "An Inconvenient Truth".

Standby for further comments as the class progresses.

After 14 years, Nike figures out how to get greenhouse gas out of its sneakers. Nike's air pockets contained not just air, but SF6 - a super potent greenhouse gas called sulfur hexafluride.
It developed a new technology which uses nitrogen instead of SF6. I not only solves the environmental problem because nitrogen breaks up easily and is not harmful, but it paid off commercially. It allowed Nike to create the Air Max 360, the first sneaker to cushion the entire sole with a bed of air.
There are no regulations forcing companies to reduce greenhouse gases.
What's great about what Nike has accomplished is that it voluntarily took the initiative.
Now every Nike product is entirely free of SF6 and it has seen huge cost savings.
And now it gets great raves for the Air Max 360 from runners and greens alike.
Michael and I know that our Earth is a little bit better off.

Wal-Mart's CEO, Lee Scott, says he wants to turn the world's largest retailer into the greenest. The company is so big, so powerful, it could force an army of suppliers to clean up their acts too.

As part of this commitment, Wal-Mart has invited America's most famous environmentalist, Al Gore, to show his movie, "An Inconvenient Truth."

Wal-Mart is embarking on a far-reaching plan to adopt business practices that are better for the environment. Scott states that the world will learn that "there need not be any conflict between the environment and the economy."

"To me," he says, "there can't be anything good about putting all these chemicals in the air. There can't be anything good about the smog you see in cities. There can't be anything good about putting chemicals in these rivers in Third World countries so that somebody can buy an item for less money in a developed country. Those things are just inherently wrong, whether you are an environmentalist or not."

In a speech broadcast to all of Wal-Mart's facilities last November, Scott set several ambitious goals: Increase the efficiency of its vehicle fleet by 25% over the next three years, and double efficiency in ten years. Eliminate 30% of the energy used in stores. Reduce solid waste from U.S. stores by 25% in three years.

Wal-Mart says it will invest $500 million in sustainability projects, and the company has done a lot more than draw up targets. It has quickly become, for instance, the biggest seller of organic milk and the biggest buyer of organic cotton in the world. It is working with suppliers to figure out ways to cut down on packaging and energy costs. It has opened two "green" supercenters.

I'm impressed

Two big stories in the news this week that show me the impending scare of global warming is taking hold with some people in power. To this point, the federal government and automakers have pretty much refused to act. Let's keep the momentum rolling and push for more initiatives protecting the environment.

First, California's attorney general filed a lawsuit this week against the six biggest-selling automakers (General Motors, Ford Motor, DaimlerChrysler, Toyota, Honda and Nissan), alleging that their cars emit dangerous gases and foster global warming. The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensation for the "billions of dollars in damages" from global warming caused by the six carmakers, which have made 88% of the cars sold in the US this year. Some say this could put automakers under more pressure to speed development of hybrids and alternative-fuel vehicles, such as those powered by hydrogen fuel cells, to lessen air pollution. California sues carmakers

Also, billionaire Richard Branson on Thursday committed to spending all the profits from his airline and rail businesses -- an estimated $3 billion over the next 10 years -- on combating global warming.

The Virgin Group chairman, whose company also includes music and mobile phone ventures, has already created Virgin Fuels, which will invest $400 million over three years in renewable energy initiatives as part of his pledge. Branson pledges $3 billion to fight global warming

Ethanol is alcohol derived from crops such as corn and sugar. It is used as a gasoline additive, which results in cleaner burning fuel with higher octane.

The most common blend of ethanol and gasoline in the US is E-10, 10% ethanol and 90 % gasoline. It can be used in regular engines.
Another blend is E-85, 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, needs a (FFV) Flexible fuel vehicle.

FFV is a vehicle that can operate on any blend of ethanol up to 85%. If E85 is not available, the vehicle can operate on regular gasoline or any percentage of ethanol up to 85%.
You don't see Ethanol pumps in the South, but they are common in the Midwest.
Ethanol Fuel economy is lower, because it contains less energy content, therefore it has to cheaper than gasoline to be cost effective.

Ethanol used as a fuel is not a panacea, but is renewable, can lessen the dependency on foreign countries, burns cleaner and potentially is less expensive.

1) If you haven't seen Inconvenient Truth, see it.
2) Calculate your contribution to global warming.
3) Learn simple ways (opens pdf file) to take action at home, on the move, and how to bring about change locally, nationally, and internationally.
4) Watch Leonardo Dicaprio's awesome and powerful Global Warming and Water Planet videos.
5) Challenge yourself to the Carb Cutter Challenge.
6) Check to see if your city is pushing for smart energy solutions at Cool Cities.
7) Sign up to learn The "Inconvenient Truth" Presentation from Al Gore this Fall/Winter.
8) Check out MTV's 10 ways to save the planet (easy for even the MTV crowd).
9) Subscribe to (via RSS feed) and check back to my my new (with my dad) environmental blog, Green Tavani.

80-85% of the energy used for washing clothes goes toward heating the water.
You can reduce this cost by washing full loads, which results in using less water overall.

• Use cooler water -- switching the temperature setting from hot to warm cuts a load's energy in half.
• Reduce drying costs by cleaning the lint filter after every load to improve air circulation.
• Don't overdry clothes.
• Use the cool-down cycle to allow clothes to finish drying with residual heat.