Thursday, June 25, 2009

Small steps can add up to major changes

Every day we scour the internet looking for innovators in the green space. Fortunately, the only real problem is the sheer volume of great people doing great things. Just today I have found phenomenal initiatives like the Bama Green Project being driven by the amazing Dave Matthews Band, which has reduced over 8 million pounds of carbon by doing simple things like getting the band's fans to share cars to get to their concerts. Then there's sites like Carbon Rally that have mobilized a small army of everyday people who commit to making small changes by joining 'challenges' that earn the participants Green Points. These Green Points are accrued and members are ranked based on the amount of carbon they have reduced - all in the spirit of fun and collaboration. The sharing of cars suggested at Bama Green or slowing down by 5 km/hour for a couple of days at Carbon Rally are small and simple ideas, just like Little Green Genie, but by harnessing the power of the internet and the passion of people who care, phenomenal things are being done. 

If we try to take on the whole environmental problem on our own it is overwhelming. The answer it seems is in making small changes in our own lives and sharing those changes with those we share the planet with in the hope that they too might participate. We do make a difference - if we take the action.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

350.org

These guys are doing some really good things for the planet with over 1000 events planned this year. Check out the video below and go to www.350.org

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Help us spread the word about Little Green Genie & you could win a carbon neutral MacBook!

We are giving away a brand new, carbon neutral, Apple MacBook! All you have to do is visit our Facebook page, put in your details and share the promotion with at least 10 of your Facebook friends and you will go in the draw to win. We are doing this to raise awareness of how damaging the manufacture and ongoing use of computers is. So give us a hand and share the love! Enter here.

Share/Save/Bookmark

Friday, June 19, 2009

46% of consumers say they would shop at a retailer more if it was environmentally friendly

The benefits of implementing green initiatives have a widespread effect, including improved brand image with customers and employees, wrote Dan Kubala, vice president of marketing for Austin, Tex.-based Site Controls, in an article for Retail Customer Experience Magazine. Retailers who add energy management technology can boost their bottom line almost immediately, unlike with many other green initiatives today, he added.

For nearly all retailers, of which there are nearly 900,000 locations in the U.S., the most significant “low hanging fruit” for reducing energy costs is the implementation of an enterprise-wide energy management system (EMS), writes Kubala. He adds that the level of capital investment is relatively low, and payback for the best systems occurs in 18 to 24 months.

Kubala thinks retailers shouldn’t be hesitant to make green investments because today’s consumers are rewarding sustainability with their pocketbooks. In addition, studies show that employees prefer to work for companies that are environmentally conscious.

Forty-six percent of consumers say they would shop at a retailer more if it was environmentally friendly, while 47 percent say they would pay more for environmentally friendly services, products or brands, according to Kubala.

Read more >

Share/Save/Bookmark

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Dr M.A Sanjayan Interview Part 1

This is a great interview with Dr M.A Sanjayan on how we are the first generation who can really make a difference

Dr M.A Sanjayan Interview Part 2

This is a great inspirational interview with Dr Sanjayan showing we can all do something.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Help Little Green Genie go out of business!

Earlier today, someone asked me - "What am I actually buying, and who gets the money?" if I sign up for Little Green Genie and offset my computer's carbon emissions. Here was my answer. I thought you might enjoy it.

Burning of fossil fuels is a major source of industrial Green House Gas (GHG) emissions, especially for power, cement, steel, textile, fertilizer and many other industries which rely on fossil fuels (coal, electricity derived from coal, natural gas and oil). The major greenhouse gases emitted by these industries are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), etc, all of which increase the atmosphere's ability to trap infrared energy and thus affect the climate.

As a computer user there's two ways you contribute to carbon emissions. The first is through the manufacture of your actual machine. To make the average desktop computer 1727 KW of energy, 20 KG of chemicals and 1035 liters of water were used. In all, an average of 1,214 KG of carbon dioxide was emitted just to make your machine!

The second way you contribute to carbon emissions is through the energy you use to operate the machine. From country to country the amount of GHG emissions created through the power you consume to run your computer (or any other device) varies greatly depending on that particular country's use of coal, gas, hydro or nuclear energy. In Australia for example, 1 KW hour of electricity creates 1.08 KG of GHG while in the US it creates 0.7 KGs and in Europe (Green friendly folk) it creates 0.5 KGs.

By becoming a Little Green Genie customer and buying carbon credit through our software, you are basically saying - "Hey, I can't do anything about the emissions created to manufacture my computer and I can't do anything about the emissions that will be created by the power I consumer to run the machine, but I can offer to pay someone to find a way to stop carbon emissions elsewhere".

Your money, together with all the other Little Green Genie users worldwide goes to buying carbon credits from operators of independently audited renewable energy projects that are reducing Green House Gas emissions. In other words, we are creating a group of environmentally conscious computer users who are paying to create cleaner solutions for the future. In theory, if we invest enough money we could find cleaner ways to make computers and create cleaner energy sources to run them. It would be great if Little Green Genie went out of business on this basis!

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Paperless office ideas...great video!

This short film made by Planet Ark cofounder Jon Dee is simply brilliant! Take a look.

Green Data Centers: Strategies and Tactics for Going Green

Rising energy costs now mean that many US corporations are spending more on energy to run their IT than they are spending to buy it. This fascinating interview will really open your eyes to the scale of the environmental impact computers are having on our planet.

Green Data Centers: Strategies and Tactics for Going Green

Friday, June 12, 2009

The glamour of a start-up...



To most, the idea of a web-based start-up is glamorous and exciting. I had to smile when I was sent this photo taken by the wife of Little Green Genie's creator James Skinner. Here, James is hard at work executing the detailed launch plan which is hoisted onto his office wall above the workstation. This is what building a start-up looks like.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

CFL Lightbulbs in plain English

We love these guys! In the last few years, Common Craft, founded by Le and Sachi LeFever, have made over 30 videos using paper cut outs that explain complex stuff in plain English. So far more 10,00,000 people have watched their videos and now they are hired by companies like Google to help explain their products. Check out this cool video on CFL light bulbs.


What is a carbon credit?

Do you know what a carbon credit is? This short video gives you a brief explanation. I would love for the guys at Common Craft to explain it.

Little Green Genie prepares for launch!

The team at Little Green Genie are gearing up for the worldwide launch of its world-first carbon offsetting software that accurately measures and then automatically offsets the carbon emissions created directly as a result of the manufacture and ongoing use of the user's computer.

Stay tuned via this blog!