Catching rain

by Kaila Thieman





We use lot of water every day, but one way that we can save some is by using rain water to water our yards and gardens. It is pretty simple to build a rain barrel and they don't take up too much space. They can easily be placed in a corner of your yard, or even under the deck. There are many different designs and most use household items. When you want to use the water, you just dump it out out or use a hose. If you live in a place that is really wet place where it frequently rains, you can build a bigger system or a smaller one if it is a dry place. This is just one idea to save energy.

The Office

Here are some office energy saving tips:

• Consider removing excess fluorescent lights and installing reflectors.


• Turn off lights that are not being used especially unoccupied areas.


• Lower the height of lamps to increase usable light.


• Keep vents closed in unoccupied areas to prevent heating and cooling of storage areas.


• Turn off printers, monitors, computers, and lights at every night.

Energy Saving Curtains

By: Rachel Skillicorn

Energy saving curtains are one of the newer energy saving appliances you can now get. Eclipse is a company is one that is starting to make them. With a percentage of 33% of heating and cooling energy loss happening through windows, energy saving curtains can save you now only energy, but also money. You can save so much money in utility bills by using these types of curtains. You can save 25% of heating and cooling costs just by switching. In the summer you leave the curtains closed so the maximum amount of air-conditioning and cooling can be saved, not continuously losing it to direct sunlight. In the winter you also keep them closed so you can keep the heat in. These are how the energy saving curtains can help you.

Energy Conserving Trees?

by: Morganne Williams



Many people do not realize that when they plant trees they are helping to conserve energy. The key to saving energy with trees is planting in the right place. Planting in the right place can provide shade, wind blocking, cool air, and the complete any landscaping. Trees that lose their leaves can provide shade for energy conserving because they conserve the use of the air conditioner. Pine and evergreen trees block the harsh cold winter winds from entering your house. Both types of trees directly cool the air in the summer because water evaporates from leaf surfaces cooling the air around it almost like when we perspire. Planting trees in the right place provides relief from the winter winds and the summer heat and also saves you money!

Power from Solar Wind?

By Super Geek Turner

Scientists at Washington State University have invented a way to harvest energy from solar wind. They estimate this device could gather 1 billion gigowatts of electricity. Their ambition is to soon power the entire world with one these solar sails, although their main problem so far is figuring out how to safely transport this energy back to Earth. The scientists also claim that making these solar sails would be cheaper than putting solar panels in space because these sails are made of copper, not photovoltaic cells. If these sails become useable, they would be extremely energy efficient, no doubt.

down the wrong or as I might call it, the right pipe

INHALABLE CHOCOLATE IS HERE!!! For those people that have been stuck with an inhaler, I feel sorry for you using that nasty stuff. Now, we have developed a way to put chocolate in the awful tasting things. Now you get a treat every time you take your inhaler, you won't be in misery. Lemon is also a flavor if you prefer that. UP NEXT: lobster flavored

Solar Motrcycles

By: Corey Brown

In Indianapolis a student has discovered how to use solar panels outside of just racing vehicles in that he has made the first successful solar powered motorcycle. When you are stopped the panels will fold out in order to charge the electric powered vehicle. The only problem with this vehicle is that it can only travel a few miles before having to charge up.

Saving Energy, Saves Money

By: Davis Deussen



With all the things you do to save energy, it saves you a lot of money. Insallation, for example, saves money on your heating and cooling bill. It traps the heat in your house instead of going through the walls. Vice versa with the cold. The energy saving lightbulbs uses less electricity which saves on your energy bill. There are so many other energy savers that save money. You can save money and the world.

Warm your apartment by body heat!

By Mallory Coats

In france there is and underground train with platforms that always seem to be crowded. On top of this subway is an apartment building that they are testing this expiriment on. There Question is " Can the body heat of all those people waiting to get on train and the friction heat coming off the wheels generate enough heat to keep the apartments above 70 degrees F?" The scientists put a contraption on the tracks that uses the friction heat and turns it into electrical power then it travles up to the builing. In the roof of the waiting platforms are vents to let all the body heat rise and make it to the apartment biuling. I wonder what would happen if the subway got closed. Would the people in the apartments freeze?

so, can body heat really keep you warm for the winter? YES

Cooper Baldwin

The Green Roof is a great resource to use in a warm environment such as California, or Arizona. The advantage is it will keep your home or building at a cool temperature in the summer. The disadvantages are it costs a little more than you would think. About 100$ per square foot, but it will save alot of money on air conditioning. Green roofs are mostly common in New York City where there are many big office buildings. Overall, the green roof is a great investment, if you have the money, and the time to manage it.

Creative Recycling

by Tori Riggs



More and more people are turning green and staying that way. Some of these people are simply putting aluminum cans in recycling cans and washing their clothes in cold water instead of warm. Of course, there are also these people who recycle in new, crazy ways. Look at these different recycling ways to find out some new ways that you can recycle.

1. Designers have discovered a brand new way to recycle: making clothes into carpets. These designers simply stitch the shirts and coats together to make a cool, easy to use carpet that you can cut into smaller pieces to fit anywhere.


2. A company called Remarkable has made brand new school suppilies from recycling other objects. These school supplies have information about their origons on their covers. For example, there is a notebook that says 'I used to be a juice carton...' on the cover with a picture of an arrow pointing to the juice carton and the word 'Recycle.' This makes shopping for school much greener in the fall.


3. For a more fasionable way to go green, Italian designer Marcella Foschi recycles dying or dead technology into interesting fasions. Her cassette tape coin purses are cute and collectible as well as functional.

These ways to recycle are interesting and can inspire many different, insane ideas to go green with recycling.

For more creative recycling ways, go to http://ecoble.com/2008/03/12/10-unusually-creative-ways-to-recycle-ordinary-objects/.

The other windmill

There are many different kinds of windmills, but the best energy producing, are horizontal and vertical windmills. They are called that because of the way that the centeral axle is located. on a horizontal windmill, the blades are connected to a rotating centerpiece, which is connected to a axle that either leads to the joint, where the generator is, or has a gear on the end and turns an axle that leads down to a bottom generator. Vertical windmills are different in the way that the axle is strait up, and the turbines turn the axle, which makes energy down in the generator, which is the base, or is buried in the ground. Vertical windmills have more designs then horizontal windmills, yet they produce just as much power. The blades of a vertical windmill can vary, but most of them are in a screw shape, as to better catch the wind, from any direction.

INCOMPLETE- Mitchell Ellinwood

Solar Powered Airplane

by Ivy Long

Through a solar powered air plane, named The Solar Impluse, people are trying to prove the sun's energy is good and useful practical idea. This solar powered plane will take off from Switzerland and will try to fly for 24 hours without stopping. The sun provides us with energy everyday and someday every plane will use it. The time goal is to see if its solar cells can power it for a single, non stop 24 hours flight. Hopefully it will be a success!

Biodiesel Fuel

Biodiesel fuel will be the future of powering everyday cars, when we run out of gasoline. The US biodiesel industry could support about 78,000 american jobs. The up-side to this fuel, is you can just go to a fast food resturaunt and get the oil usually for free. The down-side is the machine to convert it to diesel is about 3,800 dollars. Some things you need to know before you invest the money are if its cold enough, it could turn to gel, or slush. You also might need to change gas tanks after a few years of use. Biodiesel will be the next fuel, after we run out of gas.

wave energy

When an area near the coast has consistent enough waves, you can capture wave energy. waves are cannaled into turbines wich turn and generate electricity. waves are never-ending, so it is and energy source that wont go away. it is free and clean and any coastal area can utilize it.

oscenergy.com

Saving Energy

Everyone lately has been told to save energy and I have a few ways to help you out. One great way is to turn down your water heater down because no one turns the water all the way up anyways. Insalate your walls and roofs so youdon't need to heat your house. Even another way is to walk or bike to work or school in order to avoid burning gas. Make sure that your dish washer is completely full before you start it. I think the best way though is to have energy saving lightbulbs because a regular bulb only uses 5% of the energy it recives. Because of people NOT doing these thing our nation is in an energy chrisis and it needs to end now.

Shibuya Energy

In Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, engineers are working very hard to keep the energy levels up. They installed platforms all over the city so that when cars drive by or people walk by, the occurring vibrations create energy. This could help our country a lot in places where it isn't possible to put a giant windmill or solar panels, such as in the city. I think our country should look into this new technology and start using it.

MAD archetecture

All the photos at: http://http//www.popsci.com/environment/gallery/2009-09/gallery-mad-architecture-goes-green-convention-center



The Taichung Convention Center in Taiwan has finally been announced.
The whole property has buildings designed to look like volcanoes, except they're white. The even better reason that I put this in the blog, is these buildings are enviromentally healthy. These buildings don't look like it- but they are covered in solar panels.

The Mysterious Moche Queen

In Peru, archeologists have discovered a 1,600 year old ancient tomb. They discovered a mummy must have been a ruler of the Moche civilization.
The ruler was buried with hundreds of treasures and is said to be one of the most well preserved mummies of all time. The mummy was a woman, and was covered with many detailed tatoos.
Archeologists thought that only men ruled the Moche society, until now. Maybe she was a queen or warrior princess, the archeologists considered.
Archeologists guess that the woman must have lived around 450 A.D and lived to be in her 20's. Whoever she was, she must have been special in her community.
They are not sure exactly who she was, but are determined to solve this mystery. Her remains and tomb are helping experts re-create what her life was like.



By Rhyan Montgomery

Lighting for energy

Many people just throw a lamp... wherever. And who cares right?
As long as it's giving off light it doesn't really matter. Well, it does.
The placement and type of lighting in your home can help save energy. For example, if you place a lamp in the corner of a room instead of on a flat wall the light will reflect off of two walls instead of just one, so that you only have to have one lamp instead of two. And if you choose lighter colored lamp shades the light will come through easier and that way you can save energy.

Laughing

by Ivy Long

Have you laughed today? Research says if you laugh you're getting a work out!

Laughing is a benifical work out that boosts the health of blood vessels. Laughing will also help you if your sick so if you laugh a little you would get better faster.

Also, laughter is the cure to stress so if you get stressed, laugh a little.

Laugh a little each day and you will stay heathy!

Energy Efficient Fuel Source: Liquid Petroleum Gas

by: Meghan Terwilliger



Liquid Petroleum Gas is a byproduct of petroleum refining. It's made of hydrocarbons that are vapors, rather than liquids, at normal temperatures and pressures. It's main constituent is propane.
Barbecue grills and portable heaters run on liquid pertroleum gas. Most of the alternative fuel used in the United States. Liquid petroleum gas is safer than gasoline. it's also cheaper than gas in most places. Because this gas enters the engine as a vapor, it doesn't wash oil off cylinder walls or dilute the oil when the engine is cold, and it also doesn't put carbon particles and sulfuric acid into the oil. Everyone should switch to this energy efficient liquid petroleum gas.