environmentalism
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Microsoft’s chief environmental officer on why we need a Planetary Computer
An interview with Lucas Joppa, Microsoft's chief environmental officer, on how a Planetary Computer could help us understand and protect the Earth.
Podcast: What the heck is a 'Planetary Computer?' Microsoft explains.
Engadget interviews Microsoft's Chief Environmental Officer, Lucas Joppa, about the company's plan for a "Planetary Computer." And we dive into how other tech companies are approaching environmental concerns.
NTT DoCoMo to power cellphone towers with renewable energy, tenderness
When they're not busy carving handsets out of teak (or rockin' out with their pupils), the folks over at NTT DoCoMo apparently focus their efforts on saving the environment. Next year, the Japanese provider will begin outfitting its expansive cellphone tower network with ten "green transmission stations," to be powered by an artillery of biofuels, wind and solar energy. This kind of infrastructure would obviously bring a smile to the face of ol' Mama Nature, but it could also help mitigate the adverse effects of power outages and elfin insurgents. And for that, we should all be grateful.
Earth Hour 2011 starts at 8:30PM your local time, wants you to switch off for a bit
In what has become an annual tradition now, the WWF's Earth Hour is presently sweeping across the globe, getting people to switch off non-essential lights and appliances for a sixty-minute kindness to Ma Earth and her finite energy resources. All you'll need to do to participate is power down the old World of Warcraft questing station, turn the TV off, and maybe take a walk outside so your lights don't have to be on, starting at 8:30PM tonight. Half the world's already done its bit and it's now coming around to those in the UK, Portugal and Western African countries to do the same. Will you be part of it?
White House getting solar upgrade, Obama bath water to be heated by the sun, baby
Long, hot showers after a long day of solving the world's problems are about to get a little more guilt-free for a certain Commander in Chief. White House Council on Environmental Quality Chairwoman Nancy Sutley and Energy Secretary Steven Chu have announced plans to bring new solar panels to the White House, something president Jimmy Carter first did in the '70s to heat the West Wing offices and, believe it or not, George W. Bush did as well during his presidency -- though W's panels were primarily to heat the swimming pool. This latest round of panels are set to be installed in the spring and will provide hot water for the First Family, while PV cells will also "supply some electricity." We're going to guess "some" equates to "not very much," but maybe it'll at least be enough to keep the First BlackBerry topped up.
Energy Star 4.0 goes into effect for HDTVs, puts 'em on a diet
Your next Energy Star-approved HDTV? Chances are it'll be a little greener than your last one, thanks to the new 4.0 ratings going into effect. These drastically reduce allowable consumption for displays, offering on average a 40 percent improvement in efficiency compared to 3.0 models, meaning a 50-inch set can consume, at most, 153 watts (compared to 318 in the 3.0 world). Beyond that, a display that has been turned "off" can consume no more than one solitary watt whilst waiting for your next command. All sets produced as of May 1 must meet these new regulations to earn that prestigious blue badge, and then in 2012 the 5.0 rules come into effect, dropping maximum consumption by roughly another 40 percent -- good news for those who love the planet as much as they love watching Nature on peripheral vision-filling display.
Earth Hour starts at 8.30PM tonight, asks for sixty minutes of natural living
Time to don your eco-warrior armor, strap on your nature-loving helmet, and flick that big old... light switch. Yes, in honor of the WWF's Earth Hour, countries around the globe are tonight switching off non-essential lights and appliances for sixty minutes, with highlights including Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, the Burj Khalifa, and the Empire State Building all going dark in the hope of helping the planet stay green. Timed for 8.30pm your local time, this unorthodox event has already commenced with Australia, New Zealand, China and others doing their bit -- videos after the break -- and is just now hitting Eastern European borders. So, fellow earthlings, will you be among the projected one billion souls that go au naturel for an hour tonight? [Thanks, Pavel]
Gamer 2.0 looks at gaming and global warming
We all know that driving, washing dishes and leaving our kerosene-fueled chlorofluorocarbon generators on all night are killing the environment. But what toll is the important stuff -- video games -- taking? Gamer 2.0 has recently uploaded a piece on just that topic, an examination of just how sad your video game habit is making the planet.We won't give the whole thing away here, but the general idea seems to be that video games aren't great, but not as bad as some things you could be doing. It's a great comfort, and not only because Plutobase Joystiq is only 75 percent complete. We're also hopeful it will keep horrifying Gallagher/Earth from killing us in our sleep.
Prince Charles delivers speech as hologram, still manages to bore
Proving once again that technology can only do so much to jazz up a boring presentation, a holographic version of Prince Charles recently delivered a pre-recorded speech on the environment to an Abu Dhabi audience, and no one seems interested enough to have taken a photo. Using only a single camera and projector, technicians from British firm Musion were able to employ a century-old trick known as "Pepper's ghost" to record the Prince of Wales speak at Highgrove last year and then rebroadcast the performance as a way to congratulate the Middle Eastern country on its plans to build a zero carbon city. Environmentalists note that this method reduces the amount of fuel wasted on transporting celebrities around the world, although until a critical mass of venues have installed the necessary equipment and personnel on site, it would seem that hauling the system's entire support staff and infrastructure around isn't really doing all that much to cut down on emissions.[Thanks, Dirk L.]
Are MMOs Captain Planet approved?
Saving the world is something that most have us as gamers have grown rather accustomed to over the years. Almost since the beginning, game designers have used the risk of global destruction as a tool to more completely involve players in the seriousness of a given game narrative. Whether we're preventing our world from being sucked into a demonic alternate dimension, devoured by a horde of merciless alien predators, or being blown up by a clown-faced madman, the stakes are nearly always high. MMOs certainly never bow from using world destruction as a plot-device; it's usually at the center of the end-game.So what then do we make of a post by Tony Walsh on his Clickable Culture blog earlier this month that questions the extent to which MMOs are contributing to the destruction of the very planet most of us inhabit every day? He cites some statistics that estimate the carbon footprint of your typical computer server, such as the ones that power most MMOs, is as big as a gas-guzzling SUV. When you consider the sheer amount of power it must take to keep the servers for World of Warcraft alone running, you start to get an idea of the magnitude of the discussion. Walsh suggests that the best compromise for those who are green at heart is to simply not play MMOs at all.While I have to grant that I had never considered the environmental impact of MMOs before, I disagree with his point that the best option is to cut ourselves off. If we took that approach to power use, we'd scarcely have justification to turn on the heat, let alone power on our computer. I don't doubt that we'll see a "green" MMO that uses carbon-neutral power in the future, I don't think it's something we should worry too much about in the meantime.
Mizuguchi working on Al Gore environmentalism project
On stage to discuss the game development process during Grasshopper Manufacture's 'Snake vs Zombie Vol. 2' event Saturday, Lumines producer Tetsuya Mizuguchi was instead questioned about his rumored involvement in an unannounced Al Gore project. Coy about details, Mizuguchi did confirm, "It's not going to be a video game. The concept derives from video games, and its something which the gaming generation will appreciate."Like last year's film An Inconvenient Truth, the project will focus on environmental issues, including energy conservation. Mizuguchi hinted that the effort will play on our perspective of Earth. "I think that we would need to see our own planet from outer space. We see that there are no borderlines between the countries and simply notice how beautiful it is. And maybe then, we will be more conscious about the environment. It's about gaining a new perspective, like when we moved from 2D to 3D," suggested Mizuguchi.
Apple not big on trees? Greenpeace releases "green electronics" report
Over at Download Squad today, we're talking about the report on "green electronics" and "e-waste" that Greenpeace released this morning. It's no secret that environmentalists have been unhappy with Apple--despite their claims to be an eco-friendly company--for a long time. This is the first time, though, that a big environmental group has gone out and ranked some of the major players, and Apple came in 11th out of the 14 companies rated. More disappointing than the ranking--somebody's got to be last, right?--was Apple's overall score: 2.7 out of ten. Companies were scored on a number of factors, from recycling programs, hazardous materials usage, and Apple came up wanting in just about everything. The good news? Many of the issues are easy to fix. For instance, Apple has a lousy recycling program. They only accept consumer takebacks in five markets, and then only with purchase of a new Apple machine. They could change that policy tomorrow to accept any used Apple product for recycling, free of charge. In the grand scheme of things, it wouldn't cost that much and it might keep some Lithium and Mercury-laden computers and batteries out of the trash. They could also start accepting any machines as trade-ins. Bring in your old ThinkPad and leave it at the Apple Store when you walk out with your new MBP. They already do this for for corporate and education customers. Heck, if you're a school they'll even give you money for a trade-in on your old Dells. Why not at least offer to accept consumer equipment, and make a point of publicizing the fact. Apple also needs to make a public and transparent commitment to banning hazardous substances. They've said they're committed to stopping the use of toxic PVC parts and Bromine Fire Retardant (BFR) coatings. But when? Just give us a date, Steve. Nokia stopped using PVC in 2005 and will be BFR-free by 2007. The parts that go into a MacBook aren't that different from the parts that go into a Nokia 770. There are more of them in the MB, but they're not that different. The other thing most companies seem to be able to do that Apple can't be bothered with is actually publishing a list of all the materials in their products. On that issue, transparency would itself be a huge step in the right direction.And finally, they need to stop passing the buck when it comes to their partners. We know that Apple employees are environmentally conscious, and 1 Infinite Loop is a pretty green place. Even Greenpeace acknowledges that. It's time Apple starts holding its suppliers, contractors, and manufacturers to the same high standards.There's no reason the answer to "Who will be first to go green?" shouldn't be "Apple." And since they've got one of the smallest manufacturing operations of the companies surveyed and they already claim to be eco-friendly, it'll actually be kind of sad if that isn't the answer.
Residential windmill saves money, the environment
Even if you're not into that whole "respecting the environment" thing, how many of you homeowners out there haven't dreamed of slashing or even eliminating your electricity bills? Well a new residential windmill from a company called Southwest Windpower promises to not only help keep you green by reducing your dependency on coal-fired power plants, but to actually provide up to 90% of the juice that a typical household consumes in a year (and by typical, they aren't talking about your 5-computer, 10-monitor family). Even better, the so-called Skystream 3.7, which incorporates its controls and inverter right into the main unit, will automatically switch your house over to grid power if winds fall below 8MPH (maximum efficiency is reached at 20MPH) -- no storage batteries necessary. At around $8,500 including installation of the 35-foot-tower, the Skystream supposedly pays for itself within four to twelve years depending on local wind levels and electricity costs, and if you're really frugal with the juice, some municipalities will even allow you to sell unused output back to the power company. Just because this is fit for residential installations, though, doesn't mean that just anybody can pick one up -- Southwest recommends that you own an acre of land in an area that averages 10MPH wind speeds, and of course, that not-unobtrusive tower needs to comply with local zoning laws -- so the millions of us living in dense urban settings or gated communities will have to continue paying through the nose and destroying the environment in order to power our many gadgets.[Via Gizmag]
