Take Action!

Take Action!

The Stop Global Warming calculator shows you how much carbon dioxide you can prevent from being released into the atmosphere and how much money you can save by making some small changes in your daily life. It's our hope that the calculator will promote action, awareness and empowerment by showing you that one person can make a difference and help stop global warming.

There are many simple things you can do in your daily life — what you eat, what you drive, how you build your home — that can have an effect on your immediate surrounding, and on places as far away as Antactica. Here is a list of few things that you can do to make a difference.

  • Use Compact Fluorescent Bulbs

    Replace 3 frequently used light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. Save 300 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $60 per year. Take the Energy Star pledge.

  • Inflate Your Tires

    Keep the tires on your car adequately inflated. Check them monthly. Save 250 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $840 per year.

  • Change Your Air Filter

    Check your car's air filter monthly. Save 800 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $130 per year.

  • Fill The Dishwasher

    Run your dishwasher only with a full load. Save 100 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $40 per year.

  • Use Recycled Paper

    Make sure your printer paper is 100% post consumer recycled paper. Save 5 lbs. of carbon dioxide per ream of paper.

  • Adjust Your Thermostat

    Move your heater thermostat down two degrees in winter and up two degrees in the summer. Save 2000 lbs of carbon dioxide and $98 per year.

  • Check Your Waterheater

    Keep your water heater thermostat no higher than 120°F. Save 550 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $30 per year.

  • Change the AC Filter

    Clean or replace dirty air conditioner filters as recommended. Save 350 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $150 per year.

  • Take Shorter Showers

    Showers account for 2/3 of all water heating costs. Save 350 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $99 per year.

  • Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

    Using less water in the shower means less energy to heat the water. Save 350 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $150.

  • Buy Products Locally

    Buy locally and reduce the amount of energy required to drive your products to your store.

  • Buy Energy Certificates

    Help spur the renewable energy market and cut global warming pollution by buying wind certificates and green tags.

  • Buy Minimally Packaged Goods

    Less packaging could reduce your garbage by about 10%. Save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide and $1,000 per year.

  • Buy A Hybrid Car

    The average driver could save 16,000 lbs. of CO2 and $3,750 per year driving a hybrid

  • Buy a Fuel Efficient Car

    Getting a few extra miles per gallon makes a big difference. Save thousands of lbs. of CO2 and a lot of money per year.

  • Carpool When You Can

    Own a big vehicle? Carpooling with friends and co-workers saves fuel. Save 790 lbs. of carbon dioxide and hundreds of dollars per year.

  • Don't Idle in Your Car

    Idling wastes money and gas, and generates pollution and global warming causing emissions. Except when in traffic, turn your engine off if you must wait for more than 30 seconds.

  • Reduce Garbage

    Buy products with less packaging and recycle paper, plastic and glass. Save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide per year.

  • Plant a Tree

    Trees suck up carbon dioxide and make clean air for us to breathe. Save 2,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide per year.

  • Insulate Your Water Heater

    Keep your water heater insulated could save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $40 per year.

  • Replace Old Appliances

    Inefficient appliances waste energy. Save hundreds of lbs. of carbon dioxide and hundreds of dollars per year.

  • Weatherize Your Home

    Caulk and weather strip your doorways and windows. Save 1,700 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $274 per year.

  • Use a Push Mower

    Use your muscles instead of fossil fuels and get some exercise. Save 80 lbs of carbon dioxide per year.

  • Unplug Un-Used Electronics

    Even when electronic devices are turned off, they use energy. Save over 1,000 lbs of carbon dioxide and $256 per year.

  • Put on a Sweater

    Instead of turning up the heat in your home, wear more clothes Save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $250 per year.

  • Insulate Your Home

    Make sure your walls and ceilings are insulated. Save 2,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $245 per year.

  • Air Dry Your Clothes

    Line-dry your clothes in the spring and summer instead of using the dryer. Save 700 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $75 per year.

  • Switch to a Tankless Water Heater

    Your water will be heated as you use it rather than keeping a tank of hot water. Save 300 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $390 per year.

  • Switch to Double Pane Windows

    Double pane windows keep more heat inside your home so you use less energy. Save 10,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $436 per year.

  • Buy Organic Food

    The chemicals used in modern agriculture pollute the water supply, and require energy to produce.

  • Bring Cloth Bags to the Market

    Using your own cloth bag instead of plastic or paper bags reduces waste and requires no additional energy.

  • Buy the Bracelet

    Made from 100% scrap leather by Roots — 100% of net proceeds go the Stop Global Warming Fund.

  • Turn off Your Computer

    Shut off your computer when not in use, and save 200 lbs of C02. Conserve energy by using your computer's "sleep mode" instead of a screensaver.

  • Be a Meat Reducer

    The average American diet contributes an extra 1.5 tons of greenhouse gases per year compared with a vegetarian diet. Eliminating meat and dairy intake one day a week can make a big difference.

  • Ditch the Plastic

    2.5 million individual plastic water bottles are thrown away every hour in the US. Start using a reusable water bottle and just say no to plastic!


Battery Company Boston-Power Receives $60 Million in Series E Funding

Battery Company Boston-Power Receives $60 Million in Series E Funding

Boston-Power

Boston-Power, a Westborough, Massachusetts-based provider of lithium-ion batteries, announced in late June that it received $60 million in Series E funding.  This round was co-led by existing investors Foundation Asset Management (FAM) and Oak Investment Partners, with participating from current investors Venrock and Gabriel Venture Partners. With this funding, Boston-Power has raised a total of $185 million. 

The company said that it will use this funding to expand manufacturing, sales, marketing, and research and development for its next-generation Lithium-ion Battery Technology Platform.  The company has thusfar developed and introduced the following products from this platform:

  • Sonata - For notebook and portable power applications
  • Swing - For electric vehicle, industrial and utility applications

"Energy storage is the cornerstone of some of the most profound shifts in technology and society that we've seen in our lifetimes - ranging from the electrification of transportation and the reinvention of grid power to truly ubiquitous mobility," said Boston-Power Founder and CEO Dr. Christina Lampe-Önnerud. "Boston-Power's technology platform answers the call for new and better-performing batteries to facilitate these historic advancements. We've entered our next stage of growth to accommodate the demand we're seeing across all markets and from around the world, and we're doing so with a world-class team of employees, customers, investors and partners."

"Boston-Power is among the best positioned companies in energy storage based on its ability to commercialize its breakthrough battery technology and attract a growing list of top-branded customers," said Oak Investment Partners Managing Partner Bandel Carano. "All of Boston-Power's investors and board members are truly excited to help these world class entrepreneurs scale their patented innovations in cycle life, safety, power and energy density of Lithium-ion battery solutions into very high volume applications in portable electronics, electric vehicles and grid storage."


Google Energy buys wind power in first deal

Google Energy buys wind power in first deal

Share 56 7

Google Energy has signed a deal to purchase 114 megawatts of energy from a wind farm in Iowa, marking the first deal done by Google's energy subsidiary.

Google on Tuesday announced that it signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with wind project developer NextEra Energy Resources. Google Energy will buy the bulk of the energy produced from the Story II Wind Energy Center in Iowa's Story and Hardin counties.

Buying wind energy is part of Google's efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and operate as a carbon-neutral company, said Google Senior Vice President of Operations Urs Hoelzle, in a blog post.

The deal is significant in that it's the first done by Google Energy, a subsidiary created in December last year. When news of Google Energy came out, there was a great deal of speculation as to why Google, which is active in renewable energy and efficiency, would want to operate a wholly-owned subsidiary.

Google subsidiary Google Energy signed a deal to purchase wind energy from a wind farm in Iowa at a predetermined price for 20 years.

Google subsidiary Google Energy signed a deal to purchase wind energy from a wind farm in Iowa at a predetermined price for 20 years.

(Credit: Google)

The Story wind farm deal helps explain why. Google Energy will be purchasing energy directly from the project developer and reselling it on the spot market for energy. Having an energy subsidiary approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) allows Google to buy and sell on the wholesale market.

Typically, companies seeking to buy clean energy need to invest in on-site renewable energy, such as a solar array, or to buy renewable energy certificates, both of which Google has done. Renewable energy certificates (REC) are assets that represent the environmental attributes of energy. They can be bought and sold by third parties.

By buying directly from the wind farm, rather than RECs, Google thinks it is providing more benefit to clean-energy developers, which need long-term financing, said Hoelzle.

"By contracting to purchase so much energy for so long, we're giving the developer of the wind farm financial certainty to build additional clean energy projects. The inability of renewable energy developers to obtain financing has been a significant inhibitor to the expansion of renewable energy," he wrote.

Through its philanthropic arm, Google.org, Google has invested in a number of renewable energy companies and developed the PowerMeter home energy monitoring software. In a separate deal, Google invested in May $38.8 million for a 20 percent stake in another wind farm in North Dakota.

GE Unveils Nucleus -- The Future of Home Energy Management

GE Unveils Nucleus -- The Future of Home Energy Management

GE's New Nucleus Serves as Home Energy Command Center; Innovative Technology Puts Energy Choices in Hands of Consumers


businesswire

Related Quotes

Symbol Price Change
GE 14.55 -0.70
Chart for General Electric Company Common
Press Release Source: GE Appliances & Lighting On Tuesday July 13, 2010, 12:15 pm EDT

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GE (NYSE: GE - News):

GE (NYSE: GE - News) today unveiled Nucleus™an affordable, innovative communication and data storage device that provides consumers with secure information about their household electricity use and costs so they can make more informed choices about how and when to use power.

GE's Nucleus brings the promise of the smart grid into consumers' homes. As utilities deploy smart meters, the Nucleus will collect and store a consumer's household electricity use and cost data for up to three years and present it to consumers in real-time using simple, intuitive PC and smart phone applications, helping consumers monitor and control their energy use.

Nucleus is the first product in GE's Brillion™ suite of smart home energy management solutions that will help consumers control their energy use and costs. In addition to Nucleus, GE's Brillion suite will include a programmable thermostat, in-home display, a smart phone application, and smart appliances for the entire home.

"Currently consumers have little more than a monthly utility bill to determine what they're using and spending," said Dave McCalpin, GM, Home Energy Management. "GE's Nucleus with Brillion technology was developed to provide real-time information for more control over household energy costs and consumption. It serves as the command center for energy and cost conscious homeowners to make smarter, more informed decisions."

By 2012, US utilities are expected to install more than 40 million smart meters.1 These digital meters enable utilities to charge "time-of-use" rates for electricity throughout the day. When demand is low, electricity will cost less, and when demand is at its "peak," utilities will charge more to encourage off-peak consumption.

With these new pricing plans, however, comes the need for innovative technologies to help consumers manage their usage. Along with monitoring their whole-home energy consumption, consumers will have the option to automatically adjust thermostats or alter the consumption of GE Profile™ appliances with Brillion Technology in response to utility price signals.

Future Brillion options will also include alerts to assist consumers with daily tasks, such as when to change the refrigerator's water filter or when the dryer cycle ends. Software upgrades will further enable Nucleus to monitor water, natural gas, and renewable energy sources, as well as plug-in electric vehicle charging.

To view a video about GE's Nucleus click here and to view the website, visit www.GEBrillion.com.

Nucleus is expected to be available for consumer purchase in early 2011 at an estimated retail price of $149-$199.

GE's suite of Brillion home solutions will include the Nucleus, as well as a programmable thermostat, in-home display, a smart phone application and smart appliances.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter or check out our website for more information

Friend GE Appliances on Facebook to view how-to videos, learn about new GE appliances and join in the discussion with other GE appliance owners. Join today and follow @GE_Appliances on Twitter or just locate detailed information about our products at www.geappliances.com.

About GE Appliances & Lighting

GE Appliances & Lighting spans the globe as an industry leader in major appliances, lighting, systems and services for commercial, industrial and residential use. Technology innovation and the company's ecomagination(SM) initiative enable GE Appliances & Lighting to aggressively bring to market products and solutions that help customers meet pressing environmental challenges. General Electric (NYSE: GE - News), imagination at work, sells products under the Monogram®, Profile™, GE®, Hotpoint®, Reveal® and Energy Smart® consumer brands, and Tetra®, Vio™ and Immersion® commercial brands. For more information, consumers may visit www.ge.com.

For more information: Kim Freeman, Public Relations Manager, Kim_Freeman@ge.com, 502-452-7819

About GE's ecomagination

GE is driving a global energy transformation with a focus on innovation and R&D investment to accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy technology. Since its inception in 2005, more than 90 ecomagination-approved products have been brought to market with revenues reaching $18 billion in 2009. With $5 billion invested in R&D its first five years, GE committed to doubling its ecomagination investment and collaborate with partners to accelerate a new era of energy innovation. The company will invest $10 billion in R&D over five years and double operational energy efficiency while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption. As part of the initiative, GE launched "GE ecomagination Challenge: Powering the Grid", a $200 million financial commitment challenging innovators to join in building the next-generation power grid. For more information, visit the ecomagination website at http://ge.ecomagination.com/index.html.

1 Parks Associates Study referenced on SmartGridNews.com. "Bringing the Smart Grid to the Smart Home: It's not all about the Meter."http://www.smartgridnews.com/artman/publish/Technologies_Metering_News/Bringing-the-Smart-Grid-to-the-Smart-Home-It-s-Not-Only-About-the-Meter-1711.html. January 2010.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6357752〈=en