Don’t buy: Lend, swap, share, borrow

Do you really need that specialized power tool forever or just for the day? Should you invest in a full set of camping equipment, even if you're not sure your family will enjoy it? Isn't there someone out there who wants to trade those size 8 ice skates for a size 9?

If you ever find yourself pondering questions like this, welcome to collaborative consumption -- a concept of organized sharing and swapping. Although peer-to-peer sharing may have been a tenet in communities of lore, our modern this-is-mine culture has taken us away from what seems like such practical common sense. But times, they are a-changin'.

Privately-held clothing and book swaps have become a very practical social pastime among freinds, but now the premise is spreading into more official capacities. Sites and services are popping up to facilitate the simple concept: You can get what you need without buying it.

The arrangements are manifested in a number of ways. SnapGoods, for instance, helps to connect people with stuff to lend with people who wish to borrow; while Neighborhood Fruit lets people swap garden bounty or distribute fruit harvested from public trees. Some places arrange rentals, some create swaps, while others create communities of sharers.

It's a brilliant model of sustainability -- no new stuff to clutter the landfill, yay! -- but according to an article in Time magazine, there is a beneficial emotional aspect as well. Not only in the community-building, but in that the lending element requires trust, and being trusted feels good.

Paul Zak, founding director of the Center for Neuroeconomics Studies at Claremont Graduate University, has shown that people get a spike of the pleasant neurotransmitter oxytocin when they're entrusted with another person's goods. "We're gregariously social creatures, and one way we can exhibit that sociability is by sharing our things," he says.

With a little research, you can find pretty much anything, there are even sites that allow you to borrow cars. But perhaps my favorite are those that are charity-inspired, such as Swap for Good. This site helps people set up clothing swaps and collect donations from participants (who are saving money by swapping not shopping) to give to domestic-violence shelters and other organizations.

Collaborative consumption is at once so simple, yet so revolutionary. It replaces "beg, steal, and borrow" with "lend, share, and swap." It's green, the sense of community feels great, and that little rush of oxytocin doesn't hurt either.

For more:

• Eight Ways to Inspire Reuse in Your Community
• How to Reorganize Your Closet, the Eco Way
• How to Trade Your Stuff

Подаръцисондажи  Print This Post

Which video game console is most energy efficient?

(Image Credit: Flickr - MNgilen)

During the holidays, one of the most popular purchases is a video gaming console. Long gone are the days when simple systems allowed you to chase a dot around the screen. Today's video games are sophisticated, lifelike, and even good for your health.

Although the pricetag is a big issue when people try to decide between the most popular video game systems, it's important to remember that the cost of the system doesn't end at the cash register. These consoles demand a considerable amount of power to deliver top performance, and if you're not paying attention, they could end up costing you hundreds in excess energy usage.

That's why the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) recently tested three top-selling video game systems to find out where they ranked in terms of power consumption. And the winner?

Results from the experiment showed that a Nintendo Wii system uses six times less power than a Sony PlayStation 3 or Microsoft Xbox 360 in active mode.

EPRI tested each system for one hour of active play using EA Sports Madden 2011 football game, which is widely played on all three game consoles. EPRI found that the Nintendo Wii system used an average of 13.7 watts, the Sony PlayStation 3 used an average of 84.8 watts, and the Microsoft Xbox 360 used an average of 87.9 watts.

"We included only a small sample of the many gaming systems available, but it reveals that the differences in energy use can be significant," said Mark McGranaghan, vice president of Power Delivery & Utilization for EPRI. With the holiday shopping season in full swing, now is a good time to consider this factor.

The EPRI tests also found that all the three systems now demand less power than their earlier versions. The 2006 Nintendo Wii consumed an average of 16.4 watts while the 2007 Sony PlayStation 3 consumed 150.1 watts and the 2007 Microsoft Xbox consumed 118.8 watts.

EPRI also looked at the efficiency of each system's power supply. The Wii and Xbox systems use external power supplies with measured efficiencies exceeding 80 percent, which is considered "highly efficient" within the electronics industry. The PlayStation 3 has an internal power supply integrated in the circuit board, which could not be removed from the console for testing.

"While the overall trend is toward more efficient electronics, these tests clearly show that if you're a power-conscious consumer you may want to ask questions or check more closely," said McGranaghan.

Also check out:

• 10 Shockingly Violent Video Games
• Quiz: Rate Your Winter Energy Use
• 12 Laundry Tips for Maximum Energy Savings

 Print This Post

How to build a wood stove fire

By KMS Woodworks for Networx.com

The key to using a wood stove efficiently is to build a hot fire. Isn't all fire hot? Yes, but not hot enough.

Modern wood stoves can have burn efficiencies of 75 to 90 percent. These higher efficiencies are due to "secondary burns." A secondary burn is where the hydrocarbons in the smoke are re-ignited before leaving the stove, thereby reducing emissions and releasing more heat.

For this to occur, a hot fire of 1000 - 1200 degrees F is required. Hot fires also reduce the build up of creosote in the stove and chimney pipe.

How wood burns

Rather than explaining advanced physics and principles of thermodynamics here, I'll share what I have learned from a lifetime of using wood stoves:

Contrary to what most people believe, the wood itself does not burn, but rather the combustible gasses that are released from the wood when it is heated. If you watch closely, you can see little "jets" of gas form on the ends of logs. These resemble minute blowtorches, and the heat from this burning gas releases more gas and keeps the fire going.

The key to building a fire with plenty of combustible gas is to start it with ample kindling. Kindling is simply smaller bits of firewood. Smaller bits allow more air contact, and thus faster combustion. A good pile of kindling will get the stove heated quickly, and then allow larger logs to start burning faster.

Well-seasoned wood

Before wood will burn cleanly, the moisture needs to be removed (by drying) or driven off (by burning).

If your wood is hissing or you can see bubbles forming on the log ends, your wood is not completely dry and its burning will be inefficient. This moisture and unburned "gas" can cause a smoky fire and lead to creosote build up.

A lot of the beetle-kill firewood that is being harvested has been dead standing for some time and is pretty much ready to go. If you cut living timber, the rule of thumb is to season (dry) it for about a year prior to use. Obviously split wood will dry more quickly than "rounds," as more surface area is exposed to the air.

Preheating the flue is key to preventing creosote accumulation

A fast, hot fire will preheat the flue and reduce the chance that creosote will accumulate. This preheating will also set the flue up to "draw" properly. Once airflow has been established in the flue, the intake ports on the stove will allow sufficient air to enter and to burn more completely.

The key to low creosote buildup is to have the chimney temperatures well above boiling to keep the wood's moisture in the gas phase before it leaves the pipe. If the pipe is cold, these unburned gases, moisture, and carbon products can condense on the inside of your flue.

Smoke and coals

When a fire is first started, it will smoke. These are the combustion gases that have not yet reached combustion temperatures. Sometimes you can watch this smoke "burst" into flames when it has become hot enough.

On winter evenings, looking over my town, you can often see various plumes of smoke as people get their evening fires started. Once the fire is well established, there should be very little, if any, smoke.

If your fire is still smoking by the time your kindling has been used up, your firewood may be too wet or your air supply too low. When starting a fire in a wood stove, it is best to fully open all vents or even leave the door ajar to allow the fire to burn with the most robust exposure to oxygen.

Timing your fire right

In my big stove, the start-up takes about 15 minutes. We like to start with smaller bits of wood for the start-up and then toss in the larger pieces. After about 30 minutes, a coal bed starts to form, and we close down the catalytic vent and set the intakes to about 50 percent. Once the stove is in this state we can add large pieces every couple of hours.

On really cold nights, or when the winds are cranking, we load up extra logs before bed. In the morning, we can often resurrect a few coals and start all over again. Maintaining a shallow ash bed (about 2") actually allows for better fires.

We clear out the ash after a few weeks worth of fires. If your stove is running clean, the hot ash buildup should be minimal.

Remember to always place ashes in metal ash buckets, never in paper bags. Once or twice each year, we read in the paper about some home fire due to improper ash storage.

Related:

• Heating With Wood: DIY Wood Tote and Wood Rack
• Clearing the Air: Heating With Wood
• Home Fires Burning
• 14 Tips for Using Less Heat This Season

 Print This Post

Next Page »