Google Users Switch to Blackle.com

I just found out from a friend that you can now save energy by using blackle.com which is Google's attempt to save the world by reducing the energy output during searching. Seriously, now you can save wattage and surf the net. so far 352,000 watt hours have been saved. Now if only this blog were like blackle....

Going Green at a New Low Monthly Price!

Looking through my college's library magazine section, I was astounded by the number of periodicals touting issues on Green topics this month. Industry week to Instructor Magazine, National Geographic and many others all have issues on Green topics this week.

The one that caught my eye on my monthly walk-through of the magazine section was Kiplinger's. Now generally I regard this magazine as a little pretentious, but this is mainly due to my doting affection toward Money mag, a key rival. This month's issue is chock full of great ideas and I can't wait to go home to put them into action.

First off, I leave my computer on way too much. According to "29 Ways to Conserve and Save" by turning on the sleep function of a pc this can curb the flow of power to use 95% less electricity, without losing work or that last run toward the playoffs on Tecmo Super Bowl (a football game for the old nintendo system)


This may and probably is common sense to most people, but it probably can't hurt to be reminded of this.

My dead car

My fiance Rachael and I just had a downer this week. My car, a 1996 Buick Regal Gran Sport*, died this past Monday. It had been doing so well for the last five months since I returned from my seven month excursion abroad, not a problem at all. Tragically, as I was driving from my home to pick up Rachael and go to visit our good friends, the Wilsterman's, the car's engine exploded. Now it wasn't a big boom, it was more like a crack, pop, and fizzle. This was not the best time for it to explode. And it certainly was not expected.

I had the car towed and walked back to my apartment in the snow. Rachael met me on the walk back and we trudged back to our apartment complex cold and frustrated. What would we do now? We didn't even have a car to take us on our honeymoon to Florida.

Luckily, our families chipped in and they are letting us borrow a car. Also, this spring we are likely to get the help of our family, the money made off my dead car, and our own savings to buy a new vehicle. Awesome, right?

Certainly, now we have some time to ponder what car to buy, but we already have one in mind. A used Hybrid. We have both wanted a hybrid for a while. Both of us wanted one initially because the Regal got only 17MPG in the City, the small-midsize Hybrids get over 30 (some over 40). Now we looked into it and they sound really appealing and a 2003-05 with low miles looks about in our price range.

Its nice to be able to use up less gas and with gas prices likely to rise again in the near future, our bank accounts could definetely benefit from the reduced cost.

Also recently, we found that the car emits less CO2 than other cars. We both have been pondering how we could "Go Green" and this might be our first step, albeit a big first step....

As a Boy Scout, I was trained on how to reduce my impact and Rachael and I are going to try to use this philosophy in our married life. Scouts Honor.


We found Cars.com 's hybrid buying guide to be very useful. Check it out at http://www.cars.com/go/crp/buyingGuides/index.jsp?aff=national

*Gran Sport essentially means a cool two tone and "sport" suspension.