How Much Greener Are Rechargeable Batteries?

I just read a short article in Wired - 16.11 which asks "Am I doing terribly wrong by the planet if I use alkaline batteries instead of rechargeables? I mean recharging requires power, right?"

I've always just taken it for granted that rechargeables would be more environmentally friendly and never really put a great deal of thought into how much more green they may or may not be. According to this article, a 2007 study by Bio Intelligence Service (sponsored by a French rechargeable battery maker) claimed that wearing out a single rechargeable battery impacts the environment less by a factor of 28 times. Makes me appreciate them all that much more!

Get Rid Of That Old Fridge, Save Money, Save The World

Well, not quite... but CNN and This Old House have some interesting statistics that provide plenty of incentive for tossing that out dated (pre 1993) refrigerator. For instance, "If every American home replaced its pre-1993 fridge with an Energy Star model, we would prevent annual greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of more than 8.3 million cars." or how about this amazing fact, "Refrigerators qualified under the new Energy Star guidelines use less energy than a 75-watt light bulb left on full time".

Not convinced? The US Department of Energy has created a site, RecycleMyOldFridge.com, to aid you in determining how much your inefficient current fridge is costing you, comparing those costs to an Energy Star appliance, and finding a recycling program in your area. What are you waiting for?

The Greenest Town In America

Greensburg Kansas, was devastated by a tornado on May 4th, 2007 with nearly 90% of the city destroyed. When the residents decided to rebuild their community, they made a conscious effort to make it the greenest in the country. "The timing of all this is, in some ways, almost spooky," Daniel Wallach, a nonprofit specialist helping Greensburg rebuild said. "It's like the world was ready for this to happen, for a town to be completely re-imagined. The tragedy was terrible. But the folks here know that it also provided an incredible opportunity." CNN video segment here.

Zero Emission No Noise car built in Canada but not street legal here!

The ZENN car made by ZENN Motor Company in Quebec, is an amazing little vehicle that is winning awards and sales globally, but is only legal for sale in one Canadian Province! The company's brochure states "ZENN not only looks like a car; it performs like one, too. Equipped with front-wheel drive, brisk acceleration and capable of achieving a regulated maximum speed of 25 mph (40 km/h), it keeps pace with traffic on local streets to get you where you’re going safely and in good time. And ZENN’s battery efficiency gives you the freedom to cover a lot of ground: approximately 35 miles per charge (56 kilometres)."

It's just unbelievable that our governments cannot see the benefits of enabling the consumer to make greener choices! I realize that we can't just allow anything on wheels to travel our roadways, but there must be some happy medium?

Rick Mercer says it all here...