November 21, 2009
UTNE READER

Get Off the Energy Grid

(Page 2 of 2)

January / February 2006
Laine Bergeson Utne magazine 
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Work on that display: Switch your computer monitor and TV screen over to liquid crystal display. LCD monitors use about one-third the energy of the standard CRT (cathode ray tube) monitor. These puppies still cost a pretty penny, but prices are dropping, and the extra bonus is in the design: If flat screens are the sleek, tanned Vizlas of the monitor world, CRTs are loping, drooling St. Bernards.

RELATED CONTENT

Go Solar, Go Slow

It's painless -- and at a megastore near you: You no longer have to go out of your way to find (and once you're there feel intimidated by) solar specialty shops. These days you can take baby steps at most large home stores, which have begun to stock up on sun-powered items. Look for 5-watt solar starter kits for gate and garage door opening and outdoor path and motion detector solar lighting.

Have fun: You can find solar-powered gizmos made just for fun and enjoyment. Grab a cascading lawn fountain that you can set in the sun and enjoy. This is a great way to get your feet wet (literally and figuratively).

Don't fear the aesthetics: Let's face it, the current crop of rooftop solar panels range from clunky to downright ugly, and installation is its own unruly beast. But solar engineers are perfecting nano-solar cell technology, which will revolutionize the aesthetics and design of the current crop of solar panel dinosaurs. Soon 'solar style' will not be an oxymoron.

Take it on the road: The sun is a battery charger that you'll always have room to pack. Check out solar-powered iPod chargers or get a solar recharging backpack for all your electronic goodies like cell phones and PDAs. Just hold your charger up to the window of your Eurail compartment, and you'll be juiced up for your entire journey.

Leave wanting more: When you're ready to upgrade, try a solar-specific retailer like Sundance Solar (store.sundancesolar.com) where you can up your solar wattage, get DIY starter kits for installing solar panels, and even find tricks to pimp your RV and go road-tripping in style with the help of the sun.

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  • James Free 7/5/2008 1:39:04 AM

    You had me going there until the last line "pimp your RV and go road-tripping in style with the help of the sun." I would hate to think that this is the Utne mindset. America is filled with pseudo environmentalists that pay lip service to environmental responsibility and then go tripping off with their RV. How about hiking, or cycling, or almost anything but an RV??? Maybe your editorial staff needs a reality check?

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