If you're like me, you are tired of hearing about the 'trend' that is going green. It's not so much a revolutionary step towards repairing the damaging footprint on this earth anymore as it is a buzz word and marketing tactic used to appeal to the public interest.
However, there are some strict programs out there that offer some great benefits to companies that do 'go green.' If a building or company do truly want to make a positive contribution to the environment, the thing to do is to become LEED certified. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or LEED is an extremely stringent certification program that recognizes the truly 'green' buildings throughout the U.S. I could go on and on describing the 74-page report on how a building can achieve the LEED certification, but that is not the topic of my post. The real purpose of this entry is to discuss a building that I would bet my life on the fact that it is not and probably will never be LEED certified. And that building or resort I will call it is the one that I am currently staying in while at a campus activities conference. The Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, TN is not what I would consider a normal hotel. More like a small country. With close to 3,000 guest rooms, over 600,000 square feet of ballrooms and meeting halls, and 9 acres of indoor gardens one can only imagine the incredible amount of energy needed to just keep the lights on here. And that is only the beginning...
Talking about all of the energy guzzling amenities offered here at the prestigious Gaylord Opryland Hotel would require a novel so I will just mention my favorites...
1. A 20,000 square-foot resort spa and fitness center...
- With 14 treadmills, 8 elliptical machines, 8 or so stationary bikes (each of these requiring around 1500 watts of power, and I saw at the most 4 people using these in my last three trips to the gym), heated indoor and outdoor pools, three hot tubs, steam rooms, and state of the art water filtration systems and dispensers, apparently living in the lap of luxury has little regard for energy use.
2. The indoor rainforest...
- If you were to take a 9 acre section straight out of the jungle and build a couple restaurants and stores inside of it, that would be the picture you get as you walk through the lobby and into the atrium. Yes the tropical orchids and palm trees are lovely, but I'm not so sure that the 2-story man made waterfall and 4 or 5 enormous water fountains are quite necessary. I can't even begin to imagine the amount of energy required to pump water and maintain the balmy 75 degrees in the atrium.
3. The hotel room...
- While I do appreciate a sleek and stylish hotel room (and this room is quite chic), upon closer inspection, you would be hard pressed to use the word efficient to describe any appliance in here. Large 36" High Def television, refrigerator, electronic safe, three lamps (each with 3 light bulbs), fresh towels and linens everyday, two sinks, and a high power massaging shower head are just a few of the energy-wasting commodities found in this standard two-bed room
I would shutter to begin to imagine the amount of energy and money required to run this hotel. But I'm sure they have now trouble being able to afford the electricity bill... after all, I did just have to cough up 5 dollars for a cup of coffee.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
"Go Outside and Play"
I'm sure that you have heard this phrase shouted at you at least once from your parents as you sat transfixed in front of your Super Nintendo, Play Station, X-box, etc. While your mom was trying to prevent you from a life of laziness or from destroying your eye sight, little did she know that she was also saving a significant amount of money.
A very recent study conducted by the National Resource Defense Council shows that video game consoles are major energy hogs. Nearly 40% of all homes in America contain at least one video game console (and I can probably name at least 5 friends with three or more different gaming units). According to the report, video game consoles zap 16 billion kilowatt-hours per year, which is comparable to powering all of San Diego (NRDC, 2007).
The biggest problem however, is not in simply owning a PS3 or X-box, but leaving them on when not in use, and it is estimated that about 1/2 of American owners are guilty of this energy-waster. And they are definitely paying for it:
Microsoft X-Box 360 (introduced in 2005)
This console requires 119 watts of energy when turned on and if left on, it costs about $143 per year compared to only $14 dollars per year when simply turning it off.
Sony Playstation 3 (introduced in 2006)
An even greater energy hog, this console requires 150 watts when turned on and if left on, the average family can expect to pay $160 per year (compared to only $15 when turned off).
(Both Microsoft and Sony did release more energy-friendly models in 2007, but when left on, can still cost around $103 and $134, respectively)
The Nintendo Wii was the energy savior in this study. It requires only 16 watts in active mode and even when left on, it will contribute to just a $10 increase in the annual energy bill.
The difference between active and inactive mode is substantial as you can see. (and I am very happy to see that my boyfriend's X-box is currently turned off, and now if I can just persuade him to stop playing Halo, then we can save even more energy!!) So in our current energy-savvy mindset, video console developers should put time into creating systems not just with lower energy requirements but also with automatic turn-off mechanisms (after a certain length of inactivity) and one touch power down options. Even these simple options can contribute to an overall savings of over 1 billion dollars and a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 7 million tons!!! (NRDC, 2007).
The facts and numbers I presented in this post only scratch the surface of this 30 page report. I encourage you to check out this very interesting analysis:
Lowering the Cost of Play
A very recent study conducted by the National Resource Defense Council shows that video game consoles are major energy hogs. Nearly 40% of all homes in America contain at least one video game console (and I can probably name at least 5 friends with three or more different gaming units). According to the report, video game consoles zap 16 billion kilowatt-hours per year, which is comparable to powering all of San Diego (NRDC, 2007).
The biggest problem however, is not in simply owning a PS3 or X-box, but leaving them on when not in use, and it is estimated that about 1/2 of American owners are guilty of this energy-waster. And they are definitely paying for it:
Microsoft X-Box 360 (introduced in 2005)
This console requires 119 watts of energy when turned on and if left on, it costs about $143 per year compared to only $14 dollars per year when simply turning it off.
Sony Playstation 3 (introduced in 2006)
An even greater energy hog, this console requires 150 watts when turned on and if left on, the average family can expect to pay $160 per year (compared to only $15 when turned off).
(Both Microsoft and Sony did release more energy-friendly models in 2007, but when left on, can still cost around $103 and $134, respectively)
The Nintendo Wii was the energy savior in this study. It requires only 16 watts in active mode and even when left on, it will contribute to just a $10 increase in the annual energy bill.
The difference between active and inactive mode is substantial as you can see. (and I am very happy to see that my boyfriend's X-box is currently turned off, and now if I can just persuade him to stop playing Halo, then we can save even more energy!!) So in our current energy-savvy mindset, video console developers should put time into creating systems not just with lower energy requirements but also with automatic turn-off mechanisms (after a certain length of inactivity) and one touch power down options. Even these simple options can contribute to an overall savings of over 1 billion dollars and a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 7 million tons!!! (NRDC, 2007).
The facts and numbers I presented in this post only scratch the surface of this 30 page report. I encourage you to check out this very interesting analysis:
Lowering the Cost of Play
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