Weekly Green News

sorry I haven't quite lived up to my promise of weekly blogs, but now I am done school and you will bombarded with all sorts of ramblings for the duration of the summer. Here are a few things I think should be brought to your attention.

1. Black, white, and green all over:

There has been a lot of hype in the digital world (some new thing called the internet? I dunno) about an alternative website to Google called Blackle. It is powered by Google's ever-reaching searching powers, but the difference is that the "whitespace" is actually black. (Quick sidenote: for those of you that aren't really into design, whitespace is any space that doesn't really have any design on it, generally the background, but strangely doesn't even have to be white) The point is supposed to be that by turning out the lights at Google, you save energy. I'm not sure why this has gained so much attention, since Google has debunked it themselves. Blackle unfortunately only works on CRT monitors, which are the old kind that most people no longer have. LCDs however, which most people do have, actually use the same amount of energy no matter what is displayed on them, so blacking out the whitespace actually does nothing. This being said, I have yet to see any evidence that it uses any more energy, so if you really just like how Blackle looks better, feel free to keep using it, just don't be fooled by the claims that it is more green.

2. Carbon Libre

Reports have surfaced on a few environmental sites that Costa Rica has set a new record for clean energy usage. According to the reports, Costa Rica is now running at 99% renewable energy, meaning that only 1% of the energy they produce and use comes from sources that contribute greenhouse gases (bravo). The country is set to become the first carbon neutral one in the whole world (why would I report on it otherwise?) so truly, bravo Costa Rica, just another reason to love you. For those who aren't familiar with Costa Rica and how awesome it is, here is a quick background: generally, Costa Rica is one of the most stable, progressive and safe countries in Central/South America. It has tons of rainforest and relies on coffee and bananas as its main exports (just in case you are into fair trade and want to support Costa Rica). They don't even have an army, which should speak for how stable they are, considering they don't engage in war externally or with themselves. (They were, however, part of the "Coalition of the Willing" for the Iraq War, but they don't have an army to send, so who really cares?)

Anyways, I spent some time in Costa Rica a few years ago, and now I am dying to go back and see the "real" country (not the resort and touristy stuff) even more. it's truly beautiful and somewhere you should check out)