energy use

The University of British Columbia is claiming the title of North America's greenest building for its impressive $37 million Center for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS), currently under construction and to be completed in 2011.  What makes this building the greenest?

Starting in June of this year, data center operators can apply for Energy Star status.  The new rating system will score data centers based on PUE, or power unit efficiency, on a scale of 1 - 100.

Ever wish you could micromanage the heating and cooling of your workplace down to the area around your desk?  Turns out, not only would it make you more comfortable, but it would also save energy.

Toyota announced yesterday that it will be contributing ten plug-in Priuses to the SmartGridCity project, the world's first comprehensive smart grid demonstration.

A recent study by the Cleantech Group revealed the much lower envrionmental impact of e-readers - specifically the Kindle - compared to traditional publishing, but the devices still require charging from the grid.  LG's new e-reader takes care of that:  it's outfitted with its own integrated solar panel, allowing it to run on clean, renewable, solar power.

LendingTree, which allows prospective borrowers to get quick offers from multiple lenders, claims Google is about to get into the same business.

A LendingTree lawsuit against a separate technology provider claims that it has learned Google plans to launch such a service later this month or in early September. The lawsuit claims that LendingTree has received screen shots -- pictures of a computer screen -- showing a trial version of Google's service that indicate Google will give customers loan offers and contact information for lenders.

Not to go against Elvis Costello, but it turns out that digital music, not radio, is a sound salvation, at least when it comes to fighting climate change.
A new study conducted by researchers from Carnegie Mellon University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Stanford University confirms what we already assumed:  downloading music cuts energy consumption and CO2 emissions compared to shopping at your local record store.  Digitizing wins again.