This week is done and I am very happy that we are finished with this task.  The television can be turned back on.  I completely understand why Ashley assigned us this green challenge, but I am happy to have it back.  We have saved some energy this week, Ashley and I spent more time together and I also learned just how dependent we are on our digital devices.  A long term change did come out of this and we decided that Wednesday is not No Electronics Wednesday.  No television or computer on Wednesday evenings.

I think this will be fairly easy for us to stick with.  Since we have DVR and we also go to the gym on Wednesdays, I think it will be a good day to go without our electronics.  Hopefully, this will be better training for when we have children.  When we have talked about kids in the past, we both have agreed that we would want to change our television habits to better emulate healthy lifestyle.  Now, we just need to follow through. 

In the meantime, I am going to watch the season premier of Chuck tonight one day late.  My 56 inches of entertainment has come back into our lives, but hopefully with slightly better habits and more control.  Let me know your television (or lack of TV) story in the comments area below.

This week is coming close to the end and I am thankful it is ending.   I am glad that Ashley assigned me this green task of not watching TV since it not only has saved some energy, but it is also pushing me to reexamine the time I spend in front of the television and computer.   I enjoy television, but I think that the biggest thing I could learn from this week’s experience is that I need to become more efficient at watching TV and my computer time.  I need to make more time for doing productive things NOT involving a monitor.

So, tonight I am going to miss the season premier of Chuck and it sort of ticks me off. On the other hand, I do have it recording on the DVR and will be able to watch it in about 3/4^th of the time.  I talked to Ashley about possibly setting up ‘no TV nights’ and we have not set anything up yet, but will likely try and do this.

I think I need to also set aside time away from my computer.  This blog, my job, Facebook, Reddit and Twitter all take a good chunk of time.  I know that I am not going to quit any of these things, but I think I can probably make my time with these things more efficient. 

How many of you spend much of your time with your TV/computer off?  Tell me your stories about how you best manage all of the information chaos in your life.

I have not watched television this week and thought it would be good to write a list of things we can instead of turning on the boob tube.  I know that I sometimes turn on the TV because I think I am bored.  Truth is, I am not bored and I know that I have plenty to do, I just choose to watch the dummy box.  Hopefully, I can come back here in a few weeks after I get back into the habit of turning on the TV to help myself find something better to do.

1. Read a book
2. Do some chores
3. Play a board game
4. Start a hobby such as collecting pennies or stamps
5. Spend time with your spouse
6. Play with your kids.
7. Get caught up on the news
8. Go fishing
9. Collect all of your recycling
10. Do something to make your home more energy efficient
11. Play a card game
12. Learn to play the piano.
13. Write a story
14. Start a journal
15. Organize your cupboards
16. Go out dancing
17. Garden
18. Go for a walk
19. Learn how to juggle
20. Listen to some music
21. Make sweet sweet love
22. Read a newspaper (then recycle it)
23. Play Sudoku
24. Do a crossword puzzle
25. Write a letter to someone you love
26. Take your dog for a walk
27. Play with your kitty kats
28. Bake something tasty
29. Go on trip somewhere
30. Clean
31. Pay your bills
32. Take up photography
33. Volunteer at a local charity
34. Go for a run
35. Go to the gym
36. Clean out your fridge
37. Go on a date
38. Do something for work

Yes, the TV will be turned by the time Monday comes around, but this got me thinking, what can we do to make our TV watching more efficient?  Is there even such a thing?  I think so.  I think, that with the right equipment you can cut your TV time in half.  I want to go through some things that came to my mind while I was thinking how to lessen my time in front of the TV and to bring green to our living room.

Through our cable company we also rent a DVR.  I don’t know how I made it through TV watching before we got one.  With the ability to pause and record live TV, I definitely take advantage of it’s efficiency.  I will typically start a TV show half way through so I can fast forward through all of the commercials.  Sometimes, when I have two shows on at once, I watch them both, just flip through when a commercial starts.  This saves me half the time of a regular program without missing any of the actual program.

Another green way to be entertained by your TV, is to use Netflix.  I love this company!  I feel that this is going to be the new way to watch movies.  I actually heard that DVD sales have declined. This could also be an increase interest in Blu-Ray, but could also mean the end of the DVD.  It has been a very long time since Ben and I have actually bought a movie.  When we do purchase, we will take the DVD out, then dispose of the case.  That just takes up so much space in our house, plus how un-green is that?  Ben and I also just started streaming movies through Netflix.  This requires no waste at all. It’s kind of like On Demand.  The benefits include not having to worry about movie quality or getting it in the mail.  However, there is a limited selection to choose from, but I feel in time this list will get longer.

I think there is a place for the TV in the household, but I also think that time should be limited.  However, I do think that most American’s over-use this piece of equipment.  There is so many things we could be doing instead flipping through the channels mindlessly or clicking away online.  I love to read, so I should start picking up a book once a night.  Ben and I love to be in each others company, but how come we are usually on the internet or in front of the TV at the same time?  We are addicted to these things!   Facebook and Twitter are becoming so ingrained in our lives we can’t image being without.  If you have anything you would like to add, please put your comments below.

Even though I have gone through about half of this week without watching one second of television, I still feel like I have no time. Although the challenge is to conserve energy, I think one thing that I was hoping to get out of this would be better quality time at home.  I figured I would either be spending time doing something productive or doing something with Ashley, instead we are doing the same things except with the television off.  I think it is a problem of television AND computers.

Well, I cannot give up my computer time, otherwise I might lose my job.  I suppose I could give up my computer time at home, but then I would have a tough time accomplishing everything I want to do for this blog and my other online addictions (Facebook/Twitter/Reddit).   I suppose I could try and make my time more efficient on the computer and set goals so that this darn internet does not consume my free time.  Turning off my computer would be good for the environment (and my brain) too.

I realized this last weekend that Ashley and I were sitting right next to each other playing Scrabble on Facebook.  Why?  We own the game.  I think it would have been better to get the physical game out play it instead of interacting through our laptops. 

This week started as an exercise in reducing waste, but might end up more of an examination of time management and how to best harvest all the marrow I want to squeeze out of life.  Let me know any tips you have in the comment area below.

My wife Ashley and I are sitting on the couch next to each other doing what we generally do.  Ashley is reading a book and I am tooling around on the internet.  There is one big difference though and that is that the television is off.  This week’s green challenge is to go the entire week without the TV.   Today, I going to look into why this is a green thing to do and the effects that television has on the environment.

First, and most obvious to me, is that the television uses electricity.   I have a 56” DLP monster television of pure joy… and I like to use it.  I do understand, however, that it is likely an energy sucker and not the most environmentally friendly product.  Of the three kinds of televisions, however, I did learn that DLP is the most energy efficient for its size.  According to the awesome television energy waster calculator found here, my boob tube 170 watts and ends up creating 45 lbs of CO2 pollution a month or 534 lbs per year.  For this week, I will prevent about 11lbs of CO2 pollution by not watching television.  In comparison to 42” plasma that generates 71lbs of CO2 though, mine is friendly to the environment.  Ok ok ok, I know that I am just trying to justify my stuff and all televisions help waste our limited resources.  Possibly, I will think twice before I sit down to watch an episode of Alf next time! 

This does not account for any of the television accessories that also contribute to waste.  These days, almost everyone has a cable box, surround sound, DVR, DVD/Blue Ray, Wii, Xbox 360, PS3 and whatever other gadget happens to be available at the time.  These all consume energy and could certainly take up quite a bit of energy.

Also, televisions and television byproducts end up in the garbage.  Apparently, old televisions contain poisons and this stuff has the potential to find its way back into the ground or even our drinking water.  Not only do they contain poison, they take up space in our landfills.  Many cities offer electronics recycling now and I would encourage everybody to take part. So, what does this have to do with me not watching television this week?  If I watch less, the TV should last longer and will go into the garbage/recycle loop later.  

Finally, I suppose there is also the part that is good for my brain.  Sure, the television has some good information in it and some great entertainment, but I recognize that 95% of the stuff on television is crap.  Much of the time, our television is just on and we are half watching it while we accomplish other tasks. It could be argued that I would be much more efficient without the dummy box blaring in the background. 

Televisions certainly have a valid place in our society, but I also think that it generally has a negative impact because of the amount of junk that is shown on it.  I am certainly part of the problem, but this information might change my future television viewing habits and possibly even someone else’s.  So, please take a little extra time away from your television… it is good for the environment.

New week… new challenge and I already hate this one.  Today, I must come clean that I am addicted to television.  I love my TV.  This week’s green challenge is to not watch television.  Unfortunately, I do not think this is going to be one of those challenges that will continue, but we will see.

I am guessing that I will find out how much energy the television uses and the waste involved in televisions.  I know… I already get it.  Watching the dummy box is bad for the environment and probably also bad for my brain.  Even right now, I am watching a riveting feature length documentary about the world Donkey Kong record.  I guess there is quite a bit of drama and conspiracy behind retro video games.

So, I am pretty sure I will find some useful and good things to do with my time, but I already don’t like this one.  I hope you stick with me this week and let me know your story about television, or lack of, in the comments area below.