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Archive for the ‘Week 12 No Television’ category

Green Entertainment

January 8th, 2010

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.

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Posted in Ashley's Posts, Energy, Week 12 No Television

Tags: Computer conserve DVR electricity Facebook Netflix TV Twitter

Would it be green of me to stop blogging?

January 7th, 2010

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.

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Posted in Energy, Week 12 No Television

Tags: green television waste

Preserve the environment by turning off your TV

January 5th, 2010

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.