Sierra Club Green Home

There’s no shortage of energy to be saved in the world of computers. Today almost 90 million U.S. homes have at least one computer, and about 65 million new ones are shipped to homes and businesses every year. Computers and their attachments (“peripherals”) vary widely in their hunger for electricity. An efficient laptop, for instance, uses only 20 percent as much energy as some desktops.

It is now possible to green your audio system. The world’s first environmentally-friendly speaker systems are now available for purchase. You can jam to your favorite digital songs through these green music systems, and help the environment as well.

For those who love both music and the environment, we recommend the cardboard Eco-Speakers which are foldable and portable.

Browsing the record store for your favorite new CDs might be fun, but direct music download is a lot faster and sustainable. Why? Before downloads, you drove in your gas guzzler to the local music store, and then purchased CDs in those hard plastic cases which are definitely not sustainable.

More efficient TVs could save a lot of energy. According to the EPA, Americans’ 275 million TVs consume over 50 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year. That’s 4% of U.S. households’ total electrical consumption–enough to power all the homes in the state of New York for an entire year.

Sierra Club Green Home has compiled a list of 50 Green Gadgets You Can Use To Help Save The Planet! Did you know there is a Fully Automated Solar Powered Lawnmower, a Solar Powered Grill, or even a Solar Powered Nintendo Wii System? See all of the goodies gadgets here.

Rock-a-bye, Computer. At home and at work, make sure your computer is set to go into sleep or standby mode when you’re not using it. This simple step can save more than $200 a year. Read our computer article for more energy-saving tips.