energy saving

11.24.09

Greening the World of Warcraft?

A researcher details the ways in which online multiplayer games can reflect and reward real-world eco-friendly behavior

By Jeremy Hsu Posted 02.24.2009 at 5:26 pm 9 Comments

Online gaming has a real-life environmental impact, whether through a computer's energy usage or the power-hungry server farms owned by game companies. But a media expert at the University of Stanford has suggested harnessing the allure of online multiplayer games such as World of Warcraft for the greener good.

Byron Reeves sketched a scenario where a player might get in-game feedback from a smart meter which records energy usage in the house. Turn off the lights, and the game takes note and rewards you accordingly.

[ Read Full Story ]

READ MORE ABOUT > energy saving, gaming, videogames, wii controller, world of warcraft

Wind Power Made Easy

Innovative design makes the Windspire an award winner

Posted 11.24.2008 at 2:59 pm 0 Comments

Zoning laws often forbid tall wind turbines. The Windspire captures breezes at 30 feet and below with a design in which blades run up a pole’s length and spin around it. Contoured airfoils make the Windspire the first vertical-axis turbine that can start in slow winds without help from a motor or inefficient scoops or wings. [ Read Full Story ]

READ MORE ABOUT > bown, bown 2008, December 2008, eco tech, energy saving, green tech, wind power

How To Stay Cool Without Air Conditioning

EarthTalk Q&A: Eco-experts answer your environmental questions

By the Editors of E - The Environmental Magazine Posted 06.16.2008 at 12:47 pm 1 Comment

Dear EarthTalk: Summer’s going to be a scorcher this year, and I’d like to know how I can keep cool indoors without just running my energy-hogging air conditioners all the time. Any tips?
—John McGovern, Cohasset, MA

[ Read Full Story ]

READ MORE ABOUT > air conditioning, Doug Moss, EarthTalk, energy saving, environment