How can we sustainably harvest more energy and move it to where it is needed? The United States’ annual energy consumption requires about one-quarter of 1% of the 174 petawatts the sun sends to Earth daily. The prospect of new solar generation capacity created by placing transparent solar cells in windows and other surfaces will transform how we think about […]
Brad Pedersen, co-founder and chairman of Pela, joins Mitch Ratcliffe to discuss the company’s sustainable products. We recently spent a couple of months testing the Lomi home composter from the Kelowna, British Columbia-based maker of compostable phone cases, low-carbon and low-waste sunglasses, and now, appliances for a sustainable life. Pela launched as a maker of phone cases made from flax […]
Wanting to be sustainable is easy. Acting sustainably requires substantial effort. It takes time and no shortage of expertise to identify products and services with a low- or no-carbon footprint, and shopping for the best price on green energy, efficient appliances, and solar or other sustainability investments is difficult. Tony Wessling, the marketing and communications leader at YellowTin, joins the […]
When you think about major home appliances, your mind usually goes straight to the kitchen, or maybe the laundry. But the biggest workhorses in the house are the least visible: your home heating appliances and water heater. The lowly, uncool water heater may not draw attention like a shiny new refrigerator. But it draws more energy than any other appliance […]
If the kitchen is the heart of the home, the oven is the heart of the kitchen. As a major appliance that generates heat, ovens inevitably generate significant greenhouse gas emissions. But cooking at home is still more sustainable than eating out, not to mention healthier. So, if you eat, you should cook. But with the right products and cooking […]
Americans’ energy use has changed a lot since the days when a kitchen full of appliances was a symbol of success rather than just, you know, a kitchen. Although transportation is the biggest component of our household carbon footprint today, kitchens still use a lot of energy and water. The dishwasher is one kitchen appliance that uses both. Here’s how […]
Brad Pederson, co-founder and chairman of Pela, joins Mitch Ratcliffe to discuss the company’s sustainable products. We recently spent a couple of months testing the Lomi home composter from the Kelowna, British Columbia-based maker of compostable phone cases, low-carbon and low-waste sunglasses, and now, appliances for a sustainable life. Pela launched as a maker of phone cases made from flax […]
Most of the time, we are happy to use electrical energy to replace the physical energy required to handwash our laundry. Compared to transportation, household appliances like washers and dryers are not the biggest contributors to the average family’s carbon footprint. But new appliances are still major expenses that we live with for a long time. Because they last so […]
Your refrigerator is one of the largest appliances in your house, and it runs 24 hours a day. So when you’re looking to reduce the carbon footprint from your household appliances, the refrigerator is naturally one of the first places you look. Refrigerators aren’t actually the worst emissions offenders in the home – that dubious honor goes to air conditioners […]
Even if you live in a relatively mild climate, thanks to climate change, you probably need an air conditioner. As a consequence of climate change, the frequency and severity of heat waves have increased around the world. Famously cool climates like the Pacific Northwest and England now routinely experiencing record-breaking highs and extended heat waves. And it’s not just a […]