Maybe you've heard the term "power vampires" splashed around in the green world jargon or maybe you haven't. What might spring to mind is an ominous, lusting creature vying for ultimate power and supremacy, while sucking the life out of life itself. Ok, so that's not exactly what it is, although the real power vampires may truly be sucking the life out of life itself. If you turn off your stereo once the music is over, is that it, the end? Kaput? Not a chance. Life is still buzzing and alive as a steady trickle of energy is uselessly, needlessly, sucked up and evaporated by your boombox. But it's just a little, minuscule, teeny weeny drop of energy, surely it can't be that big of a deal - can it? You bet your bill it can. How many vampires do you have plugged in right now, that you aren't even using? A toaster? Lamp? DVD player? Cell phone that is already charged? Now what about your neighbour? And their neighbour? What about all the power vampire living and sucking energy from all the homes in Canada? The World? All of a sudden the teeny tiny amount becomes a very large amount of wasted energy.
Get Unplugged!
Sounds simple at first, and some things are, but most of our electrical gadgets are plugged in and tucked away behind or under other large objects. Couches, TV's, Fridges, Computers, etc. So another option, if you can't reach the outlet, plug groups of gadgets into a power bar and turn the off switch when you are finished using everything from that group. This stops the flow of energy and works especially well for computer systems and TV set ups. If you really want to get extreme about it, one environmentalist in the group which I am a member (http://www.meetup.com/ - Environmental Activist Network, Vancouver - EAN), suggested switching off select room breakers. Obviously you don't want to do this in the kitchen, although it could work for the living room. I haven't tried it myself as it is a bit extreme, however it is a great idea if you will need nothing in a certain room for a while. There was actually quite a heated debate about the validity of this suggestion on the group's forum. We all thought real blood was going to be shed! If you sign up with the group you can read all about it. For everything else accessible, all that is required to do some good is a simple, tiny, little action - unplug it.
*** Tonnes of happenin' events going on this weekend people, it would be hard to decide - if I didn't have to work :( But for those of you who aren't check out June's Events link (sidebar).
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1 comment:
haha, real blood spilling? Not my style.
Yes, the debate got heated. However we all calmed down and agreed to disagree.
Great tips. We have incorporated them at home and it works great. After a while it becomes second nature. It doesn't inconvenience you and you are becoming part of the solution, not the problem.
on another note, Niki, you should promote your blog on the internet more - you write some great articles and it's a pity so few people read it.
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