>> The California Energy Commission wants to ban plasma TVs and other inefficient HDTVs that suck up to much energy in standby mode. Since those big, inefficient TVs aren’t exactly flying off the shelves anyway, new energy efficiency requirements may not really affect consumer choices much. To see how shockingly inefficient plasma TVs are, see GOOD’s visualization of the vampire power used up by different gadgets. Earlier: The Life and loves of a TV-watching environmentalist.
>> The San Francisco Board of Supervisors want a Do Not Mail Registry and passed a resolution calling on California to create one. The resolution, however, is non-binding and has no actual power to help people make the junk mail stop. Earlier: Rx for unwanted Holiday catalogs.
>> The L.A. County Board of Supervisors pay for customized water bottles. “Every week, a college student who earns $9.92 an hour for a range of tasks peels the labels off water bottles, uses a computer to print out new ones emblazoned with the county seal and slaps them on. The customized bottles are waiting for the five supervisors as they take on the official business of the nation’s most populous county.” Earlier: L.A.’s spending more money than ever on bottled water.
Photo by canonsnapper
I really want a flat screen for, you know, the flatness of it, and the way it won’t take up as much room in our home. But I’m not willing to spend that much money on something that will continue to incur higher costs, when our current TV displays a picture and emits sound just fine. As energy-efficiency standards improve, though, I may become more enthusiastic about actually making that purchase.
As for the water bottles, why can’t they buy reusable water bottles and stick labels on those?
Comment by KateNonymous — April 2, 2009 @ 4:07 pm