Archive for January 21, 2014

Erkin | January 21, 2014
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Washing Laundry in Cold Water is the Same As…

A full 90 percent of the energy used in washing clothes goes toward heating the water, so it stands to reason that using less energy by washing in cold, unheated water would create significant environmental savings. But just how much difference are we really talking about?

washing-machine01We got the TreeHugger HQ math monkeys to crunch some numbers, and came up with some pretty interesting results. It turns out that pressing the cold/cold button (instead of the hot/warm button) on your washing machine has the same impact as… Read more

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Erkin | January 18, 2014
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Size Matters for Creatures of Cold Polar Waters

Scientists at the Universities of Liverpool, Plymouth, and Radboud, Netherlands, have challenged the view that giant animals are found in polar seas because of a superabundance of oxygen in cold water.

Basking-sharkIt is thought that giant insects and other creatures hundreds of millions of years ago evolved due to a superabundance of oxygen and that this could also explain the existence of giant sea creatures today. The new research, published in Functional Ecology, however, suggests that this may not be the case. Read more

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Erkin | January 16, 2014
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The Day the Niagara Falls Froze Over

It’s an amazing snapshot – so amazing that many have been quick to cry fake: North America’s most iconic falls, apparently frozen mid-flow – but what moment in time is frozen in sepia within this frame? One might think the answer would be simple, but with the origins of this photo veiled in a mist of uncertainty like the spray produced by the falls themselves, nothing is guaranteed.

Niagara-Falls-Froze1

It seems claims of Photoshop frolics are misguided in this case; yet while the shot looks authentic, because its photographer is unknown, we can’t be sure precisely when it was taken. 1911 has been the date aired most on the web, but it could just as easily be 1912, when much of the surrounding Niagara River was frozen. The other point here is that in the photo the falls are not entirely frozen over, with several small spouts of water visible gushing out from beneath the crust of ice crystals. Read more

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Erkin | January 14, 2014
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“Smart” water heater cuts electricity use by up to 40%

A new Kickstarter campaign for a smart water heater that could cut energy use by 40 percent and water use by 10 percent compared to conventional water heaters has already gotten close to its $125,000 goal after only a few days on the site. The compact water heater, measuring only 12.5 inches by 6.5 inches, is called the Heatworks MODEL 1 and has Wi-Fi compatibility so that temperature, duration and power levels could all monitored and controlled remotely.

heatworks

ISI Technology, the creator of the Heatworks MODEL 1, says that the water heater is 99 percent efficient. According to the Kickstarter page, it “uses state of the art electronic technology to directly energize and heat the water molecules, rather than heating the water with old-school resistance heating elements. The MODEL 1 eliminates all failure modes of conventional water heating technology and provides more features at the same or less cost.” Read more

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Erkin | January 10, 2014
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Kangba Women Fetch Water With Traditional Barrels

Kangba women carry barrels to fetch water at a village on April 10, 2005 in Zuogong County of Tibet, China. Kangba people began to fetch water with the traditional barrels hundreds of years ago.

women-water01Kangba people are one of the Tibetan tribes living in Kangba Region, a juncture area of Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces and the Tibet Autonomous Region. Kangba people are famous for their beauty, toughness and straightforwardness. Read more

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