Comments on: Saving the Planet, One Search at a Time http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/02/01/saving-the-planet-one-search-at-a-time/ Sat, 20 Apr 2013 10:44:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: iBlackle Fan http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/02/01/saving-the-planet-one-search-at-a-time/#comment-36663 iBlackle Fan Mon, 04 Feb 2008 20:52:15 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/02/01/saving-the-planet-one-search-at-a-time/#comment-36663 For those who are iGoogle users, and Blackle users, or for those who search for images a lot (like astropixie above), or for those who simply appreciate efforts of online ecofriendliness, then iBlackle is for you. Its a parody of Blackle and iGoogle, with features that actually work! For those who are iGoogle users, and Blackle users, or for those who search for images a lot (like astropixie above), or for those who simply appreciate efforts of online ecofriendliness, then iBlackle is for you. Its a parody of Blackle and iGoogle, with features that actually work!

]]> By: Ben http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/02/01/saving-the-planet-one-search-at-a-time/#comment-36680 Ben Mon, 04 Feb 2008 10:00:59 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/02/01/saving-the-planet-one-search-at-a-time/#comment-36680 I agree with both Sean and Julianne that you can't save the world one recycled newspaper or compact fluorescent at a time. However, I also agree that making an effort to do things like cut down on garbage, packaging, energy use etc can show a definite improvement per person. The importance of this, I think, is not just "what if everybody did it" but getting people involved. When people think that conservation is something that they can participate in, I think it makes them more open to supporting large-scale conservation and environmental defense actions, such as carbon pricing. People have a way of tuninng out problems that sound so much bigger than their lives as to have no immediate impact. Back to Google searching, we might estimate the carbon load of one's Google search. It is often estimated that Goog operates about 5e5 servers, with power consumption perhaps 20-100 MW and an electric bill of maybe US$20-100 million/yr. I have no idea how many Google searches people do per day - a billion? If so, your search costs them about 1 watt-hour. (Ignoring whatever tiny fraction of their power is devoted to blogspot, etc.) If you spend 10 minutes doing the search and looking at the results on a 60 watt laptop, you used 10 watt-hours. IOW, your computer is a bigger problem, in carbon load, than Goog's datacenter - because there are so many other computers like it. Thus, while the original premise is of course a joke, the whole idea that we could use vastly more efficient computers is not a bad one. (One that Google is working on, because the way CPUs are developing, their electric bill may soon be larger than the capital cost of their servers.) I agree with both Sean and Julianne that you can’t save the world one recycled newspaper or compact fluorescent at a time. However, I also agree that making an effort to do things like cut down on garbage, packaging, energy use etc can show a definite improvement per person. The importance of this, I think, is not just “what if everybody did it” but getting people involved. When people think that conservation is something that they can participate in, I think it makes them more open to supporting large-scale conservation and environmental defense actions, such as carbon pricing. People have a way of tuninng out problems that sound so much bigger than their lives as to have no immediate impact.

Back to Google searching, we might estimate the carbon load of one’s Google search. It is often estimated that Goog operates about 5e5 servers, with power consumption perhaps 20-100 MW and an electric bill of maybe US$20-100 million/yr. I have no idea how many Google searches people do per day – a billion? If so, your search costs them about 1 watt-hour. (Ignoring whatever tiny fraction of their power is devoted to blogspot, etc.) If you spend 10 minutes doing the search and looking at the results on a 60 watt laptop, you used 10 watt-hours. IOW, your computer is a bigger problem, in carbon load, than Goog’s datacenter – because there are so many other computers like it. Thus, while the original premise is of course a joke, the whole idea that we could use vastly more efficient computers is not a bad one. (One that Google is working on, because the way CPUs are developing, their electric bill may soon be larger than the capital cost of their servers.)

]]> By: Richard E. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/02/01/saving-the-planet-one-search-at-a-time/#comment-36662 Richard E. Sun, 03 Feb 2008 02:48:42 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/02/01/saving-the-planet-one-search-at-a-time/#comment-36662 Re the lights always on -- at my place of work, all the lights were recently attached to timers that turn overhead lights off after they detect no movement in a room for some set time (10 or 15 minutes, I think.). I almost always turn my lights off when I go home, but I frequently find that if I have unexpectedly been out of my office they flick on again as soon as I walk through the door. Apparently the cost savings justify the work involved swapping out the light switches, even before you start to talk about C0_2. On the other hand, when I was a place with big, roughly cube shaped physics building, it was a pleasant form of pelmanism to look up at the side of the building that housed the faculty offices during the evening, and to know at a glance which professors were burning the midnight oil. And now you could be sure that they were actually in their offices (and moving every now and then). Re the lights always on — at my place of work, all the lights were recently attached to timers that turn overhead lights off after they detect no movement in a room for some set time (10 or 15 minutes, I think.).

I almost always turn my lights off when I go home, but I frequently find that if I have unexpectedly been out of my office they flick on again as soon as I walk through the door. Apparently the cost savings justify the work involved swapping out the light switches, even before you start to talk about C0_2.

On the other hand, when I was a place with big, roughly cube shaped physics building, it was a pleasant form of pelmanism to look up at the side of the building that housed the faculty offices during the evening, and to know at a glance which professors were burning the midnight oil. And now you could be sure that they were actually in their offices (and moving every now and then).

]]> By: a cornellian http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/02/01/saving-the-planet-one-search-at-a-time/#comment-36661 a cornellian Sun, 03 Feb 2008 00:12:26 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/02/01/saving-the-planet-one-search-at-a-time/#comment-36661 I was thinking of plastics and the like more than metal. I totally agree that recycling is a good thing, I am just throwing out there that it is possible to go too far, similar to bio-fuels. Yes, running on corn sounds like a good idea, but depending on who's numbers you believe, it ends up energy (read fossil fuel) negative. I was thinking of plastics and the like more than metal.

I totally agree that recycling is a good thing, I am just throwing out there that it is possible to go too far, similar to bio-fuels. Yes, running on corn sounds like a good idea, but depending on who’s numbers you believe, it ends up energy (read fossil fuel) negative.

]]> By: The Almighty Bob http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/02/01/saving-the-planet-one-search-at-a-time/#comment-36660 The Almighty Bob Sat, 02 Feb 2008 21:22:11 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/02/01/saving-the-planet-one-search-at-a-time/#comment-36660 Yes, cornellian, but as we're not going to be mining the mantle for our iron ore anytime soon, perhaps spending the extra cash re-using the stuff we've already dug up is a good thing? Yes, cornellian, but as we’re not going to be mining the mantle for our iron ore anytime soon, perhaps spending the extra cash re-using the stuff we’ve already dug up is a good thing?

]]> By: a cornellian http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/02/01/saving-the-planet-one-search-at-a-time/#comment-36652 a cornellian Sat, 02 Feb 2008 16:57:19 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/02/01/saving-the-planet-one-search-at-a-time/#comment-36652 Just to play devils advocate there is (in principle) a cross over with recycling where you are spending more energy to reprocess the materials than you would have had to start from scratch. Just to play devils advocate there is (in principle) a cross over with recycling where you are spending more energy to reprocess the materials than you would have had to start from scratch.

]]> By: Manas Shaikh http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/02/01/saving-the-planet-one-search-at-a-time/#comment-36679 Manas Shaikh Sat, 02 Feb 2008 12:41:25 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/02/01/saving-the-planet-one-search-at-a-time/#comment-36679 1. The darkoogle/whate does little to save energy. But 2. It has symbolic importance in that it reminds people. Next? DarkCV? 1. The darkoogle/whate does little to save energy. But
2. It has symbolic importance in that it reminds people.

Next? DarkCV?

]]> By: Bob http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/02/01/saving-the-planet-one-search-at-a-time/#comment-36651 Bob Sat, 02 Feb 2008 04:34:03 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/02/01/saving-the-planet-one-search-at-a-time/#comment-36651 Odd, just yesterday I was thinking about two things that this site has that aren't energy specific - one was that I am sometimes interested in minimizing ambient light for dark-adaptation reasons (not astronomical or flight-deck grade serious-level) - and the other was that I was wondering why Google didn't enlarge the width of their search form - I find myself sometimes searching with somewhat lengthy terms and hate having to scroll around in the slot. Thanks for bringing this (and via the comments) another darkened google to my attention. I've been using Scroogle for some time because I like the thumb-your-nose at tracking attitude. Odd, just yesterday I was thinking about two things that this site has that aren’t energy specific – one was that I am sometimes interested in minimizing ambient light for dark-adaptation reasons (not astronomical or flight-deck grade serious-level) – and the other was that I was wondering why Google didn’t enlarge the width of their search form – I find myself sometimes searching with somewhat lengthy terms and hate having to scroll around in the slot.

Thanks for bringing this (and via the comments) another darkened google to my attention. I’ve been using Scroogle for some time because I like the thumb-your-nose at tracking attitude.

]]> By: Claire http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/02/01/saving-the-planet-one-search-at-a-time/#comment-36650 Claire Sat, 02 Feb 2008 04:24:57 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/02/01/saving-the-planet-one-search-at-a-time/#comment-36650 Julianne, Thankyou for pointing this site out, I never even knew it existed until now. It is good for me as dyslexia is lessened. It's also good for partially sighted people. Claire Julianne,

Thankyou for pointing this site out, I never even knew it existed until now. It is good for me as dyslexia is lessened. It’s also good for partially sighted people.

Claire

]]> By: Julianne http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/02/01/saving-the-planet-one-search-at-a-time/#comment-36659 Julianne Sat, 02 Feb 2008 02:55:03 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/02/01/saving-the-planet-one-search-at-a-time/#comment-36659 Sean -- I agree with you that the far larger problems are structural. However, I am also someone who reuses aluminum foil and plastic bags, so small solutions obviously serve some role in staunching wounds in my psyche. Less facetiously, however, I do think that small solutions frequently add up to something substantial. I've been spending a significant fraction of my past few summers in Germany, where I was presented with 4 separate recepticles for sorting my trash. I was initially so flummoxed that I left most of my trash on the countertop in fear of doing it wrong. However, after mastering the system, the fraction of my waste that was true, destined-for-the-landfill, capital-T trash was minute, even for a family of 4. If you have a nation of people doing this, you have to have a significant reduction in the amount of stuff going to the landfill. The government clearly plays a role in organizing this effort and making it sustainable, but individual action is critical for success. However, I completely understand (and understood at posting) that Blackle is not exactly equivalent. I may reuse my tin-foil, but I'm not quite that naive! Sean — I agree with you that the far larger problems are structural. However, I am also someone who reuses aluminum foil and plastic bags, so small solutions obviously serve some role in staunching wounds in my psyche.

Less facetiously, however, I do think that small solutions frequently add up to something substantial. I’ve been spending a significant fraction of my past few summers in Germany, where I was presented with 4 separate recepticles for sorting my trash. I was initially so flummoxed that I left most of my trash on the countertop in fear of doing it wrong. However, after mastering the system, the fraction of my waste that was true, destined-for-the-landfill, capital-T trash was minute, even for a family of 4. If you have a nation of people doing this, you have to have a significant reduction in the amount of stuff going to the landfill. The government clearly plays a role in organizing this effort and making it sustainable, but individual action is critical for success.

However, I completely understand (and understood at posting) that Blackle is not exactly equivalent. I may reuse my tin-foil, but I’m not quite that naive!

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