News Articles

Soil sensors save water

With a water sensor, consumers can save a ton of water, and a bundle of cash. Jeff Thorson, president of William Ryan homes explains. "In putting in these sensors, we're seeing an opportunity to save the homebuyer up to 50 percent of their water use on a monthly basis," Ryan said. When the ground goes dry at the house, the sensor turns on the sprinklers, but only for 11 minutes a week -- a lot less than the hour it used to take. Thorson installs the sensors in all the new homes he builds. "The big component right now is educating the homeowner on what is green and what the different components are," he said.

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/scitech/foxe/soil-sensors-save-water-09162010

Opinion: Greed Is Green

The fact is that conservation remains by far the cheapest, fastest, cleanest route back to security. It restores a resilient society, a stable climate, an autonomous foreign policy and a robust economy. But it can only work if it leverages our inner greed. Call us the not-so-moral majority. We consume more water and energy than we need to. We lack solar panels. We feel vaguely guilty. Still, we might take comfort in a dirty little secret long known by insiders: conservation is unsustainable. To be sure, utilities' conservation directors showcase conservation programs touting conservation rebates. And they pray like hell that no one will conserve. Why? Like any enterprise, a utility's operating income depends on our consumption. Happily, information technology can lead us out of this destructive and dangerous spiral of perverse incentives. Here's how it could work to encourage real, meaningful conservation:

First, encourage monopoly utilities to convert messy physical water or energy into cleanly defined virtual credits.

Next allocate equal quantities of these online metered assets -- say, 200 gallons or 20 kilowatt-hours per day -- to every residential, commercial and industrial account.

Then let us trade whatever we don't consume to those who want more.

The trick is not trying to improve on human nature but to leverage our innate sin. If you consumed less, you could sell unused shares to me, to businesses or to the utility for a cash profit.
Greed makes green.
http://www.aolnews.com/opinion/article/opinion-greed-is-green/19636770