Verdiem announces Edison, the free PC energy management tool for everyone

We are excited to announce today the general availability of Edison, the free PC energy management tool for everyone. The announcement was just made a few minutes ago and in case you missed it, was delivered via virtual press conference with our President and CEO Kevin Klustner joined by Microsoft’s Chief Environmental Strategist, Rob Bernard and Climate Savers Computing Initiative President, Lorie Wigle.

We are really pleased to have the support of Microsoft and Climate Savers Computing Initiative in announcing this news, and look forward to sharing this tool with you and helping you to reduce your carbon footprint at home.

To learn more or get Edison now, just go to www.verdiem.com/edison.

You can also check out Verdiem’s new Facebook page.

Al Gore Speaks Today on U.S. Energy Policy

A New York Times article from earlier today reported on a global warming speech Al Gore made in Washington D.C. According to the article, Gore called on Americans to work towards completely quitting our reliance on fossil fuels within the next ten years. The speech echoed Gore’s consistent messaging regarding the life-threatening danger the world is currently facing due to global warming, and also highlighted how the goal to end our use of fossil fuels “is achievable, affordable and transformative.”

A couple of interesting scientific facts re-stated in the Times are highlighted below:

“’We’re borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet,’ Mr. Gore said. ‘Every bit of that’s got to change.’

And it can change, he said, citing some scientists’ estimates that enough solar energy falls on the surface of the earth in 40 minutes to meet the world’s energy needs for a year, and that the winds that blow across the Midwest every day could meet the country’s daily electricity needs.”

To read more about this speech, visit New York Times or Al Gore’s website.

Carbon Emissions Reflect Varying Lifestyles Across the Country, and What This Means for the Average Person

If you’ve already read your daily news today, you’ve probably seen the stories from coast to coast about a recent study from the Brookings Institution that reports on carbon emissions in the 100 largest cities throughout the U.S. and how they appear to be varying dramatically from region to region.

The New York Times mentioned in the beginning of their article on the report that the West Coast’s “mild climates, hydropower and aggressive energy-reduction policies give its residents smaller carbon footprints, on average, than those of their counterparts in the East and Midwest.” While those of us on the West Coast might be cheering for our success, it’s still not enough. The unfortunate truth that this report points out is that, as a country, our carbon footprints are still continuing to grow.

So what do we do now?

The Brookings Institution report focuses heavily on how critical it is for federal policy to tackle the heart of the problem, and references the importance of policies promoting more transportation choices, introducing more energy-efficient freight operations, requiring home energy cost disclosure, using federal housing policies, and issuing a metropolitan challenge.

That’s all fantastic if you’re in the government or a government lobbyist, but what about the rest of the population who works in the private sector and doesn’t necessarily have the power of a Congressional vote?

We try to participate as individuals on a smaller scale.

At home, we do what we can and what is reasonable for our lifestyles. We turn off the lights when we leave the room, we recycle as necessary, we buy local as much as possible, and we try to remember our reusable bags when we go grocery shopping. At work, we take the bus to the office a few days a week, we think about putting the computer to sleep before we go to lunch or using power management software, and we use a ceramic mug instead of disposable cups.

Our lifestyles do not have to change dramatically to make a difference. And the reality is, making these changes will make our lives better.

What do you do to lower your carbon footprint?