Eco Homes 101

Empress Jan asked:


If you had the chance to help design a new group home for the over-50 set, with minimal medical, but still a safe place, what would you like to add to the house? Assuming we have a nice kitchen and other basics, for our age group, what would be great?

Garage for you guys to do your car work in? Small dance floor for parties? How about a garden (ok, that’s for me!) And a sun roof, definately eco-friendly too.

um, keep it clean - we don’t want the kids to see!
These are so GREAT!!

ORIEN

Matt asked:


HOUSE # 1:

A 20-room mansion (not including 8 bathrooms) heated by natural gas. Add on a pool (and a pool house) and a separate guest house all heated by gas. In ONE MONTH ALONE this mansion consumes more energy than the average American household in an ENTIRE YEAR. The average bill for electricity and natural gas runs over $2,400.00 per month. In natural gas alone (which last time we checked was a fossil fuel), this property consumes more than 20 times the national average for an American home. This house is not in a northern or Midwestern “snow belt,” either. It’s in the South.

HOUSE # 2:

Designed by an architecture professor at a leading national university, this house incorporates every “green” feature current home construction can provide. The house contains only 4,000 square feet (4 bedrooms) and is nestled on arid high prairie in the American southwest. A central closet in the house holds geothermal heat pumps drawing ground water through pipes sunk 300 feet into the ground. The water (usually 67 degrees F.) heats the house in winter and cools it in summer. The system uses no fossil fuels such as oil or natural gas, and it consumes 25% of the electricity required for a conventional
heating/cooling system. Rainwater from the roof is collected and funneled into a 25,000 gallon underground cistern. Wastewater from showers, sinks and toilets goes into underground purifying tanks and then into the cistern. The collected water then irrigates the land surrounding the house. Flowers and shrubs native to the area blend the property into the surrounding rural landscape.

HOUSE # 1 (20 room energy guzzling mansion) is outside of Nashville, Tennessee. It is the abode of that renowned environmentalist (and filmmaker) Al Gore.

HOUSE # 2 (model eco-friendly house) is on a ranch near Crawford , Texas . Also known as “the Texas White House,” it is the private residence of the President of the United States , George W. Bush.

PEPE

Rubber Spock asked:


Liberals and Eco-terrorists, left-wing nut-jobs want to force us to buy Compact Fluo lamps and they want to outlaw the tungsten lamps.

1) Compact Fluo is 10 times more expensive than tungsten lamps

2) Compact Fluo contains mercury, a dangerous neurotoxin that will be spread in the environment as those lamps get disposed of

3) In cold places such as Canada, North Dakota, Idaho, Maine etc. The heat economy is NULL because normal light bulbs contribute to the heat in a building. Replacing them with compact fluo will just augment the heating bill and the result is the same.

WORSE, in places like Maine and Vermont, the usage of compact fluo will INCREASE greenhouse gases because homes will spend more fuel to heat instead of relying on hydro-electric power drawn by hot normal bulbs.

So why do liberals want to force us into this compact fluo mess ?

How about the poor who can’t afford to pay 10 times the prices of normal bulbs ? I thought liberals championed the poor !

KALEB

YOUR WORST ENEMY asked:


i am looking to get a notebook for entertainment movies, music low tech games maybe counterstrike is this one okay without breaking the bank it is about 700.00$ at walmart. are there any other notebooks out there that would be better for me without breaking the bank? i dont think there is a good graphics card on this one unfortunatley. here are thy specs

The Sony 15.4 ” NR Series Vaio Laptop PC is designed for everyday productivity and entertainment. A powerful dual-core processor works with the Windows Vista Home Premium operating system to enhance your computing experience. Additional highlights include a crisp widescreen display, DVD burner and AV mode for one-touch access to your frequently used media.

Key Features & Benefits:

XBRITE-ECO 15.4 ” widescreen LCD

Presents vivid 1280 x 800 WXGA resolution with more than 16 million colors

1.5 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo mobile processor T5250

Meets the demands of multitasking and multimedia while also saving energy

1024MB (2×512MB) High Speed DDR2 SDRAM SODIMM Memory

Upgrade to 4GB Max Memory. (To add 1GB or 2GB memory module to this computer you will have to remove and replace one of the two pre-installed 512MB Memory Chips. To upgrade to 4GB you will have to remove and replace both 512MB Memory Chips.)

160 GB hard drive, 5400 rpm

Provides ample storage for documents, games, music, photos and videos

SuperMulti DVD+/-RW drive with double-layer support

Lets you play movies and music or burn DVDs and CDs for data backup

Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG network connection

Connects to wireless home and office networks or to Wi-Fi hotspots for convenient Internet access

Digital media card reader

Reads Memory Sticks and SD memory cards so you can access data, photos or music

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium edition

Makes your computing experience more efficient, more secure and more fun

Top of Page

Specifications

Additional Specifications
Processor Brand: INTEL
Processor Type: Core 2 Duo
Hard Drive Size: 160GB
System RAM: 1024 MB
Laptop Screen Size: 15″
Operating System: Vista Home Premium
Display
Display Type: 15.4″ TFT active matrix
Widescreen Display: Yes
Max Resolution: 1280 x 800 ( WXGA )
Processor
Multi-Core Technology: Dual-Core
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T5250 / 1.5 GHz
Chipset Type: Mobile Intel GM965 Express
Data Bus Speed: 667 MHz
Cache Memory
Type: L2 cache
Installed Size: 2 MB
Storage
Hard Drive: 160 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 5400 rpm
RAM
Installed Size: 1 GB / 2 GB (max)
Technology: DDR II SDRAM - 667 MHz
Configuration Features: 2 x 512 MB
Optical Storage
Type: DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM
Read Speed: 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD)
Write Speed: 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD±R) / 4x (DVD±R DL)
Networking
Data Link Protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11g
Wireless LAN Supported: Yes
Video
Video Memory: Dynamic Video Memory Technology 4.0
Graphics Processor / Vendor: Intel GMA X3100

REN

…………………….. asked:


LOOK OVER THE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE FOLLOWING TWO HOUSES AND SEE IF YOU CAN TELL WHICH BELONGS TO AN ENVIRONMENTALIST.

HOUSE # 1:
A 20-room mansion (not including 8 bathrooms) heated by natural gas. Add on a pool (and a pool house) and a separate guest house all heated by gas. In ONE MONTH ALONE this mansion consumes more energy than the average American household in an ENTIRE YEAR. The average bill for electricity and natural gas runs over $2, 400.00 per month. In natural gas alone (which last time we checked was a fossil fuel), this property consumes more than 20 times the national average for an American home. This house is not in a northern or Midwestern “snow belt,” either. It’s in the South.

HOUSE # 2:
Designed by an architecture professor at a leading national university, this house incorporates every “green” feature current home construction can provide. The house contains only 4,000 square feet (4 bedrooms) and is nestled on arid high prairie in the American southwest. A central closet in the house holds geothermal heat pumps drawing ground water through pipes sunk 300 feet into the ground. The water (usually 67 degrees F) heats the house in winter and cools it in summer. The system uses no fossil fuels such as oil or natural gas, and it consumes 25% of the electricity required for a conventional heating/cooling system. Rainwater
from the roof is collected and funneled into a 25,000 gallon underground cistern. Wastewater from showers, sinks and toilets goes into underground purifying tanks and then into the cistern. The collected water then irrigates the land surrounding the house. Flowers and shrubs native to the area blend the property into the surrounding rural landscape.

HOUSE # 1 (20 room energy guzzling mansion) is outside of Nashville , Tennessee . It is the abode of that renowned environmentalist (and filmmaker) Al Gore.

HOUSE # 2 (model eco-friendly house) is on a ranch near Crawford , Texas . Also known as “the Texas White House,” it is the private residence of the President of the United States , George W. Bush.

So whose house is gentler on the environment? Yet another story you WON’T hear on CNN, CBS, ABC, NBC, MSNBC or read about in the New York Times or the Washington Post. Indeed, for Mr. Gore, it’s truly ” an inconvenient truth.”

MANNING

misskitty715 asked:


Operating Systems: Microsoft Windows XP Home SP2
Platform: Notebook PC
Expansion Ports: 1 - PC Card Slot
Processor Brand: Intel
Processor Class: Pentium M Processor
Processor Speed: 1.73GHz
Additional: Intel Centrino Mobile Technology
Memory Type: DDR2
Memory Size: 512MB
Memory Speed: DDR400 (PC3200)
Memory Slots: (Total)2
Capacity: 80GB
Optical Drive Type: Dual Layer DVD±RW
Graphics Description: Integrated Graphics
GPU/VPU: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900
Video Memory: up to 128MB Shared
Communications Description: Integrated Modem
Integrated LAN
Integrated Wireless LAN
Interface Type: 802.11b/g Wireless Networking
RJ-11 Phone Connector
RJ-45 Ethernet Connector
Width: 14.33″
Height: 1.41″
Depth: 10.41″
Weight: 6.28 lbs
Display Type: WXGA with XBRITE-ECO technology
Viewable Screen Size: 15.4″
PRICE: $749

VIVIANA

Bored Housewife asked:


I’m an anarchist, but unfortunately the government isn’t exactly my ideal right now. If we are going to have a taxer and a handouter, then why not do this, I believe it would make jobs and restore credit and wealth for Americans. Why doesn’t the government put nice modular homes up, which will open the doors to many construction jobs and then sell the houses for what they cost to make and build, sell these homes on government loans for low interest rates, like %1-%3 and let Americans get a home for a cheap cost in new condition, they can at least be made somewhat eco friendly, itd be to expensive to put solar panels on them, but you get the gist right? Decent modular homes, and they don’t have to be made and look all the same. Local government and economies would do well from this too, the amount of property tax coming in would increase in a number of people moving into homes, and also people would see more money and people of low incomes might be able to afford a home, and it would give them the sense of being more secure, maybe start spending more money. Like on things to put in the house…you know what I mean? Why wouldn’t this work?

VALENCIA

Collier asked:


When I was quite young, we found a squirrel in our front yard that was blind in one eye. We ended up feeding it for a day and taking it to a wildlife refuge center, so that they could take care of it, but because of a lack of space, they asked if we could keep it with us, and gave us information on how to take care of it. We had it for years, and I came quite attached to it. Now, living on my own, i was looking into getting another squirrel as the old one (Wombat, i’d named him) is still back at home with my folks. However, they aren’t exactly falling out of trees up here, and i’m not sure if there’s a good, eco-friendly way I could “adopt” another little fella. Does anyone know where I might be able to find a squirrel that I could bring unto my house with me as a pet? It would be fine with me if it came from a refuge center of some kind, as my first was comepletely blind after two years, yet I still loved it till I moved away. Thanks for any help you can give!

RUSS

me asked:


Sometimes i just wish that i was never alive. I wouldn’t have to deal with anything. My parents won’t ever understand me. What i have gone through in my life is something that a child should never go through. When i was about nine my brother started fooling around with me. I try to cry out for help but nobody notices the pain. Since then i have never been the same person. Sometimes i just wan’t to tell this all to a shrink. My parents don’t relize that i can’t wait for my first sip of alchol. and my first puff of a ciggarett. I won’t ever to be a normal teenager my parents make me go away with them to our camp every week end were i have no friends. I can’t wait till i drive because then i can just leave. I wan’t a boy friend i want my first kiss and its not like im ugly ive had a boyfriend but i would never tell them. Its hard for me to look at my mom on a daily basis, 2 years ago she took pills to try and kill herself every night these words eco threw my head “im dieing just leave me alone what don’t you understand,’ she wrote a letter and i have alwats ways wan’ted to know what it says. Then one person i trusted to always be there for me. My brother is and alcholic and got in a accident and i thought he was going to die. My dad puts pressure on me almost every day to do good a school and become a teacher and don’t end up like your brother. I can’t take it anymore they say they trust me but never show it there going away to camp for 24 hrs and its 2 hrs away but they won’t let me stay home cause they think im going to get drunk. i cant stand it anymore today i wan’ted to cut my wristed but i didn’t cause im the strong one in the family

REMINGTON

palu_red asked:


Basically, I record live instruments (such as guitar, vocals, and turntables), and I use Reason 3.0 with Sony Acid pro 6.0. I’m thinking of getting this sony vaio:

VGN-SR190
Customization Details

* Microsoft® Works
* No Fresh Start™
* Photo Standard
* 120 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [5400 rpm]
* Standard Capacity Lithium-ion Battery (BPS13A/B)
* Video Standard
* No Engraving
* Trusted Platform Module / Biometric Fingerprint Sensor
* QuickBooks Simple Start
* Wireless LAN (802.11a/b/g/n) with integrated Bluetooth® technology
* Mobile Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD with Intel® Clear Video Technology
* Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40GHz) [Regular price $50]
* DVD±R DL / DVD±RW / DVD-RAM Drive
* 13.3″ WXGA (XBRITE-ECO™ technology)
* Windows® Live OneCare 90-Day Trial
* Classic Silver
* Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium with Service Pack 1
* 2 GB DDR2-SDRAM (DDR2-800, 2GBx1) [Regular price $50]

What does everybody think? And would i be better off with a mac? If so, which should i look at?

Alright, I switched it up a bit.

* 200 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [7200 rpm] [Regular price $180]
* Standard Capacity Lithium-ion Battery (BPS13A/B)
* Video Standard
* No Engraving
* Wireless LAN (802.11a/b/g/n) with integrated Bluetooth® technology
* QuickBooks Simple Start
* DVD±R DL / DVD±RW / DVD-RAM Drive
* Mobile Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD with Intel® Clear Video Technology
* Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40GHz) [Regular price $50]
* Microsoft® Works
* 13.3″ WXGA (XBRITE-ECO™ technology)
* Windows® Live OneCare 90-Day Trial
* Platinum Silver
* Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium with Service Pack 1
* 4 GB DDR2-SDRAM (DDR2-800, 2GBx2) [Regular price $150]

MILT