Hin's Photo Corner: green tech

green cup with Pentax DA 35mm f/2.8 1:1 macro limited and Pentax K20D

I want to follow up on my green efforts in finding practical ways in home remedies with easy to do efforts in making my home energy efficient. In the documentary movie of Inconvenient Truth, I learned about Carbon Dioxide emission and that Coal burning is involved in 50% of the electric power generation in the United States. That alone is a huge cause of carbon dioxide emission from US alone as a responsible country with higher goals to conserve energy and preserve our environment. How can we all chip in to help? In conserving with less electricity usage, not only can we save on our monthly electric bills, we are directly helping to preserve our environment in burning less coal.

As mentioned before in my Going Green in Blogging efforts, one of my set simple goals is to study all energy saving light bulbs available for my family. And I find this wonderful clip that explain plainly in English what Compact Fluorescent CFL Lightbulbs are all about. Most of the material are known and well presented in a easy to remember and understand manner. I would research into the dangerous component that exists in small amount of mercury in those CFL light-bulbs and learn ways to recycle them properly. This clip is well worth seeing with your family

Update on CFL recycling

As we learned form reading up discussions on CFL, the biggest complaint is right on the recycling need due to the presence of mercury. How much mercury is present in each light bulb? I can't honestly tell but from my casual reading, it should be a concern if one ever get the CFL ligh-bulb broken. Here are few tips that I gathered from the web

Ikea is one of the stores that provides recycling of CFL light bulbs. It is renowned as one of the green companies that advocate energy saving with their CFL light bulbs products.
In the recycling companies like BFI or Allied Waste Management, I am sure the monthly bill has the contact number for one to inquire about the recycling of CFL light-bulbs
I will ask the following CFL carrying stores that I think are quite responsible companies selling CFL, I will check and report back -- Walmart, Lowes, Orchard Supply and Homes Depot.
In the event that a CFL light bulb is broken. First thing to teach our kids is to stay away from touching the broken glass along with these tips:
- Open up nearby windows to improve air ventilation and avoid physical contact
- Use glove and paper towel and a little brush to sweep away the broken glass. Be aware of open wound and avoid contact from broken glass. Wrap in sturdy paper bag and store in container that is ready for safe delivery to recycled place

Green Bokeh
Natural Lighting -- Zero cost

green bokeh with Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 1:1 non-Di Macro and Pentax K20D

Picture taken with
Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 1:1 Macro on Flowers

Blue Lights
likely CFL light-bulbs
Foundry Network

Picture taken with Pentax K100D
Pentax FA 50mm f/1.4

Exclamation! Cafe in Yahoo!
with CFL

product shot with pentax da 35mm f/2.8 1:1 macro limited and pentax k20d

Picture taken with Pentax DA 35mm limited

Incandescent Light Fixture
I love the lighting but I hope
the Japanese restaurant owner can replace with CFL

Picture taken
Vivitar 135mm f/2.8 1:2 close-focusing, Komine

a green picture with Tamron 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di LD Macro and Pentax K20D

It is unusual for me to talk about something not related to lenses, cameras and what I have learned in photography. If you are the regular visitors who look for another blog post of camera equipment, you have to bear with me for some minor changes. I am not an environmentalist but as a photographer, I visit Wild Life Refuge and Park with regular tours for visitors like me to get closer to our natural environment. I am extremely thankful to volunteers who spend their valuable time in educating the current and next generation on the importance of conservation of our environment. Be it in conservation of our natural resources and learning to save our environment with use of renewable energy and fuel's alternatives, and urgenct with global climate changes, I am supportive of measures that preserve our natural environment as well as our natural resources.

I am as naive as I can be as I am somewhat confused as to who to listen to and trust for advice, what is true behind the scientific data numbers and what are really at stakes in our environment. What are the simple things that we all as citizens of the earth can do today that we won't regret in the future? What are the odds that if we don't react responsibly today and that our future generation can still enjoy the parks the same way that we enjoy them today with great pictures and videos? I am taking an unusual initiative and step to study and learn as much as I can on environment and include my findings as part of my blogging articles. I want to be informed and make conscious choices in voting on particular environmental issues in California and educate myself and my family to go green in living and pick up our duties in conserving energy usage and find affordable means of transportation and renewable energy. I don't own a Hybrid car such as the Toyota Prius as I find them not as economical as I thought they would be. Is there other alternative that are both safe and cost effective to consider?

Every time that I see a mallard pair, I become the duck-aholic photographer. I shot all these green shots last weekend with Tamron 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di LD Macro and I can't imagine someday that our environment become hostile to many animals that we can hardly find them in their natural habitats or the trees are no longer as green as they should be

mallard with tamron 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di LD Macro

I am studying home simple remedies that are energy efficient and start to find places that I can recycle batteries properly. Some of the studies that I plan to look up

Solar power panel, is it cost effective? I talked to Sun Solar Power in a presentation in San Mateo, it is not if I plan to live in the residence in less than 5 year time frame, it has to be at least 7 years.
About energy efficient light bulbs, which are the best. I am dumb founded to find many of my energy light bulbs to fail shorter than the claimed hours, darn it.
How come an average Japanese person is using 1/2 of energy as compared to average person in US. I am learning about this in http://californiareport.org/ and http://www.kqed.org/news/climatewatch/ with this wonderful article Keeping up with the Sakakis in Japan
There is so much that we can learn from the Japanese who stay focused in reduction on energy consumption. However, with the onslaught of electronic devices, what are the guidelines to watch for consumer electronics? Do our industry set guidelines for electronic devices.
How truthful is the inconvenient truth documentary that I watched in awe and got aspired from our previous vice president with Al Gore. Youtube clip in next paragraph.

I always like to shoot green tree leaves in back-lit scene and the brilliant light shining through the leaves vividly gives me comfort and inspiration for a green initiative that has come alive in my blog. Please join me in paying close attention to our natural environment and make it our daily efforts to think, plan and preserve our environments that we have no regrets in leaving our footprints for the future generations to come.