Did you know that the average desktop computer consumes about 354-kilowatt hours of energy a day, and that 90% of that energy consumption comes from the computer being idle? So can you imagine how much energy a supercomputer consumes?

Researchers at IBM realized that about half of a supercomputer’s energy consumption comes from cooling the system to keep it from overheating, so they have designed a new green energy savings computer that will recycle the water-cooled microchips into heat for the surrounding room. It’s called the Aquasar.

Did you know that about 5%-10% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions are related to the manufacturing and transporting of concrete? In fact, about 20 billion tons of concrete are produced every year, and that certainly has an effect on your carbon footprint.

To reduce the global impact of concrete Engineers at MIT have created a more durable, eco friendly concrete that can last up to 16,000 years. This means less manufacturing of concrete, fewer CO2 emissions and less overall pollution.

More than a dozen U.S. colleges signed up to support Earth Hour on March 28, so to extend this preservation of the planet they can also pledge to be car-free on World Environment Day, which is Friday, June 5.

If you don’t know what World Environment Day is, it’s a day that was created by the United Nations General Assembly to increase environmental awareness through political and public attention.

Two Iowa State University researchers, Najeeb Kuzhiyil and Song-Charng Kong, working with the Department of Defense, have designed a biodiesel engine that can increase the power output of its biodiesel fuel and also work effectively at recycling waste…. and it’s all by dissolving polystyrene packing peanuts in biodiesel.

In an effort to boost educational opportunities and student achievement, as well as to combat the fight against global warming, last Thursday the House passed a $6.4 billion school modernization bill that would build more green energy efficient schools.

This bill would also provide funds for school districts along the Gulf Coast that were damaged by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The ultimate goal of the bill is to have 100% of the funds go towards green projects by 2015.

Memorial Day weekend is the perfect time for getting together with family and friends. It means that summer is on its way, the kids are getting ready to finish school and neighborhood pools are officially opening. It’s also an ideal time to have an outdoor picnic that supports your eco-lifestyle!

Living an eco lifestyle includes going green in every aspect of your life, from using natural cleaning products that work to wearing organic clothing.

But did you ever think that a vending machine, which operates 24 hours a day and consumes thousands of kilowatt-hours of energy each year, would also be able to become a green energy efficient vending machine?

Do you try to practice living an eco lifestyle even though you may live in a bustling city? It’s great if you do, but if you’re like downtown Baltimore dwellers John Cefalone, Tom DeBacco, and Chris Rivera, you may realize that your city is lacking in convenient, eco friendly facilities.

So how did they solve this problem?

If you’re a member of a nonprofit organization that is working towards making your neighborhood, city or college campus a greener place, just like the Climate Institute or Keep America Beautiful, or if you know of a local nonprofit organization that deserves to be recognized for its outstanding environmental efforts, then you should nominate them for GreatNonprofits’ Green Choice Awards.

We recently wrote a blog post on the dozens of U.S. Colleges That are Signing up to Support Earth Hour 2009, but did you also know about the UN participants?

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recently announced that the United Nations headquarters in New York will be participating in Earth Hour on March 28, 2009 by turning off all of its lights.