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Energy

In our everyday lives it is easy to take energy for granted. When we want light, we just flip a switch; if it’s cold, we turn up the thermostat; and when we want to head to work most folks just hop in the car.  On the trail, far from the nearest power grid or road, our muscles propel us from place to place, and power for heating, cooking, lighting, and charging our computers and other electronics is hard to come by.

We use solar panels and batteries, small camp stoves, and good old-fashioned campfires. Trail life makes you slow down and realize where your energy is coming from in addition to conserving the little power that you use, whether it is white gas for cooking or solar power for camera batteries and computers.  

Wilderness preservation starts at home with energy conservation and the use of clean renewable power. We hope this section of our website will provide you with energy-saving resources and encourage you look for ways to reduce and refine your energy consumption.  Small changes can have a big impact on your wallet and the environment.

Editor's picks

Energy tax credit overview

Database for state incentives for energy savings

Fuel effecent driving techniques

Easy home energy saving tips that save money

Energystar lighting (easy way to save money and energy)


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DOE Gives $115 Million for Development of Efficient 'Super Trucks'

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fuel-efficient-super-trucks photo Photo via Roadtransport US Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced yesterday that the DOE is awarding $187 million in funding to nine programs designed to make cars and trucks more efficient. $53 million of that will be directed to Cummins, Inc for two specific projects, according to the NY Times. One is improving the Class 8 vehicles, or 'super trucks', with cleaner, Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Cheap 3D Solar Cells Are 6x More Efficient, Work Underground

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3-D Solar Cell Works UndergroundImage courtesy of Gizmag Scientists from the Georgia Institute of Technology have created the world's first 3-D photovoltaic solar system that actually works underground. Using optical fibers common to the telecommunications industry, ...Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Getting All Shook Up to Produce Electricity

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piezoelectric photo A piezoelectric device. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons As you drive down the road, your vehicle wastes large amounts of energy through friction, wind resistance, and vibrations. But what if there was a way to harness some of this wasted energy and use it to produce electricity? Scientists at the City University of New York are working on a system that would do just that....Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Food to Energy Plants: A Load of Pig Swill?

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food waste is converted to energy photo Image credit: Prospect Magazine We all know that waste food is a problem, but luckily there are plenty of solutions. Grocery stores are turning food waste into electricity, and Stockholm is even embracing garbage disposals to collect biogas. But is there a better way? Could it be that there's a greener alternative for using up unwanted food? ...Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Man Builds 100 MPG Lotus Replica that Runs on Homebrewed Biodiesel

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diy 100 mpg biodiesel car photo Photo: Kinetic Vehicles Kudos to Kinetic Vehicles! There are tons of project cars all around the internet, but my favorites are DIY green super-efficient cars, especially those made for very little money. The 95 MPG Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Apple Adds More Environmental Impact Information to Website

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apple website screenshot image Image via Apple Yesterday, Apple updated more information about the environmental impacts of its products on its website, bringing a little more transparency to consumers. That added information includes life cycle analysis of greenhouse gas emissions for its products. Yesterday we were just noting how carbon footprint measurements can be sticky business because it all depends on how far down the supply chain, how broad across the business oper...Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Newsweek Ranks America's Greenest Companies

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Kathy Deveny of Newsweek image
It wasn't easy. In fact, Newsweek's Deputy Editor Kathy Deveny admits that if she knew how hard it would be, she probably wouldn't have. But what's done is done: Newsweek spent more than a year vetting the 500 biggest companies in America and ranking them from greenest to brownest. Deveny breaks down the grueling process for us, explaining why the winners won and the losers lost. Listen to the podcast of this interview via Read the full story on TreeHugger

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