I post this every year around this time. Skip out on Black Friday and Buy Nothing!

CFL Fact Sheet - Good info on how to dispose of a broken CFL since they do contain mercury. More CFL Info

In case you missed it…

When Hardware is Free, Power is Expensive - I am not a hardware person, it bores the shit out of me. But I am an environmentalist and believe conservation is sexy. This is a fairly easy to understand post about power consumption in the personal computing environment and in Google HQ.

Home Depot Giving Away free CFL - Compact Fluorescent Lights save 65%-75% electricity. Home Depot will giving them away for free on Sunday. Also check out the One Billion Bulbs project.

Cost of Leaving Your PC On - Roughly estimated $200 a year.

Black is the New Green - Very interesting article with follow-up. I had a somewhat similar conversation with the roommate but getting people to change habits is extremely difficult, even if their values closely align. I think it is because the computer can be such a personal device, and is not viewed as a household appliance or tool. It is a device that can help teach your children to read or download donkey shows directly to your desktop. Not many devices can elicit such emotional responses. But with the magnitude of machines out there, some changes in default behaviors quickly add up.

Building a Home Power Monitoring System - This is one of the best DIY project/hacks I have ever seen.

Massachusetts Teacher Conserves, Gets Audited - Good tips on how to conserve electricity. Also reminds me of a story about a buddy of mine who had a bet on who could get the lowest power bill. He won hands down with a $12 power bill for the month. Wish I had that discipline.

Today is America Recycles Day, bet you probably did not know that. If you are looking to buy your favorite blogger a gift for the occasion, the ecopod would be perfect.