Category Archives: Omega

Which Way Should Solar Panels Point?

by BobMoowattin Posted on January 8, 2014

Solar panels are becoming more affordable and therefore more popular for homeowners. Photo: morgueFile/Seemann

For years, experts have believed that south-facing solar panels are most effective in gathering sun in the northern hemisphere. But a new study based on homes in Austin, Texas, has raised questions about which way our solar panels need to be facing.

The Pecan Street Research Institute released results of a study that indicated homeowners could find significant benefits by pointing their solar panels to the west. The study concluded that the west-facing panels were better at reducing peak loads in areas such as Austin, where air-conditioning use is a strong driving factor in energy use during peak times, typically 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The study showed south-facing panels provided a 54 percent peak-reduction in usage, while the panels facing west produced a more impressive 65 percent reduction.

But that doesn’t mean it’s time to tear down those south-oriented solar panels and put them on west-facing roofs just yet. While the study results immediately led to reports that homeowners could get greater results by pointing their solar panels to the west, there was more to the story than many reported.

While the study found that west-facing configurations did have their benefits, they produced less total energy over the course of the year than their south-facing counterparts. The value, it appears, is that they are able to help reduce the electricity load during peak times, which of course puts less stress on electricity distribution systems. That means the power they produce may be more valuable, particularly in hot climates where air-conditioning use can cause problems such as rolling blackouts during peak hours.

The new study raises the question of whether using west-facing solar panels may help offset some of the power usage during peak hours and provide some relief for the energy grid. More research is planned that will include broadening the region being studied and examining how the pitch of the roof affects solar collection.

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Which Way Should Solar Panels Point?

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Green Label Guide: The How2Recycle Label

by JEVLinwflsatfe Posted on January 3, 2014

A package with a How2Recycle Label. Photo: How2Recycle.info

Think every piece of food and product packaging that bears the chasing arrows recycling symbol can be tossed in the blue bin? It’s a common misconception.

While these items are technically recyclable, they may not be accepted in every recycling program. This can cause confusion and frustration among consumers and may even lead some to skip recycling altogether.

For example, a container made from plastic #5 (polypropylene) may bear the chasing arrows symbol no matter where it’s sold — making people believe that they can recycle it, even if their community’s curbside recycling program accepts only PET and HDPE plastics.

To clear up the chasing arrows confusion once and for all, the Sustainable Packaging Coalition — an industry working group dedicated to environmentally friendly packaging — developed its How2Recycle Label, a straightforward label that gives consumers detailed information about the packaging materials and their proper disposal.

A How2Recycle Label includes recycling information for each element of a package. Photo: How2Recycle.info

The How2Recycle Label program finished its soft launch in 2013 and now has more than 20 participating companies and brands. You may have already noticed the label on products from top names like REI, Kellogg’s, Minute Maid and Seventh Generation.

In easy-to-understand language, the label breaks down what material each piece of packaging is made from and how to recycle it. For example, the label for an HDPE plastic pouch identifies the package as a plastic bag and suggests store drop-off locations as the most prevalent recycling solution. It also advises consumers to make sure the bags are clean and dry before recycling.

Labels on packaging with more than one material clearly identify the elements (such as the paper box and plastic overwrap) and provide recycling guidance for each element. Consumers are also directed to How2Recycle.info for more information.

The Sustainable Packaging Coalition hopes to make How2Recycle a nationally harmonized label that enables the industry to clearly convey to consumers how to recycle a package. The coalition set up a How2Join page to recruit more companies and hopes to have the label on the majority of consumer goods by 2016.

From the Vault: Top 10 Green Labels Guide

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Green Label Guide: The How2Recycle Label

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Last-Minute Gift Idea: Great Video Games You Can Download in Minutes

by ansonsten Posted on December 24, 2013

Mother Jones

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Got a second cousin twice-removed you suddenly remembered to add to your holiday list? You could go the cash money route, but consider slipping in a suggestion to spend that $15 or $20 on one of these game titles playable on a desktop or laptop, or gift the game yourself through Steam, which is like an app store for video games you can play on the computer. (Note that some titles are available only for Mac or Windows.) And you don’t have to be a “gamer” to thoroughly enjoy these games: we’ve picked out titles sure to intrigue a whole host of personality types, from the stoic John Wayne-wannabe to the 90’s obsessed. Get ready to be the coolest aunt/uncle/whatever this xmas.

Kentucky Route Zero

Great for: old souls, Western movie lovers, road trippers

Still from Kentucky Route Zero Cardboard Computer

It starts normally enough: you’re a truck driver for an antique store in town, and you’ve been driving up and down a windy stretch of Kentucky highway trying to make your last delivery for the night and head on home. A wrong turn onto a secret highway steers you into a mysterious, slowly unfolding world that’s equal parts Gabriel Garcia Marquez and No Country For Old Men, with a Bonnie Prince Billy-inflected score, your trusty old hound dog, and a cast of colorful local characters along for the ride. With no combat violence, lots of freeform and pleasantly tangential conversations between characters, and only moderate emphasis on solving puzzles and unraveling the game’s central mystery, the game doesn’t feel like a “game” so much as a meditation on the romantic pull and and shadowy charm of the open road. Note that the game comes out in installments: Acts I and II have been released on the desktop gaming platform Steam. Read more at gaming site Polygon.

Gone Home

Great for: mystery lovers, riot grrrls, the 90’s obsessed

Still from Gone Home Fullbright Company

You know that creepy feeling when you’re in your own house and the lights suddenly go out at night, and you find yourself blindly feeling your way through the one place in the world you’re supposed to know best? Gone Home brilliantly evokes complicated domestic feelings, like coming home after a long time away, or watching your parents and siblings grow and change into people you hardly know, or suspecting that your family history includes a few blindspots perhaps better left in the dark. You’re Katie Greenbriar, a recent college grad just returned from a European summer vacation, and your family moved to a new house while you were traveling. You show up at the new address but no one’s home, which is strange. You begin exploring the huge, cavernous house, hallway by hallway, trying to figure out where everyone is. The game is set in the 90’s, so your missing family members have left behind a slew of riot grrrrl mixtapes, answering machine messages, and newspaper clippings for you to puzzle over. The storyline is gut-punchingly sweet and poignant, with beautifully written plotlines involving teen sexuality, middle-aged restlessness, and both the joys and the terrors of familial devotion. A massively successful, low-budget indie game title from a very small studio, Gone Home is being hailed as a game-changer (ahem) that proves that when it comes to conflict in games, matters of the heart can inflict some seriously deep hit points.

FTL

Great for: stargazers, control freaks, anyone still mourning “Firefly”

Still from FTL Subset Games

Would you cut the power from your medical bay if it meant your shields could be saved? Would you rob a crew member of oxygen if it meant putting out a fire that could end even more lives? These are some of the choices facing you in FTL, where randomly generated encounters with hostile aliens, pirates, and the always-advancing rebel armada mean no two playthroughs are the same. FTL plays almost like a board game where to strategy involves shuffling crewmembers around to tend to shields, weapons, and other ship components as you take turns duking it out with (or flying the hell away from) enemy ships. For that Oregon Trail feel, don’t forget to name your crew after your friends so you can let them know when they’ve been shot/incinerated/captured by pirates.

Botanicula

â&#128;&#139;Great for: Pixar fans, the child-at-heart, the nature lover

Still from Botanicula Amanita Designs

If Charlie Chaplin had stuck around for the digital age, he would have loved Botanicula. The game doesn’t contain a single line of dialog but takes a major cue from the pre-talkies: multitudes of hope and desire are emoted through little gestures and subtle glances, and it’s impossible not to root for the central characters, even if they are just a bunch of bugs. Our heroes—five assorted forest crawlers with little in the way of special abilities or weapons—live happily among the branches and leaves of a lushly glowing tree, but it’s slowly being sucked dry by a malignant spidery force. They skitter around the tree branches trying to diagnose the problem, making their way through a delightful series of scenes and puzzles that evoke a beguiling blend of Alice in Wonderland, PeeWee’s Playhouse, and Pixar movies all at once. A great game experience for the resolutely non-gamer, especially for its widely hailed soundtrack, which perfectly matches the delightfully carnivalesque backdrops and the cutely frenetic animation.

Hotline Miami

Great for: psychopaths, “Drive” lovers, this guy

Still from Hotline Miami Dennaton Games

You wake up to a message on your answering machine telling you to go do some “clean-up work” at a hotel downtown. You drive over, put on a rubber unicorn mask, and proceed to murder every armed thug inside with a combination of baseball bats, machetes, automatic weapons, and your own bare hands. Welcome to Hotline Miami, a neon-lit, 80s-inspired action game as drenched in synth as it is in blood. One wrong move and you’re dead, so expect to replay levels a lot as you puzzle through the perfect way to kill your way through each seedy locale. you’ll also be puzzling through the point behind all this violence thanks to the mysterious messages and masked visitors you receive along the way.

Braid

Great for: art students, the indecisive, anyone with time on their hands

Still from Braid Jonathan Blow

Braid puts you in control of time itself—you can slow things down, freeze, and rewind—as you make your way through a series of increasingly difficult puzzles. Don’t let yourability to rewind away death and failure fool you, though. Braid gets very challenging, particularly for those who just want to stop and admire the beautiful scenery. Stick it through for the story’s mind-bending conclusion, which upends the damsel-in-distress storyline that has persisted in video games from Donkey Kong onward.

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Last-Minute Gift Idea: Great Video Games You Can Download in Minutes

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Organic milk is better for your heart

by Aaleyah William Posted on December 11, 2013

Organic milk is better for your heart

By

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Your diet is probably loaded with too many omega-6 fatty acids and not enough of the omega-3 variety. Westerners often consume 10 to 15 times as many of the former as of the latter — but doctors say that for a healthy heart, the ratio should be more like 2.3 omega-6 to 1 omega-3.

A peer-reviewed study funded in part by the organic milk industry has revealed that organic dairy in the diet can help right this imbalance.

Scientists studied nearly 400 milk samples from 14 American dairies over 18 months and discovered that the fatty-acid ratios were nearly ideal in organic milk. In nonorganic milk, not so much. For every 2.5 grams or so of omega-6 fatty acids in a glass of organic milk, the researchers found 1 gram of omega-3. Compare that to a fatty-acid ratio of 6 to 1 in milk from cows raised by nonorganic dairies.

The New York Times reports:

Drinking whole organic milk “will certainly lessen the risk factor for cardiovascular disease,” said the study’s lead author, Charles M. Benbrook, a research professor at Washington State University’s Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources.

“All milk is healthy and good for people,” he continued, “but organic milk is better, because it has a more favorable balance of these fatty acids” — omega-3, typically found in fish and flaxseed, versus omega-6, which is abundant in many fried foods like potato chips.

“In my judgment, the benefits from this healthy balance of fatty acids in organic milk is the most significant nutritional benefit demonstrated so far for organic food,” Benbrook told The Seattle Times.

What gives? Why would organically managed cows produce healthier milk than others? The key is the diet. Here is the explanation in the paper, which was published Monday in the journal PLOS ONE:

Milk from cows consuming significant amounts of grass and legume-based forages contains higher concentrations of [omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid] than milk from cows lacking routine access to pasture and fed substantial quantities of grains, especially corn. …

The U.S. National Organic Program (NOP) requires that lactating cows on certified organic farms receive at least 30% of daily Dry Matter Intake (DMI) from pasture during that portion of the year when pasture grasses and legumes are actively growing, with a minimum of 120 days per year.

So the next time somebody tells you there’s no evidence that any organic foods are more healthful than others, just give them a big, wet, forgiving kiss with milk-mustachioed lips.


Source
More Helpful Fatty Acids Found in Organic Milk, The New York Times
Organic Production Enhances Milk Nutritional Quality by Shifting Fatty Acid Composition: A United States–Wide, 18-Month Study, PLOS ONE
New WSU study suggests organic milk may be more heart-healthy, The Seattle Times

John Upton is a science fan and green news boffin who tweets, posts articles to Facebook, and blogs about ecology. He welcomes reader questions, tips, and incoherent rants: johnupton@gmail.com.

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4 Ways to Have the Greenest Christmas Tree

by Traci B. Jackson Posted on December 2, 2013

Decorating an outside tree is just one way you can have a greener holiday season. Photo: Shutterstock

‘Tis the season to start looking for the perfect tree to light up your home for the holidays.

Since most Christmas trees are grown on reputable farms, live trees are now a more eco-friendly option than artificial trees, which are made from nonrecyclable materials. But if you’re looking to go even greener this season, there are other sustainable options available.

Rent a Live Tree

Many nurseries now offer the option to rent out live trees, and some even come fully decorated. The renter simply waters the tree throughout the season, then takes it back to the nursery to be cared for until the next year.

Get a Plantable Bulb

No tree-renting nurseries near you? Why not get a plantable bulb tree? After the holidays, you can plant it outdoors, further lowering your carbon footprint.

Decorate an Outside Tree

Decorate your yard and your tree at the same time by planting and decorating an outside Christmas tree. Another perk — you get to appreciate it year-round, not just during the holidays.

Recycle

If you’re still inclined to get a cut tree, there are several recycling options available. Leftover trees can be used for mulch, erosion, habitat creation and more. Check out our treecycling search to find a recycling option near you.

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4 Ways to Have the Greenest Christmas Tree

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In a Bean, a Boon to Biotech

by Dave Max Posted on November 15, 2013

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Codex: Eldar – Games Workshop

Codex: Eldar is your comprehensive guide to wielding the deadly warhosts of the Craftworld Eldar upon the battlefields of the 41 st Millennium. This volume details the craftworlds of the Eldar, and the different types of army they field. The Eldar embody excellence in the arts of war, from their psychic might to their deadly aircraft, and their ranks co […]

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Codex: Inquisition – Games Workshop

The Inquisition is the most powerful organisation within the Imperium. Bound by no Imperial law or authority, its agents – Inquisitors – operate in a highly secretive manner and answer only to themselves. Inquisitors use whatever means are necessary in order to safeguard the Imperium from heretics, mutants and aliens. It is not without good reason that Inqui […]

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Codex: Inquisition (eBook Edition) – Games Workshop

The Inquisition is the most powerful organisation within the Imperium. Bound by no Imperial law or authority, its agents – Inquisitors – operate in a highly secretive manner and answer only to themselves. Inquisitors use whatever means are necessary in order to safeguard the Imperium from heretics, mutants and aliens. It is not without good reason that Inqui […]

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Codex: Space Marines (Enhanced Edition) – Games Workshop

The Space Marines are the chosen warriors of the Emperor, and the greatest fighting force of the Imperium. Each Space Marine is a genetically enhanced super soldier, easily a match for a dozen lesser men, armed with some of the deadliest weapons in the galaxy and encased in formidable power armour. This codex explores the formations and Chapters of the Space […]

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Duct Tape Your Heart Out! – Leisure Arts & Patti Wallenfang

With today’s colorful duct tape and the fun projects in this book, you can craft to your heart’s content! Dress up school stuff and rain gear, make hip headphones and a purse or wallet, give new life to old shoes, bend covered coax cable into wall art words, and create unique jewelry to share with friends. These ideas are irresistible! Step-by-step photos an […]

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How to Raise the Perfect Dog – Cesar Millan & Melissa Jo Peltier

From the bestselling author and star of National Geographic Channel’s Dog Whisperer , the only resource you’ll need for raising a happy, healthy dog. For the millions of people every year who consider bringing a puppy into their lives–as well as those who have already brought a dog home–Cesar Millan, the preeminent dog behavior expert, says, “Yes, […]

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Codex: Adepta Sororitas – Games Workshop

The Adepta Sororitas, also known as the Sisters of Battle, are an elite sisterhood of warriors raised from infancy to adore the Emperor of Mankind. Their fanatical devotion and unwavering purity is a bulwark against corruption, heresy and alien attack, and once battle has been joined they will stop at nothing until their enemies are utterly crushed In this b […]

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Paracord Fusion Ties – Volume 2 – J.D. Lenzen

Paracord Fusion Ties – Volume 2 (PFT-V2) is the second installment in the paracord fusion ties book series and another stunning achievement by author J.D. Lenzen. Like Paracord Fusion Ties – Volume 1, PFT-V2 reveals innovative and stylish ways of storing paracord for later use. So once again you’ll find crisp, clear, full-color photographs (over 1,000 i […]

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The Art of Raising a Puppy (Revised Edition) – Monks of New Skete

For more than thirty years the Monks of New Skete have been among America’s most trusted authorities on dog training, canine behavior, and the animal/human bond. In their two now-classic bestsellers, How to be Your Dog’s Best Friend and The Art of Raising a Puppy, the Monks draw on their experience as long-time breeders of German shepherds and as t […]

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Warhammer 40,000: The Rules – Games Workshop

There is no time for peace. No respite. No forgiveness. There is only WAR. In the nightmare future of the 41st Millennium, Mankind teeters upon the brink of destruction. The galaxy-spanning Imperium of Man is beset on all sides by ravening aliens and threatened from within by Warp-spawned entities and heretical plots. Only the strength of the immortal […]

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In a Bean, a Boon to Biotech

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Electric Companies Not Basking in Solar’s Power

by Trena0087ty Posted on October 22, 2013

Six out of 10 major homebuilders are now offering solar options on new home construction. Photo: MorgueFile/Jusben

In today’s increasingly energy-conscious world, solar power continues gaining popularity. The Solar Energy Industries Association reports that consumer demand has grown nearly 60 percent in 2013. As more options appear, customers who want to wean themselves from fossil fuel dependence or live off the grid may find it an appealing alternative to traditional energy resources.

In some areas of the U.S., entire communities are exploring the idea of solar power cooperatives to help make this natural energy source more affordable. Around the world, the overwhelming interest in solar is rapidly changing the economics — both to the benefit and the detriment of consumers.

Until very recently, solar panels were a relatively expensive way to harness the free power of the sun, particularly when coupled with installations costs. Most consumers understood that retrofitting a home for solar meant taking on a significant debt, with the understanding that it would take about half the lifespan of the panels to recoup the purchase price.

But with new technology offering more access to solar, consumers have greater flexibility in how they can use this power source. And that is changing the way many electric companies are approaching energy delivery.

Next page: New Lease on Power

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Electric Companies Not Basking in Solar’s Power

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3 Green Places to Shop from the Comfort of Your Computer

by kx93z6g Posted on October 21, 2013

You’ll be happy shopping online with these green sites. Photo: Shutterstock

With claims of “green” and “natural” not always what they seem, shopping for environmentally friendly products takes equal parts research, skepticism and patience. Online, where it’s not always easy to read the “fine print,” it can become even trickier. But some sites out there are making it easier for consumers who want to make a difference when they’re making a purchase. Here are three worth checking out:

Vine.com
Vine.com has high standards and features “boutiques” that are dedicated to products that have been certified local, organic, gluten-free, Fair Trade, cruelty-free, etc. The array of products ranges from health and beauty to fitness gear to groceries, apparel and kid stuff. Plus, two-day shipping is free when you spend $49 or more.

Drugstore.com
Not everything on Drugstore.com is green and natural — unless you shop the Green & Natural Store. Check the tabs at the top of the page to find the Green & Natural store, and you’ll open the door to more than 7,600 products that include baby, beauty, pet and skin care. There’s a huge selection of natural vitamins and supplements, and you can shop for on-sale items to get the biggest savings.

Hipcycle.com
If you’re into upcycled shopping, prepare to fall in love. Hipcycle.com boasts tons of cool products, from housewares and furniture to apparel and jewelry, that have been reinvented for a second act. (And it just might give you new ideas of what to do with some things around your house!) Shipping is free for most orders over $49.

Empty Grey Goose vodka bottles provided the material for these upcycled glass bangles. Photo: Hipcycle.com

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3 Green Places to Shop from the Comfort of Your Computer

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IKEA’s Next Bright Idea: Sell Solar Panels

by gjrrkjujp Posted on October 15, 2013

IKEA has installed solar panels on nearly 300 stores worldwide and will begin selling home solar panels in the U.K. in 2014. Photo: Volodymyr Kyrylyuk/Shutterstock

The world’s largest do-it-yourself home furnishings retailer is about to put something new on the shelves: solar panels. IKEA recently announced that it will begin selling solar panels in the U.K. through a partnership with Hanergy Solar Group, a Hong Kong–based company that produces thin film solar panels. But don’t worry, the panels won’t be a DIY adventure accompanied by IKEA’s famous illustrated, wordless instructions: Hanergy will also provide consultation, installation and maintenance services.

IKEA has already made its commitment to solar very clear, installing more than half a million panels on nearly 300 stores globally, including about 40 in the U.S. The company — which has previously shown its commitment to green initiatives by selling energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs and offering consumer recycling programs — says it will source all its energy from renewable sources by 2020.

The U.K. provides a logical starting point for IKEA’s solar panel sales. Solar energy there has become more mainstream and installations have more than doubled since the end of 2011, according to government figures, thanks to a combination of lower prices and state subsidies. IKEA began a “test run” of solar panel sales in July, and based on the success of that program, decided to launch its solar panel division in mid-2014. Presently, the store sells about one solar panel system every day, according to IKEA.

The standard 3.36-kW systems will power an average three-bedroom home and slash its energy costs. The systems will sell for about $9,200, and it will take an average of seven years for the system to pay for itself, according to the information released by IKEA. A leasing option will also be available.

At this time, IKEA has not announced plans to begin solar panel sales in the U.S. However, in June, it announced plans to add two dozen charging stations for electric vehicles at U.S. IKEA locations, bringing the total number to 55.

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IKEA’s Next Bright Idea: Sell Solar Panels

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College Students Compete to Create Best Solar-Powered Home

by silownie_zewnetrzne_krone Posted on October 10, 2013

Phil Horton of the Arizona State University and University of New Mexico team gives a tour of the SHADE house at the Solar Decathlon 2013, held at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, Calif. Photo: Stefano Paltera/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon

They may not sprint, throw a javelin or pole vault, but an accomplished group of students is showing that they’re decathletes ready to go the distance — in the sport of creating solar-powered homes, that is.

They’re currently in the midst of the 2013 Solar Decathlon, organized by the U.S. Department of Energy biennially since 2002. The competition challenges teams from colleges across the U.S. — and a few from abroad — to design and build a solar-powered home that’s affordable, energy efficient, marketable and attractive.

The 20 entries this year include features like edible walls, a walkway that heats your home, digital art, siding that converts smog to nitric acid and even movable units to create a private backyard. Like a traditional decathlon, there are 10 contests that make up the Solar Decathlon — the houses are judged on everything from architecture and market appeal to affordability and how well the designs accommodate the pleasures of living, such as sharing meals with friends and family, watching movies in a home theater and surfing the Web. In other words, it’s about style and substance — who can create the most innovative overall package.

Next page: Preparing for the competition

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College Students Compete to Create Best Solar-Powered Home

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