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Saving Energy Starts at Home

Suburban families go on a strict low-carbon diet.

/2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-01-714.jpg /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-60-01.jpg Photograph by Tyrone Turner http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1203299 /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-02-714.jpg /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-60-02.jpg Photograph by Tyrone Turner /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-03-714.jpg /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-60-03.jpg Photograph by Tyrone Turner http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1203294 /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-04-714.jpg /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-60-04.jpg Photograph by Tyrone Turner http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1203296 /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-05-714.jpg /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-60-05.jpg Photograph by Tyrone Turner You Get to Read the Paper Too Commuters on a Metrorail train contribute only half as much CO2 to the atmosphere as drivers on the Beltway around Washington, D.C. For every mile on the road, an average American car—often carrying just one or two people—pumps a pound of CO2 into the sky. Emissions from operating an electric train (mainly from coal-fired power plants) are spread among thousands of riders.]]> /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-06-714.jpg /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-60-06.jpg Photograph by Tyrone Turner /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-07-714.jpg /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-60-07.jpg Photograph by Tyrone Turner Doing Less Harm in Flight Because aircraft exhaust is released at high altitude, scientists say it has a greater impact on climate than the same emissions at ground level. At a General Electric test site in Peebles, Ohio, technicians check connections before firing up a GEnx-2B development engine. Built with carbon-fiber parts, the test model uses less fuel and produces 15 percent less CO2 than predecessors.]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1203295 /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-08-714.jpg /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-60-08.jpg Photograph by Tyrone Turner Bringing the Farm to the City If tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, strawberries, pumpkins, and other crops can grow on a barge in the Hudson River, then why not on New York City rooftops? That was the idea behind the Science Barge, a prototype of a carbon-neutral hydroponic farm that saves energy by eliminating the need for transportation.]]> http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1203297 /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-09-475.jpg /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-60-09.jpg Photograph by Tyrone Turner http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1203301 /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-10-714.jpg /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-60-10.jpg Photograph by Tyrone Turner http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1203306 /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-11-475.jpg /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-60-11.jpg Photograph by Tyrone Turner http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1203300 /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-12-714.jpg /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-60-12.jpg Photograph by Tyrone Turner http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1203291 /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-13-714.jpg /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-60-13.jpg Photograph by Tyrone Turner A Green Dream House After a monster tornado swept away their home in 2007, Jill and Scott Eller of Greensburg, Kansas, decided to rebuild using a more efficient design. Their new house, constructed from structural insulated panels like the one Jill is holding, is expected to be much more airtight than standard wood-frame houses. As a bonus, the domes should deflect all but the strongest of winds.]]> /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-14-714.jpg /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-60-14.jpg Photograph by Tyrone Turner /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-15-714.jpg /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-60-15.jpg Photograph by Tyrone Turner The Missing Power Plant Instead of building a new 730-megawatt facility like the Decker Power Plant, the Austin, Texas, electric utility reduced demand by the same amount through rebates on energy-saving appliances and other programs. "Go into any store in Austin, and you can't buy an inefficient air conditioner," says general manager Roger Duncan (above). "They just stopped stocking them."]]> /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-16-475.jpg /2009/03/energy-conservation/img/energy-60-16.jpg Photograph by Tyrone Turner http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/natgeo?photo_name=1203305