Lets Use blackle instead of google.com

www.blackle.com/

How is Blackle saving energy?

Blackle was created by Heap Media to remind us all of the need to take small steps in our everyday lives to save energy. Blackle searches are powered by Google Custom Search.

Blackle saves energy because the screen is predominantly black. "Image displayed is primarily a function of the user's color settings and desktop graphics, as well as the color and size of open application windows; a given monitor requires more power to display a white (or light) screen than a black (or dark) screen." Roberson et al, 2002

In January 2007 a blog post titled Black Google Would Save 750 Megawatt-hours a Year proposed the theory that a black version of the Google search engine would save a fair bit of energy due to the popularity of the search engine. Since then there has been skepticism about the significance of the energy savings that can be achieved and the cost in terms of readability of black web pages.

We believe that there is value in the concept because even if the energy savings are small, they all add up. Secondly we feel that seeing Blackle every time we load our web browser reminds us that we need to keep taking small steps to save energy.
How can you help?

We encourage you to set Blackle as your home page (Ctrl+D). This way every time you load your Internet browser you will save a little bit of energy. Remember every bit counts! You will also be reminded about the need to save energy each time you see the Blackle page load.

Help us spread the word about Blackle by telling your friends and family to set it as their home page. If you have a blog then give us a mention. Or put the following text in your email signature: "Blackle.com - Saving energy one search at a time".

Have a look at our energy saving tips page for ideas on steps you can take to save energy.

There are a lot of great web sites about saving energy and being more environmentally friendly. They are full of great tips covering the little things that we can all do to make a difference today. Try Blackling "energy saving tips" or visit one of the many great blogs dedicated to environmental awareness.

Thanks this is good information rather than a worthless ad

This site is still using google though ... ?

But its black so it uses less energy

Interesting. Thanks for the info .

it is using googles customised search

I like this one better(I know it is not quite as dark):
http://www.07designs.com/gdark/

Turns out Thomas is right as usual.

This is only true for CRT monitors and for LCD monitors it actually takes more energy to display the black pixel.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/08/ten_things_you.php

the concept was pretty good, but really need more research.

Also, if everybody was using newtech lamps we could save 1000 times what blackl.com would save as energy.
Or if we just (all in the world) Switched off everything that has power for only 1 minut at the same time ! imagine what would it do !

but consuming less also means no $$$ circling... but its an other problem

I am sure this is a pointless advertsiment for some random company. It still uses google so there is no point in boycotting google. Pixels are pixels, how can it make a difference?

Jacob.

After reading all the posts I'm beginning to feel that this 'energy-saving' business is just a marketing angle. I remember that another search engine [Gigablast.com] also mentions something similar on its website. I think it's the latest means of attracting users .

I checked out this blacken engine -- it uses google, but doesn't offer an 'image search', at least not like the way google does...

Again, a pointless ad.

Jacob.

Got a stick up your ass?


This would be the best option since you can still use the real google, and you probably could easily change the colors, i'm just not to familiar with the GreaseMonkey script


Great article, found it really interesting, and helpful. Now I can shove it in peoples faces that they really AREN'T doing anything to save energy



I hate to break it to you, but shutting everything down for one minute probably wouldn't do anything, considering there are alot of electrical items that take MORE power to turn on than to just leave on. So I think after all is said and done, that the energy savings would either be nothing (as if turning everything off never happened) or it would be so minuscule on a global level that it would have wasted everyones time, and that whole minute everyone could have been thinking of a better way to save energy rather than site there in the dark for 60 seconds.

i think its not a pointless ad, even if its a marketing idea, its still a pretty good one. I mean some people are trying to make a difference in something (not necessarily energy crisis). And by using it you wouldnt be boycotting google, its powered by google...so really it seems more like a attempt to conserve energy to me. Somebody wouldnt just come out and say they are a search powered by google if they wanted to be a huge search website company...

Maybe you have not thought of this but if you are using CRT monitor , than blackle is good for you and if you are using LCD just visit google if you really intend on saving some energy. Otherwise it doesn't matter.

Even though it's a good idea... it backfired on some

Saving the environment is actually a kick ass idea... in any market.

Talking about light, and environment, well i did an exam 2 weeks ago about a company selling new 'light' styles, that consumes less and stay 'alive' 10x longer and cost around 3x less.

You would be amazed to see how much their 'business figure' (don't know if its how you say it in english, well its their income via sales (not what they made directly on their pockets but what it came after the sales) EXPLODED.

Environment is the key !

_____


I never did the math.. but you need to imagine.

Well the electrical material that you are about to shut off and put back on is going to be turned off / on anyway. So you do not need to take in consideration the amount energy your product is going to take while shutting off or setting it on. (its like, if you did what i say in the morning, your product is OFF already... well instead of putting it on dirrectly.. WAIT... wait for a minute or two, and lets everybody wait, at the same time)

But, staying OFF for a minut means NOT taking any amount of energy, can you just imagine what it'll do ?
Its a simple / boring math, lets work with LIGHTS only because its something we are SURE everyone uses.

you need values, people in a square foot, people using light in a square foot, amount of time the light is used in this square foot, convert this amount in KW, multiply this amount by the square foots of a specific area.

Stats can be found on the web, but in the WORLD... its huge, and even ... set it off for 5 minutes ! can you imagine ! its like when they did this Bike in paris thing, (no cars allowed in paris for a day) do that math...

Simply it just consumes less. a lot less.

Solar ftw!



Source: http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=23052

That's why solar power is such a good idea

this is a stupid idea.

lets put our energy into peeing in the ocean while criminals run rampant and get their faces on the cover of Forbes.

how much energy would we save if we just ended the war in iraq? how much energy would we save if we spend that trillion dollars on research?

this is what we've come to? that we should look at a black screen over white?

oh right, every little bit helps. so lets waste time legitimizing this idea rather than talking about ideas that would make this one moot.

this is an idea thought of by stupid people and endorsing it makes one a fool.

nothing personal. sorry to spoil your happy happy joy joy, we are the world, flotsam for thinking hogwash.

from now on i'm running my air conditioner even in winter. let the bastards that suck the life blood out of the common man make a sacrifice for a change.

Basically everyone here is agreeing with that. No need to get hostile.

ironside ... suicidal ?

I read lots of anger out of your post (not judging) i also think the iraq war was kind of stupid... but huh ? yes yes 3 trillion dollars spent... but hey, you know how much they go in Oil since the war started... you really think the US gov did not take a little bit of iraq's petrol ?

Oh and latest news, Iraq is allowing people to 'buy' some of them petrol factory... US is going to buy a lot of them... yes US spends lots of money, yes they are playing dumb... but even knowing that Bush is really really a stupid moron, i still think he is not THAT stupid to waste 3 trillion over nothing. Something is behind this.. that the US will enjoy.. at some point.

As for Solar energy... i am totally up to this, but is it expensive ? i mean, yes it takes energy from the sun, but how much to build it ?

Thanks for the info mate

no doubt is was for oil. but the "US" isn't going to benefit from it, a handful of private companies will and are. it was all designed to make billions for cheney and his croonies. look up haliburton and the carlyle group just to start off and you'll begin to understand what that war is all about.

yes there was a lot of anger in my post. it actually wasn't directed towards the OP, my anger stems from the people and places that float these ideas to begin with. because they are often designed to distract people from analyzing and addressing the real, underlying issues. they are often started by the very people that are screwing us and they play upon a person's willingness to help and sacrifice, like the OP, who i'm sure is a decent person who genuinely wants to help make this a better world.
in short they are designed to manipulate.

Well the US citizens are actually pure benefits of that petrol... you should really... really take a look at the price of gaz in France or in overall Europe before you speak...

Gas price in the world

USA is... far.. really far behind and i believe it is because you have MUCH more resources than we 'Europeans' do...so the war benefits... even if the price is higher... you guys still benefit...

Do you know when the fuel going to run out?

you are so far from being a dude it ain't funny.

but you are.

i am lost on the way you use 'DUDE', (same on the other post where people talked about the word dude) can you please translate that to real english... (knowing that im french is its already hard to understand)



I don't think there is track of that, it really depends on how much people consume, but most people say in 30 to 40 years we will not have enough gas to give to the whole world.

What is happening is that there is less... and less... oil in the world, you have to understand that OIL is not only for GAS but for many other things such as plastic... toys and such...

Knowing that the population is growing all over the world and somehow poor countries find a way to have cars and more and more childs are born and more and more people drive around the glob we all consume more OIL than before and its growing and growing... we build things, use oil, we drive, use oil, we play, use oil, we want warm houses ? we use oil... so basically :

more people = more we consume
more the time goes = less oil we have

In a certain time estimated to 30 to 40 years we will run out

We seriously need to find ways to live without it.

I just liked the idea that everyone in the world turn off their lights for an hour (back a month or so ago). I did it, as did millions of people.

They should do that once a month or something, as it really doesn't have an effect on people.

And Mr Touz - "Dude" is another way to say "Man"

Like

"Hey, man, whats up!"

or "Man, you look awesome today!"

except alot of people in america use Dude... Like "Hey, dude, whats up!" and "Dude, you look awesome today!"

Better?

who stuck the stick up your ass?

Very good website. I liked it very much. Comments from http://www.valentineday.in

Sorry for the off topic, but that's the most epic post I've seen here on zymic XD

Technically now with the modern monitors we have this will not save any electricity. All pixels on modern monitors use the equal amount of watts no matter what color it is. Good attempt, but it wont save the planet.

Hey Buddy, Blackle uses black light which uses a lot more energy than any other type of lights. So I don't think blackle is helping the planet.

I know its using black light, because the white is visible. Else we couldn't see anything.

This is pointless for people with LCD screens, as the still use energy to light dark pixels, try turning your lights off with the monitor black and you will see it kinda gives off a green glow. It works if you use CRT's though, they don't use energy on black pixels.