Capitol View: November 7, 2007 Archive

Blogging titans face off

Posted at 6:57 AM on November 7, 2007 by Bob Collins (1 Comments)

Eric Black at Eric Black Ink calls out mega-blogger Michael Brodkorb. But not so fast you liberal versions of MDE. He's talking about you, too.

Presumably, the most partisan will disagree with his points, but, hopefully, not miss the respect with which they were delivered.

And picking up the phone before writing a post? These ink-stained wretches!

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Baby steps at the Capitol

Posted at 2:56 PM on November 7, 2007 by Bob Collins (1 Comments)

I consider myself a relatively earth-friendly sort. I drive 55 mph. I don't pour my used motor oil down the storm drain... anymore. I shut the TVs off in the newsroom when I leave. I try to do my part, without deluding myself into attributing more impact to my actions than reality suggests.

So it's difficult for me to watch how being "green" has become good business and good politics, especially those cases where "baby steps" are paraded as significant steps. Take the NBC-Universal "green week" this week. Color your logo green for a week, throw a couple of B-grade actors on every half hour for 30 seconds to tell you to turn down the thermostat, and voila...you're an environmentalist! And you don't even have to really do anything but cash the check from the advertiser who wanted to be perceived as green too.

Politicians are figuring this out.

On Wednesday afternoon, for example, Gov. Tim Pawlenty, in his role as chair of the National Governor's Association, touted "Securing a Clean Energy Future." Minnesota and Kansas will become the first states to:

* Pledge to purchase high-efficiency computer equipment that meets or exceeds federal ENERGY STAR ratings;

* Optimize existing computer systems by educating employees about more efficient and effective computer power management strategies, such as better using hibernation and sleep modes; and

*Ensure in subsequent years states purchase computing equipment with increasing levels of efficiency.

It sounds like a really big deal with far-reaching consequences. But, it's not.

The goal is to reduce PC power usage by 50% among state-owned computers. Easy enough to do by doing nothing since the energy use of PCs and laptops is coming down.

But let's do the math and pretend it's not. A typical desktop PC uses between 65 and 250 watts. With an LCD monitor, it uses about 160 watts. According to this cool online calculator, this would use 119 kilowatt hours per month, at a cost of about $114 a year.

The state buys 4,000 PCs a year, according to the governor. Based on a three-year life (we're using standard numbers here for a typical organization. The actual state usage and numbers may be different.), let's say the state owns 12,000 PCs. Assuming a two-week vacation for each employee -- and no government shutdown -- the total PC power used per year would be 1,820,000 kwh if the computers were never shut off. .

The goal is to reduce that by 50% under the initiative announced at a news conference by the governor. So the goal is saving 910,000 kilowatt hours a year. A barrel of oil produces about 500 kwh of electricity. So we're talking 1,820 barrels of oil saved through this initiative over the course of a year.

Is this a significant number? Not really, especially when saying "I'm going to buy computers that use less energy," is like saying, "I'm not going to buy a computer with a 386 processor anymore."

One barrel of oil makes 19.6 gallons of gasoline. 1,820 barrels of oil is equivalent to 35,672 gallons of gasoline for your car. An average car, driven 15,000 miles a year, getting 25 miles per gallon will use 600 gallons of gasoline this year. So the governor's announcement -- even if it were to be implemented right now (which it won't be) -- will equal taking 59 cars off Minnesota roads for a year. Since only a third of computers are replaced a year, the story here is that the National Governor's Association initiative is going to save the equivalent of the energy used by 20 cars a year in Minnesota.

Nice, but as the polar bears might say, "big whoop."

And only two states have bought into this?

(Added tidbits: In case you were wondering, MPR has been replacing PCs with Energy Star-rated laptops for about a year now, with IBM Lenovo ThinkPads. They use only 22 watts. And, you know, it's not going to take much to meet the Mn/KS goal, since it's getting tough to fire a gun in a computer aisle and not hit an energy compliant PC or laptop. See list.)

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Michelle Obama raises 160k for her husband's campaign

Posted at 6:00 PM on November 7, 2007 by Tom Scheck

The wife of Illinois Senator Barack Obama held a fundraiser in Minneapolis today for her husband's campaign. Organizers say 500 people attended Michelle Obama's fundraiser at the Minneapolis Hilton. She raised $160 thousand for Barack Obama's presidential campaign. After the fundraiser, Mrs. Obama also visited Hope Community, a low income housing complex that encourages neighborhood involvement. Mrs. Obama did not take questions from reporters but said community organizers are vital to getting people's voices heard during a political campaign.

"When Barack talks, he talks about election and campaigns as a community organizing exercise. That you can't talk in the abstact about change. Change just doesn't happen just because you wake up and you're mad."

This is Michelle Obama's first visit to Minnesota.