Technology, Tools & Resources

• How can usability and design impact our world in a sustainable way?
• What does sustainability have to do with usability?
• What are you doing to help sustain our world?
• Are there some activities that encourage us to make better use of our resources?

An environmentally sustainable organization is cognizant of its use of energy, water waste generation and removal.

Vampire Power - The Unnecessary Thirst for Electrons

We have become a wasteful society--not necessarily purposely but more out of ignorance and carelessness. We can argue over some of our waste (do people really need to USB dogs that "hump" your computer?) but it's almost universally clear and agreed that electricity burning through power adapters and appliances not attached to anything is just a shame. It's called Vampire Power because those two metal prongs hook into the electrical grid and suck electricity like two little fangs.

Try this experiment: run around your house or apartment and count the number of things plugged-into a power outlet (including everything attached to a power strip) that isn't always on (like your refrigerator). You can discount--for now--any appliance you can't reach the plug for because it's built in (like a microwave oven built into a stove or cabinet). Don't forget to check the bathroom (shavers and electric toothbrushes) the garage (any number of tools), and even storage closets and cupboards (rechargeable batteries and tools). Check outside, too. The number will probably surprise you but not as much as the little known fact that all of those items are drawing power--whether you're using them or not.

That's right, not using a device like a DVD player or microwave doesn't mean it's not using electricity--even if it's not "on." Worse, still, is that fact that those transformers or "wall warts" continue to draw power even when they aren't attached to the thing they're supposed to be charging. The amount can vary greatly. Very new devices--especially in California--will draw the least because of new laws coming on line. These might draw less than a watt an hour. Most devices, however, can draw between 2 and 15 watts an hour with the oldest products drawing the most. Even when off, many appliances can draw from 2-7 watts, such as a DVD player or microwave oven. Transformers can draw up to 5 watts even when they're not plugged into anything. This is just electricity that burns into heat and nothing more and that's why it's such a waste.

So, take 5 watts as an average and multiply that by the number of devices you have plugged into your outlets and multiply it by the number of hours they're unused. If you don't want to think about how long they're used or not, just multiply it by 24 since it's likely that the majority of time, your devices aren't being used. This total will likely surprise you.

Now, ask your peers at work to do the same experiment. Next, call your parents and ask them to do the same. You'll quickly see that this is a common problem and one that adds-up quickly.

Now, I'm not telling you that you should stop using electrical devices. I'm not even suggesting that you should cut-back on your TV watching, microwave cooking, or computer time. I'm only suggesting that if we all unplugged devices when we aren't using them--especially those with digital clocks that aren't even set to the correct time--we would have a significant impact on the energy use in our communities. It's that simple and that's what I mean by unnecessary waste.

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