An instagram snapshot of our society today would show just how technology driven our lives have become, and it’s pretty incredible. Text messages, emails, photos and mobile apps all make up the massive amount of digital data that we beam to one another everyday. The growth rate for all of this data is increasing exponentially, making now more timely than ever for technology companies to give considerable attention to finding environmentally friendly ways to process and store our data.

The companies I am referring to are the likes of Intel, Amazon, Apple and other big tech firms who provide processing technology and homes to our precious bits and bytes.

Intel recently released their next generation of Atom processors, built to crunch data within storage facilities more efficiently than any previous generation of processor. The Atom CPU is the world’s first 6-watt System on a Chip built to retain data center features so that data storage facilities can continue to operate with the functionality of more power hungry chips. Compare the 6-watt Atom family in 2013 to the 40-watt Intel Xeon chips that began usage in 2006 to get an idea of the difference in energy consumption and progress that has been made.

Likewise, Apple and Amazon are competing for attention in the environment-friendly-sphere with Apple building the first data center to achieve LEED Platinum Certification  Their Maiden, NC data facility was granted the cachet by the U.S. Green Building Counsel through the usage of renewable energy sources such as solar power and air cooling as well as taking advantage of high-efficiency LED lighting and motion sensors.

As a society, we are increasing the amount of activity we rely on the web for, thus the more responsibility we place on very large data centers to steward the information we want to keep private and accessible. That requires energy. Lots of energy, and we’re pretty satisfied to see the progress and efficiency gains being made in the industry.

// Featured server room photo – CC by Torkild Retvedt

Energy availability is the linchpin of our society, allowing communities to function as a whole unit. The consequence of an immensely active metropolitan is the overwhelming demand on the electrical infrastructure. Such is the case in Chicago, IL. as outlined in an initiative by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to reform the lighting solution throughout the buildings of the city.

Officially titled “Retrofit Chicago”, Mayor Emanuel is expanding a previous initiative from the private/residential sector into the commercial sphere, noting the potential for even greater mass efficiency improvements throughout the city.

“Our efforts in the public sector will save over $20 million a year in wasted energy costs while creating more than 1,000 jobs.” said Mayor Emanuel in a statement last week, complimenting the energy savings info with the benefits to the local work force. Given these statistics, it looks like Chicago is swiftly becoming one of the most green and economically competitive cities in the country.

The initial sign on of 14 of the windy cities buildings, totaling 14 million square feet, accompany the existing municipal buildings in the Retrofit Chicago venture. It’s worth mentioning that this is  part of a greater effort from the Department of Energy to collaborate and come up with effective solutions for energy efficiency. In his first term, President Obama started the Better Buildings Challenge to help launch a nationwide recognition for responsible energy usage from commercial buildings in America. The Challenge earns its cachet with the participation from Chicago, among several other major cities and organizations.

If your one of the hundreds of millions of people in the world who do not live on “the grid”, it could be renewable energy. IRENA, the International Renewable Energy Association has released a policy brief with guidelines on how developing nations (and all of us, really) can make a smart and cost effective effort to providing power to their populace.

IRENAs address to policy makers provides a rich set of data for governments to roll out solutions to the increasing energy demands of the world. Of course, in order for a government to take advantage of these methods their environment must support the requirements, such as an on or off shore high wind area, large bodies of water or exposure to large areas of unobstructed sunlight. Fortunately, the collection and distribution infrastructure costs for all of the methods outlined are at an all time low.

Some of the highlights of the address are pasted below:

• Biomass power generation has become competitive wherever low-cost agricultural or forestry waste is available, with the most competitive projects producing electricity for as little as USD $0.06/kWh.
• Concentrating solar power, in which mirrors focus light over a large area into a central generator, has seen costs drop to as little as USD $0.14/kWh.
• Hydropower, currently the world’s largest source of renewable energy, today often provides the lowest cost electricity of any generation source.
• Solar photovoltaics (PV), which has seen rapid development over the past two years, is set to achieve grid parity with residential electricity tariffs in many locations around the world. PV costs typically range from USD $0.16 to $0.36/kWh.
• The most competitive onshore wind power sites can deliver electricity costs at as little as USD $0.04/kWh, making wind power the cheapest electricity option in many places.

It’s important for us to know how our products are being used out in the world, but  we feel it is even more important for our customers to understand our intents and purposes as a provider of premium solutions to the worlds clean lighting needs. Our lighting products are used in several countries around the world. To illuminate some of the most common practical uses of our products, we have compiled a brief outline of typical usage scenarios and how some organizations and individuals are benefiting from Seesmart products.

  Commercial: Parking Garages, Class rooms

In the commercial sector, some of the large scale retrofits we have implemented occur in multi-level parking garages. Facility managers are increasingly seeking greater lighting solutions to their parking facilities to not only improve cost efficiency, but also improve the lighting quality. We’re proud to have our LED lights providing illumination for large customers like Pasadena City College and Bank of America. I was present after the installation at the Pasadena City College parking garage, and had a conversation with one of the security guards regarding how much better he could see the VIN numbers on parked vehicles due to the brighter and whiter lights. Additionally, car owners felt safer walking to and from their cars as shadowy areas of the garage had become more illuminated.

    

  Industrial: Food Processing Facilities, Warehouses

We receive inquiries from managers of industrial facilities of all walks. RC Fine Foods came to us to find out how we might be able to improve several of their buildings facilities, including their warehouse and processing rooms. Accuracy is a critical day-to-day element in the scenarios employees of these facilities experience, such as Forklift traffic and product labeling in a warehouse, and strict FDA standards to adhere to in a food processing environment. After retrofitting RC Fine Foods with our LEDs, employee’s are at a advantage in regards to accuracy in their work facilities.

  Residential: Homes, Hotels

Taking a look at our line of LED lamps, you would notice some of the most aesthetically elegant products are our Candelabra’s. LED Globes, Flame tips and straight taper’d lamps act as artistic accent to the interior design of a home, office or hotel. The Bard Mansion, located in Southern California at the Port Hueneme Naval Base, is home to an antique angelic chandelier. When we were asked how we might be able to outfit this piece of history, our candelabra flame tip lamps were the first choice. After installation, benefits of Seesmart products are energy savings for the Naval Base as well as patrons of the mansion experiencing the LED radiance our lamps are able to provide them.

Last Monday night, New Yorkers were treated to quite a show! If you were able to see the iconic Empire State building and were within earshot of a radio you were probably watching the first ever Empire State Building LED light show, set to the music of Alicia Keys.

The building coordinated the impressive event with local radio stations and had the artist in to kick off the event by flicking a giant light switch! The 14-time Grammy winners iconic songs “Girl on Fire” and “Empire State of Mind” were played over local radio stations in sync with the impressive light show on top of the building.

Earlier this year we covered the buildings switch to LED lights and efforts to achieve LEED Gold Certification. LEED Gold Certification is important to building owners as it helps attract tenants with corporate goals of being more eco-conscious, as well as the opportunities as demonstrated by the Empire State building that green technology bring to the table.

With major events like this, will we be seeing other iconic landmarks organizing something similar?  Although the majority of known iconic skyscrapers do not already have a history of lighting displays, there are several with impressive lighting designs, or that could potentially integrate something that would further transform these landmarks into tourist destinations. As the famous Bellagio hotel is famous for its fountain, will these buildings become renowned not just for their height and design, but also eco-friendly light shows?

Whether it be shipping trucks, a forklift, or a facility manager’s jedi mind tricks… Seesmart tube lights just can’t be shattered. So if you were to ever, ya know, need to air-parachute a shipment of tube lights, Seesmart’s would be the way to go.

Earlier this month we talked about our new high-performance LED tube lights, and the advantages of LED tube lights not containing dangerous chemicals like mercury, as well as their longer life span. We also introduced light artist Hitoshi Kuriyama and some of his interesting use of traditional tube lights.

In a recent training session here at Seesmart, we demonstrated how the scene between Vader and Luke Skywalker could be re-enacted with our tube lights, but I’m playing it safe with those images since Dusten lost a hand. Alright, that didn’t actually happen, but we did discuss  just how durable our LED Tube lights are, and the advantages of Seesmart tube lights regarding their robust poly-carbonate lens construction. This means that it is possible for one tube in a shipment to become damaged, without jettisoning an entire box of product due to shattered glass or dangerous mercury. (We did joke about how different Hitoshi Kuriyama’s art could be with our “bendable” tube lights).

We went over not only the safety of our LED tube lights but also how user friendly our return process is. We’re serious about the positive contribution to facilities and the environment which every LED lamp provides, and our well trained customer service team has a Yoda-like philosophy on taking care of our customers. In the event of a damaged lamp,  customers receive replacement(s) from Seesmart on any product that arrives damaged from the shipping process at no cost to them.

Standing from left to right in our demonstration photo are:
Sales Channel Manager Keith Panto, Warehouse Manager Dusten Cressman, and Chicago V.P. Robert Vitullo.

Over the last few weeks it seems that Climate change has become a National talking point again, both politically and due to the impact of Hurricane Sandy on the east coast. As we take a closer look at our impact on the environment, it would seem like we’re starting to treat those responsible for endangering it a little more seriously. Specifically in regards to British Petroleum and the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster that rocked the Gulf Coast in 2010, something the region is still struggling to recover from today.

Thursday two men who worked for BP during the 2010 Gulf oil spill disaster were charged with manslaughter and a third with lying to federal investigators, according to indictments. BP has also agreed to pay 4.5 Billion dollars, the largest criminal fine in US history.

BP will plead guilty to 11 felony counts of misconduct or neglect of a ship’s officers, one felony count of obstruction of Congress and one misdemeanor count each under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Clean Water Act. The workers’ deaths were prosecuted under a provision of the Seaman’s Manslaughter Act. The obstruction charge is for lying to Congress about how much oil was spilling.

There are few public concerns regarding this settlement (which still has to be approved by a Federal Court Judge) as it may or may not allow BP to be dismissed in other legal proceedings. Businessweek has a write-up on how this could possibly happen.

“We believe this resolution is in the best interest of BP and its shareholders,” said Carl-Henric Svanberg, BP chairman. “It removes two significant legal risks and allows us to vigorously defend the company against the remaining civil claims.”

The settlement does not seem to cover any civil penalties the U.S. government can seek under the Clean Water Act and other laws. It also does not cover billions of dollars in claims brought by states, businesses and individuals, including fishermen, restaurants and property owners. Currently a federal judge in New Orleans is weighing a separate, proposed $7.8 billion settlement between BP and more than 100,000 businesses and individuals who say they were harmed by the spill.

BP reported a profit of $5.5 billion in there most recent quarter, however the fine will be paid out over five years. While the company would be protected in some areas, and free to move on in certain terms the people impacted by the spill in the Gulf will continue to struggle with the Deepwater Horizon spills impact for years to come. Not only has the oil done damage, but clean up efforts have negatively impacted the wild life as well. Overall, does a $4.5 billion dollar fine seem fair, and what will be the total amount that BP is actually required to pay in the end?

The Cerebral Palsy Association of New York works with New York state to enhance the quality of life for more than 100,000 individuals with cerebral palsy and developmental disabilities and their families. In working with affiliates, they offer a wide variety of programs including community living opportunities, Day Habilitation and Day Treatment programs, Early Intervention, Preschool and School Age Special Education, and Family Support Services. With over 8,000 newborns and infants diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy each year (and another 1,500 children diagnosed in preschool) an organization like the Cerebral Palsy Association of New York  helps a lot of people.

Recently Seesmart completed a $140,000 project with Cerebral Palsy Associations of New York State that will help the organization’s new West Farms Center achieve LEED design certification. After comparing costs with T-5 fluorescent tubes, the center found that Seesmart LEDs would save more than $100,000 in installation costs alone, in addition to $25,000 a year in energy savings. When you’re a non profit, that has a huge impact on your bottom line, and the funds that are saved are able to go back into helping people in need.

“Installing LED lighting in new construction projects is the best way for facilities to see the highest return on investment over the life of the building,” said Ray Sjolseth, president of Seesmart Technologies, Inc. “We were happy to help Cerebral Palsy Associations of New York State save thousands on energy and maintenance costs in its West Farms Center facility.”

To aid the facility in its endeavor to be LEED Certified, Seesmart installed 2,000 LED tube lights, which will save the center 66 percent in energy costs – or $2,100 a month – compared to fluorescent lighting. The areas that will see the benefits of Seesmarts LED lighting include exam rooms, rehabilitation rooms, offices, soffits, hallways and waiting rooms. The new 51,000-square-foot building offers day opportunities, medical and rehabilitation services and an enhanced curriculum of support and program services for individuals with physical and/or developmental disabilities and the entire community.

Popular in office and classroom lighting, LED tube lights are a great way to get the dangerous, expensive, and extremely fragile tube lights replaced with an eco friendly lighting option. Seesmart is proud to announce the release of the new high-performance, 22W LED tube light. These six foot T8 lamps are equipped with single end power, medium-bi-pin connectors for easy retrofits into existing setups and have several options in terms of opacity and color temperature (clear / milky white tubing with warm, natural, and day white color temperatures). These lamps also feature a high color rendering index of 80.

One of the greatest things about these lights is the longer life span than incandescent & fluorescents and that they are mercury-free. Due to the size and shape of the lights they’re extremely easy to shatter (and for some reason are popular toys for teens and Japanese fighters), however it seems that the best use for leftover or discarded neon tube lights might be art.

Hitoshi Kuriyama creates elaborate light sculptures using a complex cluster of shattered (see) fluorescent light bulbs. The variety of sculptures created range from playful to dark and somewhat post apocalyptic, showing a truly raw inspiring artistic talent. As interesting as Hitoshi Kuriyamas work is, it would be interesting to see what artists could come up with by switching from these fluorescent light bulbs to our eco friendly, LED tube lights.

According to a new study by The Brookings Institution and the Pew Center (Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics) Greener Industries are growing faster than the overall economy, and states with greater green intensity generally did better in the economic down turn.

California is leading the way in the country in terms of green jobs with 338,445 according to the Economic Policy Institute, and New York trailing behind by almost 90,000. The majority of green jobs are in manufacturing (461,847) followed by construction (372,077), and Professionals & Scientists (349,024). The data also shows that the public sector is greener than the private, showing that 1 in 20 federal jobs is green, while only one in fifty private sector jobs is considered green.

The President of the United States has come out in support of the green industry and renewable energy in each of the three Presidential debates, placing the successes of the industry and its future in the current political spotlight. While the industry is doing well, environmentalists have raised concerns that climate change was not mentioned in any of the debates for the first time in the last six elections (going as far back to the 1988 debate.)

While Governor Romney has not come out in direct support of renewable industry, he has touted support for small businesses. There’s no clear way to speculate how a Romney/Ryan White House would directly impact the green and renewable industry, though the economy and jobs are sure to have a large impact on the upcoming election.

Take a look at this info-graphic from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for additional information on green jobs across the nation.

Click to enlarge