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BANG FOR THE BITE
If 10,000 Biters recycle their analog TVs instead of trashing them, we'll keep the weight of 3,720,000 remote controls in trash outta landfills.
COCKTAIL FACT
According to Nielsen Media Research, the average American watches 4 hr and 34 min of TV per day.
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Hop(p)ing to replace your analog TV with a new hi-def one?
The Bite
Even if you aren't, the Fed's phasing out traditional analog broadcasts (RIP, ol' Rabbit Ears) in favor of digital ones, so millions of TVs will become obsolete in 2009. But don't eco-freak out: You can either get a converter box or recycle your old set - no lucky rabbit's foot necessary.The Benefits
- Less trashy TV(s). Electronic waste is multiplying faster than rabbits can breed - specifically, at three times the rate of other municipal waste - but it really doesn't have to.
- Saving the rabbits (and other critters). Analog TVs contain toxins like chromium, lead, and mercury, so it's important to recycle them. If video killed the radio star, just think what it does to our groundwater.
- Easier than a Playboy Bunny. Converter boxes are available at big retailers like Best Buy, and listing your old set for pickup online or taking it to a drop-spot is so easy, one of The Girls Next Door could do it.
Personally Speaking
Now that the Hollywood writer's strike's over, we're looking forward to watching something other than reality programming; but 'til our fave shows return next Fall, we see a lotta Netflix and iTunes in our futures.Wanna Try?
- Insignia Digital-to-Analog Converter - easy-to-setup converter available at Best Buy ($60).
- DTV2009 - the government's offering coupons for $40 off converter boxes.
- Earth911 - type in TV and your zip code to locate a recycler near you.
- Take Back My TV - join the campaign to get nonparticipating TV manufacturers to recycle old TVs. Some brands, such as Sony, offer take-back programs (check your TV manufacturer's site for more info).
- Energy Star - go for an energy-efficient TV next time you buy.
Mar 31,2008
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TV Guide
I watch America's Next Top Model, The Hills, Lost, and The Colbert Report regularly, but I've created a policy for myself: Never stay home for a TV show when you could be out.
Three reasons why:
1. Most new shows are downloadable online.
2. If the show's worth watching, it'll come out on DVD.
3. They rerun The Hills three times a day.
-Toshio...off to mourn the death of Heidi Montag's music career before it actually happens...
Biter Comments...
Great comment Tom,
I want to add that for those of you (like me) who are too cheap to pay for cable and need a converter box, look for one that is Energy Star rated.
From Energy Star's website:
"If all DTAs sold in the U.S. met the ENERGY STAR specification, over the lifetime of the products Americans could save approximately 13 billion kWh and $1 billion in energy costs — reducing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to taking more than 1 million cars off the road.
"Products qualifying for ENERGY STAR must consume no more than 8 watts in On Mode and 1 watt in Sleep Mode and automatically power down after 4 hours or less of user inactivity."
Happy shopping.
Maybe I'm an alien, but where in today's tip was the idea that maybe you could just do without a TV? Since quitting TV about 4 years back I have been so much happier and so much more productive.
I still know what's going on locally and in the world (I have radio and the internet), but I no longer watch the fear-inducing TV news 4 times a day, and I have so much more time to live my life, instead of wasting my time watching other people live their lives (when you really think about it, how dumb is that?)
Well said, Phil! I'm mildly ashamed to say that I'm reluctant to get rid of the TV, simply because I LOVE watching movies at home. But TV? They can have it. I have better things to do!
I sometimes watch movies I borrow from the library,other than that I'm t.v. free for yrs. and definately don't miss it. I don't spend money at video stores,and don't have cable. We get no channels,and I think that's awesome! I don't want my three yr. old inundated by t.v. messages. When I do watch a movie,I do it at night,with headphones on so she's not absorbing all the sounds,feelings,etc. from the shows I watch. T.V. takes up so much time,what a waste! Almost everyone is so disconnected from nature,and the t.v. addiction in America is a big reason why,plus online addiction etc. Technology was supposed to help us,but often I feel it hasn't.
Thanks, Tara, but please don't apologise for not wanting to ditch the TV. I will still rent a film from time to time and watch it on my laptop. I just know that if I had the facility to turn on a TV I would not have the will power to control my viewing. It would sometimes go on and 5 hours later I would wonder why I had just sat and watched 5 hours of crap. I know some people can truly control their TV habits, but I think they are a tiny minority.
I truly admire all you folks who have been able to totally give up TV. Wish I could do that, but then I'd go stir crazy! What else would I do? Substitute my computer for the TV? I don't THINK so! I live in the boonies, so I don't have a whole heck of a lot in the way of TV alternatives. Oh, OK, OK, I suppose I could READ more, but there are a number of dramas I'm partial to, and they're all coming back in April with new episodes. (Right now, I'm mourning last week's demise of "Jericho." No wonder some folks have given up on TV. A quality show like "Jericho" gets canned after ONE season, and crap like "According to Jim" and "Scrubs" go on for YEARS! AARRGGHH!! Ah, well, there are other quality shows that have been on for quite some time, like "ER.")
(Toshio, even if a show isn't/wasn't worth watching, it'll quite possibly come out on DVD eventually anyway. It all depends on what your personal definition of "worth watching" is.)
Hey... I like Scrubs!
I admit to being a TV addict in the worst way. My Tivo is always full, even during the writer's strike. (I got to watch more educational-type shows and rediscover shows I didn't have time for before.) I still go out and have a life, make dinner and get to not stress about missing a show or being late for a show! I can't believe they didn't mention TiVo and other DVRs.
I do need to set up a switch for the TV, stereo and computers to save energy. Good reminder.
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Tom Harrison | March 31, 2008 at 06:56 AM