About Noiroogle.be

Can I save energy surfing a black Google?

Computer monitors use a lot of electricity, especially if the brightness is set at its normal high levels. CRT Displays, the old style TV tube type monitors, show images by changing the color of thousands of tiny dots. Each dot is made up of a red, blue and green light. By changing the combination of red, green and blue, you see a color. If all three are brightly lit, you see white; if none of them are lit, you see black. Research shows that it can take up to 25% more energy to show a completely white screen instead of a black one. (http://www.microtech.doe.gov/EnergyStar/info.htm)

Estimates are that Google displays between 500,000,000 and 800,000,000 web pages per day. For high volume websites like Google that are predominantly white, a 25% reduction in electricity use represents a significant savings, both financially and environmentally.

I use a Flat Panel LCD Screen. Does Noiroogle.be still save energy?

Most of the power that a flat panel screen uses is for the backlight. This light is always on regardless of the color of the screen. Using Noiroogle.be may still save a small amount of energy with LCDs but not to the same degree as CRT Displays. However, depending on the country, approximately 25% of all computer monitors are still CRTs (http://ecoiron.blogspot.com/2007/01/last-piece.html).

Irregardless of the direct energy savings, the purpose of Noiroogle.be is to encourage us to make small changes in every area of our lives to be more environmentally conscious. Reducing our environmental footprint is about the combined impact that many smaller improvements will create. Every little bit adds up.

Is this really Google Search?

Yep. Noiroogle.be uses special code provided by Google that lets us customize the look of the search results page. If you look in your browser's address bar after you enter a search and press submit, you'll see that you are actually on Google.com.

How can I help spread the word?

1. Set Noiroogle.be as your home page.
2. Email your friends and family and encourage them to use Noiroogle.be.
3. Share Noiroogle.be on popular sites like Digg, del.icio.us, MySpace and Facebook.
4. Add a signature to your emails that includes "http://www.noiroogle.be - Save Energy Surfing Google"
5. Instead of Googling things, start Noiroogling them.

What else can I do to save energy?

We have a page of useful links and ideas to help you save energy and be more environmentally friendly. Here's a few starter ideas:

• Turn off your monitor when you aren't at your desk for more than 15 minutes.
• Turn off your printer if you won't use it for more than an hour (printer startup tends to use a lot of energy).
• Turn off the lights when you leave a room.
• Recycle printer paper that you've only used one side of (paper production uses a lot of energy as well as trees).

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