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Be Careful Where You Go Green: Znout vs. Greenseng Search
"Going green" is hot right now, and so are Google-based search sites. Znout and Greenseng have combined the two, offering ways to reduce environmental impact while scouring the web.
Znout (Zero Negative Output) has opted for a low-power black background, but unlike Blackle you can change the color if it's really bugging you. Advertising is a bit bothersome, with a large AdSense block atop the page and two sponsored links below, both before your search results.
You'll also notice the Znout favicon replaced by the little blue G, which leads me to believe that Znout has been hastily knocked together to grab some advertising dollars.
Greenseng, on the other hand, displays only the two sponsored links above your results. They've also left all Google's links - images, maps, shopping, news, etc. - intact.
Both Greenseng and Znout display the CO2 Stats "Green" badge, but only Greenseng's actually opened a certificate page. I'm much more convinced that the Greenseng team is doing what they do for the right reasons.
Since there's such a buzz about being environmental, make sure you take claims of being green with a grain of salt. Do a little investigating, and be sure you're supporting the right people!
For now, I'm sticking with Greenseng.
Znout (Zero Negative Output) has opted for a low-power black background, but unlike Blackle you can change the color if it's really bugging you. Advertising is a bit bothersome, with a large AdSense block atop the page and two sponsored links below, both before your search results.
You'll also notice the Znout favicon replaced by the little blue G, which leads me to believe that Znout has been hastily knocked together to grab some advertising dollars.
Greenseng, on the other hand, displays only the two sponsored links above your results. They've also left all Google's links - images, maps, shopping, news, etc. - intact.
Both Greenseng and Znout display the CO2 Stats "Green" badge, but only Greenseng's actually opened a certificate page. I'm much more convinced that the Greenseng team is doing what they do for the right reasons.
Since there's such a buzz about being environmental, make sure you take claims of being green with a grain of salt. Do a little investigating, and be sure you're supporting the right people!
For now, I'm sticking with Greenseng.
Comments
17
Subscribe to commentsAlex L.Sep 23rd 2008 6:13PM
Greenseng should at least try to use a black background like Znout does. To save electricity... Hello???
aanidaaniSep 23rd 2008 6:27PM
Modern LCD displays consume more power to produce black than white, just fyi...
Alex L.Sep 23rd 2008 6:33PM
Got any links?
I can't possibly imagine how that would be possible.
I have read many links stating the opposite, the saving may not be as dramatic, but they are there.
aanidaaniSep 23rd 2008 6:33PM
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=fact-or-fiction-black-is
Vlad ZahariaSep 23rd 2008 6:38PM
"This is not the case, however, with LCD monitors, which have no phosphors and represent the lion's share of every new monitored purchased in the developed world, including those used by laptops. Instead, LCD displays rely on an array of thin-tube fluorescent bulbs that provide a constant source of light to create a white screen. To make it black, LCDs rely on a diffuser to block this light. As a result, LCDs use more energy than CRTs to display a black screen. Measuring a 17-inch (43-centimeter) LCD monitor, Schindler found that white required 22.6 watts, while black came in a tad higher at 23.2 watts. With a 20-inch (50.8-centimeter) LCD, black required 6 percent more energy than white."
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=fact-or-fiction-black-is
Alex L.Sep 23rd 2008 6:38PM
Thanks for the link.
I'll be damned.
Lee MathewsSep 23rd 2008 6:39PM
You stole my quote. I'll be damned, too. Thanks for the pro tip!
cowboy_kSep 23rd 2008 6:41PM
Thanks for posting that - I've wondered if the backlight on LCD monitors make the whole black-vs-white-background issue moot, good to see actual evidence of it.
RocketboySep 24th 2008 9:40AM
Don't be so hard on yourselves. I'm sure that you wouldn't actually wouldn't be damed for being wrong on this. I doubt it would even be a slap on the wrist.
Signed,
Larry Literal
Jash SayaniSep 24th 2008 3:01AM
I go with Google Search.
UnregisteredSep 24th 2008 6:42AM
do these search engine contribute any money to the green causes? If they don't what's the point of using them?
Lee MathewsSep 24th 2008 9:02AM
I suppose the point is that you're at least using a carbon-neutral search engine. I haven't done it, but I imagine a custom google search doesn't generally create a ton of cashflow.
Plus, the engine I was looking at that DID donate money (forestle) got shut down by google. Crappy, hey?
MattSep 24th 2008 10:42AM
What a waste of time. Anyone obsessive enough to use a "carbon neutral search engine" - as if the term even means anything - deserves their neurosis.
boilrSep 24th 2008 11:03AM
why not use ad-free www.greenr.net ?!
same google custom search except this one is confined to green-only results/sites.
RocketboySep 24th 2008 1:02PM
I just had a face-palm moment....
How the hell can they consider themselves 'green', when they are a web server that's acting as a middleman between you, and google, who is actually supplying the results? It's like me calling Adam to talk to Betty, when I can just call Betty myself.
Lee MathewsSep 24th 2008 1:02PM
They claim to offset consumption by purchasing "Green power." Theoretically, it means you're using slightly more juice, but from a friendlier source.
RocketboySep 24th 2008 5:32PM
Even if all of the power is being generated by people exercising on treadmills, it's still ADDING draw on the rest of the electrical system for all of the other, unallocated, energy usage. Or are they saying that they can accurately gage how much energy that Google is drawing, and how much energy is being wasted on a re-direct, and offset this using fake Carbon Credits? Both of these are a scam in the name of greenwashing.