The Natural Resources Defense Council wants people like me to shut off our consoles when not in use. I suppose this can apply to PCs as well and I know a lot of you guys leave yours running constantly too.

Today, more than 40 percent of all homes in the United States contain at least one video game console. Recognizing that all that gaming could add up to serious demand for electricity, NRDC and Ecos Consulting performed the first ever comprehensive study on the energy use of video game consoles and found that they consumed an estimated 16 billion kilowatt-hours per year -- roughly equal to the annual electricity use of the city of San Diego.

While I can clearly see what the NRDC is trying to say, the problem I have is that my PS3 and PC run Folding@Home 24/7. So, I am torn between saving energy and possibly finding a cure for cancer, Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer's. Then I remembered my car consumes about four dead dinosaurs a week when I drive it (so much for saving the planet) so I said screw it and I keep folding. So, if you are going to leave your PC or console running, you might as well join us in doing something positive while we kill the planet.

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