Don’t expose them to heat. Keep batteries out of your car. Your car can become an oven during the day. Storing your batteries in heat will shorten their life. Remember to never try to charge non-rechargeable batteries. They could overheat and cause a fire.

Store your batteries in a cool, dry place. Don’t store your batteries in your refrigerator. The refrigerator is cool, but not dry. They can be stored in the refrigerator, to maximize their life, by using those little silica gel packs that come in the packaging of some items. The silica is used to keep the batteries dry. This is too expensive and it is extremely inconvenient. You have to use a container with a lid to store the batteries in. Also, please beware that the silica is a hazardous item. You don’t want it to touch any food items at all. This is why this method is not really viable. A good general rule is to keep toxic items away from your food. There are other cool, dry places in your house that you can store your batteries. Look around and be creative.

Don’t short out the connections. Your batteries should be stored in an organized fashion. The ends of batteries should not touch the wrong thing (usually metal) or the battery will be shorted. Many people lose battery power this way in their junk drawers or tool boxes. The best container to store batteries is the packaging that the batteries come in. They are oddly shaped but they are designed not to drain the batteries during long storage. Perhaps the battery companies will figure out good packaging that will fit in a drawer.

Don’t mix and match brands or rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries. Different brands use different chemistries to manufacture their batteries. Mixing brands can pull energy away from the more powerful batteries. Mixing rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries also drain power from the non-rechargeable.

Finally, don’t throw your used batteries in the trash. Batteries are filled with toxic chemicals that should not be put in landfills. There are now recycling locations that accept old batteries. Visit RBRC.org to find a recycler who accepts used batteries near you.

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In the oceans, harmful algae blooms feed on the phosphorus. Harmful algae blooms are algae that release toxins which are harmful to marine plant and animal life. When these algae die, oxygen is used up as they decay in the water. The marine life then suffocates from the lack of oxygen.

Large algae blooms also appear in freshwater lakes and streams as well as drinking water supplies. This is perhaps why non-coastal communities are also making an effort to eliminate dishwashing detergents containing phosphorus.

If you think that soaps containing phosphorus are not an important issue, consider this for a moment: Hand soaps and dishwashing soaps that are designed to be used with your hands, do not contain phosphorus. It is too dangerous of a substance for that much skin interaction.

There are commercial phosphorus free dishwashing detergents available in your local grocery store. It will say ‘Phosphorus Free’ very clearly on the box. Green cleaners are very popular products and having a phosphorus free product is a something that manufacturers are very happy to market. These products are also a bit more expensive than the regular dishwasher detergent.

You can make your own Green detergent and save a lot of money at the same time.

Here’s how to do it:

Mix equal parts Borax and Washing Soda and store in a plastic container. Both Borax and Washing Soda can be picked up at your local grocery or drug store. They are very common items.

When you use the dishwasher, pour some of the Borax/Soda mixture into the soap dispenser of the machine. If your dishes are really dirty, you can put in an extra amount. Put it in the little container with the door. The door will pop open while the machine is working, creating a second wash cycle.

Use vinegar in the anti-spotting container in the machine. Vinegar is great at getting rid of spots. Not only does it work better than the commercial products it is much, much cheaper.

I strongly urge you to try this Green technique. Not only does it globally affect food supplies as well as the marine ecosystem but it also affects local water supplies, including much needed water for communities.

Many people will be surprise by how much money they will save by making their own dishwasher detergent. Prices are going up on all household products and the boxes of detergent at the store seem to be getting smaller and smaller while the prices just seem to go through the roof.

Whatever you do, make sure you use phosphorus free dishwasher detergent. It really affects the world.

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The modern synthetic cleaning products were created from formulas passed from generation to generation. These were cleaners that worked very well but disappeared over time in most homes to be replaced by toxic cleaners. You will save your own health and money if you create your own Green cleaning kit. This will not take much time and for about a tenth of the money spent on commercial cleaners, you will have enough cleaning supplies to last for months.

Here is what you will need:

White vinegar
Baking soda
An organic, mild liquid soap
Washing soda
Tea tree oil
2 glass jars
6 spray bottles

WINDOW CLEANER
1/2 teaspoon liquid soap
2 cups water
3 tablespoons white vinegar
Spray bottle

Pour all of the ingredients in the spray bottle. Mix well. This will work better than a commercial brand. The soap removes wax residue, so make sure your add it in.

OVEN CLEANER
1 cup Baking soda
Spray bottle of water
A squirt or two of liquid detergent

Spray a lot of water on the bottom of the oven. Cover all of the burnt dripping with baking soda until the surface is completely white. Spray more water on top of the baking soda. Let everything set overnight. In the morning, just wipe all of the grease. The baking soda and water will have loosened all of the grease and it will just slide away. After most of it has been wiped away, use a little bit of liquid soap on a soft scrubber to clean up what is left. You might be surprised how well this method works and you will not miss the horrible smell of the commercial oven cleaners.

FURNITURE POLISH
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup vinegar

Mix the oil and vinegar in a spray bottle. Spray a little on a soft rag wipe on your wood furniture. This is very easy on furniture and will store indefinitely.

Mold Killing Spray
Pure vinegar will kill 82% of all molds. This is a great mold spray for showers and baths. Pour white distilled vinegar, undiluted, in a spray bottle. Simply spray on the affected area, and let set without rinsing. The mold will die and the smell will go away in a few hours. It isn’t as bad as the commercial shower cleaners that are sold in the stores.

These are just a few of safe, Green cleaners that you can use around the home. Try them out and find out how much better they are than commercial products.

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Going Green in regards to the environment could be anything from being an activist to deciding not to use chemicals unfriendly to the environment in your home or yard. There are many commercial as well as homemade anti-pest and cleaning products that are available that it is pretty easy to keep going down the Green path once you start.

Energy creation is a Green category that uses the Earth’s own characteristics to create an ongoing supply of energy that has little if any negative impact on nature. Solar power is one of the most widely known Green energies. Not only can solar power be used to heat food or a house, it can also be stored as electricity for later use. Many households are finding that they can create enough energy to power most of their needs by installing a few solar power cells on their roof. Wind farms are now popping up all over the United States to harness wind energy and turn it into electricity. It is said that the United States has the most opportunity to create the most wind energy. Because of it’s size and differences in it’s regions, the U.S. has the most windy land regions.

While going Green to save the environment has been the motivation of most activists. Many people still dismissed all talk of energy and the environment as the ramblings of a certain political group. That is until energy prices shot through the roof. Whether they were paying cooling, heating or gasoline bills, everyone has been affected by high energy prices. Since people are mostly interested in their own checking accounts the high energy prices put many more people on the Green bandwagon.

You will see the most benefit from going Green in order to save money. The energy creators mentioned earlier, but going Green to save money can have immediate benefits. Saving containers to reuse is a very Green technique, but it also will save you from having to buy a similar container in the future. Planting your own vegatables is a very Green technique that saves you money on your food bill. Even buying local, second hand clothing can be a very Green technique that will save you money. That shirt that you buy at the thrift store could have been thrown away, only to be replace by another shirt, shipped from overseas.

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Produce from your local farmer is probably the best bang for your Green money. Purchasing from local farmers will give you better tasting food than the produce that is shipped half way around the world. It is also much easier on the environment with all of the fossil fuels that are saved from shipping and then trucking the item to the local grocery store. Buying locally also helps the community by keeping profits in the area rather than having money go out of state or even worse, overseas.

Drainbo is a much gentler way to unclog your pipes than the common drain cleaners available. It is a safe drain cleaner that is composed of a natural bacteria. Some of the bacteria is also used as an aid to clean up the oil spills we hear about in the oceans. These bacterial cultures will break down cellulose, carbohydrates and fats. Fats and oils are a constant threat to our water systems as well as our natural rivers, lakes, and oceans. This drain cleaner is a much better alternative to the dangerous drain cleaners that children and pets can sometime get into. These chemicals also eventually end up in our water systems and oceans. This drain cleaner might seem more expensive at first, but the bacteria does grow in the drain and the helps prevent future clogs.

LED lights are the cutting edge of light technology. This doesn’t sound very exciting, until you think about the kind of energy and money that can be saved with the new bulbs that are being produced. The LED lights produce a warm alternative to the cold yellow light emitted from fluorescent lights. Depending on how much the bulbs are used they can last from 11 to 34 years. They also use 15% to 25% less energy than incandescent bulbs. LED bulbs with traditional light fixtures are now available at your local hardware store. This is one of the easiest methods of saving energy.

Use these three techniques for going Green and you will be affecting the world in some powerfully positive ways.

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The concept is driven by a compact (by crossover/SUV standards) aerodynamic design and lightweight body.  The company claims it is based on their “long-term vision for technology development, Sustainable Zoom-Zoom, which aims to provide a unique balance between sporty driving fun and superior environmental and safety performance.” The car will use four-wheel drive powertrain with newly developed direct injection engine and transmission.  

From: Inhabitant 

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For all you Bluetooth users or soon-to-be Bluetooth converts, LG has a greener solution: the Solar Bluetooth Car Kit. Mount this light-weight box to your windshield and you’re good to go…and talk. Holding enough charge for 16 hours of talk time, the kit can get 1 hour of talk time for every 2 hours of exposure. Plastic clasps keep the box angled at the sun so you can careen around corners without losing light. And say you do have to sit through a storm and need some juice, there is the old-fashioned cigarette lighter charger option. Plus, with it only weighing 72 oz, you can move it from car to car.

From: Ecogeek

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Wouldn’t it be nice to have a boat that your family could take out to nearby pristine sandy beaches with crystal clear blue water and billions of tropical fishes? And wouldn’t it be nice if, somehow, that boat didn’t disrupt the fishes, or the environment, in any way? And while we’re dreaming (here in Montana we haven’t escaped from the 40s yet, and it’s raining), let’s throw in some solar panels as well. 

 Now it is possible with the new half-boat half-bike.  This is perfect for the local lake or pond that does not have too large of waves or current to overturn the boat.  This boat has two ways of operating; the first is by someone pedaling the boat, similar to riding a bike.  The other option is to crank on the solar-powered electric motor.  Either way you choose to power the bicycle-boat it is sure to help the environment.   

 From: Gizmodo

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