Love Our Planet

Helpful Ways To Eco-proof Your Business

2014-01-30T10:18:00.002+00:00

In a busy workplace it is difficult to be environmentally friendly in everything you do, quite often you are too busy, or there is a faster and more practical solution.

However, the following five suggestions should be seriously considered as a foolproof and efficient way of eco-proofing your business. From simple, small changes, to wholesale office changes, the following can be very beneficial to not only the environment, but to employees well-being and productivity.

Walking or Cycling to Work

Although not as practical as driving, if you live reasonably close to your place of work you should consider either cycling or walking to work. A great way to improve your fitness and wellbeing, you will also be reducing your carbon usage, a vital factor for the environment.

Bike purchase can be subsidised, and showers applied in most workspaces to use after the journey in. Not only will you limit the amount of natural resources you use, but you will also feel better in yourself and have a more active and healthier lifestyle.

Use Office Plants

Office plants are not only great for visuals, and lifting employers moods, they can also reduce pollutants in the air. Office plants will create there own mini microclimate by absorbing heat, thus limiting the need for uneconomical air conditioning.

They also improve humidity in the office, and provide a cleaner indoor air quality. Apart from flaring allergies, there is no real negative to not having plants in the office, they are cheep, pleasing on the eye, and arguably the most simple way you can eco-proof your business.

Deal With Environmental Body Registered Companies

If you deal with any companies in sectors such as agriculture, chemicals, construction, food and drink, waste management and many more it is important that these companies are registered and approved by the Environment Agency.

A spokesperson from a local business commented:

"It's essential for us to be registered with the UK Environment Agency as not only does it mean we comply with their guidelines, but our customers are aware of our commitment to their policies."

"This allows us to foster a positive reputation in the local area."

If companies have this licence it means they are complying with environmental laws, and abiding by the guidelines set by those laws. These guidelines limit the amount of environmental damage that is done by companies.

For example, a company certified by an environmental body to dispose of waste properly, this means they will never fly tip, or dispose of waste in any other illegal, and more environmentally damaging way. This benefits the environment, but also enhances this particular company's reputation.

Recycle Waste

Food waste is often thrown away into the nearest bin when people are busy working, however, swapping that food bin for a waste recycling bin is a simple step to ensure waste is reused rather than left to rot in a landfill site.

Food waste can also be turned into compost, which can be used for office plants, or employees gardens. Another common area of large scale office waste is plastic bottles, if bottled drinks are sold in the workspace then a plastic recycling bin should be seriously considered. Better still bottled drinks could be replaced with a water cooler, with employees having there own office glasses or mugs that can easily be refilled.

Cut Down on Printing

Offices are traditionally littered with pieces of paper, documenting every minute meeting or transaction you've done, day on day, year on year. Cutting down on printing not only reduces office clutter, it also prevents utilising the planets key tree and forrest resources.

Forest and woodland areas help monitor the climate by up taking carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. Today there is no need for a vast amount of paper in the office, for example; electronic signatures can be used for contracts, mail can be scanned, backups of key documents can be stored using Dropbox, and communication can be solely digital.

It may be a slight workload initially to fully change to a digital way of working, but the benefits are numerous.

For a proper approach to a more sustainable way of live please see afsl.org.uk

Top 7 Ways To Reduce Your Water Consumption

2014-01-29T14:47:00.002+00:00

Are you interested in reducing your water consumption around the house? It doesn’t have to be as hard as you might think to conserve water, and while you’re at it, save energy. Here are seven of the top ways to reduce your water consumption:
1. Achieve Efficient Dish Washing
See if your dish detergent maker recommends not pre-rinsing – many don’t require it these days, and it can save a lot of water to skip this step if possible. If you’re washing dishes by hand, you can also save water by turning the faucet off while washing dishes in a sink filled with soapy water, then gathering them together in a rack to rinse all at once.
2. Cut Your Showers in Half
Reducing the amount of time everyone spends in the shower can save thousands of gallons of water per year. Just four minutes in the shower can use between 20 and 40 gallons of water, depending on the showerhead! If cutting your shower down to four minutes sounds like too much to handle right now, just try turning off the shower while you lather up, work conditioner through your hair and perform other tasks. While you’re at it, turn off the water after you wet your toothbrush and rinse your razor in a sink full of water rather than leaving it running, too.
3. Get New Pipe Insulation
One of the simplest and easiest ways to reduce your water consumption is to insulate (or re-insulate) your water pipes with an affordable, pre-fit foam insulation product.
4. Maximize Clothes Washing
If you want to make the most of your dish and clothes washing, even if you can’t afford to install all of the latest energy and water efficient appliances, you can start today by waiting to run the washer until there is a completely full load. Avoid the permanent press cycle in the clothes washer, as well.
5. Reduce Use of Garbage Disposal
Every time you use a garbage disposal, you have to use water to dispose of your food waste properly, and if you have a septic tank, it can cause additional problems. By reducing use of the garbage disposal and possibly by starting a compost pile, you can greatly reduce your water and energy consumption in the kitchen.
6. Install High Efficiency Showerheads
When it comes to energy efficient products, showerheads are among the most affordable and easiest to install. This simple little piece of equipment can save many gallons of water with every shower, but to make the most of your low flow showerhead, also make sure everyone is taking the shortest shower possible. By reducing unnecessary use of hot water while showering, it’s possible to save 10, 20, 30 or even 40 gallons of water with every shower.
7. Invest in High Efficiency Aerators
Make sure to outfit every faucet in the home with low flow aerators. From kitchen aerators to bath aerators, it’s important to keep water flow at an appropriate level in these rooms, or anywhere else in the home where there’s a faucet. This method is affordable and easy, and makes a big difference.
Jasmine is a DIY guru and loves to protect the environment. She enjoys advising people on ways they can make a difference with simple, easy-to-do fixes around the house. She hopes these tips help her readers make small changes for a big impact.

Green Living Tips For Parents: How To Develop A Sustainable Lifestyle

2014-01-29T14:44:00.002+00:00

World Earth Day is fast approaching, as citizens grow increasingly keen to commit to an eco-friendly and more sustainable way of life. It is important to remember that safeguarding our natural environment must be a long-term goal, however, and cannot be achieved over the course of a single day alone.
The current generation of new parents are increasingly keen to adopt a more eco-friendly approach, primarily because they are hopeful of setting a positive example for their children to follow. By educating their infants on the importance of recycling and utilising natural resources, they can help to create a future generous of environmentally responsible adults.

Green Living Tips For New Parents

With this in mind, what practical steps can new parents take to create an environmentally conscious lifestyle that is sustainable for a prolonged period of time? Consider the following: -

Consider The Merits Of Breastfeeding

While breastfeeding is not always an option, in instances where it is it offers considerable benefits to parents. Although it is fair to suggest that breastfeeding remains a relatively controversial topic for discussion, it does deliver environmental advantages to parents who are seeking a more sustainable way of life. In essence, it enables families to eliminate a huge amount of waste in the form of formula containers, bags and bottles, without forcing mothers to compromise on the quality and variety of the nutrients that their child receives. On an additional note, breastfeeding will also reduce the number of trips required to the local store, which in turn cuts mileage and enables families to save on transportation costs.

Focus On Making Homemade Food And Utilising Natural Produce

If you have the spare time or are able to create a window in your schedule, preparing homemade baby food for your child can serve as an excellent way of contributing towards a healthier environment. Not only does it save you considerable sums of money, but it also means that you are investing in minimal packaging while reducing the cumulative amount of food that you waste over time. Pre-packaged and ready-made food items are renowned for the amount of food miles that they carry, and by purchasing these you are contributing to practices that are harmful to the environment. If you still require convincing, you should consider the fact that preparing homemade food enables you to take charge of quality control and the nutrients that you are supplying to your child.

Use Natural Cleaning Products In The Home

Children make a considerable mess within the home, and every parent will testify to the need for a rigid and stringent cleaning regime. The use of toxic cleaning products can not only harm your child's welfare, however, but it also has a negative and detrimental effect on the natural environment. With this in mind, you should commit to using natural, organic and eco-friendly cleaning products wherever possible, while also utilising recycled materials to scour floor and wall surfaces. As a starting point, you should look to use natural products within the home that have in-built cleaning agents, such as vinegar, baking soda and lemons.

The Last Word For Eco-Friendly Parents

As a new parent, it is only natural that you should look to provide the best possible environment for your child. This goal can be at least partially achieved by adopting a more eco-friendly and sustainable lifestyle, which will encourage you to invest in organic food, natural cleaning products and toxin-free skincare tools. This therefore provides an ideal set of circumstances for parents, who can optimise their child's physical welfare while also taking steps to create a healthier and more prosperous natural environment.

Go Green In 2014: Why You Should Replace Your Old Appliances

2014-01-27T22:52:00.002+00:00

Replacing older home appliances is one of the most practical and effective steps a homeowner can take to reduce energy consumption. Not only is it great for the environment and means you do your bit to help save the planet it also means you save the pennies by replacing a few main appliances in the home and going for a newer, more energy efficient version.
With the new year looming, why not make it one of your New Year resolutions and upgrade your appliances? Check out the list below to see examples of appliances you should consider investing in.
An Eco Kettle
Kettles actually use a tremendous amount of energy to power them and many of us are guilty of overfilling our kettle, it’s estimated that in the UK, £68m is wasted a year from doing this. By investing in an eco-kettle, it cleverly measures the amount of water required for a single cup of tea or coffee so you don’t have to worry about wastage and you’ll be helping to cut down on your energy costs.
Water Efficient Toilets
Many newer properties will have installed toilets fitted with a ‘short-flush’ option. We use up 30% of our water every time we use the toilet so if you have an older model it makes sense to upgrade. Newer toilets are very competitively priced and you’ll be saving 2 to 3 litres of water every time you flush.
Energy Saving Washing Machines
The most efficient washing machines will use 33litres of water for a standard load; the least efficient machines use 72 litres. This does vary between machines even with the same energy rating so make sure you find out the performance of the washing machine before you buy. Try to limit the amount of times you run a pre rinse cycle and only use your machine on a full load to save wasting water, lowering the temperature can also help to cut energy bill costs.
Eco-friendly Shower Head
It’s well known that having showers as opposed to baths saves a lot of water and is better for the planet. Getting an eco-friendly shower head can help you to reduce water wastage even further by giving the same ‘feeling’ of a power shower, thanks to adding air into the stream of water coming from the shower and it does this using less water than a conventional shower. They are cheaper than most power shower systems and simple to install.
Refrigerator Thermometer
Fridges are not cheap so if you can’t justify purchasing a new one, consider buying a fridge thermometer. They can be hung inside the fridge thanks to the attachment or just placed inside the fridge thanks to its flat base. It can be adjusted to the optimum temperature to tell you when your fridge or freezer is too cold so that you can save valuable money and energy.
30 Minute Timer
It’s estimated that we spend up to 1.3 billion a year every single year by leaving our appliances on standby; this is up to 16% of our household energy usage.
A 30 minute timer when plugged into a multi-socket extension lead automatically turns off the power to appliances left turned on after a 30 minute period. This drastically reduces the risk of fires and other hazards in the home as well as keeping your energy bills lower. This is particularly useful for things like an iron which can significantly overheat if it is left plugged in unattended.
Eco-Toaster
Toasters waste a lot of energy in the home as they are often left plugged in and as with most conventional toasters do not allow you to toast just one slice at a time. An eco-toaster has a slot that makes this possible which can help you make an energy saving of up to 50%.
Pro Energy Cylinder Cleaner
Consider getting rid of your old vacuum cleaner and replacing it for an energy saving vacuum cleaner. These have different settings depending on whether you’re using the hoover on carpet, flooring or even upholstery which means you get maximum performance while saving 50% on energy.
This article was written by Amy Elliott from Appliance City. The team at Appliance City like to promote a green way of living and believe that inveting in eco-friendly appliances will in time help to save the environment and money. Amy writes for them in her spare time so as to spread the message of green living.

Importance Of Teaching Kids About Agriculture

2014-01-26T19:07:00.000+00:00

Teaching agriculture and good farming practices to school kids instils knowledge on how plants grow, live and die. There are many lessons kids learn from agriculture and gardening including knowledge on how food gets to the table, how clothes get onto store shelves and how seeds germinate. Teaching kids about farming helps them get perspective of their lives and the world around them.

Basic Science

Teaching agriculture to school kids introduces them to basic scientific knowledge and how to apply the lessons in their daily lives. For example, through the lessons kids learn about how bees make honey, how fruits develop, how trees grow and how oil is obtained from corn. Agriculture combines the concepts of chemistry, physics and biology and puts them into everyday application.

School Gardens

School gardens help kids learn important lessons about farming and the environment. Planting different crop varieties allows kids to learn how things grow, live and die. Gardens help young people develop social skills by working in groups. In addition, it helps them put their agricultural knowledge into practical dimensions.

Nutrition

Agriculture lessons educate kids about nutrition, where foods come from, what kinds of foods are beneficial and the importance of eating the right kinds of foods.
Leadership and Team Building
Farming lessons help kids develop skills in communication, leadership, team building and civic engagement among others. Through agriculture lessons, kids learn about the importance of farming to the community and how to work together for the common good. They also learn about how communities provide food to their members.

History Of Farming

Civilisation came about when people figured out ways to domesticate plants and animals in their surroundings. This made people adopt the farming lifestyle. Farming created a shift from hunting and gathering to settling in one place. The first towns and cities developed around areas that had consistent food supplies. With time, farmers began to perfect their farming practices. The agricultural revolution made many people realise they can get more food on less land. Modern farming innovations such as use of synthetic nitrogen, pesticides, machines and rock phosphates have led to some of the largest crop yields in history.

Features

Today, subsistence farmers are at the bottom of the farming food chain. These farmers use small portions of land to produce small amounts of foods enough for their families. Intensive farmers have huge tracts of land and use the latest farming techniques to produce food. They can produce foods for large populations. Most large scale farms use technologies that produce high yields.

Types

Most of the foods we eat including wheat, corn, rice, milk, fruits and grains are obtained from farming. Many farms deal with the production of non-food substances such as cotton, hemp and flax among others. The increased need for cleaner energy has made many countries to invest in biofuel farms to produce ethanol, methane, biomass and biodiesel.

Potential

There is growing competition among industrial farms. The never-ending demand for food has led to a new kind of agricultural revolution. Today's farmers use agricultural chemistry and advanced mechanisations in farming. Some of the new techniques used in farming include use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides, hydroponics, gene manipulation, plant breeding and hybridisation.
Warning Industrial farming comes at a cost. Large-scale farming and poor agricultural practices have detrimental effects on the environment including deforestation, soil erosion and air pollution. Pesticides pollute water bodies where people get their drinking water. Although many countries have set strict regulations to minimise the harmful effects of industrial farming, the regulations are often hard to monitor and enforce.
Farming is a worldwide Practice. Modern farming techniques allow farmers to produce massive quantities of food to feed billions of people. It is important to teach kids about farming and its significance in our lives.
John Dickson is a farmer who works for upuindustries.com. When he’s not on the farm he contributes to agricultural blogs.

The Three Best Ways To Protect The Planet

2014-01-25T20:29:00.001+00:00

The planet we live on is changing and as a result of our actions its lifespan is reducing dramatically. There are so many different companies out there nowadays that then profess to offer ways to reduce the damage we are causing but in truth these methods are often born out of fantasy and are extremely difficult to implement.
Moving forward, naturally a focus on renewable forms of energy will be extremely beneficial and have an extremely positive effect but these methods have to be much more affordable and relative to the environment they are contained within.
As I have mentioned before, we live in the internet age and there is an abundance of research data available online that can help us understand and engage with the problem at hand. Protecting the environment should be high on the agenda for our governments as it is the simplest and most effective way to put in place mass changes on a vast scale, quickly and efficiently.

Renewable Energy

This is pretty much the best way to protect the planet in the long term. There are so many companies out there that have the technology we need but it is simply a question of cost. It cannot be disputed that renewable energy is both expensive and difficult to install.
The fact that it is a form of energy that is reliant on the weather makes it almost impossible to universally apply but in certain countries renewable forms of energy can be a brilliant way to generate efficient and cost effective energy.
The non-renewable forms of energy are going to run out one day, that is something that cannot be disputed and therefore governments must be looking towards renewable forms of energy to create the basis for an energy efficient future.
Instead of investing time and money in wars that are wholly unnecessary, why not invest in the future of the planet that has given us this wonderfully unique and rare opportunity.

Utilities

This is another simple yet effective way to protect the planet and save yourself a lot of money personally too. We all waste so much energy in our homes and that in turn costs us a lot more money each week on our bills. It is a vicious cycle but I do agree it is something that is extremely tough to quantify.
Energy is so abundant nowadays and people can be forgiven for being a little frivolous but with just a little education, we can nationally save a hell of a lot of cash. There are companies out there such as Agua Flux that sell great accessories designed to save you water in your house for example and must be looked into.

Recycle

This is the simplest and the most widely used method of protection and conservation but again it isn’t that efficient nor effective. Naturally, recycling is better than not recycling but I think there are a lot better and more effective methods or protection. Spend a little time researching and start taking care of this fragile planet we all share.

Featured images:

License: Creative Commons image source

Marcus Jackson is a writer with a love for the environment. He writes articles with the sole intention of raising awareness about the damage we cause on a day to day basis and ways to protect the planet.

Orlando Welcomes 1st Community Solar Farm

2014-01-25T20:24:00.000+00:00

As the world continues to face problems such and climate change and fossil fuel shortages, finding and implementing alternative energies becomes increasingly important. All over the United States a new type of power plant is popping up: the solar farm. Most recently, Orlando Utility Commission (OUC) welcomed the first solar farm to Central Florida and are now building a community solar farm. So what exactly is a solar farm and what are the implications for the areas economy and carbon footprint? This article will explain all of that and more.

What is a Solar Farm?

When most people hear the phrase solar farm, they are left in a complete state of confusion. A solar farm is a large group or array of solar panels built to collect the suns energy and turn it into usable electricity for the everyday person. Solar farms are currently being built large enough to power over 20,000 homes.

How it Works

One may ask, “How this is achieved with certain places not getting full sunlight all year?” A common misconception is that the solar panel at a farm or even on your own roof will directly power the appliances and electronics in your home. On the contrary this power is actually supplied to the electric grid and then credited toward your bill at the end of each billing cycle.
Much of the power collected by a solar array happens during the afternoon when the sun is at a peak point in the sky. Most people are working during the day and not using electricity. Therefore a lot of potential energy absorbed by the solar panel would be wasted. So, instead, this power is sent back to the electric grid for those who are pulling power to utilize.

Orlando’s Community Solar Farm

With the new community solar farm, consumers have the ability to purchase some of the panels to get a return on their investment for cheap power. This new project offers 500 kW of power and people are already signing up to purchase the solar power. Many of these solar arrays have a dual purpose and serve as parking lot canopies and other types of infrastructure.
Solar technology can now be obtained at competitive costs with natural gas and other energy sources. This means that more and more people will be able to reap the benefits of cheap and clean power in the Orlando area as more of these farms are built.

Who else is doing this?

Utility companies nationwide are adopting solar as a power source. Solar farms being built in Western Tennessee are boasting 5 mW of power being generated annually. These farms are popping up all of the country from the West coast the East coast up and down the country. As the cost of solar power continues to decrease more and more of these farms are being built as a direct power source to utility companies, who in turn will sell it back to the public. These solar arrays will be able to power hundreds of homes and continue to do so into the foreseeable future.

Featured images:

License: Creative Commons image source

This article was written by Nick Quinlan. Nick graduated from UCF in 2009 with a degree in electrical engineering and works on the side creating content for Bob Heinmiller Solar.

How To Live In An Environmentally Friendly Way

2014-01-25T20:19:00.001+00:00

Do you sometimes reflect on the way you live and end up feeling bad about the impact your existence is having on the environment? Is so then you are like most of us but feeling bad won’t get you or the environment anywhere, decisive action is needed. You can make today the first day that you begin to live a greener life but you’ll need a guide to show you how. Well you’re in luck; let’s take a look at how you can live in a more environmentally friendly way.

Use Natural Products

Are you removing household stains and odours with bleach, vapour sprays and other mass produced cleaning agents? The answer to that question for most of us will be yes but have you considered using natural products instead? Why? Because they can do just as a good a job, they don’t contain toxins that will pollute the environment and it’s cheaper. Try removing a stain with a mixture of vinegar and water or some baking soda and you will see that they are just as good as the products you usually buy and without having to buy them you will be reducing the amount of rubbish you amass.

Eat Less Meat

The amount of land and resources which used up to sustain the demand for meat throughout the world is huge. If we all did our bit and just had 1 0r 2 days a week when we didn’t eat meat we could greatly reduce these figures freeing up more land for us to enjoy and less destruction of areas to create farm land. When was the last time you went a whole day without eating meat?

No More Plastic Bags

This is one that we will all be familiar with. You’re probably sick of being asked if you want a bag every time you go shopping but you really should consider bringing your own canvas bag which will last for years and eliminate the need for plastic bags. Think about how many plastic bags you throw out each week and then think about how long they take to decompose, the number is staggering.

Snuggle More

Do you have you heating blasting for most of the night? Try using it much less and when you’re cold put some extra layers on and snuggle up to a loved one (that includes the dog). Reducing the amount of oil or gas you use will greatly reduce your carbon footprint and as we all know these resources are on the decline.

Consider The Alternatives

Get some information on alternative energy sources and how you can utilise them. Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power are going to be the ‘must haves’ of the future so why not get in their early. Many governments offer incentives to people who use solar energy and your electricity bills will be greatly reduced so find out more about your options.

Plant A Tree

This is one of the simplest solutions out there but it really does help reduce your carbon footprint. Try planting a tree in your garden which will produce more oxygen for the environment, it’s that simple. Not only will it produce oxygen but it will use the carbon that you produce which will set you well on your way to living a much more environmentally friendly life.

Learning about the environment in the Early Years

2013-09-11T12:11:00.001+01:00

It's widely publicised that play and learning outdoors have a positive impact on children's well-being and their development. Outdoor learning is fun, giving children room to explore and investigate nature, improving physical abilities and experiences the sights, sounds, smells and movement. Being outdoors also introduces young children to our environment with first hand experiences with weather, seasons and the natural world.

Playing outdoors provide children from birth to 5 years old with the following opportunities:

be excited, energetic, adventurous, noisy, messy
talk, listen, interact, make friends
imagine, dream, invent, fantasise
create, invent, construct, de-construct
investigate, explore, discover, experiment with their own ideas and theories
make sounds and music, express ideas and feelings
find patterns, make marks, explore different media and materials
investigate concepts and ideas
be active, run, climb, pedal, jump, throw
dig, grow, nurture, cultivate
hide, relax, find calm, reflect
take risks
have responsibility, be independent, collaborate with others

A popular activity for learning about the environment is gardening; it helps children to develop to greater understanding of the world around us with gardening in containers or outdoor spaces. Planting fruit and veg, weeding and sweeping leaves are some activities that promotes care and concern for the environment.

Early Years Resources based in the UK provides an excellent range of outdoor learning resources and equipment such as gardening equipment for children, nature exploration kits and weather resources.

2013-04-12T08:40:00.000+01:00

5 Reasons Every Business Should Have an Eco Policy

If your business is in the green sector — a supplier of solar panels or a recycling clearance services provider, for instance — it makes obvious sense for your company to have a policy on ecological and environmental friendliness.

What if you're in a sector that's largely unrelated to green issues — do you still need an eco policy?

It's tempting to assume that you don't. After all, why would you take time and resources away from your core business in order to develop a policy that, at first blush, appears to have nothing to do with what your enterprise is about? Ignoring the growing public interest in environmental concerns or the role these play in consumer choice is a mistake, however.

There are many hidden benefits to having a solid and well-planned environmental policy for your company.

Here are some of the five top reasons why you should start thinking about your eco policy today.

1. Consumer Interest

Simply put, customers care about the environment. Maybe not all of your customer base is strongly concerned about the environment but a sufficient segment of it is likely to be somewhat interested in green issues to make a difference to your business. Some customers will be interested enough to choose you over a competitor.

Many sectors that were previously divorced from environmentalism have begun to embrace green issues as a way of wooing new customers. One example is the insurance industry. By offering discounts for homeowners who have invested in solar panels or other green improvements — typically a lower insurance risk in any case — some insurance providers have carved out a niche for themselves as "green" companies.

2. Green Relief

Discounts on business rates and other economic advantages are another good reason to look into setting up an eco policy. An example is the Government's new Green Deal, which rewards businesses for adopting energy-saving policies.

You probably already know that green enhancements can save you money; reducing your energy consumption will cut your company's fuel bills, for instance. You may also find that some of the companies you rely on for supplies and services offer incentives to go green. As mentioned above, there are some cases where going green can pay off in terms of reducing insurance premiums. This is true for businesses as well as households. If your policy includes physical upgrades to your premises, this may lower your risk profile in the eyes of an insurer and result in lower premiums once improvements are completed.

3. Promotional Opportunities

Opportunities for business promotion in eco-friendly media are more numerous if you establish some green credentials. Making a name for yourself as a company with an environmental conscience can pay dividends in terms of good publicity. As well as making green media more interested in accepting advertising for your firm, you can use your new policy as the springboard for a publicity drive. Sending out a press release that details your eco policy is potentially a way to get your company featured in reporting from green and eco-aware outlets.

Some environmental charities offer awards or certification for businesses that make a firm and demonstrable commitment to becoming more environmentally friendly. If you can show that you've established a meaningful company policy on green issues and that you are following through with real change and measurable improvements, you might be eligible for this kind of recognition. Such an award can be a source of excellent publicity and an opportunity for promotion in green media, as environmentally-oriented outlets often report on the winners of such plaudits.

An eco policy can also offer a way to break into conventional media. Increasingly, green stories attract mainstream attention. Your firm's story could be one of them. Local media might be particularly interested, especially if your policy affects the environment in their area of interest. The news that your new policy will mean less pollution in the local air or water will definitely be seen as newsworthy by many outlets.

4. Public Relations

It makes a business look good if the general public can see that you are taking steps to build a more environmentally-friendly business. Sometimes representatives can be wrong-footed if they're quizzed over green concerns without having any policy guidance to refer to.

Prospective or current customers who get in touch with your company for information regarding environmental issues will be much more impressed if your representatives can quote confidently from a solid eco policy instead of seeming vague or uninterested. If your company gets a reputation as one which cares about the environment on a local as well as a global scale, this often translates into more business and greater loyalty from your existing clients.

5. Real-World Benefits

As well as helping you look good, establishing an eco policy for your company genuinely is good for the planet. Cutting down on waste, reducing the amount of energy your business consumes, eliminating pollution that originates with your company — all these are genuinely good news for the environment.

Even relatively small changes, such as replacing lighting with energy-efficient alternatives, arranging to recycle office waste and offering paperless billing for your customers, can make a big difference to the environmental impact of your enterprise.

Get Involved!

It's fair to say that whatever sector your enterprise is active in and no matter what size your company may be, you need an eco policy. Your policy will need to be tailored to your company's activities. Possible areas to look at might be:

Investing in more energy-efficient premises
Offering greener services, such as paperless billing
Adopting sustainable energy sources
Switching to more environmentally-friendly raw materials
Offering discounts and incentives for customers who adopt greener approaches themselves.

The more companies get on board with the green revolution and try to change their practices, the better it is for our world as a whole. Get involved!

Here's How You Can Help The Environment In 2 Minutes A Day

2013-03-04T10:20:00.001+00:00

Saving the planet is not difficult. You can help the environment in 2 minutes a day by using common sense and logic. It does not take expensive ingredients to go green, but a desire to do your part. There are hundreds of tips and tricks written and suggested and you can probably think of many more.

Change your Bulbs

One of the best ways to help the environment in 2 minutes is to change your lights. You need to replace your old regular light bulbs with a new fluorescent bulb. The contamination reduction is equal to removing thousands of cars from the road in a one year period. There are regulations in place that require electric light bulb manufactures to cease producing traditional bulbs. Get used to those swirly fluorescents.

Turn off Computers

Do you leave your computer on all the time? Computers need sleep too and instead of leaving in it sleep mode all night you can save 40 watt hours per day buy turning your computer totally off at night. If you have a timer you can set it to turn on your computer automatically a few minutes before you get to work.

Don’t Rise Dishes

Many consumers have the feeling that they have to wash their dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Today’s dishwasher models are designed to take excess foods off the dishes and flush them away. By not rinsing your dishes before your load them, you can save up to 20 gallons of water each load. You are also saving the time and energy that it takes to heat hand washing water.

No Pre-Heating

Avoid preheating the oven. Just turn it on when you put in your food. You do, however need to use the pre-heat selection when you are baking. Check the condition of your food through the oven window instead of constantly opening the door.

Recycle Glass

If you recycle your glass instead of throwing glass in the trash you will reduce pollution by almost 20 percent. Related water pollution that is caused by glass can be reduced by 50 percent. Glass does take almost a million years to decompose.

Cloth Diapers

You will have a terrible time convincing mothers and fathers that they need to use cloth diapers. Yet we use about 4000 to 8000 diapers on a child from the day of birth until they are potty trained. Diapers are nasty, generally do not decompose quickly, and fill up trash sites. Find a friendlier disposable if you insist on using these types of diapers. You can find eco-friendly diapers in the organic section of your supermarket.

Vegetarian Diets

If you have ever wanted to jump on the vegetarian bandwagon for a meal or too, you can switch in no time and save the planet. One less meat based meal during a one week period will give both you and the planet increased health. It requires 400 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef. It takes only a couple of gallons of water to produce lettuce. Save trees by eating vegetarian. Every hamburger that comes from animals raised on rainforest land costs approximately 44 square feet of trees.

No Bottled Water

Almost 100 percent of plastic water bottles never hit the recycling bin. They do take thousands of years to decompose and when throw away water bottles on the ground you produce an ugly landscape and damaged ecology. Your tap water is better for you than most bottled waters, which is really fancy tap water. The FDA has more stringent requirements for home tap water than bottled water manufacturers.

Featured images:

License: Image author owned

While working with DATS Environment Services, the author, Craig Miller, has been working to educate people on how they can do their part in helping to take care of the environment. He has contributed many articles to different sites and spoken at several green conferences.

Decreasing Your Personal Carbon Footprint

2013-03-03T13:26:00.000+00:00

Unless your name is Al Gore, you probably can’t afford solar panels, a house remodel to increase energy efficiency and a new Hybrid car. Although efficient, these ways of reducing energy consumption and lowering your carbon footprint can be costly. These types of endeavours don’t only require thousands of dollars – they necessitate a large time commitment and plenty of forethought and planning. Some of the best methods to lower your carbon footprint are the small changes you can make to your daily life. Like crash dieting, doing something drastic isn’t as effective as making smaller, incremental changes you can pursue for the long-term. Here you’ll find a comprehensive list of several tactics that that will help you develop sustainable lifelong practices that will help you help the environment.

What is a Carbon Footprint and why it Matters

Your personal carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions associated to your consumption. Examining your carbon footprint is an effective way in determining your indirect effect on the environment. There are many tools available that can help you estimate your carbon footprint, and knowing this number can provide a clear view of your consumption and how it’s affecting Mother Earth. Knowing your “number” isn’t everything; whatever it is, most people can still make small improvements to their overall consumption habits. Greenhouse gas emissions matter – especially for global warming believers and evangelists. If you haven’t caught on yet, excess greenhouse gas emissions are the primary cause of global warming – which is bad for everyone.

Buying Local Products Results in Less Emissions

Production of local products, like produce, cheeses, and honey, are the least likely to contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Unlike large production plants local establishments are smaller and have limited resources, making their production processes different from those of their larger competitors. The carbon footprint of local facilities is usually a fraction of a larger plant’s footprint. Local products also travel a fraction of the distance to get to distributors, like your local food market. Shaving cream that has been manufactured in London and that is sold in a London shop has a much lower carbon footprint than a product that would have been manufactured in China, due to the transportation-related emissions. Sometimes it’s just impossible to buy local products, like coffee. Coffee beans are cultivated from approximately 70 countries around the globe and Germany is the world’s largest transfer point of coffee beans. This doesn’t mean that Germany produces the beans. In fact coffee beans aren’t cultivated in Europe at all. The largest cultivators and exporters of coffee beans are Latin America, Southeast Asia, Africa and India. The amount of greenhouse gas emissions from transportation alone should definitely incite cutting back on your trips to Starbucks.

Reduce Heat in Your Home

The most obvious issue to address is the temperature of your home. Did you know that simply reducing the temperature on your thermostats by one or two degrees can result in a significant decrease in greenhouse gas emissions? Whether your heating is electric, oil or slow combustion stove (the kind you fill with fire wood), reducing the temperature, consumption and general use of the heating source will lead to a reduction of your carbon footprint. Reducing consumption will also be good to your bank account. With the rise of heating oil prices, did you know that turning down the heat by one degree could reduce your heating costs by up to 10%?

Another heat source to consider cutting back is the temperature of your water heater. Most households have their water heater set too high anyway, and reducing the temperature by the same one or two degrees will lower your carbon footprint and save you money on heating oil prices.
Finally when considering heat for your home, think of the hot water used to wash your clothes. Most detergents work just as well in cold water and, in fact, washing your clothes in cold water prevents stains from setting in the fabric. Washing your clothes in cold water will save you money on your power bill, reduce your carbon footprint, and lengthen their lifespan.

Nick Thorping is a writer with an interest in sustainable business practices. He suggests that just as reducing consumption of heating leads to a reduction of heating oil prices, reducing consumption can lead to cost savings in your home.

Eight Top Kitchen Eco Tips

2013-02-20T16:26:00.000+00:00

Robert from Flow Living is here to give you eight ways to improve your kitchen's eco "output", or rather, reduce your kitchen's waste output.
The kitchen is often to most-used room in the modern home, which also makes it possibly the most-abused in terms of energy usage. Have a read through these tips - I hope you can get something good from them!

Re-Use All Things

There are two overriding themes to been environmentally conscious: reducing waste, and re-using things where possible. You really can re-use a lot of kitchen waste, from using certain food wastes as compost to turning an old bin into a waterbutt, there's a lot of opportunity if you're the inventive type. If you're not the inventive type, think about the problems you currently have in your kitchen/garden. Is there a way you can help them by re-using something you consume on a regular (or irregular) basis? Necessity is the mother of invention, so solving a problem is perhaps where you should start. If that doesn't get you anywhere, there's always the artistic route - transform a part of your garden into a more creative space by painting old appliances, or building interesting sculptures out of old kitchen items.

Eat...Microwave Meals?

Okay this idea might be slightly controversial, because there's certainly something that feels more natural about cooking "properly" in a oven. But microwaves are more energy efficient. They're quick (that meal it takes an hour to heat in the oven only takes three in the microwave) and literally use less energy than a gas or electric oven.
If you have to use a stove to cook with, why not prepare food in bulk to then freeze. Then, when you're ready to eat it, reheat it in the microwave rather than on a stove.

Buy Recycled Goods

It's a no-brainer, isn't it? You buy recycled goods, which you then recycle, which then get bought by another as recycled goods, who then recycles - it's a lovely round recycling circle...or cycle. Whilst it's easy to conceive, it's slightly harder to implement. But it's all about getting into a mindset, thinking first about recycling: the next time you have to buy something, just ask yourself "is there a recycled version of this?"

Save Water

Hot water is an everyday necessity, for cooking, drinking, cleaning, and bathing. In the kitchen, you can cut down on the amount of hot water that you use, and the amount that you waste. "Waste" is the key here. It takes energy to heat water, so if you end up running the tap for slightly longer than you should, or pouring some hot water away then you're wasting energy. A good way to ensure you use less water overall, without having to concentrate so much, is to use a tap that has a slower flow. Having a nice looking kitchen tap to accompany your stylish undermount sink is one thing, but having a tap that saves you money, saves energy and still looks great is a greater thing.
Another quick water/energy saving tip: if you fill the kettle up to full every time, but don't use all of the water, then you're wasting energy every time you heat the kettle.

Save More Energy

So this nicely follows on from the previous tip. Due to your undoubtedly electricity-powered kitchen, there's a lot of energy usage. Think of all the appliances you have. Anything steam-powered? Hamster powered? Nope. Here are some quick tips, that also work throughout other areas of the house:

Use low-energy lightbulbs (compact fluorescent bulbs), including in side-lights and task lighting
Turn everything off when you're not using it (except the fridge/freezer, unless you want to have to eat all of your frozen food tomorrow)
Monitor your central heating - if the kitchen warms up when you use other appliances, do you need the central heating on as well?
Buy new appliances - this one will cost you money short-term, but save in efficiency over a longer period as newer appliances are generally more efficient
Using kitchen appliances elsewhere? Do they need to be switched on? That freezer in your garage might not be fully stocked, so can you transfer its contents and turn it off?

Outsource It!

Your best chance of succeeding with making your kitchen a more eco-aware is with you committing to the idea. But if you share the house with others (especially others of an under-18 and occasionally messy persuasion) then you're open to their input, whether you like it or not. Therefore if you convince your family to become advocates of your ideas, those ideas could go a long way.
Kids, when they believe something, often put a lot of energy behind their beliefs. If you lay out the reasons why you want to change the way you dispose of waste, pick the food you use and be aware of the impact of your decisions, your children will be better informed, better prepared and possibly better disciplined overall.

Finish Your Meals

Saying "don't throw things away" is too easy, too obvious, and not quite right. Most UK councils are stepping up their recycling programmes, which means that more of your home waste can be sorted into various recycling buckets. Or at least, that's the intention. However, if you can just produce less waste to start with, there's less to recycle. It does help if you have a "human dustbin" in the house, but, sincerely, weighing your food and working out who consumes what sort of quantity of food can go a very long way to reducing your overall waste, reducing food bills, cutting down the amount of packaging you use, trips to the supermarket etc. There's a whole big knock-on effect that starts with a simple thought and spreads out a long way from there.

Tell Everyone About Your Success

This is perhaps the best thing you can do: pay it forward. Spread the word. If you've seen "success" after implementing a green or eco policy in your kitchen, tell everyone about it. For every naysayer and pessimist you encounter, there may be one or two that you encourage to change the way they think about how their waste at home affects them and the wider world around them.
Do you have tips nine, ten and eleven? Please add them in the comments!

How To Build Your Own Wind Turbine At Home

2013-02-07T09:31:00.001+00:00

Wind turbines are quite simple and easy to make, and they can save you a lot of money on electric bills if you can build your own. And that is what this article is going to attempt to do- help you build your very own wind generator through the gathering and assembly of fairly widespread and cheap components.

Introduction

If you know how to build a home wind turbine, your electrical bills will cost significantly less and luckily this is relatively easy to do. Plans and instructions showing how to build your own wind turbine are commonly available and thousands of people have built their own home wind turbine. It is often said that only an area prone to strong winds is suitable for wind power generation. This is absolutely not so. Even gentle breezes will produce power which is stored in batteries till needed.

Before you start building it is crucial that you grasp a basic understanding of how a windmill or turbine works. Wind turbines are made up of three major components: the rotor with blades, the tower, and the motor. All of these components work together to generate electrical energy. The tower is used to strengthen your wind power turbine. The blades are used to capture the power of the wind; when constructing your turbine you should consider aligning the blades in the direction of the wind to enhance this ability. The motor is the component that converts the wind blown into the blades into usable electrical energy for your home.

Material and Tool Needed for Wind Turbine

Now that you have a fundamental understanding of what you will be creating you will need a work place that can fit all your needs to start building. A decent-sized garage or shop will help you with this. You wouldn’t want to have your things cluttered around, so it should be large. Subsequently, with your do-it-yourself wind turbine plans, you are now equipped with instructions and the facility to build your wind power turbines.

For you to get started, you must secure your tools such as the wrenches, saw and the cordless drills. Furthermore you need to make a detailed plan in building your wind turbine.

There are a number of materials you could use for the generator’s blades. Almost all experts suggest a strong, pliable wood such as cedar or spruce. Using cedar means your generator can withstand strong winds best by bending slightly with them. Any durable, not-overly-dense and not-too-weak wood will suffice. You could also use plastic blades, like PVC, but you have to be aware that cold weather can fracture them.

The dimensions of your blades will establish the strength of the motor you should get. Something around 40 volts is reasonable. And lastly, your wind generator will need a power source and a monitoring device. A large battery, like a car battery, and a diode will work perfectly.

It is required for you to purchase a DC motor. This will be your power turbine. The DC motor will serve as the heart of the wind turbine, so it is necessary to get one. Ordering this may take days before it is delivered at your home, so place the order ahead of time. The most challenging part of building a home wind turbine is the process of matching blades to the power turbine properly and effectively. Nonetheless, don't be threatened by this because it will not be very difficult if you correctly outlined your plan. If you are aiming for more power production, then you may need to have larger sized blades and of course bigger DC motor.

In making a 1000 watts home wind turbine, your blades ought to be at least 4 feet long, therefore the diameter will have a total of 8 feet all in all. This will catch more wind and will create more power. If you are making small machines, it is recommended to use a PVC pipes for the blades. While you are waiting for the DC motor that you have ordered, you can begin building your blades it basically takes only one day to be able to finish the blades.

Instructions how to get started

With a band saw, cut the wood or PVC into the shape of fan blades. Make sure you cut them into a size that will accommodate your power source. Use bolts or screws to attach the blades to your saw blade pivot. Cover your blades in a primer paint with an oil base, then add additional layers of enamel paint. Later on, attach the blades and pivot to your stainless steel core.

Test the blades to ensure weight is being distributed equally. Run copper wire around the base of the stainless steel core of your generator and attach that wire to your battery. Attach the diode to the battery. Then place your core on the TV tower to keep it elevated. In combination with what you’ve already constructed, you may add a gear box to your generator. This significantly boosts the power generator, as it does a lot of extra work for you with the same amount of wind as it was receiving before.

Conclusion

Where you place your home wind turbine is essential for the success or disappointment of your project. You need to do extensive investigation on the amount of wind available and the speed of that wind. If your site is among trees or surrounded by steep hills, it's impossible to be useful for wind power. It is best if your site is flat or with hills that are far away from trees and other obstacles.

Author:

This article was written by Philippe Allaire, a French Canadian writer with hopes of teaching the world great alternative energy sources. If you’re looking for other alternative energy sources, many can be found at www.greenieproducts.com.

Still Using Paper in your Business? What You Need to Know to take the Paperless Jump

2012-09-01T10:17:00.000+01:00

These days you hear a great deal about companies going paperless. Many types of businesses have adopted the practice — everything from caterpillar equipment sellers to custom clothing designers. The word “paperless” does not mean the company no longer uses any paper, but rather, it has transferred the majority of its paperwork online.
This type of business move makes sense for a number of reasons, since it’s convenient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly. Here are some factors you should keep in mind if your company is considering going paperless.
It Cuts Expenses
In a tight economy, companies are always looking for ways to save money. Cutting spending is a good reason to go paperless, since online business is very cost-effective. Corporations spend millions of dollars each year on the ink, printers, and paper needed to print documents. For online business, you just need a website, email, and some sort of content management system. You may need to invest in a few things at first, but that won’t even making a dent in the amount of money you’ll be saving.
It Reduces Your Carbon Footprint
Another reason going paperless is so popular is that more and more businesses are adopting eco-friendly practices. Paperless business will help reduce the harmful impact you have on the environment. By doing online business, you’re using fewer office supplies, meaning you’re cutting down on the amount of waste your company produces.
It Saves Time for Your Staff
When you’re mailing out paper documents, it takes a while to prepare them. To send letters or bills to customers and business contacts, employees traditionally print them out and sign them. They then address, stuff, and seal the envelope. While it may not seem like a long process, employees can spend hours sending out mailings to customers. With paperless business, you can deliver important documents with the click of a button.
It Elicits Varying Reactions from Customers
Some customers will find paperless business to be easy and convenient. Many people would rather receive bills and other notices online. They figure making payments or receiving notices is just easier on the computer. For most people, it is also much faster to do paperless business.
Others, however, are against companies going paperless. They feel that as loyal customers, it’s their right to receive paper notices. These customers may think it’s easier to remember to pay a bill if it’s physically sent to their home. They may not be very tech-savvy and might have experience difficulty when doing their business online. It’s also important to realize that not everyone has reliable Internet access. Although it’s difficult to imagine life without a computer for many of us, some elderly citizens are resistant to buying one. If you do decide to go paperless, you should make sure these customers are still able to receive paper notices.

This post is brought to you by guest author CJ, a business enthusiast who enjoys writing about everything from going paperless to the latest caterpillar equipment.

Hot Drinks Warming The Planet Too?

2012-05-21T11:39:00.001+01:00

If you want to know what small changes in your behavior can mean for the overall health of the planet then look no further than this infographic from the other side of the pond in the UK. They are well known for drinking a lot of tea over there and when you drill down into the numbers it is quite staggering just how much greenhouse gas is emitted because of this habit. It turns out that you would have to drive some two and a half billion miles in an average car to generate as much emissions as hot drinks do in a year.

It makes you wonder about what other small changes we could make to our lives that would lead to huge collective savings in our carbon footprint. Maybe this strategy would work better than trying to get people to make huge, drastic changes which they are much more likely to resent or simply fail at.

Steve Waller runs his own green living blog, aptly named Green Steve and wants to educate and inform people about the ways they can reduce their overall impact on the environment. With posts on recycling, clean energy, green travel and more, his blog has a wealth of useful information.

Where does the UKs electricity come from?

2012-05-17T10:57:00.001+01:00

Almost 40 countries across six continents make up for more than half of the fuel that the United Kingdom uses. They are the damning facts of the latest statistics about our fuel production and outsourcing. With so much talk about renewable energy and being self-sufficient, this is just another piece of information that should spark the UK into action.

Dependence on other countries to run our electricity supply is something that we all knew was true, but with just 43.1% of fuel being sourced in the UK we need to sit up and take note. Seeing the facts and figures in the cold light of day just brings home the sheer size of our problem.
With around half of the country’s population keen on the idea of being self-sufficient with their electricity, this research will make us wonder just how we could reach a 100% goal in the next 40 years. Poland, USA, Indonesia, Russia and Columbia all send the coal, while Qatar produces the majority of our liquefied gas and our dependency on imported uranium adds Canada and Australia to the mix. There are countries across Africa, Asia & the Middle East, Australasia, Europe along with North and South America all doing their bit to keep us warm at night.

In a lot of ways, it’s not the percentages that are the shock but just the sheer amount of countries that the UK needs to sustain the population. The research and time that has evidently gone into this was thorough and detailed, and it’s this determination and mind-set that the whole of the United Kingdom needs if we’re going to lower our fuel output. Whether you’re unplugging your laptops before you go to bed or switching your home to good, green energy, slowly but surely we can all make a difference.

Infographic one - continent level

Source: Green Energy, Renewable Energy Company

Infographic two - country level

Source: Green Energy, Renewable Energy Company

Don’t Drive Across Town for Cheap Gas-- Seriously, Don’t Do It

2012-04-20T11:31:00.000+01:00

Summer is fast approaching, and with it, higher prices at the pump. While it may make you feel better to drive to a neighboring town to secure cheaper gasoline, it’s almost always more expensive to make the trip. Here is the truth, the math, and some ideas for better ways to spend your money.

$4.00 per gallon seems like a princely sum to pay just for the ability to burn it all transporting yourself from one appointment to the next. So, naturally, $3.95 sounds a LOT better. But unless the nickel-cheaper gas is selling at the filling station immediately next door to the more expensive stuff, you’re better off completely ignoring the cost and just filling up at whichever station is nearest to you. Why?

Let’s use some average numbers for cars. Your vehicle will differ, but this will give an idea as to how the numbers work out when bargain shopping for gasoline. For our example, we’ll use a vehicle with a 15-gallon gas tank. The average combined fuel economy of the car is 25mpg. The service station with the $4.00 gas is next door to our home, but the discount fuel is 5 miles away.

1. Price Only

Gasoline prices seem to bewitch people. You’d never drive a 10-mile round-trip to save $0.75 on a $60 item, but when you drive five miles each way to save a nickel per gallon on a fill-up, that’s exactly what you’re doing. Consider: A full, 15-gal. tank of fuel at $4.00/gal. costs $60.00. A full, 15-gal. tank of fuel at $3.95/gal. costs $59.25. Savings = $0.75. What if you only have a 10 gal. tank? You’ll pay $40 and $39.50 respectively, for a full tank. $0.50 is not much savings!

2. Mileage Matters

If it feels better to get the lower price, and you think the $0.75 is worth the trip, you still lose. You’ll travel 10 miles to get the cheap gas, but you’ll burn more fuel driving there and back than you’ll be able to buy with the money you save. At 25mpg, and assuming you leave your driveway and make the round-trip with no traffic and under optimal conditions, you’ll use 0.4 gal. of gas. At the discounted rate of $3.95, you’ll have to pay $1.58 to buy the 0.4 gal. you’ll use to drive to and from the station. Remember, this trip was undertaken to realize a $0.75 total savings. But instead, you’ve now lost $0.83. Would you drive across town to deliberately spend $0.83 more on a $60 purchase?

3. Higher Prices = Less Reason to Travel for a Deal

Every time the cost of fuel goes up, the cost per mile traveled goes up with it. And it consequently makes even less sense to drive out of your way to save a few cents. At $4.50 and $4.45 per gallon at our dueling stations, you’ll still only be traveling for a $0.75 total discount, but now it cost you $1.78 to make the 10-mile trip. Now you’ve spent $1.03 more than you would have if you just bought the $4.50 gas.

4. What about a HUGE Sale?

In the above example, the nearby station offered $4.50 gas. What if the 5-mile-away station had a HUGE sale resulting in $4.25 gas? You’ll spend $67.50 and $63.75 respectively to fill up, resulting in a savings of $3.75. But, you’ll spend $1.70 in extra fuel costs for the privilege. The total savings on filling your tank = $2.05… about a 3% savings. If you were buying any other item in the $60 price range, would a 3% discount entice you to drive across town? Chances are you’d laugh if you saw an advertisement for a HUGE 3%-off sale.

5. Time is Money

We haven’t accounted for your time in these examples, but you can safely assume that the 10-mile round trip (driving time only, unimpeded, at 55mph) will add a bare minimum of 10.9 minutes to your fueling experience. If you make minimum wage ($7.25/ hr), that 10.9 minutes of your time is worth $1.32. Now, even the HUGE sale example is only worth $0.73 in savings. You get the idea – it’s no deal to travel for gas savings!

6. Do This Instead

In lieu of the cross-town fill-up trip, spend a few minutes making sure your car is ready for the summer. Check the air pressure in your tires, test the battery charge, make sure all exterior lights are functioning and swap out your windshield wiper blades. That will take you about the same 10.9 minutes you formerly spent driving around looking for cheap gas, and is a much better way to spend your valuable time.

Battery Operated Vehicles Gaining on the Gas Guzzlers

2012-04-20T11:17:00.000+01:00

Are we hearing the death throes of the internal combustion engine? Will the whine and purr of electric motors replace the muffled roar of gas powered vehicles?
Seems every time we turn around electric ATVs, motorcycles, and other vehicles are sneaking silently up on us, especially as battery technology improves, and the cost of gas jumps over $4 per gallon in some parts of the country.

The plus side of battery operated vehicles

Electrics are not just better for the environment, but today’s battery operated vehicles really do have some distinct advantages:

Lighter and quieter
Electric ATVs and motorcycles run on smaller motors and use lighter batteries, which makes them a lot lighter than their gas-powered counterparts. Electrics are also a lot quieter. So If you're off-roading through a park, you can actually enjoy the peace and quiet as you explore nature. And while die-hard outdoor enthusiasts may not like your tires ripping through the landscape, they won’t be able to complain about air pollution or noise as you pass by.

Instant torque
Electric vehicles out-accelerate their gas counterparts in the low-end power curve. Electric energy moves through their motors at the speed of light, so there’s no lag time between the twist of the throttle and power to the wheels. Torque is instantly transferred to the drivetrain. In fact, electric ATVs and motorcycles have three times the amount of torque compared to the gas-powered vehicles. Perfectly suited for heavy pulling, hauling or steep climbing.

Low maintenance

Electrics simply have fewer moving parts, which means less repairs, reduced maintenance chores and lower operating costs. An electric ATV or motorcycle needs no oil changes, and you don’t have to replace hoses, filters, or exhaust systems.

No more $4/gallon gas
Finally, no more trips to the gas pump with an electric ATV or motorcycle. Just plug them in to charge the battery and go. Some electric ATVs can run an average of 2.5 hours on a single charge. If you do a lot of desert off-roading, there’s even a solar charger, so you can charge your ATV with free power from the sun.

Zero pollution
Gas-powered ATVs emit as many pollutants as four cars in one hour (there are no pollution controls on ATVs). Clearly, the environmental impact of electric ATVs and other battery operated vehicles is next to nothing. It could be argued that the pollution is just pushed up the supply chain to more coal-burning plants, but with electric you have the option of buying your power from additional sources like wind and solar, unlike gas, where petroleum has to burn to get your vehicle moving.

More manufacturers getting juiced on electrics
More manufacturers are getting into the game. Brammo, a top manufacturer of electric motorcycles, makes bikes that can exceed 100mph. Not bad for a motorcycle that doesn’t use a drop of gas. They even make motorcycles designed for racing. Other jumping on the electric off-road bandwagon include Polaris and Barefoot Motors. The recent EV Taiwan & Motorcycle Taiwan exhibition saw a 25% increase in exhibitors, indicating the surge in popularity of electric vehicles. The Hong Kong government is even replacing its gas-powered motorcycles with Brammo’s electric ones.

Yep, electrics are taking off
Battery operated motorcycles, ATVs, and other electric vehicles are seeing an increase in popularity, with new technology creating better-performing vehicles. As fuel prices and environmental concerns increase, the move to electric vehicles will continue to gain more traction.

George Zeed lives in Grants Pass Oregon and works for ImpactBattery.com. An avid outdoorsman and environmentalist, he writes about topics related to all kinds of recreational vehicles and accessories. He is also the "go to guy" for information when shopping for items like motorcycle battery chargers and solar panels

Greener Ways To Dispose Of A Dishwasher

2012-03-20T11:31:00.000+00:00

Dishwashers can’t always be repaired and often need replacing. But what do you do with an old dishwasher you want to get rid of in an eco friendly way?

Unless it is broken, the chances are you haven’t given a thought to how you are going to get rid of the old appliance when you’re out shopping for a new one.

But when your new dishwasher arrives for installation, what are you going to do with the old one? Store it in the garage or leave it out on the garden for the neighbours to wag their fingers and disapprove over? Here are your options when it comes to green ways to dispose of your old dishwasher.

Sell It
If it’s still in working order then you could sell the dishwasher. An old machine to you could be like treasure to someone else. You could try putting an advertisement in the local press, or advertising it on a website. The chances are that someone will take it off your hands quick smart.

Give it away
Assuming again that the dishwasher is in working order, why not try giving it away. No doubt there are plenty of people on your street and in your neighbourhood who would love a dishwasher, but because of other financial commitments can’t afford it. A good will gesture will be rewarded by the happy smiles on their faces.

The Weee Directive
The Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (Weee) Directive is a European Directive with UK regulations, which aims to recycle and safely dispose of electrical equipment, by assisting the public with environmentally friendly ways of disposing of unwanted or broken electrical items. This does include your dishwasher. Shops that are signed up to the scheme must help customers to recycle their old items for free by paying for the local authority run recycling centre to come and collect the dishwasher from your house at no cost to you, or collecting it for a fee when they deliver your new dishwasher. You’ll notice that a lot of stores offer this option for a few pounds - it is inexpensive and an easy way to ensure your old dishwasher is removed from your home. We advise you to check that the store you are choosing to buy your dishwasher from is a member of the Weee directive when you go to purchase it.

Your Local Authority Tip
Your council will have a recycling centre and can usually collect and dispose of the dishwasher for you. They often charge a fee for this service. Parts maybe re-usable and the remainder will be disposed of in a safe environment.

A Second Hand Shop
There’s no reason why a second hand shop specialising in white goods would not take an old dishwasher off your hands. Even if there are dishwasher problems with the device, many electrical experts buy and repair old white goods equipment, selling them on for a profit.

Upcycling – The New Recycling

2012-03-08T17:18:00.001+00:00

For years, the green and nature-friendly call has been to "reduce, re-use, recycle", but now there's a new term to add to the list. Upcyle. The concept is simple; instead of recycling something by breaking it down into something of lower quality, you re-invent something useless or disposable and turn it into something of a higher quality.

Upcycling is big business, with interior decorators, designers, and fashion moguls all getting in on the act. The goal for those companies is to make a process of "closed loop manufacturing". You take the useless product that would otherwise be headed for landfill and make it into something awesome, with as little waste as possible along the way.

Anyone Can Upcycle
Upcycling isn't just something that big name designers are doing. Many home based entrepreneurs are getting in on the act. A search for "upcycled" on Etsy will reveal a huge list of jewellery, ornaments, and even shabby-chic small furniture items that have all been made out of boring items that were given the upcycling treatment.

If you're re-modelling your home, you might want to think about upcycling. Those old wooden doors you're getting rid of might make good headboards for your bed - or, if they're multi-panel wooden doors, they could have their panels ripped out and turned in to a giant pop-art picture frame.
Even something as boring as skirting boards can be upcycled. If you're artistically inclined, chop your skirting boards up and paint them to make picture boards. Otherwise, cut, sand, and varnish them to make cutting boards. Some people even make skirting board sculptures. Your imagination is the only limit.

Look at Things From a Different Angle
The old adage about one man's trash being another man's treasure is as true today as it was when it was first said. If you're clearing out your house, stop and examine each item before you consign it to the bin. With practice you'd be amazed at the creative ideas you come up with.

Old glass light covers can be painted and turned into desk tidies. Staircase spindles can be spruced up and made into candlesticks, and a battered old suitcase could become a pet bed. The more artistically inclined you are, the wilder and more creative your upcycling projects can be.

Safety First
It's always nice to breathe new life into old stuff, but don't put your health, or the health of others, at risk. Converting wooden doors into picture frames is one thing, as long as you make sure they're well-made and hang properly, but messing with electronics is not a good idea unless you have some training.

It's best to stick to cosmetic items, or creative storage, for your first few projects. If you plan on attempting something more ambitious, or something that would involve electricity or fire, then make sure you know exactly what you're doing. Test the finished product carefully before you try to use it under normal circumstances. That might feel overly paranoid, but if you spot even one problem or design flaw, those tests could save your life.

Writteny by Amy Fowler on behalf of UK Oak Doors, suppliers of wooden doors and skirting boards that are just as useful when upcycled.

Production Materials For Truly Eco-friendly Coffee

2012-03-05T16:13:00.000+00:00

"Eco-friendly", when applied to coffee, has become something of a marketing asset. For a retailer chasing the 'Green Pound' it's important to come across as a responsible, caring company. For the consumer there are a number of factors that may lead them to make the purchase - does they feel good that the produce is from a sustainable source? Is it that they care for the welfare of those individuals working to bring them the coffee?
However, that applies to the coffee itself. If you want a truly enjoyable drink then it's important not only to consider the coffee, but also the espresso cups you're using to drink out of. For if the coffee has been produced to high green standards but the cup is made by a toxic, harmful process then it diminishes the value of your efforts.

It's not necessarily easy to understand the processes of how a cup is made when considering the environment, so it's perhaps useful to start with the materials themselves - porcelain, clay and glass.
Porcelain is arguably the material used in most coffee and espresso cups because of its versatility. It's easy to mould into unique, interesting shapes and has the capacity for application of colour making it aesthetically pleasing. Porcelain is also good for heat retention, meaning the drink will stay warm or hot for a reasonable amount of time.

Porcelain is made by firing a combination of natural base materials in a kiln, including clay, flint and silica. Kiln-firing can be eco-friendly depending on the kiln. Newer kilns are specifically designed with emission-reduction and energy efficiency in mind, which can be increased by using carbonaceous waste materials. Porcelain manufacture doesn't produce any by-products that can't be recycled back into the manufacturing process.

Clay is a natural material that has been used as in building everything from structures to smaller items for thousands of years. Clay, as mentioned above, is used during the manufacturing of other building materials due to its useful attributes. Clay is used in coffee or espresso cup production but is not as versatile as porcelain for colour application, and not as good at retaining heat as glass. Clay is considered to be fairly eco-friendly.

Glass is considered, at least by many consumers, to be one of the most environmentally-friendly materials, especially when used in packaging. Glass has the benefit of not adding anything to the taste of the food or drink it can contain. Combine that with its ability to be sculptured into any shape and its great heat-retention qualities and glass appears to be an excellent material for coffee cup manufacture. Glass can be recycled, making it comparatively sustainable as a building material. However glass is created at high temperature meaning whether it is eco-friendly or not depends on the type of fuel used to create those temperatures within a glass factory. When compared to plastic, glass is certainly more eco-friendly.
Next time you consider buying eco-friendly coffee spare a small thought for your coffee cup - does it meet your high standards?

This article is a post from Espresso Deco (http://espressodeco.com/), a UK coffeeware retailer.

The Best Advice on Growing Trees that Yield Fruit

2012-02-22T20:50:00.001+00:00

Image by hr.icio

Most people that want to develop their own fruits become disheartened when their trees do not make great fruits. Most people that have modest knowledge will feel like the conditions are not right if they have obtained tips from others in the area. A lot of these individuals get the idea that the plant is malnourished and add more nutrition, but this frequently hurts the plant more than it helps. Too many nutrients can injure the tree, or it may help but get the grower into incorrect habits that will hurt later. Fortunately, it can be rather uncomplicated to get a high number of quality fruits in a season with the right care.
Many growers use the technique of fruit thinning to help their tree develop the best fruits possible. The fruits that develop the best will end up getting more nutrients that would generally be fed to the lesser developed ones. Even though the tree will not produce fruits in as massive a volume, the ones it does produce will be larger sized and not have the malnourishment that makes them inedible. Removing around half or a little less of the fruits typically makes for an optimum number, but this quantity can vary.

What To Pay Attention When Fruit Thinning

When fruit thinning, it is necessary to pay attention to the space between fruits. Based on the kind of fruit the fruit trees produce, this can be between four to eight inches. The important thing to pay attention to is that they are not bunched up too much, since the tree will have difficulty supplying enough nutrients to each fruit if this is the case. Some areas will need more focus than others according to the circumstances, and if it is done properly, these fruits will easily surpass what can be found in a store.

There is no distinct method that works best, since every different tree uses different soil in a different area with different climatic conditions. Do not be too timid to try different pruning techniques well outside what individuals normally do to get the best apples from the apple trees or any other fruit one may be raising. Sometimes people find the best results in difficult conditions when over half of the fruits are thinned from the tree in the start. If one finds the fruits are falling from the tree before ripening, then there are likely several conditions that are not working in the tree’s favor. Unacceptable conditions can be compensated for by pruning more fruits in the beginning almost every time.

Smith's Nursery is America's #1 tree and plant distributor. We carry fruit trees including pear trees, peach trees, apple trees, nut trees, shade trees, berry plants, roses and much more.

Great Sustainable Energy Sources for Your Home

2012-02-21T17:51:00.000+00:00

You don’t just have to rely on Electricity and Gas to provide a steady stream of reliable energy to your home anymore.
With the advent and improved development of sustainable energy sources there are now ways in which you can generate electricity cheaply, and in some cases even sell surplus electricity back to the electricity suppliers.

Solar Panels
People tend to think you can only use solar panels if you live in a sunny climate but this isn’t necessarily true. Though more sun does subsequently produce more energy your solar panels will still absorb light during the day.
The great thing with solar panels is that the number of panels you have is only limited by the space you have and you don’t have to put them on your roof, although this does mean they are less likely to be shadowed by surrounding objects.
Solar panels produce enough energy to run many household items and many governments now have schemes in place which allow you to sell electricity back to the board for a reduced energy bill.

Wood Burners
Wood burners are great for heating a room or providing energy to heat your water or central heating systems.
They are sustainable as long as the wood you are burning is sourced locally, otherwise the carbon offset is negligible if you start buying wood that has been imported and transported to your location.
The cost of burning wood is much the same as gas, but wood is more sustainable as it can be replaced more quickly than gas sources can.

Wind Turbines
Wind turbines are a good source of energy for those living in relatively windy areas; however, they don’t require you to live in a hurricane zone to make best use of them.
Like solar panels the electricity they generate can be sold back to the electricity board for money off of your energy bill.

Rainwater Harvesting
Rainwater harvesting is a relatively new concept which allows you to collect rain water from your guttering and immediate vicinity of your house. It then stores this water and uses it for activities such as laundry and flushing the toilet.
The rainwater can also be used for irrigation systems and feeding animals.
In some cases it has been used for human drinking water but this not advised (unless it’s an emergency) due to water sanitation requirements.

Whether you want to find a system to reduce your energy bills or do your bit for the world, choosing one of the above systems is now cheaper and easier to do than ever has been.

Solar panels are a great way to create clean energy for your home or business.

Green Ways to Heat Your Home

2012-02-21T10:06:00.000+00:00

With heating oil prices constantly on the rise over the past several months, many people have started looking for alternative ways to heat their homes, but most end up coming right back to what they started with. Avoid becoming one of the many who gets stuck using home heating oil, and do your part to help out the environment at the same time with these suggestions for heating your home the green way.

Use Your Fireplace

Perhaps one of the most obvious ways to steer clear of heating costs but still heat your home is to use your fireplace or a wood stove more often than you currently do. While some may argue that it's not exactly a "green" heating alternative because of the amount of wood each device requires for burning, it's actually not so bad.
There are logs out there that you can purchase specially that are meant to burn longer than regular wood. There are also synthetic logs on the market that still burn longer than their natural counterparts. And by using a fireplace or wood stove, you're dramatically reducing your energy costs, thereby saving the environment from enormous greenhouse gas emissions.

Invest in a Pellet Stove

Perhaps the most efficient way to heat your home aside from a traditional fireplace, as well as a more green answer than burning wood, is a pellet stove. Pellet stoves are generally inexpensive to install because they don't require any ventilation from a chimney, but they can be tricky to put in. They're newer than fireplaces and easier to keep running to use as a full-time heating source during colder months.
The Environmental Protection Agency names pellet stoves the most environmentally-friendly heating device because they burn cleanly. They actually pollute so little that they don't even require EPA certification for their emissions. They burn little compressed wood pellets that are cheaper to buy than firewood or even electricity.
A pellet stove does require some electricity, though, to keep the motor running to burn the pellets, but it's a tiny fraction of the cost of electric heaters.

EcoSmart Bio-Ethenol Fireplaces

These trendy new fireplaces burn bio-ethenol fuel instead of wood or gas, making them incredibly eco-friendly. Plus, they're so new and modern that they make an awesome aesthetic addition to any home.
EcoSmart fireplaces can either be built into an existing fireplace so it looks like a real fireplace, or they can be free-standing so you can do as you please with them. They're a great alternative way to heat your home because they do produce real, warm flames - just without the harmful emissions. The bio-ethenol that they do burn is a completely renewable and sustainable resource.

Fill in the Cracks

If you feel any drafts coming into your home while it's cold, make a point of filling in the spaces where the cold air comes in. This is easily accomplished by stuffing blankets or (safe) insulation into the cracks.
You can also cover your windows with plastic that keeps the cold air out. It may look a little strange, but all you need are some good, decorative curtains that take attention away from the plastic. And speaking of curtains, buy a set that's thermal to trap the heat inside and help keep the cold out. You'll be able to manage the heat in your home much better if you try just these simple changes.

Cuddle Up

The easiest way to stay warm during the cold months - cuddle up under a nice comfy blanket! Better yet, get a buddy or a significant other to snuggle up next to and share some body heat. Pets also make wonderful natural heaters, so get close!