Archive for the ‘Carbon Footprint’ Category

Rock Powerhouse the Kidneythives, are back on the scene releasing their new EP THE INVISIBLE PLAN on October 18^th. The interesting angle is that the album was recorded completely green, even the packaging can be planted in the ground and will grow into wildflowers, how great is that…

“The Invisible Plan was once again written by the prolific duo and produced by Bruce Somers and Kidneythieves in their Undercurrent Studios in Los Angeles, which they converted to solar-power in summer 2010. “Free and I are very sensitive to the environment and we talk about it a lot,” says Bruce. “We both drive fuel efficient cars and do our part. But we felt that our carbon footprint was too big in this huge studio with all this gear. We felt like hypocrites. So we installed solar panels, point them to the sun, and get 60-70% of the electricity for the studio from solar power now. We also have a 23 SEER air conditioner in the studio, which is the most energy efficient you can have in the desert, and we put in a reverse osmosis filter system to do away with bottled water.”

Having a green studio is just one way other artists have been attracted to working at Undercurrent Studios. Having a state-of-the art ProTools rig, an extensive sound library, and 1,000-square feet of their 2,000-square foot studio as a dedicated amp room - with an eclectic mix of vintage and new - is another big draw. Among the artists who have recorded at Undercurrent are Good Charlotte, Dave Grohl, the Pussycat Dolls, Good Charlotte, Jay Gordon (Orgy), Toby Wright (Korn), Dylan McLaren (Juliette Lewis and the Licks, The Misfits), RA (Sahaj), and Sean Beavan (Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson).

Kidneythieves have also found success in landing their unique style of music in movie soundtracks, on TV shows, and in video games from the day the duo started making music together. On the soundtrack front, their cover of the Willie Nelson-penned Patsy Cline hit “Crazy” was in 1998’s Bride of Chucky and “Before I’m Dead” from 2002’s Zerøspace was in Queen of the Damned starring the late Aaliyah the same year. Among their small screen credits are “Arsenal” from Zerøspace in CSI: Miami in 2003 and “Taxicab Messiah” from 1998’s Trickster in the cult favorite Warehouse 13 in 2010.

Meanwhile, five songs from Trickster were also on the 2003 video game Deus Ex: Invisible War. The songs were performed in-game by the character of NG Resonance, which is a fictional pop star voiced by Free. Most recently, the band’s “God in Fire,” a collaboration with Japanese video game composer Takeharu Ishimoto, was featured in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy in Spring 2011.

“Musicians can’t rely on record labels to do everything now so we look for other sources,” says Bruce. “For us, one of those is the video game industry, which is always looking for new things and that lines up nicely with us always staying cutting edge.” Adds Free, “We’ve been noticing that there are more 15-18-year-olds coming to shows and emailing us and I think it’s a byproduct of the exposure we’ve had in video games. We have this amazing legion of loyal fans now that is a lot more eclectic than we when we started out.”

The trajectory the band has been on with a growing sales base and rapidly expanding fan base from record-to-record continues with the release of The Invisible Plan because, as Free sings in the EP’s title track, “The art of the hustle to use the mind as a muscle is… the invisible plan.”

Welcome to their Invisible Plan.” (from their bio)

For more info on the Kidneythieves and a free download of one of their singles…

bibi

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The Miles Per Gallon race is on and where it stops nobody knows. It’s hard to believe it but not too long ago the argument against Green Cars was that the technology wasn’t there. Well, all of a sudden there it is. A hybrid car that can do 230 m.p.g. and other companies already saying that they have a their own model that can beat the Chevy Volt.

I guess necessity is the mother of invention. Faced with a bankrupt industry and an unwavering consumer the car companies seem to be letting go of the umbilical cord that has held them tied to the oil companies for what seems like forever.

In no time at all, the auto industry has gone from the most fuel efficient  car on the market, the Toyota Prius that does 50 mpg and 493 miles per tank, to a Hybrid, the Chevy Volt, that can do 230 mpg (city), would cost 2c per mile compared to 12c per mile on gas only, and would not use a drop of fuel in the first 40 miles.”It will use a lithium-ion battery with a gasoline-powered, range-extending engine that drives a generator to provide electric power when you drive beyond the 40-mile battery range.” (chevrolet.com)

Not to be outdone, Nissan has come out with their gloves on claiming the top dog position with their own Mega Fuel Efficient model. The Nissan Leaf 100% electric/ Zero Emissions claims that it would be rated at 367 mpg.

Whatever prompted the auto industry to take that leap in technology is most welcome. The important thing is that the leap has taken place and healthy competition has started that can only end in something good for the environment and the consumer.

bibi

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Starting  a Green Revolution in our own back yard is probably the simplest and best thing we can do to make an impact on our immediate environment. We all talk about going back to nature and what we can do to reduce our carbon foot print and the impact we have on mother nature. What we don’t realize is that we don’t have to go all out and do grandiose things in order to make a difference. Every little bit counts and if each of us does a little bit, together it is a grandiose thing.

Many of us probably never heard of “Victory Gardens, which were also called war gardens or food gardens for defense, were vegetable, fruit and herb gardens planted at private residences in United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Germany^[1] during World War I and World War II to reduce the pressure on the public food supply brought on by the war effort. In addition to indirectly aiding the war effort these gardens were also considered a civil “morale booster” — in that gardeners could feel empowered by their contribution of labor and rewarded by the produce grown. Making victory gardens became a part of daily life on the home front.” (Wikipedia)

We don’t have to wait to be at war to start a garden, although we are. We can make a positive impact by growing our own food. All we need is a little patch of dirt, some water, some sun and some seeds. Homegrown food tastes better, has more nutrition, puts less pesticides into the land and water system, and is less expensive than buying “Organic Food”. I can;t think of a better way to make and impact on your environment and save money at the same time.

Now you may say, well I don’t have a patch of dirt, I live in an apartment. And I say  find a community garden you can be part of, start one if there isn’t one. Share a patch of dirt with a neighbor, make it a social event. Start a container garden. Where there is a will, there is a way.

With all the innovations these days like the “Topsy Turby Hanging Tomato Planter” you don’t even need a patch of dirt. It grows tomatoes from a hanging planter, now it can’t get easier than that.

But if you do have a patch of dirt all you need to get started with your Victory Garden is a shovel, some water 4-6 hours of Sun and a $3 packet of seeds. Start small and if you find your green thumb then stretch out as far as is manageable for you.

• Start a compost bin, keep it going through the year for natural fertilizer.
• Dig out a 4×4 patch of land
• Amend the soil as needed for your area, ask your local home store for recommendations.
• Plant your seeds, you might want to start the seeds indoors then transfer the seedlings.
• Water
• Get a lawn chair and wait…
• Invite your friends over and enjoy the harvest

Here are some great Organic growing resources:

• Zone Map and other goodies Avant Gardening
• Organic Gardening
• Natural Pest Control
• Composting

bibi

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If you’re thinking about ways to make your own power and getting off the grid even partially, you have several readily accessible options for which the Government is willing to give you a tax credit of 30% of your cost. Making your own Power does not mean that you have to generate “all” the power for your home, there are options for every taste and pocketbook.

1. Photovoltaic  Systems
2. Residential Small Wind Turbines
3. Solar Water Heating
4. Geo Thermal Heat Pump

SOLAR Power Systems: Going Solar used to bring to mind expensive and cumbersome equipment, that would make it feasible only for those with deep pockets and dedicated environmentalists. But as time has passed Solar Power has become more and more affordable and less and less intrusive.

• Photovoltaic Systems: solar electric or photovoltaic technology uses the sun’s energy to make electricity for the whole home and possible more that you can sell back to your Local Energy Company. In essence you become your own utility company. Solar Modules are an investment and add immediate and long-term value to your home.

• Solar Water Heating: can cut your water heating bills in half. Solar water heaters come in a variety of designs, all including a collector and storage tank, and all using the sun’s thermal energy to heat water. A recent study done on Solar Water Heating systems shows that it has a payback period of just two years.
  • Type of collectors and the circulation system.
    • Batch collectors
    • Flat-plate collectors
    • Evacuated tube collectors
    • Direct systems
    • Closed-loop, or indirect
    • Active, or forced-circulation
    • Passive systems
  • DIY Solar Projects

Residential Small Wind Turbines:

• A wind turbine system, is installed on top of a tall tower, collects kinetic energy from the wind and converts it to electricity that is compatible with a home’s electrical system. Typically it can lower your electricity bill by 50 to 90 percent.
• DIY Wind Power Projects

Geo Thermal Heat Pump:

• A Geo Thermal Heat Pump uses the earth as either a source of heat in the winter, or as a coolant in the summer. This design takes advantage of moderate temperatures in the shallow ground to boost efficiency and reduce operational costs.

Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credits

Consumers who install solar energy systems (including solar water heating and solar electric systems), small wind systems, geothermal heat pumps, and residential fuel cell and microturbine systems can receive a 30% tax credit for systems placed in service before December 31, 2016; the previous tax credit cap no longer applies. For More Info Energy Department.

If making your own Power is not an option for you right now, you can direct your energy dollars towards renewables by purchasing “green power.” This may be an option through your utility company, check out the EPA’s Green Power Locator.

bibi

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When the price of gas started going up a few months ago everyone pointed their fingers at the size of our gas guzzling cars. How wasteful they are, the carbon footprints they have, how they contributed to the troubles that the auto industry is experiencing now. While all this is definitely true, does anyone stop and think about the size of the houses we live in and the impact they have on our planet? After all really, how many rooms can we occupy at once?

Since 1940 the average square footage of a house in the US has gone up by 800 square feet, from 1200 sq ft. to 2000 sq ft. That’s and increase of almost 67%. I doubt very seriously that the average number of people in a  household has gone up 67%. In fact the number of people per household has dropped dramatically since 1940. So we have to ask ourselves, is all this space necessary.

Beyond the averages are the no longer rare mega mansions, found almost in every corner of the country. Why anyone would need a 56,000 sq ft home like Candy Spelling, or the 60,000 sq ft mansion sold by Donald Trump for a cool 100mil, or the 66,000 sq ft home owned by Bill Gates is beyond any reasoning that I can find acceptable. But that’s just me.

We seem to like space, to be surrounded by empty rooms that we can walk into anytime we like, but that spend most of the time empty. Maybe it’s a possession thing, or a territorial thing who knows. But the bottom line is that the bigger the space, the bigger the footprint, and the amount of energy that is consumed.

Some Statistics:

• Average Household of 2000 sq ft uses 8900 kw hours of electricity a year.
• Half the energy consumed in a home is for heating and cooling it.
• The typical home is a major source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for over twice as much carbon dioxide (CO2) annually as the average automobile. (ref: HERE)

Maybe we need to reevaluate how we use space, if there is a need for so much of it, and if the space is already there how to share it with others. Back in 1940 the average house was 1200 sq ft and 3-4 people lived in it, in 2003 the average house was 2000 sq ft and 2-3 people lived in it. Not only has our appetite for house space gone up, but also our need for personal space. Not sure what this says about our society, but we have to ask ourselves, are these, luxuries that we can afford to live with or do we need to rethink our needs.

The EPA has a Household Emissions Calculator that you an use to figure out the footprint of your house.

Here are some tips from the EPA that can help you reduce your footprint at home.

bibi

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Join Mathew Modine by making Earth Day bike to work day. It’s a simple thing to do, it’s healthy for you and healthy for the earth…Do what you can…

bibi

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A Segway you can sit in. The new Segway P.U.M.A prototype is the result of a partnership between Segway and GM. P.U.M.A stands for Personal Urban Mobility & Accessibility. An alternative transportation solution with a small footprint all the way around. This electric vehicle is small and versatile making it perfect for congested cities. More on this vehicle can be found at www.segway.com/blog.

Passengers: Currently configured for 2, but could carry more
Top speed: Aimed to travel between 25 and 35 mph (40 – 56 kph)
Range: Aimed to have a 25 – 35 mile range (40 – 56 km)
Weight: Currently ~300 lbs/136 kg
Charge time: ~5-8 hours
Recharge cost:Based on the current battery configuration, it’s about $0.60 in electricity to recharge.

bibi

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In this tough economy everyone is looking to save a buck. Bar and restaurant owners are going to love this story because it will not only help them reuse something that they are throwing down the drain everyday anyway but also turn it into something that will save them money.

The inventor of The EFuel100 MicroFueler™, last year came up with an invention that is the world’s first portable ethanol micro-refinery system. Now you may ask what does this have to do with Bar and restaurant owners? Well, this machine can turn any alcohol, including the leftover liquor, beer and wine that is thrown down the drain every day at bars and restaurants into ethanol that can be used to power cars, making it possible for homeowners and small businesses to safely and cost-effectively create their own fuel, on-site.

The MicroFueler is capable of producing 5 gallons of ethanol per day once fermentation is complete.

The idea seems to be catching on Sierra Nevada Brewing Company has cut a deal with the inventor of The EFuel100 MicroFueler™ to use the micro fueler to run it’s BioFuel fleet of trucks by using the ethanol created from it’s beer yeast waste.

Believe it or not the cost is very reasonable and will be available in the second quarter of 2009. There are also Federal and State tax credits to make it even more reasonable, even for homeowners. For more information on cost and how to order check it out at Efuel site.

What a great way to recycle what would otherwise be waste and be on our way to free ourselves from oil dependency.

bibi

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Have you ever thought about where that beautiful bouquet of flowers you got or are giving away for Valentines came from? Here is some food for thought, a cute video of a day in the life of flowers…

For more information you can go to: GivingPlants.com

bibi

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For the ladies out there, here is a list of famous hunks with a green thumb, so to speak. They not only make it a point to look good, but also to do good.

Leonardo Di Caprio

Besides being a greeny himself, he is out to convince others of the virtues of going green. You can catch him in several “environmental” productions.

• The 11th Hour a documentary about climate change.
• Greensburg chronicles the rebuilding of the town of Greensburg, Kansas which was wiped out by an EF5 tornado back in 2007 and is reinventing itself into totally sustainable and eco-friendly town.

George Clooney

He drives a one seater electric car called Tango and soon to be driving the $100k Tesla Roadster 100% electric, burns no oil and looks great. They both do.

Edward Norton

• While often playing the bad guy, the mysterious Edward Norton works with Friends of the High Line a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and reuse of the High Line - a 1.5 mile, elevated railway that runs along the West Side of Manhattan.
• He has also worked with National Geo on a series called Strange Days on Planet Earth on Climate change… Ecosystem degradation… Clean energy… Poverty… Disease…  Strange Days on Planet Earth connects some of the greatest issues of our day.

John Ledgend

• The legendary R&B singer has performed in the Live Earth Concerts in London, is spokesman for GQ’s The Gentleman’s Fund to support the five cornerstones essential to men: opportunity, health, education, environment, and justice.
• He is also involved in the Show Me Campaign helping impoverished villagers in Africa become self-sustaining.

Adam Levine

• The hot rocker from Maroon5 has been on “Gen E” Generation Environment spots promoting environmental awareness through public service announcements.
• Is actively involved in the “greening” of concert venues. ReverbRock…
• They are also involved with Global Cool who’s mission is to inspire one billion people to  reduce their co2 emissions by one tonne.

bibi

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This independent film narrated by Robert Redford, is about how the coal companies tried to fast track their way into Texas. Watching this movie gives you an idea how when big business has the prey in their eyesight, they will put out all the stops, steal and lie to get what they want. If environmentalists are not watching out for the people and the planet, big business will have their way and they don’t have our interests at heart. This film is an inspiration to all that are fighting against big business greed. The film is about a half hour long and well worth the time.

How far should we be willing to go? As far as it takes! Become involved, we do have a say.

“From the outset FIGHTING GOLIATH: TEXAS COAL WARS was intended to serve as a tool for raising awareness, inspiring action, and creating a meaningful dialogue about how to overcome one of the greatest threats to public health contributors to global warming faced by the U.S.—conventional coal-fired power plants. FIGHTING GOLIATH follows the story of farmers, ranchers and Mayors fighting against the construction of 18 new coal-burning power plants in Texas. TXU Corp. withdrew eight of the 11 permit applications shortly before the case went to court, when it was announced that shareholders would sell the utility to private equity firms. The film was produced by the Redford Center at the Sundance Preserve and Alpheus Media, and directed by Mat Hames and George Sledge.”
(Snag Films.com)

bibi

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Tonight September 11th there will be a town hall meeting in Salt Lake City , Utah to discuss America’s dependence on foreign oil and the need for an Energy Plan now. If you can make the meeting go, if you cannot watch the Webcast.

Town Hall Meeting

Time: September 11, 2008 at 5pm
Location: Salt Palace Convention Center
Street: 100 S. West Temple - Room 255
City/Town: Salt Lake City
Event Type: Town, Hall, Meeting
Organized By: Pickens Plan

WEBCAST - Town Hall meeting with T. Boone Pickens - Salt Lake City, UT

Time: September 11, 2008 at 5pm
Location: http://www.pickensplan.com/webcast/
Website or Map: http://www.pickensplan.com/…
Event Type: WEBCAST
Organized By: Pickens Plan

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In the midst of high oil prices and global warming scares, a 100 mpg car sounds like a dream, but it may not be for long. The X-Foundation has put together a contest with 10 million dollars in prizes, for the group that comes out with the first 100 mile per gallon vehicle. The contest mission is to inspire and promote innovation to come up with cars that are super-energy efficient, affordable, safe for people and the environment, “not just science projects.”

The winning vehicle will have to have gas mileage that exceeds 100 mpg or the equivalent of any other fuel source. Each team will have to go through a rigorous qualification process that will take a look at not only gas mileage but also costs, features, production capabilities, consumer friendliness, safety and meet strict emissions standards. After being chosen each team will race their cars at 2 cross-country stage races that will take place in 2009 and 2010. The winner will be chosen by the overall time, while still meeting the mpg and emission standards.

So far 93 contenders have signed up for the challenge but only one major manufacturer has taken up the challenge, and that is Tata Motors, India’s largest automobile company.

More detailed information on this contest can be found in this interview with the Auto X-Prize senior director, John Shore.

bibi

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Save Energy On the Road

Current high gas prices are giving people even more incentive to increase fuel efficiency. Plus, using less gas by following these tips will also help reduce smog and emissions that contribute to global warming:

Change your air filter. Cleaning your air filter regularly can improve your gas mileage significantly. Don’t speed. Being a good driver can save you some dollars at the pump. Speeding uses extra gas. Rapid acceleration and hard braking are also inefficient and lower your gas mileage.

Cruise control. Using your cruise control will keep you driving at a more consistent speed and can generally improve fuel efficiency.

Turn your car off. Idling can use a lot of gas. Generally, it’s more efficient to turn the car off and restart when you are ready to go. If you are thinking of hitting the drive-through, consider parking and picking up food inside. For short waits, put your car in neutral to avoid burning gas.

Inflate tires properly. Car tires that are under-inflated will lead to poor gas mileage. You can often find the correct pressure for your car printed on the edge of the driver’s side door.

Mileage still too low? Consider getting a tune up. A tune up will generally make a modest, but sometimes significant, improvement in your miles per gallon.

You can find these tips and more in Diane MacEachern’s new book, Beat High Gas Prices Now!

“Earth Share, a federation of America’s leading non-profit environmental and conservation charities, promotes environmental education and charitable giving in workplace employee giving campaigns. For more tips and to find out how your workplace can help the earth, visit www.earthshare.org or call 1.800.875.3863″

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T. Boone Pickens sounds like he could be a country singer, he’s even got a little bit of a twang, but he’s singing the “we are addicted to foreign oil blues…”

If you’ve never heard of T. Boone Pickens, he is a billionaire who made his money in oil, mergers and acquisitions of oil companies and is often referred to as a corporate raider and greenmailer. He is also known as an activist in the political arena as well as an animal rights champion and a philanthropist in the humanitarian and education causes.

According to his bio on Wikipedia, Pickens has been talking about alternative energy sources to oil since 1997, when he “began touting natural gas as the best vehicular fuel alternative because it’s a domestic resource”, pushing for Nuclear Energy and other Alternative Energies such as wind power. Now this is also around the time that he formed a corporation now called Clean Energy that owns and operates natural gas fueling stations from British Columbia to the Mexican border.

That being said, his personal reasons for coming up with this plan may seem partially self-serving, and only he knows the answer to that. It’s not a bad plan, maybe not a perfect plan but it is a plan, we went through  a similar thing back in the 70’s, let 30 years lapse without a plan and here we are again. I believe a plan is better than no plan, anything to get the oil monkey off our back, out of pockets and out of our air.

Check it out for yourself go to his website and see what you think, get involved if you want…Pickens Plan

bibi

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If you are planning a trip to Europe or any other place in the world and would like to make it a green vacation, why not consider biking through your destination. Many countries are bicycle friendly but especially Europe and there are hundreds of tours that can be taken, from seaside rides to mountain top climbs. You can arrange tours that provide you with the rented bicycles. There are self-guided tours or completely guided tours depending on your budget and preference. Just Google “European Bike tours” for example and you’ll find many tour companies that will provide many choices.

Contact a travel agent that can hook you up with some cheap hotels, and one of the hundreds of bike tours available throughout Europe. Just imagine yourself on a bike through Venice, or the beauty of the Tuscan hills and vineyards. Landscapes that can only truly be appreciated on two feet or two wheels. And at the end of a fruitful ride ending up in one of the beautiful Roma hotels.

There is no better way to enjoy the sights than doing it up close and personal. There is so much that we miss while touring in a car. But I realize that we cannot possibly get everywhere we want to go on foot or on a bike. So a drive and bike plan can work when we are considering long distances. Nowadays they even make bikes that you can fold up and stick in the trunk for just that kind of situation.

Being green on vacation can be a fun adventure, it can be a healthy way of seeing the world, and it’s environmentally friendly. What better way to go.

bike tours green vacations

bibi

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My previous post covered public transportation and how the gas prices of the day are pushing people to look for alternatives to driving. In this post we will cover even greener ways of transporting oneself.

Let’s look at walking. What happened to the days when people walked everywhere. We have gotten so lazy that the thought of walking to the corner store makes us break out in a sweat. We would rather spend a couple bucks, in gas, so that we don’t have to move so much. But the consequences stemming from our inactivity is catching up with us. Obesity is rampant in our society, look at these Obesity Statistics:

USA Obesity Rates Reach Epidemic Proportions

• 58 Million Overweight; 40 Million Obese; 3 Million morbidly Obese
• Eight out of 10 over 25’s Overweight
• 78% of American’s not meeting basic activity level recommendations
• 25% completely Sedentary
• 76% increase in Type II diabetes in adults 30-40 yrs old since 1990

Now that looks scary to me. If we could only understand that regular physical activity is essential to good health and that simply walking can get us there, will benefit our pocketbooks, and is better for the environment too, we’d all be better off.

Another option is something a reader over at Swiss Bikes brought up to me which is the Drive and Cycle commuting option. In situations where it is too far to bike all the way but there is a possibility to drive part of the way and then bike the other part, why not take advantage of that. It kills three birds with one stone. You can take care of your daily dose of exercise, save money on gas and help save the environment.

Again this is something that is commonly done in Europe, where gas prices are double that of the US. In England for example, parking is very popular and sought after. People park their cars somewhere, pull out their fold up Swiss Bike from their trunk and ride the rest of the way on their bikes.

Those are my thoughts on greener and healthier forms of transportation.

fold up bikes gas prices parking transportation

bibi

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Every little bit that we can do to conserve helps the environment and saves money too. Here are some tips for Greening your machines.

• Power Management: he power consumption from leaving our computers on all the time, is staggering. If your in the habit of turning off the computer when you go home from the office that’s great, but we forget about the energy that is still being used when the computer is not being used, while you go to lunch, or are doing something else. “the biggest savings come from enabling Monitor Power Management (MPM) and Computer Power Management (CPM) to put monitors and PCs into low power states when not in use. This saves between $20 and $100 per PC per year, and requires little staff time and capital expenditure.” Read More
  • Tips for reducing power consumption in computers and peripherals: from EDTECH.com
  • Check your computer manual to find out how to turn on your energy-conservation settings.
  • Screen savers do not reduce energy use for monitors. Instead of screen savers, automatically switch to sleep mode or manually turn off monitors to save power.
  • Energy Star computers and monitors only save energy when power management is activated on the computer.
  • To maximize power savings with notebook PCs, put the AC adapter on a power strip that can be turned off because the transformer in an AC adapter draws power even when the notebook PC is not plugged in.
  • Don’t forget peripherals and components — printers, copiers, scanners, processors, motherboards and power supplies all have potential energy-saving features
• Bamboo, Crank and Solar Powered cell Phones: With all the millions of cell phones out there only about 10% get recycled.
  • How about a phone made out of sustainable Bamboo with a cranking charger
    • The case of the phone is totally degradable, after removing the battery, antenna and the print board it can be thrown in the compost bin. The “Bamboo” is made out of bio-plastics of renewable raw materials such as corn, and bamboo which is also a renewable resource.
    • The battery can be recharged with muscle power. It comes equipped with a cranking charger and a monochrome display for maximum efficiency. Read More
    • Check out this great Solar Powered Charger
• Energy Star Appliances: When you need to replace appliances, of course go with the Energy Star Label, it will save you about a third on your energy bill. That’s a significant savings.
• How good is your HDTV at saving Energy: Before you buy your new HDTV, consult the following chart to see how energy efficient the new TV will be. HDTV power consumption compared
• Get Paid to Recycle Electronics: There are companies out there that will pay you for mailing in old electronic devices and others have buy back program. Here is a list of a few.
  • BuyMyTronics
  • SecondRotation
  • CellforCash
  • SimplySellular
  • SellYourCell
• Mail-In Program Free of Charge: The Post Office has come out with a pilot program that allows customers to recycle small electronics and inkjet cartridges by mailing them free of charge. Check it out: USPS
• Find a Responsible Recycler: Recycle your old electronics with an Environmentally Responsible Recycler:
  • Electronics Take Back Coalition

That’s all for now…

electronics environment ewaste green machines high tech trash recycle

bibi

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In honor of Earth Day: Take a few Green Steps…

Give the Earth Some Love…

Walk to work or play. With the price of gas these days, taking this step won’t be as difficult as it seemed before. Take a walk on the wild side, walk to work, the grocery store, the library, the kids school. Who knows maybe you will like it, and will continue the trend, it’s not only good for the environment, but also good for your health.

Earth Day Footprint : Want to know what kind of a footprint you are leaving on this earth? Check out the Ecological Footprint Quiz over at Earthday.net, and here is a version of a Ecological Footprint Quiz for Kids over at Kidsfootprint.org

Buy Local but watching what you buy is just as important: If your food comes from afar, you can be sure that energy was spent to get it to you, but also the type of food you eat can make a difference… Check out this article over at GreensSAHM.com ” it’s not so much where your food comes from, it’s what you’re eating.”

Read Green and Make Some Money while your at it: Intriguing book by author David Bach discussed over at TheGoodeLife.com covers 50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth (and Get Rich Trying)!

Save Gas: Don’t Turn Left: Huh????? Groovy Green has a story on how UPS saves gas…UPS-No Left Turns Allowed

It’s not all about “Good Energy Policy” : Follow the reasoning of the “No Impact Man” for whether Individual Lifestyle Changes will make a difference.

Get rid of those water bottles: give up convenience for the environment. Here are 5 good reasons to give them up on Earth Day… from LighterFootstep.com

Lose those Hazardous Chemicals : Learn to identify hazardous chemicals and replace them with greener, healthier ones that do the job just as well. Clean Green to Stay Healthy and Save Money

Earthday is the perfect day to start a garden, an Organic Garden at that. Here are some great tips for doing just that.

Put the Three R’s to work: How about Reduce,Reuse, and Recycle. Salvage Yard finds are a great place to start putting some Green Style in your home…

Noise Pollution: Imagine a world without noise. GreenLivingTips.com makes some great points on the effects of Noise on the Environment. Make Earth Day your No Noise Day…

Anything you and I can do, will help…

earth day environment green day

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Earth Hour Goes Global

Today is the day

Join the rest of the world

When millions of people turn off their light

On March 29th at 8pm

join the movement against Global Warming

by turning your lights off for one hour

Turn out for Earth Hour

Earth Hour Lights Out America

bibi

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