Archive for the ‘Conservation’ Category

Video Voice calling and saving energy go hand in hand these days. Modern technology helps us Live Green by giving us the ability to work from home. Visiting our friends and family who live far away from us is easier and cheaper to do with video voice calling, while at the same time being kinder to our environment.

If businesses took advantage of video calling to the tune of cutting back  their travel by 20%, that would save 22 million tons of co2 from going into the environment. Not to mention how many millions could be saved by having to spend less on company travel. Money that in this economy could be used to put more people to work.

Video Voice Calling programs are free and easy alternatives to travel and it’s not just for business. It’s the most cost effective way to stay in touch with family, friends and business colleagues. But it is also the next best thing to being there.

Especially in this economy businesses and families that are looking for ways to stretch that dollar should really take a look at Video Voice Calling as a cost saving measure and as part of Greening their lives. Using  technology as eco-friendly economizing tools makes sense.

Skype is my personal favorite because I’ve been using it for years and it works great. I use it for personal purposes to get together with family in Europe and South America. With Skype you can make free calls over the Internet, the whole world can talk for free.

Here is a list of some of the Video Voice calling Programs out there:

AOL Instant Messenger

Brosix

X-Lite

Ekiga

Google Talk

KPhone

Linphone

Minisip

OctroTalk

OfficeSIP Messenger

QuteCom

SightSpeed

Skype

QuteCom

Tokbox

Yahoo! Messenger

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Raising Cattle is becoming a Green Business. Ranchers are adapting greener measures to leave less of a footprint while conserving water, protecting endangered species of animals, plants and the land from overgrazing. Check it out…

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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.

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Who would have thought that you could be green while cooking. Green cooking brings up thoughts of organic and sustainable products, natural and local ingredients, but there are also things that you can do around the kitchen that will keep you in the green.
This month’s issue of Better Homes and Garden put together a list of easy ways to be a greener cook:

• Fill the Freezer: Use less energy by filling up your freezer. Take advantage of the bountiful of vegetables of summer, by freezing them for the winter.

• Put a lid on boiling water: This little trick will prevent heat and energy from escaping.

• Don’t Open that door: Stop yourself from peeking in the oven while things are cooking, this can drop the temperature to drop from 25 to 50 degrees, and cause you to have to cook things longer.

• No-waste Baking: This is a great tip to avoid wasting foil and parchment paper, buy a reusable nonstick silicone baking mat.

• Choose the right cookware: Choosing the right size pot or pan for what you are cooking can help you save energy and time.

• Fill’er up: Not running the dishwasher until it’s full to the rim and skipping the drying cycle will conserve energy and water.

• Unplug: Unplug anything that is not in use especially small appliances, you’d be surprise how much energy is used by appliances while not in use, and this goes for anything around the house that is plugged in but not in use.

• Lights Out: and last but not least, lights out when you leave any room.

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NATIONAL CLEAN ENERGY PROJECT: BUILDING THE NEW ECONOMY WEBCAST INFORMATION.

The Center for American Progress Action Fund will host an energy summit entitled “National Clean Energy Project: Building the New Economy” on Monday, February 23, 2009 in Washington, DC. The summit will focus on the modernization and expansion of the electrical grid, integrating energy efficiency and distributed generation into operation and regulation, rapidly increasing transmission capacity for renewable energy and reducing our nation’s dependence on foreign oil by examining short- and long term solutions to replace foreign oil with domestic resources to fuel vehicles and trucks, including natural gas. Some very interesting speakers will be there and more important will start the ball rolling on the road to independence from foreign oil.

Monday, Feb. 23 at 10:15 a.m. EST live streaming coverage of the New Energy Summit will be available on several sites:
www.nationalcleanenergyproject.org

www.pickensplan.com/summit/

www.americanprogressaction.org

EVENT SCHEDULE:

10:15-10:35 AM - National Clean Energy Project: Building the New Economy (open to media, live audience of 100-150)

· Opening Remarks and Participant Introductions: UN Foundation President Tim Wirth
Moderator opens and introduces the table of participants
· Remarks: Senator Harry Reid
· Remarks: President Bill Clinton
· Remarks: Vice President Al Gore
· Remarks: Speaker Nancy Pelosi
· Remarks: T. Boone Pickens
· Remarks: John Podesta

10:35 AM -12:30 PM - Moderated Discussion of Primary Principles

· Principle One – How do we build the modern electricity grid?
· Principle Two – How do we reduce our reliance on foreign oil?

12:45 PM Press Conference – Presentation of Discussion and Common Principles

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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

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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.

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If your in Atlanta the weekend of November 14/15 go check out the Broadcast Atlanta ENVIRO EXPO USA. It will be held at AmericasMart Convention Center. This environmental event is free.
Enjoy…

BroadcastAtlanta ENVIRO EXPO USA
Nov. 14-15, 2008
AmericasMart
240 Peachtree Street N.W. Building 3
Atlanta, GA 30303

Attend the region’s most diverse display of eco-friendly products and services, and hear experts share how to live a green lifestyle. Experience eco-friendly food, apparel, cosmetics, household, furniture and lawn and garden products. Indulge in organic food and home products, including olive oil, baby food, chocolate, honey, fresh herbs, seasonal vegetables, granola, and organic soap at the region’s most diverse display ofeco-friendly food, apparel, cosmetics, furniture, and lawn and garden products. Learn about green businesses in the water, energy, transportation, remodeling, recreation, and green-financing industries.

Attend University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service gardening demonstrations.

The Broadcast Atlanta ENVIRO EXPO USA will also feature:

• Green Hall Meeting- Learn how to Green It Up with community sustainability leaders, a town hall-style discussion with sustainability experts from the Environmental Protection Agency, local government agencies and area environmental organizations on Saturday, November 15^th from 1:30 – 3:00 p.m.
• More than 20 expert speakers discussing topics ranging from eco-conscious landscaping to everyday water conservation.
• Activities for kids including, an appearance by the Radio Disney Street Team from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Also, children can participate in a bicycle-recycle relay, a Nike shoe throw and learn how Nike turns recycled shoes into basketball and tennis courts.

The Green Hall Meeting- Learn how to Green It Up with community sustainability leaders, is being held in conjunction with the Broadcast Atlanta ENVIRO EXPO USA on Saturday, November 15, from 1:30-3:00 p.m. in the atrium of the AmericasMart facility. This town hall-style discussion gives attendees an opportunity to ask questions of and learn from sustainability experts from the Environmental Protection Agency, local government agencies and area environmental organizations. The Green Hall Meeting will focus on identifying the issues that Atlantans face on local, state, and national levels in terms of creating a more sustainable environment and identifying the key resources that can solve those issues. Lynette Young of Sustainable Atlanta will moderate the discussion, which will include:

· Joe Bassista, City of Atlanta,

· Randy Hartmann, Georgia Department of Community Affairs

· Shana Udvarsky, Atlanta Water Department.

Join in the family fun and activities. Children can participate in a
bicycle-recycle relay and a Nike shoe throw, and they can see how Nike
turns recycled shoes into basketball and tennis courts. They also can
watch UGA Coop Extension Service gardening demonstrations to learn how to  make compost.
Free and open to the public. Visit www.enviroexpousa.org or call 770-517-0447

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Teaching our children to be good stewards of their planet should start at home, but since our children spend a good portion of their day inside a school building it is smart to continue the lesson there.

The move towards greening our schools is gaining ground despite budget cuts and other priorities. Starting with the foundation that the buildings that are occupied by the nations children and their educators “should protect occupant health, provide a productive learning environment, connect students to the natural world, increase average daily attendance, reduce operating costs, improve teacher satisfaction and retention, and reduce overall impact to the environment.” (Green Global USA)

An example of how some school districts are taking this to heart comes from an article I read in the Natural Awakenings magazine that talked about Green Schools in Flagger Co. Florida. Flagger Co. charter schools are doing a good job of implementing these principles. They started a three year project to “Go Green” by sticking to five basic principles.

• A Toxic free setting: by providing an environment for students and teachers that uses no toxic pesticides, no lead-based products, uses building materials that maintain healthy indoor air quality and no building characteristics that would produce mold.
• Using resources sustainably: Energy efficiency, water conservation, and green building design for new construction or remodeling. Green School supplies made of recycled materials.
• Create Green Healthy Outdoor Spaces: Such as non-toxic materials used to build or remodel school yards and gardens.
• Farm to school Organic produce: An initiative to help local farmers and provide students with a mineral rich whole foods menu, void of junk-food, fast food and sodas.
• Engaging the students in the whole “Go Green” process: Uses the project as a learning model for teaching students the dynamics of social and economic change.

Wouldn’t it be great if all schools would take this approach.

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If your in Atlanta the week of Oct 7th stop by the GreenBusiness Works Expo. It is being held Oct 7th and 8th. at the Cobb Galeria Center in Atlanta Georgia. It is a comprehensive environmental EXPO designed to educate corporations and municipalities about sustainability programs, services and products available to support their environmental stewardship efforts.

If you are in any of these professions or positions then you should attend or send someone from your company to represent.

• Corporate Sustainability Officers and Environmental Managers
• US Mayors and other Elected Officials
• Facility Managers, Supervisors and Building Service Contractors
• Hospitality Industry Leaders including Hotel, Restaurant and Entertainment District Managers
• Development Community
  • Developers, Builders, and Contractors Architects and Engineers
  • Commercial and Residential Interior Designers

• Facility Managers, Supervisors and Building Service Contractors
• Hospitality Industry Leaders including Hotel, Restaurant and Entertainment District Managers
• Meeting and Event Planners
• Bankers and Environmental Financiers and Real Estate Brokers
• Warehouse, Plant and Project Managers
• Fleet Directors and Managers
• Marketing and Communication Officers
• Human Resource Managers

Available at the expo will be Speakers, Roundtable Experts, and the trade show exhibition.

Keynote speakers will be:

Scott Seydel
President, The Seydel Companies
Board of Directors Chairperson, Global Green USA

and

Andy Savitz
Sr. Consultant, Sustainable Business Strategies

Attend and get your business involved to learn from leading experts who have already practiced sustainability successfully through exclusive educational programs, networking opportunities, best practices, leading case studies, and products and services that support corporate and community environmental stewardship efforts and positively impact ROI.

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The deterrent for going solar is often times the up front costs of installing solar panels on a house or a commercial building where it can take years to repay itself in energy savings. At the commercial level it is even more difficult to make solar a viable consideration because the costs of energy are typically passed on to the tenants.

A start up from Silicon Valley  has come up with a technology that would bring the cost of solar power down to be in competition with fossil fuels like coal fired electricity. Their innovation:  SUNRGI’s “concentrated photovoltaic” system, uses lenses to magnify the power of the sun 2000 times, letting it produce as much electricity as standard panels but with a far smaller system. They plan to start producing panels in 2009 that would put out electricity at a cost of 7c per kwh compared to the 20c-30c per kwh which is the standard for solar systems that are on the market today and is the reason why solar systems are not as popular as they could be. Everyone likes the idea of solar, no one likes the costs.  More info.

Another way of getting solar energy into the mix. In order to help commercial building owners take a serious look at going green, there are companies that have come up with a way to finance these energy-saving improvements. What they do is contract with building owners to provide energy at a fixed cost for 10 years. Once they have a contract they invest the capital in the building for the energy-saving improvements. Of course these companies are in it to make a profit and make their money by creating a space between what the owner pays for the energy and what they pay the utility companies. But most importantly they provide a way for commercial building owners to go green, which is something that was not attainable for them otherwise. I read about this in Entrepreneur Mag and they mentioned Transcend Equity Develepement Corp as providing this service.

Another innovation I came across is Solar Panel Paint, yep you heard right. Researchers at Swansea University in the UK and at the University of Toronto are developing a new, eco-friendly technology that could foreseeable make every rooftop an electricity generating machine, for that matter any surface the sun shines on. They have come up with a way to use materials other than conventional solar cells that are more efficient at collecting low light radiation. They are developing an efficient solar cell system that can be applied to steel building products through the use of paint. Imagine being able to paint on your electricity… More info… Even More Info…

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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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Calling all restauranteurs!!!

Yep, you heard right. There is a company in Colorado called FoodServiceWarehouse.com started by an avid group of environmentalists whose mission is to help the restaurant industry to become more environmentally responsible. They have created an industry leading certification program aimed at helping commercial kitchens cope with the costs and complexities of going green. The program features educational resources, rewards and the industry’s only free certification process, modeled after, and fulfilling credits for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.

In order to show their dedication in helping commercial kitchens slash energy costs, conserve water and reduce their environmental impact, they are giving away a green commercial kitchen worth up to $40,000 to one qualifying kitchen.
Here is where you can go to sign up for the Green Commercial Kitchen Giveaway…

Good Luck…

commercial kitchen giveaway leed certification

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Part of the Pickens Energy plan is to use wind to power 20% of the electricity for the country. See what happens to a town that is already on that track: Sweetwater, Texas was becoming a sleepy town starting to lose it’s residents do to a shortage of jobs, but it received a shot in the arm when a large wind power facility was built just outside of town. This has brought in new construction jobs, maintenance and manufacturing jobs and more spending power into the local economy. It’s not only good for the environment but also for the economy. Check it out…

Find more videos like this on PickensPlan

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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.

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INFORM is an environmentally conscious group “dedicated to educating the public about the effects of human activity on the environment and public health. Our goal is to empower citizens, businesses and government to adopt practices and policies that willsustain our planet for future generations.”

INFORM has put together a series of videos called the “Secret Life Series” that remind us about the life cycle of products that we use everyday and how the choices we make can affect the outcome of the impact these products have on our environment and our health.

Take a look:

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To continue the family business, is his duty, to help save the oceans and the rivers of the world is his passion. Philippe Cousteau Jr., the grandson of the infamous Jacques and son of the equally famous father Philippe, side by side with sister Alexandra, continue the work of the family by filming nature documentaries and educating people on becoming better stewards of this earth.

Wearing many hats at once it seems, the array of his work spans from filming documentaries on the beauty of the underworld, to the fierceness of it’s inhabitant. Ironically while filming a documentary called “Ocean’s Deadliest” for the Animal Planet, where he is Chief Ocean Correspondent, Cousteau witnessed the death of the Crocodile Hunter,  Steve Irwin. He also films public announcements about environmental issues,  but no matter what he is doing his core mission never wanes, to save the earth’s waters from humanity’s impact. Along with his family he has formed a non-profit organization called EarthEcho International, an environmental action group whose motto is “Everything you do makes a difference”.

Here’s a video about the EarthEcho International teaming up with Vans Warped Tour that travels around the country raising awareness about environmental issues.

Check it out…

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