Archive for August, 2009
Eco-Friendly – Some Green Thoughts
August 15th, 2009 | 
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Eco-Friendly – Some Green Thoughts
How often when you go to the grocery store are you asked if you want paper or plastic grocery bags? Well the best answer to that would be NEITHER. To keep the U.S. stocked with paper and plastic grocery bags, takes about fourteen million trees and twelve million barrels of oil every year! Investing in a few reusable bags makes a lot of sense.
Think about those little paper receipts you get at the gas pump and the ATM machine. If all people would simply note it in their checkbook, or in a small notebook when they made a purchase or withdrew money, it would be saving enough paper to encircle the globe fifteen times!
If every American would by one roll of recycled paper towels instead of the others, it would save over half a million trees. And how about turning the car off when you are waiting for someone, in the drive-thru lane or stuck in a huge traffic jam? When a car idles for more than a minute it is polluting the air and wasting your gas.
Cordless phones are replacing conventional phones. But think about it… sitting in a recharging cradle and using up your electricity twenty-four hours a day and every day of the week! Replace one or two cordless phones with your old conventional ones and you’ll save energy. The old fashioned ones use only a tiny bit of electricity, and will work when the power is off. If you insist on the convenience of cordless phones, make sure the ones you do get are Energy Star-rated, for high energy efficiency.
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Lisa is a freelance writer with a specialty in Internet content and SEO articles. She has written thousands of articles, hundreds of ebooks and thousands of website pages and related content. She has also authored her own books and works as a consultant to other writers, Internet marketers and Internet businesses. Professional wordsmith for hire: gamer, wife, mother, entrepreneur, published poet, co-owner of game guides company (http://www.liti4.com), public speaker and Internet business consultant. You can learn more or follow Lisa’s blog from her website: http://www.freelancewriter4hire.com
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Solar Tent Concept | Design Milk This concept by Orange would allow campers to keep in touch using their gadgets and such in their solar-powered tent. The heart of the Concept Tent is a. Financial Constraints Could Derail India's Ambitious Solar Energy … Lack of foreign investments owing to the global financial crisis and its own negotiating stance at climate talks could throw back India’s schedule to implement plans of setting up large scale solar energy projects. … Tech Trader Daily – Barron's Online : Solar: More Trouble Looms … The troubles for the solar sector are far from over, Barclays Capital analyst Vishal Shah warned this morning. Formerly bullish on the group as a whole, Shah today reduced his sector rating on solar to Neutral. Shah says the Q2 weakness … India Proposes Bold Solar Energy Plans | Use Celsias.com – reduce … One can’t help thinking that the Industrial Revolution missed the solar bus. Vast areas of the world â?? the entire tropical belt and a portion of the temperate belts – are blessed to receive plenty of sunshine throughout the year. … Huge solar array takes shape atop Port school – NewburyportNews … The towering machinery lowering boxes of energy-efficient materials down onto the rooftop was a sight to behold, said interim Superintendent Deirdre Farrell, who said the solar project is on target to be substantially complete by Aug. …Environmentally Friendly Technology
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USA – China – A G2 For Climate and Economy?
USA – China – A G2 For Climate and Economy?
China appears to view global warming as an economic issue, Obama’s administration is primarily focused on the current economic crisis as well, but climate change is also a serious crisis and a threat to the world’s economic system itself with all its present and predicted impacts. Don’t these global problems require an integrated economic and environmental strategy? The hypothesized summit between Barack Obama and the Chinese president, Hu Jintao, could be an important step to accelerate urgent actions needed both to face the global economic downturn and to build a solid climate pact.
China, in its last 5-year plan, sets targets to reduce national energy intensity (energy used per unit of GDP) by 20% between 2006 and the end of 2010. According to Deborah Seligsohn, China Program Director on Climate, Energy and Pollution of the World Resources Institute, this target seems to be realizable given their latest remarkable record (-1.8% in 2006, -3.7% in 2007, and -4.2% in 2008.) Last month Hillary Clinton met experts from the Asia Society and the Pew Centre for Climate Change that together wrote a report that could help the creation of this US-Chinese partnership on climate change. But the good examples from China, although not directly referred to CO2 emissions, and Obama’s ambitious plan on energy and climate will need decisions from other 13 countries (or federations such as the EU), including Russia, India, Japan to get 80% of world’s emissions “under control”. Nowadays the other 173 countries account for about 20% of total CO2 emissions, but population increase and old development patterns could dangerously increase their “pollution share” in the future: every nation will be then required to cut the CO2, but large amount of money are needed to do so. Where will our leaders take Dollars, Yuan or Euros these days?
Next steps: -264 days to COP15:
Two events along the path to Copenhagen will take place in Bonn from March 29th to April 8th: the 7th session of the AWG-KP (Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex 1Parties under the Kyoto Protocol) and 5th session of the AWG-LCA (Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention). As we can read on the UNFCCC website “this is the first of three planned negotiating sessions before COP 15 in December” and can hopefully prepare a good ground for delegations and political leaders to decide upon.
Written by Luca Marazzi on behalf of Responding to Climate Change.
For further information on Climate Change please visit the Responding to Climate Change website – http://www.rtcc.org
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Luca_Marazzi
NEW WORLD SAVIOUR
Becoming Energy Efficient – Save the Planet
Becoming Energy Efficient – Save the Planet
Save the planet! As Earth Day approaches April 22, what are you doing to get ready? Earth day is an event that started to bring attention to our environment. How we handle our garbage reflects our environment. Here are three tips to help save our environment.
- First, recycle. Recycling is taking some of our garbage and reusing it, directly or indirectly. To recycle a water bottle, you may reuse it again and again. But for gallon milk jugs or 2 liter soft drink bottles, you may opt to collect them and bring them to a recycling center. The recycling center will forward them on to a company that will melt them down and reprocess them.
- Second, shop efficiently. Try using what your Grandma used when she cleaned her house. Try using vinegar and baking soda. There are lots of sites that recommend natural cleaning products instead of chemicals. Also, buy those products in bulk. It reduces packaging which ends up in our garbage dumps and it may be cheaper, the more you buy, the cheaper it is.
- Third, conservation. Since I already have compact fluorescent light(CFL) bulbs installed, turning off the lights when I leave is the next best thing. My Mom always told me to turn off lights when I leave a room. She was right. Using more electricity only raises your electric bill. It will also increase your carbon footprint.
Education is a goal of Earth Day. Educating everyone from adults to children can get involved. Challenge your kids to come up with projects to bring attention to our environment. When we teach our next generation, we are saving our planet. But first, we must start ourselves. Be a steward of what God gave you. Become energy efficient by recycling and conservation. Our planet is worth it.
And now I would like to invite you to join me in learning energy saving tips you can do yourself to decrease your electric bill at http://energyconsciousconsultant.com Energy conservation should be out goal.
Solar Stocks of the Day: SOL, LDK, YGE, JASO, CSIQ (8/13/2009 …
By Henry Wang Below are today’s notable solar stocks with significant news and price performance: ReneSola Ltd. (NYSE:SOL) rose 3.54% to $5.55. The company announced Q2:2009 earnings Wednesday morning before market open.
Is 5N Plus losing traction with First Solar? | Cleantech Group
Analyst says thin-film giant is either turning away from its key supplier or aggressively cutting the per-watt requirement for cadmium telluride.
naked capitalism: Guest Post: Is the Sun Setting on Solar Stocks?
Commentary on current economic and financial news.
Solar Shower Heats Water In Two Hours, But You'll Need It Cold …
Is there a solar shower in this image somewhere? My eyes are inexplicably drawn to the right. Seriously though, somewhere in this image is an outdo…
Pension Pulse: Sun Setting On Solar Stocks?
It was a tough day watching solar stocks melt in the markets. I took a huge hit in my portfolio as I am long LDK Solar (click on image above to feel my pain). Other solar stocks also got whacked hard. …
Tips For Green Driving
Tips For Green Driving
Are you trying to make changes in your lifestyle that will help to preserve some of the natural resources being used everyday? There are many things that individuals can do to make a difference. However, one of the biggest concerns is the problems caused by all the vehicles being driven today. Everyone knows that vehicles put out gas emissions that add to the amount of air pollution already causing problems for humanity. But what can you do?
Very few people can do without some sort of vehicle in today’s society. It would be almost impossible to get from one location to another without driving most of the time. Still, it’s important to do all you can to reduce the amount of pollution being emitted into the air. Since buying a hybrid is not an option that everyone can take advantage of, here are a few tips for driving green that will help reduce pollution caused by vehicles.
• Proper Maintenance – One of the best things that you can do to make sure you’re driving green is to keep the maintenance up on your vehicle. Keep it tuned up, air filters changed and make sure the tires are inflated properly.
• Carpool When Possible – It may not always be possible to carpool but do so whenever you can. This will make more of a difference than you might think.
• Plan Your Trips: If you plan your trips in advance you can cut down on your driving time. You can plan the shortest route that will accomplish everything you need to get done. Stop by the store on your way home from work instead of going home first and leaving again. Anything that reduces your driving time will help.
• Walk More – When you’re visiting a neighbor, going to the local park or anywhere that is near your home, try walking whenever it’s practical to do so.
• Cut Down on the AC – Only use the air conditioning whenever it’s absolutely necessary. You can roll down the windows other times to let a breeze blow through.
• Drive Smart – Driving smart includes avoiding sudden stops and starts and driving the speed limit. Speeding uses more gasoline and produces more pollution than necessary.
These are all simple and easy things that everyone can do to help the environment. If every driver were to make these changes it would make a huge difference in the amount of pollution created each day.
Lisa Mason is a freelance writer with a specialty in Internet content and SEO articles. She has written thousands of articles, hundreds of ebooks and thousands of website pages and related content. She has also authored her own books and works as a consultant to other writers, Internet marketers and Internet businesses.
Lisa Mason, Professional wordsmith for hire: gamer, wife, mother, entrepreneur, published poet, co-owner of game guides company (http://www.liti4.com), public speaker and Internet business consultant. You can learn more or follow Lisa’s blog from her website: http://www.freelancewriter4hire.com
Green's Meets
Some Eco-Friendly Green Thoughts
Some Eco-Friendly Green Thoughts
How often when you go to the grocery store are you asked if you want paper or plastic grocery bags? Well the best answer to that would be NEITHER. To keep the U.S. stocked with paper and plastic grocery bags, takes about fourteen million trees and twelve million barrels of oil every year! Investing in a few reusable bags makes a lot of sense.
Think about those little paper receipts you get at the gas pump and the ATM machine. If all people would simply note it in their checkbook, or in a small notebook when they made a purchase or withdrew money, it would be saving enough paper to encircle the globe fifteen times!
If every American would by one roll of recycled paper towels instead of the others, it would save over half a million trees. And how about turning the car off when you are waiting for someone, in the drive-thru lane or stuck in a huge traffic jam? When a car idles for more than a minute it is polluting the air and wasting your gas.
Cordless phones are replacing conventional phones. But think about it… sitting in a recharging cradle and using up your electricity twenty-four hours a day and every day of the week! Replace one or two cordless phones with your old conventional ones and you’ll save energy. The old fashioned ones use only a tiny bit of electricity, and will work when the power is off. If you insist on the convenience of cordless phones, make sure the ones you do get are Energy Star-rated, for high energy efficiency.
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Lisa is a freelance writer with a specialty in Internet content and SEO articles. She has written thousands of articles, hundreds of ebooks and thousands of website pages and related content. She has also authored her own books and works as a consultant to other writers, Internet marketers and Internet businesses. Professional wordsmith for hire: gamer, wife, mother, entrepreneur, published poet, co-owner of game guides company (http://www.liti4.com), public speaker and Internet business consultant. You can learn more or follow Lisa’s blog from her website: http://www.freelancewriter4hire.com
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Leaf, Solar Charging Mobile Phone by Seungkyun Woo & Junyi Heo … Inspired by photosynthesis, the Leaf is a wearable bracelet phone that incorporates solar cells on its front panel for juicing it up. If that’s not good enough, the cradle into which it docks also hosts the cells on the back. … Tech Trader Daily – Barron's Online : Solar Panel Glut To Persist … The solar industry in 2009 will produce almost twice the number of panels as the market will absorb, according to new data from the market research firm iSuppli. The firm predicts that global solar panel production this year will grow … DisplaySearch Expands Market Research Offerings to Cover Solar and … Using best-of-class research methodologies and a holistic supply chain approach proven in the display industry, DisplaySearch will expand its solar research offerings and support clients as they evaluate opportunities in the long-term … Blm Seeks Comment On Proposed Solar Plants Near Primm | News … Three meetings will be held this month to gather comments from the public on plans to build two massive solar power plants on 7840 acres of federal land near Primm. Urban Solar | Solar Powered Water Heating Systems | Search Engine … Solar Powered Water Heating Systems are not only cost efficient they also have an enormous positive environmental impact.Online News Video Of A "green" fleet
To Living a Greener Life – 5 Steps
To Living a Greener Life – 5 Steps
Lots of people talk about trying to live a greener life, with some even going so far as to completely change their lifestyle, but most people aren’t sure how to go green because they don’t know exactly what that means. Sure, most people know the basics that scratch the surface such as reusing, recycling and reducing the amount of waste output for their homes but there many other steps you can take to move towards a cleaner, greener environment.
If you’re wondering how you can make your life greener, here are five different tips that are simple and easy to implement and that don’t cost the you anything. All it takes is a little dedication and after a few months, these five little things will become second-nature to you.
1. The next time you go shopping use cloth bags at the grocery store instead of paper or plastic. These cloth bags can be purchased for as little as a few dollars each and they’re much stronger than paper or plastic bags and will last you through years of use.
These bags help reduce waste since most people throw away the plastic and paper bags. The hardest part of using cloth bags is remembering to take them to the store, but once you get in the habit of using them, it becomes unconscious habit.
2. Replace your standard light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. These bulbs use less energy and last for four to five years, almost 15 times longer than traditional bulbs. While the cost of a compact fluorescent bulb is more than your standard bulb, they easily pay for themselves over time requiring less frequent replacement and reduced energy consumption. In fact, studies show that a CF bulb can actually pay for itself within one to two months. One CF bulb also saves about five pounds of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide a month. Replacing every bulb in your home can have a huge impact on the environment and on your wallet.
3. Use public transportation. By car pooling, taking the bus, or using the subway you can cut down on the amount of gas you use and the amount of exhaust your car emits. While it may be an inconvenience in some ways, it is one of the best ways of helping the environment. Even better, walk or ride your bike to work if possible. This not only saves you money and helps the environment but it also keeps you fit and healthy!
4. Adjust your thermostat by a few degrees. By turning your thermostat down by just two degrees in the winter, you can save over 50 pounds of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide per month while lowering your heating bill. Turning it up a few degrees in the summer can likewise save you money and save the environment.
5. Finally, only wash your clothes or run your dish washer when you have a full load. It wastes water and electricity to wash and dry only a few pieces of clothing. In fact, if you can, try to wash your clothes using the cold water cycle as it uses up to 50% less energy than a warm water one.
By just doing these basics not only you can save some serious money but you can rest assured that you’re doing your part for a cleaner, brighter future. To discover more ideas you can use around your home for living green visit http://www.greentipsforyou.com!
2010 Prius To Launch Amid Solar Flowers On Chicago's Navy Pier … If you think 18′ tall flowers can only be the product of your imagination, an acid trip or a sci-fi novel, a visit to Navy Pier in Chicago may change your mind. As part of the launch of the 2010 Prius, so-called “Solar Flowers” will be … International Symposium on Solar Energy from Space « National … International Symposium on Solar Energy from Space. September 8-10, 2009, SPACE Canada in cooperation with the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) will welcome representatives from the international community of science and … More Cash for Clunkers, Less Cash for Solar – Environmental … Cash-for-clunkers means less money for clean energy, analysts say. America's First Solar Thermal Plant Is On | GOOD Our own energy and environment columnist Ben Jervey passed along news that America’s first solar thermal power plant, in Lancaster, California, is now fully. Solar stocks: hot or not? – Top Stocks Blog – MSN Money Several high-profile solar companies recently reported earnings, and although these companies posted mixed results for the most recent quarter, there’s no denying that Wall Street has been turning its face toward the sun and bidding up …science-news,callin,opinion of Invasion Earth
Analysis of Cleanliness
Analysis of Cleanliness
You cannot control that which you do not measure.
In more and more industries, the exact knowledge of particle contamination is gaining in importance. Contamination of materials in dimensions of a few micrometers was mainly of concern for the pharmaceutical and semiconductor industries. However, not only manufacturers of circuit board components, but also traditional car parts suppliers face new demands on particle recognition and contamination source identification.
Cleanliness for the automotive parts manufacturers has become a huge topic in today’s ever challenging continuous improvement world. The need to define, measure and control the levels of particulate contamination on product is the new norm for suppliers and automotive OEM’s.
Cleanliness directly relates to product warranties, reliability, performance and safety issues. It has long been known that a dirty product gives us poor quality and low life expectancy. The dirtier the transmission from new, the less time it will last.
It is crucial now to identify particles and their source so that effective elimination can be achieved. Residual contamination consists of particles that persist on the component’s surface after the final step in manufacturing. Such contaminants are introduced via parts from suppliers or arise during processing. After vehicle assembly, the contaminant particles can cause severe damage, loss of function or reduce the lifetime of the product.
Cleanliness is defined as the contamination level of a component surface. Common measures to quantify the cleanliness are mass of the contaminants as well as number, size of the dirt particles. In general, the customer will specify contamination limits. The supplier then has to maintain these levels and document them regularly by means of contamination analysis.
The analysis of the contamination has to be proven to not affect the result and to be effective in evaluating all the contamination present. Methods of extraction and evaluation are specified in the international standard ISO 16232. Particular attention must be paid to the extraction method to ensure no contributing factors are introduced to the evaluation. There are different methods of counting the resulting extracted particles but by far the most accurate, repeatable and cost effective is automated microscope analysis. The microscope with software can scan the filter membrane; sort the particles by size class and even determine basic material composition (metal, non-metal, fiber). Once the data is gathered a custom report can be generated based on the customer requirements.
For more information on cleanliness analysis, visit http://www.onclean.com
Chris Trower is the President of Onclean Labs Inc, an Ontario based lab specializing in third party cleanliness analysis testing.
Tech Trader Daily – Barron's Online : Pac Crest Sees Cloudy … I a note today forecasting mixed results form European solar technology companies, Pacific Crest analyst Mark Bachman downgraded shares of Norway’s Renewable Energy Corp (RNWEY.PK) while maintaining Outperform ratings on German firms … More Cash for Clunkers, Less Cash for Solar – Environmental … Cash-for-clunkers means less money for clean energy, analysts say. America's First Solar Thermal Plant Is On | GOOD Our own energy and environment columnist Ben Jervey passed along news that America’s first solar thermal power plant, in Lancaster, California, is now fully. Ceramatec Develops 24-hour Solar Energy Storage Battery | Cooler … Salt Lake City-based Cerametec, Inc. is in development of a battery that solar energy users outside the grid could use to store energy from their solar panels for most of a day, and its size and configuration â?? almost fitting in the … Battle Brewing Over Giant Desert Solar Farm – Green Inc. Blog … The sheer size of Tessera Solar’s proposed Calico project, as well as its location next to federal conservation areas in the Mojave Desert, is drawing scrutiny from grassroots green activists and national environmental organizations.World Tech Update
Who’s Greener? Yahoo Vs Google
Who’s Greener? Yahoo Vs Google
Silicon Valley is known for both innovation and hype. Recently, this pool of innovation has extended beyond bandwidth to the protection the environment. Google and Yahoo, the search engine giants, are both headquartered in the Valley and have been making headlines by greening their offices, reducing energy consumption, and carbon trading. The PR motivations are obvious, but are the green benefits really there? To set apart the hype from reality, we have analyzed the green value of both Google and Yahoo’s headquarter facilities.
We looked at the ecological services provided by green landscape features such as trees and open space (i.e. grass). Grass and trees are pervious surfaces, meaning they allow water to permeate into the ground. Roofs, sidewalks, patios, and asphalt parking lots are examples of impervious surfaces, where rainwater drains into the public storm drains. Heavy metals, oil, and other pollutants are carried off parking lots in rainwater, which often lead directly to open water habitats, where fish, birds, and reptiles live.
In terms of ecological services, trees and grass have been proven to:
1. Remove and store carbon from the atmosphere,
2. Remove certain airborne pollutants,
3. Permits rainwater to seep into the ground as opposed to draining into the stormdrains, and
4. Remove certain waterborne pollutants.
Here is a look at how green Google and Yahoo really are and how the measure up against each other.
Google Green Report
Google’s headquarters, the Googleplex, covers 44 acres, nearly 50% of which is grass or tree canopy. This is an impressive paved to open space ratio. The grass and trees on the Googleplex remove roughly 2 tons of carbon from the atmosphere per year, or 0.04 tons per year per acre. In addition, 530 lbs. of air pollution are removed per year (e.g., ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter), or 12 lbs. per year per acre. It was assumed that the parking lot of the Googleplex is asphalt, and not a type of porous pavement, so the cost of managing rainfall runoff from the Googleplex is $4,474 per year, or $103 per year per acre. The abundance of grass and tree canopy on the Googleplex go a long way to offset the water quality impacts of the paved surfaces (mainly the parking lot). On average, the grass and trees reduce water pollution by 6%, as opposed to the entire property being paved.
Yahoo Green Report
The Yahoo headquarters, Yahooplex, covers 28 acres, a third of which is grass or tree canopy. This is a classic ratio of paved to open space for large office complexes in California. So far, par for the course. The Yahooplex removes 0.36 tons of carbon from the atmosphere per year, or 0.01 tons per year per acre. 114 lbs. of air pollutants are removed per year, or 4 lbs. per year per acre. In terms of rainfall, the cost associated with runoff is $9,219 per year, or $331 per year per acre. The grass and tree canopy help offset the paved areas with a 2.3% reduction in water pollution as opposed to the entire property being paved.
The final green analysis?
Google kicks Yahoo’s butt, largely due to the forethought, or luxury, of the Googleplex having 50% of its property surface providing green services. The good news for both Google and Yahoo is that over time, as trees grow, so will the tree’s canopy and mass, thus storing more carbon and removing more air pollutants.
Green next steps for both Google and Yahoo is to:
- Install porous parking surfaces, allowing up to 80% of rainwater to seep into the ground,
- Install green roofs, absorbing rainwater while reducing cooling costs and energy consumption, and
- Planting larger trees on the south and west sides of the buildings to reduce cooling costs and energy consumption.
While we crunched the hard numbers to settle the Google vs. Yahoo green debate, this report illuminates the great opportunity that awaits these two Silicon Valley giants to harness the ecological services of green surfaces.
Chris Erichsen is a GIS Mapping consultant with the Erichsen Group, GIS and Mapping in northern California. He has over 10 yrs of GIS experience and helps many industries around the world apply GIS mapping technology. Learn more examples of GIS mapping capabilities.
Rate Crimes: Impeding the Solar Tipping Point | 1800blogger Yet, as one explores the landscape, artifacts of the capture of solar energy are conspicuously absent. This dearth is true for solar electric, domestic hot water, passive solar design, and even for urban design. … The utility’s proposal had attracted an uproar from solar companies and from its customers. The state’s Public Utilities Commission was due to hold a hearing on the proposal Wednesday, and that was canceled with Xcel decided not to … Are rainy days gone for solar? – Green Chemicals While some reports indicate that investments in the solar market is shining again, others claimed continued cloudy days because of capital intensive projects and growing overcapacity in some regions (ok, I’ll stop the weather talk). … India invests in solar power – Physics Today News Picks Nature News: India’s prime minister Manmohan Singh has approved a US$19 billion plan to make the country a global leader in solar energy over the next three decades. The ambitious project would see a massive expansion in installed solar … Live: eSolar Flips the Switch on First Solar Power Tower in U.S. Updated with notes from the event:eSolar, a solar developer that uses modular designs, small mirrors and computing power to lower …Green Racing Car
New 3 R’s
New 3 R’s
I was back in the grocery store this Saturday, but it was not the prices (although I did manage to keep it under ninety pounds once again) that caught my eye or even what other people were buying. In fact, what I noticed this Saturday did not happen until I was home and unpacking my weekly shopping. What I noticed was the amount of packaging, most of it useless, that I put into the bin. Of course, we have been using our green bags for over a year now so we are not throwing very many plastic ones away. Well, in fact we don’t really throw any away, because we try to follow the adage…Reduce, re-use, re-cycle. I want to look at how the 3 R’s of reduce, re-use, recycle fits into all of the Frugal Fam core values.
Family first. Since we are our children’s first and best teachers, I think that the time we invest in teaching them about all things environmental is an excellent investment in our futures and theirs. Isn’t it ironic that reduce, re-use, recycle could become the new 3 R’s. In fact so I don’t wear out my fingers re-typing it all over and over again, let’s us that term in the rest of the article to refer to reduce, re-use, recycle. It is never too early to begin either. At three, my daughter knows the difference between the bin and the recycle bag (sometimes better than my eighteen year old).
Saving money. In fact, in the UK most councils offer free recycling facilities to all residents, which means that recycling costs us nothing. There are examples too of how recycling can actually save you money though, such as my wormary, which produces organic liquid fertiliser and compost or reducing your energy consumption by turning down the thermostat. And as I have shown in past post about Freecycle, charity shops and similar services, you can save a great deal of money by re-using items that someone else may no long need.
But in the USA recycling too can actually pay money. Although not as easy for many American families to place bags or special bins on the stoop (although some forward thinking counties and cities are offering curb-side recycling as in the UK), the profit from this activity can be used to fund extras or meet essential obligations. Before I left Los Angeles in 2006, there were increasingly mini-recycling centres often in the parking lots of grocery stores. Families could take their paper, metal and plastic products and turn them into paper…paper money that is. In some ways this is more incentive to recycle than the UK system. What if your family could pay for its holiday through recycling? Perhaps even clean up your street? I know that my three years old loves helping me to pick up trash in her park. Could your family do something similar?
Environmentally friendly. Like I said, the 3 R’s are among the basics of environmentally friendly. It is one of the easiest things that we can all do to save this special planet for our children and grand-children. Alright, we have all heard the pundits talk about how recycling does not make a difference. So to clear up a few of those myths:
- Enough energy is saved by recycling one aluminium can to run a TV set for three hours.
- A steel mill which uses recycled scrap reduces related water pollution, air pollution, and mining wastes by at least 70 percent.
- Creating one ton of recycled paper uses only about 60 percent of the energy needed to make a ton of virgin paper.
- Seventeen trees are saved for each ton of recycled newspaper.
- Recycling steel and tin cans saves 74 percent of the energy necessary to produce them.
- Today most bottles and jars contain at least 25 percent recycled glass.
Healthy living. It may not be immediately obvious how the 3 R’s can make you healthier, but I have a couple of examples:
- Reduce your carbon footprint by walking to school, the store and anywhere else you can…also increases the amount of exercise you are getting. Walking is actually one of the best exercises there is.
- Eating fresher often means that there is less packaging as frozen, tinned and jarred products, which produce more waste also, are likely to have more added salts, sugars and preservatives.
- Reducing the carbon miles of your food by growing your own fruits and vegetables also allows you to grow them organically as well as having the benefit of reducing your stress through the pleasurable hobby of gardening.
Now that we have talked about how the 3R’s of reduce, re-use and recycle keep with the Frugal Fam core values, I hope that each of you will join me in this journey and share your ideas for Reduce, Re-use, Recycle.
Terri O’Neale is the mother of six; ranging in age from 3 to 22. She has been both a working and stay-at-home mother at various times in her life. She was also a single mother for almost five years, before re-marrying the love of her life at the age of forty. Obviously, she has a life-time of training in raising a family on a tight budget. In addition to these real life experiences, she possesses a bachelors degree in health education and a minored in environmental management in her masters programme.
Terri feels strongly that this is one of the most challenging times in history for the family, but she also believes that families with the will and resolve to address the pressing issues of saving money, becoming greener, leading healthier lifestyles and spending more time with one another can endure these challenging times and come out victorious in the end.
Through Frugal Family articles, blogs, videos and social networking, she helps modern families rediscover some lost art forms such as cooking, sewing, and gardening. The goal is not to go back in time or become fanatical, but to help all families find simple and effective ways that fit into their lifestyle to make moderate changes with huge impacts. For more information, check out her blog http://frugalfam.wordpress.com/.
Environmentally Friendly Technology
Is Making Biodiesel at Home Safe? – Home Bio Diesel Production
Is Making Biodiesel at Home Safe? – Home Bio Diesel Production
The flammability point of biodiesel.
I’ve mentioned that it’s biodegradable that it’s safe to use blah, blah, blah, all these different things, but I want to show you how safe this is. This biodiesel, I’ve made from canola oil, so I’m going to pour a little bit in here, and now it’s time to play with fire. We’re going to come down here. Light up our torch, notice I have my fire extinguisher people.
We now have a nice blow torch going. Notice I’ve got some nice biodiesel on the ground here. I want to show you that biodiesel is very, very safe to have around. I can’t light it on fire. This torch is a really hot torch. I’m actually using map gas. Map gas actually has a higher flame temperature. So I’m just trying to light this sucker on fire, and you know what, she’s not going. That’s because biodiesel isn’t actually that flammable. It has a much higher flash point than normal diesel, and I’ve just proven it.
And that’s one of the reasons people like biodiesel is because it’s so safe to use. In fact, if this stuff spills on the ground the MSDS and things that it calls for is get a garden hose and wash it off. It’s not going to light up. It’s as safe to have around as vegetable oil. No I have to cavy up that this biodiesel has been cleaned. We have got all the methanol out of it, and we’ll talk a little bit about that later, but I just want to show you that it’s very clean and it just doesn’t burn. That’s that little fun experiment. We want to show you that biodiesel will burn though. When it’s under pressure it does burn quite well. For this experiment I’m just going to start a fire, and I’m going to spray it into it. As you can see it will burn, so when it’s in your diesel and it becomes injected, it will burn beautifully. That’s biodiesel burning.
The DR Performance Diesel Products & Edge Diesel Products are both fully compatible with biodiesel- Nathan Young
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