Go Greener Tips

Archive for the ‘Green Product Reviews’ Category

Installing solar panels on your home is on so many peoples minds nowadays, primarily due to the fact of the rising cost for energy as well as making your home greener and helping with cleaning up the world. But the major downfall when people do start looking into it, a lot soon realize that having them professionally made and installed, it is just something that most just cant afford. More and more are turning to making and installing their own types of solar power that will be more cost efficient and will also save them money in the future.

Really, just about any one can learn how to make their own types of solar energy for their home, business, etc... By comparing the cost of premade professionally install, to do it yourself solar energy, your will see a significantly huge savings when a motivated do it yourselfer does it. Also, by making your own solar power, you will be able to customize it the way you want. You will determine how much power would be sufficient for what you are trying to accomplish.

If you are seriously looking into making your own type os solar energy and found quality manuals and learned how to make solar panels, you should be able to find the supplies needed fairly at cheap prices. They are all common materials that your will be able to find in any local hardware store. Solar cells and photovoltaic cells are easy to final and your can find them at discounted prices everywhere. Determining how much time you decide to spend each day on making your own solar panel, it will roughly take 8-10 hours to assemble a 150 watt panel, which will give you enough electricity for small appliances or even a workshop in your garage. That would be all free energy that will pay for the materials in which you needed to purchase.
Finding and getting quality manuals on building your own types of solar energy (solar panels, windmills, magnets, etc) would probably be the toughest part, all the materials needed will be easy to find. But you need good step by step instruction in order to make this venture a successful one. The cost for getting the materials and getting a good quality manual explaining step by step instruction will be minimul and will be far less then getting it premade and professionally installed.

It would be in best interest on your behalf to start creating your own types of solar energy panels and you will not only start saving on your energy costs, but you will also be conserving the earths natual resources and making it a greener place for the future. All it takes is a little motivation and the right types of information and you will be able to harness your solar energy for free, after the cost for materials.

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Never has it been simpler to get the most money for your mobile phone when you sell and recycle it via a mobile phone recycling site. You can now easily compare mobile phone recycling sites and get the most money for your mobile.

Mobile Phone Recycling has taken on its own household name now as more and more awareness is araised around mobile phones and the damaging impact they have on our environment. Never before has it been so easy to sell and recycle an old mobile phone for cash. By simply using a mobile phone recycling site who pay cash for old or broken mobiles.

You can sell and recycle any old or unwanted mobile phone online to a mobile phone recycling site. These types of sites are set up to handle the recycling of mobile phones and other electrical products. To give people a place and a means to recycle their old mobile phones instead of just throwing them away after being upgraded to a newer model.

There are a quite a few mobile phone recycling sites around now. All of which have their own features and benefits and all pay out different prices for mobile phones. So it can be quite a daunting task when wanting to sell your old mobile phone this way by recycling it. With so many of these mobile phone recycling sites around there is much choice. But all you want to know is how much money you can get for it and which site will pay you the most.

Hence was made the Mobile Phone Cash Comparison Tool. It will compare all the top mobile phone recycling sites so you can get the most Cash for your mobile. This saves you much time and searching around. All you have to do is put in the make and model of your mobile into the tool and it will find it for you and display a list of mobile phone recyclers so you can compare the prices offered by each. You can then get the most money.

Recycling mobile phones is a phase that is not fizzling out. People up and down the country, the old and young alike are digging out their old mobile phones and selling and recycling them online this way to get cash for an old mobile that might otherwise only probably ended up in a landfill site. It's giving people a chance to raise a little cash when needed which is good in todays climate and is having a helping effect on the environment as well because mobile phones can have a damaging effect on our environment if they are not recycled properly. They contain hazardous materials that can be poisonous to us and animals and can pollute our food and water supply. So that is why more needs to be done to recycle mobile phones. Helping you, other people and the earth at the same time.

So recycle your mobiles. Compare mobile phone recycling sites first though to get the most amount of money you can. Just visit Sell Your Mobile to sell your mobile by comparing mobile phone recycling sites with the Mobile Phone Recycling Cash Comparison Tool and by seeing reviews and comparisons of them to get the best deal for you.

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By using simple to follow DIY Solar Energy and Wind Power eBook training you can discover How to Slash Your Energy Bills And Help Save The Earth At The Same Time.
Have you noticed that your utility costs are sky rocketing these days? It is often becoming too much to bear for many families. Lets not even to mention the resultant environmental impact our power usage has on the earth!

By JANE HODGES

American consumers eager to correct their energy-wasting ways and create a more environmentally friendly home can now hire eco-consultants. This growing breed of advisers charge anywhere from $99 to a few hundred dollars for a home visit followed by extensive prescriptions designed to address particular concerns.

The field of eco-consulting is mostly composed of small contractors or franchises reliant on solo practitioners in different markets, meaning that the experience of eco-consulting and the training of the consultant can vary. Some eco-consultants offer their services as adjuncts to green cleaning or landscaping businesses, while others offer consults in addition to green remodeling services.

To find out how we could improve our homes' energy consumption, air and water quality, and appliance efficiency, we hired five practitioners in four cities: Green Irene in Seattle; EcoHome Chicago in Chicago; Green on the Inside in Boston; GreenHouse Eco-Cleaning in New York; and Pure Habitat NYC in New York.

Consultants spent anywhere from one hour (EcoHome Chicago) to three hours (Green on the Inside) assessing our homes. In Pure Habitat's case, we arranged a five-hour deep cleaning (for $215), followed by a $40 to $80 eco-consultation. Prices varied from $99 for a Green Irene visit to $250 for an appointment with EcoHome Chicago, the latter of which included two consultants.

Both Green on the Inside and GreenHouse Eco-Cleaning asked us to fill out questionnaires in advance to streamline our meetings, while other consultants asked us questions upon arrival. We told Pure Habitat and GreenHouse Eco-Cleaning, for instance, that we're expecting a new baby and wanted to offer our child a clean indoor environment. We told Green on the Inside about a possible kitchen remodel, and informed Green Irene that we plan to add insulation to our attic and basement in future remodeling efforts.

While consultants did provide well-trod energy tips (swap out regular bulbs for compact fluorescents, don't microwave plastic containers, use a programmable thermostat), they also addressed our specific questions and generally provided concrete alternatives to any problems identified. In many cases, consultants identified solutions for our problems -- or local vendors who could help -- which they then shared with us in follow-up emails.

We learned something new from each of our consultants' visits: EcoHome Chicago taught us that condenser coils behind the refrigerator need semi-annual cleaning to maximize efficiency. GreenHouse Eco-Cleaning used a special measuring device to reassure us that our indoor air quality fell within acceptable levels, but was also able to recommend specific air purifiers. As part of their incredibly thorough "green" cleaning service, Pure Habitat sorted which cleaning products to keep (more eco-friendly ones) versus discard and also referred us to local contractors that test paint for lead content. Green on the Inside articulated why recycled granite, glass or composite materials make better countertops than new granite or formica, and showed us how to check for refrigerator air leaks. Green Irene outlined our options for nontoxic spray insulation (suggested material: Icynene), told us about a balloon-like device that reduces chimney drafts, and gave us referrals for outdoor-lighting specialists and other contractors.

The main difficulty with the consultants, we found, was setting up appointments and receiving follow-up information. With Green Irene, our consultant had a busy schedule and needed to book us at least a week out. In Pure Habitat's case, days would go by before we received a response to email messages. We also received only half of our Pure Habitat final report: We got an email with some specific recommendations, but never did receive the promised package via mail. (At various times, we were told that it had been returned for insufficient postage and that the company had an incorrect ZIP Code for us.) Pure Habitat, to its credit, did not charge us for the eco-consulting portion of our cleaning/consulting appointment. The company's founder, Cory Tixier, said in a phone interview following our meeting that her business is a small operation and is having some growing pains.

While all the eco-consultants offered solutions that may save us money over time, it seems that in the near-term, we'll need to spend it. In the green economy where these eco-consultants operate, going green costs green.

COMPANY/WEB SITE	PRICE/LENGTH OF CONSULTATION	FOCUS AND FINDINGS	COMMENT
Green on the Inside, Boston greenontheinside.net	$175/initial; $75 per hour for follow-ups; $20 travel fee may apply in suburbs.	Consult focused on keeping home environment healthy. Kitchen needed most work in terms of energy waste, use of toxic materials, and lowering bacteria potential.	Consultant promised two-page follow-up report but provided six pages of tips. She also offers other services, such as eco-friendly gardening.
Green Irene, Seattle greenirene.com	$99, 2 hours.	Visit went through nine categories of information. Saving on energy was a major focus, with tips on insulation, plumbing, electrical use, and appliance maintenance/repair.	Green Irene is available in 30 states and the $99 fee includes 6 months of access to "Ask Green Irene," an informal research service and chatboard. Consulting for small businesses (under 50 workers) debuted in January 2009, priced at $250 and up for a four-hour assessment.
GreenHouse Eco-Cleaning, New York greenhouseecocleaning.com	$150, one hour.	Follow-up proposal was filled with specific recommendations, including filters for our shower to remove chlorine and Web sites where we could find organic crib mattresses and beauty products.	We appreciated that our proposal included prices for recommended products and links to where to find many. The local "Greenoipia" guide to eco-friendly services that was included with our follow-up package was a welcome extra.
Pure Habitat NYC, New York purehabitatnyc.com	$215 for deep-clean (5 hours) of a one-bedroom apartment; consult runs $40 to $80 per hour (but we were not charged).	Firm focuses on "green" cleaning with eco-friendly products; recommended local services that could test for lead paint and certain types of plants to help improve air quality.	The cleaning was incredibly thorough: Pure Habitat washed our floors by hand and tackled dustbunnies hiding under furniture. The 'thank you' note and bottle of fabric softener left on our table after the cleaning was a nice touch.
EcoHome Chicago, Chicago ecohomechicago.com	$250, one hour.	Reducing carbon footprint and saving on energy costs. Solutions suggested: Thicker curtains to minimize draft, wrapping water-heater pipes, washing laundry on cold and line drying.	EcoHome offered dozens of helpful tips to save money and cut a home's carbon footprint, but the price seemed high for a one-hour consultation and written report.

—David Kesmodel, Jennifer Levitz and Andrea Petersen contributed to this article.

Write to Jane Hodges at rjeditor@dowjones.com

Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page D2