Go Greener Tips

I would like to start a recycling program for just about everything that can be recycled. How does one go about this?

Keep in mind I have no city connections and limited funds for start up.

Going Green, also means getting green gifts. Getting gifts for your loved ones can sometimes mean headaches. Whether they are for Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries or just because, we are constantly looking for the perfect gifts. Green gifts are still fairly new and unheard to some people. Green gifts are gifts produced by manufacturers that support environmental campaigns, whether directly or indirectly. These products can be either made of tree-free materials, or made using only natural, organic ingredients. Others are made using conflict-free materials and are certified fair-trade.

Organic products are great as gifts for both women and men. Most commercial products nowadays contain ingredients that are harmful to humans, such as sodium laureth sulphate, parabens, artificial colorings and fragrance, and petroleum. Organic products are made with none of these nasty, highly harmful ingredients, making them safe. For those who have never tried organic products, organic gift vouchers will be perfect for them. Popular product choices include bath sets of shampoo, conditioner, bar soap, and even bath bombs, all natural and organic. You can also get a fluffy and cozy robe to match, made of 100% organic and Fair-trade cotton. With the knowledge that organic products are harmless, you can give them as gifts to your loved ones in good conscience.

If you are looking for green gadgets, fear not. Nowadays, you can even get green mobile phones, such as Sony Ericsson’s W800i with camera and MP3 player. It is manufactured free of dangerous flame retardants with brominate, lead and chromium that could come into contact with skin with every use. If you are looking for cameras, Kodak’s disposable cameras, after its use, are collected and sent back to Kodak. It is part of their One-Time-Use Camera Recycling program. Just remember to send the cameras to participating photo-processing shops. If MP3 players catch your fancy, get the Creative Zen Micro’s MP3 players or Apple iPods that come with removable and rechargeable batteries.

You can never go wrong with chocolates as gifts. In the market, there are chocolates that are organic and fair trade. Some chocolates are perfect for vegans and vegetarians as they are gluten-free, but still taste as good as regular chocolates, if not better. Other classic gifts that you can get are towels made of 100% organic cotton, and pillows made of organic hemp, cotton, and natural feathers. Even organic kitchenware is also available, such as large bowls made from 100% organically grown bamboo. These bowls are safe as nontoxic adhesives and natural, food-safe wood oil are used to produce them. These non-toxic materials do not affect flavors, so the bowls are great for aspiring cooks or professional eco-chefs.

You can also get green products for fitness and health enthusiasts. Examples include eco-material jute’s fibers yoga mats and yoga clothes, such as tank tops and yoga pants made from soy bean. You will be surprised to find out that you can even get snowboards and skateboards are now made of natural and sustainable materials such as hemp, organic cotton, and harvested wood.

Organic products are getting more popular each day. They make perfect gifts for the special people in your life. Most of them have pretty packaging and they do not require any wrapping. However, if you need to wrap your gifts, remember to use tree-free or recycled materials!

Amelia Yap is a mother who is very conscious about global warming and the future or our environment. She has made it her mission to educate others to go green, reduce their carbon foot print, and help save our environment.

You can download her FREE report, “Simple Ways to Go Green and See Green” to see how easy it is to go green and save money along the way.

Author: Amelia Yap
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Recycling is a process – a series of activities, if you will, that includes: the collection and sorting of waste materials, the processing of these materials to produce brand new products, and the purchase and use of these new products by consumers.

Recycling is more optimized and efficient if we practice the three R’s of waste management: reduce, reuse, recycle.

Reducing waste that otherwise get’s carted off to the recycling centers or landfills is achieved through an intentional decrease in our purchases and consumption,composting of organic waste, and flat refusal to use disposable items like polystyrene and plastic bags. Reusing materials serve to lengthen a particular item’s usage. Examples of this are: repurposing glass bottles into artistic lamp shades, giving your old cell phones to family or friends for reuse, and upcycling street trash bins into community swimming tubs.

But, why recycle? Why go through all the trouble of recycling your garbage? How does recycling benefit us and the environment?

Let’s review the benefits of recycling:

Recycling Helps Protect The Environment

Recycling sharply reduces the amount of waste that gets deposited in our landfills or burned in incinerator plants. Engineered landfills in most cities are designed to contain toxic chemicals leaking from decaying solid waste from reaching our water systems. But, for how long? Already, we’re getting reports of dangerous chemicals contaminating water supplies in some cities. Burning solid waste for electricity may be efficient, but we pay the price in terms of increased carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.

Recycling Helps Conserve Limited Resources

To put this benefit in proper perspective, let’s consider this statement from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection: “By recycling over 1 million tons of steel in 2004, Pennsylvanians saved 1.3 million tons of iron ore, 718,000 tons of coal, and 62,000 tons of limestone. Through recycling newsprint, office paper and mixed paper, we saved nearly over 8.2 million trees.”

Resources like oil and precious metals (gold, silver, bauxite, copper, etc.) are all finite resources that will be exhausted, sooner or later. Cell phone and computer manufacturers, like Dell and Apple, recognize the need for a steady supply of raw materials – most are active in buy-back programs to recycle materials from used products.

Recycling Promotes Energy Efficiency

Recycling is far more efficient, in terms of energy consumption, than producing something out of fresh raw material. Done on a nationwide scale, this could lead to significant reduction in our energy costs. The energy required to extract , process, and transport metal from a mine to a refinery is obviously much greater than what’s required to recycle metal from used products – it costs more energy to manufacture a brand new aluminum can from fresh material than to make 20 cans out of recycled materials!

Recycling Helps Build A Strong Economy

Every cost-reduction, energy efficiency, materials conservation, and job generation benefit of recycling adds up to help build a strong economy for our country. Recycling, done on a country-wide scale, has a huge positive impact on the economy. There was dip in the price of recyclables last year when the financial crisis started, but it is testimony to the resiliency of this industry that prices are now back to pre-crisis levels – a recovery that’s well ahead than most other industries. Jobs are being generated and city and town governments are enjoying huge savings in electricity, garbage collection, and landfilling costs.

Recycling Creates Jobs

Recycling generates more jobs than landfilling or incinerating waste. That’s a benefit we can’t lose sight of, in this time of recession and high unemployment rate. Let’s consider the disposal of 10,000 tons of solid waste: burning it for electricity will create 1 job; collecting and dumping this on a landfill will create 6 jobs; processing the waste for recyling will generate 36 jobs!

Recycling Builds Community

People band together and build communities around common causes, issues, and advocacies. Recycling is no different. In many neighborhoods and cities across the country, we see concerned citizens working together in recycling initiatives, environment lobby groups, and free recycling groups. If you’re new to recycling or environmental advocacy, go find a local group to work with. Staying the course is more fun and rewarding when you have other enthusiasts cheering you on.

Recycling Can Be Financially Rewarding

If you just want to make money to get by in these hard times or start a home business, recycling is a profitable option. It’s relatively easy and inexpensive to start a home-based recycling business. You just need to plan on what material (cell phone, paper, or metals, etc.) you intend to collect, plan storage, contact the recycling plant for pricing, and you’re set to start collecting recyclables and reselling these to the recycling facility at a decent profit. The large recycling giants in the US all started as home businesses years ago – you can do it, too – those guys just recognized the huge potential of this business well ahead of the crowd.

The benefits of recycling to each of us, to society, and to the environment are our compelling reasons why we recycle. For many of us, recycling has become second nature – a way of life. It’s a small but extremely vital component of environmental protection – without recycling, all our efforts to protect the planet will be less effective, even futile. Let’s all continue recycling.

Michael Arms contributes articles on recycling and other topics to the Pacebutler Recycling and Environment blog. Pacebutler is a cell phone recycling and trading company in the United States. You can sell, donate, or recycle cell phones through Pacebutler.

Author: Michael Arms
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Why invest in Renewable energy? (Clean, abundant and free)

Africa unlike the rest of the world is very rich in largely untapped reserves of renewable energy. We have a large market for renewable energy harvesting equipment. The fact that most parts of Africa do not have centrally generated grid electricity provides a unique opportunity for exploring and implementing renewable energy solutions for the continents development.

Modern technology and mass production has made renewable energy affordable to the majority of poor local farmers. Fossil fuels are running out, and the only real answer to tackling global warming is to use renewable sources of energy. This is the power of the future. With harvesting of jatropha and carbon credit we are assured a revenue source to afford purchase of equipment for harvesting a continuous supply of energy to fuel the countries development.

The money invested by world bank through the government and channeled through SACCOs and microfinance institutions, empowers the people of the rural area with capacity through subsidized loans, to access power.

Jatropha bio fuel cash crop gives them the capacity to pay back. Installing clean renewable energy off grid power farms and distributing the power to the village community throughout the country is the key to rural electrification and development. This can be supplemented with solar home systems.

This company will sell power and equipment to the rural community. The company will also sell biofuel stoves and lanterns. This will attract rural people to grow jatropha in large quantity and build capacity for replacing imported fuel and have a potential for export.

In general:

The huge market we have for renewable energy is very active and they would like to install solar. Some are put off because of the high cash purchase cost. They always want to pay for the products and take it with them the same day.

This means that a company must have enough capital to stock solar systems and accessories. The company should also have a well trained workforce as stand by. This needs a company to have enough capital to invest both in stock of various capacities.

The disadvantage local vending companies have is renewable energy systems are capital intensive and to stock them needs a very big capital investment that they do not have. The introduction of rural electrification program solves this problem by enabling the Sacco to pay the vendor upfront while they collect from the farmer on easy installments over a period of 1 to 3 years.

We expect to introduce off grid power supply systems with bio fuel genset as back up. We also intend to encourage local farmers to grow Jatropha as a cash bio fuel crop to supply the needs of the biofuel genset and other bio-diesel engine driven machinery.

We have taken deep interest in Jatropha as a cash crop and source of bio fuel. In our extensive research on this plant we find that it is a suitable plant for the country’s development and a means of a forestation, restoring of soil quality, poverty alleviation and a better health for the people in the villages.

3 years from now we should see several renewable energy off grid farms installed in village locations in different part of Uganda distributing power to the village households. With several jatropha farms in these areas, we should see several extraction and processing facilities at different strategic locations in the rural community where farmers can bring their Jatropha seeds for extraction into bio diesel. This bio diesel would be used to power their back up generators, fuel transport vehicles for their produce, and tractors for large-scale cultivation of farms. We also see conversion workshops being set up in Uganda to change fossil fuel diesel driven vehicles to run on straight vegetable oil.

We should see villages well lit and with different development projects and established cottage industries making most of the day to day used products. Fetching and using of firewood & charcoal in both the villages and the city and its resultant danger to health should be a thing of the past. Uganda should be able to produce fuel and blend fuel with fossil fuels.

Uganda cannot distribute power to the villages relying on the national grid. The way forward is to get distributed renewable energy power supply systems to tap on the country’s vast renewable energy potential to supply power to its people. We must source the technology since the funds to achieve this are in place.

Local economic impact of the business

The bio fuel stove will change the lives of Ugandan people who have been using firewood, charcoal, gas and electricity for cooking. The better, cheaper, environmentally friendly and health advanced cooking system using bio fuel stove. Jatropha as a cash bio fuel crop will increase people’s purchasing power. This will provide jobs to the youth and stop their migration to the cities in search for jobs. This will reduce on the current congestion of the cities.

Our website has information on renewable energy. There are sources of solar kits, generators, conversion kits and all other components needed for the renewable energy industry. If you cannot see what you want on the site, then write to us we will be able to provide you with some details.

info@greenenergy4africa.ws, tech@greenenergy4africa.ws and our website http://www.greenenergy4africa.ws.

Author: Charlie Kayongo M.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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There is nothing like that deeply satisfying feeling of living in a green built home. You may also be one of the thousands of folks who have retrofitted and older home and remodeled it with sustainable materials. Undoubtedly, this type of home is not only a a true haven but also a much healthier place to live.

Life moves on though and you may find yourself in a situation where you must part with your much beloved house for good. The only predicament is you’ve put so much money into it and now have a bit of an anxiety whether you will be able to recoup the investment. So how do you find a buyer now that will literally buy into your passion and cash out extra dough to purchase your eco-friendly pad?

Well, the good news is that the market will be on your side. Even though solid data showing that green homes sell faster and for more money throughout the country is still lacking there have been a few very promising studies to indicate that this in fact is the case.

For example, according to an analysis completed by GreenWorks Realty in the Pacific Northwest, new environmentally-certified (ECert) or green homes in King County sell in up to 18% less time and for 28-37% higher value per square foot. The reason this type of data is not available from all Counties yet is very simple – local Multiple Listing Services (MLS) have not integrated the energy efficiency and “green” features into their data search fields. Eventually, all MLS systems will catch on, and the proof that green homes receive higher offers will be very abundant.

Here is what you’ll want to keep in mind when getting ready to sell your home. There are three types of green home buyers out there and you will want to makes sure you have a plan to market to all of them:

1. Economizers. This is the type that is interested in savings on the operational costs and energy efficiency. This also includes investors who are looking at life-cycle cost analysis and the value of various green features that can increase their cash flow. For economizers the mighty buck is the king and all the rest of the environmental drooling is secondary.

2. Idealists. This is your typical Organicsons family. They take green living very seriously and believe that conservation of resources and preserving the planet is a social responsibility. They are willing to make sacrifices for green lifestyle choices. The Organicsons are also very health conscious and easily understand health benefits of living in a green home.

3. Eco-Chic (pronounced – Eco-Shique) – these are the label chasing Paris Hilton types who follow the latest fads and believe that living green is just plain cool. They are interested in the status and prestige of green living but may not necessarily truly subscribe to the green philosophy (mind set). The latest green gadgets or installing the latest green feature in their homes and looking in vogue is more important than having a positive impact on the environment. Hey frankly, who cares… they get to be hip and the planet benefits also.

When designing a marketing plan keep in mind that green choice is not a one-size-fits-all type of approach. Some buyers may fit neatly into one of these categories and some will have characteristics of all three. They key is consider all of their needs and wants when selling a home to them.

Here are the steps you’ll need to take to sell your property fast and get higher value:

1. Find a Realtor who gets it. Look for either NAR’s Green Designation or an EcoBroker. They have formal training and understand the mindset of a green home buyer. More importantly seek out an agent to whom green is not just a marketing word but a passion. Ask probing questions and get a feel of who they really are.

2. Collect all the receipts and proof of green remodeling or construction and put a binder together for the buyer. Do present a HERs rating report if you have it; it’ll show how much more efficient your home really is. Make it evident and tangible information that they can take to the bank.

3. Clearly identify the value and Return on Investment (ROI) for the green improvements you’ve made. Make sure a five year old can understand why they should pay more for this home. For example, show that the house may have 200-300 dollars in energy savings when it comes to a typical outdated mammoth down the street. This could add up to 2,000 in savings per year. Make sure your Realtor has the skills to present this data and sell the value. Make a video explaining all the benefits of owning this home and offer resources like links or magazines for the buyers to get more education about the features that your homes has to offer.

4. Don’t market your home with general terms like “green” or “eco friendly”. Most agents make this mistake. Many people are simply fed up by this term and it can only trigger their resistance because of all too common “greenwashing” in the market. The idea here is simple yet very important – sell benefits and not titles.

5. Create excitement. Don’t sell your home in the traditional way. Green buyers are typically a younger crowd, who like to have an experience with anything that they do. Stage your home mindfully to show very obviously that you cared for it very much. Most realtors advise to depersonalize the home and in most cases it is true but here the opposite works. Tell a story why you decided to make this home green and what benefits it brought to your family and your health.

Bottom line is people will pay more for your home for the same reason they will jump on a waiting list and pay a premium to get a hybrid car. It just makes sense on all levels. If you choose the right agent to represent you and follow these steps you should have no problems selling your home for at least 5% higher than the market value and at least 25% faster than a standard time frame. Much success!

About Author: Tadas is a professional Realtor, GREEN, an avid activist, a networker, and a supporter of many noble causes. He’s a member of the USGBC (US Green Building Council) and is an active promoter of eco-smart real estate practices in the Silicon Valley and San Francisco Bay Area.

You can find more articles and advice on his Green Home Blog: http://sanjosegreenhome.com/

Author: Tadas Narauskas
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Renewable energy is energy produced by means of nature like sunbeams, wind, rainwater, wave, and geothermal heat, which can be renewed. In 2006, nearly 18% of world’s definitive energy intake was generated from renewable sources. From this, 13% was derived from traditional biomass, such as wood-burning and 3% from hydroelectricity.

Even as almost all renewable energy ventures is on a massive-scale, renewable technologies are also apt to small off-grid errand, at times in rustic and remote parts, where energy habitually has a vital part to play in human welfare. A few renewable energy proficiency are disapproved for the reason of being unpleasant, in spite of that the renewable energy market persist to boom.

The greater part of revived vigor is bestowed by the sun in the form of solar energy which enables the growth of plants and the execution of hydroelectric projects. Wind energy can be employed to run wind turbines and does not produce greenhouse gases. Energy in water also acknowledged as hydroelectricity may take the form of kinetic energy, can be harnessed and used. Biogas, biofuel, liquid biofuel, solid biogas and geothermal energy are other sources of renewable energy.

All the way through this piece of writing I take pride to convey you the message that you can give rise to a more maintained, uncontaminated and protected civilization by taking judicious energy decisions and opting for right choice after all you need is a better place to live in.

Well, I think that the ordinary man in the lane will dole out an enormous portion, if he genuinely recognizes the price of refusing to give out. Let me also tell you, my dear readers that in the battle to give up excess energy consumption you stand to have victory over a planet in which life is worth living.

If you’re considering adding a solar panel to your home, to dramatically lower your electricity bill, then check out my video’s on how I made my own solar panel for only few hundred dollars!

Author: Dane Bergen
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Have you noticed the price of energy getting higher and higher each month? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Millions of people around the world are paying more than ever for their energy. And things will only get worse. If you want to take a stand against high energy bill costs then you need to start your own green energy project. What exactly does this mean, and how can you get started? Read on to find out.

As you may know green energy is a form of power that does not harm the environment, is renewable, and very efficient. And the best way to use this type of energy is to start your own green energy project. Instead of having to pay thousands of dollars for a professionally installed wind turbine or solar power generator, you can make your own natural power system for under $200. And with just $200 you can start saving hundreds of dollars every single month on electricity. How? Because you will producing your very own electricity with a natural power system.

Another great reason to start your own green homemade energy project is because it is very simple to do. All you need is a place to put your natural energy system and a reliable DIY homemade energy guide. The only thing that might give you some trouble is trying to find a trustworthy homemade energy guide as there are a lot of unreliable products of this type out there.

Don’t you want to start saving money on your energy bill? Think of all the things you could spend your hard earned cash on other than energy. You really need to consider this because by starting a green homemade energy project you will be able to save thousands of dollars every year. You can even start earning money by going green.

Don’t spend your valuable time looking for a reliable DIY green energy guide because I’ve done all of the hard work for you. Just click the link below to read about one the most popular DIY green energy available. You do want to save a ton of cash, right?

http://www.squidoo.com/earth4energydiyguidereview

Author: Weldon Peterson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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GE (General Electric) released a TV ad promoting wind energy: Capturing the wind and putting it to good use – Wind Energy from GE, the cleanest renewable energy on earth. The ad has been nominated for the most outstanding commercial in the Emmy Awards 2007. The General Electric Jar ad was developed at BBDO, New York by chief creative officer David Lubars and Bill Bruce, creative director/art director John Leu, creative director/copywriter Brad Roseberry, executive producer Regina Ebel, assistant producer Filomena Lovecchio, executive music producer Melissa Chester. Filming was directed by Traktor (Pontus & Patrik) via Partizan with director of photography Emmanuel Lubezki (Children of Men). Editor was Gavin Cutler of Mackenzie Cutler. FX was done at Mass Market. Music in the ad is ‘Catch the Wind’, performed by Donovan.

I have a house plant that I inherited when I moved in, but was already dying. I am not taking care of it very well and would like to donate or recycle it. Who will accept old plants? How do I go about recycling it?

Spring 2010 is approaching and there’s a lot of buzz around topics like the economy, taxation, global poverty, restoration in Haiti/Chile, and lastly, green awareness. With spring, Earth Day also draws nearer (April 22nd); as individuals, we must remember and realize the importance of global warming and all of its implications. Subsequent topics discussed as of late include space travel/burning of fossil fuels, deforestation and green building. As nations like Haiti and Chile prepare for rebuilding and new construction, there are many things to consider when advancing. Moving towards cleaner, greener infrastructure is vital in ensuring a successful restoration campaign.

The U.S. Green Building Council is a 501(3)(c) non-profit community of leaders working to make green buildings available to everybody. It’s one of the many organizations playing its role in green progression. Heavy discussion lies on green topics, especially the more recent ones like space travel; others include deforestation, green crops, clothing, energy, and much more. It’s important that we as individuals/citizens stay up-to-date on important global topics like warming. As organizations like the CGI (Clinton Global Initiative), AFH (Architecture for Humanity), and the USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council) conducts sustainability campaigns and enforce strict green constraints, our world will continue to become a better, cleaner place. Machines behind the CGI, Doug Band and Former President Clinton have been pursuing an emission reduction plan in the San Francisco Bay area. Meanwhile, GEC (Globetrotters Engineering Corporation) is underway with green building projects in Chicago, IL. Despite these few national examples, green infrastructure, particularly in places like Haiti, has become an integral part of restoration and construction.

This aligns with the implications of “economic viability” and long term sustainability, posing the questions, “Can Haiti really make it through all the costs of repair and reconstruction?” Infrastructure can take a toll on any economy, especially if the funds aren’t there. This goes hand in hand with meeting modern day LEED standards and approaching this in a “greener” sense. Organizations like Architecture for Humanity will make this possible. Architecture for Humanity (1999) is a nonprofit design services firm building “a more sustainable future through the power of professional design.” It was formulated through a group of building professionals whose overwhelming passion for construction drove them to provide a way for underdeveloped, suffering countries to rebuild. Through their dedication and hard work, these people will be able to not only create new buildings and infrastructure, but make them bigger, better, and greener.

To touch on just some of the things that AFH covers:

ï Alleviating poverty and providing access to water, sanitation, power and essential services
ï Bringing safe shelter to communities prone to disaster and displaced populations
ï Rebuilding community and creating neutral spaces for dialogue in post-conflict areas
ï Mitigating the effects of rapid urbanization in unplanned settlements
ï Creating spaces to meet the needs of those with disabilities and other at-risk populations
ï Reducing the footprint of the built environment and addressing climate change

As polluters continue to buy their way out of Carbon Cuts globally, and large organizations continue to dump their waste into lakes, ponds and rivers, communities and must play their role in ensuring sustainability; organizations like the CGI, AFH, and USGBC provide repercussion and policy change for acts such as the above. Most of the results from warming and climate change are miniscule and unnoticeable now, but our youth and earlier generations will experience firsthand the effects of pollutants and unsustainable efforts. Feel free to visit http://www.earthday.org/ to learn more about what you can do to support your world.