Go Greener Tips

Logitech Harmony One: The Remote Everyone Can Use

We know who you are. You have a half-dozen remotes on your coffee table. And you’re the only family that knows how to use them. You may even have a cheat sheet. We can help. The Harmony One is a remote control that is designed for the whole family. So stop all the hassles of multiple remotes. Get the one that gives easy one-touch control of your entire home entertainment. Logitech Harmony.

One-Touch Simplicity for Your Home Entertainment
Ergonomically Designed, Easy to Use

The color touch screen and sculpted buttons, organized into logical zones with backlighting, give you easy one-touch access to your home entertainment – even in darkness. Just one press and you’re watching a DVD or your favorite TV channel. The ergonomic design fits comfortably in your hand, and because it is rechargeable, you will not have to worry about buying new batteries. With the support of over 5,000 brands, you can control entertainment devices in the home that has today or tomorrow to buy. Our online software guides through the installation, and our live support team is available if you need help.

Intuitive Color Touch Screen for Easy, One-Touch Access to Your Entertainment

One-touch, activity-based control provides any member of the family with easy access to home entertainment. The color touch screen has buttons to “think” like you. All you need do is choose the activity you want. Want to watch? Playing a DVD? Listen to the radio? Just press a button and the Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote does the job for you.

Sculpted Buttons with Backlighting for Easy Navigation, Even in the Dark

The buttons are sculpted on the Harmony One remote control have been organized into logical areas, making it easy to find the function you are looking for. And because the buttons (and the color touch screen) also had a backlight, the remote is easy to use, even in the dark.

Contoured Design that Fits Comfortably in Your Hand

The shape of the Harmony One remote is ergonomically designed to fit comfortably in the hand. By helping to position your hand instead of just on the remote control, clearly grips give easy access to the key buttons.

Rechargeable Lithium-ion Battery with Sleek Recharging Stand

The Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote Control is rechargeable, so you will not have to worry about buying new batteries. The battery indicator lets you know when the battery is low distance, so when the battery needs recharging, just put the remote in its cradle. This position can serve as a recharge basis of “home” for the remote, so I always have a place to save it.

Online Guided Setup that Makes It Easy to Get Started

Helpful online setup software and live our support team can help when needed. You need not be an expert.

Seamless Control of up to 15 Components

Logitech Harmony One Advanced remote control can handle up to 15 separate devices, making it easy to control even the most complex entertainment systems home

A Public Service Campaign of the American Advertising Federation 4th District.

More and more people are becoming aware of the need to give something back to the environment and take positive steps now to avoid serious environmental problems later on. Unfortunately, there are some green initiatives that simply are not worth the time or the money because they do not provide enough of an impact or no impact at all.

1. Buying because you see green. Perhaps one of the worst initiatives at the current moment is simply giving in and buying something just because it is labeled green. While your heart is certainly in the right place, it just does not make sense to buy something just because it is labeled green and particularly when you do not really need it. Unfortunately the word green has become a marketing tool. The best way to make an impact is to actually use fewer items.

2. Buying a new car simply to get better gas mileage. While this may sound like a good idea in theory, the most environmentally friendly car you could possibly drive, if you are going to drive a car, is the one you already own. As long as your existing car is in good repair, keep in mind that it would take a long time to break even by buying a car simply for better gas mileage. In the meanwhile, you might actually be making matters worse by buying something new rather than sticking with a perfectly usable item you already own. Letting up on the accelerator petal is a simple way to make your existing car perform like a green car.

3. Buying ‘green’ cleaning products. In theory this one sounds like you would be doing something positive but in reality you can actually do much better by making your own cleaning products with just a few simple ingredients you probably already have at home. For example you can make an all-purpose cleaner by mixing 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup baking soda into 1/2 gallon water. This formula used in conjunction with micro-fiber cloths which lift off dirt and grease is an ideal green cleaning solution.

4. Buying from a Farmer’s Market. In some cases, making the effort to purchase produce from a farmer’s market may not be the best choice if you need to drive a long distance in order to do it. Always balance out the initiative with the amount of fuel you need to expend in order to accomplish it.

5. Buying a new Energy Star appliance. If there is nothing wrong with the appliance you already own, you might be helping the environment more by waiting until you actually need a new appliance to purchase one and then purchasing an energy efficient model. However, if your appliance is over 15 years old, it makes both eco and financial sense to replace it. For example, replacing a pre-1994 washer with an Energy Star model can save a family $110 a year on utility bills. Energy Star washers use 50 percent less energy than other standard models, and only 18 to 25 gallons of water for a full-sized load, compared to 40 gallons for standard full-size washers.

6. Going ga-ga for green gadgets. Green gadgets do not always work that well. A prime example is buying a low-flow toilet that takes multiple flushes to work correctly. In this case you really are not saving any water if you need to flush a low-flow toilet more often than a regular toilet in order for it to work right.

7. Window shopping. If you have single pane and not double-hung windows, sealing your old windows is a more cost efficient choice than purchasing new Energy Star windows. Replacing all the windows in a home rarely saves more than 10-15% of the home’s heating bill. It usually takes 20 years or more to recover the cost of the new windows in energy savings. The Efficient Windows Collaborative has a helpful guide for calculating your savings.

8. Investing in solar panels for your home. While solar panels will probably make sense for most of us in the future, at the current time they are often cost-prohibitive despite the tax credits and in most instances will not save enough energy to offset the amount of energy that was needed to manufacture them for a single family home. Great strides are being made however, to generate power from solar sources on a much larger scale i.e, to power a whole city.

9. Buying organic clothing. Many designers are now marketing “eco-friendly” clothing made with organic cotton. This sounds environmentally friendly but just because the cotton may have been organic to start with doesn’t mean that the tee shirt you are buying is not laden with processing chemicals and dyes. If you really want environmentally friendly clothing buy vintage clothes and wear the ones you’ve already got. You can always repurpose those old MC Hammer pants into pajamas or a yoga outfit.

10. Purchasing carbon offsets. Carbon offset programs have many proponents such as Al Gore. However, in reality, this is probably the least effective green step you can take. Critics often liken it to the old Catholic practice of buying indulgences for the forgiveness of sins. You can’t undo something bad you have done for the environment by buying some green points. You are better off simply taking more steps to be environmentally friendly in the first place.

Are you overwhelmed by all of the “go green” messages that bombard you on a daily basis? Are you experiencing green fatigue? Djuna Woods writes the blog Simple Ways to Help at http://simplewaystohelp.com which bottom lines eco-friendly living. This blog is like the “Cliffs Notes” for green living.

Author: Djuna Woods
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Latest trends in mobile phone

We live in a time where the almighty dollar is stretched to its limits. Foreclosures and unemployment are at an all time high. Each day the planet we live on is being damaged by the cars we drive and production of toxic materials. So we cut back on our spending. We take on more than one job. We recycle. We try to be more conscience about the things we use that can be harmful to the environment.

The questions we keep asking ourselves is, “Why does this feel like its never enough? Why does my financial situation stay the same no matter how hard I try? Why does the environment continue to get worse?” So, what are we to do?

Well, to change the way things have gone, we need to change some things that got us there. I am, by no means, a financial adviser. What I am is just an ordinary, everyday person trying to exist. I actually am an electrical contractor and have been for 18 years. What I have seen over the years is many different items show up trying to save electricity, ultimately helping people save money on their energy bills.

There’s programmable thermostats, different types of dimmers, compact fluorescent and LED bulbs, etc. However, none of these can even compare to the idea that has been getting much attention lately…renewable energy. Renewable energy is basically what it says it is, an energy that can be used, and renewed. Some examples of renewable energy are:

Solar Energy- power from the sun.
Wind Energy- power from wind.
Hydropower- power from water.
Geothermal Energy- heating/cooling from the Earth.

The great thing about renewable energy is not only is it more cost efficient, but it has literally no emissions released when being used. So, we’re basically covering two areas that we talked about earlier: saving money, and helping the environment. Now, the up-front cost of installing renewable energy systems are a little more than traditional systems, but in the long run, it more than pays for itself. The government is also giving tax rebates back for installing these type systems, some as high as 30%!

There are also many means of building and creating your own form of renewable energy, such as solar panels, wind generators, and micro hydropower. A lot of these can be done for little money, and help create energy on smaller scales.

Want to know more about renewable energy? Get some more info on it at http://www.renewable-energyadvantages.com

Paul Hundrieser

http://www.renewable-energyadvantages.com

Author: Paul Hundrieser
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Latest trends in mobile phone

I would like to impart a few tips about how to save a few bucks with your clothes dryer and at the same time conserve energy.

Lets look at how a clothes dryer works. It sucks in surrounding air and heats it up. It blows the heated air through a spinning drum, which your clothes are in, and forces air through a pipe to be vented. The process is really simple and there are factors that you cannot control but there is a lot which you can.

The air that your dryer is sucking in should be as dry as possible and while you have no control over the humidity don’t use your dryer when the humidity spikes. Usually during or directly after a rainfall. Often times the washer dryer combination’s are in a small area. If you’re using the washer at the same time then it raises the humidity of your laundry. Try to keep it ventilated so that the damp air can escape from you clothing.

Next you’re going to want to look at the clothes that you’re drying. If just pull them out of the washer and throw them into the dryer you’re making the dryer work a lot harder. The final rinse cycle tends to crumple your clothes into little balls. If you give each item a shake before you put it in the dryer it improves the airflow throughout the garment allowing it to dry faster. Another trick is to throw a clean dry towel in with each load. This will pull the moisture out of the clothing and since the towel is already dry whatever moisture it picks up will evaporate quickly.

Clean your lint trap after every load. This will allow the damp air to escape improving overall efficiency. Dryer lint is blamed for thousands of home fires yearly. If lint comes into contact with the heating element it can easily ignite. Also make sure that your screen doesn’t become clogged. Screens can be easily cleaned with toothbrush and warm water.

Finally check your dryer hose that attaches to the outside vent. The first thing is to make sure that it is firmly attached to your dryer and the outside vent so your not blowing damp air into back into your laundry area. Another major mistake that is often made it the hose itself is way to long. You can tell if you look behind your dryer and the vent hose is snaking around back there. When you purchase the hoses they usually come in lengths about six feet long but the connection from the dryer to the vent is often less than a foot. You should cut the hose to make the connection as direct as possible but make sure that you leave a little extra so it won’t come off if your dryer shifts a little. This will optimize the airflow out of your dryer and also eliminate a good place for lint to build up.

We go through so much waste where I work. We have trash bins full of paper and numerous bottles from the soda machine. I hate watching it all go to the dumpster. I want to recycle, but I have no idea where to start. Where can I find recycling bins? Would the city pick it up? And most importantly, how can I get my mechanic co-workers to help?

How one entrepreneur is hoping to make waves in urban areas by catching city wind

Okay, so I’m doing a report for my environmental management course, and I need to know what kind of waste is produced from the process of paper recycling.

In other words, I am the recycling plant. Through the process of which the original paper is recycled and turned into new, recycled paper, what kind of waste is produced from the process of doing so?

CBS Sunday Morning did a piece on west Texas and their Wind Turbines

I’ve talked to some authorities, who support me fully in starting a recycling program here at CalU. I’d just like to know how to start one, who I should talk to, where should I go, etc to start one. I really don’t know that much about recycling, so any tips would be helpful. I just hate seeing everything thrown into a dumster, and I hope recycling will make the campus a better place. What steps should I take?