Go Greener Tips

div class=image style=float:right;padding-left:8px;img alt=image name height=230 src=http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/daily_green_news/daily_green_news-821739532-1242406822.jpg?ymnOzQBDlwaXzChv width=300/br /em(Photo: Adam Dodd / iStockPhoto)/embr /br //divWith GM set to close a href=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hJnwMBE7xMJZVNt_R997OWO3fIVQD986LFUO3 target=_blank1,100/a or a href=http://money.cnn.com/2009/05/14/news/companies/gm_dealers/?postversion=2009051416 target=_blankmore/a dealerships today, a day after Chrysler announced plans to close 789 of its own car dealerships across the U.S., communities big and (mostly) small will be reeling from the loss of a local business. For many communities, this loss is just the latest in a string of losses, as the recession has taken its toll on the economy.pWhile there’s no telling what’s in store for each individual dealership — most of them locally owned and operated, some by the same family for more than a generation — The Daily Green got to thinking about how communities might deal with the loss proactively./ppWhat’s green about that? Everything. Finding ways to productively reuse urban and suburban land that’s already been developed is one of the best ways to protect outlying open spaces, wildlife habitat and farmland. Finding ways to re-orient communities around urban centers and public transportation hubs likewise reins in suburban sprawl that for decades has tended to gobble up land for strip malls, highways and other car-dependent destinations./ppFinding productive uses of these properties won’t necessarily be easy, according to June Williamson, one of the authors of ema href=http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Retrofitting-Suburbia/Ellen-Dunham-Jones/e/9780470041239 target=_blankRetrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs/a/em. These underperforming asphalt properties likely have three strikes against them:/polliMany are in the outer suburbs and distant exurbs, where there is little chance of integrating the property into a new mixed use development./liliMany are likely to have soil contamination, from leaking underground gasoline storage tanks./liliWith the economy in recession, developers aren’t exactly knocking down doors to invest in new building projects./li/olpThat said, she suggested several ways to redevelop those dealerships that are in the inner suburbs — those neighborhoods closest to cities, generally built in the post-WWII period:/ph2The Car Dealership as a New Town Center/h2div class=image style=float:left;padding-right:8px;img alt=downtown dadeland class=img height=230 src=http://l.yimg.com/a/feeds/us/grn/green_daily_news/downtown-dadeland-md.jpg width=300/br /em(Image: The Cadillac dealership was part of br /the land re-imagined as Downtown Dadeland, br /shown in this image from the br /Miami-Dade Master Plan.)/embr /br //divpA car dealership is perhaps the greatest symbol of the car-dominated strip mall culture that has defined (and one could say decimated) American neighborhoods for a half century, and which is only slowly losing favor as communities see the value of a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/community-news/green-cities-88051201new urbanism/a — the clustering of development around new and existing town centers, where housing, shopping, schools, and workplaces are integrated in walkable downtowns served by public transit options./ppSo can a car dealership really turn into a community center? Emphatically yes — assuming the conditions are right. Witness a href=http://www.dienerproperties.com/dadeland_area.htm target=_blankDowntown Dadeland/a, a 7.5-acre former Cadillac dealership in Kendall, Fla., which is now a housing complex with 415 apartments and 125,000 square feet of retail space on 7 urban blocks, complete with arcades, walkways and other public spaces. And it’s connected to other communities by an elevated metro line along busy Route 1./ppSome of what made this renaissance possible: 10 years of planning work by local officials, public subsidies, the building of that public transit line … and the site’s location near other development. The silver lining is that local planning boards have some time on their hands, now that the real estate market has taken the steam out of many development proposals, so local officials have time to plan for the next generation of development in their communities. Instead of being reactive, Williamson said, they can be proactive./ph2The Car Lot as a New Business or Community Center/h2pWhile in the past, a defunct car dealership might be replaced by a viable car dealership, it’s hard to imagine any car-maker expanding its retail sales base at this point in time. That doesn’t mean these properties can’t serve some functions. While not an ideal candidate for development — given that most of the car dealerships are on strips that typify suburban sprawl, they at least have the benefit of being already paved. If you’re going to build anew, Williamson pointed out, it’s better to use land that’s already degraded rather than a pristine property./ppThe Daily Green came up with a few ideas, each with varying degrees of viability depending on local communities:/pullipstrongA visitor center:/strong What exurban communities lack in public transportation they often gain in scenic beauty. What attracts second home owners into the countryside is often a mix of scenery and proximity to historic sites, pick-your-own farms and other tourist destinations. Why not cater to visitors, boost the local economy and provide a place for out-of-towners to park their cars and get on a tour bus than a centrally located, easy to find parking lot with a small building … like an old car lot. a href=http://www.scenichudson.org/ target=_blank:Scenic Hudson/a, the environmental group directed by The Daily Green’s a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/easy-tips/Backyard Matters/a blogger, Ned Sullivan, has performed a similar transformation with a still-active drive-in theater that will serve a href=http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19295062BRD=1704PAG=461dept_id=71705rfi=6 target=_newsimultaneously/a as a visitor center, parking area and farmers market in Hyde Park, N.Y., home of the a href=http://www.nps.gov/hofr/ target=_blankFranklin D. Roosevelt/a (and don’t forget a href=http://www.nps.gov/elro/ target=_blankEleanor/a!) and a href=http://www.nps.gov/archive
/vama/home.htm target=_blankVanderbilt/a estates./pdiv class=image style=float:right;padding-left:8px;img alt=knit gas station class=img hspace=10 src=http://l.yimg.com/a/feeds/us/grn/green_daily_news/knit-gas-station-md.jpg width=300/br //div/lilipstrongA public art gallery:/strong The International Fiber Collaborative (which provided the photo at right) produced the innovative public art project to highlight society’s dependence on oil. That’s a gas station under all that yarn … Why not a car dealership?/ppDubbed the World Reclamation Art Project (W.R.A.P.), participants crocheted, knitted, stitched, patched, or collaged 3-foot square fiber panels, with each unique one expressing concern about the topic, as The Daily Green’s Brian Clark Howard wrote in his a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/knits-creative-sewing-green-crafts-46040938 Extraordinary Knit Designs/a feature. The panels were then sewed together, to completely cover an abandoned gas station in central New York. It an example of the people remaking an ugly industrial legacy into something softer, gentler and more beautiful./p/lilipstrongA Make-It-America Craft Factory:/strong The Daily Green recently had a great conversation with Adina Levin, who founded a href=http://makeitamerica.org target=_blankMake It America/a, which is in the first phase of a mission to re-imagine the U.S. economy. Now, it’s connecting businesses holding events to U.S.-made, sustainable producers. Next, it aims to open workshops in cities across the U.S., where local artisans will have access to the tools they need to scale up their creations for local or national markets. It’s a great vision. Why not make it happen in an old strip mall?/p/lilipstrongA Solar Power Sub Station:/strong Hey, we can dream, right? A few acres of sunny parking lot could be reborn as a nifty little solar power electric-generating station to serve the needs of some local businesses./ppThink it’s unlikely? Witness New Jersey, where the state’s largest utility plans to install 200,000 solar panels on a href=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/nyregion/10solar.html target=_blankutility poles/a./p/li/ulh2The Car Dealership as Flea Market/h2pIf permanent reuse isn’t in the cards for a particular property, there are still options, according to Williamson./ppCommunities can stage flea markets, craft shows, farmers markets, or other opportunistic events, making temporary use of all that asphalt for gatherings that knit a community together and benefit local businesses and artisans./ph2The Car Dealership as a Field of Wildflowers/h2div class=image style=float:left;padding-right:8px;img alt=wildflowers class=img height=230 src=http://l.yimg.com/a/feeds/us/grn/green_daily_news/wildflowers-grass-md.jpg width=300/br /em(Photo: Douglas Knight / Fotolia)/embr /br //divpA little-appreciated truth about the modern strip mall is this: It was often built exactly where housing could not be built, because the land was too wet, Williamson said. Today, most states have rules against draining or filling wetlands, which act as natural (and a href=http://www.eoearth.org/article/Wetland target=_blankcost-effective/a) systems of flood control, pollution filtration, and wildlife habitat. Restoring a more natural landscape to a paved area increases rainwater infiltration, produces wildlife habitat for birds, bees and other beneficial insects, and helps to restore the water quality and ecological function of local watersheds./ppRe-greening is certainly something that should be considered, Williamson said, though she warned that even this apparently simple idea is not inexpensive. You can’t just let it go. You have to break up asphalt./ppA wildflower, native plant or similar garden is probably the best garden use for an old car dealership (assuming it is going to seed) since contaminants in the soil would make vegetable gardening potentially unwise./pp /ppstrongMore from The Daily Green/strong/pullia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/shipping-container-homes-460309?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgAmazing Homes Made from Shipping Containers/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/most-walkable-cities-460708?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgAmerica’s 10 Most Walkable Cities/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/recycled-gifts?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg33+ Products Made from Recycled Materials/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/upcycled-cardboard-art-47032004?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgIncredible Art Made from Cardboard/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/vodka-uses-460424?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg10 Weird Uses for Vodka/a/li/ulbr /pemReprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc/em/pp /p

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embed allownetworking=internal allowscriptaccess=never type=application/x-shockwave-flash src=http://www.youtube.com/v/oqJO8HwxTkghl=enfs=1color1=0x234900color2=0x4e9e00hd=1 allowfullscreen=true width=468 height=295/embedpI’m sure you all know what cap and trade is, but when I heard that a href=http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/05/americans-dont-get-cap-and-trade.php76% of Americans/a either had no idea what it was or thought it had to do with healthcare or Wall Street reform, I had to make this video./ppIf you’ve got any friends or family who might not know what cap and trade is, and you think this video would be informative, you should send it along./p

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div class=image style=float:right;padding-left:8px;img alt=Honda Insight height=250 src=http://l.yimg.com/a/feeds/us/grn/green_driving_directions/honda-insight-jim-bl.jpg width=400/br /emThe Honda Insight in my driveway. (Photo: Jim Motavalli)/embr /br //divpYou’d never get either Honda or Toyota to admit it, but the Insight and Prius are rivals. The Honda Insight is all new, and the Prius was redesigned for 2010. Both are entering an uncertain but brightening hybrid market./ppIn March, U.S. hybrid sales (about two to three percent of the market now) a href=http://www.hybridcars.com/hybrid-sales-dashboard/march-2009-dashboard-did-hybrid-sales-bottom-out-25712.htmlshot up 34% compared to February/a. Overall car sales were up 24%. Incentives have something to do with this, but a better economy, higher gas prices (up 20% since December, and six percent in March alone), more choice (the Insight, the new Prius, the Ford Fusion/Mercury Mariner twins) are also pushing people toward hybrids./ppIf the Japanese market is any indication, the Insight will do well: It is a href=http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/honda-insight-is-best-seller-in-japan/currently the best-selling car, bar none, in the Land of the Rising Sun/a — the first hybrid to so place./ppI have weekly test cars, and by sheer coincidence had a 2009 Prius and a 2010 Insight back to back (literally; their rear ends are quite similar). I haven’t been in the Insight all that long, but first impressions favor the Prius. Not having been in a while, I’d forgotten what great cars they are: Roomy, quiet, versatile, innovative — and this isn’t even the new one! Here’s what the Insight is like behind the wheel:/ppThe slightly smaller Insight doesn’t seem quite as sophisticated as the Prius, but it performs well in every way that should matter to the marketplace. It gets 40 mpg in the city and 43 on the highway. Oddly, the EPA is still calculating annual driving costs with $4.10 gas, but if you drove 15,000 miles under those conditions it would cost $1,501. Both hybrids are AT-PZEVs, which translates into super-low emissions./ppThe loaded Insight EX I’m driving (with navigation) bottom lines at $23,770. The new Prius has an entry-level price of $21,000, but that’s for a stripped car (no rear wiper, Touch Tracer Display, or electric-only EV mode). The one people will actually buy starts at $22,000 but with a lot of features included — EV mode, a smart key, cruise control, seven airbags, a six-speaker stereo, and even heated mirrors./ppIt doesn’t much matter what I think. The Insight is the cheapest hybrid on the U.S. market, and that will mean a lot to cash-strapped American buyers. If I were Toyota, I might think about undercutting it with a smaller hybrid, based perhaps on a href=http://www.leftlanenews.com/toyota-iq.htmlthe tiny, so far non-U.S. iQ/a. Now that would be affordable — and hugely fuel-efficient./pp /ppstrongMore from The Daily Green/strong/pullia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/micro-cars-mpg-460409?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=blogmag=tdgThe Hottest New Cars Prove Small Is Beautiful/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/fuel-efficient-cars-47102201?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=blogmag=tdgThe 10 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars of 2009/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/save-gas-47031702?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=blogmag=tdg10 Simple Ways to Save Gas/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/electric-bikes-460209?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=blogmag=tdgElectric Bikes, the Fun, Cheap Way to Get Around/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/recycling-symbols-plastics-460321?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=blogmag=tdgWhat Do Recycling Symbols Mean?/a/li/ulpemReprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc/em/pp /p

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pemFrom the a href=https://www.givengain.com/cgi-bin/giga.cgi?cmd=cause_dir_customcause_id=1704page=tensteps target=_newEndangered Species Coalition/a/em (with additional links):/pollipa href=https://www.givengain.com/cgi-bin/giga.cgi?cat=952limit=10page=0sort=Dcause_id=1704cmd=cause_dir_news target=_newLearn about endangered species in your area/a./p/lilipa href=http://www.nps.gov/ target=_newVisit a national wildlife refuge, park/a, a href=http://www.aza.org/ target=_newzoo/a, or other open space./p/lilipa href=http://www.audubon.org/bird/at_home/ target=_newProvide a habitat for wildlife/a by planting native vegetation in your yard./ppThe spread of non-native species has greatly impacted native populations around the world. Invasive species compete with native species for resources and habitat. They can even prey on native species directly, forcing native species toward extinction./p/lilipMinimize use of herbicides and pesticides./ppPesticides may keep yards looking nice, but they are in fact hazardous pollutants that affect wildlife at many levels. Many herbicides and pesticides take a long time to degrade, and build up in the soils or throughout the food chain. Some groups of animals such as amphibians are particularly vulnerable to these chemical pollutants and suffer greatly as a result of the high levels of herbicides and pesticides in their habitat./p/lilipRecycle./ppBuy recycled paper and a href=http://www.fscus.org/faqs/fsc_products.php target=_newForest Stewardship Council wood products/a to protect forest species. a href=http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/ target=_newRecycle/aa href=http://earth911.org/ target=_newyour/aa href=http://www.epa.gov/cellphones/ target=_newcell/aa href=http://www.recyclewirelessphones.com/ target=_newphones/a, because a mineral used in cell phones and other electronics is mined in gorilla habitat./p/lilipPlace decals on windows to deter bird collisions./ppMillions of birds die every year because of collisions with windows. You can help reduce the number of collisions simply by placing decals on the windows in your home and office./p/lilipSlow down when driving./ppMany native animals have to live in developed areas and this means they must navigate a landscape full of human hazards. One of the biggest obstacles to wildlife living in developed areas is that created by roads. Roads divide habitat and present a constant hazard to any animal attempting to cross from one side to the other. So when you’re out and about, slow down and keep an eye out for wildlife./p/lilipAvoid supporting the market in illegal wildlife including tortoiseshell, ivory, and coral./ppOverseas trips can be exciting and fun, and everyone wants a souvenir. But sometimes the souvenirs are made from species nearing extinction. Avoid supporting the market in illegal wildlife, including tortoiseshell, ivory, and coral. Also, be careful of products including fur from tigers, polar bears, sea otters, and other endangered wildlife; crocodile skin; live monkeys or apes; most live birds including parrots, macaws, cockatoos, and finches; some live snakes, turtles, and lizards; some orchids, cacti, and cycads; and medicinal products made from rhinos, tiger, or Asiatic black bear./p/lilipReport any harassment or shooting of threatened and endangered species to your local state or federal wildlife enforcement office./ppHarassing wildlife is cruel and illegal. Shooting, trapping, or forcing a threatened or endangered animal into captivity is also illegal and can lead to their extinction. Don’t participate in this activity, and report it as soon as you see it./p/lilipProtect wildlife habitat./ppPerhaps the greatest threat that faces many species is the widespread destruction of habitat. Deforestation, farming, overgrazing and development all result in irreversible changes such as soil compaction, erosion, desertification, or the alteration of local climatic conditions. Such land use practices vastly alter or even eliminate wildlife habitat. In area where rare species are present, habitat destruction can quickly force a species to extinction./ppBy protecting habitat, entire communities of animals can be protected together, and when communities are kept intact, less conservation intervention is required to ensure species survival. Parks, reserves, and other protected lands are now all too often the only habitats that are left untouched by habitat destruction. Support wildlife habitat and open space protection in your community. When you are buying a house, consider your impact on wildlife habitat./p/li/olp /ppstrongMore from The Daily Green/strong/pullia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/bird-gardens-47022602?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgHow to Garden for Birds and Other Wildlife/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/weird-weather/wildlife-photos-88091808?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgAmazing Wildlife Photos/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/citizen-science-47121401?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg22 Fun Ways to Teach Kids About Science and Wildlife/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/eco-travel-volunteer-vacations-50022309?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg10 Eco-Friendly Volunteer Vacations/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/columbia-frogs-47020303?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg10 New Species of Frogs Discovered in Columbia/a/li/ulpemReprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc/em/p

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Montana Driven Power

State’s future is blowin’ in wind

By GARY GLYNN

Commercial wind power in Montana dates back to the early 1980s, when half a dozen windmills were erected south of Livingston.

Although windmills have been used to pump water and generate power on Montana farms and ranches for decades, the Livingston windmills were part of a demonstration project designed to test the feasibility of commercial wind power in Montana.

Unfortunately, those early windmills, plagued by weak propeller blades and exploding turbines, soon fell victim to the relentless winds of the upper Yellowstone Valley.

Windmill technology has advanced considerably since then, and the state’s first industrial wind farm opened at Judith Gap in 2005. The operation, which is slated for expansion, produces 135-megawatts of electricity.

Montana ranks fifth among the states in potential wind energy production, but only 18th in actual generating capacity. However, wind generation in the state nearly doubled last year, and similar growth is expected in 2009. Currently the state’s wind turbines generate 271 megawatts, enough to power approximately 75,000 homes.

Wind energy in America has enjoyed a 25 percent annual growth rate over the past five years, and within 20 years could provide as much as one-fifth of the country’s electricity. The U.S. Department of Energy predicts that Montana alone may produce 10,000 megawatts of wind energy by 2035, which would result in an annual reduction of almost 30 million tons of carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere.

Approximately 17 million acres – one-fifth of the state – are suitable for wind development, with most of the land located east of the Continental Divide. The highest wind speeds are often found near relatively pristine areas like the Rocky Mountain Front and the Absaroka, Beartooth and Crazy Mountains, but millions of acres of suitable land lie in less-sensitive areas.

There are several downsides to wind farms. They are noisy, detract from the scenery and are often deadly to migratory birds and bats. The numerous roads needed for large wind farms fragment wildlife habitat, although this can be minimized by siting wind farms on the 9 million acres of suitable cropland in the state.

Another disadvantage of wind is that no electricity is produced when the wind doesn’t blow, so dams or conventional coal and gas plants are needed to “firm up” the unpredictable load.

An Irish company thinks it has found a partial solution to this problem.

Gaelectric is interested in building several large-scale wind farms in Montana, and is also planning to test a compressed-air energy storage system in the state. CAES is a method of storing energy by using electricity to compress air, which is then stored in underground caverns until needed, when it is converted back into electricity.

Gaelectric is not the only foreign company interested in Montana’s wind.

Last fall, a Spanish company named NaturEner finished construction of 71 wind turbines at the Glacier Wind Project southeast of Cut Bank, the first phase of a planned 210-megawatt wind farm, and a German company has announced plans to break ground this spring on a plant to manufacture wind turbines in Butte.

A number of proposed large-scale wind developments got a boost last fall when a new 214-mile-long power line between Great Falls and Lethbridge, Alberta, received final approval. Gov. Brian Schweitzer has predicted that the power line could spur construction of an additional 600 megawatts of wind-power, and an infusion of nearly $1 billion into the Montana economy.

Every 100 megawatts of new wind generation supports up to 500 jobs, and both the Wind Applications Center at Montana State University and the Great Falls College of Technology are developing programs to train technicians and engineers.

The WAC has already installed a small wind turbine on the MSU campus, and plans to install windmills at schools in Livingston, Stanford, Cascade and Fairfield as part of a national pilot program called “Wind for Schools.”

By next year, Montana utilities will be required to obtain 10 percent of their total energy production from renewable energy, up from the current 5 percent. Montana also has specific tax breaks for installing wind turbines, and small generators are exempted from property taxes for five years.

However, local wind producers recently suffered a setback when a legislative committee killed House Bill 491, which would have required NorthWestern Energy to buy power from small wind farms.

Large-scale commercial wind farms, which didn’t exist in Montana five years ago, face a brighter future however, and it appears they will play an increasingly important part of the state’s economy for many years to come.

WIND RESOURCES ONLINE

• Montana wind farms: dnrc.mt.gov/trust/wind

• Montana Wind Working Group: www.deq.mt.gov/Energy

• Wind Powering America (U.S. Department of Energy): www.windpoweringamerica.gov
• American Wind Energy Association: www.awea.org

• Energy Conservation Tax Credits: mt.gov/revenue/energyconservation.asp

• Montana Wind Action Center: www.coe.montana.edu/wind

• Wind for Schools Program: www.westerncommunityenergy.com

pimg height=183 src=http://l.yimg.com/a/feeds/us/grn/green_ecogeek/walwarts.jpg width=468 //ppA new study from the International Energy Agency estimates that, by 2030, consumer electronics will have sucked up 1,700 terawatt-hours of electricity. That’s over $200 billion of juice. The study, however, points out that, if electronics companies put more efficient standards into place for consumer electronics, these numbers could be decreased dramatically./ppSo, no, they aren’t asking us to give up our iPhones and laptops, they’re asking the consumer electronics industry to pay attention to efficiency. With portable gadgets, this is something that’s already being done (to extend battery life, not sustainability.) But personal computers and DVRs are huge power hogs that have never been designed with efficiency in mind./ppAlso, I should point out that this number isn’t as big as it looks, as it’s the combined energy use for the next 20 years, not a yearly number. But it is a significant and growing part of our energy use. If we can only keep an eye on consumer electronics energy use, however, I know we can drive this number way down./ppVia a href=http://earth2tech.com/2009/05/13/without-new-policies-gadget-power-will-cost-us-200b/Earth2Tech/a/p

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div class=image style=float:right;padding-left:8px;img alt=GM’s fuel-cell Sequel class=image_id__288436 height=250 src=http://l.yimg.com/a/feeds/us/grn/green_driving_directions/gm-2005-sequel-bl.jpg title=General Motors’s fuel-cell Sequel width=400/br /emGeneral Motors’ fuel-cell Sequel: State of the art./embr /br //divpHydrogen is hitting a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/cars-transportation/fuel-cells-electric-cars-460409?link=embdom=yah_greensrc=syncon=blogmag=tdghard times/a, and the Obama Administration has lost faith in fuel cells (if it ever had any). Energy Secretary Steven Chu has put the brakes on hydrogen research, cutting more than $100 million for it in the 2010 budget (leaving only $68 million specifically for fuel cells).This has big ramifications for carmakers with heavy investments in fuel cells, including General Motors, Honda, and Toyota. GM, in particular, has dug deep into the technology, fielding a fleet of more than 100 Chevrolet Equinox-based fuel-cell cars around the country and, at least until recently, talking about having production-feasible technology by 2010. The crisis at the company has quieted the talk./ppHonda’s a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/cars-transportation/honda-FCX-clarity-460409?link=embdom=yah_greensrc=syncon=blogmag=tdgFCX Clarity/a is also state-of-the-art, and a number of celebrities, including Jamie Lee Curtis and husband/film director Christopher Guest, have had temporary custody. These test programs make nice headlines, but Chu is hardly alone in concluding that the hydrogen energy economy is still a distant dream. We asked ourselves, ‘Is it likely in the next 10 or 15, 20 years that we will convert to a hydrogen car economy?’ The answer, we felt, was ‘no.’/ppGM reacted swiftly to the bad DOE news. According to the company’s fuel-cell champion, Vice President Larry Burns, We continue to believe that hydrogen is a key to solving the nation’s mid- to long-term issues of energy security, reduced petroleum, use and greenhouse gas emissions as well as being part of the reinvention of General Motors. There is significant progress being made in hydrogen research and vehicle development, and we have logged more than 750,000 miles in the industry’s largest demonstration fleet of 115 hydrogen-powered Chevrolet Equinoxes. Project Driveway consists of real fuel cell vehicles being driven by real people./ppGM spokesman Alan Adler says that the House and Senate may take a second look at Chu’s cuts. We have to wait and see what Congress will do, he said./pdiv class=image style=float:left;padding-right:8px;img alt=jim motavalli in chevy equinox fuel-cell car class=image_id__288437 height=300 src=http://l.yimg.com/a/feeds/us/grn/green_driving_directions/jim-equinox-bl.jpg title=Starre Vartan width=400/br /emThe author at the wheel of a Chevy Equinox fuel-cell car./embr /br //divpAt a recent Washington, D.C. Volkswagen forum, Dr. Jurgen Leohold, VW’s chief executive director of research, pointed to the fleet of Chinese-made fuel-cell Passats that the company recently fielded at the Olympic Games in Beijing. At the forum, journalists were given rides in a pair of smooth-riding fuel-cell Caddy Maxi vans./ppDespite all this, Leohold was fairly downbeat about the fuel-cell future. The production and distribution of hydrogen is unsolved, he said. We do not see large-scale industrial maturity before 2020./ppThe a href=http://www.hydrogenassociation.org/National Hydrogen Association/a and the U.S. Fuel Cell Council were none too pleased by the mammoth funding cut. They said in a joint statement: Fuel-cell vehicles are not a science experiment. These are real vehicles with real marketability and real benefits. Hundreds of fuel-cell vehicles have collectively logged millions of miles./ppBack in December, the Council a href=http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_viewnewsId=20081218005471newsLang=enhad asked Obama/a to appropriate $1.2 billion for hydrogen. And Chu a href=http://www.energy.gov/news2009/7262.htmhad seemed to go along/a, pledging April 15 to provide $41.9 million in stimulus funding for fuel cells to expand the use of clean and renewable energy sources and reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil. What a difference a month makes!/pbr /pstrongMore from The Daily Green/strong/pullia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/fuel-efficient-cars-47102201?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=blogmag=tdgThe 10 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/save-money-gas-47050902?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=blogmag=tdgHow to Pay 50 Cents a Gallon (or Less) for Gas/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/natural-swimming-pools-460908?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=blogmag=tdg23 Breathtaking Natural Swimming Pools/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/recycling-symbols-plastics-460321?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=blogmag=tdgWhat Do Recycling Symbols Mean?/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/sexy-green-eco-lingerie-46012208?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=blogmag=tdgSexy and Green/a/li/ulemReprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc/em

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div class=image style=float:right;padding-left:8px;img alt=Rusty paint cans/iStockPhoto height=200 src=http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/the_conscious_consumer/the_conscious_consumer-507745379-1242157872.jpg?ymwc2PBD9ywte0C0 width=300//divpYou know it’s dangerous to throw compact fluorescent light bulbs, medications, and other household hazardous waste into the trash, but it can be hard to figure out what to do with it. /ppIt’s true that in most cases you’ll have to make a special effort to responsibly get rid of these items. But, luckily it’s not all that hard if you’re willing to do a little research and some advance planning./ppThe laws for disposing of a href=http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/materials/hhw.htmhousehold hazardous waste (HHW)/a vary depending on where you live, but here are some general guidelines for some common items:/pullistrongAerosol cans./strong Empty cans can be recycled fairly easily through your curbside program or at your local recycling facility. Partially full cans are harder to get rid of. Don’t try to empty them yourself, a href=http://earth911.com/metal/aerosol-can/tips-for-recycling-aerosol-cans/says Earth911/a. Instead, see if your local recycling or HHW drop-off center will take them. It’s also not a good idea to send pressurized cans (empty or not) to a landfill because they can explode if a fire breaks out./libr /listrongCar stuff. /stronga href=http://www.walmart.com/storeLocator/ca_storefinder.doWal-Mart/a, a href=http://www.autozone.com/autozone/storelocator/storeLocatorMain.jspAutozone/a, a href=http://www.google.com/search?q=jiffy+lube+store+locatorie=utf-8oe=utf-8aq=trls=org.mozilla:en-US:officialclient=firefox-aJiffyLube/a, and a href=http://earth911.com/automotive/motor-oil/others recycle/a used motor oil. Ask if they’ll take your a href=http://earth911.com/automotive/oil-filters/old filters/a back for recycling too. Return dead a href=http://earth911.com/automotive/car-batteries/car batteries/a to the store where you are purchasing a new one and ask if they’ll recycle it. If not, check with your local HHW center./libr /listrongCFLs. /strongIt’s important to properly recycle fluorescent bulbs because they contain a href=http://green.yahoo.com/blog/the_conscious_consumer/70/three-cfl-myths-busted.htmltiny amounts of mercury/a. Drop CFLs off at any a href=http://www6.homedepot.com/ecooptions/index.html?navFlow=3searchRedirect=eco+optionscm_sp=searchredirect-_-eco_options-_-x-_-xHome Depot/a or a href=http://info.ikea-usa.com/StoreLocator/StoreLocator.aspxIkea/a for free recycling. Or a href=http://earth911.com/hazardous/cfl/search Earth911/a for other local options./libr /listrongCleaning products. /strongYou can’t recycle them, but that doesn’t mean you should throw them in the trash or pour them down the drain. a href=http://earth911.com/household/household-cleaners/tips-on-proper-disposal-or-greening-cleaning-products/Read the label/a for information on disposal, suggests Darby Hoover at the a href=http://www.nrdc.org/Natural Resources Defense Council/a. You’ll most likely need to bring old products to a HHW center. The same is true for a href=http://earth911.com/hazardous/pesticides/pesticides/a and any other chemicals you want to get rid of./libr /listrongMedications. /strongDon’t flush them down the toilet or pour them down the drain because tiny amounts of pharmaceuticals are making their way into our a href=http://www.nodrugsdownthedrain.org/medications.htmlstreams, rivers, and lakes/a. Your best bet is to find a program that will take back unused medications. Some suggestions: Check with your a href=http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/wyl/regional.htmlocal government/a to see if it’s hosting a collection event. Ask if your pharmacy or a href=http://earth911.com/hazardous/HHW collection program/a will accept old prescription drugs. a href=http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/200802/?pg=13Costco/a members can bring unwanted medications to one of its pharmacies. Otherwise, a href=http://green.yahoo.com/blog/the_conscious_consumer/16/what-to-do-with-your-old-pharmaceuticals.htmlread these suggestions/a on how to safely throw them in the trash. /libr /listrongPaint. /strongDo your best to make sure it gets used. Give it to a friend. Use ii for primer. Donate it to a charity, such as Habitat for Humanity. If you can’t reuse it, then a href=http://earth911.com/blog/2009/04/20/recycling-mysteries-paint/search Earth911 to see if you can recycle it/a. Otherwise, you might need to a href=http://earth911.com/hazardous/paint/disposal-of-paint/throw dried paint/a in the trash if it’s not against the law in your community. Remove the lid from a latex paint can and let it dry out until it’s completely hard. Take any oil-based paints directly to your household hazardous waste center. /li/ulbr /pemEnvironmental journalist Lori Bongiorno shares green-living tips and product reviews with Yahoo! Green’s users. Send Lori a a href=http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/green/forms/consciousconsumerblog.htmlquestion or suggestion/a for potential use in a future column. Her book,/em Green Greener Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-smart Choices a Part of Your Life emis available on a href=http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Green%2C%20Greener%2C%20Greenest%3A%20A%20Practical%20Guide%20to%20Making%20Eco-Smart%20Choices%20a%20Part%20of%20Your%20Life:3005209514;_ylt=AsLkIJyzfMD4G3Gl2OYYt_gbFt0A?clink=dmps/lori_bongiorno/ctx=mid:1,pid:3005209514,pdid:1,pos:1,spc:14489115,date:20081009,srch:kw,x:Yahoo! Shopping/a and a href=http://www.amazon.com/Green-Greener-Greenest-Practical-Eco-Smart/dp/0399534032/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8s=booksqid=1228865081sr=8-1Amazon.com/a./em/p

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Probably you know about the pet food recall which happened recently. That massive pet food recall was carried out because of pet poisoning. Some known pet food brands were found to contain cheap components from China that were poisonous. Because of this, many companion animal owners have been on the lookout for alternatives to commercially manufactured pet foods. Many of these pet owners have resorted to making their own homemade pet food.

Maybe you have thought about learning to make your own homemade dog food but just do not know how to get started. I will attempt to give you some valuable tips on how to make homemade dry dog food.

Commercial pet foods can come in two varieties: wet and dry. As an alternative, it is easy to make your own wet or dry dog food with ingredients which you can easily locate in your own kitchen. To make homemade pet food can be just a matter of mixing ingredients together which are essential to a dog’s diet. Dogs require meat, some plant matter – vegetables and fruit, and a balanced amount of grains. Here are some ideas on how to make your own homemade pet food.

1. Mix brown rice, ground meat, water, and vegetables and cook them together. The amount of water will depend on whether you want the food to be wet or dry. If you want the pet food to be dry, then you may put only a small amount of water, and also add a little flour.

2. You can prepare a large quantity, sufficient for a number of days, and either keep it in the refrigerator or freeze it. However, never keep homemade dog food in the refrigerator longer than three days.

3. Do not include tea, chocolate, and coffee in the ingredients of your homemade dog food. These ingredients can cause seizures to the dog.

4. Carbohydrate can be used sparingly, and rice is the best source.

5. You can also include flour in your homemade pet food ingredients.

6. Garlic can also be included in the ingredients. Garlic helps dogs fight infection and keeping intestinal worms and fleas to a minimum. However, do not put too much of it as it can cause illness in your dog when ingested in large amounts.

7. You can experiment with adding small amounts of codliver oil or flaxseed oil to the ingredients of the homemade dog food. Codliver oil and flaxseed oil both contain omega 3 which is good for your dog’s skin and coat.

8. Keep some variety in your dog’s daily diet. You can do this by preparing different kinds of homemade food and using different ingredients every day or every other day.

9. You can give your dog raw meat or cooked meat, but never give partially cooked meat which can be a serious source of bacteria.

10. Never think of including raisins, grapes, onions, macadamia nuts, and nutmeg in the ingredients for your homemade dog food. These can cause problems to dogs.

See – making your own pet food is not that hard. You only need to learn the essential foods that can give your dog the nutrients it needs. Your vet may be able to provide you with some guidance on nutrition, but be aware that many vets recommend some type of commercial dog food, because they don’t learn nutrition in vet school and mostly obtain their information from the commercial pet food manufacturers.

Sun power is one of the best and most dependable renewable energy sources available. The problem most novice environmental warriors find is that the price of professionally installed solar power systems is way beyond their budget and it could take well over 10 years to see a return on their investment. Never fear, there are new things to consider. The most cost-effective way to take advantage of a solar system is building solar panels on your own. What you need is plans to build a solar panel!

Sound like too much? If you are concerned it would be difficult, it really is not true. It is simple to build solar panels with the proper instructions. Simple enough for children and adults. The parts aren’t complicated either. The supplies you would need to build solar panels are available at your local hardware store or you can purchase a solar panel kit, which will include all the necessary items to be generating your own electricity. Once you have the blueprints for a solar panel, you can construct several solar panels to power appliances or tools in your workshop. With the right instructions you could build solar panels to service a much larger electric load.

There are many resources and guides available with step by step plans for solar panels. An important first step is to locate quality step by step plans. Then it is off to to your local hardware store to find or order your supplies and next thing you know, you will be able to assemble and install the system yourself. Just beware, the neighbors may start asking you to build solar panels for them too.

Not only is it going to save you money to build solar panels yourself, but you can feel proud that you are doing your part for the environment as well. Being independent from fossil fuels and making an important impact on the world and in your neighborhood.

Commercial solar power systems can be very expensive to install and given our economy most of us don’t have spare money. Decide to go solar today and learn to build solar panels on your own. It will be savings you can be proud of.