Monthly Archives: July 2011

Killing Yourself Cleanly

Buy green at home and help save the world? The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that in the United States, 32 billion gallons of runoff enters the oceans daily. These pollutants float away from fertilizing lawns and golf courses, factory farms discharging animal waste and oil leaking onto our roadways.

One third of all household pollution comes from the cleaning products we use. A 2002 U.S. Geological Survey found that 69% of streams sampled for contaminants contained persistent detergent metabolites and 66% contained disinfectants.

When rainfall moves this runoff thru our storm drains, watersheds and rivers it creates massive, nutrient-fed algal blooms and oxygen depleted areas in our coastal waters suffocating fish and other marine life. These dead zones occur along the shores of all the oceans, including one of more than 8,000 square miles in the Gulf of Mexico.

As a person concerned about the impact your actions have on the environment, you should look at the ways your cleaning products effect the environment. These include 1) Usage – Their use may release toxic and hazardous vapors into the indoor air which may be unhealthy for your family. 2) Manufacture – The purchase of potentially hazardous products creates a demand for toxic chemicals which contributes to environmental pollution due to the development, manufacture and transportation of these chemicals. 3) Disposal – When hazardous products are used they release chemicals into the wastewater stream adding to the runoff problem. Most often hazardous products are not disposed of properly and are land filled or incinerated where they can release their toxins to the environment.

The use of toxic, non-biodegradable products can cause indoor air quality problems including possible chemical burns, health problems from absorption or ingestion and even certain diseases. Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease are thought to be caused by environmental influences such as exposure to toxins found in cleaning solutions. In addition bioaccumulation studies have shown that some toxins store in our body fat for life. Greater amounts are being stored at younger ages and diseases that used to develop later in life are now appearing in children and teenagers.

There has been a 28% increase in childhood cancer since the addition of pesticides into household products (Source: National Cancer Institute)

Over 150 chemicals found in the average home have been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological abnormalities (Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission)

Most homes have airborne concentrations of hazardous and toxic chemicals that are 2-5 times higher indoors than outdoors (Source: Environmental Protection Agency’s Report to Congress on Indoor Air Quality Act of 1989)

When it comes to choosing home cleaning supplies you have several options. Many cleaning supplies you find at the store come in “green” varieties, meaning that the cleaners are usually all natural organic elements with no chemicals. These products are safe for the environment.

Another option is to surf the Internet for the goods you need. This will give you a chance to learn more about what a company is offering and how well their goods match your environmental standards. Learn if they have a set of buy green standards that examine a products’ lifecycle;

1) Source Material: What is the product made from?
2) Manufacturing: How is it manufactured?
3) Usage, How is it used and how does this efffect the environment?
4) Disposal: How is it disposed of and what is the environmental impact?

This research will help you protect our valuable water resources while offering a safe, enjoyable green shopping experience.

Velux blackout window blinds for turning the day into night


Among many other varieties the most popular Velux window blinds are the Velux blackouts. These blinds are the ideal sort of blinds that one should choose for his bedroom. When these blinds are closed, the room will be completely blackout and no light will be left to pass. This happens because these blinds contain guide rails of aluminum, which helps to block the light from entering the fabric’s edges. This is not the only function that the Velux blackouts can offer.

These window blinds can detect the heat in excess and reflect it out keeping the room in a cool and soothing temperature. When in winter, these blinds can also perform to restore the heat inside the room. This happens because aluminum foil is added in a coat to the fabric’s exterior. Some children often go asleep during times when there is still light outside. Therefore, these Velux blackout blinds are best suited at those times. There are many other advantages as well. These windows are available in sorts, which are operated by solar power. Again, these windows could be operated completely automatically using a remote control. It may also very healthy to use a Velux window blind because the light and heat is conditioned. These windows are the perfect way to change the daytime into night.  It is possible to create an atmosphere of night at noon in a scorching summer day. The heat condition can be altered as well and so not only can you turn the day into night but also you can turn a relentless summer day into a chilly winter night by the help of these window blinds.

These window blinds come in different style and design and there are many options for a shopper chose from. Using these products means saving electrical energy, which is economic, and eco friendly at the same time.

Go Green Tips | Energy Saving Guide

www.BestGuideForAll.com — Going Green At Home Get go green tips and advice about going green at home here for free. Offers a single source on Energy Saving related issues, topics and guide.

Live Green And Save $

More and more households today are finding ways to ?go green? These measures can range from the labor-intensive installation of expensive solar panels and remodeling to simple, inexpensive, every day changes that anyone can domMore and more households today are finding ways to ?go green.? These measures can range from the labor-intensive installation of expensive solar panels and remodeling to simple, inexpensive, every day changes that anyone can do. Below are some easy and hassle-free tips to ?green-it-yourself? that will help the environment – and your budget.
Energy Efficiency
You can easily and simply reduce energy expenditures by choosing Energy Star when it is time to buy or replace an appliance. Energy Star appliances ? such as refrigerators, dishwashers, and washing machines ? consume 10-50 percent less energy. Energy Star brand users will see the difference in their electrical bills each month.

Replace regular incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent bulbs. Fluorescent bulbs now come in different shapes, wattages, and colors for a softer look. Finally, consider which appliances are necessary. In warm weather, dry clothes outside on a clothing rack rather than in the dryer. Using a drying rack saves money and energy, and your clothes come inside smelling fresh.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
This motto of the environmental movement is as important as ever. The facts are in on recycling: with the amount of aluminum cans discarded, every three months a commercial air fleet could be built! And with the electricity saved by recycling a stack of newspapers one-foot high, your home could be heated for 17 hours!

Most municipalities offers extensive recycling services that make recycling one of the easiest steps you can take toward a green home. Just fill your blue box with magazines, newspapers, plastic #1 and #2 bottles, aluminum cans, glass bottles, and beverage containers, and let the waste department do the rest.

You can also extend the lifetime of most products by reusing them. Reuse aluminum foil and plastic bags for food storage. Empty plastic containers and glass bottles can be used to store bulk food or leftovers. Many waste products make good art projects, too.

Carbon-Neutralize Your Home
A growing trend in green living is carbon neutrality. Carbon dioxide is emitted every day through heating, cooling, electricity usage, driving, and more. Your daily expenditure of carbon dioxide ? a major contributor to global warming ? can be offset by contributing small donations to companies that work toward environmental clean-up, reforestation, or alternative energy. Although it doesn”t generate savings, calculating daily household carbon use through online calculators, and purchasing offsets to make your home carbon neutral is a growing trend in green living.
Harvest the Rain
Rain barrels are a feature of green homes, especially in warm, low-rain climates. A rain barrel can be a regular or homemade barrel or one bought for this purpose. It is best placed under a rain spout, and the collected rainwater can then be used to hydrate parched gardens and lawns, or even to wash the car. Rain collection barrels are an effective way to preserve a natural resource and lower the water bill.
Compost and ?Grasscycle?
Households throw out 20 million tons of grass clippings and dead leaves each year, yet they will spend millions on lawn and garden care. Green your own grass by spreading glass clippings over the lawn after mowing. This will reduce the need for watering, and the decomposing clippings will fertilize the new grass.

Composting food waste is another way to reuse, recycle, and save. Proper composting will result in waste reduction and healthy, vibrant gardens and yards. If you?re planting vegetables, composting is a way to close the loop for a sustainable table.

Going green is easier than every before. Take control of your impact on the environment, your home, and best of all, your wallet, with these simple adjustments to daily living. Calum MacKenzie is Broker/Owner of Tampa Homes 24-7 LLC a leading Wesley Chapel real estate company serving communities like Seven Oaks in Wesley Chapel and specializing in Wesley Chapel Homes.

 

10 Tips To Go Green At Home

www.MagEnergy.ustutorial and testimony of building a magnetic free energy device that generates free electric energy for home use, to find out how this has been done visit www.MagEnergy.us Follow this easy set of plans to build your own Magniwork Magnetic Electricity Generator for your home or business. A complete system can be built AND installed easily, and for less than 0! The Magniwork plans are getting rave reviews. Great business opportunity for those who wish to build and install these systems! http Did you know that you could completely eliminate your power bill, by constructing a zero point magnetic power generator? A Zero point magnetic power generator is basically a Free Energy Generator. It uses magnets, and magnetic force to induce perpetual motion. It runs by itself, indefinitely without stopping, thus creating completely free electrical energy, which can fully power your home for free. A Perpetual motion device refers to a machine that runs perpetually ie indefinitely, and produces a larger amount of energy than it consumes. Thus, it produces free energy indefinitely, runs by itself, without having to need a third-party device or resource to power it. The free energy devices have been suppressed by the corporate world, because such devices, would allow people to create their own energy for free, which would ultimately shut down the big energy corporations, because people won’t need to pay anymore for electricity to fill their pockets. Can this device be
Video Rating: 5 / 5

Go Small, Live Green

Living small oftentimes means living a lifestyle that is friendly toward the environment. Consider small prefabricated homes, homes that are among the fastest-growing “green” homes in environmentally conscious circles. A green home features such eco-friendly things as rainwater capturing systems, a roof designed for solar installation, carpeting made of recycled materials, and wind power. While it’s not necessarily the case that the smaller the home the greener it is, the case can be made of prefab homes built with that goal in mind.

Green prefab homes are built with one essential goal: to reduce the homeowner’s carbon footprint on the planet. An eco-friendly fact of green prefab homes is that they are built in a factory, which means a sharp reduction in the material waste that usually accompanies residential construction. Another benefit to the environment is their construction material. Many are built with sustainability in mind, from “cradle to cradle” in environmentalist parlance. Materials such as recycled glass and reclaimed wood are used, as is special construction for elements such as green or “garden” roofs and walls. Some homes are finished on the inside with special paints and varnishes that drastically reduce or eliminate home-interior “off-gassing” associated with standard articles such as fabrics. Shrinking homeowners’ footprints was the motivation that drove Copeland Casati to start Green Modern Kits, Green Cottage Kits and Green Cabin Kits (GreenModernKits.com, GreenCottageKits.com and GreenCabinKits.com), companies that produce passive-solar prefab house kits. These homes are designed “to collect, store and distribute solar energy,” according to the U.S. Department of Energy, with the help of passive-solar design that uses fewer heating and cooling systems.

Another example of a company that successfully merges the concepts of “green” and “small” is the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company (www.tumbleweedhouses.com) founded by Jay Shafer. Shafer started building small homes out of his concern about the impact a larger house has on the environment. These “tiny” portable homes come fully insulated with double-pane windows and an adequate efficiency heating system.

Topping the larger end of the green prefab scale, Blu Homes, Inc. (www.bluhomes.com) recently came out with its newest home, the Blu | Balance, an eco-friendly and spacious house that measures more than 1,600 square feet. The one-story home has a flexible floor plan and comes with two or three bedrooms and two full bathrooms. As with other green prefab homes, Blu models come with low-flow fixtures, energy star appliances and architectural characteristics that maximize passive heating and cooling. But what makes this company stand out is its unique home-folding design. The folding technology and computer modeling is put to use in the factory construction, allowing Blu to build quickly and economically ship anywhere, where the home is unfolded and completed on-site.

These and more designers and companies are showing up from the four corners of the Internet. As we move into the second decade of the 2000s, there is much to build upon green prefab homes that already prove that green design can be modern and chic.

 

From prefab cottages to tumbleweeds houses, home downsizing options abound! Visit http://www.thesmallerhome.com to learn all about the joys of simple living.

How to get the perfect Wedding Flowers arrangement?

For many people, selecting the right kind of flowers that can make their wedding good is quite difficult. They find it extremely difficult to select the perfect wedding flowers. But by keeping in mind certain suggestions, you can select the perfect wedding flowers.

Keep in mind your theme

A lotof people have the wedding theme already selected. In order to match your wedding theme, you should select the flowers accordingly. Suppose you have a wedding theme that is more of color purple, you can select the orchids or flowers of your choice but having similar hues. Shades of purple or pink will look equally beautiful and will combine and blend well in the environment.

Get the floral designer to help you

Usually people from the same industry know each other. So, get the floral designer who can help you select the florists in Bristol who are the best. These designers will have the idea about the florists who can provide good and fresh flowers. The floral designer will not just plan up the entire thing with your florist but can also help in getting the flowers delivered at the place on time. The flower delivery London, on time is important to ensure that everything is done correctly.

Use ribbons and flowers together

In order to make your wedding perfectly filled with colors, you can make use of flowers as well as ribbon together. It is a great combination and by blending these two things, you can make some of the perfect bouquets or floral arrangements.

Things can become simple for you if you lay emphasis on these suggestions. These can help you in getting the perfect view or arrangement for your wedding!

Home Appliances – Tips To Go Green

Climate change has been the biggest issue in the world for the past three years. We have been reminded that ice in the Arctic will disappear in the near future; some cities will be flooded as deforestation is going on and so many symptoms show that our mother earth is in danger. From a home point of view home appliances play a significant part in this picture.

Maybe, now you are thinking, is it hard to save our planet? Well, actually not really. Don`t think too seriously about what the world leaders are talking about in international summit whatsoever. You can start saving the Earth from home.

How? Yes, you can start going green by purchasing eco-friendly home appliances. There are lots of green appliances you can choose. Home appliance produced in 1990s saves more energy than that manufactured in the 1980s As an example, the fridge made in 1993 is almost 100% more energy efficient than the same product manufactured in 1980. The sad news is the price of thi green home-equipment is very expensive. But think about how much money and energy you can save in the future after switching to greener products.

Now, you are at store and you want to buy eco-friendly home items. Find the products with Energy Star label. Energy Star is a sign indicating the model far exceeds the federal minimum requirement. If the product you buy has Energy Star sticker, it means that the product is energy efficient.

Then, you are going to choose a fridge. According to American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, fridges nowadays use only 25 percent of electricity, compared to that in 1970s. Think about investing in a new model that saves more energy if your fridge is more than 10 years old. Buy a side-by-side freezer/fridge instead of freezer-on-top. Or if you keep your old fridge, you can recycle it, for free or you can pay to do it. You can find information in your area about this recycling program.

Now about the washing machine, despite its expensive price, horizontal-axis washing machines saves more energy than vertical-axis washing machine, which consumes more water and detergent as well.

The clothes dryer is the second largest energy consumer after the fridge. Choose a dryer with a moisture sensor in the drum so it can shut the machine when your clothes are dry. It saves less energy than conventional timed dryers. Or why don`t you switch to the old-fashioned way? Buy a clothesline, so you don`t need to pay anything to dry your clothes.

You cook a lot? Use an oven with a second, smaller unit on top because it saves more energy.

Go green from home!

How To Reduce Your Energy Consumption By Energy Saving Lighting?

Comforts of life come on a platter. Modern day lifestyle has brought into your household electronic equipment that were unthinkable a few years ago. But wedded to these comforts are the soaring electricity bills. If you want to spare yourself the dreadful thought of paying hefty amounts on the energy consumption at home, it is about time time to think about the different ways to reduce your electric bills. The trick lies in energy saving lighting.

Most light bulbs in use today are the old incandescent bulbs invented more than 100 years ago. They are inexpensive and available for a wide range of power ratings. However, only a very meagre amount of this power is converted into light. This makes them very inept. Because there are used all around the world and each room has at least one of them there is a significant amount of produced electrical energy that is wasted. It is converted into heat which is not needed. Because energy is not cheap and its production contributes to the global warming many governments have decided to replace ordinary incandescent light bulbs with more energy saving replacements.

Reducing energy worries with energy saving lighting

Did you know around five percent of your energy bill is due to the lights in your home? And this percentage may be higher if you have a large number of lights or a very large home. Energy saving lighting cuts down on energy consumption in that they use around one third of the power that ordinary incandescent bulbs do.

In terms of longevity, energy saving bulbs last up to ten times longer than normal bulbs, which also saves you money on purchasing light bulbs, not to mention the frequent trips to the store and all hassles involved.

Another bright side to energy saving lighting is its environmentally friendly streak. One of the best things you can do to make your home or commercial complex eco friendly is to assess the energy use of your home and decide on ways to reduce this amount. Energy saving bulbs can help you do this by trimming down out a considerable amount of energy needed to light your home. The result will be terrific cost savings on electricity with these bills, because your electricity bill will usually go down by about ten percent. These savings can really add up over the course of a year. To put it in numeric terms, if energy saving lighting your home electricity costs by just twenty dollars a month, that is a savings of two hundred and forty dollars a year, a large chunk of change.

Energy saving lighting also scores on warm up times. While in the past, they would sometimes take a while to warm up to their full potential. Modern technology has vastly done away with this grey area of energy efficient lighting. Today the energy saving bulbs of the nature of LEDs, light up in less than a second, with no flickering and achieve their full brightness within a minute.

So why wait when you can do away with the pain of shelling out exorbitant amount on energy bills with energy saving lighting.

Tips on Living ‘Green’ : “Green” Dinner Parties

Watch as a pair of conservation experts demonstrates how to host a “green” dinner party in this free online video about environmentalism.Expert: Nili Nathan Contact: earth911.org Bio: Nili Nathan, host of “Great Healing Getaways”, is the creator of a television series and Web site on holistic health, where she researches, writes, and reports. Filmmaker: Nili Nathan
Video Rating: 2 / 5

Green Life Smart Blog brings you a greener world with hints and tips on Energy Saving, Living Green, Environment Friendly Products, Green at Home and Green Vehicles. Help us save the world by adding some green in our daily lives.

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