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Save the Earth

Archive for January, 2012

If you have not given it a thought, you should have it at the back of your mind that there are several ways through which you can actually save cash on electricity in your various homes. The truth be told, if you sit down to analyze how much you pay monthly on electricity bills, you would agree with me that you spend pretty much on electricity. You don’t have to worry anymore because if you so wish, you can actually save reasonable amount as far as electricity is concerned. Would you rather not be glad to do away with most of your expenses, especially on electricity? If you would, then read on.

Yes, one way of you can cut down your expenses and actually save cash on electricity is by installing a solar energy system in your home. The best part is that apart from saving you money, you can even be generating returns from this particular home improvement. How? It increases the value of your home whether you choose to rent or sale. You can agree with me that as a home owner, one thing that would always be upper most in your mind as far as running your home is concerned is cutting down costs, both energy and otherwise. On the part of energy, you can achieve good results if you make the wise decision of tapping into the solar resources.

For those enthusiasts of going green and those who are not, you can actually be prompted towards mapping out strategies on how to save cash on electricity when you closely monitor the trend associated with the fluctuation in the prices of water and electricity supply. Even on the increase, you have no choice than to make the outrageous payments in order to continue enjoying these resources. But hey, who says you don’t have a choice? You really do because you can choose to ignore the utility service providers and their price hike by installing solar panels in your home that are capable of providing you with light, heating and air conditioning needs.

The best part about all these is that even while you save cash on electricity, you have an energy source in your home that is not only clean but green. What this means is that you are actually helping your environment to recover from the poisonous substances consumption it has been subjected to for a long time. Yes, with the absence of carbon in the air, our earth and particularly the ecosystem would be grateful for the breath of fresh air. Take that bold step today and get a free quote without any obligations from any reputable solar power system developer and you would be glad you did as you save cash on electricity.

When it comes to the cost associated with the installation of a solar power system, the currency market is the only thing that can make a negative impact on it even with the improved technological innovation. Each time there is a drop in the value of currency, it leads to a significant increase in the amount it takes to install the solar energy system. What this means is that if you really care about the planet and want to play your part in removing every foot print of degradation it has suffered due to our lifestyle, it becomes necessary that you work towards making the most of the solar energy system now before another financial crisis ups the price.

In relation to the installation of a solar power system, you can agree with me that there are times that even with the vast number of economists who religiously spend their time in financial trends forecasting, deep financial crisis are witnessed before we know what is happening. This implies one thing – if you have the intention of boosting your home’s value and at the same time save good money on electricity bills by installing solar energy system, do it as fast as you can, the cash flow trend could change anytime without warning. By so doing, should there be any case of currency exchange roller coaster, you would surely beat it by not being taken unawares.

Do you need further conviction why you need to install a solar power system in your home now? Well, you may not be aware of this but lots of families worldwide are beginning to cut down on most of their daily expenditures, especially when it comes to cost emanating from the daily running of the home front like energy consumption. One thing you and them may not know however is that right within the four walls of your home can be found the main source through which you can cut down on expenses related to utility bills like water and electricity. Yes, with the solar energy system, you can actually save lots of money annually.

One other reason that makes the solar power system unique and valuable is that the energy derived from it is renewable. Based on this, when you install solar energy in your home, not only does it save you money, it also makes you money. It does not matter whether you decide to make use of the photovoltaic or thermal energy systems; all energy used in your home comes at no cost since they are directly generated from the sun. And yes, you can actually avoid the currency exchange roller coaster by making hay while the sun shines – get a solar energy system installed in your home today.

categories: Solar Power

If you are among those who want the best for our planet and you intend to carry out a commercial building project, you can take a clue from the various green commercial building trends that are geared towards making the earth a better and safer place to live in. Several studies carried out have confirmed that in the consumption of electricity, commercial buildings top the list as they consume not less than 72%. The same commercial buildings are confirmed to use an estimated 14% of clean water. That is not all, in terms of carbon dioxide emission; they contribute not less than 38%. With this at the back of your mind, would it not be a safer bet to carry out a project that emits less carbon, uses less electricity and less water?

 

If you agree with me, then listed below are some of the green commercial building trends that would help make your building project as eco-friendly as possible. They have been confirmed to help in the fight to eliminate every footprint of carbon emission and improving the ecosystems. They are:

 

High Efficiency HVAC: It is a glaring fact that for maximum result to be achieved as far as heating, ventilation and air conditioning of commercial buildings are concerned, a lot of money will be spent. But then, you can choose to save your money and still achieve the best results by making use of passive energy efficiency sources. This is achieved through certain construction and insulation methods and the installation of HVAC equipment that not only supplies heat and air conditioning to the building but also saves you lots of money and protects the earth from further degradation.

 

Water Efficiency: Among the various green commercial building trends, this one stands out due to the fact that it encourages water recycling which is useful for the purpose of watering landscapes, cooling systems and flushing toilets. The type of plumbing system that is installed on the building is water efficient which brings to the barest minimum, the quantity of water that is wasted on daily basis thereby saving millions of gallons of water on yearly basis.

 

Day lighting: This entails the installation of skylights that adjust themselves as they take in as much sunlight as they can in the day time and utilize them in lighting up the building at night. This brings down the cost of generating electricity all day and all night long to a large extent.

 

With these green commercial building trends and others like alternative energy source and local sourcing of building raw materials, you are sure to make our planet a better place to live in.

It may sound a cliché, but to make the earth greener and for a better tomorrow, we need to start recycling what we use, we need to keep a close watch on what we consume and how much we consume, so as to keep in sync with environmental factors. We humans have almost gone adrift when it comes to balancing environment along with satisfying our needs.

But as the old saying conveys, “Charity begins at home”, we need to start being eco-friendly and green right from the place we reside- Our Home. Although many people disregard this fact to more or less extent, there are many ways of making your home more environmentally friendly or as we call it- “The Green Home”.

These are some of the ways of making your home a better place to live in and an even better place on Earth:

1)      Get rid of your old appliances:  Get rid of all the old, worn out appliances in your home. Reportedly, old appliances such as a refrigerator or geyser consume more electricity if they are not being replaced over a span of 10 years. Buying new appliances would help you in reducing your electricity bill by at least 10-15%. However, make sure that you purchase only those appliances which are high on the “Energy Rating”.

2)      Save Water: There are a lot of ways in which you can save water. Remember that only 2% of the total water on earth is fresh so do not overhype the picture of world map and think that you can do away with wasting gallons of water. Turn the tap down when it’s not needed, use rain water harvesting techniques and encourage reuse of water whenever possible. Putting down an aerator in the faucets of your home, installing a low flow toilet and using a groom instead of a garden hose to clear away the garbage can help in saving water.

3)      Use energy efficient light, or CFLs:  CFL(Compact Fluorescent Light) bulbs use 66% less energy than a standard bulb and last up to 10 times longer, so a great way to convert your home to a green home.

4)      Reduce the use of plastic: Every year people throw away millions of polythene bags which affect the environment adversely. Plastic is suggested to be responsible for the global warming phenomenon. Hence it is advisable to use paper bags and recycle the plastic waste whenever possible.

5)      Use Healthier paint:  Conventional paints contain harmful solvents, toxic materials and VOC (volatile organic compounds) which can lead to ozone depletion, smog and air pollution. It can also lead to a deprecated health level. Hence opt for zero VOC paints only.

You have traveled to the most scenic part of the world.  Preserve that beauty for future generations to see.  Here are some tips to help the environment:

 Pack Light, Bring only what you need.

Not only will you save the headache of additional airline bag fees or the risk of losing that bag en route to your destination, it will also be less potential weight for what mode of transportation you use, and thus less energy required to travel.

 

 Use Public Transportation When You Can

Another big thing that you can do is to reduce your carbon footprint by using public transportation when you can.  Trains give you a vast view of the countryside and will offer you great opportunities to take pictures.   In order to get some great exercise, consider renting a bicycle or going on a bike tour.  In Switzerland, passengers can take advantage of both since they are able to rent bicycles at stations and also bring them aboard.

 

 Take A Volunteer Vacation. 

Volunteer vacations are another great way of helping the environment.  Help clean the oceans by looking at oceana.org.   You can help build a holding tank for a community’s water supply, help build classroom furniture and playground equipment.  You will feel great about yourself while doing these important things and if a significant amount of the vacation is spent to volunteer, you may be able to write off some of the expenses come tax season.

 

 Book A Hotel that Has A Favorable Energy Rating

Some websites have started including the energy rating in the information.  Go to eco friendly resorts, lodges and hotels that are constructed from recycled material.

 

 Rent A Smart Car

Choose a hybrid or compact model that goes uses less gas.  This will also save you money on refueling.

 

 Decrease the need for unnecessary laundry

Most hotels follow the policy that if you hang the towels, you will continue to use them, and towels on the floor will be replaced.  This is a good thing since washing the towel and sheets every day require a lot of wasteful water and energy.

 

But before you do all this, make sure to take care of everything at home by

  1.  Pulling the plug on any unnecessary appliances, such as TVs, DVD players, toasters and microwaves.  Not only will this help conserve energy, it can prevent any accidents from happening while you’re away.
  2. Set your thermostat and water heater at low so there is no wasted energy while you’re gone
  3. Stop your newspaper delivery.  You can also donate the paper to a school while you’re gone.
categories: Travel

Those who worry about the earth’s destruction are usually focused on one catastrophic possibility such as a nuclear war which would result in terrible devastation. But the fallout of a nuclear winter is a small threat compared to the ongoing abuse of our planet on a daily basis.

This blog is dedicated to all things green. Don’t wait around for the world to end. Start taking charge and doing whats right for our planet. That’s right… “Our planet” not just mine and not only yours! Everyone needs to do their part in saving the earth – don’t pretend like it’s not your problem.