If you’ve resolved to reduce your carbon footprint, there are a few things you should know about your “eco-friendly” actions before you take a hardcore pledge to go green. Environmentalism comes with a cost to… the environment. Being kind to Mother Nature in one way may cause problems somewhere else, so choose your green activities carefully.

Biofuels Don’t Always Help

You want to reduce your dependence on gasoline and help the environment at the same time. What could be better than moving toward the use of biofuels? Well… biofuels create their own environmental concerns, not the least of which is that they put food producers in competition with energy producers. Current legislation in the US requires a certain portion of the corn crop to be used for biofuels.

Unfortunately, the corn crop happens to be a huge source of food for everything from humans to animals. Unless the amount of land devoted to the production of corn increases significantly, the logical outcome of competition is an increase in the cost of corn used for food… and fuel. As a result of feed shortages, fewer farmers are producing pork, chicken, beef and other corn-fed animals, which pushes the price of food in the supermarket ever higher.

If the amount of land devoted to corn production increases, expect to see biomass fuels creating a larger carbon footprint than fossil fuels do. How’s that? Farmers need to clear more land and devote less desirable land to corn production. This will require clearing and an increased use of farm equipment that uses… fossil fuels. In addition, the waterways will likely receive a much larger dose of farm fertilizer run-off, which will create algae blooms and subsequent fish kills within the system of freshwater lakes and rivers.

Recycling Is More Wasteful Than You Might Think

It sounds good. Reduce, reuse, recycle, right? The truth of the matter is that only a small fraction of the consumer waste stream is (or can be) recycled. Newspapers come to mind immediately as a recyclable product. While it’s true that paper is one of the most recyclable products around, legislation introduced in the US often requires newspaper producers to use recycled paper. Recycled paper is actually more expensive than new paper, and puts newspapers at a competitive disadvantage. Ultimately raises the price of the newspaper and reduces sales.

Mandatory recycling goals haven’t worked out so well, either. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had established a recycling goal of 25% of all trash. Many states went much farther and set goals that fell between 40% and a whopping 70%. This led to the construction boom for incinerators. Aside from their phenomenal costs, the incinerators haven’t been kind to the environment to say the least. Further, municipal recycling plans – the weekly curbside pickups- have produced millions of tons of nominally recyclable garbage across the nation for which there is no market and there are few productive applications.
The same legislation that requires newspapers to purchase and use recycled newsprint also requires green purchasing programs in the public sector that use recycled materials. In other words, the government has legislated a market for materials that consumers don’t want, in part because they’re more expensive and less reliable than new materials.

Environmental Protection Policies Sometimes Exacerbate Damage

Not all environmental protection policies turn out to be helpful. In fact, the rise in the size and severity of some wildfires has been directly attributed to the land management policies designed to protect the environments of certain threatened species. One of the key ingredients to a wildfire is fuel. The inability to clear brush due to environmental concerns has created a significant amount of ready-to-burn fuel in certain areas of the country. In some cases, land designated for conservation is at a much higher risk for fire damage than land designated for development.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to protect the earth and limit your impact on your environment. Reducing gasoline consumption and dependence may make a lot of sense. In some circumstances, recycling is the best, most viable option. If you decide that green is the way to go, just make sure you’re really reducing your impact on the environment, and not just shifting it somewhere out of your line of sight.

Mark Lowell is a huge green activist, even though he did graduate from one of those big beauty schools in New York. He’s being living green for over 10 years and has found some bad things about living green that he wants to make everyone aware of. 

Want to Start Making Solar Power at Home? Check out these instructions for building your own solar power. Includes videos, ebook, diagrams, and all the plans you need to get off the power grid and start saving some green while going green.

My concern about the environment has forced me to become aware of the products used around me. One area that I decided to focus on was my home and simple changes that I could make to live green and help the world for future generations.

Luckily for me, around the same time that I decided to focus on these issues, interior designers began looking for ways to market green products. I love my bamboo floors and chose them for their environmentally friendly luxury. Unwanted carpet is a major item dumped into landfills and the amount that ends up there is horrendous.

I prefer carpet in my bedrooms and was fortunate that DuPont had created a line of carpeting that is made out of corn-based polymers, which is a renewable source. I ordered it and have been happy with the softness it provides for my family and you’d never know that it was a green product.

It’s every bit as comfortable as our regular carpet used to be and with the stain-resistant fibers I don’t have to worry about my kids spilling on it. So far, my carpet has been durable and I found out recently that manufacturing it took 30% less energy and greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by 60% during production. With this new information I was able to appreciate it all over again.

When I remodeled my home to be green I researched paint and discovered that eco-friendly paints are for sale. They have lower levels of Volatile Organic Compounds, which are chemicals that are expelled into the air. It was pleasant to paint with a mixture that had no smell and we were able to move our furniture right back into the house after it had dried. This saved me a lot of time and we were only out of our home for a few days. It’s a relief to know that the paint on my walls isn’t contributing to air quality issues within my house.

Lighting is an area that I struggle with the most because I have never liked the glow that comes from energy efficient light bulbs. I forced myself to change them anyway because it seemed rather silly to make all of the other changes I had committed to and not change the least expensive item on my list. A few years ago, Congress focused on lighting and passed an energy act that will force manufacturers to sell light bulbs that use 25% less electricity for the total light emitted.

In 2012 changes will be happening with light bulbs and several companies have created lights that offer consumers like me 75% greater efficiency. I intend to purchase those to save the highest amount of energy possible. The bulbs cost more and when they need to be replaced I have to make sure my family places them in the recycling bin instead of just throwing them away. However, the energy savings should make up for the additional costs and I like knowing that I’m doing what I can to help the environment.

It was exciting for me to discover that I could keep my favorite style and still be considerate towards the environment. I love a clean traditional style and was thrilled that adding natural stone granite countertops to my kitchen and bathrooms was an eco-friendly way to update my home. I also stripped the front of my kitchen cabinets and stained them a lighter shade to update them.

A few simple fixes can make a home eco-friendly and by updating my home I’m teaching my children how to be responsible toward our future.

L. R. Powell helps people who want to become an interior designer. He is an eco friendly air conditioning systems expert too and writes LG AC Reviews to help home owners plan their own ac system.

Want to Start Making Solar Power at Home? Check out these instructions for building your own solar power. Includes videos, ebook, diagrams, and all the plans you need to get off the power grid and start saving some green while going green.

The Small Business Administration says that as many as 52 percent of Americans who work are employed by small businesses. But while you may be more or less familiar with small businesses, you may not realize the powerful effect the small business world has on your environment. Reducing the carbon footprint that small businesses have a part in doesn’t require fancy tools or big budgets. Instead, becoming more eco-friendly, even when working for or running a small business is simple and can help you accept a role in creating a more sustainable business. Follow these easy tips to help your business become increasingly environmentally friendly.

Use recycled paper – Simply using recycled paper for printed items can make a small dent in paper waste within your office.

Take advantage of technology – Advances in technology have made it possible to hold meetings with the click of the mouse or a simple conference call. Videoconferencing programs, like Skype, can help you spend less time traveling and more time on the task at hand.

Email – Emailing clients and customers with your monthly newsletter can whittle the time you spend proofing printing as well as reduce the costs that accompanying printing. In addition to being a great way to cut costs and become more efficient, email newsletters are easy to track and can reveal whether your efforts are successful by providing information about how many people read your newsletter and how many actually clicked through to your website or additional information.

If paper is necessary, recycle – In some instances, using paper for flyers or print material is necessary to achieve the results you desire. But while using paper may be important, reminding those who receive your correspondence to recycle the paper can be helpful in reducing waste.

Shop locally – Buying goods and using vendors that are local means you don’t have to pay the extra costs for shipping and also helps reduce pollution.

Take advantage of the internet – The internet gives you access to countless consumers who may want your goods or services. In addition to giving you access to consumers you may not normally be able to reach with your small business, it also saves time and money, without forcing consumers to have to drive to your location. Selling your products and services online can also give consumers 24/7 access to your company and brand and allow effective and cheap communication between you and your customers.

Use sustainable promotional goods – While it may seem tempting to buy cheap promotional products, like plastic water bottles, the resulting waste will not help your company once the good is tossed in the trash. Instead, promote your business with products that last and don’t end up in our landfills. Mugs or reusable water bottles will last longer and are better for the environment.

Use green office products – Many companies provide sustainable office products that can be just as effective in your office as their traditional counterparts. Seek green certified to insure the products you buy are actually green.

Try reusable and recycled envelopes – There are an array of reusable envelopes that can be effective for your marketing campaigns. Recycled post consumer content envelopes are also a great option for your direct mail items.

Be mindful of your transportation – When traveling for business; use a vehicle that gets good gas mileage. Public transportation and carpooling can also be a good option for you and your employees when viable.

List your products on green websites – Websites like GreenSeal.org and Goodguide.com are good resources for your company if you sell sustainable products or if you are particularly mindful of the green movement. They give other green-minded consumers and companies access to your business.

Promote green behavior – Promoting green behavior in your customers can be as simple as giving them some incentive to adopt healthy behaviors ad habits. Coupons and savings for those who volunteer within your community is just one way to help while promoting your business.

Encourage green behavior within – While promoting sustainable habits within your circle of consumers is vital, it can be even simpler to provoke such behavior among co-workers and employees.

Use recycled goods for shipping purposes – Shredded paper that may otherwise be thrown away can be the perfect barrier for the packages you send, saving money on shipping products while eliminating waste.

Look for green methods of printing – Printing is often unavoidable but can be done is a more green way by using eco-friendly printers and products to complete in house printing. Look on the web for green certified products and companies.

List your website – While you find yourself interested in other companies who try to adopt more environmentally friendly business practices, they are also seeking to work with like companies. List your website and information on green listings, which specifically highlights other green minded businesses.

Encourage feedback – Feedback from customers and potential customers can be helpful and offer powerful insight into improvement opportunities for your business and costs nothing at all. Yelp is one example of a site where your customers can find you and review you, giving potential consumers an idea of what you are all about.

Give your customers the choice – Buying mailing lists for marketing campaigns can provide hit or miss opportunities. Instead, let consumers opt whether or not they receive offers and information from you. Less marketing materials will be wasted and you will receive more business for less money and effort.

Give back – Some business practices may be somewhat necessary yet, may not always be the healthiest for our planet. Giving back to organizations that help the environment can help offset some of the problems you may not be able to avoid as a small business. TreesForTravel.info is an example of one such charity.

 

Danny is a veteran commercial lender with over fifteen years of experience in accounts receivable funding. For more information on how to grow your business with the right funding company visit http://www.factorfunding.com.

Want to Start Making Solar Power at Home? Check out these instructions for building your own solar power. Includes videos, ebook, diagrams, and all the plans you need to get off the power grid and start saving some green while going green.

Photographer: Marcus Woelfle

Chances are if you use eyesight correction, you already have strong opinions on using contact lenses and glasses. With more of us going green, it may be time to consider the environmental impact as well. Glasses may seem like the obvious choice because they aren’t disposable, but the small size of contact lenses means there’s less total material, right?

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. It’s difficult to get an exact amount for the plastic, paper, and other materials used to make glasses and contact lenses, particularly for eyeglass frames, which can vary widely in materials and design. However, there’s enough data out there to get a rough estimate.

Plastic

The average pair of glasses lasts two years and two-and-a-half months. How your lenses are made makes a big difference in the amount of plastic used in the lenses: blanks contain 120 grams of plastic before milling, but pre-formed lenses weigh only 35 grams.

According to a study conducted by Eurolens, a one-year’s supply of contact lenses and the associated packaging creates 953 grams of plastic waste. The same study found that monthly contact lenses, their cases, and the solution over a year created 549 grams of waste. That works out to about 1.2 kg (2 lbs. 10 oz.) of plastic for monthly contacts and 2.1 kg (4 lbs. 10 oz.) of plastic for dailies during the life of a pair of eyeglasses.

To put this into perspective, the average American generates 1,600 lbs. of trash per year. Between buying and disposing of a pair of glasses, most people throw out 13.2 lbs. of trash in the form of plastic shopping bags.

CO2

10.5 lbs. of CO2 is released into the atmosphere to make one pair of eyeglass lenses while the equivalent amount of daily contact lenses comes to 231 lbs. of CO2.

What can I do to reduce my impact?

Obviously, glasses come out far ahead of contacts, and monthly contacts have a lower impact than daily disposables. However, no matter which method of eyesight correction you choose, there are ways of reducing their environmental impact.

Frameless glasses use the least material, but they don’t work for everyone. Look for frames made out of easily recyclable materials like aluminum or titanium. Avoid exotic woods and bone.

There are a number of organizations that accept old glasses that are donated to the poor; some of these will also take unused contacts. Most optician and optometrist offices will have a donation box where you can drop off these items the next time you have an appointment.

If you choose to go with contacts, try to reduce packaging as much as possible. Larger bottles of solution hold more fluid per ounce of plastic and some brands do without the box smaller bottles are packaged in. Bulk packages of lenses will also reduce packaging per lens. Although contact lenses themselves aren’t recyclable, much of the related packaging is. However, some recyclers won’t accept lens cases because they’re too small for processing.

Sara Roberts is a content contributor for Just Eyewear, an eyeglasses and prescription sunglasses retailer.

Want to Start Making Solar Power at Home? Check out these instructions for building your own solar power. Includes videos, ebook, diagrams, and all the plans you need to get off the power grid and start saving some green while going green.

The cost of motoring is going up all the time. The recent Libyan oil crisis has meant the price of fuel has continued to skyrocket, despite protests from consumers. Well fuel prices were always going to go up, it’s a finite resource. The Libyan oil crisis just gave them an extra push, or an easy excuse for the fuel companies to push their prices higher, depending on how cynical you are.

Car insurance is going up as well. In fact if you’re a woman living in the EU it might be going up by a lot, depending on the postponed ruling. Even if you’re not however, the cost of premiums are continuing to rise year on year.  
Essentially, it’s getting more and more expensive to own and drive a car. The solution which many are looking into now, is eco-friendly cars.

Eco-friendliness and fuel efficiency generally go hand-in-hand. The focus of an eco-friendly car is to use less fuel per mile where possible and to reduce the harmful carbon emissions. These cars generally have smaller engines than average as well, which should have an effect on the cost of your insurance premium.

Things are beginning to move this direction, but it isn’t necessarily always the case says onlyinsurance.com. Naturally a smaller engine will mean your car is cheaper to insure than a fuel guzzler, but finding premiums specifically for eco-friendly cars can take a bit of work. The growing consensus, onlyinsurance suggests, is that eco-friendly drivers are also more considerate with their driving and less likely to get involved in an accident. With this in mind some insurers are now offering cheaper premiums.

Don’t confuse these policies with carbon offsetting policies, which ensure a portion of the premium paid by the customer is put into carbon offsetting products. It’s possible that this could be a feature of an eco-friendly car insurance policy, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re buying a premium specifically for an eco-friendly car. Life can be so confusing at times.

Buying a fuel-efficient car doesn’t necessarily mean a Prius, if this is what’s concerning. There are a growing number of fuel-efficient models out there, which don’t immediately draw up connotations of daisy-chains and Hands Across America.

Not only that, but the Prius is quite an expensive car to buy, particularly as it’s so new. Thankfully, Webecoist have listed a number of more affordable options, which you can trade your current model in for.

So while eco-friendliness might not automatically mean cheaper car insurance, insurers are starting to treat these cars differently – it’s worth shopping around to see what kind of deals are out there. And, even if you don’t see immediate savings on your premiums, there are plenty of savings to be had on the cost of fuel.

Jennifer is a part of the digital blogging team at alwritenow.com who work with brands like LV =. For more information about me, or to keep up to date with the latest in lifestyle news, check out my posts at alwritenow.com or visit my Twitter account, @awnow

Want to Start Making Solar Power at Home? Check out these instructions for building your own solar power. Includes videos, ebook, diagrams, and all the plans you need to get off the power grid and start saving some green while going green.

The old fashioned 60 watt light bulb has bestowed light upon billions of people for more than a century. They are reliable, inexpensive, and familiar, and when they first came on the market, they were a godsend, replacing candles and dangerous kerosene lamps. But as time has moved on, these once fossil fuel-efficient bulbs have become the hare whereas Compact Flourescent Lights (CFLs) have become the tortoise of illumination. CFLs cost more up front, but the savings over time makes them a very worthwhile investment for any home owner or renter.

When evaluating the upfront cost of CFLs versus old fashioned incandescent bulbs, the older technology wins. CFLs cost $37 for a pack of six at Staples, which is $26 more than a six pack of incandescent bulbs, but over time the new technology will save you hundreds of dollars, which is why you should not wait until the old bulbs burn out to replace them as replacing them all right away will lead to more savings faster.

To calculate the savings that will be gained by using CFL bulbs, all you have to do is count the number of light bulbs in your house. If your house has 24, then the upfront loss of buying CFLs will be approximately $100 compared to opting for the cheaper product alternative. But each bulb will save about $30, creating a net benefit of roughly $620 for using them.

The numbers work like this:

Cost of 24 cheaper 60 watt incandescent bulbs: $44
Cost of 24 more expensive 13 watt CFL bulbs: $148
Cost difference between the two: $104

Savings per bulb using CFL technology: $30
Savings for using 24 light bulbs: $720
Energy savings minus cost of product difference: $616

The reason the energy cost savings is so great is because CFL bulbs emit the same amount of light using about 25% of the energy. Part of the reason for this is because incandescent bulbs burn up a lot of energy merely creating heat, which is why older bulbs get so hot and newer ones do not. With all of the heat coming off of incandescent bulbs, they also create problems for those living in hotter climates as they unintentionally compete with the air conditioner unit that is attempting to regulate the temperature in the home.

When making the choice of which light bulbs to buy it might seem expensive at the register when you are buying enough bulbs to light your entire house, but where it is expensive up front, it is much cheaper for years to come. And the money saved using newer CFL light bulbs can be applied to paying off debt (not more loans) going out on dates, making donations, or anything at all. When you use CFL bulbs, you win.

 

Firespin Jay is commineted to saving money the Eco way from simple life changes to rapid life chages check out his other stories so you can learn the green saving way. Catch up with the conversation on Twitter  @FirespinJay

Want to Start Making Solar Power at Home? Check out these instructions for building your own solar power. Includes videos, ebook, diagrams, and all the plans you need to get off the power grid and start saving some green while going green.

South Korea looks to be a prime opportunity for entrepreneurs involved in green technology. The South Korean government has announced that it plans to spend $7.18 billion over the next twenty years to build the world’s first nationwide smart grid system. This includes spending $358 million each year till 2016. South Korea has already made significant investments in green technology, so this confirms that the market is solid. One of the issues that South Korea faces is that they use a lot of electricity.

The primary way of meeting the demand for electricity is via power plants that use fossil fuels and natural gas. Even though the country has taken steps to be more “green”, they are still considered a high carbon polluter within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Part of this investment will be applied to a newly planned 2,500 megawatt offshore wind farm. The European Union is currently the world’s leader in offshore wind farm technology. Many of their wind farms are in the 300-400 MW range. So this planned wind farm is six times larger than what is commonly in current operation.

South Korea has pledged to reduce greenhouse gasses by 30% by the year 2020 and has mandated that at least 10% of its electrical power from its major power plants come from renewable sources, such as wind and solar, by the year 2022. For entrepreneurs involved in wind, solar, and battery technology, this could be a very lucrative market. Both the Samsung Group & the LG Group are already involved with this project.

The other key component of this smart grid system is the creation a revolutionary system of meters, regulators, and appliances to control the system. An efficient smart grid will contain sensors throughout the system that send information about power usage and distribution in real time to monitoring stations. This will allow the power companies to monitor and watch the areas that use the most power as well as taking appropriate action in those areas. For entrepreneurs involved in smart grid applications, this also will provide some interesting opportunities.

Other energy conservation projects that the South Korean government has been involved with include creating hydrogen generators from landfills, rooftop gardens, and utilizing electric scooters for local law enforcement. These provide hope to innovators marketing their new ideas that are on the cutting edge. With South Korea allocating billions of dollars to fund an energy revolution, opportunities abound for the savvy entrepreneur.

 

S. M. Combs blogs for residential solar energy blog, her hobby blog centered on ideas to aid home owners find solar contractors and learn how to save energy with solar power.

Want to Start Making Solar Power at Home? Check out these instructions for building your own solar power. Includes videos, ebook, diagrams, and all the plans you need to get off the power grid and start saving some green while going green.

Want to Start Making Solar Power at Home? Check out these instructions for building your own solar power. Includes videos, ebook, diagrams, and all the plans you need to get off the power grid and start saving some green while going green.