Archive for the ‘Iowa Solar Installation’ Category
Green Shopping Basics
Green Shopping Basics
Going green always starts with good intentions, but the massive amount of green terms can sometimes be overwhelming. Here’s some of the common green terms you’ll hear and what they mean.
Organic
The term organic can often be used very broadly, but typically refers to products that have only organic components, produced without pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, or fertilizers or other harmful chemicals.
Look for: USDA Certified Organic
Sustainable
Products or materials that are described as being sustainable contain materials that do not deplete the Earth of its resources and is easily replenished. There are many common types of materials that are considered sustainable:
Bamboo - Bamboo is a fast-growing and renewable resource that can be used to make fabrics, flooring, furniture and other products.
Jute – Jute is a long and shiny vegetable plant fiber that can be woven into a strong thread or twine. It is commonly used to create cloth or used within carpets, and rugs.
Hemp – Hemp is a fast-growing plant that is most commonly used for its strong fibers to create cloth used in bags and clothing. It can grow organically and also be used to create oils for cosmetic products as well as be used in food.
Sustainable Wool – There are many types of sustainable animal wools such as alpaca fibers or merino wool that can be used to create strong fibers commonly used in clothing.
Energy-Efficient
Products that are energy-efficient are design to consume less energy when operating without sacrificing performance, reducing long-term environmental and cost impacts. Energy-efficient products can range from appliances to light bulbs as well as contain different levels of efficiency.
Look for: Energy Star Qualified, EPEAT Rated
Post-Consumer Recycled
Once a product has completely served its purpose, what remains are post-consumer materials that would otherwise be disposed as waste but are instead recycled. This would include products such as old packaging, glass bottles, aluminum cans, and plastics. When you recycle from your home these products become post-consumer recycled.
How is this different vs recycled? Regular recycled materials can contain a combination of materials, often coming a scraps or other by-products as a result of manufacturing. This could include both pre-consumer and post-consumer waste.
Recyclable
A recyclable product means that it can be recycled and be used to create future products. Polypropylene #5 is a common plastic to look for in products which is one of the most easily recyclable plastics.
Look for: Polypropylene #5
Reusable
Reusable products mean that a product can be used multiple times before the product is discarded or recycled. Some common reusable products are shopping bags, water bottles and tableware.
Fair Trade
Fair Trade is a social movement that promotes certain standards of sustainability practices and empowering producers in developing nations. Fair trade supports fair prices, fair labor conditions, community development and environmental sustainability.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
VOCs are organic chemical compounds that have high vapor pressure and easily evaporate at room temperature. VOCs can be released from many household items such as paints, flooring, upholstery, and cleaners. These VOCs are not only air pollutants but have also been known to cause health effects as well.
Look for: Low-VOC, Zero-VOC
Bisphenol A (BPA)
BPA is an organic compound that is used in the creation of many plastics and resins. Most commonly you will find BPA used polycarbonate bottles. While there is some controversy about the effects of BPA, some research has raised serious health concerns about the usage of BPA.
Look for: BPA-free
Biodegradable
Biodegradable means that a substance can be naturally decomposed by biological processes. If a product is biodegradable, this means that it can be disposed of with no negative environmental impacts.
Solar-Powered
Solar powered products are powered using energy from the sun. Solar power can be used in a range of products from small household gadgets to entire home heating systems.
Now you’re ready to start shopping for green products!
To learn about more about shopping for green products, please visit the All Green Store.
Three solar models: BMW body covered with solar energy scales … Solar seems to be that anyone can make use of energy?? As long as a suitable collection of tools. But solar energy is not free, and largely by the geographical. $2 Billion to Fund Solar Power Projects in US â?? IndyPosted Keeping true to his campaign promise of providing more jobs in the green power industry, President Barack Obama has announced that almost $2bn in loan guarantees will be provided to seed two solar energy projects in the US, … How Can Solar Energy Help The World? Perhaps that question should be turned around to impart solar energy’s true significance by stating. AMERICAblog News: Obama announces $2 billion for solar energy … News and opinion about US politics from a liberal perspective. Obama Allocates $2 billion To Build Solar Plants | On Public Speaking On Saturday, President Obama announced that new solar plants will receive almost $2 billion in funding and this will generate numerous jobs and augment the country’s utilization of renewable sources of energy. …The Headlines of Aviation News
Green Cab VT News Report
It will take all of us to make a significant impact in the world against global warming. The earth is in trouble because of the pollution that we may have caused. It would seem that we are apathetic to the earth’s plea for help. Every natural disaster that is happening to the world, to us, is caused by us. We may have caused it directly or indirectly. One of the more significant effects of the damage that we have caused this planet is global warming. We may have been feeling how it is a little warmer, how the seasons are all in disarray. It is cold when it should have been hot and it is hot when it should have been cold. Typhoons are also stronger than ever before, aside from the fact that it is more frequent. And haven’t you noticed how a little rain could cause floods? Don’t you find that weird? Well, these are all the effects of global warming and we should be alarmed by it. That is why natural and environmental causes such as the earth day should be supported because aside from minimizing the use of electricity which is by the way one of the causes of global warming. It brings about social awareness to inform those who are oblivious to what is happening to the world and it re-educates those who are aware. Information is the key and it may be the cure if we do it together. Great things are going to happen. Just the recent earth day brought about great changes that will be felt by the people for generations to come. Can you just imagine the positive effects that this will bring to mankind? Earth will benefit if it continues yearly. Who knows maybe one day global warming will no longer be a problem. Cheryl Forbes owns and operates the website http://www.global-warming-statistics.org Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cheryl_Forbes
Green Cab VT News Report
Global Warming is Caused by Both Nature and Man
Helping Kids Care: Ideas For Earth Day and Beyond
Helping Kids Care: Ideas For Earth Day and Beyond
Earth Day is April 22, and while it’s important to get involved on this day, there are things we can do as families that will make a huge impact throughout the year.
It starts with helping our kids to celebrate the world in which we live, and it continues with helping them to love it so much that they want to do everything they can to help protect it. Here are six ideas to help your kids celebrate and care for our earth:
1. Get out and enjoy it. Researchers are now saying that simply getting kids outside in nature may be the most effective way to raise their awareness of environmental issues. Suddenly, these problems that they hear about on the news and in the classroom have a real impact on their daily lives. They see firsthand how a forest or a beach or a tidepool or a meadow is teeming with life, with ecological relationships that are interdependent, delicate and complex.
To encourage your kids to get out there and enjoy the natural world, you may have to purposefully inject some extra excitement in the idea, but just at first. Take your dog (or a friend’s dog) for a walk in the woods. A dog’s love for nature, and subsequent enjoyment of it, is infectious. Create a list of things to find and make your adventure into the outdoors into a scavenger hunt.
If possible, and if your kids are old enough to be by themselves out there, find a safe place for them to play in a natural environment. Allow them to go there to get away, to sit and think or to talk with their friends. Make a point to get the kids out in nature every day. Better yet, go with them.
2. Watch “An Inconvenient Truth” as a family for inspiration. Invite some of your children’s friends over to watch it with their parents and talk about some initiatives that you can each commit to or some larger projects that you can work on as a neighborhood or community.
3. Help your kids learn about endangered animals. Together, look into organizations that help endangered animals and see how you can get involved.
4. Reduce and re-use, then recycle. Lots of kids get excited about recycling. Fewer are into reducing or re-using. Model to your children a healthy pattern of consumption. Talk frequently about the many benefits (which go way beyond environmental) of living a simple life and of being wary of a lifestyle of mass consumerism. As kids spend more time outside and less time at the mall or watching television advertisements, this shift may feel increasingly more natural to them.
5. Teach your kids about potentially harmful chemicals and how they can be everywhere in our world: in the foods we eat, in the supplies we use to clean the house, in our paint, in our cosmetics, in our lawn care products. Turn the search for these things into a game and allow your kids to be detectives, learning about and seeking out these harmful chemicals and then finding natural alternatives.
6. The next time you take the kids to the grocery store, see how you can minimize the amount of packaging that you purchase. We have been known to purposefully not purchase an item because of the manufacturer’s use of wasteful packaging. It won’t take long for the kids to realize that the best item in the store for minimal packaging: raw fruits and vegetables.
In our family, the more we can make these life changes into a game, the more apt the kids are to follow suit. Help your kids to understand how one person really can make a difference (especially when that person is part of a committed family or group) and review often the personal impact that you all have made.
Jamie Jefferson writes for Momscape.com and Susies-coupons.com, where you’ll find discounts on ethically-made natural beauty products as well as coupons for green living and organic products.
the Toronto Auto Show
Water Extraction is Done in DC
Water Extraction is Done in DC
There are many beautiful and interesting sights in Washington DC, among them are the White House which has been home to every president of the United States ever since 1800; the Tidal Basin Lake famous for its abundant Japanese cherry trees that blooms in Spring; the Lincoln Memorial and Jefferson Memorial, Washington Monument, etc.
But regardless of the beautiful tourist attractions that one could go to in the State of DC, natural calamities in the form of flooding sometimes happen. And when it does, most household residents in DC do the physical cleanup by themselves without hiring water extraction professionals or experts to deal with the situation. Prior to actual removal of water and cleaning, the starting place of the water which caused the flood should be identified as soon as possible and fixed permanently to prevent it from arising all over again.
Cleaning would usually require having to remove all visible waters first by making use of a wet vacuum pump or a bucket – depending on the volume and availability of equipment. The extraction process must be done immediately or as soon as possible to avoid a higher cost of damage inflicted by the dirty waters and also to thwart of any possibility that the area becomes a source of infectious diseases due to the presence of pathogens.
When all the water has already been extracted, floor coverings should be removed immediately and disposed properly. This includes removing items which came in contact with the flood water that are very porous, because the high absorbency rate of such materials has already contaminated the item in question making it very dirty and highly infectious. No amount of cleaning or fixing could reinstate it in its previously clean state; hence replacements should be made eventually if still needed.
Brushing all affected surfaces with a soapy water solution removes the presence of dirt. Pay particular attention to dirt which is inserted within cracks on walls and floors. Rinse the entire area by using a mop and bucket or a garden hose with a spray gadget.
When the rinsing stage has already been done, disinfecting the entire place is a must to remove remaining germ and fungal spores. Remember that disinfecting does not entirely mean total sanitation but a means of making the area or place habitable again. Never mix chlorine bleach with other cleaning products that contain ammonia as this will produce poisonous gas. Before and during application of any disinfectant, make sure to open all air passage ways and vents to avoid inhaling the vapors of the disinfecting agent upon application.
After having done the disinfection phase, the whole area must be thoroughly dried out, and drying usually takes a couple of days or weeks depending on how big the place is and the weather. The re-occupation of any living space which has been previously flooded must only be done once the area is declared by a professional water extraction expert to be absolutely dry. The dryness is tested by a moisture meter which shows the amount of moisture above and below a given area.
Leo Nov is an editorial staff member of RestorationSOS. To learn more about Water Extraction visit our website. Click here for more information on Water Extraction DC.
Nanotechnology Now – Press Release: “Life of plastic solar cells …
U of A chemistry researcher David Rider says plastic solar-cell technology is a very competitive field and the accomplishment by the U of A-NINT team is quite an achievement. “Inexpensive, lightweight plastic solar-cell products, …
Goldman Sachs Says Go Long Solar Stocks
Green Chip Editor Nick Hodge reviews a recent note Goldman Sachs sent to clients about solar stocks.
Albertsons Activates Solar Panels on Three Stores · Environmental …
Albertsons announced it has activated solar rooftop power systems at three of its stores in Carlsbad, Oceanside and Alpine, California, according to a company press release.
Taiwan Company Debuts Word's First Solar Powered Soccer Ball …
Wouldn’t it be cool to watch the World Cup players kick around a solar-powered soccer ball? Even better than that, wouldn’t you like to have your very own solar powered soccer ball? Thanks to Taiwan-based company Greendix, …
Solar-powered Tuk-tuk For Bangkok
If you’ve been to Thailand before, you’ll definitely have seen those motorized rickshaws, known as tuk-tuks. While it’s a cheap and convenient way to travel, it does contribute to the pollution level in the country.
science-news,callin,opinion of Invasion Earth
Last week, we introduced you to the Resource Matrix, which is everywhere, it is all around us. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth. We showed you how economics leads to people maximizing their benefits in “win-lose” propositions: you want diamonds and gold for nothing and they want to give you useless junk for a king’s ransom. And how we’ve been hypnotized in believing what they want is also what we want. But the scales have been falling from our eyes, we’re beginning to see the truth, and the power has been shifting away from the “I want your goodies for nothing” crowd: We now realize we’re all in this together: we have greater awareness of our actions and the desire to change, and have ways to change. Hallelujah and Praise the Collective! Today, we introduce the resource called water, its parallels with fossil fuels, and its role in global warming. None of this is to dismiss or diminish the contribution of fossil fuels in global warming. Hey, just like the Special Olympics, if you participate, you get a medal. We just think that gold-medal winner Fossil Fuels has stolen the spotlight, letting silver-medalist Water Use keep us hypnotized in believing that water is a free lunch, and that nature will clear up polluted waters while getting away with breaking the rules. Water, water, everywhere, According to our friends at How Stuff Works, who I wrote about sarcastically for their oxymoronic clean coal article in discussing how true public relations stuff really works, gives us this data: Okay, so 20% of the usable water (only 0.4% of all water on Earth) is accessible, right? Well . . . no. Many of the aquifers, wells, lakes, and rivers have been sucked dry like a once-juicy fly carcass in a spider’s web. (The 18% and 1.8% you see above is like the money in the Social Security Fund: there actually is nothing there.) And many of those water sources that do still have a drop to drink are worse than the ocean’s salt water. Drink salt water and you’ll need to yawn into a bucket. Drink this water and you’ll kick the bucket. And I know you aren’t asking this burning question:
“So . . . global warming to release fresh water from ice caps and glaciers is a good thing, no?”
Percentage this, percentage that. I know I’m pulling the disgusting old government trick: drowning you in an ocean of water statistics. So let’s make it plain and simple: You bring in $10,000 a month. You’re also living high on the hog and doing your personal best to outshine every bling-bling Hip Hopster Musical Artist in materially conspicuous consumption: Aquifers and wells and lakes and rivers: Fred Pearce, author of When the Rivers Run Dry, helps us quickly understand it:
We can all save water in the home. But as laudable as it is to take a shower rather than a bath and turn off the faucet while brushing our teeth, we shouldn’t get hold of the idea that regular domestic water use is what is really emptying the world’s rivers. Manufacturing goods … consumes a certain amount, but that’s not the real story either. It is only when we add in the water needed to grow what we eat and drink that the numbers really begin to soar. (emphasis mine.) (Fred Pearce, When the Rivers Run Dry, Boston: Beacon Press, 2006. p 3)
Here are a few numbers he gives: He kindly puts water use into perspective in annual terms: —————————————– sidebar: US Beef industry’s Cattlemen’s Association: 441 gallons In an industrial beef production system, it takes an average three years before the animal is slaughtered to produce about 200 kg of boneless beef. The animal consumes nearly 1300 kg of grains (wheat, oats, barley, corn, dry peas, soybean meal and other small grains), 7200 kg of roughages (pasture, dry hay, silage and other roughages), 24 cubic meter of water for drinking and 7 cubic meter of water for servicing. This means that to produce one kilogram of boneless beef, we use about 6.5 kg of grain, 36 kg of roughages, and 155 litres of water (only for drinking and servicing). Producing the volume of feed requires about 15300 litres of water on average. —————————————– Where does all that water come from? If it comes from imported goods (Thai rice or Egyptian cotton), the water comes from those countries. When the water is collected from rivers or pumped from underground, as it is in much of the world, it’s: And when the rivers are running low, as they are more frequently, there is less water to grow anything at all. The water used in growing and producing goods around the world is known as “virtual water” and the trade of these goods is known as “virtual water transfers.” And who’s the biggest water exporting Mouseketeer of them all? The United States. When you drink coffee from Central America, you are influencing the hydrology of the region, virtually taking a share of the Costa Rican rains. The same is true within a national and regional boundaries. The Colorado River is drained so Californians can eat their Big Macs and have friends over for a Sunday afternoon barbecue. In the same way that your use of fossil fuel is measured as a “carbon footprint,” your water use, actual and through virtual water transfer, is measured as a “water footprint.” How big is my water footprint? Arjen Y. Hoekstra, professor at the University of Twente, the Netherlands, introduced the water-footprint concept in 2002. It “shows water use related to consumption within a nation, while the traditional indicator shows water use in relation to production within a nation.” (Hoekstra and Chapagain, Globalization of Water, Malden: Blackwell Publishing, 2008, p. 3) With Hoekstra and Chapagain’s water footprint calculator (waterfootprint.org), you select your country, input food, domestic water use, and industrial goods consumption, press a button, and you get your: For example, you’re in the US, eat only 1 pound of cereal a week (.4545 kg) and have a low-fat, low-sugar diet, use a low-flow showerhead, use a no-flush eco-toilet, and never run the tap while brushing your teeth. Two extremes: Three notes on the calculations, because Professor Hoekstra is European and lives in the social welfare country that started birthing hippies in Amsterdam decades before they showed up in the US at Woodstock: So how is Cinnamon’s capitalist water footprint? Answer: 650 cubic meters (172,900 gallons) I showed you mine. Now you show me yours: Get the naked truth: Calculate your waterfootprint now: Water’s running out: We return to Fred Pearce’s book to find an example, of which he has oceans: China’s Yellow River: The fifth longest in the world, it begins high in the mountains of eastern Tibet and journeys more than 3000 miles. Almost half a billion people depend on it for drinking and crop irrigation, and it’s made China the world’s largest wheat producer and second largest corn producer. Yet more than half of the lakes it feeds have disappeared over the last 20 years, and a third of pastures have turned to desert. This desertification generates huge dust storms that choke lungs in Beijing, close schools in Koreas, dust cars in Japan, and rain dust on mountains across the Pacific and Western Canada. State irrigation projects along the Yellow River soak up the majority of its water – the total official allocations are greater than the actual flow. The resulting drought could be an early warning sign of global warming. Much of the declines in moisture reaching rivers is in line with prediction of climate researchers. So how does this global warming happen? Higher air temperatures from desertification increase evaporation from oceans and intensify the water cycle. This increases atmospheric water vapor – 8 to 10% more than today. This increases global rainfall, but the rain is being redistributed: middle latitudes (read: the US) are becoming drier. Higher temperatures increase evaporation on land, meaning soil dries out faster, meaning less rainfall is reaching rivers. The higher temperatures melt glaciers and snowpacks. At first, this leads to unpredecented floods. After the glaciers disappear, meltwaters that feed rivers disappear. The combined decreasing rainfall and increasing evaporation will lower moisture by 40% in the southern and western states. The Sierra Nevada snowpack could diminish by 70 to 80 percent over the next 50 years. And some of the world’s most productive agricultural regions could dry up. Global climate is becoming more extreme: the dry areas become drier, and the wet areas become wetter. And more areas are becoming dry deserts. Loss of habitat and agricultural lands. It’s a vicious cycle. So what can you do? As Fred Pearce points out, your drinking and bathing account for 0.05% of your total water consumption. Your food and clothing weigh in at 95.00%, although I find his 12,000 gallons needed to produce a pound of burger rather wild. As Professor Arjen Y. Joekstra shows with his Water Footprint Calculator, your consumption of meats accounts for a lot, as does your guilt by association of being in an industrialized country. The obvious solution: eat fewer e-coli burgers from your neighborhood Salt and Fat Slop Bucket restaurant. The wiser solution: like your choices in energy use, become more aware of the resources needed to produce anything and the consequences. Such as luxurious cotton grown in the Egyptian desert. Next article in the water efficiency series: We continue going with the flow of water, when we show the parallel between the current hot Oil Wars and in the future cold Water Wars. And all of this is for one purpose: To help you see the Resource Matrix, everywhere, all around you. Thanks for letting us keep you updated . . . To your green, brighter future, Cinnamon Alvarez, And now I would like to offer you free access to powerful info on energy efficiency that’s easy to read and cuts through all this “green” information clutter — so you can literally start making positive changes today. You can access it now by going to: http://www.a19.com/pub/articles/ From Cinnamon Alvarez: Founder, A19 — woman-owned green manufacturer of hand-made ceramic lighting fixtures
science-news,callin,opinion of Invasion Earth
Water Efficiency – The Resource Matrix Part 2 of 4 – Water’s Role in Global Warming
not a drop to drink.
Talk my language, will you?
Dry or polluted, oh my!
How Many Gallons to Produce One Pound of Beef?
Lies, damned lies, and statistics
Fred Pearce: 12,000 gallons
Water Footprint Network: 1854 gallons (calculations: 15500 litres of water per kg; 4079 gallons per kg; 1854 gallons per pound)
From virtually everywhere
I’ll show you mine if you show me yours
I get the fossil fuel analogy so far.
And what about climate change?
Navigating through the Resource Matrix
How an illiterate, lice-infested, foul-mouthed
peasant on some other side of the globe affects you
A19
Green Tip – Buy Used
Green Tip – Buy Used
A lot goes into making new products; energy, fuel, non organic materials and more. If we buy more items used, we will use less of the things that contribute to hurting God’s planet. Plus, we are being good stewards by making the most of everything we buy and use!
Some things we can buy used:
* movies. what’s the difference, really. used is cheaper, the same and better for the planet.
* music. see above.
* clothes. thrift stores can save you tons of money as well.
* books. buy them used or go to the library.
* cars. how used is up to you.
* furniture and appliances. garage sales and eBay are great places to start.
* homes. old houses are cool anyway.
* household items. there are many items you can pick up at a local good will or garage sale that are just as nice as going to the store and buying new.
* electronics. just be careful and always try it our before you buy.
* bikes. have you ever seen the price tag for a new bike recently. yikes! buy used and ride the bike as often as you can instead of driving. Double green for your trouble! lol.
* video games and systems. places like game stop are great. you can buy used, beat the game and then trade it in for another used game. too cool, right?
* toys. obviously clean and good condition are key here. if you look you can find some goodies. i have found a lot of cute items that my kids love.
As you can see, there are many ways we can help contribute to being good stewards of God’s planet. Including, buying used and spending our money wisely!
Copyright © Green Christian Network, All Rights Reserved
About the Author: Cindy Taylor is a Christian stay at home Mom who love the Lord and cares about God’s planet. You can see her passion and writing at her website, Green Christian Network (http://greenchristiannetwork.com).
re:focus house at the solar decathlon re:focus house at the solar decathlon ‘re:focus house’ by the university of florida in madrid, spain image courtesy of the university of florida the team from the university of florida has completed the build of the ‘re: focus house’ as … Preview: Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom #1 – Comic Book Resources Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom #1 is but the first act in an explosive program that will also see Shooter reimagine Magnus, Robot Fighter and Turok, Son of Stone for the twenty first century! * Jim Shooter (former Valiant Comics editor … Solar Camera Strap Lets You Charge Your Gear On The Move – Ecofriend Eco Factor: Camera strap equipped with thin film solar panels. The recent advancements in solar panel technology have made it possible to… in madrid, spain as their official entry into the first european solar decathlon. luukku, which means ‘an opening’, ‘a hatch’ or, colloquially, ‘a residence’ in finnish, is inspired by the tradition of summerhouses in finland, … NewNet News – Solar company Ingenero to install largest … NewNet News – Solar company Ingenero to install largest photovoltaic array in Australia.Green Technology - Bloomberg
Becoming Energy Efficient to Save the Planet
Becoming Energy Efficient to Save the Planet
Save the planet! As Earth Day approaches April 22, what are you doing to get ready? Earth day is an event that started to bring attention to our environment. How we handle our garbage reflects our environment. Here are three tips to help save our environment.
- First, recycle. Recycling is taking some of our garbage and reusing it, directly or indirectly. To recycle a water bottle, you may reuse it again and again. But for gallon milk jugs or 2 liter soft drink bottles, you may opt to collect them and bring them to a recycling center. The recycling center will forward them on to a company that will melt them down and reprocess them.
- Second, shop efficiently. Try using what your Grandma used when she cleaned her house. Try using vinegar and baking soda. There are lots of sites that recommend natural cleaning products instead of chemicals. Also, buy those products in bulk. It reduces packaging which ends up in our garbage dumps and it may be cheaper, the more you buy, the cheaper it is.
- Third, conservation. Since I already have compact fluorescent light(CFL) bulbs installed, turning off the lights when I leave is the next best thing. My Mom always told me to turn off lights when I leave a room. She was right. Using more electricity only raises your electric bill. It will also increase your carbon footprint.
Education is a goal of Earth Day. Educating everyone from adults to children can get involved. Challenge your kids to come up with projects to bring attention to our environment. When we teach our next generation, we are saving our planet. But first, we must start ourselves. Be a steward of what God gave you. Become energy efficient by recycling and conservation. Our planet is worth it.
And now I would like to invite you to join me in learning energy saving tips you can do yourself to decrease your electric bill at http://energyconsciousconsultant.com Energy conservation should be out goal.
Giant solar plant planned for the Sahara, to power Europe …
In fact, a massive solar farm is planned to be constructed in the Sahara, and should be finished sometime in the next five years. It is slated to go until 2050, with a small portion of energy going to European nations, and then increase …
SunPower claims new solar cell efficiency record of 24.2 percent
SunPower Corp. has announced a new world record solar cell efficiency of 24.2 percent on a full-scale prototype cell.
Quantum dots for highly efficient solar cells – physicsworld.com
Current efficiency limits of 30% could be vastly improved by capturing ‘hot electrons’
New Breakthrough Increases Solar Cell Conversion Efficiency to 66%
New Breakthrough Increases Solar Cell Conversion Efficiency to 66%
SunPower breaks world record for solar cell efficiency – SmartPlanet
Silicon Valley-based solar panel manufacturer SunPower announced on Wednesday that it has manufactured a full-scale solar cell with a sunlight to elec.
Buy Used: Green Tip
Buy Used: Green Tip
A lot goes into making new products; energy, fuel, non organic materials and more. If we buy more items used, we will use less of the things that contribute to hurting God’s planet. Plus, we are being good stewards by making the most of everything we buy and use!
Some things we can buy used:
* movies. what’s the difference, really. used is cheaper, the same and better for the planet.
* music. see above.
* clothes. thrift stores can save you tons of money as well.
* books. buy them used or go to the library.
* cars. how used is up to you.
* furniture and appliances. garage sales and eBay are great places to start.
* homes. old houses are cool anyway.
* household items. there are many items you can pick up at a local good will or garage sale that are just as nice as going to the store and buying new.
* electronics. just be careful and always try it our before you buy.
* bikes. have you ever seen the price tag for a new bike recently. yikes! buy used and ride the bike as often as you can instead of driving. Double green for your trouble! lol.
* video games and systems. places like game stop are great. you can buy used, beat the game and then trade it in for another used game. too cool, right?
* toys. obviously clean and good condition are key here. if you look you can find some goodies. i have found a lot of cute items that my kids love.
As you can see, there are many ways we can help contribute to being good stewards of God’s planet. Including, buying used and spending our money wisely!
Copyright © Green Christian Network, All Rights Reserved
About the Author: Cindy Taylor is a Christian stay at home Mom who love the Lord and cares about God’s planet. You can see her passion and writing at her website, Green Christian Network (http://greenchristiannetwork.com).
Detroit Auto Show, WTOL News
Global Warming – Are We to Blame?
Global Warming – Are We to Blame?
Global warming is one of those topics that I still find myself wondering what to truly believe. Is our CO2 production really the culprit in the warming of the planet? Or are there some other larger influences at play here. I have a hard time believing mankind’s activities are solely to blame for any kind of climate change.
After all, CO2 is only one of many greenhouse gases that can affect the warming trend. Water vapor is by far the most abundant and effective at influencing the greenhouse problem. But I don’t see any kind of public concern over evaporation of water in any way at all. Okay, I realize that there is little or even nothing that can be done about that but the point is CO2 is just a tiny fraction of the greenhouse gases affecting our climate. So if water vapor is by far the largest greenhouse gas then why are we so obsessed by manmade CO2? Mankind’s ego.
We see a small trend in the planets temperature rising and of course we assume it must be what we are doing. I am truly pleased to see that we are taking an interest in reducing pollution from cars and industry but I really have my doubts about the connection to global warming at least in the significant way the media would like us to believe.
The media is sounding the alarm bell which of course sells more newspapers than reporting the less extreme predictions surrounding the warming trend. The weather models produced by scientists predict a reduction in the temperature differences between the poles and the equatorial regions. This will in fact reduce the number of violent tropical storms, as there will be less of a temperature discrepancy to stimulate them. Also the warming of the regions closer to the poles will allow agricultural pursuits in areas where it was not possible before. Food production would be able to rise accordingly. The alarmist media isn’t interested in those types of stories it seems.
The change in the world’s temperature is just that, change. There is irrefutable evidence that the temperature of the planet has and most likely will always be changing regardless of what we are doing. What are we so afraid of? Do the alarmists doubt mankind’s ability to adapt and cope with a few degrees of temperature change or even sea levels rising a meter or so? There will doubtless be hardships and even some displaced people in some regions but man has the ability to adapt and change. We have demonstrated this through the ages. I am confident that we will not only survive these changes but also learn to use them to our advantage.
I live in Canada and if you ask anyone living north of the temperate zone about rising temperatures the resounding response would be “bring it on, we could use a little global warming around here”. Life will improve greatly for huge numbers of the world’s population with a couple of degrees increase in the planet’s temperature. Migration to areas that were before considered uninhabitable by most will have a more moderate climate allowing for farming and other activities. You can’t sell newspapers with stories like that.
The scientific data indicates that 1998 was the warmest year on record. The planet has been cooling ever since. A quote from Dr. Oleg Sorokhtin of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences “The earth is at the peak of one of its passing warm spells, It’ll start getting cold by 2012, and really, really cold around 2041″. So who are we to believe? A respected scientist or Al Gore who has made millions from his crusade for the planet and his questionable agenda and phony pseudo science.
If the planet is warming I can honestly say I hope so. We will get by and probably do well in the process. What really concerns me is the muzzling of real science in the debate. An objective media would go a long way in helping us all deal with the facts as they truly are. Focusing on the alarmist perspective only causes undue fear where none is warranted.
Is driving our SUV’s and minivans really the problem here? Or is our planet just going through another climate cycle like it has done so many times before? The only thing I know for sure is I can’t count on the media to provide the answers.
I recently produced the feature film The Harvest Project. Find out more and view the trailer at http://www.theharvestprojectmovie.com The movie is also available for sale at http://www.filmannex.com/search/searchkey/harvest%20project You can contact me at doug_king@shaw.ca
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Fort Cherry Schools of Technology Dir.
How to Address Contaminated Land Issues
How to Address Contaminated Land Issues
Under the relevant European Directives, an Environmental Statement is the formal product of an Environmental Impact Assessment. Environmental Statements are often organised in a way that describes the environmental baseline, mitigation and effects for each type of environmental receptors: ecology, water resources, archaeological resources, human beings etcetera. Contaminated land is often managed in the same ways as the various environmental receptor groups, although it is principally a cause of impacts rather than a receptor. It also often refers to a pre-existing condition and its damaging effect is on a variety of different receptors such as human health, structures and buildings, surface water features, groundwater features and ecology. This often means that land contamination specialists struggle with integrating the issue in a logical manner in an Environmental Statement. Sticking to the structured approach of an environmental statement is essential to ensure a clear description of the existing environmental condition, the potential impacts and the actions taken to avoid, minimise, offset or manage the impacts. This article is based on UK practice and legislation, although fundamentally the issues should be similar within other contexts.
Contaminated land is in many countries considered on a source-pathway-receptor basis. This is important to understand the impact land development can have on the issue of contaminated land. Development can interfere with any of these three elements. It can introduce sensitive receptors by changing the use of land, for instance by building new residential units on a site that was previously used for heavy industry. New pathways linking pre-existing contamination with an existing receptor can be formed, for instance when piling through a non-permeable layer connecting a layer of contaminated soils with a deep aquifer. Finally by introducing pollutants on the site a development project can introduce a potential source of contamination.
The second element to consider is the structured approach of an environmental statement. Apart from the introductory and procedural elements described in the environmental statement, a good environmental statement comprised the following sections:
- environmental baseline conditions
- potential environmental impacts
- mitigating measures
- residual environmental impacts
There should be a logical relation between the different sections. Any receptor that is affected and described in the section about the potential impacts and effects should have been introduced in the section describing the baseline. Any material impact should be assigned a mitigation or management action etc. Implementing this structure allows a clear description and understanding of the environmental impacts and the way it will be managed.
Applying these principles to contaminated land will result in a baseline condition section that describes the current sensitive receptors that are present within the potential sphere of influence of the development, the sensitivity and importance of these receptors, the presence of any pre-existing contamination and the presence of actual and potential pathways. The next section, potential environmental impacts or effects, first considers the impacts that the development will have in terms of the introduction (or removal) of sensitive receptors and the creation of new pathways between existing and potential pollution sources and receptors. In addition this section will describe the potential environmental impacts that are associated with the introduction of new sources of contamination. In the third section, mitigating measures, a description of the actions to mitigate each of the impacts that may occur should be provided. Finally a statement of the residual impact of the development is provided in the last section: residual environmental impacts.
Paul Giesberg is an environmental consultant with a special interest in environmental impact assessment and sustainability in land use development.
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