Reasons for Going Green – Use Solar Power to Save the Environment

Solar energy and going green are constant topics of discussion. Trying to live in an environmentally friendly manner has now become an important matter. Being energy efficient is one way that you can help and can also help you save a lot of money.

– Save money – solar power will save money you normally spend on electricity.
– Increase in home value – an installed solar power system at home can increase the value of your home and save more than the cost of the system itself.
– An investment – a conservative investment such as this could provide higher returns than your other investments.
– Protect the environment – use of solar power cuts down on ‘brown power’ produced by companies, meaning fewer emissions, less pollution and a cleaner environment.
– Increase national security – the United States is increasingly more reliant on foreign energy sources. Use of solar power can reduce this dependency and costs as well.
– Money and jobs at home – support renewable energy in the US to improve the economy. A consulting firm states that almost half a million permanent jobs and $232 billion could be supported by the solar power industry alone.
– Reduce dependency on power grid – 67% of energy in fossil fuels is lost when converted to electricity, while 9-10% is lost as heat when transported to your home.
– Solar tax credits – state and federal solar tax credits can reduce the cost of solar power systems for homes considerably.
– Affordable and better technology – companies and governments are innovating new ways for homeowners to go solar. This includes solar loans, home solar services and solar leases.

Harness Home Solar Power for a Better Environment

More people are turning to solar energy due to the rising cost of oil in the world market, leading to gas heating becoming more and more expensive. Most people associate solar energy with harnessing power from the sun to generate electricity to run appliances. This is just one aspect of it. The concept of solar energy encompasses so much more. While it can product direct heat for homes, it can also provide natural light.

Global environmental issues such as carbon emissions and the fear of global warming have led to companies creating new solar technologies for home use. Solar panels are still the most common method for utilizing the sun’s energy. Composed of a number of smaller solar cells interconnected on a grid, they pull in power from the sun to create the necessary energy needed to provide the daily needs of a modern house.

Solar power at home can be used for a number of purposes like heating up you pool, domestic hot water, providing power and a few others that can save on significant expenses you would otherwise have to make. Remember to obtain professional advice.

” Domestic Water Heating: solar energy for providing domestic hot water is a cost effective way of using solar energy at home.
” Other options: solar energy can also be used to provide an electric current for a cattle fence or even a simple security system. These self contained systems keep the battery charged as well.

Solar energy has its advantages as well as disadvantages. However, keep in mind that the high costs will be one-time costs, and it is important to look ahead towards future savings.

The Environment – Thinking Globally and Acting Locally

“Think globally and act locally” urges individual to take think about the health of the entire planet and take action in their own communities. The thinking behind this is that if enough people do it, it will become a global phenomenon.

The WWF states that the world needs to apply six solutions when it comes to energy. These six elements include improving energy efficiency, developing alternative fuels, developing low emission technologies, replacing high carbon coal power, equipping fossil fuel plants with carbon capture and storage technologies and stopping forest loss. These are all global issues. Therefore for an example one could start planting more trees in order to reduce forest loss, start using alternative energy sources like solar power in their homes or community to improve energy efficiency, switching off appliances that are not being used also, to achieve more energy efficiency etc. By taking global concepts and implementing them at your own home, you are thinking globally and acting locally.

As suggested above, your own home is a great place to start. Some ways you can save energy include powering off all appliances such as your television, home theater system, phone charger, radio, microwave oven etc. It is said that appliances that are on standby can use 80% power. You could also collect and use rainwater, install solar panels to power items such as lights and fans. Besides using solar power will be cost effective to you in the long term.

Recycling Used Books

Parting with books is incredibly hard. However, when you consider the fact that only twenty-four books are produced for every tree felled, passing on books to other people does make sense. When you do make up your mind to put away books you no longer need, these tips could help make the exercise fun and rewarding:

” Donate your books to the local library or your school library. It is a comforting fact knowing that your old books will be read by hundreds of people who will appreciate them.
” Throw a book-swap party. These parties can be loads of fun, especially if you throw in some wine and cheese. Invite friends and family.
” Make some money off your old books. Second-hand bookshops will buy your old books. You could even try putting them up for sale online. This could be a good way of making a bit of money, which you could then spend on a ‘book-shopping-spree’.
” Swap books online. There are many websites that offer book-swapping mechanisms. This is a great way to read those books you’ve never been able to get your hands on or are too expensive.
” Share the love. Local hospitals would welcome your old books with open arms for their patients’ reading pleasure.
” Save the environment. Sell your books on environment websites that donate money to environmental trusts for every book sold.
” Let your book travel. BookCrossing is one way you can do this, by leaving your book at a bus stop, restaurant or hotel for a new reader. You can tag your books with a unique code to track their travels around the world.

Electric Bikes Help the Environment and Your Pocket

One of the primary sources of air pollution in the United States is gas-powered cars. China and Japan adopted the use of electric bicycles early on to counter such pollution, while Western markets were sceptical about such choices. However, it didn’t take that long for European nations to pick out these eco-friendly bikes, while the market in the US is now slowing improving.

With the increase of global oil prices, the choice of an electric bike is more cost effective. Besides the cost factor attributing to its popularity, these bikes offer reduced usage of gasoline, cheap purchase prices and faster riding speeds. Switching to an electric bicycle can help save costs, while riding an electric bike to work beats cycling twenty miles or so. Using a car for recurrent trips between home and office, to run errands, commute between your home and then town isn’t always possible if you are forced to be cost conscious, especially in present economic conditions. If you are environmentally conscious, then this is the perfect ‘painless’ purchase to make.

With the recent trend to ‘Go Green’, the electric bicycle could potentially be huge in the United States. if stores near you don’t offer electric bikes, they can be easily purchased online and shipped to your address. Offering eco friendliness and cost efficiency, the electric bike takes out the effort of pedalling mile after mile. Get yourself an electric bike, save up some money, save precious time spent on the road and most importantly help save the environment.

Waste Recycling Does Actually Help the Environment!

Recycling is much talked about in many forums these days. Countries around the world have taken measures to ensure materials such as paper, metals and glass are reused and recycled. While such recycling is important towards the conservation of the environment, it helps to save on resources as well. The process of recycling also reduces pollution and waste generation. Here’s how waste recycling helps the environment:

” Reduces the use of non-renewable resources – like petroleum. Such materials act as raw materials in the production of several items. Materials like petroleum take years to be formed, and there is a need reduce their usage.
” Reduces landfills – waste pileups lead to landfills, making it not just a sore sight but a definite threat to the environment. To prevent such hazards, landfills are generally sealed, inhibiting the degradation process. Recycling reduces the load on landfills.
” Reduces pollution – the production and refining process of glass and metals releases a lot of smoke and harmful carbon dioxide into the environment. Recycling reduces the levels of pollution. Dumping items like batteries, cell phones, electronic devices and computers containing lead – which then leaks into the soil and water resources, damaging flora and fauna, animals and even humans. Landfills breed pests such as mosquitoes and rats responsible for harmful diseases.
” Helps protect nature – constant use of raw materials used for paper, fuel and the like disrupts the balance in the environment, destroying natural habitats and leading to the extinction of plants and animals.

Practice recycling and reuse at home. It is the best place to start saving the environment.

Eco Homes – Reduce Your Impact on Our Environment

Climate change and environmental effects are much talked about topics today. We hear of carbon footprints, greenhouse gases and carbon offsetting all the time. The question is what can you do to help? The best place to start would be right at home.

Start off with the easy things. It doesn’t have to involve drastic changes. They are as simple as:

– Walking to the local grocery
– Turn off lights
– Wash clothes at low temperatures
– Turn appliances off, not on standby
– Call instead of sending cards
– Use material you have at home instead of buying wrapping paper
– Take your own bags when going out shopping

You can even consider turning your house into a power station. Ingenious ways to conserve energy include using resources such as wind power, solar power, rain water harvesting, a ground source heat pump and insulation, to name a few.

Soon, governments will force you to reduce your carbon footprint, introducing environmental policies. One such Carbon Credit Scheme rewards those using less carbon and penalizing households with low energy efficiency. Poor eco homes ratings could also make your house re-sale value fairly low.

In Scotland and England, an eco homes assessment gives new houses a rating based on their environmental impact. The criteria for the assessment include internal factors as well as any potential external factors as well. Categories that are assessed include: energy, transport, pollution, materials, water, land use, ecology, health and wellbeing and management.

Recycling – Fitting a Recycled Kitchen Was Easier Than I Thought

There has been a lot of buzz created in recent times regarding the welfare of the environment and one of the simplest ways people can contribute is by recycling. I’ve learned that recycling goes beyond sorting out the trash and putting them in to the different containers to that they can be recycled. Therefore when remodeling my kitchen, I decided to include a recycled kitchen.

The toughest part is to find recycled kitchens. Therefore first call the local building firms to see if they have any old kitchens that they may be willing to part with. I noticed that the building companies were more than helpful to get rid of the old kitchens. However, most of the time the kitchens were either torn out or made of Formica or Chipboard. Luckily for me, I checked out the builders who work on the more wealthy and affluent homes and I came across a wonderful, hand-made, solid wood kitchen that the owners were more than happy to part with. After sanding and polishing the cupboards they were good as new.

This is an easy way to save money on a new kitchen. Some of these kitchens are barely used and ideal for use as a recycled kitchen. You can also check with your local builders for almost new kitchen sinks, taps and other peripherals you may require. Fitting a recycled kitchen isn’t half as hard as it seems. You just need to look in the right places.