Green

Go Green: 6 Ways to Be a Greener Student

Being an environmentally friendly student is important, especially as high school and college set the pattern on how you go about the rest of your life. Here are some simple steps that you can incorporate to give back to the environment.

1. Cycle to University – Instead of taking the car to your lectures, buy a bike and cycle to university. This will save you fuel and can be a great way to burn a few extra calories.

2. Buy organic items – Instead of shopping at your local supermarket for groceries, visit an organic store. Organic produce are healthier to eat and are a great way to be eco friendly. You will find that prices for organic food have fallen in the recent years making such
produce more affordable.

3. Conserve energy – This can be as easy as switching off unused lights or turning off your tap when soaping dirty dishes. You will find that these little changes will make a difference on your monthly bills.

4. Buy energy saving products – By using energy efficient appliances in your student apartment or dorm you would be using less energy. For example, energy efficient lightbulbs last longer and use much less electricity than regular lightbulbs.

5. Recycle – By recycling bottles, cans, magazines can be an excellent way to be greener.

6. More involvement – Speak to your university’s student association and join their environmental programs or just start your own. It can be a great way to meet new people and be eco friendly.

5 Ways to Make Halloween green

Make next Halloween more environmentally friendly. It can be as easy as following a few simple steps:

1. Make your own costumes
Instead of buying your costumes online or from your local costume store try making them. Store-bought costumes consist of synthetic fabrics that are harmful for the environment and most often are uncomfortable to wear and look cheap and tacky. Try using fabrics around the house to create a unique costume that is environmentally friendly.

2. Give organic candy
By giving organic candy out as treats, your kids and their friends would be eating more healthy treats that are eco friendly. Buy the organic candy from your local organic or natural food store.

3. Walk
Instead of driving your kids around trick or treating, ask them to walk or better yet walk with them if you feel that it would be safer. This would save you fuel and provide you with an opportunity to increase your involvement, while being environmentally friendly.

4. Organise greener parties.
When planning Halloween parties make sure you use recycled cups, plates, hats, masks. Also, try to avoid the use of plastics and other synthetic items that are harmful for the environment. Also, to recycle the used costumes, remember to dispose of the items responsibly.

5. Tell your community
By letting your neighbors and other community members know about how and why it is important to be eco friendly, it can help others learn to be environmentally conscious. Start by telling your friends about your attitude towards the environment and encourage them to follow suit.

Energy Star Program Not So Reliable Anymore?

The energy star program exists to make the public aware of the energy use of appliances and provide a means to reduce that usage. The label also works as a marketing tool, which highlights to consumers the difference between one product and its competitor products. Products with the energy star label are more expensive, but are cheaper to use over a long-term. The products under this label include energy efficient appliances, efficient insulation and improved building designs that use natural light.

The latest report published in the New York Times states that bad implementation is to blame for complaints about the misrepresentation of the energy use on some appliances. The report also mentioned the reason some appliances were not energy efficient was because some products with the label were not tested for compliance prior to being granted the energy star classification.

The department of energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have now decided to set new standards that would help to increase the credibility of the label. But congressed passed legislation that gives total responsibility of the program to the DOE. This will have implications on the DOE’s and EPA’s budget and staffing needs.

These latest reports can have an impact on the trust that consumers place on the label, which can have an impact on sales.

Green and Natural Carpeting Cleaning Methods

Chemical carpet cleaning agents can leave behind harmful chemicals that can cause many rashes and allergic reactions that can specially affect children and older adults. Many environmentally friendly products are available in the market today, which work as well as or better than chemical cleaners.

An effective environmentally friendly cleaner currently in the market called Ecomist, works to remove stains and does not leave any harmful residue on your carpet. You can buy these products from your natural goods store or from a store online. Be sure you experiment with a couple of brands before you settle, as some brands are more effective at removing tough stains than others.

When doing your yearly carpet clean, you can consider cleaning companies that specialize in natural ingredients. If you opt for renting cleaning equipment, clean the chambers of any used agents.

For those on a budget, there are natural agents that are good for carpet cleaning. Vinegar and water is an excellent ingredient for removing fresh stains, just use the mixture and rub the stain with a clean cloth. A baking soda paste is an inexpensive ingredient and works well on older stains. For best results leave the paste on the stain for a few minutes and then removed using a cloth.

By opting for natural carpet cleaning agents, you should be able to create a safer allergy free environment for your family and at the same time be more environmentally friendly.

Home-grown Organic Eggs

If you live an organic lifestyle, you will know how important it is to know where your food comes from. You can start right at home with your own hens in your backyard. This is far more advantageous compared to the carton of eggs you purchase at the supermarket. While most supermarkets carry quite a number of organic products, the term ‘certified organic’ can still be very confusing due to differing state regulations and industries. Here are some of the advantages of having home-grown eggs.

1. What can be more rewarding than eating an egg you just collected from your own hens?

2. Since they are your own hens, you know exactly what you are eating since you feed them yourself.

3. If you do not buy local organic eggs, remember, there is the carbon footprint from shipping and transportation to take into account.

4. Having chickens at home are great ways of communicating the value of responsibility and informed food choices with your children.

5. Raising chickens at home ensures they are happy and do not live in tiny, claustrophobic cages nor have their beaks cut off. You know very well that they are not given any medication, thus
ensuring your food is absolutely organic.Apart from these fabulous reasons, there are still a few things you must take into consideration. You must consider the time you will need to spend, and the money, convenience and of course city regulations.

If you decide to raise healthy, backyard chickens, get your children to help you. Perhaps they might even help you with the necessary research on chicken breeds and coops.

Food Waste

We do this every day and yet it is almost as if it does not affect us in any way. Wasting food is not negligible as it brings with it many environmental and sociological issues. It is something we cannot simply ignore and it is important that we change the way we live and try to do it more sustainably.

Scary Facts
You might not notice it happening, but it does, all the time. Food wastage is highest at places like restaurants, as people leave food on their plates, and restaurants themselves throw away food that is not utilized that day.

The USDA figures state that approximately 1/5 of America’s food ends up as waste every single year. This is equal to 130 pounds of food per person, amounting to a loss of $31 billion. The EPA meanwhile estimates that 12.5% of all solid waste is from food scraps. Not only is this waste dangerous, in landfills it generates very dangerous methane gas which is more potent than carbon dioxide.

The Biggest Culprits
Pointing fingers at any single party is tough in this case. Food wastage is caused by everyone from commercial and retail food companies to individual homes as well. Food is also lost during transportation due to incorrect storage, imperfect foods and even corporate policies.

No So Perfect
People are obsessed with things that look perfect. The same applies to food. The food industry also adopts this science and discards large amounts of food, especially fruits and vegetables for this exact reason.

What to do?
Reducing food waste is possible. First, try to buy local produce. When shopping for food, plan wisely; when ordering food, order appropriately.

Green Technology, Climate Change, and the U.S. and China

The US and China are linked through climate change to a greater extent than most people think. This is due to the fact that the two countries combined contribute to over 40% of global greenhouse emissions. Orville Schell of the Center on U.S.-China Relations at New York’s Asia Society warned that relations between these two countries are at great risk of being derailed by the US congress. This could impact the United States’ edge on green technology, carbon sequestration, electric vehicles and even alternative energy. “The biggest roadblock to closer relations between the U.S. and China is the U.S. Congress. China because of its authoritarian government can both form, plan, and effect policy much more readily than the United States can. With Obama and his people-perhaps we’ve never had a more brilliant group-but they could run right into Congress,” he said.

Schell also warned that US fears of losing proprietary technology could ultimately end up damaging the future of American Technology. “When it comes to building the green economy, the U.S. is paralyzed by a fear that our intellectual property will be stolen. But what instead may actually happen is that we will miss the chance to take it to China-and eventually they will get it from somewhere else.” Schell also cited the fact that China is moving rapidly in terms of climate change. He went on to point out that they have already installed electric vehicles in their major city’s public transportation systems. Pointing out that China is also a leader in wind turbine production and photovoltaic cells he said “the opportunity now is to collaborate.”

Almost Half of Americans Would Buy Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles

A recent study by Pike Research says that 48% of Americans would purchase a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) with a 40 mile charge. Interestingly, the results revealed that only a mere 8 percent of the surveyed persons were uninterested in the purchase of a PHEV. The PHEVs promise dramatic improvements in fuel economy and come from the convergence of two technologies: HEVs and lithium ion batteries.

The report analyzed the emerging plug-in hybrid electric vehicle market focusing on business issues and demand drivers, technology issues, relevant infrastructure, regulatory standard, government incentives and also assessed PHEV programmes. The development of PHEVs is largely due to government incentives and an increasing consumer demand. In the US, improved fuel economy is largely encouraged, while Europe charges high fuel taxes and has imposed limits on vehicle emissions.

Pike Research’s report says that by 2015, the US would be the largest market for HEVs and PHEVs, and estimates sales of 640,000 vehicles of both categories. China is in an estimated second place, with over 500,000 hybrid vehicles to be sold that very year. Pike Research also anticipates that by 2015, a total of 1.7 million PHEVs will be on roads worldwide.

In August 2008, US President, Barack Obama kicked off an ‘energy week’ talking of dramatic auto technology proposals, saying he hoped to see one million PHEVs and HEVs by 2015, which is a long shot from Pike’s estimations. Obama’s proposals included the following:

– $4 billion in tax credits to American automakers to retool plants for the production of plug-in hybrid cars capable of 150 miles to the gallon

– $7,000 tax credit for consumers purchasing early model plug-in vehicles

– 50% of all cars purchased by the federal government would be plug-in hybrids or all-electric by 2012

Driving Force: Harvesting Kinetic Energy from Passing Cars

Innovators restlessly think up new and ‘greener’ ways to harness power to fuel our world. The push to make and use greener energy sources is larger than ever, and is focused on thermal, hydroelectric, solar and wind power. Sainsbury, a UK grocery chain to fuel checkout, uses kinetic power from their parking lots.

The new location which opened in Gloucester in June 2009 was installed with a number of kinetic energy plates in their parking lot. This means, that every single time a car drives over the plates the motion creates energy. This energy is stored and thus provides power to the fuel checkout stands. Grocery chain sources say the plates are capable of supplying 30kWh of energy per hour. Keep in mind, that this kind of kinetic-energy collecting does not come free; yes, it does mean the car uses up more fuel at each bump, which of course is a small amount. This though is not negligible as most cars still use eco-unfriendly fossil fuels – making each trip to this location a little taxing on the environment. However, making the assumption that the plates are used in place of speed bumps which are quite frequently found in supermarket parking lots, then, the amount of energy used up by the car is almost the same.

Kinetic energy plates is just one way Sainsbury’s is using greener energy sources. The Gloucester Quays location has a rainwater collection system which it uses to flush its toilets, the store has large windows to let in natural light, reducing dependency on artificial lighting and also uses solar thermal panels to heat the store’s water during the summer.

San Francisco Gets Smart with Green Technology

Walk down Pier 96 on San Francisco Bay, and you will hear the roar of a great, big, smelly machine. No matter how odd it looks, it organizes close to 750 tons of waste every day, turning them into neat cubes of plastic, paper and metal. This is part of San Francisco’s efforts to use technology and ingenuity to turn the city into one of America’s greenest. This is a move adopted by most innovative companies as well: cut costs, solve problems and improve customers/citizens lives.

Branded as ‘smart cities’ – communities such as this embrace technology in a bid towards achieving efficiency in mobility, construction, energy and transportation via the use of digital or green technology. One such ‘smart city’ is Stockholm, which uses sensors, software and computer networks to monitor peak traffic periods. Another is Shanghai which has the world’s first low-pollution magnetic railway. It transports passengers at more than 100mph. Massachusetts has plans to install 300 wind turbines in its towns and cities.

The use of technology in San Francisco is mainly to address environmental issues. Other initiatives include: low carbon emission busses tracked by a GPS system, the bus wirelessly feeds data to a central computer. Software sends estimated bus arrival times to low-power LED displays at a handful of solar-power bus stops. Emails can be checked at bus stops using free Wi-Fi. Apple iPhone users can obtain information on the closest recycling or trash disposal facility, using a specially built application. San Francisco has extremely tough regulations for recycling, including fines for non-recyclers which rakes in a recycling rate of 72%. The city also will soon introduce smart cars, scooters and motorize bicycles.

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