How to Make Your Car Greener
How to Make Your Car Greener
Green living doesn’t mean you have to give up your car. While walking or using public transportation are likely the greenest options, there are many things you can do to lessen the environmental impact of your automobile. Here are a few ideas for making your car greener.
– Choose a fuel-efficient car. Small cars use much less fuel than big ones. Also, newer cars are usually more fuel-efficient than older models. Of course, a hybrid or full-electric car will be even better for the environment.
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Woodworking Moisture Meters Overview
Woodworking Moisture Meters Overview
Most lumber is dried before being sold at a lumber yard. The amount of water within rough timber varies by species and region, but a raw moisture content of 80 percent or higher is not uncommon in newly cut logs. For general use, moisture content is not a critical issue and has a wide acceptable range.
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New Eco-Adventure ZipLine In Branson, Missouri
Branson has always been one of my favorite family friendly vacation destinations, but now there is a new reason to go to Branson. They are starting zipline and canopy tours there, just like in Costa Rica!
Here’s the scoop:
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Space Solar Power by 2016?
As far as alternative energy sources go, solar power has always been the 800 pound gorilla. It seems a no-brainer — a free and virtually limitless source of power for any clever enough to harness it. Unfortunately, factors such as the day/night cycle and the filtering effect of Earth’s atmosphere have conspired to make solar power somewhat inconvenient and inefficient.
In 1968, Dr. Peter Glaser proposed a solution to both of these shortcomings. His idea was to put a massive array of city-sized solar cells into high geosynchronous orbit. Undeterred by nightfall, clouds, seasons, or atmospheric interference, these satellites would collect and convert the sun’s energy into an electromagnetic microwave beam. This beam would be transmitted to large receiving antennas on the Earth, where it would be converted to electricity and distributed on the national electric power grid.
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Cut your electric bills and help the earth
Does your electricity bill have you seeing red? Go green and save!
Few things can make you feel more infuriated yet helpless, than opening up your electric bill and discovering that it has doubled and even tripled, with no obvious explanation. Rising fuel costs and greedy electric providers are two of the prime suspects in this war against your finances, but you may be surprised to discover that the other culprit may be none other than you. That’s right; you may in fact be a large contributor to your own expensive electric bills. By making small changes in the way you use and purchase electricity, you can easily save at least a couple hundred dollars per year and green your electricity too.
Ready to start? Here are some tips that can make a difference:
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Obtaining a Green Business Certification for Your Small to Medium-Sized Business – Part 2
Innovative Ways to Become a Certified Green Business
In the business world, there’s an old saying that says, “It takes money to make money.” In part 1 of this article series on obtaining your green business certification, we examined the benefits of becoming a green business (saving the environment, saving money, and gaining new customers). We also looked at some of the obstacles businesses face, one of which was finding the money necessary to make the switch to green.
In this article, we’re going to share a few ideas that can help you gain recognition as an eco friendly business, attract new customers, and even collect government incentives — on any sized budget!
Green Business Case Study: Kimpton Hotels
Company: Kimpton Hotel Group
Company Headquarters: San Francisco, California
Industry: Hospitality — Hotels and Restaurants
Overview:
Kimpton Hotels is the parent company for a growing collection of upscale boutique – and very eco-friendly hotels. With its innovative programs, out-of-the-box thinking, and commitment to the environment, Kimpton has emerged as a leader in the green hotel industry in recent years.
Though they are a large corporation with properties all over North America, the green practices that they incorporate into their business model can be successfully duplicated by businesses and organizations of all sizes. Below you’ll find a list of 7 best practices that you can adapt to your own business and position yourself, like Kimpton, at the top of your industry as a green business.
Obtaining a Green Business Certification for Your Small to Medium-Sized Business – Part 1
The constant challenge of the small business owner is to find new ways to save money and gain more customers. This is true more than ever now, during this period of soaring gas prices, rising energy costs, and tough economic times. As a solution many small businesses are "greening up" their businesses as a way to combat these problems.
Unfortunately, many businesses seeking a green business certification are often left wondering just who has the final word on requirements and if the cost, time, and expense are really worth it. This article will shed some light on how your company can become a certified green business and help you determine if it’s truly the best thing for you.
Say “NO” to Foam
By: Alexine
If you go to most fast food restaurants, cafés or order takeout, you will typically run into foam cups, plates or bowls. I’ve also come across them at ski lodges in the cafeteria or with packaged meat at the grocery store. Although the foam dishes and trays are commonly used, there is a misconception that they have no effect on you or the environment. Sadly this is not the case. This every day item can have some negative effects on your health and the environment. Let’s explore why we might want to rethink using foam cups.
Making Your Daily Habits a Little Greener
When you wake up in the morning and roll out of bed, the last thing on your mind is “how am I going to effect the environment today.” Although this may sound silly, this statement is something everyone needs to consider. While I too am guilty of shortcuts and luxuries that are not so eco-friendly, I’ve decided to become more aware of my impact. The ideas that follow are food for thought in the sense of being more eco-friendly.
Coffee and Commute
When you take a shower, get ready and head to work in the morning are you going to stop by a coffee shop or drive alone to work? Have you considered bringing your own reusable coffee mug to the café or riding your bike to work instead?
While neither of these alternate ideas seems time efficient, they do help with your impact on the earth. Of course if there is public transportation available or carpooling, those are other great ways to get around with less impact on the earth. Unfortunately smaller places do not offer public transportation, but carpooling is always an option.
In the sense of commuting it is important to look at cutting back on emissions and the time effect on your commute. In most large areas there are carpool lanes that you can use when traveling with two or more in a vehicle. This is a way to encourage people to drive together, because the carpool lane is almost never stopped.
Eco-Friendly Auto Transport
I guess I never really thought about an auto transport company being green before. Recently I had a friend move across the country and they used a company called DAS auto shippers to move their convertible. They are a married couple and they wanted to drive in the same car rather than two cars, so they had the convertible shipped.
They told me they had read that using a service to do the transporting was more environmentally friendly because of the consolidation of vehicles on one trailer. That makes sense, but like I said, green and auto transport is not someting that immediately comes together in my mind.
Eco-Friendly Hotels Strive for a Better Future
By Barbara Wade
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that most families of four use at least 400 gallons of water a day. The EPA also advises switching to energy-saving light fixtures, pointing out that bulbs in your home can reduce electrical costs by 75%. Now imagine that usage multiplied by hundreds or thousands of hotel guests. At hotels with considerable convention activity that stay fully booked year round – like the hotels near Moscone Center in San Francisco – the expense of energy from lights, kitchen equipment, laundry and more is astronomical. With a thought to the future, some of these hotels are leading the way by converting to eco-friendly practices with benefits that can affect us all.
Anyone who has stayed at a hotel in recent years is familiar with the option of reusing towels rather than receiving new ones each day. This saves energy, detergent, and water that are otherwise used in large quantities. The use of low-flow showers and toilets is an additional way hotels save water.
In some hotels, guests are afforded the ability to recycle right in their rooms. One San Francisco boutique hotel offers in-room designer bins so guests can recycle, thus reducing trash in local landfills. In many hotels, the glass, bottles, cardboard and paper discarded daily are prepared for recycling behind the scenes. Reduced waste is one way hotels are delivering environmentally friendly service. Plus, to diminish water and air pollutants, some hotels are switching to cleaning products that are safer for the earth.