Archive for the ‘Green Living’ Category

We Can Solve The Economic and Environmental Crisis By Building an All Inclusive Green Economy

Ironically, at the heart of the massive corrections in the global financial markets, record unemployment and a growing sense of uncertainty as to the future of humankind due to climate change, exists a stunning array of possibility, so awesome in scope as to dwarf all previous eras of economic activity. Perhaps the Chinese symbol that suggest there is the seed of opportunity inherent in every crisis as a means of understanding our current situation.

Timing however is everything, at what point do we arrive at a place of critical mass in terms of awareness and commitment to act? One degree more of temperature rise? Another foot or two of swelling ocean levels? Of course these are big broad brush stroke issues. Closer to home, the price for a barrel of oil is back in the ascendant, and checking the weather increasingly looks like sci-fi or a bad horror film. What do we do?

We get busy! Exploring, unpacking and digesting how to re- imagine the world. Regardless of how we earn our livings, where we find ourselves, or how we’ve lived up to this moment, everyone of us is on the cusp of bold new possibilities to change, heal, and renew. Imagine for a moment that you lived at the dawn of the industrial age. Conventional wisdom dictated that when Henry Ford and other pioneering inventors of the motor car went calling on investors to back them, that they not be taken seriously, after all the horse and buggy had been permanent fixtures of life for centuries. Entire industries, specialist crafts and careers hinged on their survival. And yet steam, rail and electricity utterly transformed life as it was known up to that point. Was this a tumultuous period full of uncertainty, social upheaval and all manner of resistance on the part of saddle makers, blacksmiths and carriage makers? Millions of small scale farmers, were forced off the land and into factories and unthought of occupations.

What’s different? Huge, game changing elements that unlike the roll out of the industrial age that drove the subsequent fossil fuels economy that now threatens life as we know it, we are entering a period where we get to march boldly forward with eyes wide open, unhampered by the delusion of zero consequence or costs for unlimited looting of resources, using our environment as a dumping ground in service of consumption. This time we can choose to innovate, generate and re create products, services and wealth on a scale never before witnessed. The green wave era by definition is about clean, renewable and sustainable development, production and consumption of everything.

The green wave is about the convergence of new technologies with a social mandate that vests everyone. This new wave is about rethinking what it means to be one of millions of life forms inextricably linked to a single geography – Earth. As such, injustice to any element of the life web is an injustice to all sooner or later.

Yea right and what does this have to do with jobs, money and whether most of us will ever see much of either again? Everything! The green wave is new economics like we’ve never seen, principally because it engenders a wholly different paradigm that is about a unique connectedness based on inclusion rather than exclusion of ideas, ingenuity and effort. The key drivers -education or rather, re-education about new products, services and lifestyle choices and secondly but of absolutely equal importance – the delivery of products, services and choices to consumers, communities and businesses.

Drilling down a bit further, let’s get a few basic assumptions out of the way:

1. Scientists, engineers, inventors and innovators of all stripes will come up with baskets of solutions for new power and fuels, sustainable materials for any and everything, and ways to radically mitigate carbon emissions;
2. Governments will get on board or out of the way of ensuring the above can happen;
3. that we actually buy enough time to get the above together.

All things being more or less equal, somebody has to get billions of people on board making, using and distributing all the stuff that comes out of all the radical invention and intervention that will be unleashed. To have a real fighting chance, the means of production must be decentralised, shared and networked. Likewise the rewards and means of compensation will shift. Individuals, neighbourhoods, communities can become Open sourced socially networked development and production hubs for everything from food, healthcare to energy, resource management, and beyond.

As stated, education i.e., the unleashing of information, training, and benefit analysis is a key driver of the green wave because people will need support and refocus on how to adapt, embrace and create the new paradigm of green/sustainable, healthy, abundant living.

Example, roughly 30-40% of carbon emissions are produced by buildings of all types. Teaching benefits around energy conservation, weatherizing and refitting just our homes would contribute massively to reduction of emission and create savings thereby putting more money in people’s pockets. Extend this to teaching people how to compost, grow their own food, harvest water, and the benefits grow exponentially.

Furthermore, education will be about teaching citizens that the green wave offers us a wholly new economic construct i.e. – a social entrepreneurial economy, one in which society, networked, producer/creator led generates wealth and well being. As such, we will all be social economists, in the original Greek sense of the term – oikonomos meaning – “one who manages a household or resources efficiently and profitably, avoiding unnecessary expenditure or waste. And entrepreneurs i.e., from the old French – entreprendre, meaning to undertake a task or enterprise between parties. The parties in this instance, members of our homes, communities, nations and planet.

The unleashing of the green wave economy starts with the assumption that everyone can be a player and that we all can add value. Again, we refer to the original Greek meaning for economy ie management of our households in a sustainable and profitable manner. Profitable from the perspective of optimising value, extending the life cycles of everything we use and consume and igniting our imaginations to see ourselves as primary drivers, producers and distributors of the benefits this new era.

Fundamental to the realization of the green wave is a shift in our perception of relationships between resources, production and consumption. Rather than continue along the path of the highly conflicted story we’ve been telling ourselves that on the one, hand resources can be exploited without regard for future consequence or availability and then in the next instance – to insist that resources are scarce, limited and must be hoarded and manipulated to artificially increase their value, but to push consumption over the precipe of reason as long as there’s money to be made.

The green wave represents an opportunity for a new paradigm in which we align with the fully observable laws that govern nature ie, abundance based on reciprocity, replenishment, imagination and evolution. Even more,the green wave invites us get excited, enthused and passionate about what we really want and how we really want to live.

Bottom Line – We can do this!

Film maker, activist and social entrepreneur Dingi Ntuli is currently engaged in a series of film and online projects focusing on what he likes to call the Green Wave, an all inclusive socially networked economic shift toward the re-imagining, of life in the face of climate change.

“Having been based on the tip of Africa in Durban, Cape Town and Joburg, has given me a unique and chillingly accurate perspective on global warming as we witness the beginnings of massive new upheaval of societies across the continent as the hotting up strains food and water resources beyond limits”. Dingi is currently on location in Austin Texas preparing a new feature film that looks at Love, Identity and Belonging in a time of Climate Change, entitled Land of Plenty.

http://greenwaveiq.com

Author: Dingi Ntuli
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
US Dollar credit card

We Can Solve The Economic and Environmental Crisis By Building an All Inclusive Green Economy

Ironically, at the heart of the massive corrections in the global financial markets, record unemployment and a growing sense of uncertainty as to the future of humankind due to climate change, exists a stunning array of possibility, so awesome in scope as to dwarf all previous eras of economic activity. Perhaps the Chinese symbol that suggest there is the seed of opportunity inherent in every crisis as a means of understanding our current situation.

Timing however is everything, at what point do we arrive at a place of critical mass in terms of awareness and commitment to act? One degree more of temperature rise? Another foot or two of swelling ocean levels? Of course these are big broad brush stroke issues. Closer to home, the price for a barrel of oil is back in the ascendant, and checking the weather increasingly looks like sci-fi or a bad horror film. What do we do?

We get busy! Exploring, unpacking and digesting how to re- imagine the world. Regardless of how we earn our livings, where we find ourselves, or how we’ve lived up to this moment, everyone of us is on the cusp of bold new possibilities to change, heal, and renew. Imagine for a moment that you lived at the dawn of the industrial age. Conventional wisdom dictated that when Henry Ford and other pioneering inventors of the motor car went calling on investors to back them, that they not be taken seriously, after all the horse and buggy had been permanent fixtures of life for centuries. Entire industries, specialist crafts and careers hinged on their survival. And yet steam, rail and electricity utterly transformed life as it was known up to that point. Was this a tumultuous period full of uncertainty, social upheaval and all manner of resistance on the part of saddle makers, blacksmiths and carriage makers? Millions of small scale farmers, were forced off the land and into factories and unthought of occupations.

What’s different? Huge, game changing elements that unlike the roll out of the industrial age that drove the subsequent fossil fuels economy that now threatens life as we know it, we are entering a period where we get to march boldly forward with eyes wide open, unhampered by the delusion of zero consequence or costs for unlimited looting of resources, using our environment as a dumping ground in service of consumption. This time we can choose to innovate, generate and re create products, services and wealth on a scale never before witnessed. The green wave era by definition is about clean, renewable and sustainable development, production and consumption of everything.

The green wave is about the convergence of new technologies with a social mandate that vests everyone. This new wave is about rethinking what it means to be one of millions of life forms inextricably linked to a single geography – Earth. As such, injustice to any element of the life web is an injustice to all sooner or later.

Yea right and what does this have to do with jobs, money and whether most of us will ever see much of either again? Everything! The green wave is new economics like we’ve never seen, principally because it engenders a wholly different paradigm that is about a unique connectedness based on inclusion rather than exclusion of ideas, ingenuity and effort. The key drivers -education or rather, re-education about new products, services and lifestyle choices and secondly but of absolutely equal importance – the delivery of products, services and choices to consumers, communities and businesses.

Drilling down a bit further, let’s get a few basic assumptions out of the way:

1. Scientists, engineers, inventors and innovators of all stripes will come up with baskets of solutions for new power and fuels, sustainable materials for any and everything, and ways to radically mitigate carbon emissions;
2. Governments will get on board or out of the way of ensuring the above can happen;
3. that we actually buy enough time to get the above together.

All things being more or less equal, somebody has to get billions of people on board making, using and distributing all the stuff that comes out of all the radical invention and intervention that will be unleashed. To have a real fighting chance, the means of production must be decentralised, shared and networked. Likewise the rewards and means of compensation will shift. Individuals, neighbourhoods, communities can become Open sourced socially networked development and production hubs for everything from food, healthcare to energy, resource management, and beyond.

As stated, education i.e., the unleashing of information, training, and benefit analysis is a key driver of the green wave because people will need support and refocus on how to adapt, embrace and create the new paradigm of green/sustainable, healthy, abundant living.

Example, roughly 30-40% of carbon emissions are produced by buildings of all types. Teaching benefits around energy conservation, weatherizing and refitting just our homes would contribute massively to reduction of emission and create savings thereby putting more money in people’s pockets. Extend this to teaching people how to compost, grow their own food, harvest water, and the benefits grow exponentially.

Furthermore, education will be about teaching citizens that the green wave offers us a wholly new economic construct i.e. – a social entrepreneurial economy, one in which society, networked, producer/creator led generates wealth and well being. As such, we will all be social economists, in the original Greek sense of the term – oikonomos meaning – “one who manages a household or resources efficiently and profitably, avoiding unnecessary expenditure or waste. And entrepreneurs i.e., from the old French – entreprendre, meaning to undertake a task or enterprise between parties. The parties in this instance, members of our homes, communities, nations and planet.

The unleashing of the green wave economy starts with the assumption that everyone can be a player and that we all can add value. Again, we refer to the original Greek meaning for economy ie management of our households in a sustainable and profitable manner. Profitable from the perspective of optimising value, extending the life cycles of everything we use and consume and igniting our imaginations to see ourselves as primary drivers, producers and distributors of the benefits this new era.

Fundamental to the realization of the green wave is a shift in our perception of relationships between resources, production and consumption. Rather than continue along the path of the highly conflicted story we’ve been telling ourselves that on the one, hand resources can be exploited without regard for future consequence or availability and then in the next instance – to insist that resources are scarce, limited and must be hoarded and manipulated to artificially increase their value, but to push consumption over the precipe of reason as long as there’s money to be made.

The green wave represents an opportunity for a new paradigm in which we align with the fully observable laws that govern nature ie, abundance based on reciprocity, replenishment, imagination and evolution. Even more,the green wave invites us get excited, enthused and passionate about what we really want and how we really want to live.

Bottom Line – We can do this!

Film maker, activist and social entrepreneur Dingi Ntuli is currently engaged in a series of film and online projects focusing on what he likes to call the Green Wave, an all inclusive socially networked economic shift toward the re-imagining, of life in the face of climate change.

“Having been based on the tip of Africa in Durban, Cape Town and Joburg, has given me a unique and chillingly accurate perspective on global warming as we witness the beginnings of massive new upheaval of societies across the continent as the hotting up strains food and water resources beyond limits”. Dingi is currently on location in Austin Texas preparing a new feature film that looks at Love, Identity and Belonging in a time of Climate Change, entitled Land of Plenty.

http://greenwaveiq.com

Author: Dingi Ntuli
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Beading Necklace

We Can Solve The Economic and Environmental Crisis By Building an All Inclusive Green Economy

Ironically, at the heart of the massive corrections in the global financial markets, record unemployment and a growing sense of uncertainty as to the future of humankind due to climate change, exists a stunning array of possibility, so awesome in scope as to dwarf all previous eras of economic activity. Perhaps the Chinese symbol that suggest there is the seed of opportunity inherent in every crisis as a means of understanding our current situation.

Timing however is everything, at what point do we arrive at a place of critical mass in terms of awareness and commitment to act? One degree more of temperature rise? Another foot or two of swelling ocean levels? Of course these are big broad brush stroke issues. Closer to home, the price for a barrel of oil is back in the ascendant, and checking the weather increasingly looks like sci-fi or a bad horror film. What do we do?

We get busy! Exploring, unpacking and digesting how to re- imagine the world. Regardless of how we earn our livings, where we find ourselves, or how we’ve lived up to this moment, everyone of us is on the cusp of bold new possibilities to change, heal, and renew. Imagine for a moment that you lived at the dawn of the industrial age. Conventional wisdom dictated that when Henry Ford and other pioneering inventors of the motor car went calling on investors to back them, that they not be taken seriously, after all the horse and buggy had been permanent fixtures of life for centuries. Entire industries, specialist crafts and careers hinged on their survival. And yet steam, rail and electricity utterly transformed life as it was known up to that point. Was this a tumultuous period full of uncertainty, social upheaval and all manner of resistance on the part of saddle makers, blacksmiths and carriage makers? Millions of small scale farmers, were forced off the land and into factories and unthought of occupations.

What’s different? Huge, game changing elements that unlike the roll out of the industrial age that drove the subsequent fossil fuels economy that now threatens life as we know it, we are entering a period where we get to march boldly forward with eyes wide open, unhampered by the delusion of zero consequence or costs for unlimited looting of resources, using our environment as a dumping ground in service of consumption. This time we can choose to innovate, generate and re create products, services and wealth on a scale never before witnessed. The green wave era by definition is about clean, renewable and sustainable development, production and consumption of everything.

The green wave is about the convergence of new technologies with a social mandate that vests everyone. This new wave is about rethinking what it means to be one of millions of life forms inextricably linked to a single geography – Earth. As such, injustice to any element of the life web is an injustice to all sooner or later.

Yea right and what does this have to do with jobs, money and whether most of us will ever see much of either again? Everything! The green wave is new economics like we’ve never seen, principally because it engenders a wholly different paradigm that is about a unique connectedness based on inclusion rather than exclusion of ideas, ingenuity and effort. The key drivers -education or rather, re-education about new products, services and lifestyle choices and secondly but of absolutely equal importance – the delivery of products, services and choices to consumers, communities and businesses.

Drilling down a bit further, let’s get a few basic assumptions out of the way:

1. Scientists, engineers, inventors and innovators of all stripes will come up with baskets of solutions for new power and fuels, sustainable materials for any and everything, and ways to radically mitigate carbon emissions;
2. Governments will get on board or out of the way of ensuring the above can happen;
3. that we actually buy enough time to get the above together.

All things being more or less equal, somebody has to get billions of people on board making, using and distributing all the stuff that comes out of all the radical invention and intervention that will be unleashed. To have a real fighting chance, the means of production must be decentralised, shared and networked. Likewise the rewards and means of compensation will shift. Individuals, neighbourhoods, communities can become Open sourced socially networked development and production hubs for everything from food, healthcare to energy, resource management, and beyond.

As stated, education i.e., the unleashing of information, training, and benefit analysis is a key driver of the green wave because people will need support and refocus on how to adapt, embrace and create the new paradigm of green/sustainable, healthy, abundant living.

Example, roughly 30-40% of carbon emissions are produced by buildings of all types. Teaching benefits around energy conservation, weatherizing and refitting just our homes would contribute massively to reduction of emission and create savings thereby putting more money in people’s pockets. Extend this to teaching people how to compost, grow their own food, harvest water, and the benefits grow exponentially.

Furthermore, education will be about teaching citizens that the green wave offers us a wholly new economic construct i.e. – a social entrepreneurial economy, one in which society, networked, producer/creator led generates wealth and well being. As such, we will all be social economists, in the original Greek sense of the term – oikonomos meaning – “one who manages a household or resources efficiently and profitably, avoiding unnecessary expenditure or waste. And entrepreneurs i.e., from the old French – entreprendre, meaning to undertake a task or enterprise between parties. The parties in this instance, members of our homes, communities, nations and planet.

The unleashing of the green wave economy starts with the assumption that everyone can be a player and that we all can add value. Again, we refer to the original Greek meaning for economy ie management of our households in a sustainable and profitable manner. Profitable from the perspective of optimising value, extending the life cycles of everything we use and consume and igniting our imaginations to see ourselves as primary drivers, producers and distributors of the benefits this new era.

Fundamental to the realization of the green wave is a shift in our perception of relationships between resources, production and consumption. Rather than continue along the path of the highly conflicted story we’ve been telling ourselves that on the one, hand resources can be exploited without regard for future consequence or availability and then in the next instance – to insist that resources are scarce, limited and must be hoarded and manipulated to artificially increase their value, but to push consumption over the precipe of reason as long as there’s money to be made.

The green wave represents an opportunity for a new paradigm in which we align with the fully observable laws that govern nature ie, abundance based on reciprocity, replenishment, imagination and evolution. Even more,the green wave invites us get excited, enthused and passionate about what we really want and how we really want to live.

Bottom Line – We can do this!

Film maker, activist and social entrepreneur Dingi Ntuli is currently engaged in a series of film and online projects focusing on what he likes to call the Green Wave, an all inclusive socially networked economic shift toward the re-imagining, of life in the face of climate change.

“Having been based on the tip of Africa in Durban, Cape Town and Joburg, has given me a unique and chillingly accurate perspective on global warming as we witness the beginnings of massive new upheaval of societies across the continent as the hotting up strains food and water resources beyond limits”. Dingi is currently on location in Austin Texas preparing a new feature film that looks at Love, Identity and Belonging in a time of Climate Change, entitled Land of Plenty.

http://greenwaveiq.com

Author: Dingi Ntuli
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Smiling shark

There are many variables when it comes to classifying a product as being green. In fact I would have to declare no product is totally green. Take into consideration the natural resources needed to create a product, the amount of energy it takes to produce it, and the transportation to get the item to the “big box retailer”. You and I buy and consume these items and throw them away when they are no longer useful to us. This scenario can be applied to anything we use or consume. Weather it is a bottle of water, new refrigerator, pencil or gas for our car. Everything that we use or consume comes from somewhere.

Becoming aware of how a manufacture creates a product and what their impact is on the environment is a start to knowing how green a product is. As consumers we can choose to purchase from businesses that promote safe, eco friendly and sustainable business practices. Does the business encourage biking, walking or mass transit to get to work? Is there a recycling program for paper, cans and glass, within the office? Do they purchase locally when possible? Are they using non-toxic plant based and biodegradable cleaning products? Do they have water and energy conservation strategies in place? By knowing something about how a business does business, you can make intelligent decisions on how to purchase green products that are healthy for you and the environment. Many companies are using sustainability (meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generation to meet their own needs) as a platform to promote their products. They want you to know they are a green company.

When I think of our beautiful blue-green plant, it is hard to comprehend that the natural resources we depend on for the stuff we consume, are in a finite supply. It is important to look for materials that have a lower impact on the planet. Low impact means using waste, recycled, reclaimed timber from a sustainable-managed source or local materials.

Look for “post consumer” content. Paper, carpet, plastics and some metals are labeled this way. If we reuse items and not extracting virgin raw materials we are helping the planet. Adaptive reuse is another fun way to be green. Go antiquing. Breathe life into an old stuffed chair by reupholstering it in a jazzy, bright fabric. Paint or refinish an old table. “Something old is new again.”

Choose to buy from manufactures that are promoting “closed loop” recyclability. Carpet is one product taking on this challenge. They will guarantee the carpet purchased today, will not end up in the landfill. A carpet that has a post consumer content of recycled plastic bottles, nylon, cotton or wool, the backing and glues that have low or no off gassing, is a green carpet. When the carpet has reached the end of its life cycle, the manufacturer will take it back and recycle it into a new carpet. This is very green and really cool!

Indoor air contains 5 to 10 times more pollutants then outdoors. Carpet, paint, plastics, cleaning products off gas harmful VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) contribute to this fact. Look for low or no VOC emitting materials. Read labels. Become aware of what is available.

The life cycle analysis is the measurement of how much you pay for an item, balanced with how long it will last. Are you in the habit of buying the cheapest thing available, only to throw it away in a short period of time? Or do you pay a little more up front for a quality product and keep it for several years? For example: The bathroom floor is failing. Do you replace it with another vinyl that will last 7 to 10 years or do you invest in tile? The tile and installation will cost more, but you are investing in a durable, sustainable product that will out last a vinyl by 30 years. Vinyl has health issues too. The “new smell” is VOC’s off gassing unhealthy vapors into your home. This can last for several months or longer.

Did you know, most textiles in your home are hazardous waste? Containing pesticides and heavy metals, dyes stain-resistant chemicals, stiffeners and flame retardants and known to cause health problems. Leather will last much longer then a typical textile, but the tanning process remains one of the most chemically intensive and toxic. Cotton production uses pesticides, agrochemicals that pollute the environment and workers. Wool is often contaminated with moth proofing pesticides. Textile bleaching and dyeing processing involve toxins such as formaldehyde, dioxins and chlorine. Silk is the lightest environmental and health footprint. When possible choose Organic cotton, linen or hemp.

As smart consumers, we can ask questions about the things we buy. Refer to third party certification and eco labeling. The third party certification is an independent organization with expertise to provide an assessment, verification and can identify a product or company that has met an environmental standard. For example: Green Seal and Energy Star provide non-biased verification of environmental labels and are the most reliable.

Not everything about any one product needs to be “green”. Sometimes making the choice to buy a product with less packaging or putting the item in a reusable cloth bag is the best you can do – to be green today. Our habits develop over time. Each decision we make about the products we buy, will determine the choices for the future. If we continue to ask for green, the marketplace will have to manufacture green products. The outcome will be more cost effective, healthier choices that have less impact on our fragile planet.

Erin O’Brien, Allied Member of ASID-American Society of Interior Designers and owner of Erin Designs LLC, is committed to understanding the environmental impact of all her interior design projects. By incorporating “Green Building” practices.

Creating healthy, beautiful interiors. http://www.erindesigns.com

Author: Erin O’Brien
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Canada duty rate

Our country is paying lip service to stopping global warming. We support many easy actions and nobody is really inconvenienced. We are having a Green ‘Party’. But, what is really needed is a Green ‘Revolution!’ The politics of re-election require a candidate to support clean fuels, cutting dependence on foreign oil, and a willingness to combat climate change. Its easy to support these concepts.

It was easy for GM to put yellow gas caps on their flex-fuel cars to draw attention to their (new?) ethanol-gas burners. This is the same corporation that killed (crushed actually) their very successful and about to become very popular EV-1 as it was poised to solve LA’s smog and lung disease problems. (1996-2002 R.I.P.)

It is easy for coal companies to talk about sequestration of CO2 while not doing it. Even Exxon Mobil says it’s getting green. Just look at their recent profit history. We should all visit our local Exxon Mobil station and ask where the Plug-In facility is to charge our EV. You will make a big hit if you are sitting on an electric moped as you ask for their 110 volt outlet station.

Its really good news that people are thinking about cleaner electrons and energy productivity while adopting an ethic of conservation. But, these are all aspects of a “Party!”, lots of green buzz, everyone is a winner, no need to give up anything, its easy to be green. We must move beyond making symbolic gestures and admit we have a serious huge global energy-climate problem. The Party is over!! Support GM’s development of the Chevrolet Volt!

Moving beyond looking green, acting green, dressing green, and talking green will require more than increased consumption of green goods. All those easy, cost-effective, ecologically efficient measures we should embrace will only slow the growth of environmental damage.

Uncoordinated individual action, while helpful as it raises public awareness, won’t slow global warming. All the good things you do, help establish a good example: recycle, compost, use low energy light bulbs, wrap the hot water heater and turn it off when you leave on vacation, sheath the attic with a radiant blocker and commuting with an Electric Vehicle (EV). Study a few of the benefits you may not have thought of. Check the links below and read some Testimonials referring to the use of electric vehicles.

So, what does a true Green Revolution actually look like? What are the benchmarks that we must meet to effectively revolutionize a bad system? What does a Systemic Revolution look like? What is required will be the biggest single peacetime project our warming and crowded world has ever accomplished. Take another small step now. Ask yourself this, If the Chevrolet Volt gets 230 miles per gallon what is the true mpg for an electric moped or motor scooter?

Courtney D. Young and Nancy B. Young are the developers of Scooters! Code Green. Their goal is to provide education about the global warming dangers while providing options for consumer action which will reduce an individuals carbon footprint.

Some related links are:

http://www.scooterscodegreen.com/store-products-XM-5000-Li-XM5000-Li-ElMoped_42561404.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNo-7ZdJiTo&NR=1&feature=fvwp

Author: Courtney D. Young
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Digital Camera Times

Some people think that green living is a responsibility done inside the home. But, for those of you who are employed in several businesses, you should be able to think of ways to carry your own share of the load. Your workplace is a niche for some of the worst environmental hazards. You consume power and paper and you make use of different technological gadgets that do provide you much comfort in the workplace but has some green issues too.

The daily tasks conducted within your office vicinities may render some harm to the environment. For the meantime, you are excused if you are not aware of that. However, if you are just lazy about acting in eco friendly ways, you should wake up and start doing your work in the proper order. Do not pressure yourself though. You may do things one day at a time.

Start going green through lifestyle changes inside the office

When you start to change your lifestyle to conform to green living in the office, well you are doing a good job. This means you are ready to take on more responsibilities on saving the environment. Here are a few things you may actually do inside your offices to begin your endeavor on saving the environment.

. Green options in your workstations. You should be conscious enough to turn off your computer monitors once you live your workplace for lunch or coffee breaks. This is often neglected by many. Remind your officemates to do the same. If you have to leave for home after a day’s work, make sure you have unplugged electronics and other equipment in your workstation.

. Green living in your comfort room. Many establishments have multiple toilet cubicles for the use of employees and patrons. These places utilize a large amount of water especially when flushing. You may suggest a green alternative to the flushing system in your toilets. There are many water saving devices that control the flow of water when flushing. Use a brick or a bottle to save water or call a water company to help you with this.

. Use a collection system. A collection system in the office pertains to organizing the gathering of papers and other materials in your office. All recyclable items should be collected and disposed of properly to the recycle bin at the end of each week.

More green living options for the office

Once you have started with the above-mentioned techniques, your efforts to live a green lifestyle are now working. You are starting to make a difference in this world. You may push forward through other notable acts.

. Keep your office clean. This is obviously one way to protect you from health hazards. The endeavor is considered one of the best things in your eco friendly solutions too. Always keep your windows clean. This will allow you to bring-in more light from the outside. You no longer need to turn the lights on most of the day.

. What to do with radiators. Sometimes, you fill your radiators with several unnecessary items. These things will interfere with the real purpose of the gadget thus making it less energy efficient. Green living dictates that you should avoid making your radiators a decorative table.

. Invest on eco friendly and energy efficient means. There are a number of ways where you may source out your energy’s power. If you are not yet ready to have your own solar panels built, you may sign up with wind or hydro power utility companies. This is your license to reduce fossil fuel usage.

These simple things lead to more fruitful benefits. Green living in the office will surely mark a lot of benefits for you as employees and for your consumers as well. On top of all things, the rest of the world will benefit from you. Be a responsible worker by looking through green options for your workplace.

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Author: Ara Pekel
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Humorous photo captions

Generally, office creates more greenhouse gases as compared to homes and even factories. For example, a photocopier that is left on continuously for 7 years over its two-million copies life would consumes substantial amount of electricity, papers and toners. It also requires air-conditioning to cool down the operating heat. The greenhouse gas emissions could easily exceed 100 tonnes of carbon dioxide which is more than the total greenhouse gas emissions of an average home over the same 7-year period.

Green Electricity Office Equipment

Increasingly, many office supplies companies are considering environmental impacts as their main design criteria. An energy-efficient photocopier designed to work well with recycled paper and refilled toner cartridges would easily half the paper and toner bills. Enhanced with auto-powersave design, easy double-sided copy and effective paper recycling system, the electricity usage could be reduced further by up to 80% and greenhouse gas emissions by 75%. More trees would also be left on the ground which would otherwise been chopped down to make paper.

An office with paper reduction and recycling schemes in place for photocopiers and computer printers can reduce the costs and environmental impacts of paper use by more than 50%. Putting in place a “green electricity guide” can help offices purchase environmentally friendly office equipment and use it to reduce the operating and environmental costs, thus cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions.

Green Electricity Office Environment

Green electricity office practices are more than just writing up a green electricity guide. It must start from the top management, making more people to adopt a “green option” daily working lifestyle. By spreading the awareness among colleagues, teams, bosses, suppliers and customers, green electricity will soon add up and become the prevailing culture.

Green electricity office can begin from the fittings and office habits. To start with, the purchasing department should always look for green products such as machines with auto power saving sleep mode when not in use. All lightings should be fitted with energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs.

Green Electricity Office Habits And Practices

Habits and practices can contribute greatly to a green electricity environment. For example, a simple act of moving office desk near the window would help to cut down electricity use. This saving can be substantial as many offices spend as much as 40% of their electricity bill on lighting. Turning lights off when leaving office, meeting room or conference room is another good green office habit to cultivate.

Other green electricity office practices include the habits of using digital storage solutions to cut paper and reduce clutter. One 100 Megabyte zip content is equivalent 4-drawer filing cabinet and one CD can hold nearly a roomful of paper!

Finally, drinking cups and mugs should be standard pantry item, even when serving drinks to guests. Mugs are also great promotional items to be given away to customers, prospects and even staff. By cutting down the use of paper cups, we can save as many as 300 coffee cups a month.

Ben provides consultancy to real and virtual estate owners. Eco-Renewable Resources is one of Ben’s interest, with special focus on Ecology.

Author: Ben Tan
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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“The human race is challenged more than ever before to demonstrate our mastery – not over nature but of ourselves”. Rachel Carson   

Green living spread its initial roots years ago to preserve our environment. In recent years the definition of green living has expanded to include compassion for our fellow man. We still hear about preserving our environment. However, we also hear about providing philanthropic efforts for the less fortunate as an essential component of a green lifestyle.

At first glance, protecting and preserving our environment doesn’t seem to be directly related to how much we gave to the heart foundation last year. Buying pesticide free organic fruits or organic cotton apparel means supporting a cleaner and healthier environment. Reducing our air and highway travel reduces pollution and our carbon footprint. All of these deeds on behalf of the environment may even enhance our self esteem and make us feel good. But the dollars we can afford to give to our favorite charity or the time we can spare to volunteer seems barely related to pollution. 

What did Rachel Carson mean when she spoke about mastering ourselves and not nature?  Green living is all about personal sacrifice, changing our lifestyle and how much we are willing to give for what we believe. A green lifestyle relates to what we think about ourselves and our feelings of compassion for our planet and our fellow man.  What is the source of our feelings of compassion for others and the environment?  The answer lies deep within our minds… the human spirit.

Our spirit provides each of us with the drive and desire to grow and become better than what we are. This unique capacity for positive thinking and spiritual growth facilitates “progressive evolution”. In other words, positive thinking can evolve into positive living. A positive lifestyle can result in social responsibility which leads to compassion for our fellow man.

Compassion is demonstrated through our deeds and actions.  Charitable giving is compassionate thinking in action. It means personal sacrifice and setting priorities based on how much we are willing to give despite of our own needs. Giving of ourselves is the real meaning of green compassion. Today this concept is shaping the last green branches that have grown from the seeds of environmental preservation planted years ago.

Awakening and developing the human spirit has certainly been an integral component of many religions, charitable organizations, and foundations all over the world. For example, the Anthony Robbins Foundation is committed to the passionate pursuit of a better quality of life. They are focused on self-empowerment, spiritual growth and selfless charitable giving. They have successfully accomplished their continuing mission through the development of products and programs based on the efforts of “an international coalition of caring donors and volunteers”. The Robbins Foundation, the Kellogg Foundation and similar organizations have been implementing green compassion before it was called green. Likewise green companies are starting to assume their eco-friendly role toward spiritual growth, positive thinking and charitable giving.   

For example, one green company providing organic cotton clothing, focuses on spiritual growth and positive thinking by displaying inspirational messages on their apparel such as “Be Compassionate…True Beauty”. They also have a charitable giving program including volunteering in the community and donating their organic clothing for environmental education. They also provide funds to the Anthony Robbins Foundation, the Kennedy Krieger Institute and other charitable organizations.

Green living requires green compassion. An evolving human spirit is the source of our compassionate thoughts and deeds. Progress requires that our collective spirit of compassion is in harmony with the needs of our planet and our “fellow man”.  

Will your spirit join others in extending a hand of compassion?    

This is a deeply spiritual issue…Do we want to spend more time trying to care for our fellow man or do we want to just pursue more virtual reality? That’s the issue before us…and it’s being played out in the world of the environment.” Ed Begley, Jr. (livingwithed.net)  

Bob Folkart is Vice-President of Live Life Organics, a company devoted to encouraging the living of a compassionate life through charitable giving. Live Life Organics has created a range of eco-friendly organic cotton clothing that display positive inspirational messages to promote courage, hope and compassion. Every item of apparel also includes a plantable hang tag that recycles and grows into wildflowers. To view these organic products, go to: http://www.livelifeorganics.com

Author: Bob Folkart
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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There are many different green and organic certifications that we now see on products and foods. As you work to create a home environment that is truly green and sustainable, it will be important to educate yourself about what the different labels mean. Some have more credibility than others so know which ones you want to rely on and which ones you want to disregard. For example, some certifications are by a third party who has no profit incentive in the product or food while others are done in-house by the manufacturer himself. Most of us would agree that we place more confidence in third party opinions. Following is a brief review of several green and organic certifications. You can go to their web site to get more information. This is just a sampling of such certifications as there are literally dozens out there and many more being created each year.

The Green Seal. Green Seal is an independent non-profit organization whose mission is to safeguard the environment and transform the marketplace by promoting environmentally responsible products. The Green Seal logo can be seen on many products including household cleaners and paints. Green Seal’s paint standard is based on an assessment that includes raw materials, VOCs, and performance. “This approach is a little more comprehensive than something that’s looking at just VOC content,” says Christine Chase, Green Seal’s director of science and standards. Green Seal relies on manufacturers’ VOC measurements.

GreenGuard. The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) is an industry-independent, non-profit organization that oversees the GREENGUARD Certification ProgramSM. It establishes acceptable indoor air standards for indoor products, environments, and buildings. GEI’s mission is to improve public health and quality of life through programs that improve indoor air. As such, GreenGuard certifies paints and related interior design products that impact interior air quality. GreenGuard uses an environmental-chamber test to measure off-gassing from drying paint. Total VOCs must be detected only at trace levels to qualify for this certification. “You can have chemicals in paint that are exempt from current VOC regulations because they’re not ozone-depleting but they still get emitted into the air and present an inhalation exposure,” says GreenGuard founder Marilyn Black.

GreenSure. Green Sure is a certification program created by Sherwin-Williams and applied to its line of paints. This is an example of a certification program created and implemented by the manufacturer. Products with the Green Sure designation are designed and manufactured taking steps to reduce environmental impact and to meet or exceed the most stringent regulatory requirements. It is self-regulated by Sherwin-Williams and covers only Sherwin-Williams products.

National Organic Program.  In the US, federal organic legislation defines three levels of organics. Products made entirely with certified organic ingredients and methods can be labeled “100% organic”. Products with at least 95% organic ingredients can use the word “organic”. Both of these categories may also display the USDA organic seal. A third category, containing a minimum of 70% organic ingredients, can be labeled “made with organic ingredients”. In addition, products may also display the logo of the certification body that approved them. Products made with less than 70% organic ingredients can not advertise this information to consumers and can only mention this fact in the product’s ingredient statement. As you choose cotton clothing for your family or make various food choices, a USDA Organic label can provide direction to you. There are many other organic certifications for you to check out, also.

Sue Pierce is the owner of Pierce and Associates, an energy planning and green facility consulting business that specializes in working with K-12 school districts wanting to create energy efficient and green sustainable environments for students. On a more personal level, she is married to Dean (for 33 years but who is counting!); a mother of four amazing sons; a mother-in-law to one (so far) adorable daughter-in-law; a new grandmother to one grandson (Gavin I love you!) and a woman with a passion for living life in a green organic and sustainable way. She pursues green living to both teach others and to continue to learn herself! Go Green! Live Sustainably! You can connect with Sue by going to her newest website at http://www.goinggreenmarketplace.com

Author: Pierce Sue
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Many people are looking for ways to become more earth-conscious and protect the environment in which they live – and green printing is an excellent way to reduce your carbon footprint on Mother Earth. However, just what are the advantages of green printing and how can you use it to benefit the environment? Here are just a few ways green printing can help you be kind to our world.

Earth-friendly Inks

Traditional printing uses petroleum-based inks, whereas green printing techniques commonly used inks that are soy or vegetable-based. To create soy ink, soybean oil is refined and combined with waxes, resins, and pigments to achieve the desired color and consistency. Since soybean oil is clearer than petroleum-based oils, it uses less pigment to arrive at the desired colors, meaning that fewer harmful chemicals are used. These inks can also be easily removed from paper, allowing for more reuse and recyclability of post-consumer products. In addition, the waste that is created during this recycling is not hazardous, making it easier and healthier to dispose.

Eco-friendly Paper

Another advantage is that it uses eco-friendly paper. Besides being 100% recycled, the paper used in green printing has not been processed with chlorine.

While the recycling process does need a certain amount of pulp that has never been used, green printing companies use pulp that comes from sustainable tree farms, instead of old-growth forests, thus limiting their impact on the environment.

For those who are really looking to preserve the forests, there are options available for tree-free papers. Some companies are creating papers made from plant waste, including banana, papaya, and coconut trees. Bamboo and bagasse are other options. These types of papers do have some limitations. Another option is stone/rock paper, which is made from natural chalk and can be used in a variety of green printing methods.

Cleaner Power

Like all printing facilities, green printing facilities need power to operate. However, green printing facilities take into consideration the environment when they are considering a power source. Many are run on energy alternatives, such as wind power, and others will invest in renewable energy credits to help reduce the impact that their facility has on the environment.

For many green printing companies, their carbon footprint is a real concern. Besides the carbon that is produced during shipping, simply producing recycled paper creates a large amount of CO2. When coupled with the fact that an average of four trees are cut down for each ton of recycled paper, many green companies look for ways to minimize their carbon footprint. In some cases, being more conscious of the carbon footprint and placing less emphasis on a 100% recycled product actually allows for greener printing practices.

Education as a Consumer

If you truly want a company that will allow you to take advantage of green printing methods, you will need to do some research. Find out how the company operates, what its carbon footprint is, and how it avoids the depletion of non-renewable resources. In addition, making sure that you take the extra steps necessary to recycle paper products after use, as well as encouraging others to do so, will help to keep green printing strong.

Learn about how you can be kinder to Mother Earth with your company’s printing needs. Capitalize upon PsPrint’s green printing services to save our environment – and your bottom line.

Author: Frank Salsa
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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