This weekend is Earth Day!
What a prefect time to go green, if you haven’t already. Show the world you care about the planet with these five easy tips for conserving energy, water and waste.
Happy Earth Day!
As 2011 comes to an end, it is time to reflect on the past and make new resolutions for 2012 and the future.
One of my resolutions every year is to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle. I achieve this by making a new goal for the year and taking baby steps at making it become part of my everyday routine.
A few years ago, that goal was to use reusable shopping bags every time I go to a store. The year after that, was to recycle or upcycle everything I could. The next year, I promised to shop more consciously, to look for products that are local, packaged in eco-friendly packaging and are natural or organic.
Now this year, my resolution is to make my home more energy efficient. I currently have an old thermostat that requires me to manually turn up or down the heat. Of course, I often forget to turn it down when I leave for the day or at night. So this year my goal is to install a programmable thermostat and save some energy.
What are your green living goals for 2012?
Most cat owners use traditional clay based cat litters because they are so easy & convenient. Unfortunately, these litters are not very kind to our planet or the health of your furry feline. But there are other options out there that are just as easy and convenient, plus they smell a little better, like World’s Best Cat Litter.
World’s Best Cat Litter uses the natural absorbency of whole-kernel corn to deliver hassle-free cat care that doesn’t harm the environment. Their formulas are made of 100% all-natural ingredients and contain no synthetic chemicals, additives or artificial perfumes. So it limits odors, clumps fast, scoops easy and is pet, people and planet friendly.
Grillin’ and summer go hand in hand. But how green is your grill? Follow these easy tips by Easy Green TV to make sure your next cookout is earth-friendly!
Ever wonder what the variation is between different alternative fuel cars like a plug in hybrid, a flex fuel or an electric car?
Here’s a breakdown of all the different types of green vehicles that are currently available and also in development.
Hybrids combine two or more different propulsion systems, typically a gasoline engine and one or more electric drive motors. Most hybrids on the road today compliment their gas engines by charging a battery when breaking. Engines running on diesel or other alternative fuels can also be used in hybrids. A hybrid drive is fully scalable, which means the drive can be used to power everything from small commuter cars to large buses and even locomotives. Hybrids get more MPG or miles per gallon than most non-hybrids, and usually have very low tailpipe emissions.
Plug in hybrids get high MPG, cover many miles on battery power alone, and include a gasoline engine to provide greater range as needed. Plug in hybrids are mostly recharged from the grid, but some plug-in hybrid models can generate electricity when using them.
Electric cars use one or more electric drive motors, powered by batteries, for zero-emission motoring. Electric cars are recharged by plugging into the grid, either at home, or with special electric vehicle charging stations. Car manufacturers are actively developing a new generation of electric cars using technologies and lessons learned from electric vehicles developed in the 1990s. Electric cars are extremely efficient and run for pennies per mile, much cheaper than any other alternative fuel.
Biodiesel is a renewable alternative fuel made from various sources ranging from waste vegetable oil to soybeans. Biodiesel can be used in most diesel powered cars without modification. Biodiesel is a cleaner fuel than standard petroleum diesel.
Ethanol is an alcohol-based alternative fuel made from biomass. As a popular alternative fuel, ethanol is typically used in the form of E85 to power flex fuel cars outfitted specifically to run on this blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. There are more than 30 flex fuel vehicle models that have been designed to run on two fuels from the same tank. Most ethanol today is produced from corn or sugar cane, although this will change as cheaper cellulosic ethanol made from fast growing woody grasses and other biomass becomes a reality.
Hydrogen is perhaps the cleanest of all alternative fuels, burning with nearly zero emissions in an internal combustion engine and with emissions of only water vapor and heat in an electro-mechanical fuel cell. Hydrogen vehicles are being developed in many forms by most major car manufacturers.
Air powered cars are relatively new to the green car scene. Compressed air is currently being explored as a viable ‘alternative fuel’ to efficiently power car engines with little or no environmental impact.
Natural gas, the cleanest-burning fossil fuel, is being used by an increasing number of medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles. Natural gas is stored and used in its liquefied or compressed states. It is most commonly abbreviated as LNG for Liquefied Natural Gas, and CNG for Compressed Natural Gas. While a variety of light-duty natural gas cars were once available, the only factory-produced natural gas car made today in the U.S. is Honda’s Civic GX. Other car models may be developed and sold in the United States as additional focus is placed on natural gas as a fuel source for alternative fuel vehicles.
Via: GreenCar
Earthship is a radically sustainable green building made of recycled materials and powered by the sun & the wind, catching water, treating sewage, heating and cooling through thermal dynamics and growing food. It’s extreme Green living at it’s best by architect Michael Reynolds.
Here’s a detailed look inside an Earthship:
Happy 41st Earth Day!
Let’s show the Earth how much we care by going green with these top 5 tips for conserving energy, water and waste.
1- Change lights to CFL bulbs
2- Install a low-flow showerhead
3- Use reusable shopping bags
4- Fix all leaky water fixtures
5- Stop using disposable items
Next Friday, April 22nd is Earth Day! Start celebrating now with these easy eco-friendly tips to reduce your water usage and CO2 emissions.
Chicago is quickly becoming one of the greenest cities in the US, however, it still has a little ways to go when it comes to being one of the most bike friendly cities in the US.
Even though Chicago has more than 110 miles of on-street bike lanes, more than 30 miles of marked shared lanes, many miles of off-street paths (including the 18.5-mile Lakefront Trail), more than 12,000 bike racks, and sheltered, high-capacity, bike parking areas at many CTA rail stations; we’re still out ranked by Minneapolis MN, Portland OR, Boulder CO, Seattle WA, Eugene OR, San Francisco CA, Madison WI, New York City NY, and Tucson AZ.
Did your city make the list?
Via: Motorcycle Insurance
Tomorrow is Earth Hour!
Y’all ready to turn off the lights (TV too) at 8:30pm for an hour?
Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007 as a global climate change initiative, calling individuals and businesses around the world, to switch off their lights for one hour.
