Use Your Xtracycle to Save Gas, While Getting Exercise!
The other day, I told my brother I wanted to get a beach (road) bike to toodle around town and shop, while getting exercise. He told me about Xtracycle, this awesome SUV bike, created and designed for such a need. Not only can you carry groceries, but camping gear, a surf board, a guitar, and so forth! Save money, boycott gas when you can, and get your body in better health.
Buy one here and check out this video below:
Go Green on Little Things: Buildings
Go Green on the Little Things is a 7 part series, providing various tidbits and advice about green living and choices for the following: home living, office spaces, school, shopping, health and beauty, money and finance, and buildings.
Today, let's discuss Go Green on the Little Things: Buildings. Constructing eco-friendly, green homes are becoming imperative, as well as modifications and upgrades to one's existing home. We are living in an age where the conservation of resources is proving vital to the sustainability of human life. Let's look at some simple ways you can green your home:
Garden and Landscape
- Gravel, wood chips, nutshells, or other salvaged materials make great covering for your patio, walkways and paths, allowing for water to seep into the ground instead of water running off your property.
- Minimize the removal of vegetation to help prevent soil erosion.
- Keep the landscape of your property planted with natural vegetation in order to reduce the emissions from gas powered tools required to maintain lawns.
- Planting leafy trees to shade your home could help you reduce your air conditioning usage during summer months.
- Air Conditioning: Buy an Energy Star System, saving 20-40% on your energy usage.
- Cooling/Heating Systems: Use a programmable thermostat to control energy usage.
- Reflective Roofing: Save money by making your roof an energy powerhouse.
- Lighting: Use motion sensors and light dimmers to save energy.
- Solar Panels: With tax credits and rebates, you can get free energy from the sun.
- Solar Water Heaters: Think of it this way - why pay for hot water when you can harness it naturally?
- Carpets: Buy carpet made from recycled products, such as plastic bottles.
- Bathroom Countertops: Buy 100% recycled countertops.
- Drywall: Save energy by buying at least 75% recycled content or synthetic gypsum or fly ash.
- Dual flush Toilets: Save water by installing low flush toilets.
- Glass Tiles: Buy 100% recycled glass instead of using ceramic tiles.
- Bamboo Flooring: Forget the wood floors, use bamboo; it grows abundantly and quickly.
- Insulation: Buy 100% recycled insulation.
- Kitchen Countertops: Choose durable composite, paper stone, terrazo, stainless steel, or tile countertop with 50-100% recycled content.
- Linoleum Floors: Made from 100% natural resources, it is a much better alternative to the petroleum-derived vinyl flooring.
- Paint: Use 100% recycled paint.
- Pavement: Make sure you use porous pavement so water can seep into the earth versus running off.
- Windows: Double pane windows will prevent precious heat from escaping your home easily.
- Wood: Use recycled wood or at least wood that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
- Furniture: Buy used, refurbished, or antique items.
- Textiles: Use recycled fabrics versus polyester fabric.
So what do you think? Will you commit to greening or investing in green homes, one project, one purchase at a time?
Read more about building a green home here.
Algae: A Renewable Source of Diesel Fuel?
When you think of algae what comes to your mind? Your fish tank in dire need of cleaning? A pond after a long dry spell? What about a source of renewable fuel? Yes, fuel! Solazyme, a start-up in Northern California (where else?!) has recently partnered with Chevron to perfect its cutting edge technology of converting algae to fuel . They forecast that within 2-3 years, Solazyme will be able to produce biofuel at a competitive price, even if crude oil drops in 1/2 from the current $89 a barrel.
The idea of converting algae to fuel is not new. In fact, scientists have explored the idea of producing methane gas from algae since the 1950's. Beginning in 1978, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory invested 20 years in the research of more than 3,000 strains of algae to see which one had the most potential of producing significant volumes of oil. After twenty years of intensive research and experiments, they ran out of funding and were forced to shut down. Instead, the federal Energy Department plunked money into the study of cellulose ethanol.
In light of this knowledge, imagine where we'd be if we continued down the road of algae research to a viable alternative energy solution? Wars could have been averted, lives could have been saved, our economy could have been more stable, our planet could be greener, and oil companies and their shareholders would be far less wealthy.
We must ask ourselves why our government and or oil companies refused to continue this research and development of much needed alternative fuel. It is not enough to say that the price of oil was "cheap". We knew then as we know now that oil is non-renewable.
Converting Trash to Alternative Energy
Did you know your rubbish can be a potential source of alternative energy? Integrated Environmental Technologies (IET) has created a system that converts any waste material into valuable commercial products, including eco-friendly fuels to generate electricity, a glass-like substance used to create building materials and more. IET can vaporize about one ton of garbage into approximately five cubic feet of glass! Scientists at IET placed a rubber shoe in the system and the shoe was evaporated into a small glass pellet that can be used a filler for the construction of roads! In addition, this process created nearly four gallons of gas, which can be used for alternative energy.
Their Plasma Enhanced Melter (PEM) system address two major issues: 1) waste treatment and disposal, and 2) eco-friendly sources of energy. It converts hazardous and waste material to renewable energy!
The PEM system is now being used in Washington, Hawaii, Japan, Taiwan and Malaysia. It is a cost effective, environmentally safe and efficient way to convert trash into treasure! My question is why has this technology not been implemented all over the nation?
Wouldn't you rather use this form of alternative energy than going to war? I think of the ridiculous cost of gasoline, the diminishing quantity of oil, innocent lives lost, and our dependency upon oil rich nations; I know this method is a viable way around such insanity.
See a video about their system here.
From their site:
Integrated Environmental Technologies, LLC ("IET") (www.inentec.com) provides high-tech solutions to the problems of waste accumulation and the need for clean renewable fuels. Through its proprietary waste recycling system, the Plasma Enhanced Melter ("PEM™"), IET transforms municipal (household), commercial, medical, and most industrial and hazardous wastes into clean renewable products, such as ethanol, methanol, syngas and hydrogen, with minimal environmental impact and low costs. The system exceeds the EPA’s standards for comparable facilities in all areas including: air emissions, water discharges, and solid waste generation, and comes closer to 100% recycling of waste than any other such commercially available technology.
Green Your Home: Install Solar Panels
With the depletion of oil and rising oil prices, we should all be intent upon using alternative energy, especially for our homes. Indeed, solar panels on the roof of your home will greatly benefit the planet and your finances. The initial financial investment required to go solar is worth the returns on the environment and future generations, while hedging you against future electric rates. In addition, investing in solar panels will increase the resale value of your home, making you a very happy seller. As you consider installing solar panels, let's look at price, quantity, net metering, financing, and future outlook.
PRICE
The price for solar panels varies from state-to-state, but in California, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York generous incentives are available. To find additional information about your state, click here.
QUANTITY
You can get an estimate of how much money you will save by installing solar panels by going to FindSolar.com (a joint partnership between the American Solar Energy Society, Solar Electric Power Association, Energy Matters LLC, and the U.S. Department of Energy).
NET METERING
Offset your utility bill by giving excess electricity back to the power grid. Note, however, that net-metering states only cancels out your bill and does not pay you for excess electricity you may provide. Learn more here.
FINANCING
Get a solar home equity loan versus spending the capital to do so. This is a fantastic solution, especially if the estimated savings from your utility bill and tax deductions for the loan are more than the amount of the loan.
FUTURE OUTLOOK
Although solar cells are beginning to be built into roofing materials, take heart because today's solar panels may be tomorrow's energy source for your electric or plug-in hybrid car.
To learn more about solar panels for your home, click here.
So what are you wanting for? Go solar!
Eco-Friendly Homes: Green Living
Although the US is going through a traumatic mortgage crunch, eco-friendly homes are on the rise for globally minded, socially conscious builders and buyers. By building and buying green homes, you'll make two profitable investments: financial and sowing into the next generation. Indeed, I am a strong believer that humankind is called to steward the earth and have dominion over all creation. Taking care of the earth is something we should've been doing all along.
So what makes a green home green? In addition to being environmentally sensitive, green homes and communities are:
- Natural resource efficient
- Energy efficient
- Clean air friendly, and
- Water efficient
If you can't afford to buy a green home, consider the following simple ways you can green your home today:
Decrease Your Utility Bill
- Use energy efficient compact florescent light (CFL) bulbs. Merely changing 5 of your most frequently used lights keeps $100+/year in your pocket.
- Program your thermostat 78 degrees plus in the summer and less than 62 degrees in the winter. This could save you $100+/year.
- Weatherstrip your doors and windows from any air pockets, saving $100+/year on your utility bill.
- Replace your heating and cooling filters and you'll save another $100+/year.
And remember, you can easily save money by going to bed early (no lights), wearing warmer clothing in the winter and cooler clothing in the summer (so you don't have to adjust the temp) as you lounge around your house.
Use Green Products
- Think globally and buy locally, while reducing fuel consumption, packaging and plastics.
- Buy energy efficient appliances and cut your energy bill $50/year per appliance.
- Reduce water usage by using low flow toilets and water heads, installing aerators, fixing drips, and incorporating native plants in landscape.
- Improve your indoor air quality with natural cleaning products like baking soda or vinegar.
- Use wood alternatives, specifically rapidly renewable products: bamboo, linoleum, recycled content tile or non-volatile organic compounds carpet and wood products from sustainable managed forests, such as those certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
- Use rapidly renewing floor materials like cork, eucalyptus, or bamboo.