that GREEN blog

Whether you’re a hippy from way back, or just riding the trend of the times, Green is definitely in. Savvy moms win cool points and save cash by being eco-conscious and teach kids important life lessons about caring for the planet.

Go Green for Lunch – Ditch boring brown bags and send your kids off to school with a lunchtime statement. When you pack your kids’ lunch in eco-friendly food containers, like those made of cloth or stainless steel, you ease your deliveries to the landfill. As a bonus you might also save you a pretty penny when you stop buying those disposable containers. There are many chic steel latch tins available that come in an assortment of colors, and the hand latch even transforms the tins into the cutest lunch pail. Not only are these reusable containers a style statement, they’ll keep your perfect PB&Js from getting smooshed. Your child will appreciate not having to eat mush for lunch and you can be satisfied in reducing your child’s exposure to harmful chemicals found in plastic containers.

Give Rewards for Recycling – When in doubt, money talks. Encourage your kids to earn their allowances by participating in green chores like recycling. They’ll find out early that being green can be easy on the wallet! Home recycling services are still picking up speed in some parts on the country, so you might not know what your local municipality offers. And if you are really a penny pincher, you might even get a couple bucks out of your recycling habit. Some recycling centers will give you cold hard cash for turning in clean cans or bottles. Contact your local recycling centers to find out their policies.

Donate & Buy Second Hand – When you and your family are done with items, like clothing, toys, or furniture, donate the items to an organization of your choice. Check out many national organizations that take donations, and give back job-training opportunities. There might also be a local cause that could benefit from your lightly used items. Let your kids in on why donating is a good thing and tell them how people will benefit from their generosity. But there’s a flip side to the secondhand scene. Also teach your kid early not to be ashamed of owning secondhand items. Thrift and vintage shops are a fun way to get something unique. Take advantage of the fact that many retro styles are in fashion right now. And the bonus: Your dollar will go a lot farther than at the mall!

Secondhand shopping is great for furniture, too. Do you really want to drop $200 on that Pepto-pink dresser your 5-year wants? There are plenty of ways to indulge her creative spark without breaking the bank on furniture you probably won’t use for many years. Skip the department store and purchase a sturdy piece of used furniture at your local thrift store or antique shop. Customize the piece with a new paint job or a change of hardware. The time you spend on the project together will good ol’ bonding time away from the TV.

Make Quality a Priority – Being green doesn’t have to mean giving up glamour (thank goodness). A hip, eco-conscious mom knows that quality over quantity means you get to treat yourself and your children to high-end, well-made items. Instead of getting a lot of cheap or trendy things that will have to be replaced often, go for the good stuff in classic, durable styles. Add spice and personal flair with a few choice items from inexpensive sources like the aforementioned thrift or consignment shops. When you buy luxe, you might have to spend a bit more upfront, but you’ll see the savings over time, as you’ll have to buy less often. It’s also great opportunity to show your children the importance of taking good care of their belongings so that they can be used and loved for years. But buyer, beware! There’s a fine line between paying for quality and paying for label names. Browse various online forums to read up on products and find out what other customer’s think.

I’m Fia Caballero. I have a life long love affair with tiffins. I have collected numerous examples of the “tiffin” from a multitude of countries. Each and every one is functional and beautiful and a unique example from the country they came from.

From: Home Power – Free

As the price of fossil fuels rise, it may be time to start pondering other options for your household power requirements. It’s not as difficult as you might imagine and with the breakthroughs in photo voltaic technology, you can now assemble your own panels for very little money.

And also being capable to build them cheaply, you’ll be able to take advantage of the federal government tax rebates that are on offer as well as local incentives to lower your expenses even more.

So how does constructing your own panels actually help other than financially?

1. Build them as you need to.

Perhaps the very best grounds for mastering exactly how to construct your own residential solar panels is that you could then start to add your solar energy system into your household energy system one panel at a time as your finances enable. In the event you purchase solar electricity panels, you frequently have to pay for them all simultaneously and if you do decide to buy them singularly, it is advisable to have a consultant come out every time and setting up charges often usually are not worth just getting individual panels.

By being able to build them as you can afford to or as you require them, you are in control and having the ability to install them yourself means very little or no additional expense on the part of servicing and guaranteeing they continue to generate electricity.

2. Build them and make an income

There is certainly a growing market place for used and self made solar energy panels. There’s also plenty of people who wish to make the most of this know-how but don’t possess the skill set or the space to create their own. An incredibly profitable market place to tap into and make an extra income.

The discussion continues regarding the potential of a no cost power system. The idea being that, by harnessing the best technology, power may be created in a fashion that might provide an infinite and abundant supply. Although many aredebating whether or not this know-how even exists – i have identified other people that have moved forward, having experienced these types of units in action but are asking questions like how much power do they generate and could it be used on a much larger scale.

Now the technological know-how exists nonetheless it seriously has not taken that huge leap forward to be used on a mass scale. For the ordinary homeowner, this really is still excellent news. Most home owners are not interested in powering vast structures. Should this technology create sufficient electricity to run a normal size house, then the questions which we should be asking might be how much may it cost and will it be reliable.

The idea of perpetual motion has been around for quite some time. A device which once started does not require an outward power source to continue working is certainly not science fiction, but is based on technology. The problem that most individuals have on the subject of perpetual motion is that it is not easy to perceive that a machine might continue to work with no external factors, in fact, the perpetual motion devices that function produce more energy than they require to operate.

It isn’t uncommon for hydrogen plants to make use of the power they produce to continue to run while the remaining energy is stored and used in our households, so why is it so difficult to suppose that a smaller device is able to do a similar thing within each of our very homes.

Magnetic power is resulting from the polar influence that magnets have. This flux of attraction and repulsion allow for motion which in turn will be modified into power. The science has not been given a lot of newspaper and tv attention, chiefly because the larger corporations can’t see a way to manufacture these systems on a large scale and profit by them. For your ordinary man on the street, these devices are outstanding, needing very little maintenance and will make an incredibly consistent and justifiable output.

The home magnetic generator is a excellent diy undertaking for anyone who has fair do-it-yourself skills and needs to save money on their electrical energy bill.

To find out more about how this technology works, visit our site at Free Magnetic Energy for Your Home. Check out the most userfriendly Diy Magnetic Generator Manual Here and start making money from electricity rather than paying for it. More articles on Free Home Power

From: Home Energy Free

Did you know that by making your home more energy efficient using a solar power grant that you will be eligible for a 30% federal tax credit? The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the Stimulus Act of 2009 has expanded the benefits to homeowners by allowing a credit of up to 30% of all costs for energy efficient homes. Most people are starting to understand how geo thermal heating is becoming more popular every day for many different reasons. It is now important for you to understand this.

By using solar power in your home, not only will you be able to save more money on your energy bill each month, but you will also be helping save the environment because this energy source is definitely much easier on the planet.

It is always a smart idea for anyone that is thinking about using solar power for your home, to do your own research. Not only about solar power, but also the many tax advantages there are to having a home that uses solar power. This will give you a much better idea of what the tax advantages are for you and your home.

It is also important to know how the average homeowner will be able to qualify and start using these tax incentives to your advantage. Here is what you need to know.

1. According to the current guidelines, the residence that is going to use solar power must be owned by you, the taxpayer that will be claiming the credit. The residence doesn’t have to be your primary place to live, a vacation home or second home will be eligible also. Plus, the home must be located in the U.S.

2. Your solar power system has to be certified by a Solar Rating Certification Corporation or a qualified agent.

3. For anyone that will be installing a solar water heating system to your home, in order to qualify, at least one half of the hot water must be heated by this new system.

4. When installing a solar system, it has to be installed after January 1, 2009 in order to be able to claim the maximum allowable credit. Always double check with research to make sure you understand the qualifications for this according to the new stimulus act.

5. Don’t apply for tax credits until the system has been completed and is operational because you won’t get it. The system has to be completed and working in order to get the tax credit.

Now that you know more about how you can get a 30% federal tax credit and how to qualify for it, it is important to take time for your own research so you can be sure you understand it completely. Just remember that for anyone thinking of checking into a solar power grant for geo thermal heating in your home will definitely have good tax advantages and this makes it worth the time and money spent.

Wise Power Systems, Inc. is a full service supplier of consumer-sized wind and solar power installations. We are located in Wilmington, Delaware and serve customers in the Mid-Atlantic region. For more information, go to http://wisepowersystems.com or all Bill Rawheiser at (302) – 351 – 4613 or e-mail at williamr@wiseps.com.

“Going green” is a concept that can be applied to almost every area of your life, including how you select your home’s window treatments. Most people see window treatments as a way to decorate or have more privacy in their homes, but there are a few characteristics you can look for in blinds, shades or draperies that make them more eco-friendly.

The first of these characteristics is energy efficiency. This is not only good for the environment; it’s good for your wallet too. Energy efficient window treatments can help drastically reduce your energy bills by providing thermal protection. In the winter, certain window treatments can help provide insulation by preventing heat loss. Others can be effective in the summer by reducing heat gain. Your location and the type of material you select are both factors in a window treatment’s energy efficiency.

Checking the R-Value and Shading Coefficient ratings of the material is the best way to determine how energy efficient it is. The R-Value tells you the material’s effectiveness at preventing heat loss and the Shading Coefficient will tell you how much heat is coming through the window. So, if you live in a region where temperatures are colder for most of the year, you want to go with a material that has a high R-Value and low Shading Coefficient.

The next characteristic you want to look for in a “green” window treatment is whether or not the material is made from recyclable or renewable materials. Try and find products that are made from natural materials like cotton, hemp or silk and are not treated with pesticides or other harmful chemicals. The impact a treatment has on air quality is a factor in this as well. GREENGUARD certified products are your best bet as they have been tested for chemical emissions. The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute is a non profit organization whose mission is to improve public health and quality of life by improving indoor air quality.

Sustainable manufacturing is the final characteristic you should look for in an eco-friendly window treatment. This means selecting a product that is manufactured without the emission of greenhouse gases, generating waste, or using non-renewable or toxic materials. A product’s entire life cycle and its full impact on the environment and the surrounding community are considered in sustainable manufacturing. The goal is to be able to manufacture in a way which is so sustainable that it is able to continue far into the future.

There is no one treatment that encapsulates all of these characteristics and unless the product comes with some sort of certification statement, you may have to do some research into a product to find out just how eco-friendly your window treatment is. But if you follow these guidelines you should be able to select a treatment that is best for you, your wallet and the environment.