http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25560395&as=29468 Tue, 07 Sep 2010 08:40:13 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25560395&as=29468 eion7 2010-09-07T08:40:13Z EcoSeed Community nonadult false eion7 user 0 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25560395&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/user/defaultImage_160x120_A.jpg false 0 25560395 25560395 Member 255 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Hassle-Moving-Tips-Enjoy-Your-Move/BLOG/2628245/29468.html Moving home with entire household from one place to another is not a fun chore. It is the procedure of hustle & bustle. It is a very difficult, tiresome, problematic and challenging task. It is difficult & challenging enough to make your extremely tired and stressful. During the process of home shifting you have to do lots of works. All works associated with move (such as packing, transportation, loading, unloading, unpacking, etc) are difficult enough to make your stressful and tired. But you can make your home shifting easier and simpler in very hassle-free manner. The solution is making move in organized and planned way. If you do so you will have truly a happy relocation experience. And you will enjoy your move also. There are many things to consider in order to make the moving procedure goes smoothly and relatively stress-free. At least one month before start getting planned for your move. Consider what things you will carry and what things you will not. Make an inventory of such items. Make a garage sale for items you will not carry or you will not use in future. This will help you earn some money cutting costs of your move. Get moving estimates from various reputable packers and movers (removal companies) of your area. Compare their estimates and cost proposals. Also evaluate their services. Choose one that caters your needs and budget perfectly. Do not be in hassle in selection of mover. Be careful in the selection of a right moving company. Take your time to ensure that you hire the best moving company with best moving estimate. One another important aspect of moving is packing of goods. Consider for professional packing or pack things yourself if you can properly. Self-packing would be money saving experience. But you should pack things properly. Ask your mover for some helpful packing tips. Before you pack things, keep plenty of packing supplies handy. Pack goods using good quality packing materials such as strong boxes, sturdy cartons, whapping sheets, heavy duty packaging tapes, bubble wraps, padding materials, etc. Pack things you can properly. Leave those items you cannot pack and let movers to pack such things. Avoid packing of highly fragile items yourself. Such items should be packed by professionals only. After packing, label packed boxes properly according to room by room basis and also mention about contents inside the boxes. Once goods are delivered to your new home, unpack boxes carefully and rearrange them properly. Article Source:- http://www.buzzle.com/articles/hassle-moving-tips-enjoy-your-move.html yadav john is an Internet Marketing Professional. Currently he is working with a Packers Movers Moradabad – one of most reputable and professional Movers and Packers Moradabad based companies. Moving home with entire household from one place to another is not a fun chore. It is the procedure of hustle & bustle. It is a very difficult, tiresome, problematic and challenging task. It is difficult & challenging enough to make your extremely tired and stressful. During the process of home shifting you have to do lots of works. All works associated with move (such as packing, transportation, loading, unloading, unpacking, etc) are difficult enough to make your stressful and tired. But you can make your home shifting easier and simpler in very hassle-free manner. The solution is making move in organized and planned way. If you do so you will have truly a happy relocation experience. And you will enjoy your move also. There are many things to consider in order to make the moving procedure goes smoothly and relatively stress-free. At least one month before start getting planned for your move. Consider what things you will carry and what things you will not. Make an inventory of such items. Make a garage sale for items you will not carry or you will not use in future. This will help you earn some money cutting costs of your move. Get moving estimates from various reputable packers and movers (removal companies) of your area. Compare their estimates and cost proposals. Also evaluate their services. Choose one that caters your needs and budget perfectly. Do not be in hassle in selection of mover. Be careful in the selection of a right moving company. Take your time to ensure that you hire the best moving company with best moving estimate. One another important aspect of moving is packing of goods. Consider for professional packing or pack things yourself if you can properly. Self-packing would be money saving experience. But you should pack things properly. Ask your mover for some helpful packing tips. Before you pack things, keep plenty of packing supplies handy. Pack goods using good quality packing materials such as strong boxes, sturdy cartons, whapping sheets, heavy duty packaging tapes, bubble wraps, padding materials, etc. Pack things you can properly. Leave those items you cannot pack and let movers to pack such things. Avoid packing of highly fragile items yourself. Such items should be packed by professionals only. After packing, label packed boxes properly according to room by room basis and also mention about contents inside the boxes. Once goods are delivered to your new home, unpack boxes carefully and rearrange them properly. Article Source:- http://www.buzzle.com/articles/hassle-moving-tips-enjoy-your-move.html yadav john is an Internet Marketing Professional. Currently he is working with a Packers Movers Moradabad – one of most reputable and professional Movers and Packers Moradabad based companies. Tue, 07 Sep 2010 07:25:15 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Hassle-Moving-Tips-Enjoy-Your-Move/BLOG/2628245/29468.html yadavjohn 2010-09-07T07:25:15Z EcoSeed Community Moving home with entire household from one place to another is not a fun chore. It is the procedure of hustle & bustle. It is a very difficult, tiresome, problematic and challenging task. It is difficult & challenging enough to make your extremely tired and stressful. During the process of home shifting you have to do lots of works. All works associated with move (such as packing, transportation, loading, unloading, unpacking, etc) are difficult enough to make your stressful and tired. But you can make your home shifting easier and simpler in very hassle-free manner. The solution is making move in organized and planned way. If you do so you will have truly a happy relocation experience. And you will enjoy your move also. There are many things to consider in order to make the moving procedure goes smoothly and relatively stress-free. At least one month before start getting planned for your move. Consider what things you will carry and what things you will not. Make an inventory of such items. Make a garage sale for items you will not carry or you will not use in future. This will help you earn some money cutting costs of your move. Get moving estimates from various reputable packers and movers (removal companies) of your area. Compare their estimates and cost proposals. Also evaluate their services. Choose one that caters your needs and budget perfectly. Do not be in hassle in selection of mover. Be careful in the selection of a right moving company. Take your time to ensure that you hire the best moving company with best moving estimate. One another important aspect of moving is packing of goods. Consider for professional packing or pack things yourself if you can properly. Self-packing would be money saving experience. But you should pack things properly. Ask your mover for some helpful packing tips. Before you pack things, keep plenty of packing supplies handy. Pack goods using good quality packing materials such as strong boxes, sturdy cartons, whapping sheets, heavy duty packaging tapes, bubble wraps, padding materials, etc. Pack things you can properly. Leave those items you cannot pack and let movers to pack such things. Avoid packing of highly fragile items yourself. Such items should be packed by professionals only. After packing, label packed boxes properly according to room by room basis and also mention about contents inside the boxes. Once goods are delivered to your new home, unpack boxes carefully and rearrange them properly. Article Source:- http://www.buzzle.com/articles/hassle-moving-tips-enjoy-your-move.html yadav john is an Internet Marketing Professional. Currently he is working with a Packers Movers Moradabad – one of most reputable and professional Movers and Packers Moradabad based companies. moradabad, movers, packers nonadult false Hassle Moving Tips – Enjoy Your Move text blog moradabad,movers,packers 2 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=19113491&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/user/defaultImage_160x120_D.jpg false India Delhi Delhi 110092 0 0 2628245 19113491 Silver 1275 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Easy-Moving-Tips-Follow-and-Make-Your-Move-Easier/BLOG/2628240/29468.html Moving home with entire household goods puts a lot on one’s plate. Even so, the procedure of home shifting does not have to be an awful experience. With proper planning, one can make move easier and simpler. Here are some important tips and suggestions to keep in mind that can make your move more comfortable and less problematic. Though moving companies provide full move service, however many people prefer for self-packing of goods and belongings. Consider about your need. Do you need full move service or you will prefer to pack your goods yourself. Hire a professional mover well in advance according to your needs and budget. Inform your all relatives and friends about your change of address well one month in advance. Inform post office, utilities, and anyone you do business with, about your change of address. If you have decided for self-packing, start packing at least two weeks in advance. Start with things you do not use on the daily basis or items you will not need until you arrive at your new home. Pack one room at a time or in a day. Before you start packing things, make sure that you have plenty of packing & moving supplies. You will need things like boxes, cartons, tape, marking pen, labeling stickers, box-cutters, old-newspapers, wrapping sheets, cushioning or padding materials, etc. Save your newspapers a few weeks before you move. Make sure you use packing materials of fine quality. Do not compromise with the quality of packing supplies. Use strong and sturdy boxes or cartons. Work smarter not harder. Keep utmost care while you pack fragile items. If you are unable or hesitant to pack fragile items, do not try to pack them. Leave them and let them professionals to pack for you. Before you pack items you should wrap them using enough layers of good quality wrapping sheets. Label boxes or cartons if you packed and seal them properly. Label boxes on the room by room basis. Also mention contents inside the boxes while labeling boxes. Keep your valuables like jewellery, currency, etc and personal documents like certificates, land papers, etc in a safe place at all times throughout your move. Do not put such items on moving or transportation vehicles. Clean you new house before you shift all your things and belongings in, if it is possible. Unpack things properly. And rearrange them properly. Your movers can also help you unpack and rearrange goods. Article Source:- http://www.buzzle.com/articles/easy-moving-tips-follow-and-make-your-move-easier.html yadav john is an Internet Marketing Professional. Currently he is working with Packers and Movers Gurgaon based company. Gurgaon Packers Movers specializes in household shifting, and industrial & commercial goods shifting services for short and long distance move. Moving home with entire household goods puts a lot on one’s plate. Even so, the procedure of home shifting does not have to be an awful experience. With proper planning, one can make move easier and simpler. Here are some important tips and suggestions to keep in mind that can make your move more comfortable and less problematic. Though moving companies provide full move service, however many people prefer for self-packing of goods and belongings. Consider about your need. Do you need full move service or you will prefer to pack your goods yourself. Hire a professional mover well in advance according to your needs and budget. Inform your all relatives and friends about your change of address well one month in advance. Inform post office, utilities, and anyone you do business with, about your change of address. If you have decided for self-packing, start packing at least two weeks in advance. Start with things you do not use on the daily basis or items you will not need until you arrive at your new home. Pack one room at a time or in a day. Before you start packing things, make sure that you have plenty of packing & moving supplies. You will need things like boxes, cartons, tape, marking pen, labeling stickers, box-cutters, old-newspapers, wrapping sheets, cushioning or padding materials, etc. Save your newspapers a few weeks before you move. Make sure you use packing materials of fine quality. Do not compromise with the quality of packing supplies. Use strong and sturdy boxes or cartons. Work smarter not harder. Keep utmost care while you pack fragile items. If you are unable or hesitant to pack fragile items, do not try to pack them. Leave them and let them professionals to pack for you. Before you pack items you should wrap them using enough layers of good quality wrapping sheets. Label boxes or cartons if you packed and seal them properly. Label boxes on the room by room basis. Also mention contents inside the boxes while labeling boxes. Keep your valuables like jewellery, currency, etc and personal documents like certificates, land papers, etc in a safe place at all times throughout your move. Do not put such items on moving or transportation vehicles. Clean you new house before you shift all your things and belongings in, if it is possible. Unpack things properly. And rearrange them properly. Your movers can also help you unpack and rearrange goods. Article Source:- http://www.buzzle.com/articles/easy-moving-tips-follow-and-make-your-move-easier.html yadav john is an Internet Marketing Professional. Currently he is working with Packers and Movers Gurgaon based company. Gurgaon Packers Movers specializes in household shifting, and industrial & commercial goods shifting services for short and long distance move. Tue, 07 Sep 2010 07:23:20 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Easy-Moving-Tips-Follow-and-Make-Your-Move-Easier/BLOG/2628240/29468.html yadavjohn 2010-09-07T07:23:20Z EcoSeed Community Moving home with entire household goods puts a lot on one’s plate. Even so, the procedure of home shifting does not have to be an awful experience. With proper planning, one can make move easier and simpler. Here are some important tips and suggestions to keep in mind that can make your move more comfortable and less problematic. Though moving companies provide full move service, however many people prefer for self-packing of goods and belongings. Consider about your need. Do you need full move service or you will prefer to pack your goods yourself. Hire a professional mover well in advance according to your needs and budget. Inform your all relatives and friends about your change of address well one month in advance. Inform post office, utilities, and anyone you do business with, about your change of address. If you have decided for self-packing, start packing at least two weeks in advance. Start with things you do not use on the daily basis or items you will not need until you arrive at your new home. Pack one room at a time or in a day. Before you start packing things, make sure that you have plenty of packing & moving supplies. You will need things like boxes, cartons, tape, marking pen, labeling stickers, box-cutters, old-newspapers, wrapping sheets, cushioning or padding materials, etc. Save your newspapers a few weeks before you move. Make sure you use packing materials of fine quality. Do not compromise with the quality of packing supplies. Use strong and sturdy boxes or cartons. Work smarter not harder. Keep utmost care while you pack fragile items. If you are unable or hesitant to pack fragile items, do not try to pack them. Leave them and let them professionals to pack for you. Before you pack items you should wrap them using enough layers of good quality wrapping sheets. Label boxes or cartons if you packed and seal them properly. Label boxes on the room by room basis. Also mention contents inside the boxes while labeling boxes. Keep your valuables like jewellery, currency, etc and personal documents like certificates, land papers, etc in a safe place at all times throughout your move. Do not put such items on moving or transportation vehicles. Clean you new house before you shift all your things and belongings in, if it is possible. Unpack things properly. And rearrange them properly. Your movers can also help you unpack and rearrange goods. Article Source:- http://www.buzzle.com/articles/easy-moving-tips-follow-and-make-your-move-easier.html yadav john is an Internet Marketing Professional. Currently he is working with Packers and Movers Gurgaon based company. Gurgaon Packers Movers specializes in household shifting, and industrial & commercial goods shifting services for short and long distance move. and, gurgaon, movers, packers nonadult false Easy Moving Tips – Follow and Make Your Move Easier text blog and,gurgaon,movers,packers 1 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=19113491&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/user/defaultImage_160x120_B.jpg false India Delhi Delhi 110092 0 0 2628240 19113491 Silver 1275 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Shopping-Organic-as-Part-of-a-Bigger-Picture/BLOG/2627995/29468.html [image]A recent article on AOL discussed whether buying organic was really worthwhile. It also spoke of a back lash against organic as stories come out about companies being labeled organic that really are not, and also doubts if organic means healthier. I see shopping organic as an important aspect of living sustainably for what it provides on many levels, not just the likelihood that I am getting more nutrients in my food. Buying organic is an important choice in speaking out about what real, clean food is and how commercial agriculture, and the food coming from it, is creating more and more problems relating to health and the environment. In my opinion we should be calling for stricter labeling so that when we see organic or non-GMO we can rest assured that this is what we are really getting. When you shop locally at farmers markets you can ask your farmer what they use on their crops. Often family farms don’t use chemicals because they do not want to expose themselves, their family and their community to the toxic chemicals involved in conventional farming, and they are committed to providing the public chemical free produce. Often produce at a farmers market may not be labeled organic because of the red tape and added expense for certification but if you ask you may find that the produce is not sprayed, or rarely sprayed compared to conventional produce. Getting to know who is growing the food that you put in your body gives you the opportunity to make choices for your health, and the health of the environment. The debate should not be just about whether the food has a higher nutritional value, but what is in it as a result of chemical use. Just one example is the chemical herbicide atrazine, which is commonly used on corn and other crops. This herbicide has been banned in Switzerland, the home country of its maker Syngenta, and was banned in the EU in 2004 because of its persistent groundwater contamination. Both Germany and Italy banned its use in 1990 and their crops have not suffered, one of Syngenta’s arguments for its continued use. Here is a link to a report published by the Land Stewardship Projectabout Syngenta and atrazine if you would like to learn more, Section 4 -The Impact of Syngenta’s Atrazine on our Health and Environment, What the Syngenta Corporation Doesn’t Want You to Know about Atrazine may shock you. I recently was in Hawaii and driving by fields of corn on Kauai I saw that Syngenta’s presence was quite strong. I was so upset to learn about what was being grown on the island paradise. But back to the issue of chemicals. Over 76 million pounds of atrazine is used annually in the US and it is one of the most commonly detected pesticides in US ground water and also rainwater. Many scientists continue to warn about the health and environmental hazards of atrazine. This herbicide is a known “endocrine disruptor” which means that it changes the hormone activity in both humans and animals, and it has been linked to cancers, birth defects and low sperm levels in men (in fact in male frogs the herbicide actually turns testosterone into estrogen literally castrating them), yet it is allowed to be used in the US. You can read more about it here. Atrazine is only one of many herbicides commonly used, not to mention pesticides and fungicides also allowed in commercial agriculture. By choosing organic you not only don’t put these harmful chemicals in your body, but you also support farmers who don’t use them and support a cleaner environment and water supply. Another good reason to shop organic is to avoid genetically modified food. Since there is no requirement to label products that contain GMO’s, which I believe there should be, the only way to be sure that you are not eating them is to shop organic or products labeled non-GMO. The non-GMO Project is a great resource to learn more. There is a lot of controversy around food that has been genetically modified but one of the most popular reasons for modifying seeds is to produce a plant that is resistant to the application of chemicals used to kill pests whether they are insects or weeds, so what often happens is even more chemicals are used on GMO’s since they have been modified to withstand the onslaught of chemicals and of course these chemicals wind up in your mouth and in the environment. What is now happening is the chemical companies producing the herbicides and pesticides are creating the seeds that are used to grow our food. Plus many of these same companies also have connections to pharmaceutical companies, so once you get sick from the food they are producing they have the medicine to supposedly make you better…sort of a scary scenario in my opinion, especially since clean, natural food helps to keep us healthy in the first place. Herbicide resistant plants account for 80% of GE crops now being grown and the second most common crops that have been engineered produce their own pesticide. I don’t know about you but there is something creepy about eating something that has been genetically changed to produce a pesticide…that means that what I am eating has made its own pesticide. If this is all a bit alarming to you you will find a non-GMO shopping guide here. Buying organic or looking for a non-GMO label on the food that you buy is your best protection. Another good reason to shop organic is to support businesses that have made a commitment to either growing or producing organic products or using only organic in their prepared food. I recently have met a number of owners and employees from such companies and they really are committed to bringing us the best sustainably produced food available. Today there are so many types of companies from Strauss Dairy, Third Street Chai and Pacific Natural Foods that are creating truly sustainable businesses beyond just giving us organic products. I will be writing more about each of these companies in the future to share with you their stories about how they have created businesses that are part of a bigger picture of sustainability and prove that it is possible to create and maintain a profitable business that really cares. Supporting such companies sends a loud message to big-agriculture and the mega-food corporations that we don’t want food that has been tampered with, that harms eco-systems and our health. So if you hear or read that organic really isn’t any better than conventionally produced food remember there is more at issue here than just the vitamin and mineral content of food. The footprint that each bite we take (and I have not even mentioned the huge amount of petrochemicals used in conventional agriculture) leaves behind is also crucial to a sustainable future as well as our health. Keep the bigger picture in mind and you will know that shopping organic is beneficial for you, your family and the planet. Source: http://smartlifeways.com/shopping-organic-as-part-of-a-bigger-picture/   [image]A recent article on AOL discussed whether buying organic was really worthwhile. It also spoke of a back lash against organic as stories come out about companies being labeled organic that really are not, and also doubts if organic means healthier. I see shopping organic as an important aspect of living sustainably for what it provides on many levels, not just the likelihood that I am getting more nutrients in my food. Buying organic is an important choice in speaking out about what real, clean food is and how commercial agriculture, and the food coming from it, is creating more and more problems relating to health and the environment. In my opinion we should be calling for stricter labeling so that when we see organic or non-GMO we can rest assured that this is what we are really getting. When you shop locally at farmers markets you can ask your farmer what they use on their crops. Often family farms don’t use chemicals because they do not want to expose themselves, their family and their community to the toxic chemicals involved in conventional farming, and they are committed to providing the public chemical free produce. Often produce at a farmers market may not be labeled organic because of the red tape and added expense for certification but if you ask you may find that the produce is not sprayed, or rarely sprayed compared to conventional produce. Getting to know who is growing the food that you put in your body gives you the opportunity to make choices for your health, and the health of the environment. The debate should not be just about whether the food has a higher nutritional value, but what is in it as a result of chemical use. Just one example is the chemical herbicide atrazine, which is commonly used on corn and other crops. This herbicide has been banned in Switzerland, the home country of its maker Syngenta, and was banned in the EU in 2004 because of its persistent groundwater contamination. Both Germany and Italy banned its use in 1990 and their crops have not suffered, one of Syngenta’s arguments for its continued use. Here is a link to a report published by the Land Stewardship Projectabout Syngenta and atrazine if you would like to learn more, Section 4 -The Impact of Syngenta’s Atrazine on our Health and Environment, What the Syngenta Corporation Doesn’t Want You to Know about Atrazine may shock you. I recently was in Hawaii and driving by fields of corn on Kauai I saw that Syngenta’s presence was quite strong. I was so upset to learn about what was being grown on the island paradise. But back to the issue of chemicals. Over 76 million pounds of atrazine is used annually in the US and it is one of the most commonly detected pesticides in US ground water and also rainwater. Many scientists continue to warn about the health and environmental hazards of atrazine. This herbicide is a known “endocrine disruptor” which means that it changes the hormone activity in both humans and animals, and it has been linked to cancers, birth defects and low sperm levels in men (in fact in male frogs the herbicide actually turns testosterone into estrogen literally castrating them), yet it is allowed to be used in the US. You can read more about it here. Atrazine is only one of many herbicides commonly used, not to mention pesticides and fungicides also allowed in commercial agriculture. By choosing organic you not only don’t put these harmful chemicals in your body, but you also support farmers who don’t use them and support a cleaner environment and water supply. Another good reason to shop organic is to avoid genetically modified food. Since there is no requirement to label products that contain GMO’s, which I believe there should be, the only way to be sure that you are not eating them is to shop organic or products labeled non-GMO. The non-GMO Project is a great resource to learn more. There is a lot of controversy around food that has been genetically modified but one of the most popular reasons for modifying seeds is to produce a plant that is resistant to the application of chemicals used to kill pests whether they are insects or weeds, so what often happens is even more chemicals are used on GMO’s since they have been modified to withstand the onslaught of chemicals and of course these chemicals wind up in your mouth and in the environment. What is now happening is the chemical companies producing the herbicides and pesticides are creating the seeds that are used to grow our food. Plus many of these same companies also have connections to pharmaceutical companies, so once you get sick from the food they are producing they have the medicine to supposedly make you better…sort of a scary scenario in my opinion, especially since clean, natural food helps to keep us healthy in the first place. Herbicide resistant plants account for 80% of GE crops now being grown and the second most common crops that have been engineered produce their own pesticide. I don’t know about you but there is something creepy about eating something that has been genetically changed to produce a pesticide…that means that what I am eating has made its own pesticide. If this is all a bit alarming to you you will find a non-GMO shopping guide here. Buying organic or looking for a non-GMO label on the food that you buy is your best protection. Another good reason to shop organic is to support businesses that have made a commitment to either growing or producing organic products or using only organic in their prepared food. I recently have met a number of owners and employees from such companies and they really are committed to bringing us the best sustainably produced food available. Today there are so many types of companies from Strauss Dairy, Third Street Chai and Pacific Natural Foods that are creating truly sustainable businesses beyond just giving us organic products. I will be writing more about each of these companies in the future to share with you their stories about how they have created businesses that are part of a bigger picture of sustainability and prove that it is possible to create and maintain a profitable business that really cares. Supporting such companies sends a loud message to big-agriculture and the mega-food corporations that we don’t want food that has been tampered with, that harms eco-systems and our health. So if you hear or read that organic really isn’t any better than conventionally produced food remember there is more at issue here than just the vitamin and mineral content of food. The footprint that each bite we take (and I have not even mentioned the huge amount of petrochemicals used in conventional agriculture) leaves behind is also crucial to a sustainable future as well as our health. Keep the bigger picture in mind and you will know that shopping organic is beneficial for you, your family and the planet. Source: http://smartlifeways.com/shopping-organic-as-part-of-a-bigger-picture/   Tue, 07 Sep 2010 06:00:25 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Shopping-Organic-as-Part-of-a-Bigger-Picture/BLOG/2627995/29468.html SmartLifeways 2010-09-07T06:00:25Z EcoSeed Community [image]A recent article on AOL discussed whether buying organic was really worthwhile. It also spoke of a back lash against organic as stories come out about companies being labeled organic that really are not, and also doubts if organic means healthier. I see shopping organic as an important aspect of living sustainably for what it provides on many levels, not just the likelihood that I am getting more nutrients in my food. Buying organic is an important choice in speaking out about what real, clean food is and how commercial agriculture, and the food coming from it, is creating more and more problems relating to health and the environment. In my opinion we should be calling for stricter labeling so that when we see organic or non-GMO we can rest assured that this is what we are really getting. When you shop locally at farmers markets you can ask your farmer what they use on their crops. Often family farms don’t use chemicals because they do not want to expose themselves, their family and their community to the toxic chemicals involved in conventional farming, and they are committed to providing the public chemical free produce. Often produce at a farmers market may not be labeled organic because of the red tape and added expense for certification but if you ask you may find that the produce is not sprayed, or rarely sprayed compared to conventional produce. Getting to know who is growing the food that you put in your body gives you the opportunity to make choices for your health, and the health of the environment. The debate should not be just about whether the food has a higher nutritional value, but what is in it as a result of chemical use. Just one example is the chemical herbicide atrazine, which is commonly used on corn and other crops. This herbicide has been banned in Switzerland, the home country of its maker Syngenta, and was banned in the EU in 2004 because of its persistent groundwater contamination. Both Germany and Italy banned its use in 1990 and their crops have not suffered, one of Syngenta’s arguments for its continued use. Here is a link to a report published by the Land Stewardship Projectabout Syngenta and atrazine if you would like to learn more, Section 4 -The Impact of Syngenta’s Atrazine on our Health and Environment, What the Syngenta Corporation Doesn’t Want You to Know about Atrazine may shock you. I recently was in Hawaii and driving by fields of corn on Kauai I saw that Syngenta’s presence was quite strong. I was so upset to learn about what was being grown on the island paradise. But back to the issue of chemicals. Over 76 million pounds of atrazine is used annually in the US and it is one of the most commonly detected pesticides in US ground water and also rainwater. Many scientists continue to warn about the health and environmental hazards of atrazine. This herbicide is a known “endocrine disruptor” which means that it changes the hormone activity in both humans and animals, and it has been linked to cancers, birth defects and low sperm levels in men (in fact in male frogs the herbicide actually turns testosterone into estrogen literally castrating them), yet it is allowed to be used in the US. You can read more about it here. Atrazine is only one of many herbicides commonly used, not to mention pesticides and fungicides also allowed in commercial agriculture. By choosing organic you not only don’t put these harmful chemicals in your body, but you also support farmers who don’t use them and support a cleaner environment and water supply. Another good reason to shop organic is to avoid genetically modified food. Since there is no requirement to label products that contain GMO’s, which I believe there should be, the only way to be sure that you are not eating them is to shop organic or products labeled non-GMO. The non-GMO Project is a great resource to learn more. There is a lot of controversy around food that has been genetically modified but one of the most popular reasons for modifying seeds is to produce a plant that is resistant to the application of chemicals used to kill pests whether they are insects or weeds, so what often happens is even more chemicals are used on GMO’s since they have been modified to withstand the onslaught of chemicals and of course these chemicals wind up in your mouth and in the environment. What is now happening is the chemical companies producing the herbicides and pesticides are creating the seeds that are used to grow our food. Plus many of these same companies also have connections to pharmaceutical companies, so once you get sick from the food they are producing they have the medicine to supposedly make you better…sort of a scary scenario in my opinion, especially since clean, natural food helps to keep us healthy in the first place. Herbicide resistant plants account for 80% of GE crops now being grown and the second most common crops that have been engineered produce their own pesticide. I don’t know about you but there is something creepy about eating something that has been genetically changed to produce a pesticide…that means that what I am eating has made its own pesticide. If this is all a bit alarming to you you will find a non-GMO shopping guide here. Buying organic or looking for a non-GMO label on the food that you buy is your best protection. Another good reason to shop organic is to support businesses that have made a commitment to either growing or producing organic products or using only organic in their prepared food. I recently have met a number of owners and employees from such companies and they really are committed to bringing us the best sustainably produced food available. Today there are so many types of companies from Strauss Dairy, Third Street Chai and Pacific Natural Foods that are creating truly sustainable businesses beyond just giving us organic products. I will be writing more about each of these companies in the future to share with you their stories about how they have created businesses that are part of a bigger picture of sustainability and prove that it is possible to create and maintain a profitable business that really cares. Supporting such companies sends a loud message to big-agriculture and the mega-food corporations that we don’t want food that has been tampered with, that harms eco-systems and our health. So if you hear or read that organic really isn’t any better than conventionally produced food remember there is more at issue here than just the vitamin and mineral content of food. The footprint that each bite we take (and I have not even mentioned the huge amount of petrochemicals used in conventional agriculture) leaves behind is also crucial to a sustainable future as well as our health. Keep the bigger picture in mind and you will know that shopping organic is beneficial for you, your family and the planet. Source: http://smartlifeways.com/shopping-organic-as-part-of-a-bigger-picture/   chemicals, farmers-markets, farms, gmo, health, organic, sustainable nonadult false Shopping Organic as Part of a Bigger Picture text blog chemicals,farmers-markets,farms,gmo,health,organic,sustainable 1 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25558380&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/user/defaultImage_160x120_D.jpg false United States NM Santa Fe/Los Angeles 87501 0 0 2627995 25558380 Member 360 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Are-We-Finally-Taking-More-Steps-for-Clean-Energy/BLOG/2627992/29468.html By michelle victoriaPublished: April 30, 2010Posted in: Changing Habits, Sustainable EnergyTags: alternative energy, clean energy, getting greener, health, wind-power [image]It was reported this week that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is approving the first offshore wind farm in America, the Cape Wind Project off the coast from Cape Cod. America is far behind both Europe and China in utilizing the energy potential from offshore wind plants and hopefully we are now getting on board this clean source of energy. Opponents argue that such wind farms can harm fish and birds, but are these opponents considering the constant threat to wildlife from offshore oil rigs? Right now in the Gulf of Mexico an estimated 42,000 gallons of oil are leaking daily after the explosion of the rig Deepwater Horizon that left 11 people missing and presumed dead. The oil slick has a circumference of about 600 miles and covers about 28,600 sq miles. As of Wednesday the slick was about 20 miles off the coast of Louisiana. If we want to talk about harming fish and birds this is really devastating and the long term effects will be significant even once it stops leaking. Now there is talk about setting it on fire to stop it from spreading, which will do additional harm to the environment, although it could wind up saving birds since the oil will burn up. It is time to take a realistic look at the constant danger that offshore oil rigs pose, realize that wind farms offer a much better alternative, and utilize the wind as an inexhaustible resource. In the world of energy development everything has a downside but some of the alternatives are so much less harmful than what we have been using for decades and it is time for a change. Interior Secretary Salazar said the project would create 1,000 construction jobs and produce the energy equivalent to that of a medium-sized coal-fired power plant. He said it would reduce carbon emissions by the equivalent of 175,000 cars. These are only some of the facts that make a wind farm a much more attractive alternative to coal and oil. One of the stumbling blocks I believe to more offshore wind development is the “not in my backyard” mentality that often plagues America. Much of the mining and refining of coal, and even the coal plants, are in less economically advantaged parts of the country and the people living in these areas have been subjected to the pollution created from the use of coal in providing much of America’s electricity. Unfortunately this scenario exists in many fields, the poor are paying the costs with their health, their environment, their traditional way of life and often their lives to give the rest of the country so-called cheap energy. But this is not cheap energy, it comes with a huge price tag for local residents and the clean up of polluted areas comes from tax dollars, not the profits of the companies-so in the end we all pay. Usually coastal areas are occupied by the more affluent who have been able to use their influence to stop this and other projects from being considered. Even the late Senator Kennedy opposed the Cape WInd project…the view from his home would have overlooked the project, could this have been the real reason for his opposition? It is time to recognize that we need to really move into the 21st century and take advantage of all of the great technology that already exists to provide for our needs in a more sustainable way. Let’s support clean energy and the movement away from fossil fuels, this is something that effects all of us. Let your representatives and the President know that you support offshore wind projects, solar and other green, alternative energy projects rather than increasing offshore oil production as recently proposed. source: http://smartlifeways.com/are-we-finally-taking-more-steps-for-clean-energy/   By michelle victoriaPublished: April 30, 2010Posted in: Changing Habits, Sustainable EnergyTags: alternative energy, clean energy, getting greener, health, wind-power [image]It was reported this week that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is approving the first offshore wind farm in America, the Cape Wind Project off the coast from Cape Cod. America is far behind both Europe and China in utilizing the energy potential from offshore wind plants and hopefully we are now getting on board this clean source of energy. Opponents argue that such wind farms can harm fish and birds, but are these opponents considering the constant threat to wildlife from offshore oil rigs? Right now in the Gulf of Mexico an estimated 42,000 gallons of oil are leaking daily after the explosion of the rig Deepwater Horizon that left 11 people missing and presumed dead. The oil slick has a circumference of about 600 miles and covers about 28,600 sq miles. As of Wednesday the slick was about 20 miles off the coast of Louisiana. If we want to talk about harming fish and birds this is really devastating and the long term effects will be significant even once it stops leaking. Now there is talk about setting it on fire to stop it from spreading, which will do additional harm to the environment, although it could wind up saving birds since the oil will burn up. It is time to take a realistic look at the constant danger that offshore oil rigs pose, realize that wind farms offer a much better alternative, and utilize the wind as an inexhaustible resource. In the world of energy development everything has a downside but some of the alternatives are so much less harmful than what we have been using for decades and it is time for a change. Interior Secretary Salazar said the project would create 1,000 construction jobs and produce the energy equivalent to that of a medium-sized coal-fired power plant. He said it would reduce carbon emissions by the equivalent of 175,000 cars. These are only some of the facts that make a wind farm a much more attractive alternative to coal and oil. One of the stumbling blocks I believe to more offshore wind development is the “not in my backyard” mentality that often plagues America. Much of the mining and refining of coal, and even the coal plants, are in less economically advantaged parts of the country and the people living in these areas have been subjected to the pollution created from the use of coal in providing much of America’s electricity. Unfortunately this scenario exists in many fields, the poor are paying the costs with their health, their environment, their traditional way of life and often their lives to give the rest of the country so-called cheap energy. But this is not cheap energy, it comes with a huge price tag for local residents and the clean up of polluted areas comes from tax dollars, not the profits of the companies-so in the end we all pay. Usually coastal areas are occupied by the more affluent who have been able to use their influence to stop this and other projects from being considered. Even the late Senator Kennedy opposed the Cape WInd project…the view from his home would have overlooked the project, could this have been the real reason for his opposition? It is time to recognize that we need to really move into the 21st century and take advantage of all of the great technology that already exists to provide for our needs in a more sustainable way. Let’s support clean energy and the movement away from fossil fuels, this is something that effects all of us. Let your representatives and the President know that you support offshore wind projects, solar and other green, alternative energy projects rather than increasing offshore oil production as recently proposed. source: http://smartlifeways.com/are-we-finally-taking-more-steps-for-clean-energy/   Tue, 07 Sep 2010 05:51:11 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Are-We-Finally-Taking-More-Steps-for-Clean-Energy/BLOG/2627992/29468.html SmartLifeways 2010-09-07T05:51:11Z EcoSeed Community By michelle victoriaPublished: April 30, 2010Posted in: Changing Habits, Sustainable EnergyTags: alternative energy, clean energy, getting greener, health, wind-power [image]It was reported this week that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is approving the first offshore wind farm in America, the Cape Wind Project off the coast from Cape Cod. America is far behind both Europe and China in utilizing the energy potential from offshore wind plants and hopefully we are now getting on board this clean source of energy. Opponents argue that such wind farms can harm fish and birds, but are these opponents considering the constant threat to wildlife from offshore oil rigs? Right now in the Gulf of Mexico an estimated 42,000 gallons of oil are leaking daily after the explosion of the rig Deepwater Horizon that left 11 people missing and presumed dead. The oil slick has a circumference of about 600 miles and covers about 28,600 sq miles. As of Wednesday the slick was about 20 miles off the coast of Louisiana. If we want to talk about harming fish and birds this is really devastating and the long term effects will be significant even once it stops leaking. Now there is talk about setting it on fire to stop it from spreading, which will do additional harm to the environment, although it could wind up saving birds since the oil will burn up. It is time to take a realistic look at the constant danger that offshore oil rigs pose, realize that wind farms offer a much better alternative, and utilize the wind as an inexhaustible resource. In the world of energy development everything has a downside but some of the alternatives are so much less harmful than what we have been using for decades and it is time for a change. Interior Secretary Salazar said the project would create 1,000 construction jobs and produce the energy equivalent to that of a medium-sized coal-fired power plant. He said it would reduce carbon emissions by the equivalent of 175,000 cars. These are only some of the facts that make a wind farm a much more attractive alternative to coal and oil. One of the stumbling blocks I believe to more offshore wind development is the “not in my backyard” mentality that often plagues America. Much of the mining and refining of coal, and even the coal plants, are in less economically advantaged parts of the country and the people living in these areas have been subjected to the pollution created from the use of coal in providing much of America’s electricity. Unfortunately this scenario exists in many fields, the poor are paying the costs with their health, their environment, their traditional way of life and often their lives to give the rest of the country so-called cheap energy. But this is not cheap energy, it comes with a huge price tag for local residents and the clean up of polluted areas comes from tax dollars, not the profits of the companies-so in the end we all pay. Usually coastal areas are occupied by the more affluent who have been able to use their influence to stop this and other projects from being considered. Even the late Senator Kennedy opposed the Cape WInd project…the view from his home would have overlooked the project, could this have been the real reason for his opposition? It is time to recognize that we need to really move into the 21st century and take advantage of all of the great technology that already exists to provide for our needs in a more sustainable way. Let’s support clean energy and the movement away from fossil fuels, this is something that effects all of us. Let your representatives and the President know that you support offshore wind projects, solar and other green, alternative energy projects rather than increasing offshore oil production as recently proposed. source: http://smartlifeways.com/are-we-finally-taking-more-steps-for-clean-energy/   alternative-energy, clean-energy, climate, health, wind-power nonadult false Are We Finally Taking More Steps for Clean Energy? text blog alternative-energy,clean-energy,climate,health,wind-power 2 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25558380&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/user/defaultImage_160x120_E.jpg false United States NM Santa Fe/Los Angeles 87501 0 0 2627992 25558380 Member 360 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Ride-Your-Bike-to-Support-Climate-and-Energy-Solutions/BLOG/2627990/29468.html [image]I have been seeing so many people on bikes in Los Angeles, ok, mainly down by the beach in Venice, Santa Monica and Marina del Rey but in other parts of town too. I am thrilled whenever I can take a bike to shop or go wherever I am headed, and here in LA I find it pretty easy and even more convenient at times. It sure saves on parking time. I just read about Climate Ride, which is a fund raising bike ride to support climate and energy solutions. There will be two rides, one in Northern California this September and then one in June from New York to Washington DC. Both sound like they will be beautiful rides. Each evening riders will be able to hear speakers so it will be a climate and energy conference on wheels, a fundraiser and an opportunity to show many communities, and hopefully beyond, the importance of looking for and utilizing new energy solutions that do not harm the environment, people and animals. The web site has lots of good information, including how to train for the ride. So if you ride or if this could motivate you to ride, check it out. I am tempted to bring SmartLifeways back east in June for the ride-maybe I will see you there.   source: http://smartlifeways.com/ride-your-bike-to-support-climate-and-energy-solutions/   [image]I have been seeing so many people on bikes in Los Angeles, ok, mainly down by the beach in Venice, Santa Monica and Marina del Rey but in other parts of town too. I am thrilled whenever I can take a bike to shop or go wherever I am headed, and here in LA I find it pretty easy and even more convenient at times. It sure saves on parking time. I just read about Climate Ride, which is a fund raising bike ride to support climate and energy solutions. There will be two rides, one in Northern California this September and then one in June from New York to Washington DC. Both sound like they will be beautiful rides. Each evening riders will be able to hear speakers so it will be a climate and energy conference on wheels, a fundraiser and an opportunity to show many communities, and hopefully beyond, the importance of looking for and utilizing new energy solutions that do not harm the environment, people and animals. The web site has lots of good information, including how to train for the ride. So if you ride or if this could motivate you to ride, check it out. I am tempted to bring SmartLifeways back east in June for the ride-maybe I will see you there.   source: http://smartlifeways.com/ride-your-bike-to-support-climate-and-energy-solutions/   Tue, 07 Sep 2010 05:45:42 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Ride-Your-Bike-to-Support-Climate-and-Energy-Solutions/BLOG/2627990/29468.html SmartLifeways 2010-09-07T05:45:42Z EcoSeed Community [image]I have been seeing so many people on bikes in Los Angeles, ok, mainly down by the beach in Venice, Santa Monica and Marina del Rey but in other parts of town too. I am thrilled whenever I can take a bike to shop or go wherever I am headed, and here in LA I find it pretty easy and even more convenient at times. It sure saves on parking time. I just read about Climate Ride, which is a fund raising bike ride to support climate and energy solutions. There will be two rides, one in Northern California this September and then one in June from New York to Washington DC. Both sound like they will be beautiful rides. Each evening riders will be able to hear speakers so it will be a climate and energy conference on wheels, a fundraiser and an opportunity to show many communities, and hopefully beyond, the importance of looking for and utilizing new energy solutions that do not harm the environment, people and animals. The web site has lots of good information, including how to train for the ride. So if you ride or if this could motivate you to ride, check it out. I am tempted to bring SmartLifeways back east in June for the ride-maybe I will see you there.   source: http://smartlifeways.com/ride-your-bike-to-support-climate-and-energy-solutions/   alternative-energy, bike, clean-energy, climate, green-conference nonadult false Ride Your Bike to Support Climate and Energy Solutions. text blog alternative-energy,bike,clean-energy,climate,green-conference 1 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25558380&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/user/defaultImage_160x120_C.jpg false United States NM Santa Fe/Los Angeles 87501 0 0 2627990 25558380 Member 360 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Concept-Green-phone-Nokia-EC509/PHOTO/10559921/29468.html For more details: http://itechfuture.com/concept-cell-phones-nokia-ec509/ For more details: http://itechfuture.com/concept-cell-phones-nokia-ec509/ Tue, 07 Sep 2010 05:45:22 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Concept-Green-phone-Nokia-EC509/PHOTO/10559921/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-07T05:45:22Z EcoSeed Community For more details: http://itechfuture.com/concept-cell-phones-nokia-ec509/ nonadult false Concept Green phone Nokia EC509 photo 2 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 10559921 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Concept-Green-phone-Nokia-EC509/PHOTO/10559923/29468.html For more details: http://itechfuture.com/concept-cell-phones-nokia-ec509/ For more details: http://itechfuture.com/concept-cell-phones-nokia-ec509/ Tue, 07 Sep 2010 05:45:22 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Concept-Green-phone-Nokia-EC509/PHOTO/10559923/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-07T05:45:22Z EcoSeed Community For more details: http://itechfuture.com/concept-cell-phones-nokia-ec509/ nonadult false Concept Green phone Nokia EC509 photo 2 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 10559923 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Concept-Green-phone-Nokia-EC509/PHOTO/10559925/29468.html For more details: http://itechfuture.com/concept-cell-phones-nokia-ec509/ For more details: http://itechfuture.com/concept-cell-phones-nokia-ec509/ Tue, 07 Sep 2010 05:45:22 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Concept-Green-phone-Nokia-EC509/PHOTO/10559925/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-07T05:45:22Z EcoSeed Community For more details: http://itechfuture.com/concept-cell-phones-nokia-ec509/ nonadult false Concept Green phone Nokia EC509 photo 2 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 10559925 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Farmers-Market-Inspired-Eggplant-Zucchini-and-Potato/BLOG/2627988/29468.html   [image]Once again necessity sparked my creativity and luckily something delicious came out of it. I was getting ready to head back to Santa Fe and wanted to finish off what I had in the fridge….all bought at Saturday’s Playa Vista farmers market (This was my first time there and I really liked it. It’s small but you can get everything that you need from fish toChocovivo’s amazing chocolates, and of course beautiful produce) so there was no way it was going to wind up in the compost pile. Since it is eggplant season, here’s another idea to share with you This is what I used quantity wise and there was plenty for two for a big main course (with some leftovers) or as a side dish for 4-6. This could be served as a warm or cold salad, or as something on the side. 1/2 of a good size classic purple eggplant. You could certainly use any kind and many farmers markets have a great variety right now so you could try some different varieties. Japanese or Chinese varieties will cook quicker. [image] I cut the eggplant into cubes, but it could also be sliced. 1 zucchini roughly sliced 2 cooked (boiled) potatoes. I used two amazing red fingerlings from Weiser Family  Farms. They are so delicious-consider yourself fortunate if you are in the L.A. area and can get them. You can use your favorite variety of fingerlings or Yukons or just about any kind. I had boiled a few to have them ready to use for who knows what so they were ready to go. I just chopped them roughly. Small piece of leek-maybe two inches long (remember this was what was left in the fridge). You could use leek, shallot or any kind of onion. Fresh cilantro and fresh mint Dried spices: Whole Foods Pondicherry Curry Powder (not sure why but I really like this one), fennel seeds, turmeric, cayenne, cinnamon Shredded coconut-optional Saute onion in olive oil for a few minutes, add eggplant. On top of the eggplant I used the following seasonings: Salt Whole Foods Pondicherry Curry Powder- i used enough to lightly cover the eggplant Fennel seeds Tumeric Cayenne-beware and use to your flavor and heat bearing abilities Cinnamon Allow eggplant to cook for 10-15 minutes. toss often with tongs over medium heat. You may need to add a bit more oil. [image] Time to add the zucchini when the eggplant is almost ready Once the eggplant is almost completely cooked add zucchini and toss every few minutes till the zucchini is almost cooked. Add the potato, the chopped herbs and coconut. Cover and allow to just sit on top of other vegies for a few minutes to warm and then toss well. This is also a great filling for making wraps, or putting inside of a pita and could be served warm or cold. It’s also tasty with a yogurt sauce made from plain yogurt, chopped cucumbers, salt, dill, and chopped garlic. You could also use other types of squash. Be creative when you are out shopping and maybe try something that you usually don’t buy. Every fruit and vegetable provides different nutrients, antioxidants and phytochemicals that we need to enjoy good health. And we get more of those essential elements when they are pesticide free & organic and really fresh like you find at a farmers market.   source: http://smartlifeways.com/eggplant-zucchini-and-potato/     [image]Once again necessity sparked my creativity and luckily something delicious came out of it. I was getting ready to head back to Santa Fe and wanted to finish off what I had in the fridge….all bought at Saturday’s Playa Vista farmers market (This was my first time there and I really liked it. It’s small but you can get everything that you need from fish toChocovivo’s amazing chocolates, and of course beautiful produce) so there was no way it was going to wind up in the compost pile. Since it is eggplant season, here’s another idea to share with you This is what I used quantity wise and there was plenty for two for a big main course (with some leftovers) or as a side dish for 4-6. This could be served as a warm or cold salad, or as something on the side. 1/2 of a good size classic purple eggplant. You could certainly use any kind and many farmers markets have a great variety right now so you could try some different varieties. Japanese or Chinese varieties will cook quicker. [image] I cut the eggplant into cubes, but it could also be sliced. 1 zucchini roughly sliced 2 cooked (boiled) potatoes. I used two amazing red fingerlings from Weiser Family  Farms. They are so delicious-consider yourself fortunate if you are in the L.A. area and can get them. You can use your favorite variety of fingerlings or Yukons or just about any kind. I had boiled a few to have them ready to use for who knows what so they were ready to go. I just chopped them roughly. Small piece of leek-maybe two inches long (remember this was what was left in the fridge). You could use leek, shallot or any kind of onion. Fresh cilantro and fresh mint Dried spices: Whole Foods Pondicherry Curry Powder (not sure why but I really like this one), fennel seeds, turmeric, cayenne, cinnamon Shredded coconut-optional Saute onion in olive oil for a few minutes, add eggplant. On top of the eggplant I used the following seasonings: Salt Whole Foods Pondicherry Curry Powder- i used enough to lightly cover the eggplant Fennel seeds Tumeric Cayenne-beware and use to your flavor and heat bearing abilities Cinnamon Allow eggplant to cook for 10-15 minutes. toss often with tongs over medium heat. You may need to add a bit more oil. [image] Time to add the zucchini when the eggplant is almost ready Once the eggplant is almost completely cooked add zucchini and toss every few minutes till the zucchini is almost cooked. Add the potato, the chopped herbs and coconut. Cover and allow to just sit on top of other vegies for a few minutes to warm and then toss well. This is also a great filling for making wraps, or putting inside of a pita and could be served warm or cold. It’s also tasty with a yogurt sauce made from plain yogurt, chopped cucumbers, salt, dill, and chopped garlic. You could also use other types of squash. Be creative when you are out shopping and maybe try something that you usually don’t buy. Every fruit and vegetable provides different nutrients, antioxidants and phytochemicals that we need to enjoy good health. And we get more of those essential elements when they are pesticide free & organic and really fresh like you find at a farmers market.   source: http://smartlifeways.com/eggplant-zucchini-and-potato/   Tue, 07 Sep 2010 05:36:19 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Farmers-Market-Inspired-Eggplant-Zucchini-and-Potato/BLOG/2627988/29468.html SmartLifeways 2010-09-07T05:36:19Z EcoSeed Community   [image]Once again necessity sparked my creativity and luckily something delicious came out of it. I was getting ready to head back to Santa Fe and wanted to finish off what I had in the fridge….all bought at Saturday’s Playa Vista farmers market (This was my first time there and I really liked it. It’s small but you can get everything that you need from fish toChocovivo’s amazing chocolates, and of course beautiful produce) so there was no way it was going to wind up in the compost pile. Since it is eggplant season, here’s another idea to share with you This is what I used quantity wise and there was plenty for two for a big main course (with some leftovers) or as a side dish for 4-6. This could be served as a warm or cold salad, or as something on the side. 1/2 of a good size classic purple eggplant. You could certainly use any kind and many farmers markets have a great variety right now so you could try some different varieties. Japanese or Chinese varieties will cook quicker. [image] I cut the eggplant into cubes, but it could also be sliced. 1 zucchini roughly sliced 2 cooked (boiled) potatoes. I used two amazing red fingerlings from Weiser Family  Farms. They are so delicious-consider yourself fortunate if you are in the L.A. area and can get them. You can use your favorite variety of fingerlings or Yukons or just about any kind. I had boiled a few to have them ready to use for who knows what so they were ready to go. I just chopped them roughly. Small piece of leek-maybe two inches long (remember this was what was left in the fridge). You could use leek, shallot or any kind of onion. Fresh cilantro and fresh mint Dried spices: Whole Foods Pondicherry Curry Powder (not sure why but I really like this one), fennel seeds, turmeric, cayenne, cinnamon Shredded coconut-optional Saute onion in olive oil for a few minutes, add eggplant. On top of the eggplant I used the following seasonings: Salt Whole Foods Pondicherry Curry Powder- i used enough to lightly cover the eggplant Fennel seeds Tumeric Cayenne-beware and use to your flavor and heat bearing abilities Cinnamon Allow eggplant to cook for 10-15 minutes. toss often with tongs over medium heat. You may need to add a bit more oil. [image] Time to add the zucchini when the eggplant is almost ready Once the eggplant is almost completely cooked add zucchini and toss every few minutes till the zucchini is almost cooked. Add the potato, the chopped herbs and coconut. Cover and allow to just sit on top of other vegies for a few minutes to warm and then toss well. This is also a great filling for making wraps, or putting inside of a pita and could be served warm or cold. It’s also tasty with a yogurt sauce made from plain yogurt, chopped cucumbers, salt, dill, and chopped garlic. You could also use other types of squash. Be creative when you are out shopping and maybe try something that you usually don’t buy. Every fruit and vegetable provides different nutrients, antioxidants and phytochemicals that we need to enjoy good health. And we get more of those essential elements when they are pesticide free & organic and really fresh like you find at a farmers market.   source: http://smartlifeways.com/eggplant-zucchini-and-potato/   cooking, farmers, heath, market, recipe nonadult false Farmers Market Inspired Eggplant, Zucchini and Potato text blog cooking,farmers,heath,market,recipe 1 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25558380&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/user/defaultImage_160x120_A.jpg false United States NM santa fe/los angeles 87501 0 0 2627988 25558380 Member 360 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25558380&as=29468 Tue, 07 Sep 2010 04:20:23 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25558380&as=29468 SmartLifeways 2010-09-07T04:20:23Z EcoSeed Community nonadult false SmartLifeways user 1 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25558380&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/user/defaultImage_160x120_C.jpg false 0 25558380 25558380 Member 360 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Vancouver-digital-entertainment-firms-set-aim-with-Shanghai-trade-mission/BLOG/2627191/29468.html     [image] VANCOUVER - A handful of Vancouver-based film and video game company executives are in southern China this week with other Vancouver firms involved in green technology at the five-day Vancouver Green Capital Business Mission, which begins Wednesday. A total of 22 Vancouver companies and organizations will meet with close to 100 Chinese businesses and institutions in Shanghai, with the aim to foster business deals between the two countries. Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson will also attend. Film and digital entertainment companies Atomic Cartoons, Rainmaker Entertainment, Image Engine Design and Disney Interactive will attend, as will BC Film. Fraser Milner Casgrain, a law firm that works with Vancouver’s entertainment firms, is also on the trip. They will meet with at least 37 Chinese companies and organizations with a digital media focus, including China Film Group, Shanghai Media Group, Dragon TV, and Hengdian World Studios. These companies will participate in the digital media industries sector of the trade forum. Other sectors involve environmental technology, renewable energies and green building products. Some will also attend Shanghai Expo 2010. “We’re looking to send service there, but also to partner with Chinese companies doing animation there,” said Trevor Bentley, president and partner of Vancouver animation studio Atomic Cartoons, who has lined up meetings with five Chinese companies. “We’re seeing some fantastic properties and animation coming out of China,” Bentley said. “It’s a matter of doing our due diligence and making some connections. If we’re going to send projects there or ask someone to invest in our projects or partner with us on something, we have to meet face-to-face.” Warren Franklin, CEO of Rainmaker Entertainment, hopes to build on momentum his company created by making a short animation for the Canadian Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, as well as a film shown at the B.C.-Canada Pavilion during the 2010 Winter Olympics here. “We’re hoping to leverage that [pavilion] work for some new projects and business. The opportunities in China are enormous, and there’s a lot of potential for co-productions between Canadian and Chinese companies in the animation and digital media area,” stated Franklin. “The growth of the Chinese theatrical film market is also a factor. The number of screens being built every year is quite high, and we see this will be an important theatrical market for our content.” Rainmaker has had discussions with Chinese interests about the Vancouver company’s work and, Franklin said, “I think our business is expanding into that market in terms of theatrical opportunities that are starting to present themselves for feature films.” Image Engine executive producer Shawn Walsh, who travels to Shanghai with his company’s CFO Greg Herbert, has a half-dozen meetings with Chinese companies this week, including China Film Group. “We do about 80 to 85 per cent of our visual effects work for feature films, so China Film Group is one of the companies we need to know more about,” said Walsh. “They have a governmental aspect, which is different from the way film production companies work in North America. They are interested in doing co-productions. Currently the budgets for those co-productions are quite meagre, but that will change over time as the market grows.” Robert Wong, of BC Film, will not participate in the business meetings, but will give a talk outlining the incentives and the working environment in the B.C. digital media industry. Robertson will be in China a total of 11 days, visiting Beijing and Hubei province, Vancouver’s sister city of Guangzhou, and Tianjin, where he will speak at the World Economic Forum. Individual companies pay for their own transportation and accommodations. The Vancouver Economic Development Commission has contributed $75,000 to the trip, and the mayor’s office has put up $45,000. http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Vancouver+digital+entertainment+firms+with+Shanghai+trade+mission/3487454/story.html     [image] VANCOUVER - A handful of Vancouver-based film and video game company executives are in southern China this week with other Vancouver firms involved in green technology at the five-day Vancouver Green Capital Business Mission, which begins Wednesday. A total of 22 Vancouver companies and organizations will meet with close to 100 Chinese businesses and institutions in Shanghai, with the aim to foster business deals between the two countries. Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson will also attend. Film and digital entertainment companies Atomic Cartoons, Rainmaker Entertainment, Image Engine Design and Disney Interactive will attend, as will BC Film. Fraser Milner Casgrain, a law firm that works with Vancouver’s entertainment firms, is also on the trip. They will meet with at least 37 Chinese companies and organizations with a digital media focus, including China Film Group, Shanghai Media Group, Dragon TV, and Hengdian World Studios. These companies will participate in the digital media industries sector of the trade forum. Other sectors involve environmental technology, renewable energies and green building products. Some will also attend Shanghai Expo 2010. “We’re looking to send service there, but also to partner with Chinese companies doing animation there,” said Trevor Bentley, president and partner of Vancouver animation studio Atomic Cartoons, who has lined up meetings with five Chinese companies. “We’re seeing some fantastic properties and animation coming out of China,” Bentley said. “It’s a matter of doing our due diligence and making some connections. If we’re going to send projects there or ask someone to invest in our projects or partner with us on something, we have to meet face-to-face.” Warren Franklin, CEO of Rainmaker Entertainment, hopes to build on momentum his company created by making a short animation for the Canadian Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, as well as a film shown at the B.C.-Canada Pavilion during the 2010 Winter Olympics here. “We’re hoping to leverage that [pavilion] work for some new projects and business. The opportunities in China are enormous, and there’s a lot of potential for co-productions between Canadian and Chinese companies in the animation and digital media area,” stated Franklin. “The growth of the Chinese theatrical film market is also a factor. The number of screens being built every year is quite high, and we see this will be an important theatrical market for our content.” Rainmaker has had discussions with Chinese interests about the Vancouver company’s work and, Franklin said, “I think our business is expanding into that market in terms of theatrical opportunities that are starting to present themselves for feature films.” Image Engine executive producer Shawn Walsh, who travels to Shanghai with his company’s CFO Greg Herbert, has a half-dozen meetings with Chinese companies this week, including China Film Group. “We do about 80 to 85 per cent of our visual effects work for feature films, so China Film Group is one of the companies we need to know more about,” said Walsh. “They have a governmental aspect, which is different from the way film production companies work in North America. They are interested in doing co-productions. Currently the budgets for those co-productions are quite meagre, but that will change over time as the market grows.” Robert Wong, of BC Film, will not participate in the business meetings, but will give a talk outlining the incentives and the working environment in the B.C. digital media industry. Robertson will be in China a total of 11 days, visiting Beijing and Hubei province, Vancouver’s sister city of Guangzhou, and Tianjin, where he will speak at the World Economic Forum. Individual companies pay for their own transportation and accommodations. The Vancouver Economic Development Commission has contributed $75,000 to the trip, and the mayor’s office has put up $45,000. http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Vancouver+digital+entertainment+firms+with+Shanghai+trade+mission/3487454/story.html Tue, 07 Sep 2010 02:23:56 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Vancouver-digital-entertainment-firms-set-aim-with-Shanghai-trade-mission/BLOG/2627191/29468.html yiehk21 2010-09-07T02:23:56Z EcoSeed Community     [image] VANCOUVER - A handful of Vancouver-based film and video game company executives are in southern China this week with other Vancouver firms involved in green technology at the five-day Vancouver Green Capital Business Mission, which begins Wednesday. A total of 22 Vancouver companies and organizations will meet with close to 100 Chinese businesses and institutions in Shanghai, with the aim to foster business deals between the two countries. Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson will also attend. Film and digital entertainment companies Atomic Cartoons, Rainmaker Entertainment, Image Engine Design and Disney Interactive will attend, as will BC Film. Fraser Milner Casgrain, a law firm that works with Vancouver’s entertainment firms, is also on the trip. They will meet with at least 37 Chinese companies and organizations with a digital media focus, including China Film Group, Shanghai Media Group, Dragon TV, and Hengdian World Studios. These companies will participate in the digital media industries sector of the trade forum. Other sectors involve environmental technology, renewable energies and green building products. Some will also attend Shanghai Expo 2010. “We’re looking to send service there, but also to partner with Chinese companies doing animation there,” said Trevor Bentley, president and partner of Vancouver animation studio Atomic Cartoons, who has lined up meetings with five Chinese companies. “We’re seeing some fantastic properties and animation coming out of China,” Bentley said. “It’s a matter of doing our due diligence and making some connections. If we’re going to send projects there or ask someone to invest in our projects or partner with us on something, we have to meet face-to-face.” Warren Franklin, CEO of Rainmaker Entertainment, hopes to build on momentum his company created by making a short animation for the Canadian Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, as well as a film shown at the B.C.-Canada Pavilion during the 2010 Winter Olympics here. “We’re hoping to leverage that [pavilion] work for some new projects and business. The opportunities in China are enormous, and there’s a lot of potential for co-productions between Canadian and Chinese companies in the animation and digital media area,” stated Franklin. “The growth of the Chinese theatrical film market is also a factor. The number of screens being built every year is quite high, and we see this will be an important theatrical market for our content.” Rainmaker has had discussions with Chinese interests about the Vancouver company’s work and, Franklin said, “I think our business is expanding into that market in terms of theatrical opportunities that are starting to present themselves for feature films.” Image Engine executive producer Shawn Walsh, who travels to Shanghai with his company’s CFO Greg Herbert, has a half-dozen meetings with Chinese companies this week, including China Film Group. “We do about 80 to 85 per cent of our visual effects work for feature films, so China Film Group is one of the companies we need to know more about,” said Walsh. “They have a governmental aspect, which is different from the way film production companies work in North America. They are interested in doing co-productions. Currently the budgets for those co-productions are quite meagre, but that will change over time as the market grows.” Robert Wong, of BC Film, will not participate in the business meetings, but will give a talk outlining the incentives and the working environment in the B.C. digital media industry. Robertson will be in China a total of 11 days, visiting Beijing and Hubei province, Vancouver’s sister city of Guangzhou, and Tianjin, where he will speak at the World Economic Forum. Individual companies pay for their own transportation and accommodations. The Vancouver Economic Development Commission has contributed $75,000 to the trip, and the mayor’s office has put up $45,000. http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Vancouver+digital+entertainment+firms+with+Shanghai+trade+mission/3487454/story.html nonadult false Vancouver digital entertainment firms set aim with Shanghai trade mission text blog 29 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=7683071&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_10005797_29468_7683071_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2627191 7683071 Gold 17080 http://community.ecoseed.org/_The-climate-deniers-of-the-left/BLOG/2627169/29468.html   [image] Coca Cola greenwash at the Copenhagen climate summit. The scientific community has never been more united in its conviction that climate change is well on the way to rendering planet Earth a vastly less hospitable place for most species, including our own. Yet doubt about the gravity of the problem is, paradoxically, on the rise. Recent polls in the US, Britain and Canada reveal that fewer people take the threat of climate change seriously than five years ago. One likely reason is the insidious effect of the ongoing campaign — largely orchestrated and funded by the fossil fuel industry, and drawing support from a cast of right-wing pundits and politicians — to sow doubt about the existence of climate change or at least about the contribution of human activity to it. The contrarians don’t all line up with the forces of reaction, however. Alexander Cockburn, veteran left journalist and co-editor of online journal Counterpunch.com, resigned this year from a more than 40-year stint on the editorial board of the New Left Review. His resignation was in response to the publication of Mike Davis’ “Who Will Build The Ark?”, a reflection on the implications of climate change, as the lead article of the illustrious journal’s 50th anniversary issue. There are few issues that get Cockburn as hot under the collar as global warming. He is by far the most extreme in his wholesale denial of the very problem of climate change, but Cockburn is not the only prominent leftist to dismiss the urgency accorded to global warming by progressives. York university’s David F. Noble, historian of science and technology, critic of the corporate usurpation of the university and occasional contributor to Canadian Dimension, is equally irate over the Left’s attention to climate change. And Slavoj Zizek, one of the world’s most prominent left-wing intellectuals, dubbed the “Elvis” of cultural theory, has at times articulated an agnostic position on global warming. Each of these thinkers, who reflect a real, if marginal, minority opinion on the left, come at their climate change scepticism from different angles. Cockburn maintains that global warming is a “non-existent threat” based on flawed science. He approvingly cites naysayers such as Patrick Michaels of the right-wing Cato Institute, fingered as a paid consultant of the fossil fuel industry. Against the prevailing scientific consensus, Cockburn insisted in an April 2007 Counterpunch.org article: “There is still zero empirical evidence that anthropogenic production of CO2 is making any measurable contribution to the world’s present warming trend.” In his view, climate change is a fiction fostered by capital as part of a strategy to profit from higher energy costs at the expense of the poor — a notion bearing more than a passing resemblance to the type of conspiracy-thinking he elsewhere denounces. He treats the left with contempt for not only being hoodwinked by the global warming “dogma”, but for being naive in seeing it as a tipping point in the direction of radical social change. Noble’s emphasis is different, although he pursues the general theme of climate change as a false crisis fabricated by elites for their own purposes. Tracing the history of the corporate world’s warming to the issue of climate change, he depicts it as a deliberate and successful effort by a faction of the ruling class to co-opt and derail the anti-globalisation movement of the 1990s. He is especially contemptuous of the left for adopting what he sees as an uncritical view of science in relation to climate change, one that disconnects science from politics, and of buying into the dominant either/or logic. Noble argues corporate interests have succeeded in creating a false polarisation of positions that leaves no space to reject both sides: he complains that one can either accept climate change as the principal problem of our time, along with the green capitalist solutions, or join the much maligned “deniers”. Zizek, too, cautions against a naive view of science. However, he seems lately to be conceding more to the scientific consensus than in previous pronouncements, where he opposed any limits to development on the grounds of uncertainty about the science. He argued that nature is inherently unstable and crisis-ridden and that ideas about any natural balance being upset by human activity are misguided. He said ecology, insofar as it emphasises our finitude and calls for us to treat the Earth with respect, is inherently conservative and expresses a deep distrust of change, development and progress. He thus characterised it as “a new opium of the masses”. In an April 29 New Statesmen article, Zizek seemed to shift gears. On the one hand, he repeated the assertion that nature is chaotic and there is no underlying natural balance to be perturbed by human activity. Science, he reiterated, is unreliable and its conclusions are subject to the pressures of capital. But he asserted that our survival as a species depends on “a series of stable natural parameters that we tend to take for granted ... The limits to our freedom become palpable with ecological disturbances, as our ability to transform nature destabilises the basic geological conditions of life on earth.” He appeared to jettison his opposition to placing limits on development when he wrote: “What is demanded, first, is strict egalitarian justice: worldwide norms of per capita energy consumption should be imposed, stopping developed nations from poisoning the environment at the present rate while blaming developing countries, from Brazil to China, for ruining our shared environment.” Of course, both scepticism and the ability to change one’s mind are signs of intellectual vigour. And dissent, as US socialist Norman Thomas said, is “essential to the search for truth in a world wherein no authority is infallible”. But there is a question of what motivates these dissenters. Scepticism about climate change on the right is fuelled, particularly in the US, by the belief that global warming is a socialist Trojan horse, designed to destroy the free market by the stealth of environmental regulation. What seems to unite the climate change sceptics on the left is the opposite belief — that climate change is distracting and deflecting the left from the project of radical social transformation. It is reminiscent of the response of a significant part of the socialist left to the emerging environmental consciousness in the 1970s, which discounted concerns about pollution and the rate of resource consumption as a “petit bourgeois” affair with no bearing on the world’s masses. But as countless scientists have stressed, the most devastating effects of climate change will be felt first of all by the poor in the global South, who are more directly and immediately dependent on the natural world for their living. The sceptics are legitimately concerned that the ecological crisis will be manipulated by capital as a business opportunity. There is no doubt that climate change will be exploited for profit by the corporate elite — just as the oil catastrophe in the Gulf is being turned to economic advantage by some of the companies responsible for the disaster who are now cashing in on the clean-up activities — but this fact should not lead us to discount the reality or gravity of the crisis. What is called for is an anti-capitalist response to the ecological threat — not only to the survival of our own species but to the innumerable other species now at risk. Left climate change sceptics seem to ignore the emerging ecosocialist current, which has taken up the challenge of wedding the critique of capitalism to an analysis of the ecological crisis. As one pamphlet produced the time of the December 2009 Copenhagen climate summit pointed out: “Climate change is not just an environmental issue. It is but one symptom of a system ravaging our planet and destroying our communities.” Far from being distracted by climate change, ecosocialists understand it as intimately related to the reigning global system of production that endlessly reproduces the unjust disparities of wealth and power that have always been the object of the left’s opposition. How can Cockburn, Noble and Zizek argue with that? http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/45269     [image] Coca Cola greenwash at the Copenhagen climate summit. The scientific community has never been more united in its conviction that climate change is well on the way to rendering planet Earth a vastly less hospitable place for most species, including our own. Yet doubt about the gravity of the problem is, paradoxically, on the rise. Recent polls in the US, Britain and Canada reveal that fewer people take the threat of climate change seriously than five years ago. One likely reason is the insidious effect of the ongoing campaign — largely orchestrated and funded by the fossil fuel industry, and drawing support from a cast of right-wing pundits and politicians — to sow doubt about the existence of climate change or at least about the contribution of human activity to it. The contrarians don’t all line up with the forces of reaction, however. Alexander Cockburn, veteran left journalist and co-editor of online journal Counterpunch.com, resigned this year from a more than 40-year stint on the editorial board of the New Left Review. His resignation was in response to the publication of Mike Davis’ “Who Will Build The Ark?”, a reflection on the implications of climate change, as the lead article of the illustrious journal’s 50th anniversary issue. There are few issues that get Cockburn as hot under the collar as global warming. He is by far the most extreme in his wholesale denial of the very problem of climate change, but Cockburn is not the only prominent leftist to dismiss the urgency accorded to global warming by progressives. York university’s David F. Noble, historian of science and technology, critic of the corporate usurpation of the university and occasional contributor to Canadian Dimension, is equally irate over the Left’s attention to climate change. And Slavoj Zizek, one of the world’s most prominent left-wing intellectuals, dubbed the “Elvis” of cultural theory, has at times articulated an agnostic position on global warming. Each of these thinkers, who reflect a real, if marginal, minority opinion on the left, come at their climate change scepticism from different angles. Cockburn maintains that global warming is a “non-existent threat” based on flawed science. He approvingly cites naysayers such as Patrick Michaels of the right-wing Cato Institute, fingered as a paid consultant of the fossil fuel industry. Against the prevailing scientific consensus, Cockburn insisted in an April 2007 Counterpunch.org article: “There is still zero empirical evidence that anthropogenic production of CO2 is making any measurable contribution to the world’s present warming trend.” In his view, climate change is a fiction fostered by capital as part of a strategy to profit from higher energy costs at the expense of the poor — a notion bearing more than a passing resemblance to the type of conspiracy-thinking he elsewhere denounces. He treats the left with contempt for not only being hoodwinked by the global warming “dogma”, but for being naive in seeing it as a tipping point in the direction of radical social change. Noble’s emphasis is different, although he pursues the general theme of climate change as a false crisis fabricated by elites for their own purposes. Tracing the history of the corporate world’s warming to the issue of climate change, he depicts it as a deliberate and successful effort by a faction of the ruling class to co-opt and derail the anti-globalisation movement of the 1990s. He is especially contemptuous of the left for adopting what he sees as an uncritical view of science in relation to climate change, one that disconnects science from politics, and of buying into the dominant either/or logic. Noble argues corporate interests have succeeded in creating a false polarisation of positions that leaves no space to reject both sides: he complains that one can either accept climate change as the principal problem of our time, along with the green capitalist solutions, or join the much maligned “deniers”. Zizek, too, cautions against a naive view of science. However, he seems lately to be conceding more to the scientific consensus than in previous pronouncements, where he opposed any limits to development on the grounds of uncertainty about the science. He argued that nature is inherently unstable and crisis-ridden and that ideas about any natural balance being upset by human activity are misguided. He said ecology, insofar as it emphasises our finitude and calls for us to treat the Earth with respect, is inherently conservative and expresses a deep distrust of change, development and progress. He thus characterised it as “a new opium of the masses”. In an April 29 New Statesmen article, Zizek seemed to shift gears. On the one hand, he repeated the assertion that nature is chaotic and there is no underlying natural balance to be perturbed by human activity. Science, he reiterated, is unreliable and its conclusions are subject to the pressures of capital. But he asserted that our survival as a species depends on “a series of stable natural parameters that we tend to take for granted ... The limits to our freedom become palpable with ecological disturbances, as our ability to transform nature destabilises the basic geological conditions of life on earth.” He appeared to jettison his opposition to placing limits on development when he wrote: “What is demanded, first, is strict egalitarian justice: worldwide norms of per capita energy consumption should be imposed, stopping developed nations from poisoning the environment at the present rate while blaming developing countries, from Brazil to China, for ruining our shared environment.” Of course, both scepticism and the ability to change one’s mind are signs of intellectual vigour. And dissent, as US socialist Norman Thomas said, is “essential to the search for truth in a world wherein no authority is infallible”. But there is a question of what motivates these dissenters. Scepticism about climate change on the right is fuelled, particularly in the US, by the belief that global warming is a socialist Trojan horse, designed to destroy the free market by the stealth of environmental regulation. What seems to unite the climate change sceptics on the left is the opposite belief — that climate change is distracting and deflecting the left from the project of radical social transformation. It is reminiscent of the response of a significant part of the socialist left to the emerging environmental consciousness in the 1970s, which discounted concerns about pollution and the rate of resource consumption as a “petit bourgeois” affair with no bearing on the world’s masses. But as countless scientists have stressed, the most devastating effects of climate change will be felt first of all by the poor in the global South, who are more directly and immediately dependent on the natural world for their living. The sceptics are legitimately concerned that the ecological crisis will be manipulated by capital as a business opportunity. There is no doubt that climate change will be exploited for profit by the corporate elite — just as the oil catastrophe in the Gulf is being turned to economic advantage by some of the companies responsible for the disaster who are now cashing in on the clean-up activities — but this fact should not lead us to discount the reality or gravity of the crisis. What is called for is an anti-capitalist response to the ecological threat — not only to the survival of our own species but to the innumerable other species now at risk. Left climate change sceptics seem to ignore the emerging ecosocialist current, which has taken up the challenge of wedding the critique of capitalism to an analysis of the ecological crisis. As one pamphlet produced the time of the December 2009 Copenhagen climate summit pointed out: “Climate change is not just an environmental issue. It is but one symptom of a system ravaging our planet and destroying our communities.” Far from being distracted by climate change, ecosocialists understand it as intimately related to the reigning global system of production that endlessly reproduces the unjust disparities of wealth and power that have always been the object of the left’s opposition. How can Cockburn, Noble and Zizek argue with that? http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/45269   Tue, 07 Sep 2010 02:18:47 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_The-climate-deniers-of-the-left/BLOG/2627169/29468.html yiehk21 2010-09-07T02:18:47Z EcoSeed Community   [image] Coca Cola greenwash at the Copenhagen climate summit. The scientific community has never been more united in its conviction that climate change is well on the way to rendering planet Earth a vastly less hospitable place for most species, including our own. Yet doubt about the gravity of the problem is, paradoxically, on the rise. Recent polls in the US, Britain and Canada reveal that fewer people take the threat of climate change seriously than five years ago. One likely reason is the insidious effect of the ongoing campaign — largely orchestrated and funded by the fossil fuel industry, and drawing support from a cast of right-wing pundits and politicians — to sow doubt about the existence of climate change or at least about the contribution of human activity to it. The contrarians don’t all line up with the forces of reaction, however. Alexander Cockburn, veteran left journalist and co-editor of online journal Counterpunch.com, resigned this year from a more than 40-year stint on the editorial board of the New Left Review. His resignation was in response to the publication of Mike Davis’ “Who Will Build The Ark?”, a reflection on the implications of climate change, as the lead article of the illustrious journal’s 50th anniversary issue. There are few issues that get Cockburn as hot under the collar as global warming. He is by far the most extreme in his wholesale denial of the very problem of climate change, but Cockburn is not the only prominent leftist to dismiss the urgency accorded to global warming by progressives. York university’s David F. Noble, historian of science and technology, critic of the corporate usurpation of the university and occasional contributor to Canadian Dimension, is equally irate over the Left’s attention to climate change. And Slavoj Zizek, one of the world’s most prominent left-wing intellectuals, dubbed the “Elvis” of cultural theory, has at times articulated an agnostic position on global warming. Each of these thinkers, who reflect a real, if marginal, minority opinion on the left, come at their climate change scepticism from different angles. Cockburn maintains that global warming is a “non-existent threat” based on flawed science. He approvingly cites naysayers such as Patrick Michaels of the right-wing Cato Institute, fingered as a paid consultant of the fossil fuel industry. Against the prevailing scientific consensus, Cockburn insisted in an April 2007 Counterpunch.org article: “There is still zero empirical evidence that anthropogenic production of CO2 is making any measurable contribution to the world’s present warming trend.” In his view, climate change is a fiction fostered by capital as part of a strategy to profit from higher energy costs at the expense of the poor — a notion bearing more than a passing resemblance to the type of conspiracy-thinking he elsewhere denounces. He treats the left with contempt for not only being hoodwinked by the global warming “dogma”, but for being naive in seeing it as a tipping point in the direction of radical social change. Noble’s emphasis is different, although he pursues the general theme of climate change as a false crisis fabricated by elites for their own purposes. Tracing the history of the corporate world’s warming to the issue of climate change, he depicts it as a deliberate and successful effort by a faction of the ruling class to co-opt and derail the anti-globalisation movement of the 1990s. He is especially contemptuous of the left for adopting what he sees as an uncritical view of science in relation to climate change, one that disconnects science from politics, and of buying into the dominant either/or logic. Noble argues corporate interests have succeeded in creating a false polarisation of positions that leaves no space to reject both sides: he complains that one can either accept climate change as the principal problem of our time, along with the green capitalist solutions, or join the much maligned “deniers”. Zizek, too, cautions against a naive view of science. However, he seems lately to be conceding more to the scientific consensus than in previous pronouncements, where he opposed any limits to development on the grounds of uncertainty about the science. He argued that nature is inherently unstable and crisis-ridden and that ideas about any natural balance being upset by human activity are misguided. He said ecology, insofar as it emphasises our finitude and calls for us to treat the Earth with respect, is inherently conservative and expresses a deep distrust of change, development and progress. He thus characterised it as “a new opium of the masses”. In an April 29 New Statesmen article, Zizek seemed to shift gears. On the one hand, he repeated the assertion that nature is chaotic and there is no underlying natural balance to be perturbed by human activity. Science, he reiterated, is unreliable and its conclusions are subject to the pressures of capital. But he asserted that our survival as a species depends on “a series of stable natural parameters that we tend to take for granted ... The limits to our freedom become palpable with ecological disturbances, as our ability to transform nature destabilises the basic geological conditions of life on earth.” He appeared to jettison his opposition to placing limits on development when he wrote: “What is demanded, first, is strict egalitarian justice: worldwide norms of per capita energy consumption should be imposed, stopping developed nations from poisoning the environment at the present rate while blaming developing countries, from Brazil to China, for ruining our shared environment.” Of course, both scepticism and the ability to change one’s mind are signs of intellectual vigour. And dissent, as US socialist Norman Thomas said, is “essential to the search for truth in a world wherein no authority is infallible”. But there is a question of what motivates these dissenters. Scepticism about climate change on the right is fuelled, particularly in the US, by the belief that global warming is a socialist Trojan horse, designed to destroy the free market by the stealth of environmental regulation. What seems to unite the climate change sceptics on the left is the opposite belief — that climate change is distracting and deflecting the left from the project of radical social transformation. It is reminiscent of the response of a significant part of the socialist left to the emerging environmental consciousness in the 1970s, which discounted concerns about pollution and the rate of resource consumption as a “petit bourgeois” affair with no bearing on the world’s masses. But as countless scientists have stressed, the most devastating effects of climate change will be felt first of all by the poor in the global South, who are more directly and immediately dependent on the natural world for their living. The sceptics are legitimately concerned that the ecological crisis will be manipulated by capital as a business opportunity. There is no doubt that climate change will be exploited for profit by the corporate elite — just as the oil catastrophe in the Gulf is being turned to economic advantage by some of the companies responsible for the disaster who are now cashing in on the clean-up activities — but this fact should not lead us to discount the reality or gravity of the crisis. What is called for is an anti-capitalist response to the ecological threat — not only to the survival of our own species but to the innumerable other species now at risk. Left climate change sceptics seem to ignore the emerging ecosocialist current, which has taken up the challenge of wedding the critique of capitalism to an analysis of the ecological crisis. As one pamphlet produced the time of the December 2009 Copenhagen climate summit pointed out: “Climate change is not just an environmental issue. It is but one symptom of a system ravaging our planet and destroying our communities.” Far from being distracted by climate change, ecosocialists understand it as intimately related to the reigning global system of production that endlessly reproduces the unjust disparities of wealth and power that have always been the object of the left’s opposition. How can Cockburn, Noble and Zizek argue with that? http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/45269   nonadult false The climate deniers of the left text blog 21 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=7683071&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_10005797_29468_7683071_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2627169 7683071 Gold 17080 http://community.ecoseed.org/_15th-Annual-Urban-Wheel-Awards-Promotes-Green-Technology-Event-Includes-Green-Car-Show-and-Technology-Exhibit/BLOG/2627161/29468.html Detroit - September 2, 2010 - The 15th Annual Urban Wheel Awards, held in conjunction with the North American International Auto Show, will host its first annual Green Car Show and Technology Exhibit on Sunday, January 9th, 2011, at the Motor City Casino Hotel in Detroit.  This year's event will celebrate 15 years of emerging diversity in the automotive industry and promote green technology to people of color. [image] Actress LisaRaye headlined the 14th Annual Urban Wheel Awards.  "The Urban Wheel Awards is a unique, star-studded event and an exciting highlight to the nation's largest auto show." says Randi Payton, president and CEO of Decisive Media, the best source for cultural and consumer news, and organizers of the event.  "Now, in addition to promoting multiculturalism in the automotive industry, we're also promoting environmentally-friendly technology to the multi-cultural community."  The Urban Wheel Awards brings together celebrities, automotive executives, international media, government representatives and the multi-cultural community to celebrate diversity in the automotive industry. According to RL Polk,consumers in the multicultural market purchase one-quarter of new vehicles annually.  The Urban Wheel Awards promotes awareness of their inclusion and honors the companies and individuals who have made progress toward embracing this reality.  The Green Car Show exhibit will showcase a collection of efficient- and alternatively-fueled vehicles, as well as the newest hybrids and clean diesel automobiles.  It will also feature plug-in hybrids, fuel-cell, biodiesel, electric, and other advanced technologies.  Experts will be on hand to provide explanations and demonstrations of these technologies. Eco-friendly organizations are encouraged to participate by showcasing their innovative approaches to reducing the carbon footprint alongside major automotive manufacturers and suppliers.  "We are reaching out to automotive-related companies who are dedicated to environmentally-friendly ways to save our planet," Payton says.  "This is a premier opportunity for them to show their innovations to major automakers, high ranking auto executives and environmentally savvy consumers and to broaden their base to minority audiences." The day's activities will begin with the Green Car Show at 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., followed by a celebrity Green Carpet and VIP reception at 5 p.m. The Urban Wheel Awards, which begins at 7 p.m. will honor four companies for leadership in environmental and fuel-efficient technologies.  Winners of the Urban Car, Urban Truck and Urban Green Vehicle of the Year will also be honored along with the Minority Supplier and Dealer of the Year, Lifetime Achievement and the Urban Pioneer of the Year.   The day-long event is expected to attract more than 2,000 attendees looking to learn more about new environmentally progressive automotive technologies and participate in celebrating multiculturalism in the automotive industry. http://www.decisivemagazine.com/blogs/cathy-nedd/15th-annual-urban-wheel-awards-promotes-green-technology-event-includes-green-car-s Detroit - September 2, 2010 - The 15th Annual Urban Wheel Awards, held in conjunction with the North American International Auto Show, will host its first annual Green Car Show and Technology Exhibit on Sunday, January 9th, 2011, at the Motor City Casino Hotel in Detroit.  This year's event will celebrate 15 years of emerging diversity in the automotive industry and promote green technology to people of color. [image] Actress LisaRaye headlined the 14th Annual Urban Wheel Awards.  "The Urban Wheel Awards is a unique, star-studded event and an exciting highlight to the nation's largest auto show." says Randi Payton, president and CEO of Decisive Media, the best source for cultural and consumer news, and organizers of the event.  "Now, in addition to promoting multiculturalism in the automotive industry, we're also promoting environmentally-friendly technology to the multi-cultural community."  The Urban Wheel Awards brings together celebrities, automotive executives, international media, government representatives and the multi-cultural community to celebrate diversity in the automotive industry. According to RL Polk,consumers in the multicultural market purchase one-quarter of new vehicles annually.  The Urban Wheel Awards promotes awareness of their inclusion and honors the companies and individuals who have made progress toward embracing this reality.  The Green Car Show exhibit will showcase a collection of efficient- and alternatively-fueled vehicles, as well as the newest hybrids and clean diesel automobiles.  It will also feature plug-in hybrids, fuel-cell, biodiesel, electric, and other advanced technologies.  Experts will be on hand to provide explanations and demonstrations of these technologies. Eco-friendly organizations are encouraged to participate by showcasing their innovative approaches to reducing the carbon footprint alongside major automotive manufacturers and suppliers.  "We are reaching out to automotive-related companies who are dedicated to environmentally-friendly ways to save our planet," Payton says.  "This is a premier opportunity for them to show their innovations to major automakers, high ranking auto executives and environmentally savvy consumers and to broaden their base to minority audiences." The day's activities will begin with the Green Car Show at 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., followed by a celebrity Green Carpet and VIP reception at 5 p.m. The Urban Wheel Awards, which begins at 7 p.m. will honor four companies for leadership in environmental and fuel-efficient technologies.  Winners of the Urban Car, Urban Truck and Urban Green Vehicle of the Year will also be honored along with the Minority Supplier and Dealer of the Year, Lifetime Achievement and the Urban Pioneer of the Year.   The day-long event is expected to attract more than 2,000 attendees looking to learn more about new environmentally progressive automotive technologies and participate in celebrating multiculturalism in the automotive industry. http://www.decisivemagazine.com/blogs/cathy-nedd/15th-annual-urban-wheel-awards-promotes-green-technology-event-includes-green-car-s Tue, 07 Sep 2010 02:17:15 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_15th-Annual-Urban-Wheel-Awards-Promotes-Green-Technology-Event-Includes-Green-Car-Show-and-Technology-Exhibit/BLOG/2627161/29468.html yiehk21 2010-09-07T02:17:15Z EcoSeed Community Detroit - September 2, 2010 - The 15th Annual Urban Wheel Awards, held in conjunction with the North American International Auto Show, will host its first annual Green Car Show and Technology Exhibit on Sunday, January 9th, 2011, at the Motor City Casino Hotel in Detroit.  This year's event will celebrate 15 years of emerging diversity in the automotive industry and promote green technology to people of color. [image] Actress LisaRaye headlined the 14th Annual Urban Wheel Awards.  "The Urban Wheel Awards is a unique, star-studded event and an exciting highlight to the nation's largest auto show." says Randi Payton, president and CEO of Decisive Media, the best source for cultural and consumer news, and organizers of the event.  "Now, in addition to promoting multiculturalism in the automotive industry, we're also promoting environmentally-friendly technology to the multi-cultural community."  The Urban Wheel Awards brings together celebrities, automotive executives, international media, government representatives and the multi-cultural community to celebrate diversity in the automotive industry. According to RL Polk,consumers in the multicultural market purchase one-quarter of new vehicles annually.  The Urban Wheel Awards promotes awareness of their inclusion and honors the companies and individuals who have made progress toward embracing this reality.  The Green Car Show exhibit will showcase a collection of efficient- and alternatively-fueled vehicles, as well as the newest hybrids and clean diesel automobiles.  It will also feature plug-in hybrids, fuel-cell, biodiesel, electric, and other advanced technologies.  Experts will be on hand to provide explanations and demonstrations of these technologies. Eco-friendly organizations are encouraged to participate by showcasing their innovative approaches to reducing the carbon footprint alongside major automotive manufacturers and suppliers.  "We are reaching out to automotive-related companies who are dedicated to environmentally-friendly ways to save our planet," Payton says.  "This is a premier opportunity for them to show their innovations to major automakers, high ranking auto executives and environmentally savvy consumers and to broaden their base to minority audiences." The day's activities will begin with the Green Car Show at 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., followed by a celebrity Green Carpet and VIP reception at 5 p.m. The Urban Wheel Awards, which begins at 7 p.m. will honor four companies for leadership in environmental and fuel-efficient technologies.  Winners of the Urban Car, Urban Truck and Urban Green Vehicle of the Year will also be honored along with the Minority Supplier and Dealer of the Year, Lifetime Achievement and the Urban Pioneer of the Year.   The day-long event is expected to attract more than 2,000 attendees looking to learn more about new environmentally progressive automotive technologies and participate in celebrating multiculturalism in the automotive industry. http://www.decisivemagazine.com/blogs/cathy-nedd/15th-annual-urban-wheel-awards-promotes-green-technology-event-includes-green-car-s nonadult false 15th Annual Urban Wheel Awards Promotes Green Technology Event Includes Green Car Show and Technology Exhibit text blog 17 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=7683071&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_10005797_29468_7683071_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2627161 7683071 Gold 17080 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Is-China-Serious-About-Major-Economic-Reform-Probably-Not/BLOG/2627157/29468.html   [image] Of late, many propaganda pieces in the Chinese press have appeared extolling the importance of innovation, value-creation and a fundamental rebalancing of China's manufacturing-led economy to a consumer-driven one. On the ground, a big question remains whether the government truly believes its growth model has reached its peak. Infrastructure Investment. The key strategy continues to be urbanization which entails: a) massive infrastructure investment inland, b) upgrading non productive rural workers into higher-productivity manufacturing workers. The structure of the governments' gargantuan 2008 stimulus package is consistent with this framework. Factories are being built on hinterland farmlands, as are transportation networks to ship raw and semi-finished goods between lower-tier cities and the coast. The Party likely believes China can, as a whole, maintain is low-cost labor pool for at least the next decade, hence its reasonably calm reaction to recent labor unrest at Foxconn in Guangdong province. As a result, mobilization of resources and scalification of markets remain core growth planks and this is inconsistent with any leap up value chains. That said, the Chinese model is appropriate for making an incremental crawl up the value ladder. And, here, China has been successful in industry after industry, ranging from green technology to autos. But no industry has had anything close to a paradigm shift in terms of setting global standards of innovation. A Consumer Economy? In terms of stimulating consumer demand, there has been precious little the government has done that would relieve epic savings anxiety of both the middle class and the urban mass market. This would involve, most critically, fundamental restructuring of health care. Le Keqiang, Hu Jintao's heir apparent, is charged with leading the task force to address this need. But most observers are skeptical insurance pools are deep enough or inclusive enough to fund significant health care reform. So the effort is proceeding, and will proceed, in a piecemeal fashion. However, as a percentage of total economic activity, the consumer sector will increase, largely driven by industrialization of and growth in lower-tier markets. (This is the major story of the past couple years. Auto sales, for example, are exploding outside of Tier I cities. The same goes for luxury products.) Corporate Governance Hurdles. To generate more innovation in state-own enterprises, a key issue is corporate governance, or lack thereof. In China, shareholder rights are extremely weak and there is rarely (never?) an empowered board charged with ensuring that management maximize long-term shareholder value. Goals of maintaining Party control and responding to the market are in opposition. CEOs are judged in implementing the party line and competition is, at best, "managed," orchestrated from above, within the corridors of Party power. Service Sector Stagnation. The service sector, and modernization of it, also remains a huge challenge. It is currently designed to respond to, again in a mobilized manner, the needs to the masses. (Ten years ago, who would have anticipated such growth of the retail arms of the Big Four banks?) But the emerging middle class, whose needs are more sophisticated and require a greater degree of personalization, have been ignored. Again, key service industries (health care, financial services, real estate, etc.) remain "strategic" industries -- vital to the Party's macro- management of the country -- so significant reform is nowhere in sight. (The biggest star in retail banking innovation is China Merchant's Bank, not one of the big boys.) Brittle Company Structures. Corporate structure is also a huge barrier for innovation. Large SOEs are burdened by: a) byzantine hierarchies that preclude a bottom-up flow of new ideas, b) imperial CEOs who issue ambiguous instructions to generate anxiety and construct rival power factions to ensure competition is horizontal, not vertical, c) minimal investment in R&D, and d) dominance of (short-term) sales relative to marketing (a balance of short-term sales and long-term equity generation) functions. I am not aware of any large local company that has made huge strides in instituting an empowered marketing function. However, our experience with COFCO, China's largest food conglomerate, suggests it is at least trying nobly to impose a "framework" for innovation and brand development. Haier and large local appliance manufacturers remain stuck in the past. The local brands that have made the most progress moving beyond scale/huge market capitalization and towards value creation (Anta, Lining, dairy companies such as Meng Niu and Yili, fashion) are, relatively speaking, independent of the state. These are the companies fueling JWT's growth amongst local clients. However, smaller private enterprises are increasingly starved for capital. Key question: when will banks begin lending based on objective assessment of return? Many doubt that day will arrive anytime soon. By the way, Chinese companies are, rightly, focused on the China market. They are pragmatic. Few brands really want to "take over the world." Recent cases like Geely's takeover of Volvo is vanity project, a misguided attempt to grab a part of the booming luxury car segment. Lenovo could only go global via a takeover of IMB's international PC operations and results have been decidedly mixed. "International" Chinese brands will only succeed, for the foreseeable future, in emerging economies where the basic price-value equation of Mainland goods remains a genuine competitive advantage. Political Reform: Taboo. Underlying all of this is slow progress on the political reform front. Can the government instill significant intra-party checks and balances to institutionalize more efficient governance? (This is what party apparatchiks mean by "democracy.") So far, this type of reform remains taboo, except in lofty think tank debates. Is the government wrong to go slow? Probably not. Despite having become the world's second largest economy, China is still a poor country on a purchase power parity (PPP) basis. Vast expanses of the country require strong central government to continue the Middle Kingdom's Great Urbanization Project. That said, even "Friends of China" are right to encourage the Party to begin the process of institutional-based reform, because the day when it becomes a necessity, rather than a theoretical "good," will arrive sooner or later, perhaps unexpectedly. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-doctoroff/is-china-serious-about-ec_b_706419.html   [image] Of late, many propaganda pieces in the Chinese press have appeared extolling the importance of innovation, value-creation and a fundamental rebalancing of China's manufacturing-led economy to a consumer-driven one. On the ground, a big question remains whether the government truly believes its growth model has reached its peak. Infrastructure Investment. The key strategy continues to be urbanization which entails: a) massive infrastructure investment inland, b) upgrading non productive rural workers into higher-productivity manufacturing workers. The structure of the governments' gargantuan 2008 stimulus package is consistent with this framework. Factories are being built on hinterland farmlands, as are transportation networks to ship raw and semi-finished goods between lower-tier cities and the coast. The Party likely believes China can, as a whole, maintain is low-cost labor pool for at least the next decade, hence its reasonably calm reaction to recent labor unrest at Foxconn in Guangdong province. As a result, mobilization of resources and scalification of markets remain core growth planks and this is inconsistent with any leap up value chains. That said, the Chinese model is appropriate for making an incremental crawl up the value ladder. And, here, China has been successful in industry after industry, ranging from green technology to autos. But no industry has had anything close to a paradigm shift in terms of setting global standards of innovation. A Consumer Economy? In terms of stimulating consumer demand, there has been precious little the government has done that would relieve epic savings anxiety of both the middle class and the urban mass market. This would involve, most critically, fundamental restructuring of health care. Le Keqiang, Hu Jintao's heir apparent, is charged with leading the task force to address this need. But most observers are skeptical insurance pools are deep enough or inclusive enough to fund significant health care reform. So the effort is proceeding, and will proceed, in a piecemeal fashion. However, as a percentage of total economic activity, the consumer sector will increase, largely driven by industrialization of and growth in lower-tier markets. (This is the major story of the past couple years. Auto sales, for example, are exploding outside of Tier I cities. The same goes for luxury products.) Corporate Governance Hurdles. To generate more innovation in state-own enterprises, a key issue is corporate governance, or lack thereof. In China, shareholder rights are extremely weak and there is rarely (never?) an empowered board charged with ensuring that management maximize long-term shareholder value. Goals of maintaining Party control and responding to the market are in opposition. CEOs are judged in implementing the party line and competition is, at best, "managed," orchestrated from above, within the corridors of Party power. Service Sector Stagnation. The service sector, and modernization of it, also remains a huge challenge. It is currently designed to respond to, again in a mobilized manner, the needs to the masses. (Ten years ago, who would have anticipated such growth of the retail arms of the Big Four banks?) But the emerging middle class, whose needs are more sophisticated and require a greater degree of personalization, have been ignored. Again, key service industries (health care, financial services, real estate, etc.) remain "strategic" industries -- vital to the Party's macro- management of the country -- so significant reform is nowhere in sight. (The biggest star in retail banking innovation is China Merchant's Bank, not one of the big boys.) Brittle Company Structures. Corporate structure is also a huge barrier for innovation. Large SOEs are burdened by: a) byzantine hierarchies that preclude a bottom-up flow of new ideas, b) imperial CEOs who issue ambiguous instructions to generate anxiety and construct rival power factions to ensure competition is horizontal, not vertical, c) minimal investment in R&D, and d) dominance of (short-term) sales relative to marketing (a balance of short-term sales and long-term equity generation) functions. I am not aware of any large local company that has made huge strides in instituting an empowered marketing function. However, our experience with COFCO, China's largest food conglomerate, suggests it is at least trying nobly to impose a "framework" for innovation and brand development. Haier and large local appliance manufacturers remain stuck in the past. The local brands that have made the most progress moving beyond scale/huge market capitalization and towards value creation (Anta, Lining, dairy companies such as Meng Niu and Yili, fashion) are, relatively speaking, independent of the state. These are the companies fueling JWT's growth amongst local clients. However, smaller private enterprises are increasingly starved for capital. Key question: when will banks begin lending based on objective assessment of return? Many doubt that day will arrive anytime soon. By the way, Chinese companies are, rightly, focused on the China market. They are pragmatic. Few brands really want to "take over the world." Recent cases like Geely's takeover of Volvo is vanity project, a misguided attempt to grab a part of the booming luxury car segment. Lenovo could only go global via a takeover of IMB's international PC operations and results have been decidedly mixed. "International" Chinese brands will only succeed, for the foreseeable future, in emerging economies where the basic price-value equation of Mainland goods remains a genuine competitive advantage. Political Reform: Taboo. Underlying all of this is slow progress on the political reform front. Can the government instill significant intra-party checks and balances to institutionalize more efficient governance? (This is what party apparatchiks mean by "democracy.") So far, this type of reform remains taboo, except in lofty think tank debates. Is the government wrong to go slow? Probably not. Despite having become the world's second largest economy, China is still a poor country on a purchase power parity (PPP) basis. Vast expanses of the country require strong central government to continue the Middle Kingdom's Great Urbanization Project. That said, even "Friends of China" are right to encourage the Party to begin the process of institutional-based reform, because the day when it becomes a necessity, rather than a theoretical "good," will arrive sooner or later, perhaps unexpectedly. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-doctoroff/is-china-serious-about-ec_b_706419.html Tue, 07 Sep 2010 02:16:21 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Is-China-Serious-About-Major-Economic-Reform-Probably-Not/BLOG/2627157/29468.html yiehk21 2010-09-07T02:16:21Z EcoSeed Community   [image] Of late, many propaganda pieces in the Chinese press have appeared extolling the importance of innovation, value-creation and a fundamental rebalancing of China's manufacturing-led economy to a consumer-driven one. On the ground, a big question remains whether the government truly believes its growth model has reached its peak. Infrastructure Investment. The key strategy continues to be urbanization which entails: a) massive infrastructure investment inland, b) upgrading non productive rural workers into higher-productivity manufacturing workers. The structure of the governments' gargantuan 2008 stimulus package is consistent with this framework. Factories are being built on hinterland farmlands, as are transportation networks to ship raw and semi-finished goods between lower-tier cities and the coast. The Party likely believes China can, as a whole, maintain is low-cost labor pool for at least the next decade, hence its reasonably calm reaction to recent labor unrest at Foxconn in Guangdong province. As a result, mobilization of resources and scalification of markets remain core growth planks and this is inconsistent with any leap up value chains. That said, the Chinese model is appropriate for making an incremental crawl up the value ladder. And, here, China has been successful in industry after industry, ranging from green technology to autos. But no industry has had anything close to a paradigm shift in terms of setting global standards of innovation. A Consumer Economy? In terms of stimulating consumer demand, there has been precious little the government has done that would relieve epic savings anxiety of both the middle class and the urban mass market. This would involve, most critically, fundamental restructuring of health care. Le Keqiang, Hu Jintao's heir apparent, is charged with leading the task force to address this need. But most observers are skeptical insurance pools are deep enough or inclusive enough to fund significant health care reform. So the effort is proceeding, and will proceed, in a piecemeal fashion. However, as a percentage of total economic activity, the consumer sector will increase, largely driven by industrialization of and growth in lower-tier markets. (This is the major story of the past couple years. Auto sales, for example, are exploding outside of Tier I cities. The same goes for luxury products.) Corporate Governance Hurdles. To generate more innovation in state-own enterprises, a key issue is corporate governance, or lack thereof. In China, shareholder rights are extremely weak and there is rarely (never?) an empowered board charged with ensuring that management maximize long-term shareholder value. Goals of maintaining Party control and responding to the market are in opposition. CEOs are judged in implementing the party line and competition is, at best, "managed," orchestrated from above, within the corridors of Party power. Service Sector Stagnation. The service sector, and modernization of it, also remains a huge challenge. It is currently designed to respond to, again in a mobilized manner, the needs to the masses. (Ten years ago, who would have anticipated such growth of the retail arms of the Big Four banks?) But the emerging middle class, whose needs are more sophisticated and require a greater degree of personalization, have been ignored. Again, key service industries (health care, financial services, real estate, etc.) remain "strategic" industries -- vital to the Party's macro- management of the country -- so significant reform is nowhere in sight. (The biggest star in retail banking innovation is China Merchant's Bank, not one of the big boys.) Brittle Company Structures. Corporate structure is also a huge barrier for innovation. Large SOEs are burdened by: a) byzantine hierarchies that preclude a bottom-up flow of new ideas, b) imperial CEOs who issue ambiguous instructions to generate anxiety and construct rival power factions to ensure competition is horizontal, not vertical, c) minimal investment in R&D, and d) dominance of (short-term) sales relative to marketing (a balance of short-term sales and long-term equity generation) functions. I am not aware of any large local company that has made huge strides in instituting an empowered marketing function. However, our experience with COFCO, China's largest food conglomerate, suggests it is at least trying nobly to impose a "framework" for innovation and brand development. Haier and large local appliance manufacturers remain stuck in the past. The local brands that have made the most progress moving beyond scale/huge market capitalization and towards value creation (Anta, Lining, dairy companies such as Meng Niu and Yili, fashion) are, relatively speaking, independent of the state. These are the companies fueling JWT's growth amongst local clients. However, smaller private enterprises are increasingly starved for capital. Key question: when will banks begin lending based on objective assessment of return? Many doubt that day will arrive anytime soon. By the way, Chinese companies are, rightly, focused on the China market. They are pragmatic. Few brands really want to "take over the world." Recent cases like Geely's takeover of Volvo is vanity project, a misguided attempt to grab a part of the booming luxury car segment. Lenovo could only go global via a takeover of IMB's international PC operations and results have been decidedly mixed. "International" Chinese brands will only succeed, for the foreseeable future, in emerging economies where the basic price-value equation of Mainland goods remains a genuine competitive advantage. Political Reform: Taboo. Underlying all of this is slow progress on the political reform front. Can the government instill significant intra-party checks and balances to institutionalize more efficient governance? (This is what party apparatchiks mean by "democracy.") So far, this type of reform remains taboo, except in lofty think tank debates. Is the government wrong to go slow? Probably not. Despite having become the world's second largest economy, China is still a poor country on a purchase power parity (PPP) basis. Vast expanses of the country require strong central government to continue the Middle Kingdom's Great Urbanization Project. That said, even "Friends of China" are right to encourage the Party to begin the process of institutional-based reform, because the day when it becomes a necessity, rather than a theoretical "good," will arrive sooner or later, perhaps unexpectedly. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-doctoroff/is-china-serious-about-ec_b_706419.html nonadult false Is China Serious About Major Economic Reform? Probably Not text blog 6 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=7683071&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_10005797_29468_7683071_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2627157 7683071 Gold 17080 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Lake-Land-dedicated-to-environment-green-technology/BLOG/2627149/29468.html   [image] MATTOON — Lake Land College’s sustainability efforts are gaining international attention.  Ray Rieck, Lake Land’s vice president for business services, recently was invited to speak about these efforts at an international energy conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil.   Lake Land has been dedicated to decreasing energy use, generating a return on investment on green technologies, and teaching students to attain green jobs. “I was impressed with the overwhelming response the Lake Land story received at the conference,” Rieck said. “Conference attendees were well-versed in best practices in environmental issues, and they were quite interested in everything we have going here at Lake Land.” Rieck said the two areas that seemed to be of most interest to conferencegoers were the college’s use of geothermal technology, which is not used in Brazil, and thin client technology, which is an innovative project that will reduce the college’s use of electricity for technology by 88 percent.  Both these efforts help to decrease the college’s energy demand by 45 percent, which saves $320,000 per year. This fall, Lake Land is scheduled to construct a 10-kilowatt wind turbine for instructional purposes, with larger ones coming in the future. This will help teach students about attaining green jobs. Other green energy projects at the college are the use of green chemicals, solar voltaic, daylight harvesting and solar thermal. The college’s Northwest, Field House, Vo-Tech and 50,000-square-foot addition buildings are on the geothermal system.  The Virgil H. Judge Learning Center renovation will be hooked to the geothermal system this fall, along with other energy efficient measures. http://www.herald-review.com/news/state-and-regional/article_0579a9b6-b98b-11df-b92f-001cc4c03286.html   [image] MATTOON — Lake Land College’s sustainability efforts are gaining international attention.  Ray Rieck, Lake Land’s vice president for business services, recently was invited to speak about these efforts at an international energy conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil.   Lake Land has been dedicated to decreasing energy use, generating a return on investment on green technologies, and teaching students to attain green jobs. “I was impressed with the overwhelming response the Lake Land story received at the conference,” Rieck said. “Conference attendees were well-versed in best practices in environmental issues, and they were quite interested in everything we have going here at Lake Land.” Rieck said the two areas that seemed to be of most interest to conferencegoers were the college’s use of geothermal technology, which is not used in Brazil, and thin client technology, which is an innovative project that will reduce the college’s use of electricity for technology by 88 percent.  Both these efforts help to decrease the college’s energy demand by 45 percent, which saves $320,000 per year. This fall, Lake Land is scheduled to construct a 10-kilowatt wind turbine for instructional purposes, with larger ones coming in the future. This will help teach students about attaining green jobs. Other green energy projects at the college are the use of green chemicals, solar voltaic, daylight harvesting and solar thermal. The college’s Northwest, Field House, Vo-Tech and 50,000-square-foot addition buildings are on the geothermal system.  The Virgil H. Judge Learning Center renovation will be hooked to the geothermal system this fall, along with other energy efficient measures. http://www.herald-review.com/news/state-and-regional/article_0579a9b6-b98b-11df-b92f-001cc4c03286.html Tue, 07 Sep 2010 02:12:07 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Lake-Land-dedicated-to-environment-green-technology/BLOG/2627149/29468.html yiehk21 2010-09-07T02:12:07Z EcoSeed Community   [image] MATTOON — Lake Land College’s sustainability efforts are gaining international attention.  Ray Rieck, Lake Land’s vice president for business services, recently was invited to speak about these efforts at an international energy conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil.   Lake Land has been dedicated to decreasing energy use, generating a return on investment on green technologies, and teaching students to attain green jobs. “I was impressed with the overwhelming response the Lake Land story received at the conference,” Rieck said. “Conference attendees were well-versed in best practices in environmental issues, and they were quite interested in everything we have going here at Lake Land.” Rieck said the two areas that seemed to be of most interest to conferencegoers were the college’s use of geothermal technology, which is not used in Brazil, and thin client technology, which is an innovative project that will reduce the college’s use of electricity for technology by 88 percent.  Both these efforts help to decrease the college’s energy demand by 45 percent, which saves $320,000 per year. This fall, Lake Land is scheduled to construct a 10-kilowatt wind turbine for instructional purposes, with larger ones coming in the future. This will help teach students about attaining green jobs. Other green energy projects at the college are the use of green chemicals, solar voltaic, daylight harvesting and solar thermal. The college’s Northwest, Field House, Vo-Tech and 50,000-square-foot addition buildings are on the geothermal system.  The Virgil H. Judge Learning Center renovation will be hooked to the geothermal system this fall, along with other energy efficient measures. http://www.herald-review.com/news/state-and-regional/article_0579a9b6-b98b-11df-b92f-001cc4c03286.html nonadult false Lake Land dedicated to environment, green technology text blog 11 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=7683071&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_10005797_29468_7683071_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2627149 7683071 Gold 17080 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Saudi-Aramco-commercialises-wastewater-technology/BLOG/2627124/29468.html   [image] Saudi Aramco has turned to Siemens to sell the new wastewater technology. Saudi Aramco, the national oil company, has announced it is intending the commercialising a wastewater treatment technology in conjunction with Siemens Water Technologies, the company announced on Wednesday. The patented EcoRight technology treats oily or industrial wastewater by using granular activated carbon in a modified Membrane Biological Reactor (MBR), says the company on its website. Siemens has been granted a license to sell the technology, in return for royalty payments. The EcoRight process achieves a high Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) removal efficiency with almost no additional operating or capital costs, says Aramco. In areas where water is scarce, the system allows for the inexpensive reuse of wastewater, thus conserving groundwater. In areas where discharges must meet strict environmental requirements, the system can provide the treatment necessary for compliance, reads the website. Since it provides the same removal capacity as much more energy-intensive technologies, it qualifies as a green technology and can earn CO2 reduction credits. This system can be used at all Saudi Aramco operating facilities that generate oily wastewater. Siemens has identified a number of potential uses and anticipates a five-year market for sales in the hundreds of millions of dollars with potential sales all over the world. EcoRight is being pilot tested at Ras Tanura Refinery as a potential replacement for its waste injection well. It is part of a proposed build, own and operate proposal for the Jiddah Refinery Phase II Wastewater Treatment Upgrade Project. Almost all other Saudi Aramco industrial facilities have some application need. The Water Management Committee will prioritize the needs of Saudi Aramco facilities that can benefit from EcoRight and schedule the projects into the Business Plan as appropriate. http://www.utilities-me.com/article-743-saudi-aramco-commercialises-wastewater-technology/   [image] Saudi Aramco has turned to Siemens to sell the new wastewater technology. Saudi Aramco, the national oil company, has announced it is intending the commercialising a wastewater treatment technology in conjunction with Siemens Water Technologies, the company announced on Wednesday. The patented EcoRight technology treats oily or industrial wastewater by using granular activated carbon in a modified Membrane Biological Reactor (MBR), says the company on its website. Siemens has been granted a license to sell the technology, in return for royalty payments. The EcoRight process achieves a high Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) removal efficiency with almost no additional operating or capital costs, says Aramco. In areas where water is scarce, the system allows for the inexpensive reuse of wastewater, thus conserving groundwater. In areas where discharges must meet strict environmental requirements, the system can provide the treatment necessary for compliance, reads the website. Since it provides the same removal capacity as much more energy-intensive technologies, it qualifies as a green technology and can earn CO2 reduction credits. This system can be used at all Saudi Aramco operating facilities that generate oily wastewater. Siemens has identified a number of potential uses and anticipates a five-year market for sales in the hundreds of millions of dollars with potential sales all over the world. EcoRight is being pilot tested at Ras Tanura Refinery as a potential replacement for its waste injection well. It is part of a proposed build, own and operate proposal for the Jiddah Refinery Phase II Wastewater Treatment Upgrade Project. Almost all other Saudi Aramco industrial facilities have some application need. The Water Management Committee will prioritize the needs of Saudi Aramco facilities that can benefit from EcoRight and schedule the projects into the Business Plan as appropriate. http://www.utilities-me.com/article-743-saudi-aramco-commercialises-wastewater-technology/ Tue, 07 Sep 2010 02:00:14 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Saudi-Aramco-commercialises-wastewater-technology/BLOG/2627124/29468.html yiehk21 2010-09-07T02:00:14Z EcoSeed Community   [image] Saudi Aramco has turned to Siemens to sell the new wastewater technology. Saudi Aramco, the national oil company, has announced it is intending the commercialising a wastewater treatment technology in conjunction with Siemens Water Technologies, the company announced on Wednesday. The patented EcoRight technology treats oily or industrial wastewater by using granular activated carbon in a modified Membrane Biological Reactor (MBR), says the company on its website. Siemens has been granted a license to sell the technology, in return for royalty payments. The EcoRight process achieves a high Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) removal efficiency with almost no additional operating or capital costs, says Aramco. In areas where water is scarce, the system allows for the inexpensive reuse of wastewater, thus conserving groundwater. In areas where discharges must meet strict environmental requirements, the system can provide the treatment necessary for compliance, reads the website. Since it provides the same removal capacity as much more energy-intensive technologies, it qualifies as a green technology and can earn CO2 reduction credits. This system can be used at all Saudi Aramco operating facilities that generate oily wastewater. Siemens has identified a number of potential uses and anticipates a five-year market for sales in the hundreds of millions of dollars with potential sales all over the world. EcoRight is being pilot tested at Ras Tanura Refinery as a potential replacement for its waste injection well. It is part of a proposed build, own and operate proposal for the Jiddah Refinery Phase II Wastewater Treatment Upgrade Project. Almost all other Saudi Aramco industrial facilities have some application need. The Water Management Committee will prioritize the needs of Saudi Aramco facilities that can benefit from EcoRight and schedule the projects into the Business Plan as appropriate. http://www.utilities-me.com/article-743-saudi-aramco-commercialises-wastewater-technology/ nonadult false Saudi Aramco commercialises wastewater technology text blog 159 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=7683071&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_10005797_29468_7683071_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2627124 7683071 Gold 17080 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Home-Greening-Tips-How-to-make-eco-friendly-changes-at-home-without-the-pain/BLOG/2626956/29468.html So, you want to be a “greenie”? Think quick now, just how green – just a little or the whole hog?   Ok, I guess that being so green that all your friends stop calling around, or moving to the mountains is not what you’re after.  But let’s say that you want to give it a  “suck it and see”.  Right then – let’s see what we can do.  Below is a simple list of things you can at least try yourself or even better coax your family along the “green brick road”.  Taking a few eco-friendly steps in your life does not have to be hard.  With just a few changes you can save energy, cut your fuel bills, save some money and have green bumper sticker with a clear conscience.  Using less energy can save you up to 20% on your power bills.  Here are your greenie budget saver tips : Turn your heating down, just 1degree Celcius can save up to 10% on power bills If you’re feeling coldish – put on a jumper or cozy fleece before turning up the heater, the heating lag time is just wasted power and a fleece feels great Turn your hot water thermostat down, you don’t need to maintain scalding hot water, you just need a nice warm shower or washing water.  If you can’t hold your hand in the hot water – it’s too damn hot, turn it down and save power Close the curtains at night and cut heat loss through your windows Track down drafts with a smoking incence stick and if possible seal any draft Fit draft stop or brush seals on exterior doors Keep internal doors closed to reduce draughts If you’re not in a room, turn off the lights, if you’re afraid of the dark, fit a motion sensor to a lamp so it comes on when you enter When cooking, use a hotplate that fits the pot pan and use its lid to use heat efficiently When doing your laundry, wash a full load each time or at least use the semi-load switch Wash at 30 degrees Celcius, modern detergents work perfectly well and you save up to 30% power usage Defrost your freezer regularly so it works efficiently Track down everything that uses standby power – if it has a glowing LED, it’s on standby. Standby can use up to 25% of the full load energy, especially your computer sitting at home on standby, turn the suckers OFF Don’t over-fill the kettle for just one cup of coffee Use low wattage energy-saving light bulbs where possible (dispose of them properly) OK, how hard was any of that? Most of these simple measure didn’t cost you a red cent and will save you money and you can congratulate yourself at your first cost cutting and eco friendly steps.  With your new found confidence, how about taking on a simple DIY project such as planting some  summer shade trees, plant a veggie patch, buy your fruit from a local market rather than from an overseas supplier (your supermarket).  Try something more technical like a DIY Solar Panel and hook it up to a roof cooling fan. Good luck and happy greening. Source: http://greeneasy.net/ So, you want to be a “greenie”? Think quick now, just how green – just a little or the whole hog?   Ok, I guess that being so green that all your friends stop calling around, or moving to the mountains is not what you’re after.  But let’s say that you want to give it a  “suck it and see”.  Right then – let’s see what we can do.  Below is a simple list of things you can at least try yourself or even better coax your family along the “green brick road”.  Taking a few eco-friendly steps in your life does not have to be hard.  With just a few changes you can save energy, cut your fuel bills, save some money and have green bumper sticker with a clear conscience.  Using less energy can save you up to 20% on your power bills.  Here are your greenie budget saver tips : Turn your heating down, just 1degree Celcius can save up to 10% on power bills If you’re feeling coldish – put on a jumper or cozy fleece before turning up the heater, the heating lag time is just wasted power and a fleece feels great Turn your hot water thermostat down, you don’t need to maintain scalding hot water, you just need a nice warm shower or washing water.  If you can’t hold your hand in the hot water – it’s too damn hot, turn it down and save power Close the curtains at night and cut heat loss through your windows Track down drafts with a smoking incence stick and if possible seal any draft Fit draft stop or brush seals on exterior doors Keep internal doors closed to reduce draughts If you’re not in a room, turn off the lights, if you’re afraid of the dark, fit a motion sensor to a lamp so it comes on when you enter When cooking, use a hotplate that fits the pot pan and use its lid to use heat efficiently When doing your laundry, wash a full load each time or at least use the semi-load switch Wash at 30 degrees Celcius, modern detergents work perfectly well and you save up to 30% power usage Defrost your freezer regularly so it works efficiently Track down everything that uses standby power – if it has a glowing LED, it’s on standby. Standby can use up to 25% of the full load energy, especially your computer sitting at home on standby, turn the suckers OFF Don’t over-fill the kettle for just one cup of coffee Use low wattage energy-saving light bulbs where possible (dispose of them properly) OK, how hard was any of that? Most of these simple measure didn’t cost you a red cent and will save you money and you can congratulate yourself at your first cost cutting and eco friendly steps.  With your new found confidence, how about taking on a simple DIY project such as planting some  summer shade trees, plant a veggie patch, buy your fruit from a local market rather than from an overseas supplier (your supermarket).  Try something more technical like a DIY Solar Panel and hook it up to a roof cooling fan. Good luck and happy greening. Source: http://greeneasy.net/ Tue, 07 Sep 2010 01:32:32 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Home-Greening-Tips-How-to-make-eco-friendly-changes-at-home-without-the-pain/BLOG/2626956/29468.html arboinks 2010-09-07T01:32:32Z EcoSeed Community So, you want to be a “greenie”? Think quick now, just how green – just a little or the whole hog?   Ok, I guess that being so green that all your friends stop calling around, or moving to the mountains is not what you’re after.  But let’s say that you want to give it a  “suck it and see”.  Right then – let’s see what we can do.  Below is a simple list of things you can at least try yourself or even better coax your family along the “green brick road”.  Taking a few eco-friendly steps in your life does not have to be hard.  With just a few changes you can save energy, cut your fuel bills, save some money and have green bumper sticker with a clear conscience.  Using less energy can save you up to 20% on your power bills.  Here are your greenie budget saver tips : Turn your heating down, just 1degree Celcius can save up to 10% on power bills If you’re feeling coldish – put on a jumper or cozy fleece before turning up the heater, the heating lag time is just wasted power and a fleece feels great Turn your hot water thermostat down, you don’t need to maintain scalding hot water, you just need a nice warm shower or washing water.  If you can’t hold your hand in the hot water – it’s too damn hot, turn it down and save power Close the curtains at night and cut heat loss through your windows Track down drafts with a smoking incence stick and if possible seal any draft Fit draft stop or brush seals on exterior doors Keep internal doors closed to reduce draughts If you’re not in a room, turn off the lights, if you’re afraid of the dark, fit a motion sensor to a lamp so it comes on when you enter When cooking, use a hotplate that fits the pot pan and use its lid to use heat efficiently When doing your laundry, wash a full load each time or at least use the semi-load switch Wash at 30 degrees Celcius, modern detergents work perfectly well and you save up to 30% power usage Defrost your freezer regularly so it works efficiently Track down everything that uses standby power – if it has a glowing LED, it’s on standby. Standby can use up to 25% of the full load energy, especially your computer sitting at home on standby, turn the suckers OFF Don’t over-fill the kettle for just one cup of coffee Use low wattage energy-saving light bulbs where possible (dispose of them properly) OK, how hard was any of that? Most of these simple measure didn’t cost you a red cent and will save you money and you can congratulate yourself at your first cost cutting and eco friendly steps.  With your new found confidence, how about taking on a simple DIY project such as planting some  summer shade trees, plant a veggie patch, buy your fruit from a local market rather than from an overseas supplier (your supermarket).  Try something more technical like a DIY Solar Panel and hook it up to a roof cooling fan. Good luck and happy greening. Source: http://greeneasy.net/ nonadult false Home Greening Tips – How to make eco-friendly changes at home without the pain text blog 12 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=15868748&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_7080739_29468_15868748_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2626956 15868748 Gold 2670 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Recycling-tips-6-Great-Uses-for-those-Egg-boxes/BLOG/2626837/29468.html Seed starter you can also use cardboard style for this as well. But the eggs also produce the waste, which could end up in landfill. For your children? 1. Worms you’ll love the nutrient-rich castings produced. Dig a hole and pokopala (with other UGG Cardy Boots food). Use Jelly Mold Here? neat little trick someone told me recently. After the seeds germinate, push up at the bottom of the Cup, to remove it and transplant either outside or to another, a bigger pot. if made of stiropora, then you need by other solutions. Paint palette for children Or your kids love colors? Then a little colour (green colour) into each Cup, so that you can adjust how much of each color to each child gets. Put some potting soil in each Cup, then 1-2 seeds in potting soil, cover the seeds UGG Australian Boots with some potting soil. To begin with, make sure you compost these shells. it? simple work, what about that package darn egg. If you’ve used cardboard varieties can be cut out of the cup of cardboard collection UGG Cardy Boots UK of plants and the Cup to the new domain.I love eggs for breakfast, like many other people. class, parties, she filled each cup with jello and to withdraw until finished congealing. In this way does not go through too much from one color to the constant pressing of the pipe, or streaming from the bottle. Easter eggs to store you have those plastic Easter eggs for Easter egg hunts or decoration? Instead of having to store them in a plastic bag, use the eggs instead of cartons. If you have your egg boxes cardboard types of material, then EBay alternative? You: The Ultimate List Of Free And Almost Free alternative? You on EBay you can easily have given in your recycle Bin for paperboard. I’ve pointed out a few below. You can then pop them children, and have small snacks jello. Source: http://gerald.bestestzone.com/ Seed starter you can also use cardboard style for this as well. But the eggs also produce the waste, which could end up in landfill. For your children? 1. Worms you’ll love the nutrient-rich castings produced. Dig a hole and pokopala (with other UGG Cardy Boots food). Use Jelly Mold Here? neat little trick someone told me recently. After the seeds germinate, push up at the bottom of the Cup, to remove it and transplant either outside or to another, a bigger pot. if made of stiropora, then you need by other solutions. Paint palette for children Or your kids love colors? Then a little colour (green colour) into each Cup, so that you can adjust how much of each color to each child gets. Put some potting soil in each Cup, then 1-2 seeds in potting soil, cover the seeds UGG Australian Boots with some potting soil. To begin with, make sure you compost these shells. it? simple work, what about that package darn egg. If you’ve used cardboard varieties can be cut out of the cup of cardboard collection UGG Cardy Boots UK of plants and the Cup to the new domain.I love eggs for breakfast, like many other people. class, parties, she filled each cup with jello and to withdraw until finished congealing. In this way does not go through too much from one color to the constant pressing of the pipe, or streaming from the bottle. Easter eggs to store you have those plastic Easter eggs for Easter egg hunts or decoration? Instead of having to store them in a plastic bag, use the eggs instead of cartons. If you have your egg boxes cardboard types of material, then EBay alternative? You: The Ultimate List Of Free And Almost Free alternative? You on EBay you can easily have given in your recycle Bin for paperboard. I’ve pointed out a few below. You can then pop them children, and have small snacks jello. Source: http://gerald.bestestzone.com/ Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:59:12 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Recycling-tips-6-Great-Uses-for-those-Egg-boxes/BLOG/2626837/29468.html arboinks 2010-09-07T00:59:12Z EcoSeed Community Seed starter you can also use cardboard style for this as well. But the eggs also produce the waste, which could end up in landfill. For your children? 1. Worms you’ll love the nutrient-rich castings produced. Dig a hole and pokopala (with other UGG Cardy Boots food). Use Jelly Mold Here? neat little trick someone told me recently. After the seeds germinate, push up at the bottom of the Cup, to remove it and transplant either outside or to another, a bigger pot. if made of stiropora, then you need by other solutions. Paint palette for children Or your kids love colors? Then a little colour (green colour) into each Cup, so that you can adjust how much of each color to each child gets. Put some potting soil in each Cup, then 1-2 seeds in potting soil, cover the seeds UGG Australian Boots with some potting soil. To begin with, make sure you compost these shells. it? simple work, what about that package darn egg. If you’ve used cardboard varieties can be cut out of the cup of cardboard collection UGG Cardy Boots UK of plants and the Cup to the new domain.I love eggs for breakfast, like many other people. class, parties, she filled each cup with jello and to withdraw until finished congealing. In this way does not go through too much from one color to the constant pressing of the pipe, or streaming from the bottle. Easter eggs to store you have those plastic Easter eggs for Easter egg hunts or decoration? Instead of having to store them in a plastic bag, use the eggs instead of cartons. If you have your egg boxes cardboard types of material, then EBay alternative? You: The Ultimate List Of Free And Almost Free alternative? You on EBay you can easily have given in your recycle Bin for paperboard. I’ve pointed out a few below. You can then pop them children, and have small snacks jello. Source: http://gerald.bestestzone.com/ nonadult false Recycling tips: 6 Great Uses for those Egg boxes text blog 6 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=15868748&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_7080739_29468_15868748_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2626837 15868748 Gold 2670 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Eco-Friendly-Green-Living-Flooring-Choices-Made-Easy/BLOG/2626833/29468.html Are you looking for an eco friendly flooring option? You will be surprised to learn that it is easy to find exactly the look and feel you’ve been searching for that is environmentally friendly and beautiful at the same time. Most of the flooring options listed below will be easy to find and comparative in price to less environmentally friendly choices. Manufacturers of home building supplies are working hard to do their part to create more eco friendly products. And the more study and research they put into these items the better the benefits to your wallet and to the environment. Rugs – Rugs can be made from everything from recycled soda bottles to candy wrappers and plastic bags to old blue jeans. Many of these rugs are easy to clean and can be used indoors or outdoors. Reclaimed Hardwood – Oftentimes wood can be reclaimed from old buildings and refinished and placed in your home. This not only gives you a beautiful look, but it lessens the impact on the environment since fewer trees are being cut down. Carpeting – Recycled carpet is not only safe for your family, but it’s safe for the environment and looks much better on your floor than in a landfill. It comes with the same durability guarantees as virgin synthetic fiber carpets. And if you recycle the carpet you’re replacing it’s a double environmentally friendly upgrade to your home. Cork – Cork flooring is actually good for the environment and is family friendly. The cork is harvested from the bark of a living tree. This process actually stimulates the tree growth. It is soft and warm under your feet. When a plate is dropped on the floor the cushion of the cork will prevent it from breaking. The plate will leave a dent in the floor that will bounce back after a few hours. Bamboo – Bamboo is a great choice for environmentally friendly flooring. Although bamboo may look like wood, it is actually a grass that grows back in about four years. Linoleum – Linoleum is biodegradable and does not release toxic fumes.It can be purchase in any design or theme you might want. It is easy to install and long lasting. Recycled Glass Floor Tiles – Those glass bottles that you’ve sent to the recycling center can find their way back into your home in the form of flooring tiles. It’s truly amazing the color options you’ll find. No two tiles are exactly alike, making your design options endless. Now that you know how easy it is to pick out flooring that is both environmentally friendly and easier on your wallet, go ahead and get started. Decide which flooring option you’d like and take a trip to your local home improvement center. Are you looking for an eco friendly flooring option? You will be surprised to learn that it is easy to find exactly the look and feel you’ve been searching for that is environmentally friendly and beautiful at the same time. Most of the flooring options listed below will be easy to find and comparative in price to less environmentally friendly choices. Manufacturers of home building supplies are working hard to do their part to create more eco friendly products. And the more study and research they put into these items the better the benefits to your wallet and to the environment. Rugs – Rugs can be made from everything from recycled soda bottles to candy wrappers and plastic bags to old blue jeans. Many of these rugs are easy to clean and can be used indoors or outdoors. Reclaimed Hardwood – Oftentimes wood can be reclaimed from old buildings and refinished and placed in your home. This not only gives you a beautiful look, but it lessens the impact on the environment since fewer trees are being cut down. Carpeting – Recycled carpet is not only safe for your family, but it’s safe for the environment and looks much better on your floor than in a landfill. It comes with the same durability guarantees as virgin synthetic fiber carpets. And if you recycle the carpet you’re replacing it’s a double environmentally friendly upgrade to your home. Cork – Cork flooring is actually good for the environment and is family friendly. The cork is harvested from the bark of a living tree. This process actually stimulates the tree growth. It is soft and warm under your feet. When a plate is dropped on the floor the cushion of the cork will prevent it from breaking. The plate will leave a dent in the floor that will bounce back after a few hours. Bamboo – Bamboo is a great choice for environmentally friendly flooring. Although bamboo may look like wood, it is actually a grass that grows back in about four years. Linoleum – Linoleum is biodegradable and does not release toxic fumes.It can be purchase in any design or theme you might want. It is easy to install and long lasting. Recycled Glass Floor Tiles – Those glass bottles that you’ve sent to the recycling center can find their way back into your home in the form of flooring tiles. It’s truly amazing the color options you’ll find. No two tiles are exactly alike, making your design options endless. Now that you know how easy it is to pick out flooring that is both environmentally friendly and easier on your wallet, go ahead and get started. Decide which flooring option you’d like and take a trip to your local home improvement center. Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:54:40 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Eco-Friendly-Green-Living-Flooring-Choices-Made-Easy/BLOG/2626833/29468.html arboinks 2010-09-07T00:54:40Z EcoSeed Community Are you looking for an eco friendly flooring option? You will be surprised to learn that it is easy to find exactly the look and feel you’ve been searching for that is environmentally friendly and beautiful at the same time. Most of the flooring options listed below will be easy to find and comparative in price to less environmentally friendly choices. Manufacturers of home building supplies are working hard to do their part to create more eco friendly products. And the more study and research they put into these items the better the benefits to your wallet and to the environment. Rugs – Rugs can be made from everything from recycled soda bottles to candy wrappers and plastic bags to old blue jeans. Many of these rugs are easy to clean and can be used indoors or outdoors. Reclaimed Hardwood – Oftentimes wood can be reclaimed from old buildings and refinished and placed in your home. This not only gives you a beautiful look, but it lessens the impact on the environment since fewer trees are being cut down. Carpeting – Recycled carpet is not only safe for your family, but it’s safe for the environment and looks much better on your floor than in a landfill. It comes with the same durability guarantees as virgin synthetic fiber carpets. And if you recycle the carpet you’re replacing it’s a double environmentally friendly upgrade to your home. Cork – Cork flooring is actually good for the environment and is family friendly. The cork is harvested from the bark of a living tree. This process actually stimulates the tree growth. It is soft and warm under your feet. When a plate is dropped on the floor the cushion of the cork will prevent it from breaking. The plate will leave a dent in the floor that will bounce back after a few hours. Bamboo – Bamboo is a great choice for environmentally friendly flooring. Although bamboo may look like wood, it is actually a grass that grows back in about four years. Linoleum – Linoleum is biodegradable and does not release toxic fumes.It can be purchase in any design or theme you might want. It is easy to install and long lasting. Recycled Glass Floor Tiles – Those glass bottles that you’ve sent to the recycling center can find their way back into your home in the form of flooring tiles. It’s truly amazing the color options you’ll find. No two tiles are exactly alike, making your design options endless. Now that you know how easy it is to pick out flooring that is both environmentally friendly and easier on your wallet, go ahead and get started. Decide which flooring option you’d like and take a trip to your local home improvement center. nonadult false Eco Friendly Green Living Flooring Choices Made Easy! text blog 21 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=15868748&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_7080739_29468_15868748_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2626833 15868748 Gold 2670 http://community.ecoseed.org/_9-Simple-Steps-to-Recycling/BLOG/2626816/29468.html [image] Photo used under Creative Commons from Matt Gibson This post was written a week or so ago, when it was still hot and sunny in the early morning and I could pull myself out of bed for a workout.  Now that fall has hit it’s not so easy and the early morning workouts are few and far between. My alarm went off at an ungodly hour this morning and off I went on my run.  I don’t usually pull myself out of bed this early, but in order to get my exercise fix I had to take advantage of the wee morning hours and take precious time out of my requisite 8 hours of sleep. As I was running, listening to my new-found love Vampire Weekend, a smile came across my face.  It was garbage day in my town and garbage cans were lining the streets-this was not the reason for the smile.  Sitting alongside most garbage cans was a recycle bin, sometimes more than one.  The smile stemmed from my amazement and pride that I lived in an area where most homes had more than one bin filled to the top with recyclables.  I wanted to stop at each house and personally thank each family for taking one small step toward the long term sustainability and health of our planet-but it was way too early so I decided against it and wrote this post instead. [image] Photo used under Creative Commons from e-magic I know recycling can sometimes seem like a chore, so here are a few simple tips for making recycling easy: Read up on the recycling rules for your municipality and make sure you don’t send anything in that can’t be processed. Each city has its own set of rules, so try to follow those guidelines as best you can.  If you are unsure where to find the specifics for your town contact your local Department of Public Works. Have an indoor spot where recyclables are collected before making their way outside.  We place ours next to the sink and they make their way into the bins when someone goes outside. Place the recycle bin in a convenient location, preferably a high traffic area that is easy to access. Mine is in the garage next to the door we use to go in and out of the house. Remove the cap on plastic bottles.  A plastic bottle is designed to withstand a lot of pressure when the cap is on. If a bottle with a cap on it is recycled, more effort will be required to crush it and break it down. The best thing to do with the cap is to remove it and throw it out with the garbage. Crush plastic containers to save space in your recycling bin. Stepping on them is the easiest method-could help release some anger too. Have your children take part in recycling.  Show them the numbers on the bottom of plastics that can be recycled.  Have them help take the recyclables outside to the bins. You may not be required to rinse recyclables.  Check with your municipality.  Even if rinsing is not required, you will probably want to rinse if there is a chance of smell, mold and bacteria growth. Break down cardboard boxes to save space.  Our recycling company will not collect boxes that have not been broken down. Locate a recycling center for all the stuff curbside won’t pick up-for example old CDs, batteries, wood, electronics and paint. Source: http://groovygreenlivin.com/ [image] Photo used under Creative Commons from Matt Gibson This post was written a week or so ago, when it was still hot and sunny in the early morning and I could pull myself out of bed for a workout.  Now that fall has hit it’s not so easy and the early morning workouts are few and far between. My alarm went off at an ungodly hour this morning and off I went on my run.  I don’t usually pull myself out of bed this early, but in order to get my exercise fix I had to take advantage of the wee morning hours and take precious time out of my requisite 8 hours of sleep. As I was running, listening to my new-found love Vampire Weekend, a smile came across my face.  It was garbage day in my town and garbage cans were lining the streets-this was not the reason for the smile.  Sitting alongside most garbage cans was a recycle bin, sometimes more than one.  The smile stemmed from my amazement and pride that I lived in an area where most homes had more than one bin filled to the top with recyclables.  I wanted to stop at each house and personally thank each family for taking one small step toward the long term sustainability and health of our planet-but it was way too early so I decided against it and wrote this post instead. [image] Photo used under Creative Commons from e-magic I know recycling can sometimes seem like a chore, so here are a few simple tips for making recycling easy: Read up on the recycling rules for your municipality and make sure you don’t send anything in that can’t be processed. Each city has its own set of rules, so try to follow those guidelines as best you can.  If you are unsure where to find the specifics for your town contact your local Department of Public Works. Have an indoor spot where recyclables are collected before making their way outside.  We place ours next to the sink and they make their way into the bins when someone goes outside. Place the recycle bin in a convenient location, preferably a high traffic area that is easy to access. Mine is in the garage next to the door we use to go in and out of the house. Remove the cap on plastic bottles.  A plastic bottle is designed to withstand a lot of pressure when the cap is on. If a bottle with a cap on it is recycled, more effort will be required to crush it and break it down. The best thing to do with the cap is to remove it and throw it out with the garbage. Crush plastic containers to save space in your recycling bin. Stepping on them is the easiest method-could help release some anger too. Have your children take part in recycling.  Show them the numbers on the bottom of plastics that can be recycled.  Have them help take the recyclables outside to the bins. You may not be required to rinse recyclables.  Check with your municipality.  Even if rinsing is not required, you will probably want to rinse if there is a chance of smell, mold and bacteria growth. Break down cardboard boxes to save space.  Our recycling company will not collect boxes that have not been broken down. Locate a recycling center for all the stuff curbside won’t pick up-for example old CDs, batteries, wood, electronics and paint. Source: http://groovygreenlivin.com/ Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:42:24 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_9-Simple-Steps-to-Recycling/BLOG/2626816/29468.html arboinks 2010-09-07T00:42:24Z EcoSeed Community [image] Photo used under Creative Commons from Matt Gibson This post was written a week or so ago, when it was still hot and sunny in the early morning and I could pull myself out of bed for a workout.  Now that fall has hit it’s not so easy and the early morning workouts are few and far between. My alarm went off at an ungodly hour this morning and off I went on my run.  I don’t usually pull myself out of bed this early, but in order to get my exercise fix I had to take advantage of the wee morning hours and take precious time out of my requisite 8 hours of sleep. As I was running, listening to my new-found love Vampire Weekend, a smile came across my face.  It was garbage day in my town and garbage cans were lining the streets-this was not the reason for the smile.  Sitting alongside most garbage cans was a recycle bin, sometimes more than one.  The smile stemmed from my amazement and pride that I lived in an area where most homes had more than one bin filled to the top with recyclables.  I wanted to stop at each house and personally thank each family for taking one small step toward the long term sustainability and health of our planet-but it was way too early so I decided against it and wrote this post instead. [image] Photo used under Creative Commons from e-magic I know recycling can sometimes seem like a chore, so here are a few simple tips for making recycling easy: Read up on the recycling rules for your municipality and make sure you don’t send anything in that can’t be processed. Each city has its own set of rules, so try to follow those guidelines as best you can.  If you are unsure where to find the specifics for your town contact your local Department of Public Works. Have an indoor spot where recyclables are collected before making their way outside.  We place ours next to the sink and they make their way into the bins when someone goes outside. Place the recycle bin in a convenient location, preferably a high traffic area that is easy to access. Mine is in the garage next to the door we use to go in and out of the house. Remove the cap on plastic bottles.  A plastic bottle is designed to withstand a lot of pressure when the cap is on. If a bottle with a cap on it is recycled, more effort will be required to crush it and break it down. The best thing to do with the cap is to remove it and throw it out with the garbage. Crush plastic containers to save space in your recycling bin. Stepping on them is the easiest method-could help release some anger too. Have your children take part in recycling.  Show them the numbers on the bottom of plastics that can be recycled.  Have them help take the recyclables outside to the bins. You may not be required to rinse recyclables.  Check with your municipality.  Even if rinsing is not required, you will probably want to rinse if there is a chance of smell, mold and bacteria growth. Break down cardboard boxes to save space.  Our recycling company will not collect boxes that have not been broken down. Locate a recycling center for all the stuff curbside won’t pick up-for example old CDs, batteries, wood, electronics and paint. Source: http://groovygreenlivin.com/ nonadult false 9 Simple Steps to Recycling text blog 3 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=15868748&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_7080739_29468_15868748_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2626816 15868748 Gold 2670 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Make-your-own-homemade-cell-phone-signal-booster/BLOG/2626796/29468.html Do you live far from any major city, where making a call on your cell phone means climbing up onto your garage roof and waving your arms wildly just to boost your signal by 1 measly bar? Well apparently building your own make shift signal booster is a breeze and requires a few easy to find pieces of household equipment. (1) Insulated Wire Method: (2) Paper Clip Method: Paperclip Antenna – Click here for more blooper videos (3) Coil Method: Source: http://allgreengadgets.com/ Do you live far from any major city, where making a call on your cell phone means climbing up onto your garage roof and waving your arms wildly just to boost your signal by 1 measly bar? Well apparently building your own make shift signal booster is a breeze and requires a few easy to find pieces of household equipment. (1) Insulated Wire Method: (2) Paper Clip Method: Paperclip Antenna – Click here for more blooper videos (3) Coil Method: Source: http://allgreengadgets.com/ Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:28:21 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Make-your-own-homemade-cell-phone-signal-booster/BLOG/2626796/29468.html arboinks 2010-09-07T00:28:21Z EcoSeed Community Do you live far from any major city, where making a call on your cell phone means climbing up onto your garage roof and waving your arms wildly just to boost your signal by 1 measly bar? Well apparently building your own make shift signal booster is a breeze and requires a few easy to find pieces of household equipment. (1) Insulated Wire Method: (2) Paper Clip Method: Paperclip Antenna – Click here for more blooper videos (3) Coil Method: Source: http://allgreengadgets.com/ nonadult false Make your own homemade cell phone signal booster text blog 5 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=15868748&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_7080739_29468_15868748_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2626796 15868748 Gold 2670 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Let-The-Paper-Made-Alarm-Clock-Wake-You-In-Eco-Friendly-Way/BLOG/2626775/29468.html Before a mug of coffee does it, it would be your alarm clock that wakes you up in the morning. Now wonder how good it is to know that your alarm clock is made with recycled and molded paper! [image] Yes, it is just like a very ordinary paper mold, but the only difference is that it can wake you up. In the modern era, when we all are looking for alternate forms of resources, this is the right thing one can think of having. Every time we dump our used electronic gadgets, we are harming the environment. The effects of these electronic wastes are known to one and all. This inspired Joon&Jung, the product design studio from Netherlands, to come up with this innovative alarm clock made of used paper. Perhaps, nothing can be better than the technology of recycling. We all know about the good effects recycling have and how much it can protect our nature. These Joon&Jung Paper Alarm Clocks are manufactured from collected paper and have all the features that you want in any alarm clock. The Joon&Jung Paper Alarm Clocks come with an exterior case manufactured from pulp paper. If you purchase these ‘eco-friendly’ alarm clocks, you are doing your bit in protecting the environment. What more is that even when you feel that you have used the alarm clocks enough and have found the need to dispose it of, you can still do it the eco-friendly way. The alarm clocks comes with a self-address envelop so that when you feel like doing away with it, you can mail it back to the makers who will again recycle them to make new alarm clocks. Dumping any other ordinary alarm clock anywhere will produce hazardous wastes which will harm the environment in too many ways. [image] The alarm clocks are developed with white-themed knitted electronic buttons cable, and mechanic buttons. The white knitted electronic buttons cable is produced in Tilberg, Netherlands. The LED screen displays the time behind a textile display, which is clear enough for you to have a good look at the time. Joon&Jung Paper Alarm Clocks were exhibited at the Stockholm Furniture Fair 2010. A lot is yet to meet the eye and for detailed info you can browse the Joon&Jung website to check out more of these innovative alarm clocks. Source: http://www.walyou.com/ Before a mug of coffee does it, it would be your alarm clock that wakes you up in the morning. Now wonder how good it is to know that your alarm clock is made with recycled and molded paper! [image] Yes, it is just like a very ordinary paper mold, but the only difference is that it can wake you up. In the modern era, when we all are looking for alternate forms of resources, this is the right thing one can think of having. Every time we dump our used electronic gadgets, we are harming the environment. The effects of these electronic wastes are known to one and all. This inspired Joon&Jung, the product design studio from Netherlands, to come up with this innovative alarm clock made of used paper. Perhaps, nothing can be better than the technology of recycling. We all know about the good effects recycling have and how much it can protect our nature. These Joon&Jung Paper Alarm Clocks are manufactured from collected paper and have all the features that you want in any alarm clock. The Joon&Jung Paper Alarm Clocks come with an exterior case manufactured from pulp paper. If you purchase these ‘eco-friendly’ alarm clocks, you are doing your bit in protecting the environment. What more is that even when you feel that you have used the alarm clocks enough and have found the need to dispose it of, you can still do it the eco-friendly way. The alarm clocks comes with a self-address envelop so that when you feel like doing away with it, you can mail it back to the makers who will again recycle them to make new alarm clocks. Dumping any other ordinary alarm clock anywhere will produce hazardous wastes which will harm the environment in too many ways. [image] The alarm clocks are developed with white-themed knitted electronic buttons cable, and mechanic buttons. The white knitted electronic buttons cable is produced in Tilberg, Netherlands. The LED screen displays the time behind a textile display, which is clear enough for you to have a good look at the time. Joon&Jung Paper Alarm Clocks were exhibited at the Stockholm Furniture Fair 2010. A lot is yet to meet the eye and for detailed info you can browse the Joon&Jung website to check out more of these innovative alarm clocks. Source: http://www.walyou.com/ Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:12:08 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Let-The-Paper-Made-Alarm-Clock-Wake-You-In-Eco-Friendly-Way/BLOG/2626775/29468.html arboinks 2010-09-07T00:12:08Z EcoSeed Community Before a mug of coffee does it, it would be your alarm clock that wakes you up in the morning. Now wonder how good it is to know that your alarm clock is made with recycled and molded paper! [image] Yes, it is just like a very ordinary paper mold, but the only difference is that it can wake you up. In the modern era, when we all are looking for alternate forms of resources, this is the right thing one can think of having. Every time we dump our used electronic gadgets, we are harming the environment. The effects of these electronic wastes are known to one and all. This inspired Joon&Jung, the product design studio from Netherlands, to come up with this innovative alarm clock made of used paper. Perhaps, nothing can be better than the technology of recycling. We all know about the good effects recycling have and how much it can protect our nature. These Joon&Jung Paper Alarm Clocks are manufactured from collected paper and have all the features that you want in any alarm clock. The Joon&Jung Paper Alarm Clocks come with an exterior case manufactured from pulp paper. If you purchase these ‘eco-friendly’ alarm clocks, you are doing your bit in protecting the environment. What more is that even when you feel that you have used the alarm clocks enough and have found the need to dispose it of, you can still do it the eco-friendly way. The alarm clocks comes with a self-address envelop so that when you feel like doing away with it, you can mail it back to the makers who will again recycle them to make new alarm clocks. Dumping any other ordinary alarm clock anywhere will produce hazardous wastes which will harm the environment in too many ways. [image] The alarm clocks are developed with white-themed knitted electronic buttons cable, and mechanic buttons. The white knitted electronic buttons cable is produced in Tilberg, Netherlands. The LED screen displays the time behind a textile display, which is clear enough for you to have a good look at the time. Joon&Jung Paper Alarm Clocks were exhibited at the Stockholm Furniture Fair 2010. A lot is yet to meet the eye and for detailed info you can browse the Joon&Jung website to check out more of these innovative alarm clocks. Source: http://www.walyou.com/ nonadult false Let The Paper Made Alarm Clock Wake You In Eco-Friendly Way text blog 5 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=15868748&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_7080739_29468_15868748_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2626775 15868748 Gold 2670 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Tips-for-Successful-Moving-By-Packers-Movers-Moradabad/BLOG/2626006/29468.html Moving home with entire household items to a new location is a huge task. It is one of the most stressful tasks of life. It creates chaotic situations. You have to do lots of works associated with your move. Packing is one of the most stressful works involved in home shifting. If you pack properly your household goods you will be able to make your home shift easier and smother. Here are some important tips and suggestions which will help you pack your items properly in order to make your move successful, easy and smooth. Have a look at tips for packing contributed you by Packers Movers Moradabad. Start packing of your household items early to avoid unnecessary stress and rush. Pack your belongings that are seasonal in use first of all. Put seasonal clothing and decorations into your boxes. Get ride of items that you do not need anymore. Avoid packing items you will not want to use in future. Donate such items to a charitable organization or make a garage sale for such items. Pack light items into a big box as more of them weight less. This way you will able to manage boxes for easy carry. Do not overload your boxes or cartons. You may cause injury to your spine. Take extreme care in packing of fragile or highly breakable items. Use enough quantity of cushion or padding materials in the box with crushed old newspapers. Wrap each item with good quality wrapping sheets. Pack all your daily essential items into a separate box. Pack all your important documents and valuables yourselves and keep them carefully a safe place. Do not put such items onto the moving vehicles. Label each box / carton properly which will help you unpack box conveniently at your new residence. I hope these tips and suggestions provided by Moradabad Packers Movers will help you greatly in packing of your household items properly. If you are still hesitant to pack your things right, consider to hire professional packing & moving services from Packers and Movers Moradabad. Know more about moving tips and Movers and Packers Moradabad at the website www.packersmovers.ws. Santosh Ets is a relocation expert and amateur writer primarily focusing on relocation and transportation related topics. Currently he is working with a reputable Packers Movers Moradabad company. Moving home with entire household items to a new location is a huge task. It is one of the most stressful tasks of life. It creates chaotic situations. You have to do lots of works associated with your move. Packing is one of the most stressful works involved in home shifting. If you pack properly your household goods you will be able to make your home shift easier and smother. Here are some important tips and suggestions which will help you pack your items properly in order to make your move successful, easy and smooth. Have a look at tips for packing contributed you by Packers Movers Moradabad. Start packing of your household items early to avoid unnecessary stress and rush. Pack your belongings that are seasonal in use first of all. Put seasonal clothing and decorations into your boxes. Get ride of items that you do not need anymore. Avoid packing items you will not want to use in future. Donate such items to a charitable organization or make a garage sale for such items. Pack light items into a big box as more of them weight less. This way you will able to manage boxes for easy carry. Do not overload your boxes or cartons. You may cause injury to your spine. Take extreme care in packing of fragile or highly breakable items. Use enough quantity of cushion or padding materials in the box with crushed old newspapers. Wrap each item with good quality wrapping sheets. Pack all your daily essential items into a separate box. Pack all your important documents and valuables yourselves and keep them carefully a safe place. Do not put such items onto the moving vehicles. Label each box / carton properly which will help you unpack box conveniently at your new residence. I hope these tips and suggestions provided by Moradabad Packers Movers will help you greatly in packing of your household items properly. If you are still hesitant to pack your things right, consider to hire professional packing & moving services from Packers and Movers Moradabad. Know more about moving tips and Movers and Packers Moradabad at the website www.packersmovers.ws. Santosh Ets is a relocation expert and amateur writer primarily focusing on relocation and transportation related topics. Currently he is working with a reputable Packers Movers Moradabad company. Mon, 06 Sep 2010 09:24:44 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Tips-for-Successful-Moving-By-Packers-Movers-Moradabad/BLOG/2626006/29468.html santoshets 2010-09-06T09:24:44Z EcoSeed Community Moving home with entire household items to a new location is a huge task. It is one of the most stressful tasks of life. It creates chaotic situations. You have to do lots of works associated with your move. Packing is one of the most stressful works involved in home shifting. If you pack properly your household goods you will be able to make your home shift easier and smother. Here are some important tips and suggestions which will help you pack your items properly in order to make your move successful, easy and smooth. Have a look at tips for packing contributed you by Packers Movers Moradabad. Start packing of your household items early to avoid unnecessary stress and rush. Pack your belongings that are seasonal in use first of all. Put seasonal clothing and decorations into your boxes. Get ride of items that you do not need anymore. Avoid packing items you will not want to use in future. Donate such items to a charitable organization or make a garage sale for such items. Pack light items into a big box as more of them weight less. This way you will able to manage boxes for easy carry. Do not overload your boxes or cartons. You may cause injury to your spine. Take extreme care in packing of fragile or highly breakable items. Use enough quantity of cushion or padding materials in the box with crushed old newspapers. Wrap each item with good quality wrapping sheets. Pack all your daily essential items into a separate box. Pack all your important documents and valuables yourselves and keep them carefully a safe place. Do not put such items onto the moving vehicles. Label each box / carton properly which will help you unpack box conveniently at your new residence. I hope these tips and suggestions provided by Moradabad Packers Movers will help you greatly in packing of your household items properly. If you are still hesitant to pack your things right, consider to hire professional packing & moving services from Packers and Movers Moradabad. Know more about moving tips and Movers and Packers Moradabad at the website www.packersmovers.ws. Santosh Ets is a relocation expert and amateur writer primarily focusing on relocation and transportation related topics. Currently he is working with a reputable Packers Movers Moradabad company. moradabad, movers, packers nonadult false Tips for Successful Moving – By Packers Movers Moradabad text blog moradabad,movers,packers 5 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=19150397&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/user/defaultImage_160x120_B.jpg false India Uttar Pradesh Moradabad 0 0 2626006 19150397 Silver 1485 http://community.ecoseed.org/_All-about-Moving-Company-Helpful-Information/BLOG/2625998/29468.html A moving company is a company dedicated to help people and their belongings move from one place to other. Moving does not mean only moving of goods rather it include all tasks related to relocations and transportations. These include packing and moving, loading and unloading, rearranging and many other allied services like postal and parcel, courier, car carrier and transportation, storage and warehousing, custom clearance, air cargo relocation, freight forwarding and many other services. Moving companies apart from providing above mentioned services also act as rental companies. They rent trucks, trailers and moving equipment on rent. They also provide packing supplies to those people who want self relocation. They collect packing supplies and pack goods themselves. They also hire vehicles and load goods in trucks themselves. Some people hire driver to drive the truck while others drive themselves. However, hiring a moving company is good as they have good experience in the field. They carefully pack and move good from one place to another. The expert staffs are efficient in packing all kind of items. They are even comfortable in packing fragile items and big items like furniture, refrigerator, washing machine, AC, cooler, etc. They can safely pack these items. Your valuable belonging will be packed without encountering any scratch and damage. There are many moving companies in all over the country. Most of them are specialized in local and domestic moving while few relocation agencies also provide international facilities. You can find domestic movers in all over the country but most of international moving companies are clustered in metro cities and big cities. They are specially found in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and national capital regions. The relocation agencies based in NCR are known for rendering qualitative services. There are many relocation agencies in NCR –Ghaziabad Packers Movers based agencies and packers movers Faridabad based agencies are quite popular for providing smooth, safe and hassle free relocation. They also provide international relocation services. Popular moving companies use latest equipment to safely pack and move goods. Some companies use extra safety measures to save clients’ goods from being scratched. They use furniture blanket to move furniture. They also use dollies and ramps for safe relocation of clients’ goods. Moving companies have potential to make your relocation easy and stress free. Above mentioned information about their services is enough to understand what they do to make relocation easier. If you are looking for a relocation agency for your move hire one of the Packer and Movers Ghaziabad based companies. They will help you relocate safely and smoothly. Article Source:- http://www.buzzle.com/articles/all-about-moving-company-helpful-information.html Santosh Ets is a relocation expert and amateur writer primarily focusing on relocation and transportation related topics. Currently he is working with a reputable Packers Movers Ghaziabad company. A moving company is a company dedicated to help people and their belongings move from one place to other. Moving does not mean only moving of goods rather it include all tasks related to relocations and transportations. These include packing and moving, loading and unloading, rearranging and many other allied services like postal and parcel, courier, car carrier and transportation, storage and warehousing, custom clearance, air cargo relocation, freight forwarding and many other services. Moving companies apart from providing above mentioned services also act as rental companies. They rent trucks, trailers and moving equipment on rent. They also provide packing supplies to those people who want self relocation. They collect packing supplies and pack goods themselves. They also hire vehicles and load goods in trucks themselves. Some people hire driver to drive the truck while others drive themselves. However, hiring a moving company is good as they have good experience in the field. They carefully pack and move good from one place to another. The expert staffs are efficient in packing all kind of items. They are even comfortable in packing fragile items and big items like furniture, refrigerator, washing machine, AC, cooler, etc. They can safely pack these items. Your valuable belonging will be packed without encountering any scratch and damage. There are many moving companies in all over the country. Most of them are specialized in local and domestic moving while few relocation agencies also provide international facilities. You can find domestic movers in all over the country but most of international moving companies are clustered in metro cities and big cities. They are specially found in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and national capital regions. The relocation agencies based in NCR are known for rendering qualitative services. There are many relocation agencies in NCR –Ghaziabad Packers Movers based agencies and packers movers Faridabad based agencies are quite popular for providing smooth, safe and hassle free relocation. They also provide international relocation services. Popular moving companies use latest equipment to safely pack and move goods. Some companies use extra safety measures to save clients’ goods from being scratched. They use furniture blanket to move furniture. They also use dollies and ramps for safe relocation of clients’ goods. Moving companies have potential to make your relocation easy and stress free. Above mentioned information about their services is enough to understand what they do to make relocation easier. If you are looking for a relocation agency for your move hire one of the Packer and Movers Ghaziabad based companies. They will help you relocate safely and smoothly. Article Source:- http://www.buzzle.com/articles/all-about-moving-company-helpful-information.html Santosh Ets is a relocation expert and amateur writer primarily focusing on relocation and transportation related topics. Currently he is working with a reputable Packers Movers Ghaziabad company. Mon, 06 Sep 2010 09:12:27 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_All-about-Moving-Company-Helpful-Information/BLOG/2625998/29468.html santoshets 2010-09-06T09:12:27Z EcoSeed Community A moving company is a company dedicated to help people and their belongings move from one place to other. Moving does not mean only moving of goods rather it include all tasks related to relocations and transportations. These include packing and moving, loading and unloading, rearranging and many other allied services like postal and parcel, courier, car carrier and transportation, storage and warehousing, custom clearance, air cargo relocation, freight forwarding and many other services. Moving companies apart from providing above mentioned services also act as rental companies. They rent trucks, trailers and moving equipment on rent. They also provide packing supplies to those people who want self relocation. They collect packing supplies and pack goods themselves. They also hire vehicles and load goods in trucks themselves. Some people hire driver to drive the truck while others drive themselves. However, hiring a moving company is good as they have good experience in the field. They carefully pack and move good from one place to another. The expert staffs are efficient in packing all kind of items. They are even comfortable in packing fragile items and big items like furniture, refrigerator, washing machine, AC, cooler, etc. They can safely pack these items. Your valuable belonging will be packed without encountering any scratch and damage. There are many moving companies in all over the country. Most of them are specialized in local and domestic moving while few relocation agencies also provide international facilities. You can find domestic movers in all over the country but most of international moving companies are clustered in metro cities and big cities. They are specially found in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and national capital regions. The relocation agencies based in NCR are known for rendering qualitative services. There are many relocation agencies in NCR –Ghaziabad Packers Movers based agencies and packers movers Faridabad based agencies are quite popular for providing smooth, safe and hassle free relocation. They also provide international relocation services. Popular moving companies use latest equipment to safely pack and move goods. Some companies use extra safety measures to save clients’ goods from being scratched. They use furniture blanket to move furniture. They also use dollies and ramps for safe relocation of clients’ goods. Moving companies have potential to make your relocation easy and stress free. Above mentioned information about their services is enough to understand what they do to make relocation easier. If you are looking for a relocation agency for your move hire one of the Packer and Movers Ghaziabad based companies. They will help you relocate safely and smoothly. Article Source:- http://www.buzzle.com/articles/all-about-moving-company-helpful-information.html Santosh Ets is a relocation expert and amateur writer primarily focusing on relocation and transportation related topics. Currently he is working with a reputable Packers Movers Ghaziabad company. ghaziabad, movers, packers nonadult false All about Moving Company –Helpful Information text blog ghaziabad,movers,packers 3 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=19150397&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/user/defaultImage_160x120_D.jpg false India Uttar Pradesh Ghaziabad 0 0 2625998 19150397 Silver 1485 http://community.ecoseed.org/_2010-Deutsche-Bank-Championship-Sustains-Green-Commitment/BLOG/2625544/29468.html [image] NORTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Deutsche Bank Championship today announced that it has reaffirmed its commitment to environmental sustainability and will once again be a carbon neutral event. This year marks the third season that the Deutsche Bank Championship has achieved net carbon zero emissions as it remains the only carbon neutral event on the PGA TOUR. The Championship’s extensive sustainability program, in collaboration with its Founders Club members and suppliers has also been expanded with several new and improved programs. “The Deutsche Bank Championship has remained committed to maintaining a high standard of environmental excellence, reflecting the Bank’s overall commitment to be carbon neutral from 2013 onward” For 2010, the Championship has partnered with BMW, the official vehicle of the Deutsche Bank Championship, to provide PGA TOUR players with a fleet of vehicles that includes the BMW ActiveHybrid 7 Series and BMW 335 Advanced Diesel. The BMW ActiveHybrid 7 Series is 5% more efficient than its non-hybrid counterpart and is able to run exclusively on electric power and emit zero harmful CO2 emissions up to a speed of 37 mph. The BMW 335 Advanced Diesel offers cleaner emissions, making it an excellent alternative to a traditional gas car. “The Deutsche Bank Championship has remained committed to maintaining a high standard of environmental excellence, reflecting the Bank’s overall commitment to be carbon neutral from 2013 onward,” said Seth Waugh, CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas. “We have made significant strides in reducing the event’s carbon footprint and will continue to build on our success so that the Championship will be enjoyed by generations of fans to come.” The Championship has also invested in new liners for all on-site trash bins that are 100% bio-degradable and reduce emissions in the manufacturing process by 7%. Also new for 2010, the Championship, in partnership with Big Green Hippo & Newport Biodiesel will be converting all of the vegetable oil used in the kitchens into biodiesel fuel. This fuel is locally produced, non-toxic and can be used to power diesel engines or home oil furnaces. Because it is not possible to entirely eliminate the environmental impact of the event, Deutsche Bank and the Championship are investing in carbon-offsets to finance programs that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an amount that is estimated to be equal to those generated by the event. This year, the Bank will purchase carbon-offsets that will help finance the construction of a biomass fired power plant in Amazonas, Brazil. The goal of the project is to replace electricity from fossil fuels, while also reducing methane emissions from biomass stockpiles. The project will reduce greenhouse gas emission equivalent to 170,000 tons of CO2 per year and will help contribute to the sustainable development of the local community. The program was validated by environmental consulting expert First Climate, one of Europe’s leading carbon asset management companies. TPC Boston is adjacent to 150 acres of local conservation land donated by the development partnership of the club to the towns of Norton and Mansfield. The golf course was designed to complement its natural surroundings. There is a dedicated effort to preserve and enhance the environment by managing grassland and forest edges for the benefit of wildlife around the golf course. The foundation of environmental stewardship begins with utilizing natural products like composts and organic fertilizers that are recycled from biosolids, poultry litter, wood and paper. This practice helps achieve the building of quality soil, which allows the club to judiciously use water and other resources for improved plant health. The club has been the recipient of three Golf Digest Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards for environmental stewardship and is designated as a “Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.” A New England’s Labor Day tradition, the 2010 Deutsche Bank Championship features a $7.5 million purse and a $1.35 million winner’s check. It enters its fourth year as a PGA TOUR Playoffs event and is the second of four stops in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. Its distinguished list of champions includes Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh (twice), Steve Sticker, Adam Scott and Olin Browne. About Deutsche Bank Deutsche Bank is a leading global investment bank with a strong and profitable private clients franchise. A leader in Germany and Europe, the bank is continuously growing in North America, Asia and key emerging markets. With 81,929 employees in 72 countries, Deutsche Bank competes to be the leading global provider of financial solutions for demanding clients creating exceptional value for its shareholders and people. www.db.com About IMG Sports & Entertainment Operating in 30 countries, IMG Sports & Entertainment's diverse businesses include: product and brand licensing; consulting services; event ownership and management; fashion events and models representation; golf course design; and client representation in golf, tennis, broadcasting, speakers, European football, rugby, cricket, motor sports, coaching, Olympic and action sports. IMG Academies are the world's largest, multi-sport training and educational facilities, delivering world-class training experiences to more than 12,000 junior, collegiate, adult, and professional athletes each year. More information about IMG is available at www.imgworld.com. About TPC Boston Originally designed by legendary player/designer Arnold Palmer, TPC Boston’s award-winning layout was re-designed in 2007 by celebrated golf course architect Gil Hanse, with PGA TOUR player Brad Faxon serving as a consultant. The result is a compelling par-72, 7,241-yard masterpiece named by Golf Digest the “Best Private Remodel of 2007.” Crafted to fit seamlessly into the natural New England landscape, lush fairways and Bentgrass greens traverse gently rolling hills, with stands of mature trees, chocolate-drop mounds, numerous wetland areas, fescues and native grasses, and 92 deep bunkers creating a stunning backdrop for this superb test of golf in Norton’s Great Woods. While challenging enough for the best players in the world during the Deutsche Bank Championship, five sets of tees on each hole make the course enjoyable for golfers of all skill levels. At TPC Boston, remarkable golf is just the beginning of an outstanding PGA TOUR experience. Original Source: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100904005005/en/2010-Deutsche-Bank-Championship-Sustains-Green-Commitment [image] NORTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Deutsche Bank Championship today announced that it has reaffirmed its commitment to environmental sustainability and will once again be a carbon neutral event. This year marks the third season that the Deutsche Bank Championship has achieved net carbon zero emissions as it remains the only carbon neutral event on the PGA TOUR. The Championship’s extensive sustainability program, in collaboration with its Founders Club members and suppliers has also been expanded with several new and improved programs. “The Deutsche Bank Championship has remained committed to maintaining a high standard of environmental excellence, reflecting the Bank’s overall commitment to be carbon neutral from 2013 onward” For 2010, the Championship has partnered with BMW, the official vehicle of the Deutsche Bank Championship, to provide PGA TOUR players with a fleet of vehicles that includes the BMW ActiveHybrid 7 Series and BMW 335 Advanced Diesel. The BMW ActiveHybrid 7 Series is 5% more efficient than its non-hybrid counterpart and is able to run exclusively on electric power and emit zero harmful CO2 emissions up to a speed of 37 mph. The BMW 335 Advanced Diesel offers cleaner emissions, making it an excellent alternative to a traditional gas car. “The Deutsche Bank Championship has remained committed to maintaining a high standard of environmental excellence, reflecting the Bank’s overall commitment to be carbon neutral from 2013 onward,” said Seth Waugh, CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas. “We have made significant strides in reducing the event’s carbon footprint and will continue to build on our success so that the Championship will be enjoyed by generations of fans to come.” The Championship has also invested in new liners for all on-site trash bins that are 100% bio-degradable and reduce emissions in the manufacturing process by 7%. Also new for 2010, the Championship, in partnership with Big Green Hippo & Newport Biodiesel will be converting all of the vegetable oil used in the kitchens into biodiesel fuel. This fuel is locally produced, non-toxic and can be used to power diesel engines or home oil furnaces. Because it is not possible to entirely eliminate the environmental impact of the event, Deutsche Bank and the Championship are investing in carbon-offsets to finance programs that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an amount that is estimated to be equal to those generated by the event. This year, the Bank will purchase carbon-offsets that will help finance the construction of a biomass fired power plant in Amazonas, Brazil. The goal of the project is to replace electricity from fossil fuels, while also reducing methane emissions from biomass stockpiles. The project will reduce greenhouse gas emission equivalent to 170,000 tons of CO2 per year and will help contribute to the sustainable development of the local community. The program was validated by environmental consulting expert First Climate, one of Europe’s leading carbon asset management companies. TPC Boston is adjacent to 150 acres of local conservation land donated by the development partnership of the club to the towns of Norton and Mansfield. The golf course was designed to complement its natural surroundings. There is a dedicated effort to preserve and enhance the environment by managing grassland and forest edges for the benefit of wildlife around the golf course. The foundation of environmental stewardship begins with utilizing natural products like composts and organic fertilizers that are recycled from biosolids, poultry litter, wood and paper. This practice helps achieve the building of quality soil, which allows the club to judiciously use water and other resources for improved plant health. The club has been the recipient of three Golf Digest Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards for environmental stewardship and is designated as a “Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.” A New England’s Labor Day tradition, the 2010 Deutsche Bank Championship features a $7.5 million purse and a $1.35 million winner’s check. It enters its fourth year as a PGA TOUR Playoffs event and is the second of four stops in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. Its distinguished list of champions includes Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh (twice), Steve Sticker, Adam Scott and Olin Browne. About Deutsche Bank Deutsche Bank is a leading global investment bank with a strong and profitable private clients franchise. A leader in Germany and Europe, the bank is continuously growing in North America, Asia and key emerging markets. With 81,929 employees in 72 countries, Deutsche Bank competes to be the leading global provider of financial solutions for demanding clients creating exceptional value for its shareholders and people. www.db.com About IMG Sports & Entertainment Operating in 30 countries, IMG Sports & Entertainment's diverse businesses include: product and brand licensing; consulting services; event ownership and management; fashion events and models representation; golf course design; and client representation in golf, tennis, broadcasting, speakers, European football, rugby, cricket, motor sports, coaching, Olympic and action sports. IMG Academies are the world's largest, multi-sport training and educational facilities, delivering world-class training experiences to more than 12,000 junior, collegiate, adult, and professional athletes each year. More information about IMG is available at www.imgworld.com. About TPC Boston Originally designed by legendary player/designer Arnold Palmer, TPC Boston’s award-winning layout was re-designed in 2007 by celebrated golf course architect Gil Hanse, with PGA TOUR player Brad Faxon serving as a consultant. The result is a compelling par-72, 7,241-yard masterpiece named by Golf Digest the “Best Private Remodel of 2007.” Crafted to fit seamlessly into the natural New England landscape, lush fairways and Bentgrass greens traverse gently rolling hills, with stands of mature trees, chocolate-drop mounds, numerous wetland areas, fescues and native grasses, and 92 deep bunkers creating a stunning backdrop for this superb test of golf in Norton’s Great Woods. While challenging enough for the best players in the world during the Deutsche Bank Championship, five sets of tees on each hole make the course enjoyable for golfers of all skill levels. At TPC Boston, remarkable golf is just the beginning of an outstanding PGA TOUR experience. Original Source: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100904005005/en/2010-Deutsche-Bank-Championship-Sustains-Green-Commitment Mon, 06 Sep 2010 06:11:31 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_2010-Deutsche-Bank-Championship-Sustains-Green-Commitment/BLOG/2625544/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-06T06:11:31Z EcoSeed Community [image] NORTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Deutsche Bank Championship today announced that it has reaffirmed its commitment to environmental sustainability and will once again be a carbon neutral event. This year marks the third season that the Deutsche Bank Championship has achieved net carbon zero emissions as it remains the only carbon neutral event on the PGA TOUR. The Championship’s extensive sustainability program, in collaboration with its Founders Club members and suppliers has also been expanded with several new and improved programs. “The Deutsche Bank Championship has remained committed to maintaining a high standard of environmental excellence, reflecting the Bank’s overall commitment to be carbon neutral from 2013 onward” For 2010, the Championship has partnered with BMW, the official vehicle of the Deutsche Bank Championship, to provide PGA TOUR players with a fleet of vehicles that includes the BMW ActiveHybrid 7 Series and BMW 335 Advanced Diesel. The BMW ActiveHybrid 7 Series is 5% more efficient than its non-hybrid counterpart and is able to run exclusively on electric power and emit zero harmful CO2 emissions up to a speed of 37 mph. The BMW 335 Advanced Diesel offers cleaner emissions, making it an excellent alternative to a traditional gas car. “The Deutsche Bank Championship has remained committed to maintaining a high standard of environmental excellence, reflecting the Bank’s overall commitment to be carbon neutral from 2013 onward,” said Seth Waugh, CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas. “We have made significant strides in reducing the event’s carbon footprint and will continue to build on our success so that the Championship will be enjoyed by generations of fans to come.” The Championship has also invested in new liners for all on-site trash bins that are 100% bio-degradable and reduce emissions in the manufacturing process by 7%. Also new for 2010, the Championship, in partnership with Big Green Hippo & Newport Biodiesel will be converting all of the vegetable oil used in the kitchens into biodiesel fuel. This fuel is locally produced, non-toxic and can be used to power diesel engines or home oil furnaces. Because it is not possible to entirely eliminate the environmental impact of the event, Deutsche Bank and the Championship are investing in carbon-offsets to finance programs that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an amount that is estimated to be equal to those generated by the event. This year, the Bank will purchase carbon-offsets that will help finance the construction of a biomass fired power plant in Amazonas, Brazil. The goal of the project is to replace electricity from fossil fuels, while also reducing methane emissions from biomass stockpiles. The project will reduce greenhouse gas emission equivalent to 170,000 tons of CO2 per year and will help contribute to the sustainable development of the local community. The program was validated by environmental consulting expert First Climate, one of Europe’s leading carbon asset management companies. TPC Boston is adjacent to 150 acres of local conservation land donated by the development partnership of the club to the towns of Norton and Mansfield. The golf course was designed to complement its natural surroundings. There is a dedicated effort to preserve and enhance the environment by managing grassland and forest edges for the benefit of wildlife around the golf course. The foundation of environmental stewardship begins with utilizing natural products like composts and organic fertilizers that are recycled from biosolids, poultry litter, wood and paper. This practice helps achieve the building of quality soil, which allows the club to judiciously use water and other resources for improved plant health. The club has been the recipient of three Golf Digest Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards for environmental stewardship and is designated as a “Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.” A New England’s Labor Day tradition, the 2010 Deutsche Bank Championship features a $7.5 million purse and a $1.35 million winner’s check. It enters its fourth year as a PGA TOUR Playoffs event and is the second of four stops in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. Its distinguished list of champions includes Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh (twice), Steve Sticker, Adam Scott and Olin Browne. About Deutsche Bank Deutsche Bank is a leading global investment bank with a strong and profitable private clients franchise. A leader in Germany and Europe, the bank is continuously growing in North America, Asia and key emerging markets. With 81,929 employees in 72 countries, Deutsche Bank competes to be the leading global provider of financial solutions for demanding clients creating exceptional value for its shareholders and people. www.db.com About IMG Sports & Entertainment Operating in 30 countries, IMG Sports & Entertainment's diverse businesses include: product and brand licensing; consulting services; event ownership and management; fashion events and models representation; golf course design; and client representation in golf, tennis, broadcasting, speakers, European football, rugby, cricket, motor sports, coaching, Olympic and action sports. IMG Academies are the world's largest, multi-sport training and educational facilities, delivering world-class training experiences to more than 12,000 junior, collegiate, adult, and professional athletes each year. More information about IMG is available at www.imgworld.com. About TPC Boston Originally designed by legendary player/designer Arnold Palmer, TPC Boston’s award-winning layout was re-designed in 2007 by celebrated golf course architect Gil Hanse, with PGA TOUR player Brad Faxon serving as a consultant. The result is a compelling par-72, 7,241-yard masterpiece named by Golf Digest the “Best Private Remodel of 2007.” Crafted to fit seamlessly into the natural New England landscape, lush fairways and Bentgrass greens traverse gently rolling hills, with stands of mature trees, chocolate-drop mounds, numerous wetland areas, fescues and native grasses, and 92 deep bunkers creating a stunning backdrop for this superb test of golf in Norton’s Great Woods. While challenging enough for the best players in the world during the Deutsche Bank Championship, five sets of tees on each hole make the course enjoyable for golfers of all skill levels. At TPC Boston, remarkable golf is just the beginning of an outstanding PGA TOUR experience. Original Source: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100904005005/en/2010-Deutsche-Bank-Championship-Sustains-Green-Commitment nonadult false 2010 Deutsche Bank Championship Sustains Green Commitment text blog 68 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2625544 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Windmill-Your-Green-Energy-Source/BLOG/2625543/29468.html [image][image]Windmill are the right choice if you need to save money on electricity and plug into a green and renewable energy source. It's also an easy and fun "Do It Yourself" project for the whole family. If you're interested in building your own wind turbine, you'll have to learn and comprehend the technology that drives windmills. Basically windmill consists of several blades that are attached to the generator's flywheel or shaft.Windmill are somewhat akin to the rotor blades in an airplane's propeller and they're used for getting the wind power. For any residential home windmill, it is possible to just make use of light plastic material or wood for producing the wind rotor blades. Keep in mind, the size of the wind rotor blades will depend on the size of the windmill's bottom and tower. If for example your windmill is 5-feet tall, then the size of the wind rotor blades must be around 1 to 3 ft. The tower – the simple windmill can have a height of only five ft and it's material must be a powerful plastic material like the pvc piping, or far better yet any stronger material. The benefits of building a residential home windmill are numerous. Possibly you might be tired of throwing your money away every single month in order to provide sufficient power for your home. [image][image]  Windmax HY1000-5 1,000 Watt Max 24-Volt 5-Blade Residential Wind Generator Kit[image]  Well, through setting up a windmill at home, you can reduce your electric bills, and may even make money from electric companies should you create even more power than you might be consuming at your home. Yes, the electric companies will really pay you. So, you see, you may lower your monthly electric expenses and you may save a lot of money for that. Other than saving money, you may also be making a big difference in the planet that we reside on. Due to the fact you happen to be using a natural power to generate electrical energy, you're contributing to the environment by lowering the pollution and damaging gases which are coming from the mechanical sources of power.Windmill are cut from a sheet of metal and run through a machine to give them a curve. They are then attached to the metal rim using small bolts and metal clamps so that they can be raised or lowered depending on the wind. The site the windmill has to be placed has to be an area with a prevailing wind of at least 15 mph. The area has to be cleared of trees and other structures that block wind. [image][image] Wind Power For Dummies[image] Sometimes, a dirt mound or concrete base is build to raise the windmill so that it catches more wind. When assembling the windmill, the main body parts are connected first, to be bolted on the ground and then raised vertically. Connecting rods are used to join other poles while clamps are bolted at joints for stability. Once the tower is raised, it is loosely bolted to the base wherein stay wires are strung from the ground to the tensioners and ground anchors.Since farms do not require a whole lot of electricity, they can easily install an electricity generating windmill. It will fulfill the needs of the farm owners quite sufficiently. It's is difficult to install an electricity generating windmill in an area which is hugely populated and has very high buildings. The main reason is that these windmills require a decent amount of wind speed to work. The areas which have many tall buildings may block the wind flow. If this is the situation it will hamper the blades' movement of the windmill. As a result it won't produce electricity because there's no any mechanical energy that's able to turn the windmill. [image][image]  Windmax HY600-3 750 Watt Max 24-Volt 3-Blade Residential Wind Generator Kit[image]  One hectare of area is sufficient for installing a windmill. It's not a very good idea to install a windmill in the area less than one hectare because it will not work properly as expected. Free electricity isn't all you get from a new home wind turbine, as soon as your system is up, you have improved your home value by atleast an equal amount of the investment. Your green energy powered home has a higher chance to sell compared to others with no home generation or emergency power system. Original Source: http://green-tech-gadgets.blogspot.com/2010/09/windmill-your-green-energy-source.html [image][image]Windmill are the right choice if you need to save money on electricity and plug into a green and renewable energy source. It's also an easy and fun "Do It Yourself" project for the whole family. If you're interested in building your own wind turbine, you'll have to learn and comprehend the technology that drives windmills. Basically windmill consists of several blades that are attached to the generator's flywheel or shaft.Windmill are somewhat akin to the rotor blades in an airplane's propeller and they're used for getting the wind power. For any residential home windmill, it is possible to just make use of light plastic material or wood for producing the wind rotor blades. Keep in mind, the size of the wind rotor blades will depend on the size of the windmill's bottom and tower. If for example your windmill is 5-feet tall, then the size of the wind rotor blades must be around 1 to 3 ft. The tower – the simple windmill can have a height of only five ft and it's material must be a powerful plastic material like the pvc piping, or far better yet any stronger material. The benefits of building a residential home windmill are numerous. Possibly you might be tired of throwing your money away every single month in order to provide sufficient power for your home. [image][image]  Windmax HY1000-5 1,000 Watt Max 24-Volt 5-Blade Residential Wind Generator Kit[image]  Well, through setting up a windmill at home, you can reduce your electric bills, and may even make money from electric companies should you create even more power than you might be consuming at your home. Yes, the electric companies will really pay you. So, you see, you may lower your monthly electric expenses and you may save a lot of money for that. Other than saving money, you may also be making a big difference in the planet that we reside on. Due to the fact you happen to be using a natural power to generate electrical energy, you're contributing to the environment by lowering the pollution and damaging gases which are coming from the mechanical sources of power.Windmill are cut from a sheet of metal and run through a machine to give them a curve. They are then attached to the metal rim using small bolts and metal clamps so that they can be raised or lowered depending on the wind. The site the windmill has to be placed has to be an area with a prevailing wind of at least 15 mph. The area has to be cleared of trees and other structures that block wind. [image][image] Wind Power For Dummies[image] Sometimes, a dirt mound or concrete base is build to raise the windmill so that it catches more wind. When assembling the windmill, the main body parts are connected first, to be bolted on the ground and then raised vertically. Connecting rods are used to join other poles while clamps are bolted at joints for stability. Once the tower is raised, it is loosely bolted to the base wherein stay wires are strung from the ground to the tensioners and ground anchors.Since farms do not require a whole lot of electricity, they can easily install an electricity generating windmill. It will fulfill the needs of the farm owners quite sufficiently. It's is difficult to install an electricity generating windmill in an area which is hugely populated and has very high buildings. The main reason is that these windmills require a decent amount of wind speed to work. The areas which have many tall buildings may block the wind flow. If this is the situation it will hamper the blades' movement of the windmill. As a result it won't produce electricity because there's no any mechanical energy that's able to turn the windmill. [image][image]  Windmax HY600-3 750 Watt Max 24-Volt 3-Blade Residential Wind Generator Kit[image]  One hectare of area is sufficient for installing a windmill. It's not a very good idea to install a windmill in the area less than one hectare because it will not work properly as expected. Free electricity isn't all you get from a new home wind turbine, as soon as your system is up, you have improved your home value by atleast an equal amount of the investment. Your green energy powered home has a higher chance to sell compared to others with no home generation or emergency power system. Original Source: http://green-tech-gadgets.blogspot.com/2010/09/windmill-your-green-energy-source.html Mon, 06 Sep 2010 06:08:09 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Windmill-Your-Green-Energy-Source/BLOG/2625543/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-06T06:08:09Z EcoSeed Community [image][image]Windmill are the right choice if you need to save money on electricity and plug into a green and renewable energy source. It's also an easy and fun "Do It Yourself" project for the whole family. If you're interested in building your own wind turbine, you'll have to learn and comprehend the technology that drives windmills. Basically windmill consists of several blades that are attached to the generator's flywheel or shaft.Windmill are somewhat akin to the rotor blades in an airplane's propeller and they're used for getting the wind power. For any residential home windmill, it is possible to just make use of light plastic material or wood for producing the wind rotor blades. Keep in mind, the size of the wind rotor blades will depend on the size of the windmill's bottom and tower. If for example your windmill is 5-feet tall, then the size of the wind rotor blades must be around 1 to 3 ft. The tower – the simple windmill can have a height of only five ft and it's material must be a powerful plastic material like the pvc piping, or far better yet any stronger material. The benefits of building a residential home windmill are numerous. Possibly you might be tired of throwing your money away every single month in order to provide sufficient power for your home. [image][image]  Windmax HY1000-5 1,000 Watt Max 24-Volt 5-Blade Residential Wind Generator Kit[image]  Well, through setting up a windmill at home, you can reduce your electric bills, and may even make money from electric companies should you create even more power than you might be consuming at your home. Yes, the electric companies will really pay you. So, you see, you may lower your monthly electric expenses and you may save a lot of money for that. Other than saving money, you may also be making a big difference in the planet that we reside on. Due to the fact you happen to be using a natural power to generate electrical energy, you're contributing to the environment by lowering the pollution and damaging gases which are coming from the mechanical sources of power.Windmill are cut from a sheet of metal and run through a machine to give them a curve. They are then attached to the metal rim using small bolts and metal clamps so that they can be raised or lowered depending on the wind. The site the windmill has to be placed has to be an area with a prevailing wind of at least 15 mph. The area has to be cleared of trees and other structures that block wind. [image][image] Wind Power For Dummies[image] Sometimes, a dirt mound or concrete base is build to raise the windmill so that it catches more wind. When assembling the windmill, the main body parts are connected first, to be bolted on the ground and then raised vertically. Connecting rods are used to join other poles while clamps are bolted at joints for stability. Once the tower is raised, it is loosely bolted to the base wherein stay wires are strung from the ground to the tensioners and ground anchors.Since farms do not require a whole lot of electricity, they can easily install an electricity generating windmill. It will fulfill the needs of the farm owners quite sufficiently. It's is difficult to install an electricity generating windmill in an area which is hugely populated and has very high buildings. The main reason is that these windmills require a decent amount of wind speed to work. The areas which have many tall buildings may block the wind flow. If this is the situation it will hamper the blades' movement of the windmill. As a result it won't produce electricity because there's no any mechanical energy that's able to turn the windmill. [image][image]  Windmax HY600-3 750 Watt Max 24-Volt 3-Blade Residential Wind Generator Kit[image]  One hectare of area is sufficient for installing a windmill. It's not a very good idea to install a windmill in the area less than one hectare because it will not work properly as expected. Free electricity isn't all you get from a new home wind turbine, as soon as your system is up, you have improved your home value by atleast an equal amount of the investment. Your green energy powered home has a higher chance to sell compared to others with no home generation or emergency power system. Original Source: http://green-tech-gadgets.blogspot.com/2010/09/windmill-your-green-energy-source.html nonadult false Windmill : Your Green Energy Source text blog 84 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2625543 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_4-Cool-Solar-Flashlights/BLOG/2625539/29468.html In the past few months, we have listed a ton of solar gadgets on this website. There are just so many solar solutions around these days, and there is no excuse for not using them. You can even use the technology to power up your flashlights. So when you need some light outdoors in dark areas, you can count on the power of the sun to find your way around. These 4 solar flashlights let you do just that: [image] Solarlite Flashlight: a cool solar flashlight that can provide you with 10 hours of power per charge. It can hold charge for up to 3 years. [image] Hybrid Light Solar Flashlight: a waterproof solar flashlight that floats and provides you with 10 hours of power per charge. It can be charged using the power of sun or artificial life. [image] Goldmaster Solar Flashlight: a solar flashlight for emergency situations. It not only uses the power of the sun to work, it can charge your batteries too. [image] Solar Powered LED Flashlight Keychain: a super compact flashlight that you can put in your pocket and take it with you on the road. Solar flashlights are not only handy but they save you from the trouble of having to keep buying batteries. They are cheap too. Source: http://green.tiputopia.com/cool-solar-flashlights/ In the past few months, we have listed a ton of solar gadgets on this website. There are just so many solar solutions around these days, and there is no excuse for not using them. You can even use the technology to power up your flashlights. So when you need some light outdoors in dark areas, you can count on the power of the sun to find your way around. These 4 solar flashlights let you do just that: [image] Solarlite Flashlight: a cool solar flashlight that can provide you with 10 hours of power per charge. It can hold charge for up to 3 years. [image] Hybrid Light Solar Flashlight: a waterproof solar flashlight that floats and provides you with 10 hours of power per charge. It can be charged using the power of sun or artificial life. [image] Goldmaster Solar Flashlight: a solar flashlight for emergency situations. It not only uses the power of the sun to work, it can charge your batteries too. [image] Solar Powered LED Flashlight Keychain: a super compact flashlight that you can put in your pocket and take it with you on the road. Solar flashlights are not only handy but they save you from the trouble of having to keep buying batteries. They are cheap too. Source: http://green.tiputopia.com/cool-solar-flashlights/ Mon, 06 Sep 2010 06:06:52 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_4-Cool-Solar-Flashlights/BLOG/2625539/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-06T06:06:52Z EcoSeed Community In the past few months, we have listed a ton of solar gadgets on this website. There are just so many solar solutions around these days, and there is no excuse for not using them. You can even use the technology to power up your flashlights. So when you need some light outdoors in dark areas, you can count on the power of the sun to find your way around. These 4 solar flashlights let you do just that: [image] Solarlite Flashlight: a cool solar flashlight that can provide you with 10 hours of power per charge. It can hold charge for up to 3 years. [image] Hybrid Light Solar Flashlight: a waterproof solar flashlight that floats and provides you with 10 hours of power per charge. It can be charged using the power of sun or artificial life. [image] Goldmaster Solar Flashlight: a solar flashlight for emergency situations. It not only uses the power of the sun to work, it can charge your batteries too. [image] Solar Powered LED Flashlight Keychain: a super compact flashlight that you can put in your pocket and take it with you on the road. Solar flashlights are not only handy but they save you from the trouble of having to keep buying batteries. They are cheap too. Source: http://green.tiputopia.com/cool-solar-flashlights/ nonadult false 4 Cool Solar Flashlights text blog 77 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2625539 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Students-design-windmill-designed-for-the-Third-World/BLOG/2625536/29468.html [image] CHICO — In windy areas of California, motorists can drive past wind farms where towering structures with propeller-type blades capture the wind to generate electricity. But in poor and remote areas of the world, where energy is needed for the most basic of resources, it's not very likely trucks with windmill building supplies will be rapidly rolling in. Students from Chico State University had these realities in mind when they designed a 15-foot tall windmill that could be built in Third World countries. People who attend the kickoff for this year's Book in Common, "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind," at City Plaza at 6 p.m. Thursday will have a hard time missing the prototype windmill, with bright orange sail cloth designed to "harness the wind." Greg Kallio, a professor in the department of mechanical engineering, mechatronic engineering, and manufacturing technology, said the project began in the fall of 2008, completely separate from the upcoming Book in Common. A faculty member, James Scolaro, had previously visited the island of Antigua in the eastern Caribbean. Power for the island comes from diesel engines, although the country has a history of wind use for things such as grinding grain, Kallio said. Diesel is noisy and causes air pollution, which naturally led to the thought "why not wind?" The country is fairly poor, which makes it difficult to fund tall wind turbines seen in more developed countries. Scolaro, a civil engineering professor, brought back an idea to build something that could be more easily assembled using materials available on the island. Antigua only receives water from rain, and has difficulty transporting available water around the island, Kallio explained. There are no rivers or underground sources. A team of four mechanical engineering students ran with the idea for an annual senior project, and began to design, build and test the device that could be a prototype. Kallio became the student adviser. Student Louise Fox wrote proposals for funding, garnering two grants for a total of $4,000 to build the prototype and then continue to improve upon the ideas. The decision was to use material that could be found in Antigua. A sailing industry exists there, thus the windmill is made from sailcloth, which resists exposure to the sun and can be formed into cylindrical shapes, and is very light-weight. The design is two stages of semi-circular cloth, patterned after a style known as Savonius. "It's not a sophisticated air foil, which are more efficient, but harder to build," Kallio said. After the first project was completed, Fox had a few classes to finish for her degree, and stayed with the project long enough to recruit others, including Keith Lindauer. The first design was able to pump water, but not as quickly as the students had hoped. Also, the first prototype had some problems with leaks. The second design included a barrel pump. The design is stiff at first, but once it starts turning, works well. "With this new design, they achieved the flow rate they wanted and the whole pump system was more robust," Kallio explained. Both Fox and Lindauer have since graduated and now work the Bay Area, the professor explained. Fox was also a member of the student group Engineers Without Borders, and while the wind turbine was originally designed with Antigua in mind, students will be taking the ideas to Honduras, where there is a great need for wind generation to pump groundwater. Kallio said the project fits nicely with the ideas expressed in "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind," as accessible materials can be used to make relatively simple devices that greatly improve the quality of life for people in poor regions. It also shows how local students took a very real problem, and used their educational background to try to solve it in a practical way. By: Heather Hacking | September 5, 2010 | Staff writer Heather Hacking can be reached at 896-7758 or hhacking@chicoer.com. Original Source: http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_15997320 [image] CHICO — In windy areas of California, motorists can drive past wind farms where towering structures with propeller-type blades capture the wind to generate electricity. But in poor and remote areas of the world, where energy is needed for the most basic of resources, it's not very likely trucks with windmill building supplies will be rapidly rolling in. Students from Chico State University had these realities in mind when they designed a 15-foot tall windmill that could be built in Third World countries. People who attend the kickoff for this year's Book in Common, "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind," at City Plaza at 6 p.m. Thursday will have a hard time missing the prototype windmill, with bright orange sail cloth designed to "harness the wind." Greg Kallio, a professor in the department of mechanical engineering, mechatronic engineering, and manufacturing technology, said the project began in the fall of 2008, completely separate from the upcoming Book in Common. A faculty member, James Scolaro, had previously visited the island of Antigua in the eastern Caribbean. Power for the island comes from diesel engines, although the country has a history of wind use for things such as grinding grain, Kallio said. Diesel is noisy and causes air pollution, which naturally led to the thought "why not wind?" The country is fairly poor, which makes it difficult to fund tall wind turbines seen in more developed countries. Scolaro, a civil engineering professor, brought back an idea to build something that could be more easily assembled using materials available on the island. Antigua only receives water from rain, and has difficulty transporting available water around the island, Kallio explained. There are no rivers or underground sources. A team of four mechanical engineering students ran with the idea for an annual senior project, and began to design, build and test the device that could be a prototype. Kallio became the student adviser. Student Louise Fox wrote proposals for funding, garnering two grants for a total of $4,000 to build the prototype and then continue to improve upon the ideas. The decision was to use material that could be found in Antigua. A sailing industry exists there, thus the windmill is made from sailcloth, which resists exposure to the sun and can be formed into cylindrical shapes, and is very light-weight. The design is two stages of semi-circular cloth, patterned after a style known as Savonius. "It's not a sophisticated air foil, which are more efficient, but harder to build," Kallio said. After the first project was completed, Fox had a few classes to finish for her degree, and stayed with the project long enough to recruit others, including Keith Lindauer. The first design was able to pump water, but not as quickly as the students had hoped. Also, the first prototype had some problems with leaks. The second design included a barrel pump. The design is stiff at first, but once it starts turning, works well. "With this new design, they achieved the flow rate they wanted and the whole pump system was more robust," Kallio explained. Both Fox and Lindauer have since graduated and now work the Bay Area, the professor explained. Fox was also a member of the student group Engineers Without Borders, and while the wind turbine was originally designed with Antigua in mind, students will be taking the ideas to Honduras, where there is a great need for wind generation to pump groundwater. Kallio said the project fits nicely with the ideas expressed in "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind," as accessible materials can be used to make relatively simple devices that greatly improve the quality of life for people in poor regions. It also shows how local students took a very real problem, and used their educational background to try to solve it in a practical way. By: Heather Hacking | September 5, 2010 | Staff writer Heather Hacking can be reached at 896-7758 or hhacking@chicoer.com. Original Source: http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_15997320 Mon, 06 Sep 2010 05:59:22 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Students-design-windmill-designed-for-the-Third-World/BLOG/2625536/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-06T05:59:22Z EcoSeed Community [image] CHICO — In windy areas of California, motorists can drive past wind farms where towering structures with propeller-type blades capture the wind to generate electricity. But in poor and remote areas of the world, where energy is needed for the most basic of resources, it's not very likely trucks with windmill building supplies will be rapidly rolling in. Students from Chico State University had these realities in mind when they designed a 15-foot tall windmill that could be built in Third World countries. People who attend the kickoff for this year's Book in Common, "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind," at City Plaza at 6 p.m. Thursday will have a hard time missing the prototype windmill, with bright orange sail cloth designed to "harness the wind." Greg Kallio, a professor in the department of mechanical engineering, mechatronic engineering, and manufacturing technology, said the project began in the fall of 2008, completely separate from the upcoming Book in Common. A faculty member, James Scolaro, had previously visited the island of Antigua in the eastern Caribbean. Power for the island comes from diesel engines, although the country has a history of wind use for things such as grinding grain, Kallio said. Diesel is noisy and causes air pollution, which naturally led to the thought "why not wind?" The country is fairly poor, which makes it difficult to fund tall wind turbines seen in more developed countries. Scolaro, a civil engineering professor, brought back an idea to build something that could be more easily assembled using materials available on the island. Antigua only receives water from rain, and has difficulty transporting available water around the island, Kallio explained. There are no rivers or underground sources. A team of four mechanical engineering students ran with the idea for an annual senior project, and began to design, build and test the device that could be a prototype. Kallio became the student adviser. Student Louise Fox wrote proposals for funding, garnering two grants for a total of $4,000 to build the prototype and then continue to improve upon the ideas. The decision was to use material that could be found in Antigua. A sailing industry exists there, thus the windmill is made from sailcloth, which resists exposure to the sun and can be formed into cylindrical shapes, and is very light-weight. The design is two stages of semi-circular cloth, patterned after a style known as Savonius. "It's not a sophisticated air foil, which are more efficient, but harder to build," Kallio said. After the first project was completed, Fox had a few classes to finish for her degree, and stayed with the project long enough to recruit others, including Keith Lindauer. The first design was able to pump water, but not as quickly as the students had hoped. Also, the first prototype had some problems with leaks. The second design included a barrel pump. The design is stiff at first, but once it starts turning, works well. "With this new design, they achieved the flow rate they wanted and the whole pump system was more robust," Kallio explained. Both Fox and Lindauer have since graduated and now work the Bay Area, the professor explained. Fox was also a member of the student group Engineers Without Borders, and while the wind turbine was originally designed with Antigua in mind, students will be taking the ideas to Honduras, where there is a great need for wind generation to pump groundwater. Kallio said the project fits nicely with the ideas expressed in "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind," as accessible materials can be used to make relatively simple devices that greatly improve the quality of life for people in poor regions. It also shows how local students took a very real problem, and used their educational background to try to solve it in a practical way. By: Heather Hacking | September 5, 2010 | Staff writer Heather Hacking can be reached at 896-7758 or hhacking@chicoer.com. Original Source: http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_15997320 nonadult false Students design windmill designed for the Third World text blog 84 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2625536 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_From-deep-fried-delights-to-biofuel/BLOG/2625532/29468.html [image] Robert Byrnes, owner of Nebraska Renewable Energy Systems, pours a jug of used fryer oil through a filter after collecting the oil from food vendors at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island on Friday. The oil is recycled into bio fuel. (The Independent/Crystal LoGiudice) The Nebraska State Fair is a lot of fun and a lot of food. Make that a lot of deep-fried food.Even the most health-conscious fair-goer is tempted by the many deep-fried food fancies offered at the fair.But that’s all right with Robert Byrnes, owner of Nebraska Renewable Energy Systems. With all that deep-frying going on with all of those vendor carts and all of that vegetable oil, it made sense to Byrnes to start collecting the used vegetable oil that goes into making those corn dogs and funnel cakes and recycling it into biodiesel.Byrnes’ company has been an exhibitor at the State Fair for six years. Five years ago, he began inquiring with food vendors about what they did with their used vegetable oil.Biodiesel is a natural fuel made from vegetable oil and can be used in any diesel-fueled vehicle with conversion.When he found out that many of the vendors were hauling their used vegetable oil to a trash bin, he decided to ask State Fair officials if he could collect the used vegetable oil to convert into biodiesel. The recovered fryer oil is recycled by Nebraska Biofuel. It began collecting the used vegetable oil in 2006. Each gallon recovered reduces carbon dioxide emissions by four pounds.Byrnes said he hopes his efforts can help increase the fair’s green effort now that the State Fair has relocated to Grand Island’s Fonner Park.Byrnes, whose Nebraska Renewable Energy Systems’ booth is in the Marketplace at the State Fair, started his business to help people in Nebraska develop workable renewable energy systems, both on a large and small scale.Nebraska Renewable Energy Systems is a privately owned company dedicated to bringing renewable energies to individuals and communities throughout Nebraska. The company’s focus is on quantifying, designing and installing safe, cost-effective and durable renewable energy systems that can be operated with minimal training and time, according to its website at www.nerenew.com. The company worked as a consultant with a 5 million-gallon soy biodiesel project in Scribner, though the project eventually proved to be unfeasible because of high soybean prices, low fuel prices and the lack of government incentives.While there are no soy biodiesel plants in Nebraska, the state ranked fifth in the nation last year in soybean production, with 259 million bushels.Byrnes said his company got involved with the Nebraska State Fair about seven years ago.He came to Nebraska from New Jersey 11 years ago after a career in the U.S. Army. His company is based in Oakland.Byrnes, who owns a small acreage near Lyons, said it was after moving to Nebraska that he got interested in the potential renewable energy had in the state.“I went to the State Fair seven years ago,” he said. “I thought it was a great institution and something we didn’t have where I came from.”But what struck Byrnes about the State Fair was there was little being done about Nebraska’s potential in developing alternative energy sources, other than ethanol.That’s when Byrnes decided to begin displaying his business in Nebraska. He has been displaying Nebraska Renewable Energy Systems at the State Fair now for six years.“This was one of the first projects that we did,” he said. “We really don’t sell anything here. We are just here for information and to visit with folks. It’s good to visit with Nebraskans and see what they are thinking and what their thoughts are.”A University of Nebraska-Lincoln Nebraska Rural Poll released on Friday found that 78 percent of rural Nebraskans believe that bioenergy/biofuels are important to the state’s future.The poll also found that 86 percent of the poll respondents said government support and incentives for alternative energy sources such as wind and solar power should be increased.That is the kind of enthusiasm that Byrnes hopes to increase when it comes to promoting renewable energy.According to Nebraska Renewable Energy Systems, while Nebraska has been blessed with many sources of renewable energy, only ethanol has seen any significant growth. However, Nebraska is starting to catch up in developing its wind energy potential, which has been ranked as fourth best in the United States.A lot of the company’s focus has been in developing alternative energy resources, such as wind, solar, biodiesel and methane systems.“Our goals are to change this imbalance by helping individuals to gain their own stake in their energy future by utilizing the resources available to them,” according to the company’s website.Byrnes said, along with educating people on Nebraska’s potential with renewable energy, his business also consults and designs projects for clients.He has developed renewable energy systems that he uses on his farm, such as operating his vehicles on biodiesel.“I make fuel from everything that moves,” Byrnes said, including rendering the fat from his livestock into fuel.“I want Nebraskans to realize that we have tremendous resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biomass — we have the raw materials for clean energy,” he said. “But what we lack is the resolve, and we lack the policy to make that happen.”He said developing the state’s many alternative energy resources is not just about today but also for tomorrow’s generation.“We seem today to care not for the next generation but more about ourselves,” Byrnes said.He said that’s contrary to the pioneer spirit that built America to make it better for the generations that would follow.“I have four kids,” Byrnes said. “That’s an important part of this whole process.”  By: Robert Pore | September 4, 2010 | robert.pore@theindependent.com Original Source: http://www.theindependent.com/articles/2010/09/04/news/local/state_fair/doc4c81d21245e71817631454.txt [image] Robert Byrnes, owner of Nebraska Renewable Energy Systems, pours a jug of used fryer oil through a filter after collecting the oil from food vendors at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island on Friday. The oil is recycled into bio fuel. (The Independent/Crystal LoGiudice) The Nebraska State Fair is a lot of fun and a lot of food. Make that a lot of deep-fried food.Even the most health-conscious fair-goer is tempted by the many deep-fried food fancies offered at the fair.But that’s all right with Robert Byrnes, owner of Nebraska Renewable Energy Systems. With all that deep-frying going on with all of those vendor carts and all of that vegetable oil, it made sense to Byrnes to start collecting the used vegetable oil that goes into making those corn dogs and funnel cakes and recycling it into biodiesel.Byrnes’ company has been an exhibitor at the State Fair for six years. Five years ago, he began inquiring with food vendors about what they did with their used vegetable oil.Biodiesel is a natural fuel made from vegetable oil and can be used in any diesel-fueled vehicle with conversion.When he found out that many of the vendors were hauling their used vegetable oil to a trash bin, he decided to ask State Fair officials if he could collect the used vegetable oil to convert into biodiesel. The recovered fryer oil is recycled by Nebraska Biofuel. It began collecting the used vegetable oil in 2006. Each gallon recovered reduces carbon dioxide emissions by four pounds.Byrnes said he hopes his efforts can help increase the fair’s green effort now that the State Fair has relocated to Grand Island’s Fonner Park.Byrnes, whose Nebraska Renewable Energy Systems’ booth is in the Marketplace at the State Fair, started his business to help people in Nebraska develop workable renewable energy systems, both on a large and small scale.Nebraska Renewable Energy Systems is a privately owned company dedicated to bringing renewable energies to individuals and communities throughout Nebraska. The company’s focus is on quantifying, designing and installing safe, cost-effective and durable renewable energy systems that can be operated with minimal training and time, according to its website at www.nerenew.com. The company worked as a consultant with a 5 million-gallon soy biodiesel project in Scribner, though the project eventually proved to be unfeasible because of high soybean prices, low fuel prices and the lack of government incentives.While there are no soy biodiesel plants in Nebraska, the state ranked fifth in the nation last year in soybean production, with 259 million bushels.Byrnes said his company got involved with the Nebraska State Fair about seven years ago.He came to Nebraska from New Jersey 11 years ago after a career in the U.S. Army. His company is based in Oakland.Byrnes, who owns a small acreage near Lyons, said it was after moving to Nebraska that he got interested in the potential renewable energy had in the state.“I went to the State Fair seven years ago,” he said. “I thought it was a great institution and something we didn’t have where I came from.”But what struck Byrnes about the State Fair was there was little being done about Nebraska’s potential in developing alternative energy sources, other than ethanol.That’s when Byrnes decided to begin displaying his business in Nebraska. He has been displaying Nebraska Renewable Energy Systems at the State Fair now for six years.“This was one of the first projects that we did,” he said. “We really don’t sell anything here. We are just here for information and to visit with folks. It’s good to visit with Nebraskans and see what they are thinking and what their thoughts are.”A University of Nebraska-Lincoln Nebraska Rural Poll released on Friday found that 78 percent of rural Nebraskans believe that bioenergy/biofuels are important to the state’s future.The poll also found that 86 percent of the poll respondents said government support and incentives for alternative energy sources such as wind and solar power should be increased.That is the kind of enthusiasm that Byrnes hopes to increase when it comes to promoting renewable energy.According to Nebraska Renewable Energy Systems, while Nebraska has been blessed with many sources of renewable energy, only ethanol has seen any significant growth. However, Nebraska is starting to catch up in developing its wind energy potential, which has been ranked as fourth best in the United States.A lot of the company’s focus has been in developing alternative energy resources, such as wind, solar, biodiesel and methane systems.“Our goals are to change this imbalance by helping individuals to gain their own stake in their energy future by utilizing the resources available to them,” according to the company’s website.Byrnes said, along with educating people on Nebraska’s potential with renewable energy, his business also consults and designs projects for clients.He has developed renewable energy systems that he uses on his farm, such as operating his vehicles on biodiesel.“I make fuel from everything that moves,” Byrnes said, including rendering the fat from his livestock into fuel.“I want Nebraskans to realize that we have tremendous resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biomass — we have the raw materials for clean energy,” he said. “But what we lack is the resolve, and we lack the policy to make that happen.”He said developing the state’s many alternative energy resources is not just about today but also for tomorrow’s generation.“We seem today to care not for the next generation but more about ourselves,” Byrnes said.He said that’s contrary to the pioneer spirit that built America to make it better for the generations that would follow.“I have four kids,” Byrnes said. “That’s an important part of this whole process.”  By: Robert Pore | September 4, 2010 | robert.pore@theindependent.com Original Source: http://www.theindependent.com/articles/2010/09/04/news/local/state_fair/doc4c81d21245e71817631454.txt Mon, 06 Sep 2010 05:55:20 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_From-deep-fried-delights-to-biofuel/BLOG/2625532/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-06T05:55:20Z EcoSeed Community [image] Robert Byrnes, owner of Nebraska Renewable Energy Systems, pours a jug of used fryer oil through a filter after collecting the oil from food vendors at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island on Friday. The oil is recycled into bio fuel. (The Independent/Crystal LoGiudice) The Nebraska State Fair is a lot of fun and a lot of food. Make that a lot of deep-fried food.Even the most health-conscious fair-goer is tempted by the many deep-fried food fancies offered at the fair.But that’s all right with Robert Byrnes, owner of Nebraska Renewable Energy Systems. With all that deep-frying going on with all of those vendor carts and all of that vegetable oil, it made sense to Byrnes to start collecting the used vegetable oil that goes into making those corn dogs and funnel cakes and recycling it into biodiesel.Byrnes’ company has been an exhibitor at the State Fair for six years. Five years ago, he began inquiring with food vendors about what they did with their used vegetable oil.Biodiesel is a natural fuel made from vegetable oil and can be used in any diesel-fueled vehicle with conversion.When he found out that many of the vendors were hauling their used vegetable oil to a trash bin, he decided to ask State Fair officials if he could collect the used vegetable oil to convert into biodiesel. The recovered fryer oil is recycled by Nebraska Biofuel. It began collecting the used vegetable oil in 2006. Each gallon recovered reduces carbon dioxide emissions by four pounds.Byrnes said he hopes his efforts can help increase the fair’s green effort now that the State Fair has relocated to Grand Island’s Fonner Park.Byrnes, whose Nebraska Renewable Energy Systems’ booth is in the Marketplace at the State Fair, started his business to help people in Nebraska develop workable renewable energy systems, both on a large and small scale.Nebraska Renewable Energy Systems is a privately owned company dedicated to bringing renewable energies to individuals and communities throughout Nebraska. The company’s focus is on quantifying, designing and installing safe, cost-effective and durable renewable energy systems that can be operated with minimal training and time, according to its website at www.nerenew.com. The company worked as a consultant with a 5 million-gallon soy biodiesel project in Scribner, though the project eventually proved to be unfeasible because of high soybean prices, low fuel prices and the lack of government incentives.While there are no soy biodiesel plants in Nebraska, the state ranked fifth in the nation last year in soybean production, with 259 million bushels.Byrnes said his company got involved with the Nebraska State Fair about seven years ago.He came to Nebraska from New Jersey 11 years ago after a career in the U.S. Army. His company is based in Oakland.Byrnes, who owns a small acreage near Lyons, said it was after moving to Nebraska that he got interested in the potential renewable energy had in the state.“I went to the State Fair seven years ago,” he said. “I thought it was a great institution and something we didn’t have where I came from.”But what struck Byrnes about the State Fair was there was little being done about Nebraska’s potential in developing alternative energy sources, other than ethanol.That’s when Byrnes decided to begin displaying his business in Nebraska. He has been displaying Nebraska Renewable Energy Systems at the State Fair now for six years.“This was one of the first projects that we did,” he said. “We really don’t sell anything here. We are just here for information and to visit with folks. It’s good to visit with Nebraskans and see what they are thinking and what their thoughts are.”A University of Nebraska-Lincoln Nebraska Rural Poll released on Friday found that 78 percent of rural Nebraskans believe that bioenergy/biofuels are important to the state’s future.The poll also found that 86 percent of the poll respondents said government support and incentives for alternative energy sources such as wind and solar power should be increased.That is the kind of enthusiasm that Byrnes hopes to increase when it comes to promoting renewable energy.According to Nebraska Renewable Energy Systems, while Nebraska has been blessed with many sources of renewable energy, only ethanol has seen any significant growth. However, Nebraska is starting to catch up in developing its wind energy potential, which has been ranked as fourth best in the United States.A lot of the company’s focus has been in developing alternative energy resources, such as wind, solar, biodiesel and methane systems.“Our goals are to change this imbalance by helping individuals to gain their own stake in their energy future by utilizing the resources available to them,” according to the company’s website.Byrnes said, along with educating people on Nebraska’s potential with renewable energy, his business also consults and designs projects for clients.He has developed renewable energy systems that he uses on his farm, such as operating his vehicles on biodiesel.“I make fuel from everything that moves,” Byrnes said, including rendering the fat from his livestock into fuel.“I want Nebraskans to realize that we have tremendous resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biomass — we have the raw materials for clean energy,” he said. “But what we lack is the resolve, and we lack the policy to make that happen.”He said developing the state’s many alternative energy resources is not just about today but also for tomorrow’s generation.“We seem today to care not for the next generation but more about ourselves,” Byrnes said.He said that’s contrary to the pioneer spirit that built America to make it better for the generations that would follow.“I have four kids,” Byrnes said. “That’s an important part of this whole process.”  By: Robert Pore | September 4, 2010 | robert.pore@theindependent.com Original Source: http://www.theindependent.com/articles/2010/09/04/news/local/state_fair/doc4c81d21245e71817631454.txt nonadult false From deep-fried delights to biofuel text blog 12 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2625532 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Will-Martha-Stewart-Sign-the-Business-Ethics-Pledge-A-Nation-of-Marthas-Waits-to-Find-Out/BLOG/2625526/29468.html [image] At Christmas time, we are "a nation of Marthas": spending a vast reservoir of time, energy and talent on wrapping, decorating, baking, cooking. And during this holiday season, Martha Stewart is getting an invitation--to join a worldwide movement for business ethics and sign a pledge to behave with honesty, integrity, and quality in business...to treat all stakeholders- customers, employees, suppliers, stockholders, nearby residents--fairly, with compassion, and with a commitment to service...and to refuse to tolerate crooked practices in business. The invitation/challenge comes from Shel Horowitz, author of the Apex award-winning book, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First. Horowitz is seeking 25,000 business leaders to sign an ethics pledge, with the idea of creating a social movement that will make future Enron and ImClone-type scandals impossible, because too few people would be willing to carry them out. He expects to reach critical mass and a social "tipping point" as each signer tells at least 100 others. Horowitz, 48, wrote to Stewart, "Your signature would demonstrate your intention to keep your head held high, to bolster your claim of innocence, and to indicate a resolve from here on in to present unimpeachable ethics." So far, the Pledge, soft-launched this summer, has attracted signers from six of the world's seven regions, and has been picked up by a number of popular e-zines and blogs. To read and sign the one-paragraph Pledge, please visit http://www.principledprofits.com/25000influencers.html Horowitz's book demonstrates that honest, ethical, people-centered businesses are far more likely to succeed, especially if they understand how to market their ethical commitment. "Signing the pledge is one way that businesses can demonstrate they care about their customers, about the wider world, and about doing what's right even when it isn't easy. This public commitment can be a powerful marketing aid to any business--and not just at Christmas but all through the year," he said.  Original Source: http://economysbuy.com/aimili/ci319311043053i8o/uia92310248 [image] At Christmas time, we are "a nation of Marthas": spending a vast reservoir of time, energy and talent on wrapping, decorating, baking, cooking. And during this holiday season, Martha Stewart is getting an invitation--to join a worldwide movement for business ethics and sign a pledge to behave with honesty, integrity, and quality in business...to treat all stakeholders- customers, employees, suppliers, stockholders, nearby residents--fairly, with compassion, and with a commitment to service...and to refuse to tolerate crooked practices in business. The invitation/challenge comes from Shel Horowitz, author of the Apex award-winning book, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First. Horowitz is seeking 25,000 business leaders to sign an ethics pledge, with the idea of creating a social movement that will make future Enron and ImClone-type scandals impossible, because too few people would be willing to carry them out. He expects to reach critical mass and a social "tipping point" as each signer tells at least 100 others. Horowitz, 48, wrote to Stewart, "Your signature would demonstrate your intention to keep your head held high, to bolster your claim of innocence, and to indicate a resolve from here on in to present unimpeachable ethics." So far, the Pledge, soft-launched this summer, has attracted signers from six of the world's seven regions, and has been picked up by a number of popular e-zines and blogs. To read and sign the one-paragraph Pledge, please visit http://www.principledprofits.com/25000influencers.html Horowitz's book demonstrates that honest, ethical, people-centered businesses are far more likely to succeed, especially if they understand how to market their ethical commitment. "Signing the pledge is one way that businesses can demonstrate they care about their customers, about the wider world, and about doing what's right even when it isn't easy. This public commitment can be a powerful marketing aid to any business--and not just at Christmas but all through the year," he said.  Original Source: http://economysbuy.com/aimili/ci319311043053i8o/uia92310248 Mon, 06 Sep 2010 05:50:37 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Will-Martha-Stewart-Sign-the-Business-Ethics-Pledge-A-Nation-of-Marthas-Waits-to-Find-Out/BLOG/2625526/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-06T05:50:37Z EcoSeed Community [image] At Christmas time, we are "a nation of Marthas": spending a vast reservoir of time, energy and talent on wrapping, decorating, baking, cooking. And during this holiday season, Martha Stewart is getting an invitation--to join a worldwide movement for business ethics and sign a pledge to behave with honesty, integrity, and quality in business...to treat all stakeholders- customers, employees, suppliers, stockholders, nearby residents--fairly, with compassion, and with a commitment to service...and to refuse to tolerate crooked practices in business. The invitation/challenge comes from Shel Horowitz, author of the Apex award-winning book, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First. Horowitz is seeking 25,000 business leaders to sign an ethics pledge, with the idea of creating a social movement that will make future Enron and ImClone-type scandals impossible, because too few people would be willing to carry them out. He expects to reach critical mass and a social "tipping point" as each signer tells at least 100 others. Horowitz, 48, wrote to Stewart, "Your signature would demonstrate your intention to keep your head held high, to bolster your claim of innocence, and to indicate a resolve from here on in to present unimpeachable ethics." So far, the Pledge, soft-launched this summer, has attracted signers from six of the world's seven regions, and has been picked up by a number of popular e-zines and blogs. To read and sign the one-paragraph Pledge, please visit http://www.principledprofits.com/25000influencers.html Horowitz's book demonstrates that honest, ethical, people-centered businesses are far more likely to succeed, especially if they understand how to market their ethical commitment. "Signing the pledge is one way that businesses can demonstrate they care about their customers, about the wider world, and about doing what's right even when it isn't easy. This public commitment can be a powerful marketing aid to any business--and not just at Christmas but all through the year," he said.  Original Source: http://economysbuy.com/aimili/ci319311043053i8o/uia92310248 nonadult false Will Martha Stewart Sign the Business Ethics Pledge? "A Nation of Marthas" Waits to Find Out text blog 12 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2625526 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_B-schools-venture-into-green-pasture/BLOG/2625524/29468.html   [image]   New Delhi: Top engineering institutes and business schools across the country are going green with a vengeance. Seeing a growing market for green managers in the country, B-schools and universities are learning fast to offer management lessons in environment-related disciplines. While the Birla Institute of Management Technology (Bimtech) and the Institute of Chemical Technology have just introduced full-fledged MBA programmes in sustainability-related disciplines, IIM-Calcutta along with IIT-Kanpur and IIT-Madras has begun offering courses in green manufacturing this academic year onwards. IIM-Ahmedabad and IIM-Lucknow, too, have been including carbon courses in various programmes over the last years. Elaborating that the green manufacturing course offered under the post-graduate programme for executives for visionary leadership in manufacturing—a joint programme of IIM-Calcutta, IIT-Kanpur and IIT-Madras—focus on both technological and management aspects of greening, Shekhar Chaudhuri, director, IIM-Calcutta, adds, “It’s an imperative for managers to be equipped to lead on sustainability issues in today’s world.” An initiative of the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council, the programme is supported by Japanese International Cooperation Agency (Jica) under a bilateral agreement between the two governments. Going a whole hog, the Birla Institute of Management Technology or Bimtech has introduced a two-year, full-time post-graduate diploma in management (Sustainable Development Practices) this year. According to Bimtech director H Chaturvedi, “The programme aims to impart skills to managers to tap into new opportunities arising out of the interplay between changing international polices and national priorities on development issues and the business responses to them.” The programme is modelled on similar ones offered by some of the leading foreign institutions like the Earth Institute at Columbia University and adapted in the Indian context after taking into consideration views of the industry thought leaders, adds programme coordinator Rahul Singh. Mumbai-headquartered Institute of Chemical Technology just started a two-year MTech programme in green technology, which would seek to focus on green chemistry, environmental engineering and pollution prevention among other issues. Industry practitioners would have the option of pursuing it as a three-year part-time programme. Explaining the rationale for introducing the programme, GD Yadav, director, Institute of Chemical Technology, says, “The chemical industry is an important industry to focus on from a sustainability perspective. Though the chemical industry is one of the most polluting industries, it also has a big potential to offer sustainable solutions not only for healing itself, but also treating others.” While these institutions are newcomers in... http://www.financialexpress.com/news/B-schools-v-Zenture-into-green-pasture/677383/   [image]   New Delhi: Top engineering institutes and business schools across the country are going green with a vengeance. Seeing a growing market for green managers in the country, B-schools and universities are learning fast to offer management lessons in environment-related disciplines. While the Birla Institute of Management Technology (Bimtech) and the Institute of Chemical Technology have just introduced full-fledged MBA programmes in sustainability-related disciplines, IIM-Calcutta along with IIT-Kanpur and IIT-Madras has begun offering courses in green manufacturing this academic year onwards. IIM-Ahmedabad and IIM-Lucknow, too, have been including carbon courses in various programmes over the last years. Elaborating that the green manufacturing course offered under the post-graduate programme for executives for visionary leadership in manufacturing—a joint programme of IIM-Calcutta, IIT-Kanpur and IIT-Madras—focus on both technological and management aspects of greening, Shekhar Chaudhuri, director, IIM-Calcutta, adds, “It’s an imperative for managers to be equipped to lead on sustainability issues in today’s world.” An initiative of the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council, the programme is supported by Japanese International Cooperation Agency (Jica) under a bilateral agreement between the two governments. Going a whole hog, the Birla Institute of Management Technology or Bimtech has introduced a two-year, full-time post-graduate diploma in management (Sustainable Development Practices) this year. According to Bimtech director H Chaturvedi, “The programme aims to impart skills to managers to tap into new opportunities arising out of the interplay between changing international polices and national priorities on development issues and the business responses to them.” The programme is modelled on similar ones offered by some of the leading foreign institutions like the Earth Institute at Columbia University and adapted in the Indian context after taking into consideration views of the industry thought leaders, adds programme coordinator Rahul Singh. Mumbai-headquartered Institute of Chemical Technology just started a two-year MTech programme in green technology, which would seek to focus on green chemistry, environmental engineering and pollution prevention among other issues. Industry practitioners would have the option of pursuing it as a three-year part-time programme. Explaining the rationale for introducing the programme, GD Yadav, director, Institute of Chemical Technology, says, “The chemical industry is an important industry to focus on from a sustainability perspective. Though the chemical industry is one of the most polluting industries, it also has a big potential to offer sustainable solutions not only for healing itself, but also treating others.” While these institutions are newcomers in... http://www.financialexpress.com/news/B-schools-v-Zenture-into-green-pasture/677383/ Mon, 06 Sep 2010 05:48:56 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_B-schools-venture-into-green-pasture/BLOG/2625524/29468.html yiehk21 2010-09-06T05:48:56Z EcoSeed Community   [image]   New Delhi: Top engineering institutes and business schools across the country are going green with a vengeance. Seeing a growing market for green managers in the country, B-schools and universities are learning fast to offer management lessons in environment-related disciplines. While the Birla Institute of Management Technology (Bimtech) and the Institute of Chemical Technology have just introduced full-fledged MBA programmes in sustainability-related disciplines, IIM-Calcutta along with IIT-Kanpur and IIT-Madras has begun offering courses in green manufacturing this academic year onwards. IIM-Ahmedabad and IIM-Lucknow, too, have been including carbon courses in various programmes over the last years. Elaborating that the green manufacturing course offered under the post-graduate programme for executives for visionary leadership in manufacturing—a joint programme of IIM-Calcutta, IIT-Kanpur and IIT-Madras—focus on both technological and management aspects of greening, Shekhar Chaudhuri, director, IIM-Calcutta, adds, “It’s an imperative for managers to be equipped to lead on sustainability issues in today’s world.” An initiative of the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council, the programme is supported by Japanese International Cooperation Agency (Jica) under a bilateral agreement between the two governments. Going a whole hog, the Birla Institute of Management Technology or Bimtech has introduced a two-year, full-time post-graduate diploma in management (Sustainable Development Practices) this year. According to Bimtech director H Chaturvedi, “The programme aims to impart skills to managers to tap into new opportunities arising out of the interplay between changing international polices and national priorities on development issues and the business responses to them.” The programme is modelled on similar ones offered by some of the leading foreign institutions like the Earth Institute at Columbia University and adapted in the Indian context after taking into consideration views of the industry thought leaders, adds programme coordinator Rahul Singh. Mumbai-headquartered Institute of Chemical Technology just started a two-year MTech programme in green technology, which would seek to focus on green chemistry, environmental engineering and pollution prevention among other issues. Industry practitioners would have the option of pursuing it as a three-year part-time programme. Explaining the rationale for introducing the programme, GD Yadav, director, Institute of Chemical Technology, says, “The chemical industry is an important industry to focus on from a sustainability perspective. Though the chemical industry is one of the most polluting industries, it also has a big potential to offer sustainable solutions not only for healing itself, but also treating others.” While these institutions are newcomers in... http://www.financialexpress.com/news/B-schools-v-Zenture-into-green-pasture/677383/ nonadult false B-schools venture into green pasture text blog 48 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=7683071&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_10005797_29468_7683071_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2625524 7683071 Gold 17080 http://community.ecoseed.org/_NEC-develops-green-technology-from-non-food-components/BLOG/2625523/29468.html   [image] MANILA, PHILIPPINES, 27 AUGUST 2010 – Japan’s NEC Corporation may have found the answer to the nagging debate between saving the environment without necessarily starving the population. And NEC found the answer while addressing the demand for durable plastic for the electronics industry. NEC said it has developed a high-performance biomass-based plastic (bioplastic) which can be used in electronic equipment. The bioplastic is made from non-edible plant resources from discarded byproducts in agricultural processes. Bioplastics, as an alternative to petroleum-based components, have recently been seen as the answer to help reduce carbon depletion. This environmental concern has been described by some as critical to the survival of the planet and its inhabitants. However, the use of plant components, especially the edible ones, to produce bioplastics has added to the debate between saving the environment and providing food for the population. NEC’s answer is to use non-edible plant raw materials. The next challenge, however, is to produce durable bioplastics for electronic components and equipment. Used in consumer goods NEC said plant-based bioplastics have also been used in consumer goods such as stationery, toys and household goods. However, they needed some petroleum-based additives with low plant component ratio yet with poor durability. This cannot be used in the electronics industry. The bioplastics developed by NEC, on the other hand, is more durable because it is made by combining cellulose, a main component of plant stems, with cardanol, a primary component of cashew nut shells, which achieves a level of durability. It also comes with a high plant composition ratio of more than 70 per cent. Other bioplastics from other non-edible plants, however, are not yet geared for mass production as the plant resource itself—castor oil—is in inadequate supply, and its characteristics are also not suitable for use in a variety of electronics products. NEC said it will continue its research on the bioplastics it has developed but they may not find their way into electronic equipment until its 2013 fiscal year. This newly developed bioplastics will be formally announced at The Chemical Society of Japan/Kanto Branch meeting at the University of Tsukuba next week, on 31 August 2010. http://www.mis-asia.com/news/articles/nec-develops-green-technology-from-non-food-components   [image] MANILA, PHILIPPINES, 27 AUGUST 2010 – Japan’s NEC Corporation may have found the answer to the nagging debate between saving the environment without necessarily starving the population. And NEC found the answer while addressing the demand for durable plastic for the electronics industry. NEC said it has developed a high-performance biomass-based plastic (bioplastic) which can be used in electronic equipment. The bioplastic is made from non-edible plant resources from discarded byproducts in agricultural processes. Bioplastics, as an alternative to petroleum-based components, have recently been seen as the answer to help reduce carbon depletion. This environmental concern has been described by some as critical to the survival of the planet and its inhabitants. However, the use of plant components, especially the edible ones, to produce bioplastics has added to the debate between saving the environment and providing food for the population. NEC’s answer is to use non-edible plant raw materials. The next challenge, however, is to produce durable bioplastics for electronic components and equipment. Used in consumer goods NEC said plant-based bioplastics have also been used in consumer goods such as stationery, toys and household goods. However, they needed some petroleum-based additives with low plant component ratio yet with poor durability. This cannot be used in the electronics industry. The bioplastics developed by NEC, on the other hand, is more durable because it is made by combining cellulose, a main component of plant stems, with cardanol, a primary component of cashew nut shells, which achieves a level of durability. It also comes with a high plant composition ratio of more than 70 per cent. Other bioplastics from other non-edible plants, however, are not yet geared for mass production as the plant resource itself—castor oil—is in inadequate supply, and its characteristics are also not suitable for use in a variety of electronics products. NEC said it will continue its research on the bioplastics it has developed but they may not find their way into electronic equipment until its 2013 fiscal year. This newly developed bioplastics will be formally announced at The Chemical Society of Japan/Kanto Branch meeting at the University of Tsukuba next week, on 31 August 2010. http://www.mis-asia.com/news/articles/nec-develops-green-technology-from-non-food-components Mon, 06 Sep 2010 05:45:59 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_NEC-develops-green-technology-from-non-food-components/BLOG/2625523/29468.html yiehk21 2010-09-06T05:45:59Z EcoSeed Community   [image] MANILA, PHILIPPINES, 27 AUGUST 2010 – Japan’s NEC Corporation may have found the answer to the nagging debate between saving the environment without necessarily starving the population. And NEC found the answer while addressing the demand for durable plastic for the electronics industry. NEC said it has developed a high-performance biomass-based plastic (bioplastic) which can be used in electronic equipment. The bioplastic is made from non-edible plant resources from discarded byproducts in agricultural processes. Bioplastics, as an alternative to petroleum-based components, have recently been seen as the answer to help reduce carbon depletion. This environmental concern has been described by some as critical to the survival of the planet and its inhabitants. However, the use of plant components, especially the edible ones, to produce bioplastics has added to the debate between saving the environment and providing food for the population. NEC’s answer is to use non-edible plant raw materials. The next challenge, however, is to produce durable bioplastics for electronic components and equipment. Used in consumer goods NEC said plant-based bioplastics have also been used in consumer goods such as stationery, toys and household goods. However, they needed some petroleum-based additives with low plant component ratio yet with poor durability. This cannot be used in the electronics industry. The bioplastics developed by NEC, on the other hand, is more durable because it is made by combining cellulose, a main component of plant stems, with cardanol, a primary component of cashew nut shells, which achieves a level of durability. It also comes with a high plant composition ratio of more than 70 per cent. Other bioplastics from other non-edible plants, however, are not yet geared for mass production as the plant resource itself—castor oil—is in inadequate supply, and its characteristics are also not suitable for use in a variety of electronics products. NEC said it will continue its research on the bioplastics it has developed but they may not find their way into electronic equipment until its 2013 fiscal year. This newly developed bioplastics will be formally announced at The Chemical Society of Japan/Kanto Branch meeting at the University of Tsukuba next week, on 31 August 2010. http://www.mis-asia.com/news/articles/nec-develops-green-technology-from-non-food-components nonadult false NEC develops green technology from non-food components text blog 79 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=7683071&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_10005797_29468_7683071_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2625523 7683071 Gold 17080 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Use-Innovative-Techniques-To-Preserve-The-Global-Environment/BLOG/2625521/29468.html   [image] The significant changes in world environment have made people realize the disastrous effects of depleting green cover. This had led to a world wide movement aimed at minimizing any further ecological damages and creating awareness about saving planet Earth. With the changing world environment and increasing threat of global warming, the awareness about preserving the green zones of the planet has led many industrialists to use innovative technologies for reducing the emission of harmful gases. People have now begun to understand the importance of green technology and hence are not shying away from taking steps necessary to avert any sort of environmental pollution. People have begun to understand that preserving the environment is the only way in which they can sustain themselves. Hence, whether it is using solar energy for generating power or finding alternative sources to conserve energy, everyone is eager to take part in reducing any further damage of environment. The necessity of preserving the ecological balance has led to development of many new green energy technologies. Numerous researchers around the globe are trying to find ways through which green energy technologies can be implemented in a practical manner. Scientist are frantically trying to find a means of running automobiles on water, using a series of alternators as generators for producing energy and numerous other ideas that can help contain the depletion of natural resources besides causing little or no harm to the environment. In addition to the efforts made by the heads of states and various governments, there are numerous NGO’s and social organizations that are putting in a lot of effort to raise general awareness about the disastrous effects of depleting green house resources. In this common cause of saving the world environment from any further damage, people from all walks of life, including industrialists, politicians and celebrities are joining hands to spread the message across to the common people. The good thing is that most industrialists have started using photocatalytic laser technology to ensure a significant reduction in the emission of gases and toxic substances that can harm the environment. http://www.deejayjp.co.cc/use-innovative-techniques-to-preserve-the-global-environment/   [image] The significant changes in world environment have made people realize the disastrous effects of depleting green cover. This had led to a world wide movement aimed at minimizing any further ecological damages and creating awareness about saving planet Earth. With the changing world environment and increasing threat of global warming, the awareness about preserving the green zones of the planet has led many industrialists to use innovative technologies for reducing the emission of harmful gases. People have now begun to understand the importance of green technology and hence are not shying away from taking steps necessary to avert any sort of environmental pollution. People have begun to understand that preserving the environment is the only way in which they can sustain themselves. Hence, whether it is using solar energy for generating power or finding alternative sources to conserve energy, everyone is eager to take part in reducing any further damage of environment. The necessity of preserving the ecological balance has led to development of many new green energy technologies. Numerous researchers around the globe are trying to find ways through which green energy technologies can be implemented in a practical manner. Scientist are frantically trying to find a means of running automobiles on water, using a series of alternators as generators for producing energy and numerous other ideas that can help contain the depletion of natural resources besides causing little or no harm to the environment. In addition to the efforts made by the heads of states and various governments, there are numerous NGO’s and social organizations that are putting in a lot of effort to raise general awareness about the disastrous effects of depleting green house resources. In this common cause of saving the world environment from any further damage, people from all walks of life, including industrialists, politicians and celebrities are joining hands to spread the message across to the common people. The good thing is that most industrialists have started using photocatalytic laser technology to ensure a significant reduction in the emission of gases and toxic substances that can harm the environment. http://www.deejayjp.co.cc/use-innovative-techniques-to-preserve-the-global-environment/ Mon, 06 Sep 2010 05:44:00 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Use-Innovative-Techniques-To-Preserve-The-Global-Environment/BLOG/2625521/29468.html yiehk21 2010-09-06T05:44:00Z EcoSeed Community   [image] The significant changes in world environment have made people realize the disastrous effects of depleting green cover. This had led to a world wide movement aimed at minimizing any further ecological damages and creating awareness about saving planet Earth. With the changing world environment and increasing threat of global warming, the awareness about preserving the green zones of the planet has led many industrialists to use innovative technologies for reducing the emission of harmful gases. People have now begun to understand the importance of green technology and hence are not shying away from taking steps necessary to avert any sort of environmental pollution. People have begun to understand that preserving the environment is the only way in which they can sustain themselves. Hence, whether it is using solar energy for generating power or finding alternative sources to conserve energy, everyone is eager to take part in reducing any further damage of environment. The necessity of preserving the ecological balance has led to development of many new green energy technologies. Numerous researchers around the globe are trying to find ways through which green energy technologies can be implemented in a practical manner. Scientist are frantically trying to find a means of running automobiles on water, using a series of alternators as generators for producing energy and numerous other ideas that can help contain the depletion of natural resources besides causing little or no harm to the environment. In addition to the efforts made by the heads of states and various governments, there are numerous NGO’s and social organizations that are putting in a lot of effort to raise general awareness about the disastrous effects of depleting green house resources. In this common cause of saving the world environment from any further damage, people from all walks of life, including industrialists, politicians and celebrities are joining hands to spread the message across to the common people. The good thing is that most industrialists have started using photocatalytic laser technology to ensure a significant reduction in the emission of gases and toxic substances that can harm the environment. http://www.deejayjp.co.cc/use-innovative-techniques-to-preserve-the-global-environment/ nonadult false Use Innovative Techniques To Preserve The Global Environment text blog 76 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=7683071&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_10005797_29468_7683071_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2625521 7683071 Gold 17080 http://community.ecoseed.org/_119-One-Liners-to-Respond-to-Climate-Science-Myths/BLOG/2625520/29468.html [image] Over 100 one-liners for arguing with a climate “skeptic” or climate disinformer, with links to the science behind them. Climate science expert, physicist and highly respected blogger John Cook of SkepticalScience.com spends much of his time creating long, detailed, scientific rebuttals to climate change disinformers. For detailed debunking of hundreds of climate change disinformer myths, you can surf his website for hours. But for all of us who do not spend so much time debating with disinformers and do not have such deep knowledge of climate science, or who just need a short (science-backed) one-liner time and again to refute a climate science myth, one of his readers — ex-theoretical physicist and Director of the Climate Initiative of the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office Dr. Jan Dash — helped him to create a list of 119 one-liners to use in such circumstances, with links to more detailed, scientific arguments. By the way, you can also get these on the skeptical science apps for the iPhone, Android, or Nokia. You can read all about the history of this project on SkepticalScience but without further delay, here are the one-liners courtesy of John and Jan (first is the disinformer statement, then the response with link):   1 “It’s the sun” The sun’s output has barely changed since 1970 and is irrelevant to recent global warming. [image] 2 “Climate’s changed before” Climate reacts to whatever forces it to change at the time, which now is dominated by humans. [image] 3 “There is no consensus” 97% of climate experts agree humans are causing global warming. [image] 4 “It’s cooling” The last decade 2000-2009 was the hottest on record. [image] 5 “Models are unreliable” Models successfully reproduce temperatures since 1900 globally, by land, in the air and the ocean. [image] 6 “Temp record is unreliable” The warming trend is the same in rural and urban areas, measured by thermometers and satellites. [image] 7 “It hasn’t warmed since 1998″ 2005 was the hottest year globally, and 2009 the second hottest. [image] 8 “Ice age predicted in the 70s” The vast majority of climate papers in the 1970s predicted warming. [image] 9 “We’re heading into an ice age” Worry about global warming impacts in the next 100 years, not an ice age in over 10,000 years. [image] 10 “Antarctica is gaining ice” Satellites measure Antarctica losing land ice at an accelerating rate. [image] 11 “CO2 lags temperature” Recent CO2 increase has caused recent warming without any time lag. [image] 12 “It’s not bad” Negative impacts of global warming on agriculture, health & environment far outweigh any positives. [image] 13 “Al Gore got it wrong” Al Gore book is quite accurate, and far more accurate than contrarian books. [image] 14 “It’s cosmic rays” Cosmic rays show no trend over the last 30 years & have had little impact on recent global warming. [image] Over 100 one-liners for arguing with a climate “skeptic” or climate disinformer, with links to the science behind them. Climate science expert, physicist and highly respected blogger John Cook of SkepticalScience.com spends much of his time creating long, detailed, scientific rebuttals to climate change disinformers. For detailed debunking of hundreds of climate change disinformer myths, you can surf his website for hours. But for all of us who do not spend so much time debating with disinformers and do not have such deep knowledge of climate science, or who just need a short (science-backed) one-liner time and again to refute a climate science myth, one of his readers — ex-theoretical physicist and Director of the Climate Initiative of the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office Dr. Jan Dash — helped him to create a list of 119 one-liners to use in such circumstances, with links to more detailed, scientific arguments. By the way, you can also get these on the skeptical science apps for the iPhone, Android, or Nokia. You can read all about the history of this project on SkepticalScience but without further delay, here are the one-liners courtesy of John and Jan (first is the disinformer statement, then the response with link):   1 “It’s the sun” The sun’s output has barely changed since 1970 and is irrelevant to recent global warming. [image] 2 “Climate’s changed before” Climate reacts to whatever forces it to change at the time, which now is dominated by humans. [image] 3 “There is no consensus” 97% of climate experts agree humans are causing global warming. [image] 4 “It’s cooling” The last decade 2000-2009 was the hottest on record. [image] 5 “Models are unreliable” Models successfully reproduce temperatures since 1900 globally, by land, in the air and the ocean. [image] 6 “Temp record is unreliable” The warming trend is the same in rural and urban areas, measured by thermometers and satellites. [image] 7 “It hasn’t warmed since 1998″ 2005 was the hottest year globally, and 2009 the second hottest. [image] 8 “Ice age predicted in the 70s” The vast majority of climate papers in the 1970s predicted warming. [image] 9 “We’re heading into an ice age” Worry about global warming impacts in the next 100 years, not an ice age in over 10,000 years. [image] 10 “Antarctica is gaining ice” Satellites measure Antarctica losing land ice at an accelerating rate. [image] 11 “CO2 lags temperature” Recent CO2 increase has caused recent warming without any time lag. [image] 12 “It’s not bad” Negative impacts of global warming on agriculture, health & environment far outweigh any positives. [image] 13 “Al Gore got it wrong” Al Gore book is quite accurate, and far more accurate than contrarian books. [image] 14 “It’s cosmic rays” Cosmic rays show no trend over the last 30 years & have had little impact on recent global warming. Mon, 06 Sep 2010 05:41:50 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_119-One-Liners-to-Respond-to-Climate-Science-Myths/BLOG/2625520/29468.html yiehk21 2010-09-06T05:41:50Z EcoSeed Community [image] Over 100 one-liners for arguing with a climate “skeptic” or climate disinformer, with links to the science behind them. Climate science expert, physicist and highly respected blogger John Cook of SkepticalScience.com spends much of his time creating long, detailed, scientific rebuttals to climate change disinformers. For detailed debunking of hundreds of climate change disinformer myths, you can surf his website for hours. But for all of us who do not spend so much time debating with disinformers and do not have such deep knowledge of climate science, or who just need a short (science-backed) one-liner time and again to refute a climate science myth, one of his readers — ex-theoretical physicist and Director of the Climate Initiative of the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office Dr. Jan Dash — helped him to create a list of 119 one-liners to use in such circumstances, with links to more detailed, scientific arguments. By the way, you can also get these on the skeptical science apps for the iPhone, Android, or Nokia. You can read all about the history of this project on SkepticalScience but without further delay, here are the one-liners courtesy of John and Jan (first is the disinformer statement, then the response with link):   1 “It’s the sun” The sun’s output has barely changed since 1970 and is irrelevant to recent global warming. [image] 2 “Climate’s changed before” Climate reacts to whatever forces it to change at the time, which now is dominated by humans. [image] 3 “There is no consensus” 97% of climate experts agree humans are causing global warming. [image] 4 “It’s cooling” The last decade 2000-2009 was the hottest on record. [image] 5 “Models are unreliable” Models successfully reproduce temperatures since 1900 globally, by land, in the air and the ocean. [image] 6 “Temp record is unreliable” The warming trend is the same in rural and urban areas, measured by thermometers and satellites. [image] 7 “It hasn’t warmed since 1998″ 2005 was the hottest year globally, and 2009 the second hottest. [image] 8 “Ice age predicted in the 70s” The vast majority of climate papers in the 1970s predicted warming. [image] 9 “We’re heading into an ice age” Worry about global warming impacts in the next 100 years, not an ice age in over 10,000 years. [image] 10 “Antarctica is gaining ice” Satellites measure Antarctica losing land ice at an accelerating rate. [image] 11 “CO2 lags temperature” Recent CO2 increase has caused recent warming without any time lag. [image] 12 “It’s not bad” Negative impacts of global warming on agriculture, health & environment far outweigh any positives. [image] 13 “Al Gore got it wrong” Al Gore book is quite accurate, and far more accurate than contrarian books. [image] 14 “It’s cosmic rays” Cosmic rays show no trend over the last 30 years & have had little impact on recent global warming. nonadult false 119 One-Liners to Respond to Climate Science Myths text blog 77 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=7683071&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_10005797_29468_7683071_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2625520 7683071 Gold 17080 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Greenpeace-Facebook-Convo-on-Coal-Renewable-Energy-and-Power/BLOG/2625516/29468.html   [image] Greenpeace has had a campaign going on both on Facebook and off telling Facebook to “Unfriend Coal.” In other words, Greenpeace and 500,000 supporters (so far) are urging Facebook to stop using energy from dirty coal plants. The Executive Director of Greenpeace International, Kumi Naidoo, recently got into the discussion and wrote a letter to Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. In the comments section of that blog post, Barry Schnitt, Director of Policy Communications at Facebook, wrote a lengthy response, the heart of which was basically this: coal is bad and the world needs to use more renewable energy but Facebook has no power over the power mix they are supplied.   If he thought that was going to pacify Greenpeace or the half a million people behind this campaign, I’m not sure how he got his job at Facebook. Greenpeace policy analyst Gary Cook responds with a lengthy letter of his own. Here is the beginning of this letter: Dear Barry: Thanks for your response. We appreciate your recognition that Facebook has a coal problem with its Oregon data center. However, where we disagree is your claim to be powerless to do anything about it as, like Greenpeace and others, Facebook simply has to buy whatever electricity is available. This is not the case for Greenpeace, and is certainly not the case for Facebook, who is an industrial scale consumer of electricity. As evidenced by the 500,000 users who have asked Facebook to get off of coal, we expect and demand more leadership from such an innovative company that is a playing an important role in bringing the world together. Facebook is buying electricity in bulk to meet the needs of 500 million+ users, and is becoming a very influential company both inside and outside the IT sector. The expected power consumption of the Oregon data center alone gives Facebook the purchasing power of 30,000-40,000 homes, which gives you the ability and standing to shape how power is generated in Oregon and far beyond. As we have seen with other environmental challenges, motivated companies with big purchasing power can make a powerful difference in driving environmental solutions and policy change. Greenpeace’s recent campaign targeting Nestlé (using Facebook no less) over their purchase of palm oil that is destroying the rainforest in Indonesia led the company to change its procurement policy, and has now led Burger King to announce yesterday that they will no longer buy palm oil from this supplier. This is sending a powerful signal both to the marketplace and to the policy makers in Indonesia and well beyond…. I imagine the conversation will continue on. And, hopefully, Facebook will get the point that they can and should do more. If you haven’t already joined the Facebook group or the campaign, you can do so now in order to tell Facebook that coal is a technology of the past that needs to be dropped and Facebook has the power to help unfriend coal! Photo Credit: Greenpeace http://planetsave.com/2010/09/05/greenpeace-facebook-convo-on-coal-renewable-energy/   [image] Greenpeace has had a campaign going on both on Facebook and off telling Facebook to “Unfriend Coal.” In other words, Greenpeace and 500,000 supporters (so far) are urging Facebook to stop using energy from dirty coal plants. The Executive Director of Greenpeace International, Kumi Naidoo, recently got into the discussion and wrote a letter to Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. In the comments section of that blog post, Barry Schnitt, Director of Policy Communications at Facebook, wrote a lengthy response, the heart of which was basically this: coal is bad and the world needs to use more renewable energy but Facebook has no power over the power mix they are supplied.   If he thought that was going to pacify Greenpeace or the half a million people behind this campaign, I’m not sure how he got his job at Facebook. Greenpeace policy analyst Gary Cook responds with a lengthy letter of his own. Here is the beginning of this letter: Dear Barry: Thanks for your response. We appreciate your recognition that Facebook has a coal problem with its Oregon data center. However, where we disagree is your claim to be powerless to do anything about it as, like Greenpeace and others, Facebook simply has to buy whatever electricity is available. This is not the case for Greenpeace, and is certainly not the case for Facebook, who is an industrial scale consumer of electricity. As evidenced by the 500,000 users who have asked Facebook to get off of coal, we expect and demand more leadership from such an innovative company that is a playing an important role in bringing the world together. Facebook is buying electricity in bulk to meet the needs of 500 million+ users, and is becoming a very influential company both inside and outside the IT sector. The expected power consumption of the Oregon data center alone gives Facebook the purchasing power of 30,000-40,000 homes, which gives you the ability and standing to shape how power is generated in Oregon and far beyond. As we have seen with other environmental challenges, motivated companies with big purchasing power can make a powerful difference in driving environmental solutions and policy change. Greenpeace’s recent campaign targeting Nestlé (using Facebook no less) over their purchase of palm oil that is destroying the rainforest in Indonesia led the company to change its procurement policy, and has now led Burger King to announce yesterday that they will no longer buy palm oil from this supplier. This is sending a powerful signal both to the marketplace and to the policy makers in Indonesia and well beyond…. I imagine the conversation will continue on. And, hopefully, Facebook will get the point that they can and should do more. If you haven’t already joined the Facebook group or the campaign, you can do so now in order to tell Facebook that coal is a technology of the past that needs to be dropped and Facebook has the power to help unfriend coal! Photo Credit: Greenpeace http://planetsave.com/2010/09/05/greenpeace-facebook-convo-on-coal-renewable-energy/ Mon, 06 Sep 2010 05:38:00 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Greenpeace-Facebook-Convo-on-Coal-Renewable-Energy-and-Power/BLOG/2625516/29468.html yiehk21 2010-09-06T05:38:00Z EcoSeed Community   [image] Greenpeace has had a campaign going on both on Facebook and off telling Facebook to “Unfriend Coal.” In other words, Greenpeace and 500,000 supporters (so far) are urging Facebook to stop using energy from dirty coal plants. The Executive Director of Greenpeace International, Kumi Naidoo, recently got into the discussion and wrote a letter to Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. In the comments section of that blog post, Barry Schnitt, Director of Policy Communications at Facebook, wrote a lengthy response, the heart of which was basically this: coal is bad and the world needs to use more renewable energy but Facebook has no power over the power mix they are supplied.   If he thought that was going to pacify Greenpeace or the half a million people behind this campaign, I’m not sure how he got his job at Facebook. Greenpeace policy analyst Gary Cook responds with a lengthy letter of his own. Here is the beginning of this letter: Dear Barry: Thanks for your response. We appreciate your recognition that Facebook has a coal problem with its Oregon data center. However, where we disagree is your claim to be powerless to do anything about it as, like Greenpeace and others, Facebook simply has to buy whatever electricity is available. This is not the case for Greenpeace, and is certainly not the case for Facebook, who is an industrial scale consumer of electricity. As evidenced by the 500,000 users who have asked Facebook to get off of coal, we expect and demand more leadership from such an innovative company that is a playing an important role in bringing the world together. Facebook is buying electricity in bulk to meet the needs of 500 million+ users, and is becoming a very influential company both inside and outside the IT sector. The expected power consumption of the Oregon data center alone gives Facebook the purchasing power of 30,000-40,000 homes, which gives you the ability and standing to shape how power is generated in Oregon and far beyond. As we have seen with other environmental challenges, motivated companies with big purchasing power can make a powerful difference in driving environmental solutions and policy change. Greenpeace’s recent campaign targeting Nestlé (using Facebook no less) over their purchase of palm oil that is destroying the rainforest in Indonesia led the company to change its procurement policy, and has now led Burger King to announce yesterday that they will no longer buy palm oil from this supplier. This is sending a powerful signal both to the marketplace and to the policy makers in Indonesia and well beyond…. I imagine the conversation will continue on. And, hopefully, Facebook will get the point that they can and should do more. If you haven’t already joined the Facebook group or the campaign, you can do so now in order to tell Facebook that coal is a technology of the past that needs to be dropped and Facebook has the power to help unfriend coal! Photo Credit: Greenpeace http://planetsave.com/2010/09/05/greenpeace-facebook-convo-on-coal-renewable-energy/ nonadult false Greenpeace, Facebook Convo on Coal, Renewable Energy, and Power text blog 195 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=7683071&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_10005797_29468_7683071_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2625516 7683071 Gold 17080 http://community.ecoseed.org/_How-to-Choose-Eco-friendly-Green-Bathroom-Products/VIDEO/1301668/29468.html If you're looking to make your home greener, a good place to start is with eco friendly bathroom products. With some simple changes, you can eliminate a lot of chemicals and products that damage the environment. Patty Kim of the Green Guide shows how we can all have green bathrooms. Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pCe5KXwO2o&feature=player_embedded If you're looking to make your home greener, a good place to start is with eco friendly bathroom products. With some simple changes, you can eliminate a lot of chemicals and products that damage the environment. Patty Kim of the Green Guide shows how we can all have green bathrooms. Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pCe5KXwO2o&feature=player_embedded Mon, 06 Sep 2010 03:48:37 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_How-to-Choose-Eco-friendly-Green-Bathroom-Products/VIDEO/1301668/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-06T03:48:37Z EcoSeed Community If you're looking to make your home greener, a good place to start is with eco friendly bathroom products. With some simple changes, you can eliminate a lot of chemicals and products that damage the environment. Patty Kim of the Green Guide shows how we can all have green bathrooms. Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pCe5KXwO2o&feature=player_embedded nonadult false How to Choose Eco-friendly Green Bathroom Products video 1 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 1301668 13707210 Gold 26223 203 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25538095&as=29468 Mon, 06 Sep 2010 03:27:35 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25538095&as=29468 tester0027 2010-09-06T03:27:35Z EcoSeed Community nonadult false tester0027 user 5 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25538095&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/user/defaultImage_160x120_B.jpg false 0 25538095 25538095 Member 260 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Liquid-Wood-100-Organic-replacement-for-everything-plastic/PHOTO/10548326/29468.html For more details: http://www.greendiary.com/entry/liquid-wood-100-organic-replacement-for-everything-plastic/ For more details: http://www.greendiary.com/entry/liquid-wood-100-organic-replacement-for-everything-plastic/ Mon, 06 Sep 2010 03:03:46 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Liquid-Wood-100-Organic-replacement-for-everything-plastic/PHOTO/10548326/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-06T03:03:46Z EcoSeed Community For more details: http://www.greendiary.com/entry/liquid-wood-100-organic-replacement-for-everything-plastic/ nonadult false Liquid Wood: 100% Organic replacement for everything plastic photo 4 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 10548326 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Liquid-Wood-100-Organic-replacement-for-everything-plastic/PHOTO/10548320/29468.html For more details: http://www.greendiary.com/entry/liquid-wood-100-organic-replacement-for-everything-plastic/ For more details: http://www.greendiary.com/entry/liquid-wood-100-organic-replacement-for-everything-plastic/ Mon, 06 Sep 2010 03:03:45 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Liquid-Wood-100-Organic-replacement-for-everything-plastic/PHOTO/10548320/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-06T03:03:45Z EcoSeed Community For more details: http://www.greendiary.com/entry/liquid-wood-100-organic-replacement-for-everything-plastic/ nonadult false Liquid Wood: 100% Organic replacement for everything plastic photo 3 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 10548320 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Liquid-Wood-100-Organic-replacement-for-everything-plastic/PHOTO/10548322/29468.html For more details: http://www.greendiary.com/entry/liquid-wood-100-organic-replacement-for-everything-plastic/ For more details: http://www.greendiary.com/entry/liquid-wood-100-organic-replacement-for-everything-plastic/ Mon, 06 Sep 2010 03:03:45 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Liquid-Wood-100-Organic-replacement-for-everything-plastic/PHOTO/10548322/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-06T03:03:45Z EcoSeed Community For more details: http://www.greendiary.com/entry/liquid-wood-100-organic-replacement-for-everything-plastic/ nonadult false Liquid Wood: 100% Organic replacement for everything plastic photo 7 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 10548322 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Liquid-Wood-100-Organic-replacement-for-everything-plastic/PHOTO/10548324/29468.html For more details: http://www.greendiary.com/entry/liquid-wood-100-organic-replacement-for-everything-plastic/ For more details: http://www.greendiary.com/entry/liquid-wood-100-organic-replacement-for-everything-plastic/ Mon, 06 Sep 2010 03:03:45 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Liquid-Wood-100-Organic-replacement-for-everything-plastic/PHOTO/10548324/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-06T03:03:45Z EcoSeed Community For more details: http://www.greendiary.com/entry/liquid-wood-100-organic-replacement-for-everything-plastic/ nonadult false Liquid Wood: 100% Organic replacement for everything plastic photo 3 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 10548324 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25528609&as=29468 Sun, 05 Sep 2010 14:46:06 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25528609&as=29468 miluethi 2010-09-05T14:46:06Z EcoSeed Community nonadult false miluethi user 5 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25528609&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/user/defaultImage_160x120_E.jpg false 0 25528609 25528609 Member 255 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25527851&as=29468 Sun, 05 Sep 2010 13:38:25 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25527851&as=29468 rolly2 2010-09-05T13:38:25Z EcoSeed Community nonadult false rolly2 user 3 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25527851&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/user/defaultImage_160x120_D.jpg false 0 25527851 25527851 Member 255 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25523548&as=29468 Sun, 05 Sep 2010 06:39:04 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25523548&as=29468 altaripa 2010-09-05T06:39:04Z EcoSeed Community nonadult false altaripa user 3 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25523548&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/user/defaultImage_160x120_C.jpg false 0 25523548 25523548 Member 255 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25511991&as=29468 Sat, 04 Sep 2010 12:22:35 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25511991&as=29468 ygtrasi 2010-09-04T12:22:35Z EcoSeed Community nonadult false ygtrasi user 5 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25511991&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/user/defaultImage_160x120_E.jpg false 0 25511991 25511991 Member 255 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25508084&as=29468 Sat, 04 Sep 2010 05:34:37 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25508084&as=29468 Vikrant.ark 2010-09-04T05:34:37Z EcoSeed Community nonadult false Vikrant.ark user 4 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25508084&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/user/defaultImage_160x120_B.jpg false 0 25508084 25508084 Member 255 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25493249&as=29468 Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:02:31 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25493249&as=29468 britesprite 2010-09-03T11:02:31Z EcoSeed Community nonadult false britesprite user 6 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25493249&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/user/defaultImage_160x120_A.jpg false 0 25493249 25493249 Member 255 http://community.ecoseed.org/_leaders-Born-or-Made/BLOG/2621647/29468.html There are countless questions about whether leaders are born or made. I see, anyone with the desire and willingness to work can become a great leader. At the same time there are certain characteristics or qualities that are vital in leaders, namely; [image] 1 .- Enthusiasm"Even if I knew that the world would end tomorrow, just plant my apple tree."— Martin L. King —Those who are successful leaders are enthusiastic and optimistic. They know that maybe not everyone share all their ideas, which may not have all the skills or knowledge they need. However, they are very positive and know there is a solution to the obstacles encountered, just need to find it. One of the real benefits of being enthusiastic and positive is that it is contagious. The enthusiasm with an ability to illuminate the internal light. For inspiration, enthusiasm, vigor, growth, contagion, which generates, its complement, perseverance, keep the flame alive. What do you prefer a leader who is optimistic and positive, or a leader who is negative and pessimistic?For the primary motivation is wanting to know what you want, which begins at 4 "L" to which education should aim: Learning to Be, Learning to Learn, Learning to do and Learning to Live together. Hence arise the four "E" Learning to undertake, from the power of Stimulation: Enthusiasm, Energy, Excellence, Effort.To develop enthusiasm must have a clear goal. The feeling is not subject to reason but to action. So you need to start driving, and do it now. The accompanying moods who mobilized. Must be appropriate to excite enthusiasm, and transform it into action. There is no worse than the attempt fails.This power is growing self-knowledge. This spiritual power is produced, which move in the lane to the brain generates creative ideas.2 .- Integrity"It's always the right time to do the right thing."— Martin Luther —Personal integrity is the second key characteristic of leadership. Leaders with integrity set the standard in terms of expectations of how they conduct themselves and how others behave. Another way to see the professional integrity. Professionalism is the sum of the values inherent in a profession, for instance:- The vocation or altruism (social over economic).- The discipline and subordination of the individual and his interests to the rules established by the community.- The Competition, which includes the group of knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for the performance of the profession.- Commitment.Integrity is the foundation of character. A person who has integrity also has an unblemished character in all areas of your life. Success is really about self-evaluation. Always be willing to improve things in your life that need improvement, and the things you are doing well, make them even better! This sets a great example that others will follow. Todd Smith (littlethingsmatter) mentions Dr. H. James Harrington: "Measurement is the first step That leads to control and Eventually to improvement. If You Can not measure something, you Can not Understand it. If you can not understand it, you can not control it. If you can not control it, You Can not Improve it. "  Which I summarize in a quote from the Father of Quality: "The one who does not measure can not Improve."— Joseph M. Juran —3 .- Courage"Courage. Starting the day with this word, and following with faith in God, you will get to where you need it."— Paulo Coelho —If you study the success of autobiographies of people can identify a continuing trend, and they were all people with courage. They are willing to go and try things and take risks. You, are you willing to take risks?The Courage awaken in you the very essence of creative power, courage is not being afraid to experiment, is not afraid to stand out from the crowd and be different. It's something you should consider if you plan to move forward, overcome and achieve success that yearn.It also requires having the strength and conviction to follow his conscience. A powerful way to cultivate the interior presence of courage is to choose a model that represents the qualities of courage, strength and vitality. That person could be a character in a movie, a book, a historical life or person you admire. To incorporate these features, close your eyes each day and includes the power quality that appeals to you this person, knowing that the same potential for life is within you.4 .- Good Judgement"To see clearly enough to change the direction of gaze."— Antoine de Saint Exupery —While leaders are brave are not reckless. They carefully analyzed the pros and cons in certain situations and take risks balanced. The wisdom has to do with making the best decision you can with the information you have available.To me, this encompasses many qualities and attributes. A leader has discretion when it comes to understanding their impact on others, and have the right balance between empathy and objectivity.According to wikipedia, empathy means literally "suffering inside" dictionary.com defines empathy as the ability of a person to understand and participate in affective and emotional reality of others. It´s the process of understanding and appreciation of emotions and positions of others. To put it in simpler terms, means "step into the shoes of others." To increase empathy, you must start with yourself.Paying close attention to your emotional state, noting the situations in which change their emotions, what leads to positive emotions and negative emotions?. Interact with a wide range of people. Look for similarities between you and the others. Think taking into account the other's perspective.5 .- Be tough but fair"Justice without force is negligible, the force without justice is tyranny."— Blaise Pascal —Leaders recognize that they can not be popular all the time. They know they need to make difficult decisions from time to time. They take difficult decisions and at the same time try to act fairly.Leadership characteristics take time to develop, then, what leadership characteristics you could start working to achieve greater success?Honestly, I think we can all achieve success, dreams and desires. It's just a matter of always walk forward and do whatever is necessary to bring up the value within inside ourselves.Thanks, if you don´t like what you are reading, please fell free to tell me, and if you like: ·Tell everyone! Ernest Clean Tech, Energy Efficiency In Renewables There are countless questions about whether leaders are born or made. I see, anyone with the desire and willingness to work can become a great leader. At the same time there are certain characteristics or qualities that are vital in leaders, namely; [image] 1 .- Enthusiasm"Even if I knew that the world would end tomorrow, just plant my apple tree."— Martin L. King —Those who are successful leaders are enthusiastic and optimistic. They know that maybe not everyone share all their ideas, which may not have all the skills or knowledge they need. However, they are very positive and know there is a solution to the obstacles encountered, just need to find it. One of the real benefits of being enthusiastic and positive is that it is contagious. The enthusiasm with an ability to illuminate the internal light. For inspiration, enthusiasm, vigor, growth, contagion, which generates, its complement, perseverance, keep the flame alive. What do you prefer a leader who is optimistic and positive, or a leader who is negative and pessimistic?For the primary motivation is wanting to know what you want, which begins at 4 "L" to which education should aim: Learning to Be, Learning to Learn, Learning to do and Learning to Live together. Hence arise the four "E" Learning to undertake, from the power of Stimulation: Enthusiasm, Energy, Excellence, Effort.To develop enthusiasm must have a clear goal. The feeling is not subject to reason but to action. So you need to start driving, and do it now. The accompanying moods who mobilized. Must be appropriate to excite enthusiasm, and transform it into action. There is no worse than the attempt fails.This power is growing self-knowledge. This spiritual power is produced, which move in the lane to the brain generates creative ideas.2 .- Integrity"It's always the right time to do the right thing."— Martin Luther —Personal integrity is the second key characteristic of leadership. Leaders with integrity set the standard in terms of expectations of how they conduct themselves and how others behave. Another way to see the professional integrity. Professionalism is the sum of the values inherent in a profession, for instance:- The vocation or altruism (social over economic).- The discipline and subordination of the individual and his interests to the rules established by the community.- The Competition, which includes the group of knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for the performance of the profession.- Commitment.Integrity is the foundation of character. A person who has integrity also has an unblemished character in all areas of your life. Success is really about self-evaluation. Always be willing to improve things in your life that need improvement, and the things you are doing well, make them even better! This sets a great example that others will follow. Todd Smith (littlethingsmatter) mentions Dr. H. James Harrington: "Measurement is the first step That leads to control and Eventually to improvement. If You Can not measure something, you Can not Understand it. If you can not understand it, you can not control it. If you can not control it, You Can not Improve it. "  Which I summarize in a quote from the Father of Quality: "The one who does not measure can not Improve."— Joseph M. Juran —3 .- Courage"Courage. Starting the day with this word, and following with faith in God, you will get to where you need it."— Paulo Coelho —If you study the success of autobiographies of people can identify a continuing trend, and they were all people with courage. They are willing to go and try things and take risks. You, are you willing to take risks?The Courage awaken in you the very essence of creative power, courage is not being afraid to experiment, is not afraid to stand out from the crowd and be different. It's something you should consider if you plan to move forward, overcome and achieve success that yearn.It also requires having the strength and conviction to follow his conscience. A powerful way to cultivate the interior presence of courage is to choose a model that represents the qualities of courage, strength and vitality. That person could be a character in a movie, a book, a historical life or person you admire. To incorporate these features, close your eyes each day and includes the power quality that appeals to you this person, knowing that the same potential for life is within you.4 .- Good Judgement"To see clearly enough to change the direction of gaze."— Antoine de Saint Exupery —While leaders are brave are not reckless. They carefully analyzed the pros and cons in certain situations and take risks balanced. The wisdom has to do with making the best decision you can with the information you have available.To me, this encompasses many qualities and attributes. A leader has discretion when it comes to understanding their impact on others, and have the right balance between empathy and objectivity.According to wikipedia, empathy means literally "suffering inside" dictionary.com defines empathy as the ability of a person to understand and participate in affective and emotional reality of others. It´s the process of understanding and appreciation of emotions and positions of others. To put it in simpler terms, means "step into the shoes of others." To increase empathy, you must start with yourself.Paying close attention to your emotional state, noting the situations in which change their emotions, what leads to positive emotions and negative emotions?. Interact with a wide range of people. Look for similarities between you and the others. Think taking into account the other's perspective.5 .- Be tough but fair"Justice without force is negligible, the force without justice is tyranny."— Blaise Pascal —Leaders recognize that they can not be popular all the time. They know they need to make difficult decisions from time to time. They take difficult decisions and at the same time try to act fairly.Leadership characteristics take time to develop, then, what leadership characteristics you could start working to achieve greater success?Honestly, I think we can all achieve success, dreams and desires. It's just a matter of always walk forward and do whatever is necessary to bring up the value within inside ourselves.Thanks, if you don´t like what you are reading, please fell free to tell me, and if you like: ·Tell everyone! Ernest Clean Tech, Energy Efficiency In Renewables Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:11:19 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_leaders-Born-or-Made/BLOG/2621647/29468.html Ernest69 2010-09-03T09:11:19Z EcoSeed Community There are countless questions about whether leaders are born or made. I see, anyone with the desire and willingness to work can become a great leader. At the same time there are certain characteristics or qualities that are vital in leaders, namely; [image] 1 .- Enthusiasm"Even if I knew that the world would end tomorrow, just plant my apple tree."— Martin L. King —Those who are successful leaders are enthusiastic and optimistic. They know that maybe not everyone share all their ideas, which may not have all the skills or knowledge they need. However, they are very positive and know there is a solution to the obstacles encountered, just need to find it. One of the real benefits of being enthusiastic and positive is that it is contagious. The enthusiasm with an ability to illuminate the internal light. For inspiration, enthusiasm, vigor, growth, contagion, which generates, its complement, perseverance, keep the flame alive. What do you prefer a leader who is optimistic and positive, or a leader who is negative and pessimistic?For the primary motivation is wanting to know what you want, which begins at 4 "L" to which education should aim: Learning to Be, Learning to Learn, Learning to do and Learning to Live together. Hence arise the four "E" Learning to undertake, from the power of Stimulation: Enthusiasm, Energy, Excellence, Effort.To develop enthusiasm must have a clear goal. The feeling is not subject to reason but to action. So you need to start driving, and do it now. The accompanying moods who mobilized. Must be appropriate to excite enthusiasm, and transform it into action. There is no worse than the attempt fails.This power is growing self-knowledge. This spiritual power is produced, which move in the lane to the brain generates creative ideas.2 .- Integrity"It's always the right time to do the right thing."— Martin Luther —Personal integrity is the second key characteristic of leadership. Leaders with integrity set the standard in terms of expectations of how they conduct themselves and how others behave. Another way to see the professional integrity. Professionalism is the sum of the values inherent in a profession, for instance:- The vocation or altruism (social over economic).- The discipline and subordination of the individual and his interests to the rules established by the community.- The Competition, which includes the group of knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for the performance of the profession.- Commitment.Integrity is the foundation of character. A person who has integrity also has an unblemished character in all areas of your life. Success is really about self-evaluation. Always be willing to improve things in your life that need improvement, and the things you are doing well, make them even better! This sets a great example that others will follow. Todd Smith (littlethingsmatter) mentions Dr. H. James Harrington: "Measurement is the first step That leads to control and Eventually to improvement. If You Can not measure something, you Can not Understand it. If you can not understand it, you can not control it. If you can not control it, You Can not Improve it. "  Which I summarize in a quote from the Father of Quality: "The one who does not measure can not Improve."— Joseph M. Juran —3 .- Courage"Courage. Starting the day with this word, and following with faith in God, you will get to where you need it."— Paulo Coelho —If you study the success of autobiographies of people can identify a continuing trend, and they were all people with courage. They are willing to go and try things and take risks. You, are you willing to take risks?The Courage awaken in you the very essence of creative power, courage is not being afraid to experiment, is not afraid to stand out from the crowd and be different. It's something you should consider if you plan to move forward, overcome and achieve success that yearn.It also requires having the strength and conviction to follow his conscience. A powerful way to cultivate the interior presence of courage is to choose a model that represents the qualities of courage, strength and vitality. That person could be a character in a movie, a book, a historical life or person you admire. To incorporate these features, close your eyes each day and includes the power quality that appeals to you this person, knowing that the same potential for life is within you.4 .- Good Judgement"To see clearly enough to change the direction of gaze."— Antoine de Saint Exupery —While leaders are brave are not reckless. They carefully analyzed the pros and cons in certain situations and take risks balanced. The wisdom has to do with making the best decision you can with the information you have available.To me, this encompasses many qualities and attributes. A leader has discretion when it comes to understanding their impact on others, and have the right balance between empathy and objectivity.According to wikipedia, empathy means literally "suffering inside" dictionary.com defines empathy as the ability of a person to understand and participate in affective and emotional reality of others. It´s the process of understanding and appreciation of emotions and positions of others. To put it in simpler terms, means "step into the shoes of others." To increase empathy, you must start with yourself.Paying close attention to your emotional state, noting the situations in which change their emotions, what leads to positive emotions and negative emotions?. Interact with a wide range of people. Look for similarities between you and the others. Think taking into account the other's perspective.5 .- Be tough but fair"Justice without force is negligible, the force without justice is tyranny."— Blaise Pascal —Leaders recognize that they can not be popular all the time. They know they need to make difficult decisions from time to time. They take difficult decisions and at the same time try to act fairly.Leadership characteristics take time to develop, then, what leadership characteristics you could start working to achieve greater success?Honestly, I think we can all achieve success, dreams and desires. It's just a matter of always walk forward and do whatever is necessary to bring up the value within inside ourselves.Thanks, if you don´t like what you are reading, please fell free to tell me, and if you like: ·Tell everyone! Ernest Clean Tech, Energy Efficiency In Renewables 2.0, britannica, business, challenge, character, coherence, company_2.0, creativity, culture, dedication, design, economy, enciclopædia, energies, energy, energía, entrepeneurship, expectation, facebook, honesty, innovation_2.0, intelligence, interaction, knowledge, marketing_2.0, open_innovation, open_minded, opportunities, professional_growth, renewable, renewables, renovable, renovables, sinergies, sinergy, skills, strategy, tasks, technology, twitter, values, web_2.0, wikipedia, work nonadult false leaders, Born or Made? text blog 2.0,britannica,business,challenge,character,coherence,company_2.0,creativity,culture,dedication,design,economy,enciclopædia,energies,energy,energía,entrepeneurship,expectation,facebook,honesty,innovation_2.0,intelligence,interaction,knowledge,marketing_2.0,open_innovation,open_minded,opportunities,professional_growth,renewable,renewables,renovable,renovables,sinergies,sinergy,skills,strategy,tasks,technology,twitter,values,web_2.0,wikipedia,work 57 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25222429&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_10522924_29468_25222429_ap_160X120.jpg false Spain Madrid Madrid 28005 0 0 2621647 25222429 Member 330 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25491087&as=29468 Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:27:04 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25491087&as=29468 angus 2010-09-03T08:27:04Z EcoSeed Community nonadult false angus user 5 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25491087&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/user/defaultImage_160x120_E.jpg false 0 25491087 25491087 Member 255 http://community.ecoseed.org/_New-Horseneck-building-celebrated-for-its-green-technology/BLOG/2619067/29468.html [image] WESTPORT — Beachgoers, state and local officials are celebrating the opening of a new building at Horseneck Beach that is being touted for its environmentally friendly features. Representatives of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, which runs the Horseneck Beach State Reservation, were joined by state and local officials for a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony at their new Beach Services Building. According to a DCR press release, the newly completed building is part of the Horseneck Beach State Reservation Rehabilitation Project, an $8.5 million project that began in 2007. In addition to the new building, the project includes two new bathhouses and a boardwalk. Rep. Michael Rodrigues, D-Westport, commended all involved in the project, saying the work had greatly improved the beach. "This has been the result (of) years of hard work at the local level," Rodrigues said. "It's been probably the smoothest series of construction events that I've ever been associated with in all my years at the Statehouse." Ruth Teixeira, DCR's director of park improvements, said several environmentally conscious ideas had been incorporated into the project, including the boardwalk to protect flora and fauna in the dune areas. The new building, she added, has a raised structure that allowed for sand migration. Teixeira also noted that the installation of composting toilets and cold-water outdoor spray stations — the latter replacing indoor showers — will reduce water usage at the facility by 17,000 gallons per day. The composting toilets were installed by the Andover-based Clivus New England Inc., whose president, Bill Wall, was also on hand for Friday's event. Wall said he hoped the project would be an example to be followed elsewhere in the state. "DCR is utilizing green technology in ways that make sense," Wall said. "So they're actually showing the rest of the state what can be done." By VINAYA SAKSENA | September 2, 2010 Original Source: http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100902/NEWS/9020333/-1/ARCHIVE [image] WESTPORT — Beachgoers, state and local officials are celebrating the opening of a new building at Horseneck Beach that is being touted for its environmentally friendly features. Representatives of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, which runs the Horseneck Beach State Reservation, were joined by state and local officials for a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony at their new Beach Services Building. According to a DCR press release, the newly completed building is part of the Horseneck Beach State Reservation Rehabilitation Project, an $8.5 million project that began in 2007. In addition to the new building, the project includes two new bathhouses and a boardwalk. Rep. Michael Rodrigues, D-Westport, commended all involved in the project, saying the work had greatly improved the beach. "This has been the result (of) years of hard work at the local level," Rodrigues said. "It's been probably the smoothest series of construction events that I've ever been associated with in all my years at the Statehouse." Ruth Teixeira, DCR's director of park improvements, said several environmentally conscious ideas had been incorporated into the project, including the boardwalk to protect flora and fauna in the dune areas. The new building, she added, has a raised structure that allowed for sand migration. Teixeira also noted that the installation of composting toilets and cold-water outdoor spray stations — the latter replacing indoor showers — will reduce water usage at the facility by 17,000 gallons per day. The composting toilets were installed by the Andover-based Clivus New England Inc., whose president, Bill Wall, was also on hand for Friday's event. Wall said he hoped the project would be an example to be followed elsewhere in the state. "DCR is utilizing green technology in ways that make sense," Wall said. "So they're actually showing the rest of the state what can be done." By VINAYA SAKSENA | September 2, 2010 Original Source: http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100902/NEWS/9020333/-1/ARCHIVE Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:37:44 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_New-Horseneck-building-celebrated-for-its-green-technology/BLOG/2619067/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-03T05:37:44Z EcoSeed Community [image] WESTPORT — Beachgoers, state and local officials are celebrating the opening of a new building at Horseneck Beach that is being touted for its environmentally friendly features. Representatives of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, which runs the Horseneck Beach State Reservation, were joined by state and local officials for a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony at their new Beach Services Building. According to a DCR press release, the newly completed building is part of the Horseneck Beach State Reservation Rehabilitation Project, an $8.5 million project that began in 2007. In addition to the new building, the project includes two new bathhouses and a boardwalk. Rep. Michael Rodrigues, D-Westport, commended all involved in the project, saying the work had greatly improved the beach. "This has been the result (of) years of hard work at the local level," Rodrigues said. "It's been probably the smoothest series of construction events that I've ever been associated with in all my years at the Statehouse." Ruth Teixeira, DCR's director of park improvements, said several environmentally conscious ideas had been incorporated into the project, including the boardwalk to protect flora and fauna in the dune areas. The new building, she added, has a raised structure that allowed for sand migration. Teixeira also noted that the installation of composting toilets and cold-water outdoor spray stations — the latter replacing indoor showers — will reduce water usage at the facility by 17,000 gallons per day. The composting toilets were installed by the Andover-based Clivus New England Inc., whose president, Bill Wall, was also on hand for Friday's event. Wall said he hoped the project would be an example to be followed elsewhere in the state. "DCR is utilizing green technology in ways that make sense," Wall said. "So they're actually showing the rest of the state what can be done." By VINAYA SAKSENA | September 2, 2010 Original Source: http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100902/NEWS/9020333/-1/ARCHIVE nonadult false New Horseneck building celebrated for its 'green technology' text blog 85 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2619067 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Pentagons-embrace-of-green-technology-demolishes-opponents-counter-arguments-Part-I/BLOG/2619051/29468.html The theory goes like this: as much as the Cold War was utterly terrifying, consumers got cheaper and better products as a result of the taxpayer-supported R&D juggernaut that funded the 40+ year struggle. This endless R&D pipeline also provided the US with countless scientists, engineers, and programmers who entered the workforce and helped create the innovations we now take for granted.  And throughout it all, the US military guided these efforts, efforts that brought us radios, microchips, jet engines, GPS, the Internet, etc. [image]What if the military employed this paradigm to green technology and renewable energy?  Well that is precisely what’s happening, according to Vice Admiral Lee Gunn, a 35-year Navy veteran now working as the President of CNA Institute for Public Policy Research. In short, the US military is retrofitting its fleets, aircraft, and vehicles to slash fossil fuel usage.  For example, in 10 years, the Navy hopes to get 50% of its energy needs, both afloat and onshore, from non-fossil fuel sources.”  (Side note: if Navy and countless states can establish this goal, why can’t the actual US government?) And just like the US government created a market for products and technologies out of the Space Race and the Manhattan Project, forecasters see the same with renewable energy.  To quote Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, to paraphrase a line from the film, “Field of Dreams,” “If the Navy comes, they will build it.” Three things, therefore, spring to mind.  One is the idea, that “artificially” creating a market is a terrible, unprecedented thing. On both counts, that is false.  Two, that renewable energies are an inefficient pipe dream.  The US military seems to think otherwise.  (Admittedly, the Pentagon is rarely the paragon of fiscal prudence, but their commanders realize that, at the least, their reliance on fossil fuels is simply untenable.  In addition, given the US’s looming debt crisis, parts of the Pentagon will get the axe; by installing solar panels, wind turbines, and tapping geothermal power, the Navy – for example – can offset more painful cuts.) And third – and this is an issue slated for further discussion in the next installment – one can’t help but notice the dichotomy that the more virulent opponents of renewable energy – Republicans, generally – are also the strongest proponents of the preeminent innovators and fastest-growing advocates of renewable energy itself: the US military.  For that, check back on the 1st. August 30, 2010 Original Source: http://energycredits.com/2010/08/30/1462/ The theory goes like this: as much as the Cold War was utterly terrifying, consumers got cheaper and better products as a result of the taxpayer-supported R&D juggernaut that funded the 40+ year struggle. This endless R&D pipeline also provided the US with countless scientists, engineers, and programmers who entered the workforce and helped create the innovations we now take for granted.  And throughout it all, the US military guided these efforts, efforts that brought us radios, microchips, jet engines, GPS, the Internet, etc. [image]What if the military employed this paradigm to green technology and renewable energy?  Well that is precisely what’s happening, according to Vice Admiral Lee Gunn, a 35-year Navy veteran now working as the President of CNA Institute for Public Policy Research. In short, the US military is retrofitting its fleets, aircraft, and vehicles to slash fossil fuel usage.  For example, in 10 years, the Navy hopes to get 50% of its energy needs, both afloat and onshore, from non-fossil fuel sources.”  (Side note: if Navy and countless states can establish this goal, why can’t the actual US government?) And just like the US government created a market for products and technologies out of the Space Race and the Manhattan Project, forecasters see the same with renewable energy.  To quote Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, to paraphrase a line from the film, “Field of Dreams,” “If the Navy comes, they will build it.” Three things, therefore, spring to mind.  One is the idea, that “artificially” creating a market is a terrible, unprecedented thing. On both counts, that is false.  Two, that renewable energies are an inefficient pipe dream.  The US military seems to think otherwise.  (Admittedly, the Pentagon is rarely the paragon of fiscal prudence, but their commanders realize that, at the least, their reliance on fossil fuels is simply untenable.  In addition, given the US’s looming debt crisis, parts of the Pentagon will get the axe; by installing solar panels, wind turbines, and tapping geothermal power, the Navy – for example – can offset more painful cuts.) And third – and this is an issue slated for further discussion in the next installment – one can’t help but notice the dichotomy that the more virulent opponents of renewable energy – Republicans, generally – are also the strongest proponents of the preeminent innovators and fastest-growing advocates of renewable energy itself: the US military.  For that, check back on the 1st. August 30, 2010 Original Source: http://energycredits.com/2010/08/30/1462/ Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:29:27 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Pentagons-embrace-of-green-technology-demolishes-opponents-counter-arguments-Part-I/BLOG/2619051/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-03T05:29:27Z EcoSeed Community The theory goes like this: as much as the Cold War was utterly terrifying, consumers got cheaper and better products as a result of the taxpayer-supported R&D juggernaut that funded the 40+ year struggle. This endless R&D pipeline also provided the US with countless scientists, engineers, and programmers who entered the workforce and helped create the innovations we now take for granted.  And throughout it all, the US military guided these efforts, efforts that brought us radios, microchips, jet engines, GPS, the Internet, etc. [image]What if the military employed this paradigm to green technology and renewable energy?  Well that is precisely what’s happening, according to Vice Admiral Lee Gunn, a 35-year Navy veteran now working as the President of CNA Institute for Public Policy Research. In short, the US military is retrofitting its fleets, aircraft, and vehicles to slash fossil fuel usage.  For example, in 10 years, the Navy hopes to get 50% of its energy needs, both afloat and onshore, from non-fossil fuel sources.”  (Side note: if Navy and countless states can establish this goal, why can’t the actual US government?) And just like the US government created a market for products and technologies out of the Space Race and the Manhattan Project, forecasters see the same with renewable energy.  To quote Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, to paraphrase a line from the film, “Field of Dreams,” “If the Navy comes, they will build it.” Three things, therefore, spring to mind.  One is the idea, that “artificially” creating a market is a terrible, unprecedented thing. On both counts, that is false.  Two, that renewable energies are an inefficient pipe dream.  The US military seems to think otherwise.  (Admittedly, the Pentagon is rarely the paragon of fiscal prudence, but their commanders realize that, at the least, their reliance on fossil fuels is simply untenable.  In addition, given the US’s looming debt crisis, parts of the Pentagon will get the axe; by installing solar panels, wind turbines, and tapping geothermal power, the Navy – for example – can offset more painful cuts.) And third – and this is an issue slated for further discussion in the next installment – one can’t help but notice the dichotomy that the more virulent opponents of renewable energy – Republicans, generally – are also the strongest proponents of the preeminent innovators and fastest-growing advocates of renewable energy itself: the US military.  For that, check back on the 1st. August 30, 2010 Original Source: http://energycredits.com/2010/08/30/1462/ nonadult false Pentagon’s embrace of green technology demolishes opponents’ counter-arguments (Part I) text blog 108 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2619051 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_EU-presses-China-on-counterfeit-goods/BLOG/2619043/29468.html [image] The European Union said it would press China on Friday to back up its words with action and do more to stem the flow of Chinese-made counterfeit goods into Europe and across the world. European tax, customs and anti-fraud commissioner Algirdas Semeta said he would ask Chinese officials at a joint customs cooperation committee meeting in Shanghai to fully put into action a plan the two sides signed in 2009. "Generally speaking, we developed a very good framework but the implementation of this framework is not sufficient," Semeta told AFP. China is the EU's largest source of imports and the main source of counterfeit goods across its 27 countries last year, with 64 per cent of seized articles coming from the Asian giant, according to EU figures. Broken down by industry, China was the source of more than 90 per cent of counterfeit shoes, 81 per cent of electronics and computer equipment and 72.5 per cent of its fake branded clothes and accessories. As part of an agreement on intellectual property protection, a network was established last year for European and Chinese customs officials to share real-time information to help intercept shipments and target counterfeiting rings. "We presented 55 cases to Chinese authorities while we received just five cases from Chinese authorities. This means the implementation of the program requires additional effort," Semeta said. As a trade-dependent country, China stands to lose as stricter controls are imposed in response to the rising volume of counterfeit goods, he said. Chinese companies are also falling victim to counterfeiters. German officials seized two shipments last year of counterfeit products bearing the name of a Chinese green technology company. "In our activities, we are already seeing a new phenomenon. Our customs authorities last year seized Chinese brands which were counterfeited. Legitimate Chinese business also suffers from this activity," Semeta said. Foreign governments, especially the United States, have for years accused China of looking the other way or even encouraging rampant theft of intellectual property. China's trading partners complain this costs foreign companies billions of dollars per year in lost sales, and also affects jobs. © 2010 AFP   September 3, 2010 Original Source: http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/eu-presses-china-on-counterfeit-goods-20100903-14tnj.html [image] The European Union said it would press China on Friday to back up its words with action and do more to stem the flow of Chinese-made counterfeit goods into Europe and across the world. European tax, customs and anti-fraud commissioner Algirdas Semeta said he would ask Chinese officials at a joint customs cooperation committee meeting in Shanghai to fully put into action a plan the two sides signed in 2009. "Generally speaking, we developed a very good framework but the implementation of this framework is not sufficient," Semeta told AFP. China is the EU's largest source of imports and the main source of counterfeit goods across its 27 countries last year, with 64 per cent of seized articles coming from the Asian giant, according to EU figures. Broken down by industry, China was the source of more than 90 per cent of counterfeit shoes, 81 per cent of electronics and computer equipment and 72.5 per cent of its fake branded clothes and accessories. As part of an agreement on intellectual property protection, a network was established last year for European and Chinese customs officials to share real-time information to help intercept shipments and target counterfeiting rings. "We presented 55 cases to Chinese authorities while we received just five cases from Chinese authorities. This means the implementation of the program requires additional effort," Semeta said. As a trade-dependent country, China stands to lose as stricter controls are imposed in response to the rising volume of counterfeit goods, he said. Chinese companies are also falling victim to counterfeiters. German officials seized two shipments last year of counterfeit products bearing the name of a Chinese green technology company. "In our activities, we are already seeing a new phenomenon. Our customs authorities last year seized Chinese brands which were counterfeited. Legitimate Chinese business also suffers from this activity," Semeta said. Foreign governments, especially the United States, have for years accused China of looking the other way or even encouraging rampant theft of intellectual property. China's trading partners complain this costs foreign companies billions of dollars per year in lost sales, and also affects jobs. © 2010 AFP   September 3, 2010 Original Source: http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/eu-presses-china-on-counterfeit-goods-20100903-14tnj.html Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:25:31 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_EU-presses-China-on-counterfeit-goods/BLOG/2619043/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-03T05:25:31Z EcoSeed Community [image] The European Union said it would press China on Friday to back up its words with action and do more to stem the flow of Chinese-made counterfeit goods into Europe and across the world. European tax, customs and anti-fraud commissioner Algirdas Semeta said he would ask Chinese officials at a joint customs cooperation committee meeting in Shanghai to fully put into action a plan the two sides signed in 2009. "Generally speaking, we developed a very good framework but the implementation of this framework is not sufficient," Semeta told AFP. China is the EU's largest source of imports and the main source of counterfeit goods across its 27 countries last year, with 64 per cent of seized articles coming from the Asian giant, according to EU figures. Broken down by industry, China was the source of more than 90 per cent of counterfeit shoes, 81 per cent of electronics and computer equipment and 72.5 per cent of its fake branded clothes and accessories. As part of an agreement on intellectual property protection, a network was established last year for European and Chinese customs officials to share real-time information to help intercept shipments and target counterfeiting rings. "We presented 55 cases to Chinese authorities while we received just five cases from Chinese authorities. This means the implementation of the program requires additional effort," Semeta said. As a trade-dependent country, China stands to lose as stricter controls are imposed in response to the rising volume of counterfeit goods, he said. Chinese companies are also falling victim to counterfeiters. German officials seized two shipments last year of counterfeit products bearing the name of a Chinese green technology company. "In our activities, we are already seeing a new phenomenon. Our customs authorities last year seized Chinese brands which were counterfeited. Legitimate Chinese business also suffers from this activity," Semeta said. Foreign governments, especially the United States, have for years accused China of looking the other way or even encouraging rampant theft of intellectual property. China's trading partners complain this costs foreign companies billions of dollars per year in lost sales, and also affects jobs. © 2010 AFP   September 3, 2010 Original Source: http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/eu-presses-china-on-counterfeit-goods-20100903-14tnj.html nonadult false EU presses China on counterfeit goods text blog 66 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2619043 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_LG-Electronics-Conns-Appliances-to-Host-Free-Electronics-Recycling-Event/BLOG/2618685/29468.html Partnering with Waste Management and CBS Radio, Event Encourages Responsible Recycling [image] DALLAS, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- To encourage consumers to recycle electronic devices in an environmentally sound manner, LG Electronics and Waste Management Recycle America are asking Dallas-Fort Worth residents to take action and recycle their used devices at no charge in Lewisville on Saturday, Sept. 11. Co-sponsored by Conn's Appliances, the event is part of the LG Electronics Recycling Program, which was designed to provide consumers with a convenient way to dispose of their used, unwanted, obsolete or damaged consumer electronic products. The event will be held Sept. 11 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Lewisville, 1251 Valley Ridge Blvd. Together with Waste Management Recycle America and CBS Radio, LG Electronics and Conn's are encouraging consumers to responsibly recycle unused and outdated electronics products. Every family that brings in products for recycling will receive a coupon for $25 off on any LG-brand smart-energy-saving flat-screen HDTV, 42-inch class screen size or larger. Coupons, good at any of the 19 Conn's locations through out the Dallas-Fort Worth area, must be redeemed by Sept. 30. (Limit one coupon per family.) CBS Radio's four popular local stations (1080 KRLD, 105.3 The Fan, KLUV FM and JACK FM) will promote the event, including live onsite broadcasts and appearances by the KRLD Street Team and The FAN Street Team. "LG Electronics is taking a proactive approach to helping consumers responsibly dispose of end-of-life electronics by offering this free collection and recycling program to Dallas-area residents," said Timothy McGrady, Environmental Manager for LG Electronics USA, Inc. "At events like this one in Lewisville, we encourage consumers to dispose of unwanted electronics in an environmentally responsible manner. This is a cornerstone of LG's larger global sustainability initiative that also focuses on energy conservation, reduction of hazardous substances and responsible product designs. Life's good when it's green," he said. David Trahan of Conn's said: "With the fall TV season, including college and pro football broadcasts, upon us, this is a great time for consumers to upgrade to a more-energy-efficient flat-screen HDTV. Responsibly disposing of old TVs and other unwanted consumer electronics products will help save energy and is generally good for the environment. Conn's joins LG in encouraging area residents to take advantage of this terrific program." According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 82 percent of the 2.25 million tons of old TVs, cell phones and computer products generated in the last two years ended up in landfills. By recycling old electronic products, useful materials – such as glass, plastic and metals – can be collected and re-used to manufacture other products. Typically, residents would need to pay for their electronics to be properly collected and recycled, but as part of their ongoing efforts to help promote safe e-waste recycling, LG Electronics and Waste Management will be accepting any brand of electronics at this event for free (up to five items). In addition, the companies are committed to collecting and processing these items in an environmentally sound manner. The electronic materials received by LG will be processed at Waste Management facilities that are ISO 14001 and 9001 certified. In addition, Waste Management Recycle America is a signatory to the Basel Action Network's Manufacturers' Commitment to Responsible E-Waste Recycling as well as to the Responsible Recycling (R2) program. These actions signifies the company's agreement to conduct their electronics recycling programs transparently and in accord with rigorous environmental and worker safety standards, and to adhere to measures that prevent the export of hazardous e-waste to developing countries. "People are seeking services to help them recycle electronic waste responsibly and economically," said Greta Calvery, community affairs manager for Waste Management. "We hope to collect as much recyclable material as possible through this free event. It is our way of demonstrating a shared commitment with the community, by providing outstanding customer service and environmental stewardship." If residents cannot participate in this event, they are encouraged to drop-off their used electronics at a permanent facility, located at HOBI International, 7601 Ambassador Row, Dallas. For more information about the LG Electronics Recycling Program, please visit http://www.lgrecyclingprogram.com/ About LG Electronics USA LG Electronics USA, Inc., based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is the North American subsidiary of LG Electronics, Inc., a global force and technology leader in home appliances, consumer electronics ad mobile communications. In the United States, LG Electronics sells a wide range of stylish, innovative digital appliances, consumer electronics (digital display and digital media) products and mobile phones under LG's "Life's Good" marketing theme. For more information, please visit www.lg.com. About Waste Management and WM Recycle America, L.L.C. Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. Waste Management is the largest residential recycler in North America. Our customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more information about Waste Management visit www.wm.com or www.thinkgreen.com. WM Recycle America is a subsidiary of Waste Management and is the largest residential recycler in North America. WM Recycle America's business lines include processing many types of consumer-generated recyclables and finding the best markets for the recyclable commodities produced. In its capacity of providing processing and marketing services, WM Recycle America offers a wide variety of recycling options for municipal, manufacturing, commercial and residential customers. WM Recycle America eCycling Services operates a national network of e-waste processing centers, including Minnesota's only ISO9001 and 14001 Certified electronics processing facility. More information can be found at www.recycleamerica.com Original Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lg-electronics-conns-appliances-to-host-free-electronics-recycling-event-102064343.html Partnering with Waste Management and CBS Radio, Event Encourages Responsible Recycling [image] DALLAS, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- To encourage consumers to recycle electronic devices in an environmentally sound manner, LG Electronics and Waste Management Recycle America are asking Dallas-Fort Worth residents to take action and recycle their used devices at no charge in Lewisville on Saturday, Sept. 11. Co-sponsored by Conn's Appliances, the event is part of the LG Electronics Recycling Program, which was designed to provide consumers with a convenient way to dispose of their used, unwanted, obsolete or damaged consumer electronic products. The event will be held Sept. 11 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Lewisville, 1251 Valley Ridge Blvd. Together with Waste Management Recycle America and CBS Radio, LG Electronics and Conn's are encouraging consumers to responsibly recycle unused and outdated electronics products. Every family that brings in products for recycling will receive a coupon for $25 off on any LG-brand smart-energy-saving flat-screen HDTV, 42-inch class screen size or larger. Coupons, good at any of the 19 Conn's locations through out the Dallas-Fort Worth area, must be redeemed by Sept. 30. (Limit one coupon per family.) CBS Radio's four popular local stations (1080 KRLD, 105.3 The Fan, KLUV FM and JACK FM) will promote the event, including live onsite broadcasts and appearances by the KRLD Street Team and The FAN Street Team. "LG Electronics is taking a proactive approach to helping consumers responsibly dispose of end-of-life electronics by offering this free collection and recycling program to Dallas-area residents," said Timothy McGrady, Environmental Manager for LG Electronics USA, Inc. "At events like this one in Lewisville, we encourage consumers to dispose of unwanted electronics in an environmentally responsible manner. This is a cornerstone of LG's larger global sustainability initiative that also focuses on energy conservation, reduction of hazardous substances and responsible product designs. Life's good when it's green," he said. David Trahan of Conn's said: "With the fall TV season, including college and pro football broadcasts, upon us, this is a great time for consumers to upgrade to a more-energy-efficient flat-screen HDTV. Responsibly disposing of old TVs and other unwanted consumer electronics products will help save energy and is generally good for the environment. Conn's joins LG in encouraging area residents to take advantage of this terrific program." According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 82 percent of the 2.25 million tons of old TVs, cell phones and computer products generated in the last two years ended up in landfills. By recycling old electronic products, useful materials – such as glass, plastic and metals – can be collected and re-used to manufacture other products. Typically, residents would need to pay for their electronics to be properly collected and recycled, but as part of their ongoing efforts to help promote safe e-waste recycling, LG Electronics and Waste Management will be accepting any brand of electronics at this event for free (up to five items). In addition, the companies are committed to collecting and processing these items in an environmentally sound manner. The electronic materials received by LG will be processed at Waste Management facilities that are ISO 14001 and 9001 certified. In addition, Waste Management Recycle America is a signatory to the Basel Action Network's Manufacturers' Commitment to Responsible E-Waste Recycling as well as to the Responsible Recycling (R2) program. These actions signifies the company's agreement to conduct their electronics recycling programs transparently and in accord with rigorous environmental and worker safety standards, and to adhere to measures that prevent the export of hazardous e-waste to developing countries. "People are seeking services to help them recycle electronic waste responsibly and economically," said Greta Calvery, community affairs manager for Waste Management. "We hope to collect as much recyclable material as possible through this free event. It is our way of demonstrating a shared commitment with the community, by providing outstanding customer service and environmental stewardship." If residents cannot participate in this event, they are encouraged to drop-off their used electronics at a permanent facility, located at HOBI International, 7601 Ambassador Row, Dallas. For more information about the LG Electronics Recycling Program, please visit http://www.lgrecyclingprogram.com/ About LG Electronics USA LG Electronics USA, Inc., based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is the North American subsidiary of LG Electronics, Inc., a global force and technology leader in home appliances, consumer electronics ad mobile communications. In the United States, LG Electronics sells a wide range of stylish, innovative digital appliances, consumer electronics (digital display and digital media) products and mobile phones under LG's "Life's Good" marketing theme. For more information, please visit www.lg.com. About Waste Management and WM Recycle America, L.L.C. Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. Waste Management is the largest residential recycler in North America. Our customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more information about Waste Management visit www.wm.com or www.thinkgreen.com. WM Recycle America is a subsidiary of Waste Management and is the largest residential recycler in North America. WM Recycle America's business lines include processing many types of consumer-generated recyclables and finding the best markets for the recyclable commodities produced. In its capacity of providing processing and marketing services, WM Recycle America offers a wide variety of recycling options for municipal, manufacturing, commercial and residential customers. WM Recycle America eCycling Services operates a national network of e-waste processing centers, including Minnesota's only ISO9001 and 14001 Certified electronics processing facility. More information can be found at www.recycleamerica.com Original Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lg-electronics-conns-appliances-to-host-free-electronics-recycling-event-102064343.html Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:02:30 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_LG-Electronics-Conns-Appliances-to-Host-Free-Electronics-Recycling-Event/BLOG/2618685/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-03T04:02:30Z EcoSeed Community Partnering with Waste Management and CBS Radio, Event Encourages Responsible Recycling [image] DALLAS, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- To encourage consumers to recycle electronic devices in an environmentally sound manner, LG Electronics and Waste Management Recycle America are asking Dallas-Fort Worth residents to take action and recycle their used devices at no charge in Lewisville on Saturday, Sept. 11. Co-sponsored by Conn's Appliances, the event is part of the LG Electronics Recycling Program, which was designed to provide consumers with a convenient way to dispose of their used, unwanted, obsolete or damaged consumer electronic products. The event will be held Sept. 11 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Lewisville, 1251 Valley Ridge Blvd. Together with Waste Management Recycle America and CBS Radio, LG Electronics and Conn's are encouraging consumers to responsibly recycle unused and outdated electronics products. Every family that brings in products for recycling will receive a coupon for $25 off on any LG-brand smart-energy-saving flat-screen HDTV, 42-inch class screen size or larger. Coupons, good at any of the 19 Conn's locations through out the Dallas-Fort Worth area, must be redeemed by Sept. 30. (Limit one coupon per family.) CBS Radio's four popular local stations (1080 KRLD, 105.3 The Fan, KLUV FM and JACK FM) will promote the event, including live onsite broadcasts and appearances by the KRLD Street Team and The FAN Street Team. "LG Electronics is taking a proactive approach to helping consumers responsibly dispose of end-of-life electronics by offering this free collection and recycling program to Dallas-area residents," said Timothy McGrady, Environmental Manager for LG Electronics USA, Inc. "At events like this one in Lewisville, we encourage consumers to dispose of unwanted electronics in an environmentally responsible manner. This is a cornerstone of LG's larger global sustainability initiative that also focuses on energy conservation, reduction of hazardous substances and responsible product designs. Life's good when it's green," he said. David Trahan of Conn's said: "With the fall TV season, including college and pro football broadcasts, upon us, this is a great time for consumers to upgrade to a more-energy-efficient flat-screen HDTV. Responsibly disposing of old TVs and other unwanted consumer electronics products will help save energy and is generally good for the environment. Conn's joins LG in encouraging area residents to take advantage of this terrific program." According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 82 percent of the 2.25 million tons of old TVs, cell phones and computer products generated in the last two years ended up in landfills. By recycling old electronic products, useful materials – such as glass, plastic and metals – can be collected and re-used to manufacture other products. Typically, residents would need to pay for their electronics to be properly collected and recycled, but as part of their ongoing efforts to help promote safe e-waste recycling, LG Electronics and Waste Management will be accepting any brand of electronics at this event for free (up to five items). In addition, the companies are committed to collecting and processing these items in an environmentally sound manner. The electronic materials received by LG will be processed at Waste Management facilities that are ISO 14001 and 9001 certified. In addition, Waste Management Recycle America is a signatory to the Basel Action Network's Manufacturers' Commitment to Responsible E-Waste Recycling as well as to the Responsible Recycling (R2) program. These actions signifies the company's agreement to conduct their electronics recycling programs transparently and in accord with rigorous environmental and worker safety standards, and to adhere to measures that prevent the export of hazardous e-waste to developing countries. "People are seeking services to help them recycle electronic waste responsibly and economically," said Greta Calvery, community affairs manager for Waste Management. "We hope to collect as much recyclable material as possible through this free event. It is our way of demonstrating a shared commitment with the community, by providing outstanding customer service and environmental stewardship." If residents cannot participate in this event, they are encouraged to drop-off their used electronics at a permanent facility, located at HOBI International, 7601 Ambassador Row, Dallas. For more information about the LG Electronics Recycling Program, please visit http://www.lgrecyclingprogram.com/ About LG Electronics USA LG Electronics USA, Inc., based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is the North American subsidiary of LG Electronics, Inc., a global force and technology leader in home appliances, consumer electronics ad mobile communications. In the United States, LG Electronics sells a wide range of stylish, innovative digital appliances, consumer electronics (digital display and digital media) products and mobile phones under LG's "Life's Good" marketing theme. For more information, please visit www.lg.com. About Waste Management and WM Recycle America, L.L.C. Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. Waste Management is the largest residential recycler in North America. Our customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more information about Waste Management visit www.wm.com or www.thinkgreen.com. WM Recycle America is a subsidiary of Waste Management and is the largest residential recycler in North America. WM Recycle America's business lines include processing many types of consumer-generated recyclables and finding the best markets for the recyclable commodities produced. In its capacity of providing processing and marketing services, WM Recycle America offers a wide variety of recycling options for municipal, manufacturing, commercial and residential customers. WM Recycle America eCycling Services operates a national network of e-waste processing centers, including Minnesota's only ISO9001 and 14001 Certified electronics processing facility. More information can be found at www.recycleamerica.com Original Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lg-electronics-conns-appliances-to-host-free-electronics-recycling-event-102064343.html nonadult false LG Electronics, Conn's Appliances to Host Free Electronics Recycling Event text blog 158 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2618685 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Casio-Launches-Virtual-Room-Experience-for-GREEN-SLIM-Projectors/BLOG/2618683/29468.html [image] Users Can Visualize Mercury-Free High-Brightness Projectors In Various Settings DOVER, N.J., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Casio America, Inc. announced today the launch of an exciting new feature on the company's website, www.GreenSlimProjector.com. The website offers a 3D virtual tour of projector products which outlines new specifications and capabilities related to the company's innovative GREEN SLIM line of mercury-free, high-brightness projectors. The Virtual Room Experience engages prospective buyers by providing an interactive demonstration of how the projector can enhance their viewing experience in the boardroom, classroom, living room or bedroom.   The Virtual Room Experience showcases the ease of use, portability and low cost of ownership that the GREEN SLIM Projectors provide for various applications including business, education, gaming and home entertainment. Consumers can upload images, demo the projector and become familiar with its features and settings.   "We are thrilled to offer consumers an interactive way to learn more about our GREEN SLIM Projectors" says Frank Romeo, vice president of Casio's Business Projector Division. "The new features on the GREEN SLIM Projector website offer prospective customers a chance to evaluate the product and determine how it will fit into their lifestyle." The Virtual Room Experience will help consumers understand the GREEN SLIM line as well as its features and benefits. The GREEN SLIM line features lamp-free, low maintenance, lightweight and portable projectors capable of expanding the viewing area to 100 inches or larger and is the ideal alternative to purchasing a flat screen television.   Visit www.GreenSlimProjector.com to check out Casio's eco-friendly projector lineup and new Virtual Room Experience feature.     About Casio Casio America, Inc., Dover, N.J., is the U.S. subsidiary of Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, one of the world's leading manufacturers of consumer electronics and business equipment solutions, established in 1957. Casio America, Inc. markets many consumer electronic products and business to business electronic products throughout the United States. Casio has strived to realize its corporate creed of "creativity and contribution" through the introduction of innovative and imaginative products. For more information, visit www.casiousa.com. Original Source: Users Can Visualize Mercury-Free High-Brightness Projectors In Various Settings DOVER, N.J., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Casio America, Inc. announced today the launch of an exciting new feature on the company's website, www.GreenSlimProjector.com. The website offers a 3D virtual tour of projector products which outlines new specifications and capabilities related to the company's innovative GREEN SLIM line of mercury-free, high-brightness projectors. The Virtual Room Experience engages prospective buyers by providing an interactive demonstration of how the projector can enhance their viewing experience in the boardroom, classroom, living room or bedroom.   The Virtual Room Experience showcases the ease of use, portability and low cost of ownership that the GREEN SLIM Projectors provide for various applications including business, education, gaming and home entertainment. Consumers can upload images, demo the projector and become familiar with its features and settings.   "We are thrilled to offer consumers an interactive way to learn more about our GREEN SLIM Projectors" says Frank Romeo, vice president of Casio's Business Projector Division. "The new features on the GREEN SLIM Projector website offer prospective customers a chance to evaluate the product and determine how it will fit into their lifestyle." The Virtual Room Experience will help consumers understand the GREEN SLIM line as well as its features and benefits. The GREEN SLIM line features lamp-free, low maintenance, lightweight and portable projectors capable of expanding the viewing area to 100 inches or larger and is the ideal alternative to purchasing a flat screen television.   Visit www.GreenSlimProjector.com to check out Casio's eco-friendly projector lineup and new Virtual Room Experience feature.     About Casio Casio America, Inc., Dover, N.J., is the U.S. subsidiary of Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, one of the world's leading manufacturers of consumer electronics and business equipment solutions, established in 1957. Casio America, Inc. markets many consumer electronic products and business to business electronic products throughout the United States. Casio has strived to realize its corporate creed of "creativity and contribution" through the introduction of innovative and imaginative products. For more information, visit www.casiousa.com. [image] Users Can Visualize Mercury-Free High-Brightness Projectors In Various Settings DOVER, N.J., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Casio America, Inc. announced today the launch of an exciting new feature on the company's website, www.GreenSlimProjector.com. The website offers a 3D virtual tour of projector products which outlines new specifications and capabilities related to the company's innovative GREEN SLIM line of mercury-free, high-brightness projectors. The Virtual Room Experience engages prospective buyers by providing an interactive demonstration of how the projector can enhance their viewing experience in the boardroom, classroom, living room or bedroom.   The Virtual Room Experience showcases the ease of use, portability and low cost of ownership that the GREEN SLIM Projectors provide for various applications including business, education, gaming and home entertainment. Consumers can upload images, demo the projector and become familiar with its features and settings.   "We are thrilled to offer consumers an interactive way to learn more about our GREEN SLIM Projectors" says Frank Romeo, vice president of Casio's Business Projector Division. "The new features on the GREEN SLIM Projector website offer prospective customers a chance to evaluate the product and determine how it will fit into their lifestyle." The Virtual Room Experience will help consumers understand the GREEN SLIM line as well as its features and benefits. The GREEN SLIM line features lamp-free, low maintenance, lightweight and portable projectors capable of expanding the viewing area to 100 inches or larger and is the ideal alternative to purchasing a flat screen television.   Visit www.GreenSlimProjector.com to check out Casio's eco-friendly projector lineup and new Virtual Room Experience feature.     About Casio Casio America, Inc., Dover, N.J., is the U.S. subsidiary of Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, one of the world's leading manufacturers of consumer electronics and business equipment solutions, established in 1957. Casio America, Inc. markets many consumer electronic products and business to business electronic products throughout the United States. Casio has strived to realize its corporate creed of "creativity and contribution" through the introduction of innovative and imaginative products. For more information, visit www.casiousa.com. Original Source: Users Can Visualize Mercury-Free High-Brightness Projectors In Various Settings DOVER, N.J., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Casio America, Inc. announced today the launch of an exciting new feature on the company's website, www.GreenSlimProjector.com. The website offers a 3D virtual tour of projector products which outlines new specifications and capabilities related to the company's innovative GREEN SLIM line of mercury-free, high-brightness projectors. The Virtual Room Experience engages prospective buyers by providing an interactive demonstration of how the projector can enhance their viewing experience in the boardroom, classroom, living room or bedroom.   The Virtual Room Experience showcases the ease of use, portability and low cost of ownership that the GREEN SLIM Projectors provide for various applications including business, education, gaming and home entertainment. Consumers can upload images, demo the projector and become familiar with its features and settings.   "We are thrilled to offer consumers an interactive way to learn more about our GREEN SLIM Projectors" says Frank Romeo, vice president of Casio's Business Projector Division. "The new features on the GREEN SLIM Projector website offer prospective customers a chance to evaluate the product and determine how it will fit into their lifestyle." The Virtual Room Experience will help consumers understand the GREEN SLIM line as well as its features and benefits. The GREEN SLIM line features lamp-free, low maintenance, lightweight and portable projectors capable of expanding the viewing area to 100 inches or larger and is the ideal alternative to purchasing a flat screen television.   Visit www.GreenSlimProjector.com to check out Casio's eco-friendly projector lineup and new Virtual Room Experience feature.     About Casio Casio America, Inc., Dover, N.J., is the U.S. subsidiary of Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, one of the world's leading manufacturers of consumer electronics and business equipment solutions, established in 1957. Casio America, Inc. markets many consumer electronic products and business to business electronic products throughout the United States. Casio has strived to realize its corporate creed of "creativity and contribution" through the introduction of innovative and imaginative products. For more information, visit www.casiousa.com. Fri, 03 Sep 2010 03:57:10 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Casio-Launches-Virtual-Room-Experience-for-GREEN-SLIM-Projectors/BLOG/2618683/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-03T03:57:10Z EcoSeed Community [image] Users Can Visualize Mercury-Free High-Brightness Projectors In Various Settings DOVER, N.J., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Casio America, Inc. announced today the launch of an exciting new feature on the company's website, www.GreenSlimProjector.com. The website offers a 3D virtual tour of projector products which outlines new specifications and capabilities related to the company's innovative GREEN SLIM line of mercury-free, high-brightness projectors. The Virtual Room Experience engages prospective buyers by providing an interactive demonstration of how the projector can enhance their viewing experience in the boardroom, classroom, living room or bedroom.   The Virtual Room Experience showcases the ease of use, portability and low cost of ownership that the GREEN SLIM Projectors provide for various applications including business, education, gaming and home entertainment. Consumers can upload images, demo the projector and become familiar with its features and settings.   "We are thrilled to offer consumers an interactive way to learn more about our GREEN SLIM Projectors" says Frank Romeo, vice president of Casio's Business Projector Division. "The new features on the GREEN SLIM Projector website offer prospective customers a chance to evaluate the product and determine how it will fit into their lifestyle." The Virtual Room Experience will help consumers understand the GREEN SLIM line as well as its features and benefits. The GREEN SLIM line features lamp-free, low maintenance, lightweight and portable projectors capable of expanding the viewing area to 100 inches or larger and is the ideal alternative to purchasing a flat screen television.   Visit www.GreenSlimProjector.com to check out Casio's eco-friendly projector lineup and new Virtual Room Experience feature.     About Casio Casio America, Inc., Dover, N.J., is the U.S. subsidiary of Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, one of the world's leading manufacturers of consumer electronics and business equipment solutions, established in 1957. Casio America, Inc. markets many consumer electronic products and business to business electronic products throughout the United States. Casio has strived to realize its corporate creed of "creativity and contribution" through the introduction of innovative and imaginative products. For more information, visit www.casiousa.com. Original Source: Users Can Visualize Mercury-Free High-Brightness Projectors In Various Settings DOVER, N.J., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Casio America, Inc. announced today the launch of an exciting new feature on the company's website, www.GreenSlimProjector.com. The website offers a 3D virtual tour of projector products which outlines new specifications and capabilities related to the company's innovative GREEN SLIM line of mercury-free, high-brightness projectors. The Virtual Room Experience engages prospective buyers by providing an interactive demonstration of how the projector can enhance their viewing experience in the boardroom, classroom, living room or bedroom.   The Virtual Room Experience showcases the ease of use, portability and low cost of ownership that the GREEN SLIM Projectors provide for various applications including business, education, gaming and home entertainment. Consumers can upload images, demo the projector and become familiar with its features and settings.   "We are thrilled to offer consumers an interactive way to learn more about our GREEN SLIM Projectors" says Frank Romeo, vice president of Casio's Business Projector Division. "The new features on the GREEN SLIM Projector website offer prospective customers a chance to evaluate the product and determine how it will fit into their lifestyle." The Virtual Room Experience will help consumers understand the GREEN SLIM line as well as its features and benefits. The GREEN SLIM line features lamp-free, low maintenance, lightweight and portable projectors capable of expanding the viewing area to 100 inches or larger and is the ideal alternative to purchasing a flat screen television.   Visit www.GreenSlimProjector.com to check out Casio's eco-friendly projector lineup and new Virtual Room Experience feature.     About Casio Casio America, Inc., Dover, N.J., is the U.S. subsidiary of Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, one of the world's leading manufacturers of consumer electronics and business equipment solutions, established in 1957. Casio America, Inc. markets many consumer electronic products and business to business electronic products throughout the United States. Casio has strived to realize its corporate creed of "creativity and contribution" through the introduction of innovative and imaginative products. For more information, visit www.casiousa.com. nonadult false Casio Launches Virtual Room Experience for GREEN SLIM Projectors text blog 312 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2618683 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Mercedes-Benz-USA-Driving-the-USTAs-Green-Mission-at-the-2010-US-Open/BLOG/2618674/29468.html [image] Fuel Cell Vehicles and Hybrids Create Eco Advantage for US Open Fleet MONTVALE, N.J., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- As the Official Vehicle of the US Open, Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) announces today that it is a driving force behind the USTA's commitment to green initiatives by providing Mercedes-Benz S400 HYBRID sedans and Mercedes-Benz F-CELL (Hydrogen Electric Vehicle powered by a fuel cell) vehicles representing 60 percent of the fleet used for player and VIP transportation during the 2010 US Open tournament. As an innovator in luxury eco-transportation, Mercedes-Benz is dispatching its F-Cell hydrogen fuel vehicles with zero emissions in addition to 75 S400 Hybrid vehicles in an effort to reduce the overall carbon footprint of the US Open tournament.  The US Open launched its comprehensive environmental program three years ago and continues to expand green initiatives each year.  In 2010, key initiatives include recycling, energy management, composting and utilizing paper products comprised of at least 30% post-consumer waste.  In addition, a new green PSA campaign is planned featuring Alec Baldwin. “We are very excited to participate in the USTA’s environmental strategy and positively impact the US Open green initiatives through the Mercedes-Benz transportation fleet.  By tapping our portfolio of eco vehicles, we can provide athletes, staff and officials with green transportation without having to sacrifice luxury or safety,” said Stephen Cannon, Vice President of Marketing for Mercedes-Benz USA.  “Over the next four years, Mercedes-Benz is committed to exploring new ways through innovative eco mobility to help the USTA expand their environmental initiatives.” MERCEDES-BENZ S400 HYBRID The S400 HYBRID features the world's first lithium-ion battery designed specifically for automotive use.  The light-weight, high-capacity lithium-ion battery works with a 20-horsepower electric motor and a 275-hp V6 gasoline engine to provide hybrid power with impressive fuel economy estimated at 30 miles per gallon on the highway making it the clear GREEN choice for the US Open transportation fleet. An added bonus of driving green cars like the Mercedes-Benz Hybrid, beyond not sacrificing space, safety or luxury, is the IRS alternative-powertrain tax credit. The Mercedes-Benz hybrid credit for the S400H is $1150. MERCEDES-BENZ F-CELL Essentially an electric car that makes its own power on board, the new Mercedes-Benz F-CELL has a range of about 240 miles refueling with refueling taking only a few minutes. Running on compressed hydrogen, the F-CELL boasts an equivalent fuel mileage of 71.3 city-highway combined miles per gallon and water is the F-CELL's only emission. ABOUT MERCEDES-BENZ Mercedes-Benz USA, headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey, is responsible for the sales, marketing and customer service for all Mercedes-Benz and Maybach products in the United States.  MBUSA offers drivers the most diverse line-up in the luxury segment with 12 model lines ranging from the sporty C-Class to the flagship S-Class sedans and CL coupes.   More information on MBUSA and its products can be found at www.mbusa.com and www.maybachusa.com. ABOUT THE USTA The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level -- from local communities to the highest level of the professional game.  A not-for-profit organization with 750,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, the highest attended annual sporting event in the world, and launched the Olympus US Open Series linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns the 90 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S., is a minority owner and promotional partner of World TeamTennis, and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA philanthropic entity, USTA Serves, provides grants and scholarships and through tennis, helps underserved youth and people with disabilities to improve academics, build character and strive for excellence. For more information on the USTA, log on to usta.com. Accredited journalists and editors can access press materials by registering at www.media.mbusa.com and www.media.maybachusa.com.  Orignal Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mercedes-benz-usa-driving-the-ustas-green-mission-at-the-2010-us-open-101977518.html [image] Fuel Cell Vehicles and Hybrids Create Eco Advantage for US Open Fleet MONTVALE, N.J., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- As the Official Vehicle of the US Open, Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) announces today that it is a driving force behind the USTA's commitment to green initiatives by providing Mercedes-Benz S400 HYBRID sedans and Mercedes-Benz F-CELL (Hydrogen Electric Vehicle powered by a fuel cell) vehicles representing 60 percent of the fleet used for player and VIP transportation during the 2010 US Open tournament. As an innovator in luxury eco-transportation, Mercedes-Benz is dispatching its F-Cell hydrogen fuel vehicles with zero emissions in addition to 75 S400 Hybrid vehicles in an effort to reduce the overall carbon footprint of the US Open tournament.  The US Open launched its comprehensive environmental program three years ago and continues to expand green initiatives each year.  In 2010, key initiatives include recycling, energy management, composting and utilizing paper products comprised of at least 30% post-consumer waste.  In addition, a new green PSA campaign is planned featuring Alec Baldwin. “We are very excited to participate in the USTA’s environmental strategy and positively impact the US Open green initiatives through the Mercedes-Benz transportation fleet.  By tapping our portfolio of eco vehicles, we can provide athletes, staff and officials with green transportation without having to sacrifice luxury or safety,” said Stephen Cannon, Vice President of Marketing for Mercedes-Benz USA.  “Over the next four years, Mercedes-Benz is committed to exploring new ways through innovative eco mobility to help the USTA expand their environmental initiatives.” MERCEDES-BENZ S400 HYBRID The S400 HYBRID features the world's first lithium-ion battery designed specifically for automotive use.  The light-weight, high-capacity lithium-ion battery works with a 20-horsepower electric motor and a 275-hp V6 gasoline engine to provide hybrid power with impressive fuel economy estimated at 30 miles per gallon on the highway making it the clear GREEN choice for the US Open transportation fleet. An added bonus of driving green cars like the Mercedes-Benz Hybrid, beyond not sacrificing space, safety or luxury, is the IRS alternative-powertrain tax credit. The Mercedes-Benz hybrid credit for the S400H is $1150. MERCEDES-BENZ F-CELL Essentially an electric car that makes its own power on board, the new Mercedes-Benz F-CELL has a range of about 240 miles refueling with refueling taking only a few minutes. Running on compressed hydrogen, the F-CELL boasts an equivalent fuel mileage of 71.3 city-highway combined miles per gallon and water is the F-CELL's only emission. ABOUT MERCEDES-BENZ Mercedes-Benz USA, headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey, is responsible for the sales, marketing and customer service for all Mercedes-Benz and Maybach products in the United States.  MBUSA offers drivers the most diverse line-up in the luxury segment with 12 model lines ranging from the sporty C-Class to the flagship S-Class sedans and CL coupes.   More information on MBUSA and its products can be found at www.mbusa.com and www.maybachusa.com. ABOUT THE USTA The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level -- from local communities to the highest level of the professional game.  A not-for-profit organization with 750,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, the highest attended annual sporting event in the world, and launched the Olympus US Open Series linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns the 90 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S., is a minority owner and promotional partner of World TeamTennis, and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA philanthropic entity, USTA Serves, provides grants and scholarships and through tennis, helps underserved youth and people with disabilities to improve academics, build character and strive for excellence. For more information on the USTA, log on to usta.com. Accredited journalists and editors can access press materials by registering at www.media.mbusa.com and www.media.maybachusa.com.  Orignal Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mercedes-benz-usa-driving-the-ustas-green-mission-at-the-2010-us-open-101977518.html Fri, 03 Sep 2010 03:52:22 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Mercedes-Benz-USA-Driving-the-USTAs-Green-Mission-at-the-2010-US-Open/BLOG/2618674/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-03T03:52:22Z EcoSeed Community [image] Fuel Cell Vehicles and Hybrids Create Eco Advantage for US Open Fleet MONTVALE, N.J., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- As the Official Vehicle of the US Open, Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) announces today that it is a driving force behind the USTA's commitment to green initiatives by providing Mercedes-Benz S400 HYBRID sedans and Mercedes-Benz F-CELL (Hydrogen Electric Vehicle powered by a fuel cell) vehicles representing 60 percent of the fleet used for player and VIP transportation during the 2010 US Open tournament. As an innovator in luxury eco-transportation, Mercedes-Benz is dispatching its F-Cell hydrogen fuel vehicles with zero emissions in addition to 75 S400 Hybrid vehicles in an effort to reduce the overall carbon footprint of the US Open tournament.  The US Open launched its comprehensive environmental program three years ago and continues to expand green initiatives each year.  In 2010, key initiatives include recycling, energy management, composting and utilizing paper products comprised of at least 30% post-consumer waste.  In addition, a new green PSA campaign is planned featuring Alec Baldwin. “We are very excited to participate in the USTA’s environmental strategy and positively impact the US Open green initiatives through the Mercedes-Benz transportation fleet.  By tapping our portfolio of eco vehicles, we can provide athletes, staff and officials with green transportation without having to sacrifice luxury or safety,” said Stephen Cannon, Vice President of Marketing for Mercedes-Benz USA.  “Over the next four years, Mercedes-Benz is committed to exploring new ways through innovative eco mobility to help the USTA expand their environmental initiatives.” MERCEDES-BENZ S400 HYBRID The S400 HYBRID features the world's first lithium-ion battery designed specifically for automotive use.  The light-weight, high-capacity lithium-ion battery works with a 20-horsepower electric motor and a 275-hp V6 gasoline engine to provide hybrid power with impressive fuel economy estimated at 30 miles per gallon on the highway making it the clear GREEN choice for the US Open transportation fleet. An added bonus of driving green cars like the Mercedes-Benz Hybrid, beyond not sacrificing space, safety or luxury, is the IRS alternative-powertrain tax credit. The Mercedes-Benz hybrid credit for the S400H is $1150. MERCEDES-BENZ F-CELL Essentially an electric car that makes its own power on board, the new Mercedes-Benz F-CELL has a range of about 240 miles refueling with refueling taking only a few minutes. Running on compressed hydrogen, the F-CELL boasts an equivalent fuel mileage of 71.3 city-highway combined miles per gallon and water is the F-CELL's only emission. ABOUT MERCEDES-BENZ Mercedes-Benz USA, headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey, is responsible for the sales, marketing and customer service for all Mercedes-Benz and Maybach products in the United States.  MBUSA offers drivers the most diverse line-up in the luxury segment with 12 model lines ranging from the sporty C-Class to the flagship S-Class sedans and CL coupes.   More information on MBUSA and its products can be found at www.mbusa.com and www.maybachusa.com. ABOUT THE USTA The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level -- from local communities to the highest level of the professional game.  A not-for-profit organization with 750,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, the highest attended annual sporting event in the world, and launched the Olympus US Open Series linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns the 90 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S., is a minority owner and promotional partner of World TeamTennis, and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA philanthropic entity, USTA Serves, provides grants and scholarships and through tennis, helps underserved youth and people with disabilities to improve academics, build character and strive for excellence. For more information on the USTA, log on to usta.com. Accredited journalists and editors can access press materials by registering at www.media.mbusa.com and www.media.maybachusa.com.  Orignal Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mercedes-benz-usa-driving-the-ustas-green-mission-at-the-2010-us-open-101977518.html nonadult false Mercedes-Benz USA Driving the USTA's Green Mission at the 2010 US Open text blog 242 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2618674 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_RIs-1st-car-charging-station-unveiled/BLOG/2618035/29468.html WEST WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) - If you live in Rhode Island , and own a hybrid-electric car, filling your tank just got easier! [image] On Friday, Cardi's Furniture along with Arpin Renewable Energy unveiled the first electric charging station in the Ocean State. Its located at the Cardi's Furniture in West Warwick. "When you google a charging station, we're it. So, that's a good thing. It's good to be part of it and we're glad to see it move forward." said Ron Cardi of Cardi's Furniture. Cardis and Arpin are working together on the non profit,"Project Get Ready Rhode Island." The goal is to get 10,000 plug in- electric vehicles on the road by 2015. Peter Arpin, of Arpin Renewable Energy says today is just one of many steps toward the future. "We are working to transform transportation. As we develop the auto re-charging there's potential jobs for Rhode Island as well, a whole new industry." said Arpin. There are plans in the works to install additional electric charging stations around Rhode Island during in the fall of 2010. http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_news/west_bay/cardis-arpin-unveil-rhode-island's-first-car-charging-station-west-warwick-cardi's WEST WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) - If you live in Rhode Island , and own a hybrid-electric car, filling your tank just got easier! [image] On Friday, Cardi's Furniture along with Arpin Renewable Energy unveiled the first electric charging station in the Ocean State. Its located at the Cardi's Furniture in West Warwick. "When you google a charging station, we're it. So, that's a good thing. It's good to be part of it and we're glad to see it move forward." said Ron Cardi of Cardi's Furniture. Cardis and Arpin are working together on the non profit,"Project Get Ready Rhode Island." The goal is to get 10,000 plug in- electric vehicles on the road by 2015. Peter Arpin, of Arpin Renewable Energy says today is just one of many steps toward the future. "We are working to transform transportation. As we develop the auto re-charging there's potential jobs for Rhode Island as well, a whole new industry." said Arpin. There are plans in the works to install additional electric charging stations around Rhode Island during in the fall of 2010. http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_news/west_bay/cardis-arpin-unveil-rhode-island's-first-car-charging-station-west-warwick-cardi's Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:57:32 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_RIs-1st-car-charging-station-unveiled/BLOG/2618035/29468.html yiehk21 2010-09-03T02:57:32Z EcoSeed Community WEST WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) - If you live in Rhode Island , and own a hybrid-electric car, filling your tank just got easier! [image] On Friday, Cardi's Furniture along with Arpin Renewable Energy unveiled the first electric charging station in the Ocean State. Its located at the Cardi's Furniture in West Warwick. "When you google a charging station, we're it. So, that's a good thing. It's good to be part of it and we're glad to see it move forward." said Ron Cardi of Cardi's Furniture. Cardis and Arpin are working together on the non profit,"Project Get Ready Rhode Island." The goal is to get 10,000 plug in- electric vehicles on the road by 2015. Peter Arpin, of Arpin Renewable Energy says today is just one of many steps toward the future. "We are working to transform transportation. As we develop the auto re-charging there's potential jobs for Rhode Island as well, a whole new industry." said Arpin. There are plans in the works to install additional electric charging stations around Rhode Island during in the fall of 2010. http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_news/west_bay/cardis-arpin-unveil-rhode-island's-first-car-charging-station-west-warwick-cardi's nonadult false RI's 1st car charging station unveiled text blog 84 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=7683071&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_10005797_29468_7683071_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2618035 7683071 Gold 17080 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Businesses-see-advantage-in-green-buildings/BLOG/2617969/29468.html CHICAGO, Sep 02, 2010 (Chicago Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune News Service via COMTEX) -- [image] The Subway sandwich shop on Chicago's State Street may look like any other new restaurant, but its tile, crown molding and most wall coverings are made from recycled materials. In the bathroom, sensors control water flow, timers manage lights, and the toilet has a low-flow option. A smart air-conditioning system normalizes temperature between the bread ovens and the eating area. A few blocks north at Macy's, the Starbucks cafe features LED lighting, manually operated hand meter faucets to conserve water and a wooden coffee bar with a plaque explaining it was salvaged from a fallen local tree. The Dominick's grocery store reopening soon in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood has a "cool" roof, priority parking for low-emission vehicles, highly efficient meat and freezer cases, a bin for plastic bags that will be converted into deck materials and environmentally-friendly flooring secured with environmentally-friendly adhesive. Restaurants, cafes and grocery stores, it seems, are in an all-out race to be green. The Subway shop is the chain's first of its kind in a major city, and the Dominick's is the first of its Chicago grocery stores to have been rebuilt from the ground up with sustainability in mind. The store features high-tech, energy-saving equipment, such as heating and cooling systems tied into sensors that normalize temperatures from the bakery to the frozen-foods section. Starbucks, meanwhile, has vowed that all of its new, company-run stores will meet the U.S. Green Building Council's standard for environmentally-sustainable building design (LEED) by year-end. A variety of factors have encouraged green buildings. Subway and Dominick's, which is a division of Pleasanton, Calif.-based Safeway Inc., cite a slight improvement in the economy, and some cities, like Chicago, have streamlined the green permitting process. But most important, stores almost need to go green to retain and grow their customer base, said Robert Passikoff, founder of Brand Keys, a consultancy that measures customer loyalty. He said consumer interest in a corporation's environmentalism is five times greater than it was a decade ago. "It's one of those things you can't ignore," Passikoff said. Green buildings, he said, resonate with consumers even more than corporate pledges to recycle or purchase carbon offsets. All things being equal, the customer will choose the green company, or the milkshake from the green restaurant, he said. From a business perspective, motivations for building green appear to be threefold: energy savings, customer goodwill and marketing. Passikoff noted that going greener is just the first step. "The issue isn't just doing it, but doing it believably and communicating it believably," he said. "Right now, if I told you BP is doing a heck of a job with the environment, would you believe me?" A company's commitment to going greener, he said, "should be part of the entire brand equity approach," integrated into everything from advertising to public relations. Savvy retailers such as Starbucks know this and believe it's a reason customers may pay more for their coffee. The chain also certifies free-trade coffees and touts its relationships with farmers in the world's coffee-growing regions. Its store-design strategy has become another extension of the same message. Dominick's sees a link between going green and building goodwill. "A lot of what we've done is based on requests from consumers," company President Don Keprta said during a recent tour of the store, which is slated to reopen Sept. 30. "Everyone is very conscious of the greening of the country." For instance, in urban areas, the chain gets requests to help recycle, particularly plastic bags, and customers ask for a greater selection of reusable bags and expanded offerings of organics. http://www.tradingmarkets.com/news/stock-alert/sbux_businesses-see-advantage-in-green-buildings-1147092.html CHICAGO, Sep 02, 2010 (Chicago Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune News Service via COMTEX) -- [image] The Subway sandwich shop on Chicago's State Street may look like any other new restaurant, but its tile, crown molding and most wall coverings are made from recycled materials. In the bathroom, sensors control water flow, timers manage lights, and the toilet has a low-flow option. A smart air-conditioning system normalizes temperature between the bread ovens and the eating area. A few blocks north at Macy's, the Starbucks cafe features LED lighting, manually operated hand meter faucets to conserve water and a wooden coffee bar with a plaque explaining it was salvaged from a fallen local tree. The Dominick's grocery store reopening soon in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood has a "cool" roof, priority parking for low-emission vehicles, highly efficient meat and freezer cases, a bin for plastic bags that will be converted into deck materials and environmentally-friendly flooring secured with environmentally-friendly adhesive. Restaurants, cafes and grocery stores, it seems, are in an all-out race to be green. The Subway shop is the chain's first of its kind in a major city, and the Dominick's is the first of its Chicago grocery stores to have been rebuilt from the ground up with sustainability in mind. The store features high-tech, energy-saving equipment, such as heating and cooling systems tied into sensors that normalize temperatures from the bakery to the frozen-foods section. Starbucks, meanwhile, has vowed that all of its new, company-run stores will meet the U.S. Green Building Council's standard for environmentally-sustainable building design (LEED) by year-end. A variety of factors have encouraged green buildings. Subway and Dominick's, which is a division of Pleasanton, Calif.-based Safeway Inc., cite a slight improvement in the economy, and some cities, like Chicago, have streamlined the green permitting process. But most important, stores almost need to go green to retain and grow their customer base, said Robert Passikoff, founder of Brand Keys, a consultancy that measures customer loyalty. He said consumer interest in a corporation's environmentalism is five times greater than it was a decade ago. "It's one of those things you can't ignore," Passikoff said. Green buildings, he said, resonate with consumers even more than corporate pledges to recycle or purchase carbon offsets. All things being equal, the customer will choose the green company, or the milkshake from the green restaurant, he said. From a business perspective, motivations for building green appear to be threefold: energy savings, customer goodwill and marketing. Passikoff noted that going greener is just the first step. "The issue isn't just doing it, but doing it believably and communicating it believably," he said. "Right now, if I told you BP is doing a heck of a job with the environment, would you believe me?" A company's commitment to going greener, he said, "should be part of the entire brand equity approach," integrated into everything from advertising to public relations. Savvy retailers such as Starbucks know this and believe it's a reason customers may pay more for their coffee. The chain also certifies free-trade coffees and touts its relationships with farmers in the world's coffee-growing regions. Its store-design strategy has become another extension of the same message. Dominick's sees a link between going green and building goodwill. "A lot of what we've done is based on requests from consumers," company President Don Keprta said during a recent tour of the store, which is slated to reopen Sept. 30. "Everyone is very conscious of the greening of the country." For instance, in urban areas, the chain gets requests to help recycle, particularly plastic bags, and customers ask for a greater selection of reusable bags and expanded offerings of organics. http://www.tradingmarkets.com/news/stock-alert/sbux_businesses-see-advantage-in-green-buildings-1147092.html Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:53:11 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Businesses-see-advantage-in-green-buildings/BLOG/2617969/29468.html yiehk21 2010-09-03T02:53:11Z EcoSeed Community CHICAGO, Sep 02, 2010 (Chicago Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune News Service via COMTEX) -- [image] The Subway sandwich shop on Chicago's State Street may look like any other new restaurant, but its tile, crown molding and most wall coverings are made from recycled materials. In the bathroom, sensors control water flow, timers manage lights, and the toilet has a low-flow option. A smart air-conditioning system normalizes temperature between the bread ovens and the eating area. A few blocks north at Macy's, the Starbucks cafe features LED lighting, manually operated hand meter faucets to conserve water and a wooden coffee bar with a plaque explaining it was salvaged from a fallen local tree. The Dominick's grocery store reopening soon in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood has a "cool" roof, priority parking for low-emission vehicles, highly efficient meat and freezer cases, a bin for plastic bags that will be converted into deck materials and environmentally-friendly flooring secured with environmentally-friendly adhesive. Restaurants, cafes and grocery stores, it seems, are in an all-out race to be green. The Subway shop is the chain's first of its kind in a major city, and the Dominick's is the first of its Chicago grocery stores to have been rebuilt from the ground up with sustainability in mind. The store features high-tech, energy-saving equipment, such as heating and cooling systems tied into sensors that normalize temperatures from the bakery to the frozen-foods section. Starbucks, meanwhile, has vowed that all of its new, company-run stores will meet the U.S. Green Building Council's standard for environmentally-sustainable building design (LEED) by year-end. A variety of factors have encouraged green buildings. Subway and Dominick's, which is a division of Pleasanton, Calif.-based Safeway Inc., cite a slight improvement in the economy, and some cities, like Chicago, have streamlined the green permitting process. But most important, stores almost need to go green to retain and grow their customer base, said Robert Passikoff, founder of Brand Keys, a consultancy that measures customer loyalty. He said consumer interest in a corporation's environmentalism is five times greater than it was a decade ago. "It's one of those things you can't ignore," Passikoff said. Green buildings, he said, resonate with consumers even more than corporate pledges to recycle or purchase carbon offsets. All things being equal, the customer will choose the green company, or the milkshake from the green restaurant, he said. From a business perspective, motivations for building green appear to be threefold: energy savings, customer goodwill and marketing. Passikoff noted that going greener is just the first step. "The issue isn't just doing it, but doing it believably and communicating it believably," he said. "Right now, if I told you BP is doing a heck of a job with the environment, would you believe me?" A company's commitment to going greener, he said, "should be part of the entire brand equity approach," integrated into everything from advertising to public relations. Savvy retailers such as Starbucks know this and believe it's a reason customers may pay more for their coffee. The chain also certifies free-trade coffees and touts its relationships with farmers in the world's coffee-growing regions. Its store-design strategy has become another extension of the same message. Dominick's sees a link between going green and building goodwill. "A lot of what we've done is based on requests from consumers," company President Don Keprta said during a recent tour of the store, which is slated to reopen Sept. 30. "Everyone is very conscious of the greening of the country." For instance, in urban areas, the chain gets requests to help recycle, particularly plastic bags, and customers ask for a greater selection of reusable bags and expanded offerings of organics. http://www.tradingmarkets.com/news/stock-alert/sbux_businesses-see-advantage-in-green-buildings-1147092.html nonadult false Businesses see advantage in green buildings text blog 91 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=7683071&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_10005797_29468_7683071_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2617969 7683071 Gold 17080 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Sony-World-Wildlife-Fund-Team-Up-to-Crowdsource-Green-Tech-Using-Sony-Products/BLOG/2617877/29468.html BY ARIEL SCHWARTZToday [image] Hot on the heels of GE's Ecomagination Challenge, a crowdsourced promotional effort to develop power grid technologies, Sony Europe has launched a promotional crowdsourcing venture of its own. Open Planet Ideas, a website launched in conjunction with the WWF and the design firm IDEO, is being billed as an "online community incubator for collaborative technology solutions to critical environmental issues." Sony is asking participants to get inspiration from nine existing Sony technologies: wireless microphone, GPS, presence sensing, sweep panorama, peer-to-peer software, PSP Go, remote video monitoring, dye sensitized solar cells, and FeliCa (contactless wireless communication between two devices).  And the ideas have to be feasible using current technology. Sony explains: We’re not trying to create new products here: that’s the job of our engineers and designers. The spirit of this challenge is what we call "the art of the possible." We think that the answers to some of our biggest environmental challenges could be solvable with the tools that we already have. All that’s needed is applying them in radically new ways. To that end, Sony plans to release all information and documentation from the winning idea into the public domain. Because Sony is purely altruistic here--never mind that all the ideas involve Sony products and all of the advisers who will judge the entries are Sony employees. And unlike GE's $200 million prize bounty, Sony won't be offering any cash. Can a crowdsourced competition without a major reward really take off? We'll find out soon--submissions will be accepted from October 11th until November 29th. [Open Planet Ideas] Ariel Schwartz can be reached on Twitter or by email. http://www.fastcompany.com/1686463/sony-world-wildlife-fund-team-up-to-crowdsource-green-technology BY ARIEL SCHWARTZToday [image] Hot on the heels of GE's Ecomagination Challenge, a crowdsourced promotional effort to develop power grid technologies, Sony Europe has launched a promotional crowdsourcing venture of its own. Open Planet Ideas, a website launched in conjunction with the WWF and the design firm IDEO, is being billed as an "online community incubator for collaborative technology solutions to critical environmental issues." Sony is asking participants to get inspiration from nine existing Sony technologies: wireless microphone, GPS, presence sensing, sweep panorama, peer-to-peer software, PSP Go, remote video monitoring, dye sensitized solar cells, and FeliCa (contactless wireless communication between two devices).  And the ideas have to be feasible using current technology. Sony explains: We’re not trying to create new products here: that’s the job of our engineers and designers. The spirit of this challenge is what we call "the art of the possible." We think that the answers to some of our biggest environmental challenges could be solvable with the tools that we already have. All that’s needed is applying them in radically new ways. To that end, Sony plans to release all information and documentation from the winning idea into the public domain. Because Sony is purely altruistic here--never mind that all the ideas involve Sony products and all of the advisers who will judge the entries are Sony employees. And unlike GE's $200 million prize bounty, Sony won't be offering any cash. Can a crowdsourced competition without a major reward really take off? We'll find out soon--submissions will be accepted from October 11th until November 29th. [Open Planet Ideas] Ariel Schwartz can be reached on Twitter or by email. http://www.fastcompany.com/1686463/sony-world-wildlife-fund-team-up-to-crowdsource-green-technology Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:50:10 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Sony-World-Wildlife-Fund-Team-Up-to-Crowdsource-Green-Tech-Using-Sony-Products/BLOG/2617877/29468.html yiehk21 2010-09-03T02:50:10Z EcoSeed Community BY ARIEL SCHWARTZToday [image] Hot on the heels of GE's Ecomagination Challenge, a crowdsourced promotional effort to develop power grid technologies, Sony Europe has launched a promotional crowdsourcing venture of its own. Open Planet Ideas, a website launched in conjunction with the WWF and the design firm IDEO, is being billed as an "online community incubator for collaborative technology solutions to critical environmental issues." Sony is asking participants to get inspiration from nine existing Sony technologies: wireless microphone, GPS, presence sensing, sweep panorama, peer-to-peer software, PSP Go, remote video monitoring, dye sensitized solar cells, and FeliCa (contactless wireless communication between two devices).  And the ideas have to be feasible using current technology. Sony explains: We’re not trying to create new products here: that’s the job of our engineers and designers. The spirit of this challenge is what we call "the art of the possible." We think that the answers to some of our biggest environmental challenges could be solvable with the tools that we already have. All that’s needed is applying them in radically new ways. To that end, Sony plans to release all information and documentation from the winning idea into the public domain. Because Sony is purely altruistic here--never mind that all the ideas involve Sony products and all of the advisers who will judge the entries are Sony employees. And unlike GE's $200 million prize bounty, Sony won't be offering any cash. Can a crowdsourced competition without a major reward really take off? We'll find out soon--submissions will be accepted from October 11th until November 29th. [Open Planet Ideas] Ariel Schwartz can be reached on Twitter or by email. http://www.fastcompany.com/1686463/sony-world-wildlife-fund-team-up-to-crowdsource-green-technology nonadult false Sony, World Wildlife Fund Team Up to Crowdsource Green Tech - Using Sony Products text blog 201 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=7683071&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_10005797_29468_7683071_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2617877 7683071 Gold 17080 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Conserving-energy-the-IIT-B-way/BLOG/2617801/29468.html   [image] The Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) is going green. From vermiculture pits to low-flow showers and taps, the engineering institute has introduced several measures to conserve resources. This is part of their Green Campus Initiative, which aims at making the institute sustainable. The 550-acre campus is probably one of the first educational institutions to attempt to create an environmentally sustainable campus in such a large way. Sustainability would mean relying on the resources generated within the campus. Last week, the institute started its first vermicuture pit, which will cater to 24 families and convert all their wet garbage into usable manure. Unlike traditional vermiculture pits, this one uses deep-burrowing indigenous worms, which are easier to maintain and do not emit a foul smell. "With this technology, vermiculture can be carried out in any sized vermibed, even an earthen pot. It will be a boon to apply this technology at grassroot levels across India," said Aparna Inamdar, who has been developing this technology since 1993. Taking a cue from the faculty, even students are bringing in green technology on campus. Techfest, the annual technology festival, is making infrastructural changes on campus to save energy and water. They will install eco-friendly showerheads and pressure-reducing inserts in taps in hostels. The amount of water saved every day could fulfill the drinking water requirements of more than 3000 families for an entire week. "Green technology is the need of the hour. This is the first time we are focusing on green technology on campus. We have conducted water and energy audits and come up with solutions for the campus," said Neeraj Kookada, media manager of Techfest.    Techfest has even taken the Energy General Championship to the next level and made it an inter-IIT competition. The overall electricity bills of participating institutes will be compared for three months and the institute with the maximum decline in per capita consumption will be declared the winner. http://www.hindustantimes.com/Conserving-energy-the-IIT-B-way/Article1-594981.aspx     [image] The Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) is going green. From vermiculture pits to low-flow showers and taps, the engineering institute has introduced several measures to conserve resources. This is part of their Green Campus Initiative, which aims at making the institute sustainable. The 550-acre campus is probably one of the first educational institutions to attempt to create an environmentally sustainable campus in such a large way. Sustainability would mean relying on the resources generated within the campus. Last week, the institute started its first vermicuture pit, which will cater to 24 families and convert all their wet garbage into usable manure. Unlike traditional vermiculture pits, this one uses deep-burrowing indigenous worms, which are easier to maintain and do not emit a foul smell. "With this technology, vermiculture can be carried out in any sized vermibed, even an earthen pot. It will be a boon to apply this technology at grassroot levels across India," said Aparna Inamdar, who has been developing this technology since 1993. Taking a cue from the faculty, even students are bringing in green technology on campus. Techfest, the annual technology festival, is making infrastructural changes on campus to save energy and water. They will install eco-friendly showerheads and pressure-reducing inserts in taps in hostels. The amount of water saved every day could fulfill the drinking water requirements of more than 3000 families for an entire week. "Green technology is the need of the hour. This is the first time we are focusing on green technology on campus. We have conducted water and energy audits and come up with solutions for the campus," said Neeraj Kookada, media manager of Techfest.    Techfest has even taken the Energy General Championship to the next level and made it an inter-IIT competition. The overall electricity bills of participating institutes will be compared for three months and the institute with the maximum decline in per capita consumption will be declared the winner. http://www.hindustantimes.com/Conserving-energy-the-IIT-B-way/Article1-594981.aspx   Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:48:32 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Conserving-energy-the-IIT-B-way/BLOG/2617801/29468.html yiehk21 2010-09-03T02:48:32Z EcoSeed Community   [image] The Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) is going green. From vermiculture pits to low-flow showers and taps, the engineering institute has introduced several measures to conserve resources. This is part of their Green Campus Initiative, which aims at making the institute sustainable. The 550-acre campus is probably one of the first educational institutions to attempt to create an environmentally sustainable campus in such a large way. Sustainability would mean relying on the resources generated within the campus. Last week, the institute started its first vermicuture pit, which will cater to 24 families and convert all their wet garbage into usable manure. Unlike traditional vermiculture pits, this one uses deep-burrowing indigenous worms, which are easier to maintain and do not emit a foul smell. "With this technology, vermiculture can be carried out in any sized vermibed, even an earthen pot. It will be a boon to apply this technology at grassroot levels across India," said Aparna Inamdar, who has been developing this technology since 1993. Taking a cue from the faculty, even students are bringing in green technology on campus. Techfest, the annual technology festival, is making infrastructural changes on campus to save energy and water. They will install eco-friendly showerheads and pressure-reducing inserts in taps in hostels. The amount of water saved every day could fulfill the drinking water requirements of more than 3000 families for an entire week. "Green technology is the need of the hour. This is the first time we are focusing on green technology on campus. We have conducted water and energy audits and come up with solutions for the campus," said Neeraj Kookada, media manager of Techfest.    Techfest has even taken the Energy General Championship to the next level and made it an inter-IIT competition. The overall electricity bills of participating institutes will be compared for three months and the institute with the maximum decline in per capita consumption will be declared the winner. http://www.hindustantimes.com/Conserving-energy-the-IIT-B-way/Article1-594981.aspx   nonadult false Conserving energy the IIT-B way text blog 109 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=7683071&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_10005797_29468_7683071_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2617801 7683071 Gold 17080 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Montgomery-tries-its-hand-at-green-building-with-Garden-Square-project/BLOG/2617755/29468.html   [image] Montgomery's planning depart ment is making a foray into "green" building with its redevelopment proj ect in the Garden Square neighbor hood. City officials held a dem onstration Wednesday morning at the landfill to show how the city was re cycling parts of eight du plex homes on Amanda Loop and Amanda Lane in north Montgomery.  The duplexes are being gutted, and the materials, like drywall and concrete, are being recycled and reused. Other parts of the houses, namely the brick facades, external framing and roofs, will be preserved and used in the reno­vation projects. The roofs will be re-shingled. The drywall can be recycled and used as fertilizer. This is the first time the city's plan ning department has used "green" building techniques in its redevelop ment efforts, said Gary Sharp, grants coordinator for the city's planning de partment. "It is a project where we are actually retrofitting these houses with green materials and green building tech niques," Sharp said. The former duplexes also will get new floor plans and become single-fam ily homes. Since there no longer will be a need for two driveways, which essen tially turned the front yards into con crete pads, the homes now will have grass in the front yards and will, in turn, help the stormwater system and im prove aesthetics in the neighborhood. "They were built as tra ditional houses, but we're redoing them as green houses so we can pass the savings on to the resi dents," Sharp added. "It will save them a lot of money that they would normally spend on utility costs." The city announced Friday that it had been awarded $400,000 for the proj ect. Once the homes are finished this year, they will be listed for sale with a real estate agent. The estimated cost for each home could be about $85,000 if the project goes smoothly and costs are kept down. Once the houses are sold, the money will be reused for similar projects in the city. http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20100902/NEWS01/9020312/Montgomery+tries+its+hand+at++green++building+with+Garden+Square+project   [image] Montgomery's planning depart ment is making a foray into "green" building with its redevelopment proj ect in the Garden Square neighbor hood. City officials held a dem onstration Wednesday morning at the landfill to show how the city was re cycling parts of eight du plex homes on Amanda Loop and Amanda Lane in north Montgomery.  The duplexes are being gutted, and the materials, like drywall and concrete, are being recycled and reused. Other parts of the houses, namely the brick facades, external framing and roofs, will be preserved and used in the reno­vation projects. The roofs will be re-shingled. The drywall can be recycled and used as fertilizer. This is the first time the city's plan ning department has used "green" building techniques in its redevelop ment efforts, said Gary Sharp, grants coordinator for the city's planning de partment. "It is a project where we are actually retrofitting these houses with green materials and green building tech niques," Sharp said. The former duplexes also will get new floor plans and become single-fam ily homes. Since there no longer will be a need for two driveways, which essen tially turned the front yards into con crete pads, the homes now will have grass in the front yards and will, in turn, help the stormwater system and im prove aesthetics in the neighborhood. "They were built as tra ditional houses, but we're redoing them as green houses so we can pass the savings on to the resi dents," Sharp added. "It will save them a lot of money that they would normally spend on utility costs." The city announced Friday that it had been awarded $400,000 for the proj ect. Once the homes are finished this year, they will be listed for sale with a real estate agent. The estimated cost for each home could be about $85,000 if the project goes smoothly and costs are kept down. Once the houses are sold, the money will be reused for similar projects in the city. http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20100902/NEWS01/9020312/Montgomery+tries+its+hand+at++green++building+with+Garden+Square+project Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:44:08 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Montgomery-tries-its-hand-at-green-building-with-Garden-Square-project/BLOG/2617755/29468.html yiehk21 2010-09-03T02:44:08Z EcoSeed Community   [image] Montgomery's planning depart ment is making a foray into "green" building with its redevelopment proj ect in the Garden Square neighbor hood. City officials held a dem onstration Wednesday morning at the landfill to show how the city was re cycling parts of eight du plex homes on Amanda Loop and Amanda Lane in north Montgomery.  The duplexes are being gutted, and the materials, like drywall and concrete, are being recycled and reused. Other parts of the houses, namely the brick facades, external framing and roofs, will be preserved and used in the reno­vation projects. The roofs will be re-shingled. The drywall can be recycled and used as fertilizer. This is the first time the city's plan ning department has used "green" building techniques in its redevelop ment efforts, said Gary Sharp, grants coordinator for the city's planning de partment. "It is a project where we are actually retrofitting these houses with green materials and green building tech niques," Sharp said. The former duplexes also will get new floor plans and become single-fam ily homes. Since there no longer will be a need for two driveways, which essen tially turned the front yards into con crete pads, the homes now will have grass in the front yards and will, in turn, help the stormwater system and im prove aesthetics in the neighborhood. "They were built as tra ditional houses, but we're redoing them as green houses so we can pass the savings on to the resi dents," Sharp added. "It will save them a lot of money that they would normally spend on utility costs." The city announced Friday that it had been awarded $400,000 for the proj ect. Once the homes are finished this year, they will be listed for sale with a real estate agent. The estimated cost for each home could be about $85,000 if the project goes smoothly and costs are kept down. Once the houses are sold, the money will be reused for similar projects in the city. http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20100902/NEWS01/9020312/Montgomery+tries+its+hand+at++green++building+with+Garden+Square+project nonadult false Montgomery tries its hand at 'green' building with Garden Square project text blog 94 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=7683071&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_10005797_29468_7683071_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2617755 7683071 Gold 17080 http://community.ecoseed.org/_New-Horseneck-building-celebrated-for-its-green-technology/BLOG/2617721/29468.html   [image] WESTPORT — Beachgoers, state and local officials are celebrating the opening of a new building at Horseneck Beach that is being touted for its environmentally friendly features. Representatives of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, which runs the Horseneck Beach State Reservation, were joined by state and local officials for a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony at their new Beach Services Building. According to a DCR press release, the newly completed building is part of the Horseneck Beach State Reservation Rehabilitation Project, an $8.5 million project that began in 2007. In addition to the new building, the project includes two new bathhouses and a boardwalk. Rep. Michael Rodrigues, D-Westport, commended all involved in the project, saying the work had greatly improved the beach. "This has been the result (of) years of hard work at the local level," Rodrigues said. "It's been probably the smoothest series of construction events that I've ever been associated with in all my years at the Statehouse." Ruth Teixeira, DCR's director of park improvements, said several environmentally conscious ideas had been incorporated into the project, including the boardwalk to protect flora and fauna in the dune areas. The new building, she added, has a raised structure that allowed for sand migration. Teixeira also noted that the installation of composting toilets and cold-water outdoor spray stations — the latter replacing indoor showers — will reduce water usage at the facility by 17,000 gallons per day. The composting toilets were installed by the Andover-based Clivus New England Inc., whose president, Bill Wall, was also on hand for Friday's event. Wall said he hoped the project would be an example to be followed elsewhere in the state. "DCR is utilizing green technology in ways that make sense," Wall said. "So they're actually showing the rest of the state what can be done." http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100902/NEWS/9020333/-1/NEWSMAP   [image] WESTPORT — Beachgoers, state and local officials are celebrating the opening of a new building at Horseneck Beach that is being touted for its environmentally friendly features. Representatives of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, which runs the Horseneck Beach State Reservation, were joined by state and local officials for a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony at their new Beach Services Building. According to a DCR press release, the newly completed building is part of the Horseneck Beach State Reservation Rehabilitation Project, an $8.5 million project that began in 2007. In addition to the new building, the project includes two new bathhouses and a boardwalk. Rep. Michael Rodrigues, D-Westport, commended all involved in the project, saying the work had greatly improved the beach. "This has been the result (of) years of hard work at the local level," Rodrigues said. "It's been probably the smoothest series of construction events that I've ever been associated with in all my years at the Statehouse." Ruth Teixeira, DCR's director of park improvements, said several environmentally conscious ideas had been incorporated into the project, including the boardwalk to protect flora and fauna in the dune areas. The new building, she added, has a raised structure that allowed for sand migration. Teixeira also noted that the installation of composting toilets and cold-water outdoor spray stations — the latter replacing indoor showers — will reduce water usage at the facility by 17,000 gallons per day. The composting toilets were installed by the Andover-based Clivus New England Inc., whose president, Bill Wall, was also on hand for Friday's event. Wall said he hoped the project would be an example to be followed elsewhere in the state. "DCR is utilizing green technology in ways that make sense," Wall said. "So they're actually showing the rest of the state what can be done." http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100902/NEWS/9020333/-1/NEWSMAP Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:41:03 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_New-Horseneck-building-celebrated-for-its-green-technology/BLOG/2617721/29468.html yiehk21 2010-09-03T02:41:03Z EcoSeed Community   [image] WESTPORT — Beachgoers, state and local officials are celebrating the opening of a new building at Horseneck Beach that is being touted for its environmentally friendly features. Representatives of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, which runs the Horseneck Beach State Reservation, were joined by state and local officials for a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony at their new Beach Services Building. According to a DCR press release, the newly completed building is part of the Horseneck Beach State Reservation Rehabilitation Project, an $8.5 million project that began in 2007. In addition to the new building, the project includes two new bathhouses and a boardwalk. Rep. Michael Rodrigues, D-Westport, commended all involved in the project, saying the work had greatly improved the beach. "This has been the result (of) years of hard work at the local level," Rodrigues said. "It's been probably the smoothest series of construction events that I've ever been associated with in all my years at the Statehouse." Ruth Teixeira, DCR's director of park improvements, said several environmentally conscious ideas had been incorporated into the project, including the boardwalk to protect flora and fauna in the dune areas. The new building, she added, has a raised structure that allowed for sand migration. Teixeira also noted that the installation of composting toilets and cold-water outdoor spray stations — the latter replacing indoor showers — will reduce water usage at the facility by 17,000 gallons per day. The composting toilets were installed by the Andover-based Clivus New England Inc., whose president, Bill Wall, was also on hand for Friday's event. Wall said he hoped the project would be an example to be followed elsewhere in the state. "DCR is utilizing green technology in ways that make sense," Wall said. "So they're actually showing the rest of the state what can be done." http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100902/NEWS/9020333/-1/NEWSMAP nonadult false New Horseneck building celebrated for its 'green technology' text blog 96 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=7683071&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_10005797_29468_7683071_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2617721 7683071 Gold 17080 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Save-food-from-the-refrigerator/PHOTO/10518786/29468.html For more details: http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/blog/index.cfm/2009/11/26/Save-food-from-the-refrigerator For more details: http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/blog/index.cfm/2009/11/26/Save-food-from-the-refrigerator Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:37:20 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Save-food-from-the-refrigerator/PHOTO/10518786/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-03T02:37:20Z EcoSeed Community For more details: http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/blog/index.cfm/2009/11/26/Save-food-from-the-refrigerator nonadult false Save food from the refrigerator photo 13 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 10518786 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Save-food-from-the-refrigerator/PHOTO/10518779/29468.html For more details: http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/blog/index.cfm/2009/11/26/Save-food-from-the-refrigerator For more details: http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/blog/index.cfm/2009/11/26/Save-food-from-the-refrigerator Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:37:19 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Save-food-from-the-refrigerator/PHOTO/10518779/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-03T02:37:19Z EcoSeed Community For more details: http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/blog/index.cfm/2009/11/26/Save-food-from-the-refrigerator nonadult false Save food from the refrigerator photo 10 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 10518779 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Save-food-from-the-refrigerator/PHOTO/10518781/29468.html For more details: http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/blog/index.cfm/2009/11/26/Save-food-from-the-refrigerator For more details: http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/blog/index.cfm/2009/11/26/Save-food-from-the-refrigerator Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:37:19 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Save-food-from-the-refrigerator/PHOTO/10518781/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-03T02:37:19Z EcoSeed Community For more details: http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/blog/index.cfm/2009/11/26/Save-food-from-the-refrigerator nonadult false Save food from the refrigerator photo 9 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 10518781 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Save-food-from-the-refrigerator/PHOTO/10518783/29468.html For more details: http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/blog/index.cfm/2009/11/26/Save-food-from-the-refrigerator For more details: http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/blog/index.cfm/2009/11/26/Save-food-from-the-refrigerator Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:37:19 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Save-food-from-the-refrigerator/PHOTO/10518783/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-03T02:37:19Z EcoSeed Community For more details: http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/blog/index.cfm/2009/11/26/Save-food-from-the-refrigerator nonadult false Save food from the refrigerator photo 13 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 10518783 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Save-food-from-the-refrigerator/PHOTO/10518784/29468.html For more details: http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/blog/index.cfm/2009/11/26/Save-food-from-the-refrigerator For more details: http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/blog/index.cfm/2009/11/26/Save-food-from-the-refrigerator Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:37:19 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Save-food-from-the-refrigerator/PHOTO/10518784/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-03T02:37:19Z EcoSeed Community For more details: http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/blog/index.cfm/2009/11/26/Save-food-from-the-refrigerator nonadult false Save food from the refrigerator photo 12 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 10518784 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Local-schools-make-summer-changes/BLOG/2613339/29468.html By MATT POWERSDispatch Staff Writer [image] Local school districts have spent the summer renovating buildings, finding ways to ease student transitions and looking toward technology as a way to give students another path to learning.Oneida City School District Superintendent Ron Spadafora said the most obvious change in the district is the closed high school campus which will keep all but seniors with privileges from leaving campus during lunch periods. The move was made in order to address student safety and skipped classes.Senior privileges are earned if a student passes all credit-bearing classes, has less than two unexcused absences or late arrivals to school and has no disciplinary referrals. Seniors will be required to sign out when leaving campus and are not allowed to use their vehicles during lunch hours.The high school cafeteria was recently expanded to accommodate the large number of students required to stay on campus during lunch hours.Spadafora said there are new security systems with 24-hour monitoring at all schools. A new school security coordinator position was created to monitor the security systems.The student parking lot was completely redone and the tennis courts were resurfaced over the summer. The majority of renovation work being done at other schools in the district is scheduled to be done by the opening day of school.Canastota Superintendent Fred Bragan said one of the biggest changes this year is how he interacts with the community. He will hold a once-a-month “coffee with the superintendent” in the morning and in the evening. A superintendent’s blog will also be put up on the school website.He said after the failed school building referendum and bus proposition that the district was looking for new ways to interact with the community.He said the online parent portal will be launched in phases this year. The portal will allow parents to access their children’s grades and attendance record among other information online.He said a new initiative known as the “Gather Program” will allow ninth graders to meet with a teacher for guidance about the transition into ninth grade.“It’s a tough transition,” he said.Small groups of students will meet with a mentoring teacher on a regular basis.There are a number of changes in the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill School District for the upcoming school year.W.A. Wettel Elementary School is beginning a new leadership-themed character education program.J.D. George Elementary School is welcoming Kimberly LeBlanc as its new principal.One of the goals of the most recent capital project was to increase the physical safety and security of the schools, said Mark Wixon, VVS assistant superintendent for finance, in a written statement.He said they accomplished that goal with “the replacement of exterior doors throughout the district in combination with electronic card key door access and closed circuit video camera monitoring at single point of entry at each of our schools.”During regular school hours, visitors will be limited to a single entrance near the school’s main office which will be equipped with an intercom and video camera system, he said. Visitors will have to use the system to request access to the building.A new course will be added this year for ninth graders. The Freshman Seminar is designed to “strengthen and improve our students’ success as they transition from middle school to high school,” said Pamela Fuller, VVS High School interim principal, in a written statement.Chittenango Central School District Superintendent Thomas Marzeski said there are some big changes in store for the upcoming year in the district.This will be the first year for the full day kindergarten in the district.He said it was necessary to move to a full day schedule to allow for more time for instruction.He said there are no major technology updates in the district but that the schools are “continuously trying to keep it up to date.”He said he was proud that despite the financial cuts by the state, the district was “able to maintain the same well-rounded course offering this year.”Stockbridge Valley Central School District Superintendent Chuck Chafee said the district has been working on a $5.8 million building project over the summer. The project involved a new security system, electrical work and replacing skylights.He said the district will continue trying to drive reform and work with the “Race to the Top” standards.“We want to make them more ready for college,” he said.The district is working with Syracuse University Project Advance which is offering two American history courses for college credit. Stockbridge Valley now offers 10 dual credit courses including some from Morrisville State College and Mohawk Valley Community College.“It gives them a head start,” he said.Hamilton Central School District Superintendent Dr. Diana Bowers said the district has been finishing summer building projects which included painting and other renovations.The district recently received a $21,000 grant from the Hamilton Emerald Foundation.The district is rolling out more SMART Boards, which act as interactive whiteboards, into classrooms and will be providing iPod Touch devices for use by students in fourth and fifth grade classrooms.She said the iPods can be used in research, interactive learning and to provide instant electronic feedback to teachers.There are new agricultural elective courses being offered this year including a “green” technology course and a horticulture course.The Hamilton drama department will be active in the fall as they put on the play “Little Women”.Morrisville-Eaton Central School District Superintendent Michael Drahos said the district will be changing requirements and using new technology to evaluate student performance.“A new graduation requirement is being implemented this year,” he said. “All students must take an Information Literacy course.”He said in addition to reinforcing study skills, students will learn the Dewey Decimal and Library of Congress system and learn about the use of Internet research and database research.“Students will also learn how to read and think critically about current events,” he said. “The goal is to have students successfully navigate the skills necessary for the 21st century learner.”The English Department will be using the Criterion Online Writing Evaluation Service.“This program gives students instantaneous feedback to make corrections and evaluates their essays,” he said. “This will help students to self adjust their writing, while allowing teachers feedback to help students progress with their writing skills.”The district is also considering ways to reach out to the community.He said the district will “investigate and hopefully implement a more useful website to improve communication between school and community.”Calls to Madison Central School District were not returned by press time. http://oneidadispatch.com/articles/2010/08/31/news/doc4c7dc23f0c32c619504833.txt By MATT POWERSDispatch Staff Writer [image] Local school districts have spent the summer renovating buildings, finding ways to ease student transitions and looking toward technology as a way to give students another path to learning.Oneida City School District Superintendent Ron Spadafora said the most obvious change in the district is the closed high school campus which will keep all but seniors with privileges from leaving campus during lunch periods. The move was made in order to address student safety and skipped classes.Senior privileges are earned if a student passes all credit-bearing classes, has less than two unexcused absences or late arrivals to school and has no disciplinary referrals. Seniors will be required to sign out when leaving campus and are not allowed to use their vehicles during lunch hours.The high school cafeteria was recently expanded to accommodate the large number of students required to stay on campus during lunch hours.Spadafora said there are new security systems with 24-hour monitoring at all schools. A new school security coordinator position was created to monitor the security systems.The student parking lot was completely redone and the tennis courts were resurfaced over the summer. The majority of renovation work being done at other schools in the district is scheduled to be done by the opening day of school.Canastota Superintendent Fred Bragan said one of the biggest changes this year is how he interacts with the community. He will hold a once-a-month “coffee with the superintendent” in the morning and in the evening. A superintendent’s blog will also be put up on the school website.He said after the failed school building referendum and bus proposition that the district was looking for new ways to interact with the community.He said the online parent portal will be launched in phases this year. The portal will allow parents to access their children’s grades and attendance record among other information online.He said a new initiative known as the “Gather Program” will allow ninth graders to meet with a teacher for guidance about the transition into ninth grade.“It’s a tough transition,” he said.Small groups of students will meet with a mentoring teacher on a regular basis.There are a number of changes in the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill School District for the upcoming school year.W.A. Wettel Elementary School is beginning a new leadership-themed character education program.J.D. George Elementary School is welcoming Kimberly LeBlanc as its new principal.One of the goals of the most recent capital project was to increase the physical safety and security of the schools, said Mark Wixon, VVS assistant superintendent for finance, in a written statement.He said they accomplished that goal with “the replacement of exterior doors throughout the district in combination with electronic card key door access and closed circuit video camera monitoring at single point of entry at each of our schools.”During regular school hours, visitors will be limited to a single entrance near the school’s main office which will be equipped with an intercom and video camera system, he said. Visitors will have to use the system to request access to the building.A new course will be added this year for ninth graders. The Freshman Seminar is designed to “strengthen and improve our students’ success as they transition from middle school to high school,” said Pamela Fuller, VVS High School interim principal, in a written statement.Chittenango Central School District Superintendent Thomas Marzeski said there are some big changes in store for the upcoming year in the district.This will be the first year for the full day kindergarten in the district.He said it was necessary to move to a full day schedule to allow for more time for instruction.He said there are no major technology updates in the district but that the schools are “continuously trying to keep it up to date.”He said he was proud that despite the financial cuts by the state, the district was “able to maintain the same well-rounded course offering this year.”Stockbridge Valley Central School District Superintendent Chuck Chafee said the district has been working on a $5.8 million building project over the summer. The project involved a new security system, electrical work and replacing skylights.He said the district will continue trying to drive reform and work with the “Race to the Top” standards.“We want to make them more ready for college,” he said.The district is working with Syracuse University Project Advance which is offering two American history courses for college credit. Stockbridge Valley now offers 10 dual credit courses including some from Morrisville State College and Mohawk Valley Community College.“It gives them a head start,” he said.Hamilton Central School District Superintendent Dr. Diana Bowers said the district has been finishing summer building projects which included painting and other renovations.The district recently received a $21,000 grant from the Hamilton Emerald Foundation.The district is rolling out more SMART Boards, which act as interactive whiteboards, into classrooms and will be providing iPod Touch devices for use by students in fourth and fifth grade classrooms.She said the iPods can be used in research, interactive learning and to provide instant electronic feedback to teachers.There are new agricultural elective courses being offered this year including a “green” technology course and a horticulture course.The Hamilton drama department will be active in the fall as they put on the play “Little Women”.Morrisville-Eaton Central School District Superintendent Michael Drahos said the district will be changing requirements and using new technology to evaluate student performance.“A new graduation requirement is being implemented this year,” he said. “All students must take an Information Literacy course.”He said in addition to reinforcing study skills, students will learn the Dewey Decimal and Library of Congress system and learn about the use of Internet research and database research.“Students will also learn how to read and think critically about current events,” he said. “The goal is to have students successfully navigate the skills necessary for the 21st century learner.”The English Department will be using the Criterion Online Writing Evaluation Service.“This program gives students instantaneous feedback to make corrections and evaluates their essays,” he said. “This will help students to self adjust their writing, while allowing teachers feedback to help students progress with their writing skills.”The district is also considering ways to reach out to the community.He said the district will “investigate and hopefully implement a more useful website to improve communication between school and community.”Calls to Madison Central School District were not returned by press time. http://oneidadispatch.com/articles/2010/08/31/news/doc4c7dc23f0c32c619504833.txt Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:08:28 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Local-schools-make-summer-changes/BLOG/2613339/29468.html yiehk21 2010-09-02T06:08:28Z EcoSeed Community By MATT POWERSDispatch Staff Writer [image] Local school districts have spent the summer renovating buildings, finding ways to ease student transitions and looking toward technology as a way to give students another path to learning.Oneida City School District Superintendent Ron Spadafora said the most obvious change in the district is the closed high school campus which will keep all but seniors with privileges from leaving campus during lunch periods. The move was made in order to address student safety and skipped classes.Senior privileges are earned if a student passes all credit-bearing classes, has less than two unexcused absences or late arrivals to school and has no disciplinary referrals. Seniors will be required to sign out when leaving campus and are not allowed to use their vehicles during lunch hours.The high school cafeteria was recently expanded to accommodate the large number of students required to stay on campus during lunch hours.Spadafora said there are new security systems with 24-hour monitoring at all schools. A new school security coordinator position was created to monitor the security systems.The student parking lot was completely redone and the tennis courts were resurfaced over the summer. The majority of renovation work being done at other schools in the district is scheduled to be done by the opening day of school.Canastota Superintendent Fred Bragan said one of the biggest changes this year is how he interacts with the community. He will hold a once-a-month “coffee with the superintendent” in the morning and in the evening. A superintendent’s blog will also be put up on the school website.He said after the failed school building referendum and bus proposition that the district was looking for new ways to interact with the community.He said the online parent portal will be launched in phases this year. The portal will allow parents to access their children’s grades and attendance record among other information online.He said a new initiative known as the “Gather Program” will allow ninth graders to meet with a teacher for guidance about the transition into ninth grade.“It’s a tough transition,” he said.Small groups of students will meet with a mentoring teacher on a regular basis.There are a number of changes in the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill School District for the upcoming school year.W.A. Wettel Elementary School is beginning a new leadership-themed character education program.J.D. George Elementary School is welcoming Kimberly LeBlanc as its new principal.One of the goals of the most recent capital project was to increase the physical safety and security of the schools, said Mark Wixon, VVS assistant superintendent for finance, in a written statement.He said they accomplished that goal with “the replacement of exterior doors throughout the district in combination with electronic card key door access and closed circuit video camera monitoring at single point of entry at each of our schools.”During regular school hours, visitors will be limited to a single entrance near the school’s main office which will be equipped with an intercom and video camera system, he said. Visitors will have to use the system to request access to the building.A new course will be added this year for ninth graders. The Freshman Seminar is designed to “strengthen and improve our students’ success as they transition from middle school to high school,” said Pamela Fuller, VVS High School interim principal, in a written statement.Chittenango Central School District Superintendent Thomas Marzeski said there are some big changes in store for the upcoming year in the district.This will be the first year for the full day kindergarten in the district.He said it was necessary to move to a full day schedule to allow for more time for instruction.He said there are no major technology updates in the district but that the schools are “continuously trying to keep it up to date.”He said he was proud that despite the financial cuts by the state, the district was “able to maintain the same well-rounded course offering this year.”Stockbridge Valley Central School District Superintendent Chuck Chafee said the district has been working on a $5.8 million building project over the summer. The project involved a new security system, electrical work and replacing skylights.He said the district will continue trying to drive reform and work with the “Race to the Top” standards.“We want to make them more ready for college,” he said.The district is working with Syracuse University Project Advance which is offering two American history courses for college credit. Stockbridge Valley now offers 10 dual credit courses including some from Morrisville State College and Mohawk Valley Community College.“It gives them a head start,” he said.Hamilton Central School District Superintendent Dr. Diana Bowers said the district has been finishing summer building projects which included painting and other renovations.The district recently received a $21,000 grant from the Hamilton Emerald Foundation.The district is rolling out more SMART Boards, which act as interactive whiteboards, into classrooms and will be providing iPod Touch devices for use by students in fourth and fifth grade classrooms.She said the iPods can be used in research, interactive learning and to provide instant electronic feedback to teachers.There are new agricultural elective courses being offered this year including a “green” technology course and a horticulture course.The Hamilton drama department will be active in the fall as they put on the play “Little Women”.Morrisville-Eaton Central School District Superintendent Michael Drahos said the district will be changing requirements and using new technology to evaluate student performance.“A new graduation requirement is being implemented this year,” he said. “All students must take an Information Literacy course.”He said in addition to reinforcing study skills, students will learn the Dewey Decimal and Library of Congress system and learn about the use of Internet research and database research.“Students will also learn how to read and think critically about current events,” he said. “The goal is to have students successfully navigate the skills necessary for the 21st century learner.”The English Department will be using the Criterion Online Writing Evaluation Service.“This program gives students instantaneous feedback to make corrections and evaluates their essays,” he said. “This will help students to self adjust their writing, while allowing teachers feedback to help students progress with their writing skills.”The district is also considering ways to reach out to the community.He said the district will “investigate and hopefully implement a more useful website to improve communication between school and community.”Calls to Madison Central School District were not returned by press time. http://oneidadispatch.com/articles/2010/08/31/news/doc4c7dc23f0c32c619504833.txt nonadult false Local schools make summer changes text blog 76 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=7683071&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_10005797_29468_7683071_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2613339 7683071 Gold 17080 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Taiwan-Ireland-forum-to-discuss-green-technology/BLOG/2613333/29468.html LONDON -- Taiwan and Ireland opened a two-day conference in Dublin Monday to discuss cooperation on sustainable energy technology, Taiwan's representative to Ireland said that same day. [image] The joint conference, sponsored by the National Science Council (NSC) of Taiwan and the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) in Ireland, has five major topics on its agenda -- applications of information and communication technology, ocean energy, renewable energy, solar energy and smart grids. The conference has been planned for about two years and has finally been organized thanks to the aid of the NSC and the SFI, Republic of China Representative to Ireland Lee Nan-yang said at the opening ceremony. “Taiwan and Ireland are both devoted to the development of green power,” Lee said. “I hope the joint conference will increase the opportunities for cooperation on green power technology between the two countries,” he added. Speaking on the same occasion, SFI project manager Wendy McLoone said the Irish government expects to see more exchanges as the session will cover both the industrial and academic perspectives. Over 70 representatives attended the conference, including officials of state-owned companies and scholars from both countries. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/foreign-community/2010/09/01/270950/Taiwan-Ireland.htm LONDON -- Taiwan and Ireland opened a two-day conference in Dublin Monday to discuss cooperation on sustainable energy technology, Taiwan's representative to Ireland said that same day. [image] The joint conference, sponsored by the National Science Council (NSC) of Taiwan and the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) in Ireland, has five major topics on its agenda -- applications of information and communication technology, ocean energy, renewable energy, solar energy and smart grids. The conference has been planned for about two years and has finally been organized thanks to the aid of the NSC and the SFI, Republic of China Representative to Ireland Lee Nan-yang said at the opening ceremony. “Taiwan and Ireland are both devoted to the development of green power,” Lee said. “I hope the joint conference will increase the opportunities for cooperation on green power technology between the two countries,” he added. Speaking on the same occasion, SFI project manager Wendy McLoone said the Irish government expects to see more exchanges as the session will cover both the industrial and academic perspectives. Over 70 representatives attended the conference, including officials of state-owned companies and scholars from both countries. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/foreign-community/2010/09/01/270950/Taiwan-Ireland.htm Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:06:07 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Taiwan-Ireland-forum-to-discuss-green-technology/BLOG/2613333/29468.html yiehk21 2010-09-02T06:06:07Z EcoSeed Community LONDON -- Taiwan and Ireland opened a two-day conference in Dublin Monday to discuss cooperation on sustainable energy technology, Taiwan's representative to Ireland said that same day. [image] The joint conference, sponsored by the National Science Council (NSC) of Taiwan and the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) in Ireland, has five major topics on its agenda -- applications of information and communication technology, ocean energy, renewable energy, solar energy and smart grids. The conference has been planned for about two years and has finally been organized thanks to the aid of the NSC and the SFI, Republic of China Representative to Ireland Lee Nan-yang said at the opening ceremony. “Taiwan and Ireland are both devoted to the development of green power,” Lee said. “I hope the joint conference will increase the opportunities for cooperation on green power technology between the two countries,” he added. Speaking on the same occasion, SFI project manager Wendy McLoone said the Irish government expects to see more exchanges as the session will cover both the industrial and academic perspectives. Over 70 representatives attended the conference, including officials of state-owned companies and scholars from both countries. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/foreign-community/2010/09/01/270950/Taiwan-Ireland.htm nonadult false Taiwan, Ireland forum to discuss green technology text blog 68 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=7683071&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_10005797_29468_7683071_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2613333 7683071 Gold 17080 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Local-Refinery-has-Breakthrough-in-Green-Technology/BLOG/2613328/29468.html   [image] A Sparks refinery is the first of its kind in Nevada to get approval from state regulators for a cleaner fuel. Advanced Refining Concepts currently sells "G-Diesel" to five local and regional fuel distributors. But, they're hoping to increase their current output from 100,000 gallons a day to 300,000 gallons a day. Refinery officials say "G-Diesel" fuel has zero-emissions and is now designated as an alternative fuel by the state. There's no doubt that diesel fuels major industry, like getting cargo and shipments around the country by big rigs. "There's a lot of people that were thinking they'd have to move away from the diesel product because of the emissions, " Peter Gunnerman with Advanced Refining Concepts says.   But, that may not be the case anymore. Advanced Refining Concepts, which employs 30 people, found a way to make diesel fuel much cleaner. They call it "G-Diesel" "basically we're re-refining regular diesel and we're turning it into a clean alternative fuel," Gunnerman says.   Because of that "G-Diesel" has a lower molecular weight and burns more efficiently. The product is now certified by the state's alternative fuel program and it's already in use.    "It still meets all of the government regulations for diesel fuel which means absolutely no modifications to the engines or the vehicles are required," Gunnerman says.   And that's the positive for the company, as they are trying to get more local and regional fuel distributors on board. What's also a plus, the green technology is low cost in how it's stored and how fuel would be pumped at the gas station.  "A lot of the green technologies that are out there require huge infrastructure changes and when ever you say change it means cost," Gunnerman says.   [image] A Sparks refinery is the first of its kind in Nevada to get approval from state regulators for a cleaner fuel. Advanced Refining Concepts currently sells "G-Diesel" to five local and regional fuel distributors. But, they're hoping to increase their current output from 100,000 gallons a day to 300,000 gallons a day. Refinery officials say "G-Diesel" fuel has zero-emissions and is now designated as an alternative fuel by the state. There's no doubt that diesel fuels major industry, like getting cargo and shipments around the country by big rigs. "There's a lot of people that were thinking they'd have to move away from the diesel product because of the emissions, " Peter Gunnerman with Advanced Refining Concepts says.   But, that may not be the case anymore. Advanced Refining Concepts, which employs 30 people, found a way to make diesel fuel much cleaner. They call it "G-Diesel" "basically we're re-refining regular diesel and we're turning it into a clean alternative fuel," Gunnerman says.   Because of that "G-Diesel" has a lower molecular weight and burns more efficiently. The product is now certified by the state's alternative fuel program and it's already in use.    "It still meets all of the government regulations for diesel fuel which means absolutely no modifications to the engines or the vehicles are required," Gunnerman says.   And that's the positive for the company, as they are trying to get more local and regional fuel distributors on board. What's also a plus, the green technology is low cost in how it's stored and how fuel would be pumped at the gas station.  "A lot of the green technologies that are out there require huge infrastructure changes and when ever you say change it means cost," Gunnerman says. Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:03:18 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Local-Refinery-has-Breakthrough-in-Green-Technology/BLOG/2613328/29468.html yiehk21 2010-09-02T06:03:18Z EcoSeed Community   [image] A Sparks refinery is the first of its kind in Nevada to get approval from state regulators for a cleaner fuel. Advanced Refining Concepts currently sells "G-Diesel" to five local and regional fuel distributors. But, they're hoping to increase their current output from 100,000 gallons a day to 300,000 gallons a day. Refinery officials say "G-Diesel" fuel has zero-emissions and is now designated as an alternative fuel by the state. There's no doubt that diesel fuels major industry, like getting cargo and shipments around the country by big rigs. "There's a lot of people that were thinking they'd have to move away from the diesel product because of the emissions, " Peter Gunnerman with Advanced Refining Concepts says.   But, that may not be the case anymore. Advanced Refining Concepts, which employs 30 people, found a way to make diesel fuel much cleaner. They call it "G-Diesel" "basically we're re-refining regular diesel and we're turning it into a clean alternative fuel," Gunnerman says.   Because of that "G-Diesel" has a lower molecular weight and burns more efficiently. The product is now certified by the state's alternative fuel program and it's already in use.    "It still meets all of the government regulations for diesel fuel which means absolutely no modifications to the engines or the vehicles are required," Gunnerman says.   And that's the positive for the company, as they are trying to get more local and regional fuel distributors on board. What's also a plus, the green technology is low cost in how it's stored and how fuel would be pumped at the gas station.  "A lot of the green technologies that are out there require huge infrastructure changes and when ever you say change it means cost," Gunnerman says. nonadult false Local Refinery has Breakthrough in Green Technology text blog 65 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=7683071&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_10005797_29468_7683071_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2613328 7683071 Gold 17080 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Do-Energy-Consumers-Understand-How-and-Why-to-Save/BLOG/2613327/29468.html [image]If you looked at your house on a cloudy day and noticed the shingles on the roof were worn, you might make a mental note to replace them at some point. But if you looked up and saw a big gaping hole, you’d move much faster to cover it up before those ominous black clouds flooded your living room. That’s just human nature. The greater the threat, the more quickly we respond. A new survey of Americans on the most effective ways to save energy indicates that the climate crisis is not seen as a problem severe enough to warrant aggressive action. The survey also raises the question of how well people who understand the problem are communicating its seriousness. The survey of people in 34 states, recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that Americans overestimate the amount of energy they can save with small changes that actually do little and underestimate the benefits of switching to efficient, currently available technologies that could have a larger impact. Nearly 20 percent of those queried cited turning off lights as the best approach to save energy. But the report contends that step actually saves very little in energy budgets. Meanwhile less than three percent cited driving more fuel efficient cars, using more energy efficient appliances and weatherizing their homes. According to the report, previous studies have found that household energy consumption could be reduced by 30 percent if people made those choices. In other words, without waiting for breakthrough technologies such as super-efficient cars or making enormous economic sacrifices. So why don’t they make those choices? Shahzeen Attari, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University’s Earth Instituteand Columbia’s Center for Research on Environmental Decisions, said that “When people think of themselves, they may tend to think of what they can do that is cheap and easy at the moment.” Additionally, she says that people are typically willing to take one or two actions to address a perceived problem. After that they feel they’ve done all they can. All of which suggests a casual attitude towards conservation. But is that because people aren’t aware of the advantages of improved technology or because they aren’t concerned about the issue? For many people, even those  who believe the environment is changing, the problem is still non-threatening and not motivating them to act. If covering the hole in your roof with newspaper doesn’t keep the rain out, you’ll research a more effective solution. Similarly, if energy consumers have a greater appreciation for the magnitude of the climate crisis, they’ll take a greater interest in doing more to conserve energy beyond flipping their lights off. That raises the question of communication. Attari keeps her focus on understanding how to save energy rather than why. She suggests that scientists, government, industry and environmental groups may have “failed to communicate” the potential benefits of new technology and instead focused on funding recycling drives and encouraging actions like turning off lights. She further argues that if people are going to take one or two actions, they need to be steps that will have a high impact. “People are still not aware of what the big savers are,” she says. http://www.triplepundit.com/2010/08/do-energy-consumers-understand-how-and-why-to-save/ [image]If you looked at your house on a cloudy day and noticed the shingles on the roof were worn, you might make a mental note to replace them at some point. But if you looked up and saw a big gaping hole, you’d move much faster to cover it up before those ominous black clouds flooded your living room. That’s just human nature. The greater the threat, the more quickly we respond. A new survey of Americans on the most effective ways to save energy indicates that the climate crisis is not seen as a problem severe enough to warrant aggressive action. The survey also raises the question of how well people who understand the problem are communicating its seriousness. The survey of people in 34 states, recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that Americans overestimate the amount of energy they can save with small changes that actually do little and underestimate the benefits of switching to efficient, currently available technologies that could have a larger impact. Nearly 20 percent of those queried cited turning off lights as the best approach to save energy. But the report contends that step actually saves very little in energy budgets. Meanwhile less than three percent cited driving more fuel efficient cars, using more energy efficient appliances and weatherizing their homes. According to the report, previous studies have found that household energy consumption could be reduced by 30 percent if people made those choices. In other words, without waiting for breakthrough technologies such as super-efficient cars or making enormous economic sacrifices. So why don’t they make those choices? Shahzeen Attari, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University’s Earth Instituteand Columbia’s Center for Research on Environmental Decisions, said that “When people think of themselves, they may tend to think of what they can do that is cheap and easy at the moment.” Additionally, she says that people are typically willing to take one or two actions to address a perceived problem. After that they feel they’ve done all they can. All of which suggests a casual attitude towards conservation. But is that because people aren’t aware of the advantages of improved technology or because they aren’t concerned about the issue? For many people, even those  who believe the environment is changing, the problem is still non-threatening and not motivating them to act. If covering the hole in your roof with newspaper doesn’t keep the rain out, you’ll research a more effective solution. Similarly, if energy consumers have a greater appreciation for the magnitude of the climate crisis, they’ll take a greater interest in doing more to conserve energy beyond flipping their lights off. That raises the question of communication. Attari keeps her focus on understanding how to save energy rather than why. She suggests that scientists, government, industry and environmental groups may have “failed to communicate” the potential benefits of new technology and instead focused on funding recycling drives and encouraging actions like turning off lights. She further argues that if people are going to take one or two actions, they need to be steps that will have a high impact. “People are still not aware of what the big savers are,” she says. http://www.triplepundit.com/2010/08/do-energy-consumers-understand-how-and-why-to-save/ Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:01:11 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Do-Energy-Consumers-Understand-How-and-Why-to-Save/BLOG/2613327/29468.html yiehk21 2010-09-02T06:01:11Z EcoSeed Community [image]If you looked at your house on a cloudy day and noticed the shingles on the roof were worn, you might make a mental note to replace them at some point. But if you looked up and saw a big gaping hole, you’d move much faster to cover it up before those ominous black clouds flooded your living room. That’s just human nature. The greater the threat, the more quickly we respond. A new survey of Americans on the most effective ways to save energy indicates that the climate crisis is not seen as a problem severe enough to warrant aggressive action. The survey also raises the question of how well people who understand the problem are communicating its seriousness. The survey of people in 34 states, recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that Americans overestimate the amount of energy they can save with small changes that actually do little and underestimate the benefits of switching to efficient, currently available technologies that could have a larger impact. Nearly 20 percent of those queried cited turning off lights as the best approach to save energy. But the report contends that step actually saves very little in energy budgets. Meanwhile less than three percent cited driving more fuel efficient cars, using more energy efficient appliances and weatherizing their homes. According to the report, previous studies have found that household energy consumption could be reduced by 30 percent if people made those choices. In other words, without waiting for breakthrough technologies such as super-efficient cars or making enormous economic sacrifices. So why don’t they make those choices? Shahzeen Attari, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University’s Earth Instituteand Columbia’s Center for Research on Environmental Decisions, said that “When people think of themselves, they may tend to think of what they can do that is cheap and easy at the moment.” Additionally, she says that people are typically willing to take one or two actions to address a perceived problem. After that they feel they’ve done all they can. All of which suggests a casual attitude towards conservation. But is that because people aren’t aware of the advantages of improved technology or because they aren’t concerned about the issue? For many people, even those  who believe the environment is changing, the problem is still non-threatening and not motivating them to act. If covering the hole in your roof with newspaper doesn’t keep the rain out, you’ll research a more effective solution. Similarly, if energy consumers have a greater appreciation for the magnitude of the climate crisis, they’ll take a greater interest in doing more to conserve energy beyond flipping their lights off. That raises the question of communication. Attari keeps her focus on understanding how to save energy rather than why. She suggests that scientists, government, industry and environmental groups may have “failed to communicate” the potential benefits of new technology and instead focused on funding recycling drives and encouraging actions like turning off lights. She further argues that if people are going to take one or two actions, they need to be steps that will have a high impact. “People are still not aware of what the big savers are,” she says. http://www.triplepundit.com/2010/08/do-energy-consumers-understand-how-and-why-to-save/ nonadult false Do Energy Consumers Understand How and Why to Save? text blog 72 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=7683071&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_10005797_29468_7683071_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2613327 7683071 Gold 17080 http://community.ecoseed.org/_5-Energy-Hungry-Products-We-Should-Ditch/BLOG/2613323/29468.html [image] They’re convenient, cheap and widely perceived as necessary, but products such as frozen meals and bottled water can leave you cold when you think of the waste. We are spending way too much manufacturing products we either don’t need or shouldn’t buy, because of the damage they do or the ingredients they contain. An estimated 56% of all energy we produce in the U.S. is wasted during production and also chalked up to poor technology and design. Here are a few to products to reconsider: [image] 1. Bottled Water According to the Pacific Institute, the production, packaging and delivering of a liter of bottled water consumes between 1,100 and 2,000 times more energy than treating and transporting the same amount of tap water. Scientists conducting the research found that making those plastic bottles alone worldwide uses 50 million barrels of oil annually – which could supply the total demand for oil in the U.S. for more than two days. Meeting the demand as a whole in the country requires energy equal to between 32 million and 54 million barrels of oil (and quenching needs worldwide is three times that amount). Most tap water is safe to drink unless you have health problems, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. [image] 2. Synthetic Fabrics Producing clean organic Merino wool in New Zealand takes far less energy than the synthetic alternatives that are hugely popular in modern garments because of the cheaper factory assembly and retail price points.  According to the Merino Life Cycle Assessment project, yielding a kilogram of wool tops takes 46 megajoules (MJ) of energy which involves the farming and shearing of sheep, sorting, blending and scouring the wool and shipping the top (the ribbon of wool from the combing machine) to Shanghai. Meanwhile, synthetics from fossil fuels such as nylon sucks five times as much energy to make a similar fabric; acrylic takes 3.8 times as much energy and polyester 2.7 times as much.  Analysts also find cotton and viscose (from wood pulp) take more energy as well to be spun into fabrics. Cotton is closer to wool in terms of efficiency but it leaves a heavier footprint overall because it requires more water, fertilizer and pesticides to produce. [image] 3. Short Lived Cell Phones Yep, new styles are introduced all of the time and appeal strongly to text-addict teens drawn to colors, bells and whistles. The EPA tells us if we recycled the 130 million or cell phones tossed every year, we would have enough energy to power more than 24,000 homes annually. Currently, only 10% of the phones are recycled. Making and processing of the phones pollutes air and water and adds greatly to greenhouse emissions, and for every one million recycled, we could recover an estimated 75 pounds of gold, 772 pounds of silver, 33 pounds of palladium, and 35, 274 pounds of copper. [image] 4. Cardboard Moving Boxes At a time when new, green alternatives are becoming widely available, you have to wonder why we’re still stuck on making single-use cardboard moving boxes which expend energy to make and waste shameful amounts to break down and recycle – hence the massive amounts of the boxes in our landfills. Making one ton of cardboard uses some 17 trees, 79 gallons of oil, 7,000 gallons of water and 42,00 kilowatts of energy. This is a case where plastic makes more sense as long as it is reusable and made from recycled materials – as with new reusable alternatives like Recopack and theKarmaboxx. [image] 5. Frozen Foods The frozen foods industry argues it is highly sustainable and buying frozen peas and whatnot means fewer trips to the market which saves on gas. But critics argue most of the foods are unhealthy (often high in sodium and fat calories) and the massive energy to make, box and ship the “convenience” foods to supermarkets is only the beginning. The real chill factor is the energy supermarkets waste with their refrigeration systems. Research shows markets spend more than 50% of their energy costs keeping food and drinks cold for us, a large percentage in open front or open top units to make products more attractive. Can we live without frozen, including the good stuff like Amy’s pizza? The truth is, the healthiest foods are fresh ones we make ourselves. True, steaming on the stove or slow cooking in a crockpot uses energy too, but nearly not as much as the frozen option, and you can store it in anEnergy Star appliance in your own home. http://www.ecosalon.com/energy-hungry-products/ [image] They’re convenient, cheap and widely perceived as necessary, but products such as frozen meals and bottled water can leave you cold when you think of the waste. We are spending way too much manufacturing products we either don’t need or shouldn’t buy, because of the damage they do or the ingredients they contain. An estimated 56% of all energy we produce in the U.S. is wasted during production and also chalked up to poor technology and design. Here are a few to products to reconsider: [image] 1. Bottled Water According to the Pacific Institute, the production, packaging and delivering of a liter of bottled water consumes between 1,100 and 2,000 times more energy than treating and transporting the same amount of tap water. Scientists conducting the research found that making those plastic bottles alone worldwide uses 50 million barrels of oil annually – which could supply the total demand for oil in the U.S. for more than two days. Meeting the demand as a whole in the country requires energy equal to between 32 million and 54 million barrels of oil (and quenching needs worldwide is three times that amount). Most tap water is safe to drink unless you have health problems, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. [image] 2. Synthetic Fabrics Producing clean organic Merino wool in New Zealand takes far less energy than the synthetic alternatives that are hugely popular in modern garments because of the cheaper factory assembly and retail price points.  According to the Merino Life Cycle Assessment project, yielding a kilogram of wool tops takes 46 megajoules (MJ) of energy which involves the farming and shearing of sheep, sorting, blending and scouring the wool and shipping the top (the ribbon of wool from the combing machine) to Shanghai. Meanwhile, synthetics from fossil fuels such as nylon sucks five times as much energy to make a similar fabric; acrylic takes 3.8 times as much energy and polyester 2.7 times as much.  Analysts also find cotton and viscose (from wood pulp) take more energy as well to be spun into fabrics. Cotton is closer to wool in terms of efficiency but it leaves a heavier footprint overall because it requires more water, fertilizer and pesticides to produce. [image] 3. Short Lived Cell Phones Yep, new styles are introduced all of the time and appeal strongly to text-addict teens drawn to colors, bells and whistles. The EPA tells us if we recycled the 130 million or cell phones tossed every year, we would have enough energy to power more than 24,000 homes annually. Currently, only 10% of the phones are recycled. Making and processing of the phones pollutes air and water and adds greatly to greenhouse emissions, and for every one million recycled, we could recover an estimated 75 pounds of gold, 772 pounds of silver, 33 pounds of palladium, and 35, 274 pounds of copper. [image] 4. Cardboard Moving Boxes At a time when new, green alternatives are becoming widely available, you have to wonder why we’re still stuck on making single-use cardboard moving boxes which expend energy to make and waste shameful amounts to break down and recycle – hence the massive amounts of the boxes in our landfills. Making one ton of cardboard uses some 17 trees, 79 gallons of oil, 7,000 gallons of water and 42,00 kilowatts of energy. This is a case where plastic makes more sense as long as it is reusable and made from recycled materials – as with new reusable alternatives like Recopack and theKarmaboxx. [image] 5. Frozen Foods The frozen foods industry argues it is highly sustainable and buying frozen peas and whatnot means fewer trips to the market which saves on gas. But critics argue most of the foods are unhealthy (often high in sodium and fat calories) and the massive energy to make, box and ship the “convenience” foods to supermarkets is only the beginning. The real chill factor is the energy supermarkets waste with their refrigeration systems. Research shows markets spend more than 50% of their energy costs keeping food and drinks cold for us, a large percentage in open front or open top units to make products more attractive. Can we live without frozen, including the good stuff like Amy’s pizza? The truth is, the healthiest foods are fresh ones we make ourselves. True, steaming on the stove or slow cooking in a crockpot uses energy too, but nearly not as much as the frozen option, and you can store it in anEnergy Star appliance in your own home. http://www.ecosalon.com/energy-hungry-products/ Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:00:29 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_5-Energy-Hungry-Products-We-Should-Ditch/BLOG/2613323/29468.html yiehk21 2010-09-02T06:00:29Z EcoSeed Community [image] They’re convenient, cheap and widely perceived as necessary, but products such as frozen meals and bottled water can leave you cold when you think of the waste. We are spending way too much manufacturing products we either don’t need or shouldn’t buy, because of the damage they do or the ingredients they contain. An estimated 56% of all energy we produce in the U.S. is wasted during production and also chalked up to poor technology and design. Here are a few to products to reconsider: [image] 1. Bottled Water According to the Pacific Institute, the production, packaging and delivering of a liter of bottled water consumes between 1,100 and 2,000 times more energy than treating and transporting the same amount of tap water. Scientists conducting the research found that making those plastic bottles alone worldwide uses 50 million barrels of oil annually – which could supply the total demand for oil in the U.S. for more than two days. Meeting the demand as a whole in the country requires energy equal to between 32 million and 54 million barrels of oil (and quenching needs worldwide is three times that amount). Most tap water is safe to drink unless you have health problems, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. [image] 2. Synthetic Fabrics Producing clean organic Merino wool in New Zealand takes far less energy than the synthetic alternatives that are hugely popular in modern garments because of the cheaper factory assembly and retail price points.  According to the Merino Life Cycle Assessment project, yielding a kilogram of wool tops takes 46 megajoules (MJ) of energy which involves the farming and shearing of sheep, sorting, blending and scouring the wool and shipping the top (the ribbon of wool from the combing machine) to Shanghai. Meanwhile, synthetics from fossil fuels such as nylon sucks five times as much energy to make a similar fabric; acrylic takes 3.8 times as much energy and polyester 2.7 times as much.  Analysts also find cotton and viscose (from wood pulp) take more energy as well to be spun into fabrics. Cotton is closer to wool in terms of efficiency but it leaves a heavier footprint overall because it requires more water, fertilizer and pesticides to produce. [image] 3. Short Lived Cell Phones Yep, new styles are introduced all of the time and appeal strongly to text-addict teens drawn to colors, bells and whistles. The EPA tells us if we recycled the 130 million or cell phones tossed every year, we would have enough energy to power more than 24,000 homes annually. Currently, only 10% of the phones are recycled. Making and processing of the phones pollutes air and water and adds greatly to greenhouse emissions, and for every one million recycled, we could recover an estimated 75 pounds of gold, 772 pounds of silver, 33 pounds of palladium, and 35, 274 pounds of copper. [image] 4. Cardboard Moving Boxes At a time when new, green alternatives are becoming widely available, you have to wonder why we’re still stuck on making single-use cardboard moving boxes which expend energy to make and waste shameful amounts to break down and recycle – hence the massive amounts of the boxes in our landfills. Making one ton of cardboard uses some 17 trees, 79 gallons of oil, 7,000 gallons of water and 42,00 kilowatts of energy. This is a case where plastic makes more sense as long as it is reusable and made from recycled materials – as with new reusable alternatives like Recopack and theKarmaboxx. [image] 5. Frozen Foods The frozen foods industry argues it is highly sustainable and buying frozen peas and whatnot means fewer trips to the market which saves on gas. But critics argue most of the foods are unhealthy (often high in sodium and fat calories) and the massive energy to make, box and ship the “convenience” foods to supermarkets is only the beginning. The real chill factor is the energy supermarkets waste with their refrigeration systems. Research shows markets spend more than 50% of their energy costs keeping food and drinks cold for us, a large percentage in open front or open top units to make products more attractive. Can we live without frozen, including the good stuff like Amy’s pizza? The truth is, the healthiest foods are fresh ones we make ourselves. True, steaming on the stove or slow cooking in a crockpot uses energy too, but nearly not as much as the frozen option, and you can store it in anEnergy Star appliance in your own home. http://www.ecosalon.com/energy-hungry-products/ nonadult false 5 Energy-Hungry Products We Should Ditch text blog 92 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=7683071&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_10005797_29468_7683071_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2613323 7683071 Gold 17080 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Microsoft-to-build-massive-Virginia-data-center/BLOG/2613320/29468.html   [image] Microsoft has confirmed plans to build a large new data center in Mecklenburg County, Va., as the company is once again expanding its data center operations. In a press release from the Virginia governor's office, Microsoft said it will spend up to $499 million to open the facility, which will use its latest modular, fourth-generation approach and will be located near the town of Boydton. The governor's office touted the plant as "the largest economic investment in Southern Virginia history." Microsoft was quite vague in its description of the center, saying only that it would use the company's latest modular design, which can be almost entirely pre-outfitted with computers, networking, and power connections. "This new data center will enable the best possible delivery of services to our current and future customers," General Manager Kevin Timmons said in a statement. Microsoft declined to offer any further details. Such facilities add a lot in terms of local construction jobs, but employ only a relative handful of people once built, with a good number of those handling security. In this case, the data center is expected to create about 50 full-time jobs. For Microsoft, it's a sign that the company is once again looking to add capacity for Windows Azure, Windows Live, and other hosted software. Microsoft had been aggressively adding facilities including new centers in Dublin, Ireland, and a Chicago facility that opened last year. However, it slowed things down a bit as the economy faltered, announcing a delay in plans for a facility in Iowa, just five months after that facility was announced. However, the Iowa center is now back on, with plans to open it by Spring 2011. Microsoft is also in the process of expanding its facility in Quincy, Wash., using the fourth-generation data center technology. Here's a look at Microsoft's Chicago facility from a tour we did last year as well as a video interview with a pair of Microsoft executives talking about the data center strategy. Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-20015071-56.html#ixzz0yLhgTYY4   [image] Microsoft has confirmed plans to build a large new data center in Mecklenburg County, Va., as the company is once again expanding its data center operations. In a press release from the Virginia governor's office, Microsoft said it will spend up to $499 million to open the facility, which will use its latest modular, fourth-generation approach and will be located near the town of Boydton. The governor's office touted the plant as "the largest economic investment in Southern Virginia history." Microsoft was quite vague in its description of the center, saying only that it would use the company's latest modular design, which can be almost entirely pre-outfitted with computers, networking, and power connections. "This new data center will enable the best possible delivery of services to our current and future customers," General Manager Kevin Timmons said in a statement. Microsoft declined to offer any further details. Such facilities add a lot in terms of local construction jobs, but employ only a relative handful of people once built, with a good number of those handling security. In this case, the data center is expected to create about 50 full-time jobs. For Microsoft, it's a sign that the company is once again looking to add capacity for Windows Azure, Windows Live, and other hosted software. Microsoft had been aggressively adding facilities including new centers in Dublin, Ireland, and a Chicago facility that opened last year. However, it slowed things down a bit as the economy faltered, announcing a delay in plans for a facility in Iowa, just five months after that facility was announced. However, the Iowa center is now back on, with plans to open it by Spring 2011. Microsoft is also in the process of expanding its facility in Quincy, Wash., using the fourth-generation data center technology. Here's a look at Microsoft's Chicago facility from a tour we did last year as well as a video interview with a pair of Microsoft executives talking about the data center strategy. Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-20015071-56.html#ixzz0yLhgTYY4 Thu, 02 Sep 2010 05:57:50 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Microsoft-to-build-massive-Virginia-data-center/BLOG/2613320/29468.html yiehk21 2010-09-02T05:57:50Z EcoSeed Community   [image] Microsoft has confirmed plans to build a large new data center in Mecklenburg County, Va., as the company is once again expanding its data center operations. In a press release from the Virginia governor's office, Microsoft said it will spend up to $499 million to open the facility, which will use its latest modular, fourth-generation approach and will be located near the town of Boydton. The governor's office touted the plant as "the largest economic investment in Southern Virginia history." Microsoft was quite vague in its description of the center, saying only that it would use the company's latest modular design, which can be almost entirely pre-outfitted with computers, networking, and power connections. "This new data center will enable the best possible delivery of services to our current and future customers," General Manager Kevin Timmons said in a statement. Microsoft declined to offer any further details. Such facilities add a lot in terms of local construction jobs, but employ only a relative handful of people once built, with a good number of those handling security. In this case, the data center is expected to create about 50 full-time jobs. For Microsoft, it's a sign that the company is once again looking to add capacity for Windows Azure, Windows Live, and other hosted software. Microsoft had been aggressively adding facilities including new centers in Dublin, Ireland, and a Chicago facility that opened last year. However, it slowed things down a bit as the economy faltered, announcing a delay in plans for a facility in Iowa, just five months after that facility was announced. However, the Iowa center is now back on, with plans to open it by Spring 2011. Microsoft is also in the process of expanding its facility in Quincy, Wash., using the fourth-generation data center technology. Here's a look at Microsoft's Chicago facility from a tour we did last year as well as a video interview with a pair of Microsoft executives talking about the data center strategy. Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-20015071-56.html#ixzz0yLhgTYY4 nonadult false Microsoft to build massive Virginia data center text blog 78 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=7683071&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_10005797_29468_7683071_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2613320 7683071 Gold 17080 http://community.ecoseed.org/_The-Case-Against-Corporate-Social-Responsibility/BLOG/2612665/29468.html The idea that companies have a duty to address social ills is not just flawed, argues Aneel Karnani. It also makes it more likely that we'll ignore the real solutions to these problems. Can companies do well by doing good? Yes—sometimes. But the idea that companies have a responsibility to act in the public interest and will profit from doing so is fundamentally flawed. Large companies now routinely claim that they aren't in business just for the profits, that they're also intent on serving some larger social purpose. They trumpet their efforts to produce healthier foods or more fuel-efficient vehicles, conserve energy and other resources in their operations, or otherwise make the world a better place. Influential institutions like the Academy of Management and the United Nations, among many others, encourage companies to pursue such strategies. It's not surprising that this idea has won over so many people—it's a very appealing proposition. You can have your cake and eat it too! But it's an illusion, and a potentially dangerous one. Very simply, in cases where private profits and public interests are aligned, the idea of corporate social responsibility is irrelevant: Companies that simply do everything they can to boost profits will end up increasing social welfare. In circumstances in which profits and social welfare are in direct opposition, an appeal to corporate social responsibility will almost always be ineffective, because executives are unlikely to act voluntarily in the public interest and against shareholder interests. Irrelevant or ineffective, take your pick. But it's worse than that. The danger is that a focus on social responsibility will delay or discourage more-effective measures to enhance social welfare in those cases where profits and the public good are at odds. As society looks to companies to address these problems, the real solutions may be ignored. Well and Good To get a better fix on the irrelevance or ineffectiveness of corporate social responsibility efforts, let's first look at situations where profits and social welfare are in synch. View Full Image [image] James Steinberg [image] Consider the market for healthier food. Fast-food outlets have profited by expanding their offerings to include salads and other options designed to appeal to health-conscious consumers. Other companies have found new sources of revenue in low-fat, whole-grain and other types of foods that have grown in popularity. Social welfare is improved. Everybody wins. Similarly, auto makers have profited from responding to consumer demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles, a plus for the environment. And many companies have boosted profits while enhancing social welfare by reducing their energy consumption and thus their costs. But social welfare isn't the driving force behind these trends. Healthier foods and more fuel-efficient vehicles didn't become so common until they became profitable for their makers. Energy conservation didn't become so important to many companies until energy became more costly. These companies are benefiting society while acting in their own interests; social activists urging them to change their ways had little impact. It is the relentless maximization of profits, not a commitment to social responsibility, that has proved to be a boon to the public in these cases. Unfortunately, not all companies take advantage of such opportunities, and in those cases both social welfare and profits suffer. These companies have one of two problems: Their executives are either incompetent or are putting their own interests ahead of the company's long-term financial interests. For instance, an executive might be averse to any risk, including the development of new products, that might jeopardize the short-term financial performance of the company and thereby affect his compensation, even if taking that risk would improve the company's longer-term prospects. An appeal to social responsibility won't solve either of those problems. Pressure from shareholders for sustainable growth in profitability can. It can lead to incompetent managers being replaced and to a realignment of incentives for executives, so that their compensation is tied more directly to the company's long-term success. When There's a Choice Still, the fact is that while companies sometimes can do well by doing good, more often they can't. Because in most cases, doing what's best for society means sacrificing profits. This is true for most of society's pervasive and persistent problems; if it weren't, those problems would have been solved long ago by companies seeking to maximize their profits. A prime example is the pollution caused by manufacturing. Reducing that pollution is costly to the manufacturers, and that eats into profits. Poverty is another obvious example. Companies could pay their workers more and charge less for their products, but their profits would suffer. So now what? Should executives in these situations heed the call for corporate social responsibility even without the allure of profiting from it? You can argue that they should. But you shouldn't expect that they will. Executives are hired to maximize profits; that is their responsibility to their company's shareholders. Even if executives wanted to forgo some profit to benefit society, they could expect to lose their jobs if they tried—and be replaced by managers who would restore profit as the top priority. The movement for corporate social responsibility is in direct opposition, in such cases, to the movement for better corporate governance, which demands that managers fulfill their fiduciary duty to act in the shareholders' interest or be relieved of their responsibilities. That's one reason so many companies talk a great deal about social responsibility but do nothing—a tactic known as greenwashing. Managers who sacrifice profit for the common good also are in effect imposing a tax on their shareholders and arbitrarily deciding how that money should be spent. In that sense they are usurping the role of elected government officials, if only on a small scale. Privately owned companies are a different story. If an owner-operated business chooses to accept diminished profit in order to enhance social welfare, that decision isn't being imposed on shareholders. And, of course, it is admirable and desirable for the leaders of successful public companies to use some of their personal fortune for charitable purposes, as many have throughout history and many do now. But those leaders shouldn't presume to pursue their philanthropic goals with shareholder money. Indeed, many shareholders themselves use significant amounts of the money they make from their investments to help fund charities or otherwise improve social welfare. This is not to say, of course, that companies should be left free to pursue the greatest possible profits without regard for the social consequences. But, appeals to corporate social responsibility are not an effective way to strike a balance between profits and the public good. The Power of Regulation So how can that balance best be struck? View Full Image [image] James Steinberg [image] The ultimate solution is government regulation. Its greatest appeal is that it is binding. Government has the power to enforce regulation. No need to rely on anyone's best intentions. But government regulation isn't perfect, and it can even end up reducing public welfare because of its cost or inefficiency. The government also may lack the resources and competence to design and administer appropriate regulations, particularly for complex industries requiring much specialized knowledge. And industry groups might find ways to influence regulation to the point where it is ineffective or even ends up benefiting the industry at the expense of the general population. Outright corruption can make the situation even worse. What's more, all the problems of government failure are exacerbated in developing countries with weak and often corrupt governments. Still, with all their faults, governments are a far more effective protector of the public good than any campaign for corporate social responsibility. Watchdogs and Advocates Civil society also plays a role in constraining corporate behavior that reduces social welfare, acting as a watchdog and advocate. Various nonprofit organizations and movements provide a voice for a wide variety of social, political, environmental, ethnic, cultural and community interests. The Rainforest Action Network, for example, is an organization that agitates, often quite effectively, for environmental protection and sustainability. Its website states, "Our campaigns leverage public opinion and consumer pressure to turn the public stigma of environmental destruction into a business nightmare for any American company that refuses to adopt responsible environmental policies." That's quite a different approach from trying to convince executives that they should do what's best for society because it's the right thing to do and won't hurt their bottom line. Overall, though, such activism has a mixed track record, and it can't be relied on as the primary mechanism for imposing constraints on corporate behavior—especially in most developing countries, where civil society lacks adequate resources to exert much influence and there is insufficient awareness of public issues among the population. Self-Control Self-regulation is another alternative, but it suffers from the same drawback as the concept of corporate social responsibility: Companies are unlikely to voluntarily act in the public interest at the expense of shareholder interests. But self-regulation can be useful. It tends to promote good practices and target specific problems within industries, impose lower compliance costs on businesses than government regulation, and offer quick, low-cost dispute-resolution procedures. Self-regulation can also be more flexible than government regulation, allowing it to respond more effectively to changing circumstances. The challenge is to design self-regulation in a manner that emphasizes transparency and accountability, consistent with what the public expects from government regulation. It is up to the government to ensure that any self-regulation meets that standard. And the government must be prepared to step in and impose its own regulations if the industry fails to police itself effectively. Financial Calculation In the end, social responsibility is a financial calculation for executives, just like any other aspect of their business. The only sure way to influence corporate decision making is to impose an unacceptable cost—regulatory mandates, taxes, punitive fines, public embarrassment—on socially unacceptable behavior. Pleas for corporate social responsibility will be truly embraced only by those executives who are smart enough to see that doing the right thing is a byproduct of their pursuit of profit. And that renders such pleas pointless. By: Aneel Karnani | August 23, 2010 | Dr. Karnani is an associate professor of strategy at the University of Michigan's Stephen M. Ross School of Business. He can be reached at reports@wsj.com. Original Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703338004575230112664504890.html The idea that companies have a duty to address social ills is not just flawed, argues Aneel Karnani. It also makes it more likely that we'll ignore the real solutions to these problems. Can companies do well by doing good? Yes—sometimes. But the idea that companies have a responsibility to act in the public interest and will profit from doing so is fundamentally flawed. Large companies now routinely claim that they aren't in business just for the profits, that they're also intent on serving some larger social purpose. They trumpet their efforts to produce healthier foods or more fuel-efficient vehicles, conserve energy and other resources in their operations, or otherwise make the world a better place. Influential institutions like the Academy of Management and the United Nations, among many others, encourage companies to pursue such strategies. It's not surprising that this idea has won over so many people—it's a very appealing proposition. You can have your cake and eat it too! But it's an illusion, and a potentially dangerous one. Very simply, in cases where private profits and public interests are aligned, the idea of corporate social responsibility is irrelevant: Companies that simply do everything they can to boost profits will end up increasing social welfare. In circumstances in which profits and social welfare are in direct opposition, an appeal to corporate social responsibility will almost always be ineffective, because executives are unlikely to act voluntarily in the public interest and against shareholder interests. Irrelevant or ineffective, take your pick. But it's worse than that. The danger is that a focus on social responsibility will delay or discourage more-effective measures to enhance social welfare in those cases where profits and the public good are at odds. As society looks to companies to address these problems, the real solutions may be ignored. Well and Good To get a better fix on the irrelevance or ineffectiveness of corporate social responsibility efforts, let's first look at situations where profits and social welfare are in synch. View Full Image [image] James Steinberg [image] Consider the market for healthier food. Fast-food outlets have profited by expanding their offerings to include salads and other options designed to appeal to health-conscious consumers. Other companies have found new sources of revenue in low-fat, whole-grain and other types of foods that have grown in popularity. Social welfare is improved. Everybody wins. Similarly, auto makers have profited from responding to consumer demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles, a plus for the environment. And many companies have boosted profits while enhancing social welfare by reducing their energy consumption and thus their costs. But social welfare isn't the driving force behind these trends. Healthier foods and more fuel-efficient vehicles didn't become so common until they became profitable for their makers. Energy conservation didn't become so important to many companies until energy became more costly. These companies are benefiting society while acting in their own interests; social activists urging them to change their ways had little impact. It is the relentless maximization of profits, not a commitment to social responsibility, that has proved to be a boon to the public in these cases. Unfortunately, not all companies take advantage of such opportunities, and in those cases both social welfare and profits suffer. These companies have one of two problems: Their executives are either incompetent or are putting their own interests ahead of the company's long-term financial interests. For instance, an executive might be averse to any risk, including the development of new products, that might jeopardize the short-term financial performance of the company and thereby affect his compensation, even if taking that risk would improve the company's longer-term prospects. An appeal to social responsibility won't solve either of those problems. Pressure from shareholders for sustainable growth in profitability can. It can lead to incompetent managers being replaced and to a realignment of incentives for executives, so that their compensation is tied more directly to the company's long-term success. When There's a Choice Still, the fact is that while companies sometimes can do well by doing good, more often they can't. Because in most cases, doing what's best for society means sacrificing profits. This is true for most of society's pervasive and persistent problems; if it weren't, those problems would have been solved long ago by companies seeking to maximize their profits. A prime example is the pollution caused by manufacturing. Reducing that pollution is costly to the manufacturers, and that eats into profits. Poverty is another obvious example. Companies could pay their workers more and charge less for their products, but their profits would suffer. So now what? Should executives in these situations heed the call for corporate social responsibility even without the allure of profiting from it? You can argue that they should. But you shouldn't expect that they will. Executives are hired to maximize profits; that is their responsibility to their company's shareholders. Even if executives wanted to forgo some profit to benefit society, they could expect to lose their jobs if they tried—and be replaced by managers who would restore profit as the top priority. The movement for corporate social responsibility is in direct opposition, in such cases, to the movement for better corporate governance, which demands that managers fulfill their fiduciary duty to act in the shareholders' interest or be relieved of their responsibilities. That's one reason so many companies talk a great deal about social responsibility but do nothing—a tactic known as greenwashing. Managers who sacrifice profit for the common good also are in effect imposing a tax on their shareholders and arbitrarily deciding how that money should be spent. In that sense they are usurping the role of elected government officials, if only on a small scale. Privately owned companies are a different story. If an owner-operated business chooses to accept diminished profit in order to enhance social welfare, that decision isn't being imposed on shareholders. And, of course, it is admirable and desirable for the leaders of successful public companies to use some of their personal fortune for charitable purposes, as many have throughout history and many do now. But those leaders shouldn't presume to pursue their philanthropic goals with shareholder money. Indeed, many shareholders themselves use significant amounts of the money they make from their investments to help fund charities or otherwise improve social welfare. This is not to say, of course, that companies should be left free to pursue the greatest possible profits without regard for the social consequences. But, appeals to corporate social responsibility are not an effective way to strike a balance between profits and the public good. The Power of Regulation So how can that balance best be struck? View Full Image [image] James Steinberg [image] The ultimate solution is government regulation. Its greatest appeal is that it is binding. Government has the power to enforce regulation. No need to rely on anyone's best intentions. But government regulation isn't perfect, and it can even end up reducing public welfare because of its cost or inefficiency. The government also may lack the resources and competence to design and administer appropriate regulations, particularly for complex industries requiring much specialized knowledge. And industry groups might find ways to influence regulation to the point where it is ineffective or even ends up benefiting the industry at the expense of the general population. Outright corruption can make the situation even worse. What's more, all the problems of government failure are exacerbated in developing countries with weak and often corrupt governments. Still, with all their faults, governments are a far more effective protector of the public good than any campaign for corporate social responsibility. Watchdogs and Advocates Civil society also plays a role in constraining corporate behavior that reduces social welfare, acting as a watchdog and advocate. Various nonprofit organizations and movements provide a voice for a wide variety of social, political, environmental, ethnic, cultural and community interests. The Rainforest Action Network, for example, is an organization that agitates, often quite effectively, for environmental protection and sustainability. Its website states, "Our campaigns leverage public opinion and consumer pressure to turn the public stigma of environmental destruction into a business nightmare for any American company that refuses to adopt responsible environmental policies." That's quite a different approach from trying to convince executives that they should do what's best for society because it's the right thing to do and won't hurt their bottom line. Overall, though, such activism has a mixed track record, and it can't be relied on as the primary mechanism for imposing constraints on corporate behavior—especially in most developing countries, where civil society lacks adequate resources to exert much influence and there is insufficient awareness of public issues among the population. Self-Control Self-regulation is another alternative, but it suffers from the same drawback as the concept of corporate social responsibility: Companies are unlikely to voluntarily act in the public interest at the expense of shareholder interests. But self-regulation can be useful. It tends to promote good practices and target specific problems within industries, impose lower compliance costs on businesses than government regulation, and offer quick, low-cost dispute-resolution procedures. Self-regulation can also be more flexible than government regulation, allowing it to respond more effectively to changing circumstances. The challenge is to design self-regulation in a manner that emphasizes transparency and accountability, consistent with what the public expects from government regulation. It is up to the government to ensure that any self-regulation meets that standard. And the government must be prepared to step in and impose its own regulations if the industry fails to police itself effectively. Financial Calculation In the end, social responsibility is a financial calculation for executives, just like any other aspect of their business. The only sure way to influence corporate decision making is to impose an unacceptable cost—regulatory mandates, taxes, punitive fines, public embarrassment—on socially unacceptable behavior. Pleas for corporate social responsibility will be truly embraced only by those executives who are smart enough to see that doing the right thing is a byproduct of their pursuit of profit. And that renders such pleas pointless. By: Aneel Karnani | August 23, 2010 | Dr. Karnani is an associate professor of strategy at the University of Michigan's Stephen M. Ross School of Business. He can be reached at reports@wsj.com. Original Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703338004575230112664504890.html Thu, 02 Sep 2010 03:25:27 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_The-Case-Against-Corporate-Social-Responsibility/BLOG/2612665/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-02T03:25:27Z EcoSeed Community The idea that companies have a duty to address social ills is not just flawed, argues Aneel Karnani. It also makes it more likely that we'll ignore the real solutions to these problems. Can companies do well by doing good? Yes—sometimes. But the idea that companies have a responsibility to act in the public interest and will profit from doing so is fundamentally flawed. Large companies now routinely claim that they aren't in business just for the profits, that they're also intent on serving some larger social purpose. They trumpet their efforts to produce healthier foods or more fuel-efficient vehicles, conserve energy and other resources in their operations, or otherwise make the world a better place. Influential institutions like the Academy of Management and the United Nations, among many others, encourage companies to pursue such strategies. It's not surprising that this idea has won over so many people—it's a very appealing proposition. You can have your cake and eat it too! But it's an illusion, and a potentially dangerous one. Very simply, in cases where private profits and public interests are aligned, the idea of corporate social responsibility is irrelevant: Companies that simply do everything they can to boost profits will end up increasing social welfare. In circumstances in which profits and social welfare are in direct opposition, an appeal to corporate social responsibility will almost always be ineffective, because executives are unlikely to act voluntarily in the public interest and against shareholder interests. Irrelevant or ineffective, take your pick. But it's worse than that. The danger is that a focus on social responsibility will delay or discourage more-effective measures to enhance social welfare in those cases where profits and the public good are at odds. As society looks to companies to address these problems, the real solutions may be ignored. Well and Good To get a better fix on the irrelevance or ineffectiveness of corporate social responsibility efforts, let's first look at situations where profits and social welfare are in synch. View Full Image [image] James Steinberg [image] Consider the market for healthier food. Fast-food outlets have profited by expanding their offerings to include salads and other options designed to appeal to health-conscious consumers. Other companies have found new sources of revenue in low-fat, whole-grain and other types of foods that have grown in popularity. Social welfare is improved. Everybody wins. Similarly, auto makers have profited from responding to consumer demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles, a plus for the environment. And many companies have boosted profits while enhancing social welfare by reducing their energy consumption and thus their costs. But social welfare isn't the driving force behind these trends. Healthier foods and more fuel-efficient vehicles didn't become so common until they became profitable for their makers. Energy conservation didn't become so important to many companies until energy became more costly. These companies are benefiting society while acting in their own interests; social activists urging them to change their ways had little impact. It is the relentless maximization of profits, not a commitment to social responsibility, that has proved to be a boon to the public in these cases. Unfortunately, not all companies take advantage of such opportunities, and in those cases both social welfare and profits suffer. These companies have one of two problems: Their executives are either incompetent or are putting their own interests ahead of the company's long-term financial interests. For instance, an executive might be averse to any risk, including the development of new products, that might jeopardize the short-term financial performance of the company and thereby affect his compensation, even if taking that risk would improve the company's longer-term prospects. An appeal to social responsibility won't solve either of those problems. Pressure from shareholders for sustainable growth in profitability can. It can lead to incompetent managers being replaced and to a realignment of incentives for executives, so that their compensation is tied more directly to the company's long-term success. When There's a Choice Still, the fact is that while companies sometimes can do well by doing good, more often they can't. Because in most cases, doing what's best for society means sacrificing profits. This is true for most of society's pervasive and persistent problems; if it weren't, those problems would have been solved long ago by companies seeking to maximize their profits. A prime example is the pollution caused by manufacturing. Reducing that pollution is costly to the manufacturers, and that eats into profits. Poverty is another obvious example. Companies could pay their workers more and charge less for their products, but their profits would suffer. So now what? Should executives in these situations heed the call for corporate social responsibility even without the allure of profiting from it? You can argue that they should. But you shouldn't expect that they will. Executives are hired to maximize profits; that is their responsibility to their company's shareholders. Even if executives wanted to forgo some profit to benefit society, they could expect to lose their jobs if they tried—and be replaced by managers who would restore profit as the top priority. The movement for corporate social responsibility is in direct opposition, in such cases, to the movement for better corporate governance, which demands that managers fulfill their fiduciary duty to act in the shareholders' interest or be relieved of their responsibilities. That's one reason so many companies talk a great deal about social responsibility but do nothing—a tactic known as greenwashing. Managers who sacrifice profit for the common good also are in effect imposing a tax on their shareholders and arbitrarily deciding how that money should be spent. In that sense they are usurping the role of elected government officials, if only on a small scale. Privately owned companies are a different story. If an owner-operated business chooses to accept diminished profit in order to enhance social welfare, that decision isn't being imposed on shareholders. And, of course, it is admirable and desirable for the leaders of successful public companies to use some of their personal fortune for charitable purposes, as many have throughout history and many do now. But those leaders shouldn't presume to pursue their philanthropic goals with shareholder money. Indeed, many shareholders themselves use significant amounts of the money they make from their investments to help fund charities or otherwise improve social welfare. This is not to say, of course, that companies should be left free to pursue the greatest possible profits without regard for the social consequences. But, appeals to corporate social responsibility are not an effective way to strike a balance between profits and the public good. The Power of Regulation So how can that balance best be struck? View Full Image [image] James Steinberg [image] The ultimate solution is government regulation. Its greatest appeal is that it is binding. Government has the power to enforce regulation. No need to rely on anyone's best intentions. But government regulation isn't perfect, and it can even end up reducing public welfare because of its cost or inefficiency. The government also may lack the resources and competence to design and administer appropriate regulations, particularly for complex industries requiring much specialized knowledge. And industry groups might find ways to influence regulation to the point where it is ineffective or even ends up benefiting the industry at the expense of the general population. Outright corruption can make the situation even worse. What's more, all the problems of government failure are exacerbated in developing countries with weak and often corrupt governments. Still, with all their faults, governments are a far more effective protector of the public good than any campaign for corporate social responsibility. Watchdogs and Advocates Civil society also plays a role in constraining corporate behavior that reduces social welfare, acting as a watchdog and advocate. Various nonprofit organizations and movements provide a voice for a wide variety of social, political, environmental, ethnic, cultural and community interests. The Rainforest Action Network, for example, is an organization that agitates, often quite effectively, for environmental protection and sustainability. Its website states, "Our campaigns leverage public opinion and consumer pressure to turn the public stigma of environmental destruction into a business nightmare for any American company that refuses to adopt responsible environmental policies." That's quite a different approach from trying to convince executives that they should do what's best for society because it's the right thing to do and won't hurt their bottom line. Overall, though, such activism has a mixed track record, and it can't be relied on as the primary mechanism for imposing constraints on corporate behavior—especially in most developing countries, where civil society lacks adequate resources to exert much influence and there is insufficient awareness of public issues among the population. Self-Control Self-regulation is another alternative, but it suffers from the same drawback as the concept of corporate social responsibility: Companies are unlikely to voluntarily act in the public interest at the expense of shareholder interests. But self-regulation can be useful. It tends to promote good practices and target specific problems within industries, impose lower compliance costs on businesses than government regulation, and offer quick, low-cost dispute-resolution procedures. Self-regulation can also be more flexible than government regulation, allowing it to respond more effectively to changing circumstances. The challenge is to design self-regulation in a manner that emphasizes transparency and accountability, consistent with what the public expects from government regulation. It is up to the government to ensure that any self-regulation meets that standard. And the government must be prepared to step in and impose its own regulations if the industry fails to police itself effectively. Financial Calculation In the end, social responsibility is a financial calculation for executives, just like any other aspect of their business. The only sure way to influence corporate decision making is to impose an unacceptable cost—regulatory mandates, taxes, punitive fines, public embarrassment—on socially unacceptable behavior. Pleas for corporate social responsibility will be truly embraced only by those executives who are smart enough to see that doing the right thing is a byproduct of their pursuit of profit. And that renders such pleas pointless. By: Aneel Karnani | August 23, 2010 | Dr. Karnani is an associate professor of strategy at the University of Michigan's Stephen M. Ross School of Business. He can be reached at reports@wsj.com. Original Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703338004575230112664504890.html nonadult false The Case Against Corporate Social Responsibility text blog 298 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2612665 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Genpact-Instilling-social-responsibility-in-its-staff/BLOG/2612600/29468.html [image] It had GE as a founding parent. It became the test bed of the Indian outsourcing business. It’s been growing between 14-17% and has operations across the world. It is Genpact. It might be just 13, but Genpact has a history of innovation that has defined the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry in India. It’s an end to end service provider applying science to managing business processes. It has a similar approach to its corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities as well. It is a BPO driven by its workforce; this workforce is also the army that drives its corporate citizenship programmes. Zinnia, Amit, Pankaj and Vinit from Genpact have been working with the children in RTI Vidyapeeth in Gurgaon for a while now and they will continue for the next two years. Through fun activities in which the class has to choose a leader, these volunteers are trying to help these kids understand concepts like leadership and teamwork. Genpact is conducting this programme in partnership with not for profit organisation Junior Achievement, a worldwide partnership between the business community, educators and volunteers working together to inspire young people to dream big and reach their potential. Zinnia Mitra, Senior Manager-BFSI, Genpact says, “All volunteering from yourself, if people get motivated and they want to do something different from their usual work and self-actualise oneself and specifically for groups of people who have done enough, seen it all, they want to do this kind of stuff.” In an effort to digitise and streamline the volunteering initiative, Genpact is partnered with Angelpoints to deploy a web based volunteer management system. This is an online networking system that connects employees across the world with local volunteer opportunities in their communities.  Volunteers who signup are put through an induction and training programmes post with their interactions with students begins. Because this is Genpact, the focus is always on the process, project leaders manage detail records of all interactions and maintain progress report of each student. This helps the next set of volunteers take the programme forward. CNBC-TV18’s Executive-Editor Shereen Bhan caught up with Pramod Bhasin, President and CEO, Genpact, to talk to him about Genpact’s social activities. Below is a verbatim transcript. Also watch the accompanying videos. Bhasin: We have always felt that we are privileged to work in the economies we do. We work in a lot of emerging economies who are surrounded by a lot of issues, all of us as employees are representing a very small proportion of the population. So, giving back just comes from that atmosphere and environment we work in.  But beyond that, we have come to respect the fact that we have 42,000 employees around the world. The best way to give back is to utilise the resources and skill of the 42,000 people to make whatever difference we can. That’s where we have evolved our philosophy into focusing on employee ability on education, on healthcare and in areas where we have skills, which we can then use very productively to give back.  The second element, I would add, is it’s not just around CSR, it’s really mainstream into the heart and soul of what we are.” Q: Now, we have a situation over the years where companies have voluntarily decided to give their time and resources to things like education, healthcare, which do not necessarily directly impact their business. Where do you stand on this entire debate? Bhasin: I need to say that all we will do is look after shareholder value in monetary term is extremely short-sighted. We work in Gurgaon, for instance, if we can’t help the environment, it is going to impact us in someway. Now, we can do it without necessarily quantifying the benefits we will get in dollar or rupee terms, so that’s one and I am very clear about this.  Second, I think there are a lot of things that we should do just as privileged members of society. I think the role of companies has to be more; companies play a too bigger role in the world to be compartmentalise into trying to make money only for its shareholders. I think that’s very incredibly narrow view and not something I will ever subscribe. Q: What is the approach then because as far as your core business is concerned, you have annual budgets, you have short-term targets, quarterly targets and all of that? How do you approach the CSR part of your business? Bhasin: You are right about the annual budgets and targets, so the amount of money I can put away for it is limited and it will be limited by pulls and pressures of margins, double dip recessions etc. What is not limited is the skills of our people. So, we have just announced very recently a programme where we have said every employee in our company can take a few hours of a month and will expand into a day, if necessary, to provide support and help and volunteering help.  We have done things like in healthcare where we have run a fairly good practice, which looks at optimisation of hospitals. We work with the Delhi government on completely pro-bono basis, we have gone into two of the biggest public service hospitals in Delhi and helped reconfigure the trauma rooms, help reconfigure the emergency rooms, so that our people can help us and help change how public services are provided in those hospitals. Read more: http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/genpact-instilling-social-responsibilityits-staff_481764.html August 31, 2010 Original Source: http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/genpact-instilling-social-responsibilityits-staff_481764.html [image] It had GE as a founding parent. It became the test bed of the Indian outsourcing business. It’s been growing between 14-17% and has operations across the world. It is Genpact. It might be just 13, but Genpact has a history of innovation that has defined the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry in India. It’s an end to end service provider applying science to managing business processes. It has a similar approach to its corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities as well. It is a BPO driven by its workforce; this workforce is also the army that drives its corporate citizenship programmes. Zinnia, Amit, Pankaj and Vinit from Genpact have been working with the children in RTI Vidyapeeth in Gurgaon for a while now and they will continue for the next two years. Through fun activities in which the class has to choose a leader, these volunteers are trying to help these kids understand concepts like leadership and teamwork. Genpact is conducting this programme in partnership with not for profit organisation Junior Achievement, a worldwide partnership between the business community, educators and volunteers working together to inspire young people to dream big and reach their potential. Zinnia Mitra, Senior Manager-BFSI, Genpact says, “All volunteering from yourself, if people get motivated and they want to do something different from their usual work and self-actualise oneself and specifically for groups of people who have done enough, seen it all, they want to do this kind of stuff.” In an effort to digitise and streamline the volunteering initiative, Genpact is partnered with Angelpoints to deploy a web based volunteer management system. This is an online networking system that connects employees across the world with local volunteer opportunities in their communities.  Volunteers who signup are put through an induction and training programmes post with their interactions with students begins. Because this is Genpact, the focus is always on the process, project leaders manage detail records of all interactions and maintain progress report of each student. This helps the next set of volunteers take the programme forward. CNBC-TV18’s Executive-Editor Shereen Bhan caught up with Pramod Bhasin, President and CEO, Genpact, to talk to him about Genpact’s social activities. Below is a verbatim transcript. Also watch the accompanying videos. Bhasin: We have always felt that we are privileged to work in the economies we do. We work in a lot of emerging economies who are surrounded by a lot of issues, all of us as employees are representing a very small proportion of the population. So, giving back just comes from that atmosphere and environment we work in.  But beyond that, we have come to respect the fact that we have 42,000 employees around the world. The best way to give back is to utilise the resources and skill of the 42,000 people to make whatever difference we can. That’s where we have evolved our philosophy into focusing on employee ability on education, on healthcare and in areas where we have skills, which we can then use very productively to give back.  The second element, I would add, is it’s not just around CSR, it’s really mainstream into the heart and soul of what we are.” Q: Now, we have a situation over the years where companies have voluntarily decided to give their time and resources to things like education, healthcare, which do not necessarily directly impact their business. Where do you stand on this entire debate? Bhasin: I need to say that all we will do is look after shareholder value in monetary term is extremely short-sighted. We work in Gurgaon, for instance, if we can’t help the environment, it is going to impact us in someway. Now, we can do it without necessarily quantifying the benefits we will get in dollar or rupee terms, so that’s one and I am very clear about this.  Second, I think there are a lot of things that we should do just as privileged members of society. I think the role of companies has to be more; companies play a too bigger role in the world to be compartmentalise into trying to make money only for its shareholders. I think that’s very incredibly narrow view and not something I will ever subscribe. Q: What is the approach then because as far as your core business is concerned, you have annual budgets, you have short-term targets, quarterly targets and all of that? How do you approach the CSR part of your business? Bhasin: You are right about the annual budgets and targets, so the amount of money I can put away for it is limited and it will be limited by pulls and pressures of margins, double dip recessions etc. What is not limited is the skills of our people. So, we have just announced very recently a programme where we have said every employee in our company can take a few hours of a month and will expand into a day, if necessary, to provide support and help and volunteering help.  We have done things like in healthcare where we have run a fairly good practice, which looks at optimisation of hospitals. We work with the Delhi government on completely pro-bono basis, we have gone into two of the biggest public service hospitals in Delhi and helped reconfigure the trauma rooms, help reconfigure the emergency rooms, so that our people can help us and help change how public services are provided in those hospitals. Read more: http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/genpact-instilling-social-responsibilityits-staff_481764.html August 31, 2010 Original Source: http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/genpact-instilling-social-responsibilityits-staff_481764.html Thu, 02 Sep 2010 03:23:08 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Genpact-Instilling-social-responsibility-in-its-staff/BLOG/2612600/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-02T03:23:08Z EcoSeed Community [image] It had GE as a founding parent. It became the test bed of the Indian outsourcing business. It’s been growing between 14-17% and has operations across the world. It is Genpact. It might be just 13, but Genpact has a history of innovation that has defined the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry in India. It’s an end to end service provider applying science to managing business processes. It has a similar approach to its corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities as well. It is a BPO driven by its workforce; this workforce is also the army that drives its corporate citizenship programmes. Zinnia, Amit, Pankaj and Vinit from Genpact have been working with the children in RTI Vidyapeeth in Gurgaon for a while now and they will continue for the next two years. Through fun activities in which the class has to choose a leader, these volunteers are trying to help these kids understand concepts like leadership and teamwork. Genpact is conducting this programme in partnership with not for profit organisation Junior Achievement, a worldwide partnership between the business community, educators and volunteers working together to inspire young people to dream big and reach their potential. Zinnia Mitra, Senior Manager-BFSI, Genpact says, “All volunteering from yourself, if people get motivated and they want to do something different from their usual work and self-actualise oneself and specifically for groups of people who have done enough, seen it all, they want to do this kind of stuff.” In an effort to digitise and streamline the volunteering initiative, Genpact is partnered with Angelpoints to deploy a web based volunteer management system. This is an online networking system that connects employees across the world with local volunteer opportunities in their communities.  Volunteers who signup are put through an induction and training programmes post with their interactions with students begins. Because this is Genpact, the focus is always on the process, project leaders manage detail records of all interactions and maintain progress report of each student. This helps the next set of volunteers take the programme forward. CNBC-TV18’s Executive-Editor Shereen Bhan caught up with Pramod Bhasin, President and CEO, Genpact, to talk to him about Genpact’s social activities. Below is a verbatim transcript. Also watch the accompanying videos. Bhasin: We have always felt that we are privileged to work in the economies we do. We work in a lot of emerging economies who are surrounded by a lot of issues, all of us as employees are representing a very small proportion of the population. So, giving back just comes from that atmosphere and environment we work in.  But beyond that, we have come to respect the fact that we have 42,000 employees around the world. The best way to give back is to utilise the resources and skill of the 42,000 people to make whatever difference we can. That’s where we have evolved our philosophy into focusing on employee ability on education, on healthcare and in areas where we have skills, which we can then use very productively to give back.  The second element, I would add, is it’s not just around CSR, it’s really mainstream into the heart and soul of what we are.” Q: Now, we have a situation over the years where companies have voluntarily decided to give their time and resources to things like education, healthcare, which do not necessarily directly impact their business. Where do you stand on this entire debate? Bhasin: I need to say that all we will do is look after shareholder value in monetary term is extremely short-sighted. We work in Gurgaon, for instance, if we can’t help the environment, it is going to impact us in someway. Now, we can do it without necessarily quantifying the benefits we will get in dollar or rupee terms, so that’s one and I am very clear about this.  Second, I think there are a lot of things that we should do just as privileged members of society. I think the role of companies has to be more; companies play a too bigger role in the world to be compartmentalise into trying to make money only for its shareholders. I think that’s very incredibly narrow view and not something I will ever subscribe. Q: What is the approach then because as far as your core business is concerned, you have annual budgets, you have short-term targets, quarterly targets and all of that? How do you approach the CSR part of your business? Bhasin: You are right about the annual budgets and targets, so the amount of money I can put away for it is limited and it will be limited by pulls and pressures of margins, double dip recessions etc. What is not limited is the skills of our people. So, we have just announced very recently a programme where we have said every employee in our company can take a few hours of a month and will expand into a day, if necessary, to provide support and help and volunteering help.  We have done things like in healthcare where we have run a fairly good practice, which looks at optimisation of hospitals. We work with the Delhi government on completely pro-bono basis, we have gone into two of the biggest public service hospitals in Delhi and helped reconfigure the trauma rooms, help reconfigure the emergency rooms, so that our people can help us and help change how public services are provided in those hospitals. Read more: http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/genpact-instilling-social-responsibilityits-staff_481764.html August 31, 2010 Original Source: http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/genpact-instilling-social-responsibilityits-staff_481764.html nonadult false Genpact: Instilling social responsibility in its staff text blog 125 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2612600 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_The-Singapore-Exchange-issues-guidelines-on-green-reporting/BLOG/2612576/29468.html [image] Singapore, Aug 29 - The Singapore Exchange (SGX) is going green. It is encouraging all listed firms to undertake ‘sustainability reporting’ - or the disclosure of the social and environmental aspects of their business - and has issued guidelines regarding this. ‘Investors who lead world opinion expect listed companies to be accountable for their financial results, how they achieve the results, and what impact they have on the communities within which they operate,’ said a regulatory announcement yesterday. But SGX added that this disclosure of the social and environmental aspects of a listed company’s business will not be mandatory at this stage. Still, mandatory rules could be developed in future as more companies adopt such reporting. The guidelines come amid allegations from environmental group Greenpeace that a unit of locally listed Golden Agri-Resources had cleared forests illegally in Indonesia. Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology (Smart), which operates all oil palm plantations for Golden Agri, has refuted these allegations after conducting independent reviews by certification bodies and forestry experts. SGX made no mention of the incident yesterday, adding only that the disclosures on sustainability of operations are particularly relevant for ‘companies susceptible to environmental risks’. These include oil and gas and mining companies, as well as those that produce significant pollutants, like chemical and apparel firms. Firms that use natural resources heavily - such as palm oil producers and forestry companies - should also look at issuing reports, said the exchange. SGX suggested that the disclosures should highlight companies’ policies regarding sustainability issues and contain assessments of the risks or impacts of the companies’ operations. It added that companies can follow internationally established frameworks like the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Reporting Framework. The SGX guidelines were issued in conjunction with its annual Investor Day yesterday. As SGX celebrated 10 years as a listed company, some 700 shareholders of the exchange gathered at the Suntec ballroom yesterday to hear from its top executives. An afternoon panel session was also open to the general public, as were investment talks and an exhibition. Mr David Gerald, president of the Securities Investors Association of Singapore (Sias), welcomed the SGX guidelines. ‘Globally, there is a move towards recognising the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR). So it’s timely that SGX is paying attention to such issues,’ he said. Mr Gerald added that Sias itself has decided that from next year, it will be giving attention to CSR practices in selecting companies for its Corporate Governance Awards. There has been an increasing focus in the region on CSR practices. In 2007, Malaysia legislated that all companies listed on Bursa Malaysia must report on their CSR efforts, including the impact of their businesses on the environment. Some companies listed in Singapore have already been issuing sustainability reports. These include Banyan Tree Holdings, Keppel Land, City Developments and Sembcorp Industries. But not everyone is sold on the idea of companies reporting on their own environmental and social efforts. ‘Wherever your operations are, whether in Australia or China, you will have to comply with the regulations there anyway. I don’t see much value added to investors or to the company in issuing additional reports,’ said Mr Edwin Goh, chief financial officer of China Animal Healthcare, which has plants in China producing drugs to combat diseases linked to animals. Mr Goh said his company has not issued sustainability reports, but noted that before being awarded a licence to manufacture drugs, the Chinese authorities would have already inspected his firm’s plants to ensure compliance with various requirements, including those related to the environment. August 29, 2010 Original Source: http://www.eco-business.com/news/2010/aug/29/singapore-exchange-issues-guidelines-green-reporti/ [image] Singapore, Aug 29 - The Singapore Exchange (SGX) is going green. It is encouraging all listed firms to undertake ‘sustainability reporting’ - or the disclosure of the social and environmental aspects of their business - and has issued guidelines regarding this. ‘Investors who lead world opinion expect listed companies to be accountable for their financial results, how they achieve the results, and what impact they have on the communities within which they operate,’ said a regulatory announcement yesterday. But SGX added that this disclosure of the social and environmental aspects of a listed company’s business will not be mandatory at this stage. Still, mandatory rules could be developed in future as more companies adopt such reporting. The guidelines come amid allegations from environmental group Greenpeace that a unit of locally listed Golden Agri-Resources had cleared forests illegally in Indonesia. Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology (Smart), which operates all oil palm plantations for Golden Agri, has refuted these allegations after conducting independent reviews by certification bodies and forestry experts. SGX made no mention of the incident yesterday, adding only that the disclosures on sustainability of operations are particularly relevant for ‘companies susceptible to environmental risks’. These include oil and gas and mining companies, as well as those that produce significant pollutants, like chemical and apparel firms. Firms that use natural resources heavily - such as palm oil producers and forestry companies - should also look at issuing reports, said the exchange. SGX suggested that the disclosures should highlight companies’ policies regarding sustainability issues and contain assessments of the risks or impacts of the companies’ operations. It added that companies can follow internationally established frameworks like the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Reporting Framework. The SGX guidelines were issued in conjunction with its annual Investor Day yesterday. As SGX celebrated 10 years as a listed company, some 700 shareholders of the exchange gathered at the Suntec ballroom yesterday to hear from its top executives. An afternoon panel session was also open to the general public, as were investment talks and an exhibition. Mr David Gerald, president of the Securities Investors Association of Singapore (Sias), welcomed the SGX guidelines. ‘Globally, there is a move towards recognising the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR). So it’s timely that SGX is paying attention to such issues,’ he said. Mr Gerald added that Sias itself has decided that from next year, it will be giving attention to CSR practices in selecting companies for its Corporate Governance Awards. There has been an increasing focus in the region on CSR practices. In 2007, Malaysia legislated that all companies listed on Bursa Malaysia must report on their CSR efforts, including the impact of their businesses on the environment. Some companies listed in Singapore have already been issuing sustainability reports. These include Banyan Tree Holdings, Keppel Land, City Developments and Sembcorp Industries. But not everyone is sold on the idea of companies reporting on their own environmental and social efforts. ‘Wherever your operations are, whether in Australia or China, you will have to comply with the regulations there anyway. I don’t see much value added to investors or to the company in issuing additional reports,’ said Mr Edwin Goh, chief financial officer of China Animal Healthcare, which has plants in China producing drugs to combat diseases linked to animals. Mr Goh said his company has not issued sustainability reports, but noted that before being awarded a licence to manufacture drugs, the Chinese authorities would have already inspected his firm’s plants to ensure compliance with various requirements, including those related to the environment. August 29, 2010 Original Source: http://www.eco-business.com/news/2010/aug/29/singapore-exchange-issues-guidelines-green-reporti/ Thu, 02 Sep 2010 03:21:08 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_The-Singapore-Exchange-issues-guidelines-on-green-reporting/BLOG/2612576/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-02T03:21:08Z EcoSeed Community [image] Singapore, Aug 29 - The Singapore Exchange (SGX) is going green. It is encouraging all listed firms to undertake ‘sustainability reporting’ - or the disclosure of the social and environmental aspects of their business - and has issued guidelines regarding this. ‘Investors who lead world opinion expect listed companies to be accountable for their financial results, how they achieve the results, and what impact they have on the communities within which they operate,’ said a regulatory announcement yesterday. But SGX added that this disclosure of the social and environmental aspects of a listed company’s business will not be mandatory at this stage. Still, mandatory rules could be developed in future as more companies adopt such reporting. The guidelines come amid allegations from environmental group Greenpeace that a unit of locally listed Golden Agri-Resources had cleared forests illegally in Indonesia. Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology (Smart), which operates all oil palm plantations for Golden Agri, has refuted these allegations after conducting independent reviews by certification bodies and forestry experts. SGX made no mention of the incident yesterday, adding only that the disclosures on sustainability of operations are particularly relevant for ‘companies susceptible to environmental risks’. These include oil and gas and mining companies, as well as those that produce significant pollutants, like chemical and apparel firms. Firms that use natural resources heavily - such as palm oil producers and forestry companies - should also look at issuing reports, said the exchange. SGX suggested that the disclosures should highlight companies’ policies regarding sustainability issues and contain assessments of the risks or impacts of the companies’ operations. It added that companies can follow internationally established frameworks like the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Reporting Framework. The SGX guidelines were issued in conjunction with its annual Investor Day yesterday. As SGX celebrated 10 years as a listed company, some 700 shareholders of the exchange gathered at the Suntec ballroom yesterday to hear from its top executives. An afternoon panel session was also open to the general public, as were investment talks and an exhibition. Mr David Gerald, president of the Securities Investors Association of Singapore (Sias), welcomed the SGX guidelines. ‘Globally, there is a move towards recognising the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR). So it’s timely that SGX is paying attention to such issues,’ he said. Mr Gerald added that Sias itself has decided that from next year, it will be giving attention to CSR practices in selecting companies for its Corporate Governance Awards. There has been an increasing focus in the region on CSR practices. In 2007, Malaysia legislated that all companies listed on Bursa Malaysia must report on their CSR efforts, including the impact of their businesses on the environment. Some companies listed in Singapore have already been issuing sustainability reports. These include Banyan Tree Holdings, Keppel Land, City Developments and Sembcorp Industries. But not everyone is sold on the idea of companies reporting on their own environmental and social efforts. ‘Wherever your operations are, whether in Australia or China, you will have to comply with the regulations there anyway. I don’t see much value added to investors or to the company in issuing additional reports,’ said Mr Edwin Goh, chief financial officer of China Animal Healthcare, which has plants in China producing drugs to combat diseases linked to animals. Mr Goh said his company has not issued sustainability reports, but noted that before being awarded a licence to manufacture drugs, the Chinese authorities would have already inspected his firm’s plants to ensure compliance with various requirements, including those related to the environment. August 29, 2010 Original Source: http://www.eco-business.com/news/2010/aug/29/singapore-exchange-issues-guidelines-green-reporti/ nonadult false The Singapore Exchange issues guidelines on 'green reporting' text blog 70 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2612576 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Credibility-Gap-Oilsands-boycott-could-increase-global-warming/BLOG/2612531/29468.html [image]   Scientists have found higher concentrations of metal pollutants downstream of oil-sands projects. Photograph by: Jimmy Jeong/Bloomberg News, Bloomberg News We're all for corporate social responsibility, but we wonder if Walgreens, The Gap, Levi Strauss and Timberland are aware that they may be contributing to global warming by joining the naive Forest Ethics boycott of fuel derived from Alberta's oilsands. According to a study released earlier this month, the implementation of a low-carbon fuel standard in the U.S. would increase global greenhouse gas emissions by up to 19 million metric tonnes because it would force U.S. refiners to import more oil in tankers from the Middle East, Venezuela and elsewhere. It would also force Alberta to seek markets in India, China and other Asian nations. The study says the result of this global "shuffle" of oil via tankers across thousands of kilometres of oceans would cause higher carbon dioxide emissions than by simply extracting Canadian oil at its source. The study, by Barr Engineering of Minneapolis for the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association, says that a shift to low-carbon fuels "is not expected to change overall trends in energy use and demand for crude resources throughout the rest of the world. A shift in U.S. crude-supply preferences will simply cause redirection of crude supplies elsewhere." Executives eager to portray their corporations as green need to examine the unintended consequences of their decisions and be reminded that global warming respects no borders. Taking at face value the arguments of the factually challenged Forest Ethics is especially disheartening for Walgreens, which has made concerted efforts to adopt solar energy and other green initiatives, and the ethically aware Timberland, which makes a substantial amount of its leather footwear -- not exactly a clean process -- in China. In its glee to demonize Alberta while ignoring heavy oil extraction in the U.S. and other nations, the idealists at Forest Ethics -- a participant in Corporate Ethics International's shameful Rethink Alberta anti-tourism campaign to this province -- wrongly claimed that Alberta's oilsands are destroying boreal forest twice the size of England. It later amended that information to say that the destruction is as big as England, which is still erroneous. There are issues with oilsands extraction, as a recent University of Alberta report on the release of heavy metals in the Athabasca River watershed has shown. But the leaders of these companies know that it is possible to improve practices, as The Gap demonstrated after settling a $20 million class-action lawsuit with workers in Asian sweatshops in 2003. The company resolved those alleged abuses, just as the research and development arms of oilsands companies are feverishly working to improve extraction techniques in Alberta -- which is more than can be said of the dubious, unfriendly nations to which America will increasingly turn for its oil if the Alberta spigot is turned off. © Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald By: Calgary Herald | August 31, 2010 Original Source: http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Credibility/3462809/story.html#ixzz0yGOrRdZj [image]   Scientists have found higher concentrations of metal pollutants downstream of oil-sands projects. Photograph by: Jimmy Jeong/Bloomberg News, Bloomberg News We're all for corporate social responsibility, but we wonder if Walgreens, The Gap, Levi Strauss and Timberland are aware that they may be contributing to global warming by joining the naive Forest Ethics boycott of fuel derived from Alberta's oilsands. According to a study released earlier this month, the implementation of a low-carbon fuel standard in the U.S. would increase global greenhouse gas emissions by up to 19 million metric tonnes because it would force U.S. refiners to import more oil in tankers from the Middle East, Venezuela and elsewhere. It would also force Alberta to seek markets in India, China and other Asian nations. The study says the result of this global "shuffle" of oil via tankers across thousands of kilometres of oceans would cause higher carbon dioxide emissions than by simply extracting Canadian oil at its source. The study, by Barr Engineering of Minneapolis for the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association, says that a shift to low-carbon fuels "is not expected to change overall trends in energy use and demand for crude resources throughout the rest of the world. A shift in U.S. crude-supply preferences will simply cause redirection of crude supplies elsewhere." Executives eager to portray their corporations as green need to examine the unintended consequences of their decisions and be reminded that global warming respects no borders. Taking at face value the arguments of the factually challenged Forest Ethics is especially disheartening for Walgreens, which has made concerted efforts to adopt solar energy and other green initiatives, and the ethically aware Timberland, which makes a substantial amount of its leather footwear -- not exactly a clean process -- in China. In its glee to demonize Alberta while ignoring heavy oil extraction in the U.S. and other nations, the idealists at Forest Ethics -- a participant in Corporate Ethics International's shameful Rethink Alberta anti-tourism campaign to this province -- wrongly claimed that Alberta's oilsands are destroying boreal forest twice the size of England. It later amended that information to say that the destruction is as big as England, which is still erroneous. There are issues with oilsands extraction, as a recent University of Alberta report on the release of heavy metals in the Athabasca River watershed has shown. But the leaders of these companies know that it is possible to improve practices, as The Gap demonstrated after settling a $20 million class-action lawsuit with workers in Asian sweatshops in 2003. The company resolved those alleged abuses, just as the research and development arms of oilsands companies are feverishly working to improve extraction techniques in Alberta -- which is more than can be said of the dubious, unfriendly nations to which America will increasingly turn for its oil if the Alberta spigot is turned off. © Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald By: Calgary Herald | August 31, 2010 Original Source: http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Credibility/3462809/story.html#ixzz0yGOrRdZj Thu, 02 Sep 2010 03:18:16 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Credibility-Gap-Oilsands-boycott-could-increase-global-warming/BLOG/2612531/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-02T03:18:16Z EcoSeed Community [image]   Scientists have found higher concentrations of metal pollutants downstream of oil-sands projects. Photograph by: Jimmy Jeong/Bloomberg News, Bloomberg News We're all for corporate social responsibility, but we wonder if Walgreens, The Gap, Levi Strauss and Timberland are aware that they may be contributing to global warming by joining the naive Forest Ethics boycott of fuel derived from Alberta's oilsands. According to a study released earlier this month, the implementation of a low-carbon fuel standard in the U.S. would increase global greenhouse gas emissions by up to 19 million metric tonnes because it would force U.S. refiners to import more oil in tankers from the Middle East, Venezuela and elsewhere. It would also force Alberta to seek markets in India, China and other Asian nations. The study says the result of this global "shuffle" of oil via tankers across thousands of kilometres of oceans would cause higher carbon dioxide emissions than by simply extracting Canadian oil at its source. The study, by Barr Engineering of Minneapolis for the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association, says that a shift to low-carbon fuels "is not expected to change overall trends in energy use and demand for crude resources throughout the rest of the world. A shift in U.S. crude-supply preferences will simply cause redirection of crude supplies elsewhere." Executives eager to portray their corporations as green need to examine the unintended consequences of their decisions and be reminded that global warming respects no borders. Taking at face value the arguments of the factually challenged Forest Ethics is especially disheartening for Walgreens, which has made concerted efforts to adopt solar energy and other green initiatives, and the ethically aware Timberland, which makes a substantial amount of its leather footwear -- not exactly a clean process -- in China. In its glee to demonize Alberta while ignoring heavy oil extraction in the U.S. and other nations, the idealists at Forest Ethics -- a participant in Corporate Ethics International's shameful Rethink Alberta anti-tourism campaign to this province -- wrongly claimed that Alberta's oilsands are destroying boreal forest twice the size of England. It later amended that information to say that the destruction is as big as England, which is still erroneous. There are issues with oilsands extraction, as a recent University of Alberta report on the release of heavy metals in the Athabasca River watershed has shown. But the leaders of these companies know that it is possible to improve practices, as The Gap demonstrated after settling a $20 million class-action lawsuit with workers in Asian sweatshops in 2003. The company resolved those alleged abuses, just as the research and development arms of oilsands companies are feverishly working to improve extraction techniques in Alberta -- which is more than can be said of the dubious, unfriendly nations to which America will increasingly turn for its oil if the Alberta spigot is turned off. © Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald By: Calgary Herald | August 31, 2010 Original Source: http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Credibility/3462809/story.html#ixzz0yGOrRdZj nonadult false Credibility 'Gap': Oilsands boycott could increase global warming text blog 74 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2612531 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Sustainability-is-Not-Black-Or-White-More-Sustainable-is-Possible/BLOG/2612518/29468.html [image]Image credit: D'Arcy Norman & timtak (Creative Commons) When I wrote about industrial agriculture exploring sustainability, commenter Ruben suggested that the idea of something being "more sustainable" was illogical. Citing Bill Rees, the inventor of Ecological Footprinting, he claimed that sustainability was like pregnancy—"either you are or you aren't". I'd like to politely disagree. Like the soil versus dirt debate, there is a danger of getting too caught up in semantics here. After all, Ruben was not rejecting the idea that incremental progress was important. In fact, he stated explicitly that transition was important, and that "we need to get from here to there". On that, I'm in total agreement. Nevertheless, I think it's important to counter the argument that calling something like industrial agriculture "more sustainable" because it has reduced resource use or increased efficiency is inherently greenwash. Before we greens cast the first stone, it's important for us to remember that even some of the leading green projects, schemes and technologies in the world are very far from being "sustainable" in the truest sense of the word. Backyard farmers still rely on petroleum. Solar panels still rely on scarce and energy intensive resources. Yet a civilization that truly embraced renewables, and diverse, small-scale, low impact farming would, I believe, be much more able to sustain itself into the future than the status quo. In fact, if we are going to be totally dogmatic about it then true sustainability is, in some ways, a complete impossibility. Unless we follow Stephen Hawking's advice and leave earth to survive (and presumably keep moving), absolutely everything imaginable—from coal-powered giant hummers made of ivory, to solar panels made from dew drops—is on a continuum of being either more, or less, sustainable. Because once our sun gives up the ghost, the most sustainable system on the planet will be less than useless. From high-end luxury eco-condos to big organics as the enemy, perfect as the enemy of good is a recurring theme on TreeHugger. So while I applaud efforts to keep our ambitions high (and our BS detector engaged at all times), we should be wary of a black-and-white approach to sustainability. The end prize is too important for that. By: Sami Grover | August 31, 2010 Original Source: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/08/sustainability-black-and-white.php?campaign=th_rss [image]Image credit: D'Arcy Norman & timtak (Creative Commons) When I wrote about industrial agriculture exploring sustainability, commenter Ruben suggested that the idea of something being "more sustainable" was illogical. Citing Bill Rees, the inventor of Ecological Footprinting, he claimed that sustainability was like pregnancy—"either you are or you aren't". I'd like to politely disagree. Like the soil versus dirt debate, there is a danger of getting too caught up in semantics here. After all, Ruben was not rejecting the idea that incremental progress was important. In fact, he stated explicitly that transition was important, and that "we need to get from here to there". On that, I'm in total agreement. Nevertheless, I think it's important to counter the argument that calling something like industrial agriculture "more sustainable" because it has reduced resource use or increased efficiency is inherently greenwash. Before we greens cast the first stone, it's important for us to remember that even some of the leading green projects, schemes and technologies in the world are very far from being "sustainable" in the truest sense of the word. Backyard farmers still rely on petroleum. Solar panels still rely on scarce and energy intensive resources. Yet a civilization that truly embraced renewables, and diverse, small-scale, low impact farming would, I believe, be much more able to sustain itself into the future than the status quo. In fact, if we are going to be totally dogmatic about it then true sustainability is, in some ways, a complete impossibility. Unless we follow Stephen Hawking's advice and leave earth to survive (and presumably keep moving), absolutely everything imaginable—from coal-powered giant hummers made of ivory, to solar panels made from dew drops—is on a continuum of being either more, or less, sustainable. Because once our sun gives up the ghost, the most sustainable system on the planet will be less than useless. From high-end luxury eco-condos to big organics as the enemy, perfect as the enemy of good is a recurring theme on TreeHugger. So while I applaud efforts to keep our ambitions high (and our BS detector engaged at all times), we should be wary of a black-and-white approach to sustainability. The end prize is too important for that. By: Sami Grover | August 31, 2010 Original Source: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/08/sustainability-black-and-white.php?campaign=th_rss Thu, 02 Sep 2010 03:16:17 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Sustainability-is-Not-Black-Or-White-More-Sustainable-is-Possible/BLOG/2612518/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-02T03:16:17Z EcoSeed Community [image]Image credit: D'Arcy Norman & timtak (Creative Commons) When I wrote about industrial agriculture exploring sustainability, commenter Ruben suggested that the idea of something being "more sustainable" was illogical. Citing Bill Rees, the inventor of Ecological Footprinting, he claimed that sustainability was like pregnancy—"either you are or you aren't". I'd like to politely disagree. Like the soil versus dirt debate, there is a danger of getting too caught up in semantics here. After all, Ruben was not rejecting the idea that incremental progress was important. In fact, he stated explicitly that transition was important, and that "we need to get from here to there". On that, I'm in total agreement. Nevertheless, I think it's important to counter the argument that calling something like industrial agriculture "more sustainable" because it has reduced resource use or increased efficiency is inherently greenwash. Before we greens cast the first stone, it's important for us to remember that even some of the leading green projects, schemes and technologies in the world are very far from being "sustainable" in the truest sense of the word. Backyard farmers still rely on petroleum. Solar panels still rely on scarce and energy intensive resources. Yet a civilization that truly embraced renewables, and diverse, small-scale, low impact farming would, I believe, be much more able to sustain itself into the future than the status quo. In fact, if we are going to be totally dogmatic about it then true sustainability is, in some ways, a complete impossibility. Unless we follow Stephen Hawking's advice and leave earth to survive (and presumably keep moving), absolutely everything imaginable—from coal-powered giant hummers made of ivory, to solar panels made from dew drops—is on a continuum of being either more, or less, sustainable. Because once our sun gives up the ghost, the most sustainable system on the planet will be less than useless. From high-end luxury eco-condos to big organics as the enemy, perfect as the enemy of good is a recurring theme on TreeHugger. So while I applaud efforts to keep our ambitions high (and our BS detector engaged at all times), we should be wary of a black-and-white approach to sustainability. The end prize is too important for that. By: Sami Grover | August 31, 2010 Original Source: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/08/sustainability-black-and-white.php?campaign=th_rss nonadult false Sustainability is Not Black Or White - "More Sustainable" is Possible text blog 95 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2612518 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Bloom-Energy-Fuel-Cells-a-Clean-Energy-Alternative-But-at-What-Cost/BLOG/2612516/29468.html [image]  Bloom Energy fuel cells are a clean energy alternative, but at what cost? Many are hailing the Bloom energy servers as “revolutionary”, claiming that they will forever change the landscape of how we get electricity for our homes.  However, the innovation – albeit novel, does have some quirks that many are overlooking. How much will the Bloom Energy fuel cells cost? Right now, the energy servers currently being used are about the size of a parking spot and cost nearly three quarters of a million dollars.  Yes, that’s right – between $700,000 and $800,000.  However, for large companies such as Google, Walmart, or Staples that cost may pay for itself over time in reduced energy costs. Fortune Magazine reported back in February about the overall number crunching involved in making a business decision to install the Bloom Energy Device.  It’s been cited that the cost of a kw hour of electricity is 8 to 10 cents, which is lower than the coal power electrical grid. However, that total includes huge government subsidies and incentives from the state of California.  I’d venture to say that the incentives won’t be there forever, and so the Bloom Box may not be as cost effective years down the road. In addition, the energy servers come with a 10 year warranty, and Bloom Energy maintains the box.  However, if you lose power you will have to re-connect to the grid in order to get energy again.  This comes at a cost to the consumer. Still yet the innovation shows promise.  It may not all-out replace the electrical grid, but it will go a long way in supplementing it.  In order for one of these units to be viable for a residential home, it would need to be cut in price by over 90%. Even at $3,500 you’re looking at about two to three years of energy costs for the average household. Photo Credit: Bloom Energy By: Jeff Wong | August 30, 2010 Original Source: http://www.adannews.com/11711/bloom-energy-fuel-cells-a-clean-energy-alternative-but-at-what-cost/ [image]  Bloom Energy fuel cells are a clean energy alternative, but at what cost? Many are hailing the Bloom energy servers as “revolutionary”, claiming that they will forever change the landscape of how we get electricity for our homes.  However, the innovation – albeit novel, does have some quirks that many are overlooking. How much will the Bloom Energy fuel cells cost? Right now, the energy servers currently being used are about the size of a parking spot and cost nearly three quarters of a million dollars.  Yes, that’s right – between $700,000 and $800,000.  However, for large companies such as Google, Walmart, or Staples that cost may pay for itself over time in reduced energy costs. Fortune Magazine reported back in February about the overall number crunching involved in making a business decision to install the Bloom Energy Device.  It’s been cited that the cost of a kw hour of electricity is 8 to 10 cents, which is lower than the coal power electrical grid. However, that total includes huge government subsidies and incentives from the state of California.  I’d venture to say that the incentives won’t be there forever, and so the Bloom Box may not be as cost effective years down the road. In addition, the energy servers come with a 10 year warranty, and Bloom Energy maintains the box.  However, if you lose power you will have to re-connect to the grid in order to get energy again.  This comes at a cost to the consumer. Still yet the innovation shows promise.  It may not all-out replace the electrical grid, but it will go a long way in supplementing it.  In order for one of these units to be viable for a residential home, it would need to be cut in price by over 90%. Even at $3,500 you’re looking at about two to three years of energy costs for the average household. Photo Credit: Bloom Energy By: Jeff Wong | August 30, 2010 Original Source: http://www.adannews.com/11711/bloom-energy-fuel-cells-a-clean-energy-alternative-but-at-what-cost/ Thu, 02 Sep 2010 03:15:05 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Bloom-Energy-Fuel-Cells-a-Clean-Energy-Alternative-But-at-What-Cost/BLOG/2612516/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-02T03:15:05Z EcoSeed Community [image]  Bloom Energy fuel cells are a clean energy alternative, but at what cost? Many are hailing the Bloom energy servers as “revolutionary”, claiming that they will forever change the landscape of how we get electricity for our homes.  However, the innovation – albeit novel, does have some quirks that many are overlooking. How much will the Bloom Energy fuel cells cost? Right now, the energy servers currently being used are about the size of a parking spot and cost nearly three quarters of a million dollars.  Yes, that’s right – between $700,000 and $800,000.  However, for large companies such as Google, Walmart, or Staples that cost may pay for itself over time in reduced energy costs. Fortune Magazine reported back in February about the overall number crunching involved in making a business decision to install the Bloom Energy Device.  It’s been cited that the cost of a kw hour of electricity is 8 to 10 cents, which is lower than the coal power electrical grid. However, that total includes huge government subsidies and incentives from the state of California.  I’d venture to say that the incentives won’t be there forever, and so the Bloom Box may not be as cost effective years down the road. In addition, the energy servers come with a 10 year warranty, and Bloom Energy maintains the box.  However, if you lose power you will have to re-connect to the grid in order to get energy again.  This comes at a cost to the consumer. Still yet the innovation shows promise.  It may not all-out replace the electrical grid, but it will go a long way in supplementing it.  In order for one of these units to be viable for a residential home, it would need to be cut in price by over 90%. Even at $3,500 you’re looking at about two to three years of energy costs for the average household. Photo Credit: Bloom Energy By: Jeff Wong | August 30, 2010 Original Source: http://www.adannews.com/11711/bloom-energy-fuel-cells-a-clean-energy-alternative-but-at-what-cost/ nonadult false Bloom Energy Fuel Cells a Clean Energy Alternative, But at What Cost? text blog 31 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2612516 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Top-10-green-discussions-and-controversial-ideas/BLOG/2611851/29468.html 1.    1. ROI of 30-50 years for a renewable energy source? Isn’t it just a bit too much?  Right now, the (bloom box) energy servers currently being used are about the size of a parking spot and cost nearly three quarters of a million dollars.  Yes, that’s right – between $700,000 and $800,000.    http://www.adannews.com/11711/bloom-energy-fuel-cells-a-clean-energy-alternative-but-at-what-cost/   2.    2. Can a practice or a product be “A little bit Sustainable”, “Pretty Sustainable” and “Very Sustainable” ?  commenter Ruben suggested that the idea of something being "more sustainable" was illogical. Citing Bill Rees, the inventor of Ecological Footprinting, he claimed that sustainability was like pregnancy—"either you are or you aren't". I'd like to politely disagree. But is that really the case?  http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/08/sustainability-black-and-white.php?campaign=th_rss    3.    3. Is a large carbon footprint on the short run better than a large one on the long run? Or how to check who to really boycott?  Are Walgreens, The Gap, Levi Strauss and Timberland are aware that they may be contributing to global warming by joining the Forest Ethics boycott of fuel derived from Alberta's oilsands? According to a study released earlier this month, the implementation of a low-carbon fuel standard in the U.S. would increase global greenhouse gas emissions by up to 19 million metric tonnes because it would force U.S. refiners to import more oil in tankers from the Middle East, Venezuela and elsewhere. http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Credibility/3462809/story.html#ixzz0yGOrRdZj    4.      4.  Will Sustainability reporting do well for the stock market? The Singapore Exchange (SGX) is going green. It is encouraging all listed firms to undertake ‘sustainability reporting’ - or the disclosure of the social and environmental aspects of their business. But SGX added that this disclosure of the social and environmental aspects of a listed company’s business will not be mandatory at this stage.  http://www.eco-business.com/news/2010/aug/29/singapore-exchange-issues-guidelines-green-reporti/   5.     5.  Can BPO and call center be the embodiment of being green?  Many green leaders resent the practice of BPOs, claiming that like in farming, local is always better. However, there are numerous examples that show the opposite might also be true, sometime. For example, Genpact has a history of innovation that has defined the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry in India. It’s an end to end service provider applying science to managing business processes. It has a similar approach to its corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities as well. It is a BPO driven by its workforce; this workforce is also the army that drives its corporate citizenship programmes.  http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/genpact-instilling-social-responsibilityits-staff_481764.html   6.     6.  Building more data centers, moving into cloud computing, is it really as clean and energy efficient as it is presented?  Microsoft has confirmed plans to build a large new (high standard energy efficient) data center in Mecklenburg County, Va., as the company is once again expanding its data center operations. In a press release from the Virginia governor's office, Microsoft said it will spend up to $499 million to open the facility, which will use its latest modular, fourth-generation approach and will be located near the town of Boydton. The governor's office touted the plant as "the largest economic investment in Southern Virginia history." http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-20015071-56.html#ixzz0yGeAajKE   7.      7. Is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) a good idea? Is it a green one? CSR is as old as business itself, and companies are doing amazing things to help the communities around the world. However, how it is being done, and how it should be compensated, is a whole different issues. Against : The idea that companies have a responsibility to act in the public interest and will profit from doing so is fundamentally flawed.  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703338004575230112664504890.html    For:  The Case against the Case against Corporate Social Responsibility http://www.justmeans.com/-Case-against-Case-against-Corporate-Social-Responsibility/29072.html   8.    8.   If you do discover new oil or gas while you are in the middle of developing new renewable sources, what should you do? Exploring some more, will probably affect negatively (on the long run) with regards to the shift towards Renewable energy. Not exploring, means giving your country less of an energy edge on. This is the dilemma Israel is facing these days, and maybe other countries soon, as the race for renewable energy sources development is on the go. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704421104575463552570631976.html?mod=googlenews_wsj   9.    9.   What are some of our most un-green or environmentally products and practices? Did you know that cardboard moving boxes, Frozen food and synthetic fiber for cloths are some of the most controversial products which many green forums argue for and against?   http://www.ecosalon.com/energy-hungry-products/   1010.   The Biggest discussion of all – why we do not do enough about global warming and how can we do more? A new survey of Americans on the most effective ways to save energy indicates that the climate crisis is not seen as a problem severe enough to warrant aggressive action. The survey also raises the question of how well people who understand the problem are communicating its seriousness.  http://www.triplepundit.com/2010/08/do-energy-consumers-understand-how-and-why-to-save/ 1.    1. ROI of 30-50 years for a renewable energy source? Isn’t it just a bit too much?  Right now, the (bloom box) energy servers currently being used are about the size of a parking spot and cost nearly three quarters of a million dollars.  Yes, that’s right – between $700,000 and $800,000.    http://www.adannews.com/11711/bloom-energy-fuel-cells-a-clean-energy-alternative-but-at-what-cost/   2.    2. Can a practice or a product be “A little bit Sustainable”, “Pretty Sustainable” and “Very Sustainable” ?  commenter Ruben suggested that the idea of something being "more sustainable" was illogical. Citing Bill Rees, the inventor of Ecological Footprinting, he claimed that sustainability was like pregnancy—"either you are or you aren't". I'd like to politely disagree. But is that really the case?  http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/08/sustainability-black-and-white.php?campaign=th_rss    3.    3. Is a large carbon footprint on the short run better than a large one on the long run? Or how to check who to really boycott?  Are Walgreens, The Gap, Levi Strauss and Timberland are aware that they may be contributing to global warming by joining the Forest Ethics boycott of fuel derived from Alberta's oilsands? According to a study released earlier this month, the implementation of a low-carbon fuel standard in the U.S. would increase global greenhouse gas emissions by up to 19 million metric tonnes because it would force U.S. refiners to import more oil in tankers from the Middle East, Venezuela and elsewhere. http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Credibility/3462809/story.html#ixzz0yGOrRdZj    4.      4.  Will Sustainability reporting do well for the stock market? The Singapore Exchange (SGX) is going green. It is encouraging all listed firms to undertake ‘sustainability reporting’ - or the disclosure of the social and environmental aspects of their business. But SGX added that this disclosure of the social and environmental aspects of a listed company’s business will not be mandatory at this stage.  http://www.eco-business.com/news/2010/aug/29/singapore-exchange-issues-guidelines-green-reporti/   5.     5.  Can BPO and call center be the embodiment of being green?  Many green leaders resent the practice of BPOs, claiming that like in farming, local is always better. However, there are numerous examples that show the opposite might also be true, sometime. For example, Genpact has a history of innovation that has defined the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry in India. It’s an end to end service provider applying science to managing business processes. It has a similar approach to its corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities as well. It is a BPO driven by its workforce; this workforce is also the army that drives its corporate citizenship programmes.  http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/genpact-instilling-social-responsibilityits-staff_481764.html   6.     6.  Building more data centers, moving into cloud computing, is it really as clean and energy efficient as it is presented?  Microsoft has confirmed plans to build a large new (high standard energy efficient) data center in Mecklenburg County, Va., as the company is once again expanding its data center operations. In a press release from the Virginia governor's office, Microsoft said it will spend up to $499 million to open the facility, which will use its latest modular, fourth-generation approach and will be located near the town of Boydton. The governor's office touted the plant as "the largest economic investment in Southern Virginia history." http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-20015071-56.html#ixzz0yGeAajKE   7.      7. Is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) a good idea? Is it a green one? CSR is as old as business itself, and companies are doing amazing things to help the communities around the world. However, how it is being done, and how it should be compensated, is a whole different issues. Against : The idea that companies have a responsibility to act in the public interest and will profit from doing so is fundamentally flawed.  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703338004575230112664504890.html    For:  The Case against the Case against Corporate Social Responsibility http://www.justmeans.com/-Case-against-Case-against-Corporate-Social-Responsibility/29072.html   8.    8.   If you do discover new oil or gas while you are in the middle of developing new renewable sources, what should you do? Exploring some more, will probably affect negatively (on the long run) with regards to the shift towards Renewable energy. Not exploring, means giving your country less of an energy edge on. This is the dilemma Israel is facing these days, and maybe other countries soon, as the race for renewable energy sources development is on the go. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704421104575463552570631976.html?mod=googlenews_wsj   9.    9.   What are some of our most un-green or environmentally products and practices? Did you know that cardboard moving boxes, Frozen food and synthetic fiber for cloths are some of the most controversial products which many green forums argue for and against?   http://www.ecosalon.com/energy-hungry-products/   1010.   The Biggest discussion of all – why we do not do enough about global warming and how can we do more? A new survey of Americans on the most effective ways to save energy indicates that the climate crisis is not seen as a problem severe enough to warrant aggressive action. The survey also raises the question of how well people who understand the problem are communicating its seriousness.  http://www.triplepundit.com/2010/08/do-energy-consumers-understand-how-and-why-to-save/ Thu, 02 Sep 2010 02:47:08 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Top-10-green-discussions-and-controversial-ideas/BLOG/2611851/29468.html arboinks 2010-09-02T02:47:08Z EcoSeed Community 1.    1. ROI of 30-50 years for a renewable energy source? Isn’t it just a bit too much?  Right now, the (bloom box) energy servers currently being used are about the size of a parking spot and cost nearly three quarters of a million dollars.  Yes, that’s right – between $700,000 and $800,000.    http://www.adannews.com/11711/bloom-energy-fuel-cells-a-clean-energy-alternative-but-at-what-cost/   2.    2. Can a practice or a product be “A little bit Sustainable”, “Pretty Sustainable” and “Very Sustainable” ?  commenter Ruben suggested that the idea of something being "more sustainable" was illogical. Citing Bill Rees, the inventor of Ecological Footprinting, he claimed that sustainability was like pregnancy—"either you are or you aren't". I'd like to politely disagree. But is that really the case?  http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/08/sustainability-black-and-white.php?campaign=th_rss    3.    3. Is a large carbon footprint on the short run better than a large one on the long run? Or how to check who to really boycott?  Are Walgreens, The Gap, Levi Strauss and Timberland are aware that they may be contributing to global warming by joining the Forest Ethics boycott of fuel derived from Alberta's oilsands? According to a study released earlier this month, the implementation of a low-carbon fuel standard in the U.S. would increase global greenhouse gas emissions by up to 19 million metric tonnes because it would force U.S. refiners to import more oil in tankers from the Middle East, Venezuela and elsewhere. http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Credibility/3462809/story.html#ixzz0yGOrRdZj    4.      4.  Will Sustainability reporting do well for the stock market? The Singapore Exchange (SGX) is going green. It is encouraging all listed firms to undertake ‘sustainability reporting’ - or the disclosure of the social and environmental aspects of their business. But SGX added that this disclosure of the social and environmental aspects of a listed company’s business will not be mandatory at this stage.  http://www.eco-business.com/news/2010/aug/29/singapore-exchange-issues-guidelines-green-reporti/   5.     5.  Can BPO and call center be the embodiment of being green?  Many green leaders resent the practice of BPOs, claiming that like in farming, local is always better. However, there are numerous examples that show the opposite might also be true, sometime. For example, Genpact has a history of innovation that has defined the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry in India. It’s an end to end service provider applying science to managing business processes. It has a similar approach to its corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities as well. It is a BPO driven by its workforce; this workforce is also the army that drives its corporate citizenship programmes.  http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/genpact-instilling-social-responsibilityits-staff_481764.html   6.     6.  Building more data centers, moving into cloud computing, is it really as clean and energy efficient as it is presented?  Microsoft has confirmed plans to build a large new (high standard energy efficient) data center in Mecklenburg County, Va., as the company is once again expanding its data center operations. In a press release from the Virginia governor's office, Microsoft said it will spend up to $499 million to open the facility, which will use its latest modular, fourth-generation approach and will be located near the town of Boydton. The governor's office touted the plant as "the largest economic investment in Southern Virginia history." http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-20015071-56.html#ixzz0yGeAajKE   7.      7. Is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) a good idea? Is it a green one? CSR is as old as business itself, and companies are doing amazing things to help the communities around the world. However, how it is being done, and how it should be compensated, is a whole different issues. Against : The idea that companies have a responsibility to act in the public interest and will profit from doing so is fundamentally flawed.  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703338004575230112664504890.html    For:  The Case against the Case against Corporate Social Responsibility http://www.justmeans.com/-Case-against-Case-against-Corporate-Social-Responsibility/29072.html   8.    8.   If you do discover new oil or gas while you are in the middle of developing new renewable sources, what should you do? Exploring some more, will probably affect negatively (on the long run) with regards to the shift towards Renewable energy. Not exploring, means giving your country less of an energy edge on. This is the dilemma Israel is facing these days, and maybe other countries soon, as the race for renewable energy sources development is on the go. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704421104575463552570631976.html?mod=googlenews_wsj   9.    9.   What are some of our most un-green or environmentally products and practices? Did you know that cardboard moving boxes, Frozen food and synthetic fiber for cloths are some of the most controversial products which many green forums argue for and against?   http://www.ecosalon.com/energy-hungry-products/   1010.   The Biggest discussion of all – why we do not do enough about global warming and how can we do more? A new survey of Americans on the most effective ways to save energy indicates that the climate crisis is not seen as a problem severe enough to warrant aggressive action. The survey also raises the question of how well people who understand the problem are communicating its seriousness.  http://www.triplepundit.com/2010/08/do-energy-consumers-understand-how-and-why-to-save/ nonadult false Top 10 green discussions and controversial ideas text blog 101 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=15868748&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_7080739_29468_15868748_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2611851 15868748 Gold 2670 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Trying-to-go-green-Dont-forget-the-library/BLOG/2611709/29468.html I work from home, which actually means I work from coffee shops, park benches and, yes, from my bed, wearing pajamas. I also work from libraries. I have fond memories of visiting the downtown Bellingham Public Library as a young kid, and then going back there again as a teen to do research for papers and toil away on homework. Wherever I have lived … Portland … Boston … and now Spokane, applying for my public library card is one of the first things I check off my to-do list after moving. Using libraries is also very green, you know. And frugal, too. I love a house full of books, but I can’t afford to own copies of all my favorite hardbacks. Libraries make it possible to be surrounded by books without spending a dime (well, minus taxes and late fees). Besides books, I also use the library to rent DVDs for my kids to watch and books on CD for them to hear. I’m writing this from a Spokane County Library District branch right now and am sitting close to the magazines, so I think I’ll conduct a little experiment. Give me 20 minutes to flip through the craft and home decor mags, and I’m going to jot down articles I would have gladly paid to read. Set your timer. Ready. Set. Go!   1. From Martha Stewart Living: How to paint unique house numbers on your home How to create a rotating art display in a child’s room 2. From Sunset: How to give your kitchen cabinets a facelift 3. From Mother Earth News: How to make a bloody Mary using tomatoes from your garden 4. From Better Homes & Gardens: DIY fall decorating projects using objects from nature 5. From Create & Decorate: How to make a glittered bird and nest from shredded book pages (just make sure you’re not using a library book) 6. From Crafts’n’Things: How to sew a scrappy owl ornament or pillow   OK! As you can see, I couldn’t find online links to all of the articles that caught my eye. That means one thing: head to your local library to check out the magazines (and books and DVDs, etc.) yourself. Source: http://www.downtoearthnw.com/ I work from home, which actually means I work from coffee shops, park benches and, yes, from my bed, wearing pajamas. I also work from libraries. I have fond memories of visiting the downtown Bellingham Public Library as a young kid, and then going back there again as a teen to do research for papers and toil away on homework. Wherever I have lived … Portland … Boston … and now Spokane, applying for my public library card is one of the first things I check off my to-do list after moving. Using libraries is also very green, you know. And frugal, too. I love a house full of books, but I can’t afford to own copies of all my favorite hardbacks. Libraries make it possible to be surrounded by books without spending a dime (well, minus taxes and late fees). Besides books, I also use the library to rent DVDs for my kids to watch and books on CD for them to hear. I’m writing this from a Spokane County Library District branch right now and am sitting close to the magazines, so I think I’ll conduct a little experiment. Give me 20 minutes to flip through the craft and home decor mags, and I’m going to jot down articles I would have gladly paid to read. Set your timer. Ready. Set. Go!   1. From Martha Stewart Living: How to paint unique house numbers on your home How to create a rotating art display in a child’s room 2. From Sunset: How to give your kitchen cabinets a facelift 3. From Mother Earth News: How to make a bloody Mary using tomatoes from your garden 4. From Better Homes & Gardens: DIY fall decorating projects using objects from nature 5. From Create & Decorate: How to make a glittered bird and nest from shredded book pages (just make sure you’re not using a library book) 6. From Crafts’n’Things: How to sew a scrappy owl ornament or pillow   OK! As you can see, I couldn’t find online links to all of the articles that caught my eye. That means one thing: head to your local library to check out the magazines (and books and DVDs, etc.) yourself. Source: http://www.downtoearthnw.com/ Thu, 02 Sep 2010 02:40:22 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Trying-to-go-green-Dont-forget-the-library/BLOG/2611709/29468.html arboinks 2010-09-02T02:40:22Z EcoSeed Community I work from home, which actually means I work from coffee shops, park benches and, yes, from my bed, wearing pajamas. I also work from libraries. I have fond memories of visiting the downtown Bellingham Public Library as a young kid, and then going back there again as a teen to do research for papers and toil away on homework. Wherever I have lived … Portland … Boston … and now Spokane, applying for my public library card is one of the first things I check off my to-do list after moving. Using libraries is also very green, you know. And frugal, too. I love a house full of books, but I can’t afford to own copies of all my favorite hardbacks. Libraries make it possible to be surrounded by books without spending a dime (well, minus taxes and late fees). Besides books, I also use the library to rent DVDs for my kids to watch and books on CD for them to hear. I’m writing this from a Spokane County Library District branch right now and am sitting close to the magazines, so I think I’ll conduct a little experiment. Give me 20 minutes to flip through the craft and home decor mags, and I’m going to jot down articles I would have gladly paid to read. Set your timer. Ready. Set. Go!   1. From Martha Stewart Living: How to paint unique house numbers on your home How to create a rotating art display in a child’s room 2. From Sunset: How to give your kitchen cabinets a facelift 3. From Mother Earth News: How to make a bloody Mary using tomatoes from your garden 4. From Better Homes & Gardens: DIY fall decorating projects using objects from nature 5. From Create & Decorate: How to make a glittered bird and nest from shredded book pages (just make sure you’re not using a library book) 6. From Crafts’n’Things: How to sew a scrappy owl ornament or pillow   OK! As you can see, I couldn’t find online links to all of the articles that caught my eye. That means one thing: head to your local library to check out the magazines (and books and DVDs, etc.) yourself. Source: http://www.downtoearthnw.com/ nonadult false Trying to go green? Don’t forget the library text blog 53 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=15868748&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_7080739_29468_15868748_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2611709 15868748 Gold 2670 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Tips-on-Eco-Friendly-Landscaping-for-the-Yard/BLOG/2611647/29468.html Eco-friendly landscape is one of the most in thing in contemporary homes. This may sound a bit costly but if you are creative and resourceful, you can achieve this without going over your budget. In every household, your landscape needs a lot of creativity and resourcefulness so it would turn out to be appealing. If you wish to modify or improve your landscape, especially your garden, the first thing you need to work on is finding the right type of plants that will suit the appearance of your house. Apart from that, you also have to take into consideration your neighbors. Having a beautiful landscape is not an added attraction to your house but this is also another way to impress the passers by and other visitors. This can also boost the value of your house, if you decide to resell it in the long run. Your surrounding is basically the main element that must be considered when you are engaging into a landscape project. This will help your decide on the every detail that should be used on your lawn. It is best that you talk to an expert about this matter so you can be guided accordingly. Of course, you have your own plans but it is still better if you seek help from the pro to integrate all your plans and come up with excellent results later on. Besides, these people will not only incorporate all your ideas but they can as well suggests and make it look nicer. When picking out the type of plants to be put on the lawn, they should match with the kind of soil that you have. Native plants are said to be ideal for making an eco-friendly landscape. These plants have low maintenance. They can live without having too much attention from you. The fertilizers do not have to be those very expensive ones; they can simply go with basic types. Unlike high end plants, wherein they are delicate and very sensitive, you definitely have to devote extra time and money so they can live longer. Otherwise, they can only last for a couple days. So even if you do not have complete knowledge about gardening, native plants can still live and bloom. Once you have all the plants that are needed and they are arranged properly, make sure that you know how to maintain them. Trim them and get rid of those outgrown weeds. Remove withered leaves so your landscape can look clean and appealing. Plants must be watered everyday. Even if you have native plants and they do not need much of your attention, that does not mean you no longer have to take good care of them. They still need your attention but not really that demanding. Just as long as you water and put fertilizer on them, they can already last for a long time. Nowadays, where Planet Earth has already become sensitive due to the negligence of human beings, everyone must know how to protect it from possible destruction. Having a green lifestyle is the best solution to this. It does not have to be a major overhaul of your life but you can start small. Making your lawn into an eco-friendly yard is one good suggestion to begin with. Then you can learn how to maximize the natural resources and make use of them at home. So that, you do not have to depend on devices and other electronic appliances that can somehow harm the Planet Earth with their radiation and other harmful elements that they give off every time you use them. So be a responsible homeowner and neighbor. Source: http://www.dr30.com/ Eco-friendly landscape is one of the most in thing in contemporary homes. This may sound a bit costly but if you are creative and resourceful, you can achieve this without going over your budget. In every household, your landscape needs a lot of creativity and resourcefulness so it would turn out to be appealing. If you wish to modify or improve your landscape, especially your garden, the first thing you need to work on is finding the right type of plants that will suit the appearance of your house. Apart from that, you also have to take into consideration your neighbors. Having a beautiful landscape is not an added attraction to your house but this is also another way to impress the passers by and other visitors. This can also boost the value of your house, if you decide to resell it in the long run. Your surrounding is basically the main element that must be considered when you are engaging into a landscape project. This will help your decide on the every detail that should be used on your lawn. It is best that you talk to an expert about this matter so you can be guided accordingly. Of course, you have your own plans but it is still better if you seek help from the pro to integrate all your plans and come up with excellent results later on. Besides, these people will not only incorporate all your ideas but they can as well suggests and make it look nicer. When picking out the type of plants to be put on the lawn, they should match with the kind of soil that you have. Native plants are said to be ideal for making an eco-friendly landscape. These plants have low maintenance. They can live without having too much attention from you. The fertilizers do not have to be those very expensive ones; they can simply go with basic types. Unlike high end plants, wherein they are delicate and very sensitive, you definitely have to devote extra time and money so they can live longer. Otherwise, they can only last for a couple days. So even if you do not have complete knowledge about gardening, native plants can still live and bloom. Once you have all the plants that are needed and they are arranged properly, make sure that you know how to maintain them. Trim them and get rid of those outgrown weeds. Remove withered leaves so your landscape can look clean and appealing. Plants must be watered everyday. Even if you have native plants and they do not need much of your attention, that does not mean you no longer have to take good care of them. They still need your attention but not really that demanding. Just as long as you water and put fertilizer on them, they can already last for a long time. Nowadays, where Planet Earth has already become sensitive due to the negligence of human beings, everyone must know how to protect it from possible destruction. Having a green lifestyle is the best solution to this. It does not have to be a major overhaul of your life but you can start small. Making your lawn into an eco-friendly yard is one good suggestion to begin with. Then you can learn how to maximize the natural resources and make use of them at home. So that, you do not have to depend on devices and other electronic appliances that can somehow harm the Planet Earth with their radiation and other harmful elements that they give off every time you use them. So be a responsible homeowner and neighbor. Source: http://www.dr30.com/ Thu, 02 Sep 2010 02:37:12 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Tips-on-Eco-Friendly-Landscaping-for-the-Yard/BLOG/2611647/29468.html arboinks 2010-09-02T02:37:12Z EcoSeed Community Eco-friendly landscape is one of the most in thing in contemporary homes. This may sound a bit costly but if you are creative and resourceful, you can achieve this without going over your budget. In every household, your landscape needs a lot of creativity and resourcefulness so it would turn out to be appealing. If you wish to modify or improve your landscape, especially your garden, the first thing you need to work on is finding the right type of plants that will suit the appearance of your house. Apart from that, you also have to take into consideration your neighbors. Having a beautiful landscape is not an added attraction to your house but this is also another way to impress the passers by and other visitors. This can also boost the value of your house, if you decide to resell it in the long run. Your surrounding is basically the main element that must be considered when you are engaging into a landscape project. This will help your decide on the every detail that should be used on your lawn. It is best that you talk to an expert about this matter so you can be guided accordingly. Of course, you have your own plans but it is still better if you seek help from the pro to integrate all your plans and come up with excellent results later on. Besides, these people will not only incorporate all your ideas but they can as well suggests and make it look nicer. When picking out the type of plants to be put on the lawn, they should match with the kind of soil that you have. Native plants are said to be ideal for making an eco-friendly landscape. These plants have low maintenance. They can live without having too much attention from you. The fertilizers do not have to be those very expensive ones; they can simply go with basic types. Unlike high end plants, wherein they are delicate and very sensitive, you definitely have to devote extra time and money so they can live longer. Otherwise, they can only last for a couple days. So even if you do not have complete knowledge about gardening, native plants can still live and bloom. Once you have all the plants that are needed and they are arranged properly, make sure that you know how to maintain them. Trim them and get rid of those outgrown weeds. Remove withered leaves so your landscape can look clean and appealing. Plants must be watered everyday. Even if you have native plants and they do not need much of your attention, that does not mean you no longer have to take good care of them. They still need your attention but not really that demanding. Just as long as you water and put fertilizer on them, they can already last for a long time. Nowadays, where Planet Earth has already become sensitive due to the negligence of human beings, everyone must know how to protect it from possible destruction. Having a green lifestyle is the best solution to this. It does not have to be a major overhaul of your life but you can start small. Making your lawn into an eco-friendly yard is one good suggestion to begin with. Then you can learn how to maximize the natural resources and make use of them at home. So that, you do not have to depend on devices and other electronic appliances that can somehow harm the Planet Earth with their radiation and other harmful elements that they give off every time you use them. So be a responsible homeowner and neighbor. Source: http://www.dr30.com/ nonadult false Tips on Eco-Friendly Landscaping for the Yard text blog 77 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=15868748&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_7080739_29468_15868748_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2611647 15868748 Gold 2670 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Keeping-it-green/BLOG/2611513/29468.html   [image] Sasha Windes, left, and Jennifer Jordan are co-owners of Greenshops, a store that specializes in eco-friendly products. Photo by Henry A. Barrios.     Hidden by industrial buildings in the quiet strip mall of Chloe’s Plaza, northwest Bakersfield’s eco-friendly, one-stop shop has built a loyal following despite its location. Greenshops caters eco connoisseurs and everyday eco-conscious folks alike, selling practical merchandise like organic bedding and cleaning products, as well as natural, cruelty-free makeup and skin care products. The seed for the business sprouted during a lunch conversation between Jennifer Jordan and Sasha Windes, who were in real estate together. After a long talk about health problems facing their families and pets, both women spent hours looking into solutions. Windes’ kids had developed allergies, asthma and eczema, so she switched her cleaning products, then gradually, the bedding. Since then, her kids haven’t had rash outbreaks or coughing attacks. “Every single problem I was taking my daughter to the doctor for went away. When I switched everything out, it changed. We hardly get sick anymore,” Windes said. Together, Jordan and Windes sought a way to share their newfound knowledge of toxic-free lifestyles with others.  “We wanted to create a place where people could come in and ask questions because we didn’t have that,” Windes said. About a year after that fateful lunch, the duo launched their website in January 2008, and soon discovered storage space was needed. Six months later, they opened a small, but shopper-friendly boutique (then called Fresh & Green) in the front part of the warehouse. The store’s name was changed to Greenshops after customers confused the boutique with Fresh & Easy grocery stores that opened around the same time. The transition to a healthy, green lifestyle can be overwhelming, but Jordan and Windes don’t judge their customers. “We’ve all made mistakes. You’re not going to do everything right,” Windes said, which is why Greenshops offers workshops once a month. According to Jordan, the easiest way to go green is to start in the home, specifically in bedrooms since people breathe in what she calls “toxic soup” that consists of air fresheners, candles, perfumes and cleaning products. “Going green is really thinking about what we bring in our homes. I think the word green will go away. It’s just a word, I consider it healthy living,” Jordan said. The store’s top sellers include all-natural bedding and pillows made from bamboo fibers, hemp and organic cotton. Windes said. People who have allergies benefit from switching to bedding that is chemical-free. Regular pillows are soaked in fire-retardant chemicals that are extremely toxic, so when people sleep, their skin absorbs the chemicals. The bedding and pillows are expensive compared to other products at Greenshops — organic bed pillows start at $82, while bedding costs ranges from $60 to $500 — but the owners agree they’re worth the investment for a good night’s sleep. Another aspect of green living that’s neglected is the amount of waste people throw away at lunch, especially kids. Plastic and brown paper bags, juice boxes, clear sandwich bags, foil chip and cookie packages get disposed without hesitation to recycle. “My daughter has nothing to throw away after her lunch,” Windes said. For zero-waste lunches, Windes buys food in bulk and packs her kids’ lunches with reusable products from her store like organic lunch bags, refillable Klean Kanteens and snackTAXIs, bags that can be hand-washed and air-dried and come in two sizes to fit sandwiches and various snacks. Other eco back-to-school items include pens, binders, recycled notebook paper and backpacks. Besides carrying products that eliminate waste, Greenshops supports TerraCycle, a program that recycles trash for cash. The waste is turned into products like toys, lunch totes and picture frames that are sold at Target, Wal-Mart and Office Max. Not only does TerraCycle pay schools and nonprofits for every item recycled, but the trash is collected at no charge. Jordan and Windes have designated a TerraCycle drop-off location inside their store. (To learn more about the program, visit terracycle.net.) Greenshops not only offers an assortment of products, but the owners have a local group that tests everything before a line is carried. It took two years to find a deodorant that works for most of their clients. “Going green is a gradual process and it is too confusing for our customers to try and navigate through hundreds of products and not know if this or that product will work,” Jordan said. To ensure customers find the right products from the best manufacturers, the owners send a five-page supply chain questionnaire for every manufacturer to complete before any product enters Greenshops. The owners seek manufacturers that practice good business tactics and care about what’s being distributed. “We want to make sure that our dollars are going to companies that are like-minded and doing the right thing,” Jordan said. Besides carrying the best eco products, Jordan and Windes operate Greenshops almost completely paperless, which means they don’t receive packing slips or invoices in deliveries. “There’s a misconception right now that it is expensive. It’s about starting small and paying attention to waste. With me going green, I’ve saved thousands of dollars,” Jordan said. Source: http://www.bakersfieldlife.com/     [image] Sasha Windes, left, and Jennifer Jordan are co-owners of Greenshops, a store that specializes in eco-friendly products. Photo by Henry A. Barrios.     Hidden by industrial buildings in the quiet strip mall of Chloe’s Plaza, northwest Bakersfield’s eco-friendly, one-stop shop has built a loyal following despite its location. Greenshops caters eco connoisseurs and everyday eco-conscious folks alike, selling practical merchandise like organic bedding and cleaning products, as well as natural, cruelty-free makeup and skin care products. The seed for the business sprouted during a lunch conversation between Jennifer Jordan and Sasha Windes, who were in real estate together. After a long talk about health problems facing their families and pets, both women spent hours looking into solutions. Windes’ kids had developed allergies, asthma and eczema, so she switched her cleaning products, then gradually, the bedding. Since then, her kids haven’t had rash outbreaks or coughing attacks. “Every single problem I was taking my daughter to the doctor for went away. When I switched everything out, it changed. We hardly get sick anymore,” Windes said. Together, Jordan and Windes sought a way to share their newfound knowledge of toxic-free lifestyles with others.  “We wanted to create a place where people could come in and ask questions because we didn’t have that,” Windes said. About a year after that fateful lunch, the duo launched their website in January 2008, and soon discovered storage space was needed. Six months later, they opened a small, but shopper-friendly boutique (then called Fresh & Green) in the front part of the warehouse. The store’s name was changed to Greenshops after customers confused the boutique with Fresh & Easy grocery stores that opened around the same time. The transition to a healthy, green lifestyle can be overwhelming, but Jordan and Windes don’t judge their customers. “We’ve all made mistakes. You’re not going to do everything right,” Windes said, which is why Greenshops offers workshops once a month. According to Jordan, the easiest way to go green is to start in the home, specifically in bedrooms since people breathe in what she calls “toxic soup” that consists of air fresheners, candles, perfumes and cleaning products. “Going green is really thinking about what we bring in our homes. I think the word green will go away. It’s just a word, I consider it healthy living,” Jordan said. The store’s top sellers include all-natural bedding and pillows made from bamboo fibers, hemp and organic cotton. Windes said. People who have allergies benefit from switching to bedding that is chemical-free. Regular pillows are soaked in fire-retardant chemicals that are extremely toxic, so when people sleep, their skin absorbs the chemicals. The bedding and pillows are expensive compared to other products at Greenshops — organic bed pillows start at $82, while bedding costs ranges from $60 to $500 — but the owners agree they’re worth the investment for a good night’s sleep. Another aspect of green living that’s neglected is the amount of waste people throw away at lunch, especially kids. Plastic and brown paper bags, juice boxes, clear sandwich bags, foil chip and cookie packages get disposed without hesitation to recycle. “My daughter has nothing to throw away after her lunch,” Windes said. For zero-waste lunches, Windes buys food in bulk and packs her kids’ lunches with reusable products from her store like organic lunch bags, refillable Klean Kanteens and snackTAXIs, bags that can be hand-washed and air-dried and come in two sizes to fit sandwiches and various snacks. Other eco back-to-school items include pens, binders, recycled notebook paper and backpacks. Besides carrying products that eliminate waste, Greenshops supports TerraCycle, a program that recycles trash for cash. The waste is turned into products like toys, lunch totes and picture frames that are sold at Target, Wal-Mart and Office Max. Not only does TerraCycle pay schools and nonprofits for every item recycled, but the trash is collected at no charge. Jordan and Windes have designated a TerraCycle drop-off location inside their store. (To learn more about the program, visit terracycle.net.) Greenshops not only offers an assortment of products, but the owners have a local group that tests everything before a line is carried. It took two years to find a deodorant that works for most of their clients. “Going green is a gradual process and it is too confusing for our customers to try and navigate through hundreds of products and not know if this or that product will work,” Jordan said. To ensure customers find the right products from the best manufacturers, the owners send a five-page supply chain questionnaire for every manufacturer to complete before any product enters Greenshops. The owners seek manufacturers that practice good business tactics and care about what’s being distributed. “We want to make sure that our dollars are going to companies that are like-minded and doing the right thing,” Jordan said. Besides carrying the best eco products, Jordan and Windes operate Greenshops almost completely paperless, which means they don’t receive packing slips or invoices in deliveries. “There’s a misconception right now that it is expensive. It’s about starting small and paying attention to waste. With me going green, I’ve saved thousands of dollars,” Jordan said. Source: http://www.bakersfieldlife.com/   Thu, 02 Sep 2010 02:33:46 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Keeping-it-green/BLOG/2611513/29468.html arboinks 2010-09-02T02:33:46Z EcoSeed Community   [image] Sasha Windes, left, and Jennifer Jordan are co-owners of Greenshops, a store that specializes in eco-friendly products. Photo by Henry A. Barrios.     Hidden by industrial buildings in the quiet strip mall of Chloe’s Plaza, northwest Bakersfield’s eco-friendly, one-stop shop has built a loyal following despite its location. Greenshops caters eco connoisseurs and everyday eco-conscious folks alike, selling practical merchandise like organic bedding and cleaning products, as well as natural, cruelty-free makeup and skin care products. The seed for the business sprouted during a lunch conversation between Jennifer Jordan and Sasha Windes, who were in real estate together. After a long talk about health problems facing their families and pets, both women spent hours looking into solutions. Windes’ kids had developed allergies, asthma and eczema, so she switched her cleaning products, then gradually, the bedding. Since then, her kids haven’t had rash outbreaks or coughing attacks. “Every single problem I was taking my daughter to the doctor for went away. When I switched everything out, it changed. We hardly get sick anymore,” Windes said. Together, Jordan and Windes sought a way to share their newfound knowledge of toxic-free lifestyles with others.  “We wanted to create a place where people could come in and ask questions because we didn’t have that,” Windes said. About a year after that fateful lunch, the duo launched their website in January 2008, and soon discovered storage space was needed. Six months later, they opened a small, but shopper-friendly boutique (then called Fresh & Green) in the front part of the warehouse. The store’s name was changed to Greenshops after customers confused the boutique with Fresh & Easy grocery stores that opened around the same time. The transition to a healthy, green lifestyle can be overwhelming, but Jordan and Windes don’t judge their customers. “We’ve all made mistakes. You’re not going to do everything right,” Windes said, which is why Greenshops offers workshops once a month. According to Jordan, the easiest way to go green is to start in the home, specifically in bedrooms since people breathe in what she calls “toxic soup” that consists of air fresheners, candles, perfumes and cleaning products. “Going green is really thinking about what we bring in our homes. I think the word green will go away. It’s just a word, I consider it healthy living,” Jordan said. The store’s top sellers include all-natural bedding and pillows made from bamboo fibers, hemp and organic cotton. Windes said. People who have allergies benefit from switching to bedding that is chemical-free. Regular pillows are soaked in fire-retardant chemicals that are extremely toxic, so when people sleep, their skin absorbs the chemicals. The bedding and pillows are expensive compared to other products at Greenshops — organic bed pillows start at $82, while bedding costs ranges from $60 to $500 — but the owners agree they’re worth the investment for a good night’s sleep. Another aspect of green living that’s neglected is the amount of waste people throw away at lunch, especially kids. Plastic and brown paper bags, juice boxes, clear sandwich bags, foil chip and cookie packages get disposed without hesitation to recycle. “My daughter has nothing to throw away after her lunch,” Windes said. For zero-waste lunches, Windes buys food in bulk and packs her kids’ lunches with reusable products from her store like organic lunch bags, refillable Klean Kanteens and snackTAXIs, bags that can be hand-washed and air-dried and come in two sizes to fit sandwiches and various snacks. Other eco back-to-school items include pens, binders, recycled notebook paper and backpacks. Besides carrying products that eliminate waste, Greenshops supports TerraCycle, a program that recycles trash for cash. The waste is turned into products like toys, lunch totes and picture frames that are sold at Target, Wal-Mart and Office Max. Not only does TerraCycle pay schools and nonprofits for every item recycled, but the trash is collected at no charge. Jordan and Windes have designated a TerraCycle drop-off location inside their store. (To learn more about the program, visit terracycle.net.) Greenshops not only offers an assortment of products, but the owners have a local group that tests everything before a line is carried. It took two years to find a deodorant that works for most of their clients. “Going green is a gradual process and it is too confusing for our customers to try and navigate through hundreds of products and not know if this or that product will work,” Jordan said. To ensure customers find the right products from the best manufacturers, the owners send a five-page supply chain questionnaire for every manufacturer to complete before any product enters Greenshops. The owners seek manufacturers that practice good business tactics and care about what’s being distributed. “We want to make sure that our dollars are going to companies that are like-minded and doing the right thing,” Jordan said. Besides carrying the best eco products, Jordan and Windes operate Greenshops almost completely paperless, which means they don’t receive packing slips or invoices in deliveries. “There’s a misconception right now that it is expensive. It’s about starting small and paying attention to waste. With me going green, I’ve saved thousands of dollars,” Jordan said. Source: http://www.bakersfieldlife.com/   nonadult false Keeping it green text blog 73 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=15868748&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_7080739_29468_15868748_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2611513 15868748 Gold 2670 http://community.ecoseed.org/_College-to-save-150m-generating-own-solar-power/BLOG/2611309/29468.html   [image] Butte College has been building up its solar generating capacity since 2003, concerned about rising energy prices A college in Northern California has approved plans to expand its solar generating capacity to produce more energy than it consumes. Butte College, located in Oroville, north of Sacramento, will install more than 14,000 Mitsubishi Electric solar modules to add 2.7 megawatts of generating capacity. The project adds to the college’s existing 10,000 Mitsubishi solar panels, and will see its overall generating capacity increasing to 4.55MW (DC). The new array is expected to produce about 3.5 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy each year, and should be complete by May 2011. Diana Van Der Ploeg, president of Butte College, said: “Once this solar project is completed, Butte College will provide enough clean renewable energy to cover all of our electricity needs and generate slightly more than we use—which will be a source of additional revenue for the college.” Joint venture The college’s new solar panels are being installed by a joint venture between local firm Chico Electric and Texan electricity firm DPR Energy, which designs and builds solar systems for residential as well as commercial and municipal buildings. The Butte College installation will include ground-mounted solar panels and panels mounted on parking lot and walkway shade structures at the main Oroville campus and the college’s satellite campus in Chico. Funding for the $17 million project includes $12.65 million in federal Clean Renewable Energy Bonds, $1 million in rebates from the California Solar Initiative and utility Pacific Gas & Electric, with the remainder from college funds. “Forward-thinking” The college first installed solar panels back in 2003, and believes it will save $150 million over the next three decades by generating its own power. “We have worked with Butte College for years and are proud to facilitate this cutting-edge project for such a forward-thinking institution,” said Norm Nielsen, president of Chico Electric. “We congratulate Butte College for setting an example for its students, its community and other colleges in the nation by choosing solar energy as its energy source,” says Gina Heng, general manager of Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA’s Photovoltaic Division. Source: http://www.brighterenergy.org/   [image] Butte College has been building up its solar generating capacity since 2003, concerned about rising energy prices A college in Northern California has approved plans to expand its solar generating capacity to produce more energy than it consumes. Butte College, located in Oroville, north of Sacramento, will install more than 14,000 Mitsubishi Electric solar modules to add 2.7 megawatts of generating capacity. The project adds to the college’s existing 10,000 Mitsubishi solar panels, and will see its overall generating capacity increasing to 4.55MW (DC). The new array is expected to produce about 3.5 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy each year, and should be complete by May 2011. Diana Van Der Ploeg, president of Butte College, said: “Once this solar project is completed, Butte College will provide enough clean renewable energy to cover all of our electricity needs and generate slightly more than we use—which will be a source of additional revenue for the college.” Joint venture The college’s new solar panels are being installed by a joint venture between local firm Chico Electric and Texan electricity firm DPR Energy, which designs and builds solar systems for residential as well as commercial and municipal buildings. The Butte College installation will include ground-mounted solar panels and panels mounted on parking lot and walkway shade structures at the main Oroville campus and the college’s satellite campus in Chico. Funding for the $17 million project includes $12.65 million in federal Clean Renewable Energy Bonds, $1 million in rebates from the California Solar Initiative and utility Pacific Gas & Electric, with the remainder from college funds. “Forward-thinking” The college first installed solar panels back in 2003, and believes it will save $150 million over the next three decades by generating its own power. “We have worked with Butte College for years and are proud to facilitate this cutting-edge project for such a forward-thinking institution,” said Norm Nielsen, president of Chico Electric. “We congratulate Butte College for setting an example for its students, its community and other colleges in the nation by choosing solar energy as its energy source,” says Gina Heng, general manager of Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA’s Photovoltaic Division. Source: http://www.brighterenergy.org/ Thu, 02 Sep 2010 02:25:40 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_College-to-save-150m-generating-own-solar-power/BLOG/2611309/29468.html arboinks 2010-09-02T02:25:40Z EcoSeed Community   [image] Butte College has been building up its solar generating capacity since 2003, concerned about rising energy prices A college in Northern California has approved plans to expand its solar generating capacity to produce more energy than it consumes. Butte College, located in Oroville, north of Sacramento, will install more than 14,000 Mitsubishi Electric solar modules to add 2.7 megawatts of generating capacity. The project adds to the college’s existing 10,000 Mitsubishi solar panels, and will see its overall generating capacity increasing to 4.55MW (DC). The new array is expected to produce about 3.5 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy each year, and should be complete by May 2011. Diana Van Der Ploeg, president of Butte College, said: “Once this solar project is completed, Butte College will provide enough clean renewable energy to cover all of our electricity needs and generate slightly more than we use—which will be a source of additional revenue for the college.” Joint venture The college’s new solar panels are being installed by a joint venture between local firm Chico Electric and Texan electricity firm DPR Energy, which designs and builds solar systems for residential as well as commercial and municipal buildings. The Butte College installation will include ground-mounted solar panels and panels mounted on parking lot and walkway shade structures at the main Oroville campus and the college’s satellite campus in Chico. Funding for the $17 million project includes $12.65 million in federal Clean Renewable Energy Bonds, $1 million in rebates from the California Solar Initiative and utility Pacific Gas & Electric, with the remainder from college funds. “Forward-thinking” The college first installed solar panels back in 2003, and believes it will save $150 million over the next three decades by generating its own power. “We have worked with Butte College for years and are proud to facilitate this cutting-edge project for such a forward-thinking institution,” said Norm Nielsen, president of Chico Electric. “We congratulate Butte College for setting an example for its students, its community and other colleges in the nation by choosing solar energy as its energy source,” says Gina Heng, general manager of Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA’s Photovoltaic Division. Source: http://www.brighterenergy.org/ nonadult false College to save $150m generating own solar power text blog 70 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=15868748&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_7080739_29468_15868748_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2611309 15868748 Gold 2670 http://community.ecoseed.org/_At-Last-a-Noisy-Toyota-Prius/BLOG/2611223/29468.html   Even though hybrid and electric vehicles seem like the ideal solution to rising gas prices and pollution levels, they also have a downside: they're often too quiet for their own good. So when they approach a sight-impaired person, or come up behind a hearing-impaired person, or just someone too preoccupied with their BMX bike, say, to take much notice of traffic, then there's a hazard. Enter "The Drone." That's not its official name, but "electronic humming device" seems a bit clumsy. And calling it a "hummer" would send the wrong message entirely. It's a discreetly placed little speaker system that emits a sound while the car is moving. Not only is the Prius the best-selling hybrid in the world, it's currently the best-selling car in Japan, so Toyota has recently made this feature available in its home market. It costs the equivalent of $168. The electronic whirr sounds a bit sci-fi. It goes up in pitch and volume as the car goes faster. The maximum level is not obtrusive in busy city traffic, yet loud enough to be noticeable on quiet streets. It can be turned off, but is always enabled when the car is first started up. Toyota is considering the feasibility of making "The Drone" (it really does need a good name, doesn't it?) available in other countries, including the United States. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) reported last year that, compared with conventional vehicles, hybrids are twice as likely to be involved in low-speed accidents with pedestrians. General Motors, Ford and Nissan are also said to be working along similar lines. GM has the Volt plug-in hybrid coming soon. Ford makes the Fusion, Escape and Lincoln MKZ hybrids, while Nissan's all-electric Leaf goes on sale later this year. Source: http://www.autotrader.com/   Even though hybrid and electric vehicles seem like the ideal solution to rising gas prices and pollution levels, they also have a downside: they're often too quiet for their own good. So when they approach a sight-impaired person, or come up behind a hearing-impaired person, or just someone too preoccupied with their BMX bike, say, to take much notice of traffic, then there's a hazard. Enter "The Drone." That's not its official name, but "electronic humming device" seems a bit clumsy. And calling it a "hummer" would send the wrong message entirely. It's a discreetly placed little speaker system that emits a sound while the car is moving. Not only is the Prius the best-selling hybrid in the world, it's currently the best-selling car in Japan, so Toyota has recently made this feature available in its home market. It costs the equivalent of $168. The electronic whirr sounds a bit sci-fi. It goes up in pitch and volume as the car goes faster. The maximum level is not obtrusive in busy city traffic, yet loud enough to be noticeable on quiet streets. It can be turned off, but is always enabled when the car is first started up. Toyota is considering the feasibility of making "The Drone" (it really does need a good name, doesn't it?) available in other countries, including the United States. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) reported last year that, compared with conventional vehicles, hybrids are twice as likely to be involved in low-speed accidents with pedestrians. General Motors, Ford and Nissan are also said to be working along similar lines. GM has the Volt plug-in hybrid coming soon. Ford makes the Fusion, Escape and Lincoln MKZ hybrids, while Nissan's all-electric Leaf goes on sale later this year. Source: http://www.autotrader.com/ Thu, 02 Sep 2010 02:22:44 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_At-Last-a-Noisy-Toyota-Prius/BLOG/2611223/29468.html arboinks 2010-09-02T02:22:44Z EcoSeed Community   Even though hybrid and electric vehicles seem like the ideal solution to rising gas prices and pollution levels, they also have a downside: they're often too quiet for their own good. So when they approach a sight-impaired person, or come up behind a hearing-impaired person, or just someone too preoccupied with their BMX bike, say, to take much notice of traffic, then there's a hazard. Enter "The Drone." That's not its official name, but "electronic humming device" seems a bit clumsy. And calling it a "hummer" would send the wrong message entirely. It's a discreetly placed little speaker system that emits a sound while the car is moving. Not only is the Prius the best-selling hybrid in the world, it's currently the best-selling car in Japan, so Toyota has recently made this feature available in its home market. It costs the equivalent of $168. The electronic whirr sounds a bit sci-fi. It goes up in pitch and volume as the car goes faster. The maximum level is not obtrusive in busy city traffic, yet loud enough to be noticeable on quiet streets. It can be turned off, but is always enabled when the car is first started up. Toyota is considering the feasibility of making "The Drone" (it really does need a good name, doesn't it?) available in other countries, including the United States. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) reported last year that, compared with conventional vehicles, hybrids are twice as likely to be involved in low-speed accidents with pedestrians. General Motors, Ford and Nissan are also said to be working along similar lines. GM has the Volt plug-in hybrid coming soon. Ford makes the Fusion, Escape and Lincoln MKZ hybrids, while Nissan's all-electric Leaf goes on sale later this year. Source: http://www.autotrader.com/ nonadult false At Last, a Noisy Toyota Prius text blog 70 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=15868748&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_7080739_29468_15868748_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2611223 15868748 Gold 2670 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Whats-Slowing-Down-Energy-Efficiency-Adoption/BLOG/2611157/29468.html   [image] What is keeping us as a nation from moving forward with energy efficiency? The Clean Tech Open National Conference took place this summer in San Jose, California assembling the brightest and most talented minds to debate how energy entrepreneurship can power our economy back to life. The Energy Efficiency Panel brought up the important state of improvements made in energy efficiency and the elements of the movement that need more work. According to experts, the Nation has made a generally steady progression with items like household appliances but where advancement in improved efficiency is slowing is in markets of more complex systems such as the home structures we’re creating or the energy grid. The implementations made in household appliances have cut their energy use in half over the past 30 years so imagine if these processes could be coordinated at a more developed level of use. The adoption of energy efficiency has slowed down in general due to a variety of problems that are keeping us as a nation from moving forward with implementing key energy efficiency elements on a more wide-spread and larger scale. The government is touting energy efficiency as the fastest path to mass adoption and job creation, so in reality, why is energy efficiency adoption taking so long? The panelists at the Clean Tech Open addressed the key points which they feel are restricting the nation from keeping a strong tread in the energy efficiency standards department. Some of the issues they addressed are as follows: Regulatory problems Regulating our power utilities so that the sale of power is separate from profits, and instead creating incentives which  promote efficiency has been a major driver of increased energy efficiency for the state of California, in particular. If other states could embrace the idea of incentives and rebates, the increase of the adoption of energy efficiency efforts are limitless. Policies should be clearly articulated and incentives should be performance based so the consumer can understand how to benefit from making the switch to more energy efficient lifestyles. Commercial building owners versus building management It is hard to get an energy efficiency retrofit contract signed because of the focus on payback instead of return on investment. The payback time demanded by companies today is 18 months, however, over the ten year life of an asset such as new lighting, companies can realize up to a 50% ROI or more. But often the decision makers are not the building owners; they are facility or property managers focused on annual expense management and are usually distrustful of the energy savings promised by building technologies. Access to capital The sales velocity and deal flow is very slow in the energy efficiency space. This all makes it hard to be a start-up. Venture capitalists aren’t interested in funding firms that only provide energy efficiency consulting.  However, if your company can find the funds to endure the wait for a deal to close, the payoff is large. The residential consumer value proposition It seems that the lure of saving money on energy bills isn’t enough to convince residential consumers to have an entire house retrofit. Other benefits such as a quieter, less drafty, warmer homes with better air quality that will cure your child’s asthma will help make the sale.  Panelists concern definitely displayed how residential consumers just don’t seem inspired to buy. One way to motivate them would be through certifications and building labels, which are helping to identify and raise property values for home and building owners that invest in energy efficiency. Consideration of incorporating requirements of energy efficiency standards in the building codes would be a great beginning to take initiative from the construction standpoint. Another great idea would be to involve home insurance companies by creating an annual or bi-annual energy efficiency inspection as an aspect of insurance rates. What do you feel would continue to push the adoption of an overall energy efficiency lifestyle and continue to inspire job creation? Feel free to leave a comment and share your ideas on how to keep up the progression toward a more energy efficient future. Source: http://greensavingsco.com/   [image] What is keeping us as a nation from moving forward with energy efficiency? The Clean Tech Open National Conference took place this summer in San Jose, California assembling the brightest and most talented minds to debate how energy entrepreneurship can power our economy back to life. The Energy Efficiency Panel brought up the important state of improvements made in energy efficiency and the elements of the movement that need more work. According to experts, the Nation has made a generally steady progression with items like household appliances but where advancement in improved efficiency is slowing is in markets of more complex systems such as the home structures we’re creating or the energy grid. The implementations made in household appliances have cut their energy use in half over the past 30 years so imagine if these processes could be coordinated at a more developed level of use. The adoption of energy efficiency has slowed down in general due to a variety of problems that are keeping us as a nation from moving forward with implementing key energy efficiency elements on a more wide-spread and larger scale. The government is touting energy efficiency as the fastest path to mass adoption and job creation, so in reality, why is energy efficiency adoption taking so long? The panelists at the Clean Tech Open addressed the key points which they feel are restricting the nation from keeping a strong tread in the energy efficiency standards department. Some of the issues they addressed are as follows: Regulatory problems Regulating our power utilities so that the sale of power is separate from profits, and instead creating incentives which  promote efficiency has been a major driver of increased energy efficiency for the state of California, in particular. If other states could embrace the idea of incentives and rebates, the increase of the adoption of energy efficiency efforts are limitless. Policies should be clearly articulated and incentives should be performance based so the consumer can understand how to benefit from making the switch to more energy efficient lifestyles. Commercial building owners versus building management It is hard to get an energy efficiency retrofit contract signed because of the focus on payback instead of return on investment. The payback time demanded by companies today is 18 months, however, over the ten year life of an asset such as new lighting, companies can realize up to a 50% ROI or more. But often the decision makers are not the building owners; they are facility or property managers focused on annual expense management and are usually distrustful of the energy savings promised by building technologies. Access to capital The sales velocity and deal flow is very slow in the energy efficiency space. This all makes it hard to be a start-up. Venture capitalists aren’t interested in funding firms that only provide energy efficiency consulting.  However, if your company can find the funds to endure the wait for a deal to close, the payoff is large. The residential consumer value proposition It seems that the lure of saving money on energy bills isn’t enough to convince residential consumers to have an entire house retrofit. Other benefits such as a quieter, less drafty, warmer homes with better air quality that will cure your child’s asthma will help make the sale.  Panelists concern definitely displayed how residential consumers just don’t seem inspired to buy. One way to motivate them would be through certifications and building labels, which are helping to identify and raise property values for home and building owners that invest in energy efficiency. Consideration of incorporating requirements of energy efficiency standards in the building codes would be a great beginning to take initiative from the construction standpoint. Another great idea would be to involve home insurance companies by creating an annual or bi-annual energy efficiency inspection as an aspect of insurance rates. What do you feel would continue to push the adoption of an overall energy efficiency lifestyle and continue to inspire job creation? Feel free to leave a comment and share your ideas on how to keep up the progression toward a more energy efficient future. Source: http://greensavingsco.com/ Thu, 02 Sep 2010 02:21:09 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Whats-Slowing-Down-Energy-Efficiency-Adoption/BLOG/2611157/29468.html arboinks 2010-09-02T02:21:09Z EcoSeed Community   [image] What is keeping us as a nation from moving forward with energy efficiency? The Clean Tech Open National Conference took place this summer in San Jose, California assembling the brightest and most talented minds to debate how energy entrepreneurship can power our economy back to life. The Energy Efficiency Panel brought up the important state of improvements made in energy efficiency and the elements of the movement that need more work. According to experts, the Nation has made a generally steady progression with items like household appliances but where advancement in improved efficiency is slowing is in markets of more complex systems such as the home structures we’re creating or the energy grid. The implementations made in household appliances have cut their energy use in half over the past 30 years so imagine if these processes could be coordinated at a more developed level of use. The adoption of energy efficiency has slowed down in general due to a variety of problems that are keeping us as a nation from moving forward with implementing key energy efficiency elements on a more wide-spread and larger scale. The government is touting energy efficiency as the fastest path to mass adoption and job creation, so in reality, why is energy efficiency adoption taking so long? The panelists at the Clean Tech Open addressed the key points which they feel are restricting the nation from keeping a strong tread in the energy efficiency standards department. Some of the issues they addressed are as follows: Regulatory problems Regulating our power utilities so that the sale of power is separate from profits, and instead creating incentives which  promote efficiency has been a major driver of increased energy efficiency for the state of California, in particular. If other states could embrace the idea of incentives and rebates, the increase of the adoption of energy efficiency efforts are limitless. Policies should be clearly articulated and incentives should be performance based so the consumer can understand how to benefit from making the switch to more energy efficient lifestyles. Commercial building owners versus building management It is hard to get an energy efficiency retrofit contract signed because of the focus on payback instead of return on investment. The payback time demanded by companies today is 18 months, however, over the ten year life of an asset such as new lighting, companies can realize up to a 50% ROI or more. But often the decision makers are not the building owners; they are facility or property managers focused on annual expense management and are usually distrustful of the energy savings promised by building technologies. Access to capital The sales velocity and deal flow is very slow in the energy efficiency space. This all makes it hard to be a start-up. Venture capitalists aren’t interested in funding firms that only provide energy efficiency consulting.  However, if your company can find the funds to endure the wait for a deal to close, the payoff is large. The residential consumer value proposition It seems that the lure of saving money on energy bills isn’t enough to convince residential consumers to have an entire house retrofit. Other benefits such as a quieter, less drafty, warmer homes with better air quality that will cure your child’s asthma will help make the sale.  Panelists concern definitely displayed how residential consumers just don’t seem inspired to buy. One way to motivate them would be through certifications and building labels, which are helping to identify and raise property values for home and building owners that invest in energy efficiency. Consideration of incorporating requirements of energy efficiency standards in the building codes would be a great beginning to take initiative from the construction standpoint. Another great idea would be to involve home insurance companies by creating an annual or bi-annual energy efficiency inspection as an aspect of insurance rates. What do you feel would continue to push the adoption of an overall energy efficiency lifestyle and continue to inspire job creation? Feel free to leave a comment and share your ideas on how to keep up the progression toward a more energy efficient future. Source: http://greensavingsco.com/ nonadult false What’s Slowing Down Energy Efficiency Adoption? text blog 59 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=15868748&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_7080739_29468_15868748_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2611157 15868748 Gold 2670 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Tree-Toaster-Imitation-Tree-as-A-Toaster/PHOTO/10503145/29468.html For more details: http://www.homes-4all.com/Kitchens/Imitation-Tree-Toaster.html For more details: http://www.homes-4all.com/Kitchens/Imitation-Tree-Toaster.html Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:36:22 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Tree-Toaster-Imitation-Tree-as-A-Toaster/PHOTO/10503145/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-02T01:36:22Z EcoSeed Community For more details: http://www.homes-4all.com/Kitchens/Imitation-Tree-Toaster.html nonadult false Tree Toaster: Imitation Tree as A Toaster photo 12 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 10503145 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Tree-Toaster-Imitation-Tree-as-A-Toaster/PHOTO/10503139/29468.html For more details: http://www.homes-4all.com/Kitchens/Imitation-Tree-Toaster.html For more details: http://www.homes-4all.com/Kitchens/Imitation-Tree-Toaster.html Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:36:21 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Tree-Toaster-Imitation-Tree-as-A-Toaster/PHOTO/10503139/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-02T01:36:21Z EcoSeed Community For more details: http://www.homes-4all.com/Kitchens/Imitation-Tree-Toaster.html nonadult false Tree Toaster: Imitation Tree as A Toaster photo 8 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 10503139 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Tree-Toaster-Imitation-Tree-as-A-Toaster/PHOTO/10503141/29468.html For more details: http://www.homes-4all.com/Kitchens/Imitation-Tree-Toaster.html For more details: http://www.homes-4all.com/Kitchens/Imitation-Tree-Toaster.html Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:36:21 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Tree-Toaster-Imitation-Tree-as-A-Toaster/PHOTO/10503141/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-02T01:36:21Z EcoSeed Community For more details: http://www.homes-4all.com/Kitchens/Imitation-Tree-Toaster.html nonadult false Tree Toaster: Imitation Tree as A Toaster photo 9 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 10503141 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Tree-Toaster-Imitation-Tree-as-A-Toaster/PHOTO/10503143/29468.html For more details: http://www.homes-4all.com/Kitchens/Imitation-Tree-Toaster.html For more details: http://www.homes-4all.com/Kitchens/Imitation-Tree-Toaster.html Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:36:21 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Tree-Toaster-Imitation-Tree-as-A-Toaster/PHOTO/10503143/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-02T01:36:21Z EcoSeed Community For more details: http://www.homes-4all.com/Kitchens/Imitation-Tree-Toaster.html nonadult false Tree Toaster: Imitation Tree as A Toaster photo 9 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 10503143 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Tree-Toaster-Imitation-Tree-as-A-Toaster/PHOTO/10503137/29468.html For more details: http://www.homes-4all.com/Kitchens/Imitation-Tree-Toaster.html For more details: http://www.homes-4all.com/Kitchens/Imitation-Tree-Toaster.html Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:36:20 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Tree-Toaster-Imitation-Tree-as-A-Toaster/PHOTO/10503137/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-02T01:36:20Z EcoSeed Community For more details: http://www.homes-4all.com/Kitchens/Imitation-Tree-Toaster.html nonadult false Tree Toaster: Imitation Tree as A Toaster photo 7 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 10503137 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25449236&as=29468 Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:12:38 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25449236&as=29468 Sarabellum 2010-09-01T14:12:38Z EcoSeed Community nonadult false Sarabellum user 6 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25449236&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/user/defaultImage_160x120_E.jpg false 0 25449236 25449236 Member 255 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Choosing-Right-Packers-and-Movers-Helpful-Tips-and-Suggestions/BLOG/2608766/29468.html Moving home is a big issue and it can be made easier and simpler by a right moving company. There are a number of packers and movers companies in India offering overall solution to all your relocation and transportation needs. But choosing one of right movers and packers companies in India is also a big undertaking. Here are some important helpful tips and suggestions which can assist you choose the right moving company in your area. * Approach reputable packers and movers by asking your friends, relations, co-workers, etc who have earlier made their residential relocation with the assist of professional movers and packers. * Ask for recommendations and warning from the set of people you know. You can also get reviews of various Packers and Movers through various online forums, online community, etc. * On the basis of above mentioned suggestions make a list of some reputable Movers and Packers of your area. Get estimates at least 3 or 4 estimates from various Packers and Movers before you make a final decision. * Get written estimate and cost proposal. Do not get estimates and cost proposals over the phone. If it is possible, you should personally visit their offices or call their representatives at your home for meeting. * Get written estimates and compare their rates and quality of their services. This will allow you find out an economical and right Packers Movers agency for your home shifting. * Make sure you choose the company that is reputable, registered and experienced. Do not deal with a moving company that is not registered and experienced. Also do not go with a moving company that does not give you insurance coverage facility. I hope above mentioned tips and suggestion will help you choose one of right Packers and Movers in your area. Michael John is an Internet Marketing Professional. Currently he is working with a Packers and Movers - one of most reputable and professional Movers and Packers based companies. Moving home is a big issue and it can be made easier and simpler by a right moving company. There are a number of packers and movers companies in India offering overall solution to all your relocation and transportation needs. But choosing one of right movers and packers companies in India is also a big undertaking. Here are some important helpful tips and suggestions which can assist you choose the right moving company in your area. * Approach reputable packers and movers by asking your friends, relations, co-workers, etc who have earlier made their residential relocation with the assist of professional movers and packers. * Ask for recommendations and warning from the set of people you know. You can also get reviews of various Packers and Movers through various online forums, online community, etc. * On the basis of above mentioned suggestions make a list of some reputable Movers and Packers of your area. Get estimates at least 3 or 4 estimates from various Packers and Movers before you make a final decision. * Get written estimate and cost proposal. Do not get estimates and cost proposals over the phone. If it is possible, you should personally visit their offices or call their representatives at your home for meeting. * Get written estimates and compare their rates and quality of their services. This will allow you find out an economical and right Packers Movers agency for your home shifting. * Make sure you choose the company that is reputable, registered and experienced. Do not deal with a moving company that is not registered and experienced. Also do not go with a moving company that does not give you insurance coverage facility. I hope above mentioned tips and suggestion will help you choose one of right Packers and Movers in your area. Michael John is an Internet Marketing Professional. Currently he is working with a Packers and Movers - one of most reputable and professional Movers and Packers based companies. Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:04:23 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Choosing-Right-Packers-and-Movers-Helpful-Tips-and-Suggestions/BLOG/2608766/29468.html michaeljohn 2010-09-01T12:04:23Z EcoSeed Community Moving home is a big issue and it can be made easier and simpler by a right moving company. There are a number of packers and movers companies in India offering overall solution to all your relocation and transportation needs. But choosing one of right movers and packers companies in India is also a big undertaking. Here are some important helpful tips and suggestions which can assist you choose the right moving company in your area. * Approach reputable packers and movers by asking your friends, relations, co-workers, etc who have earlier made their residential relocation with the assist of professional movers and packers. * Ask for recommendations and warning from the set of people you know. You can also get reviews of various Packers and Movers through various online forums, online community, etc. * On the basis of above mentioned suggestions make a list of some reputable Movers and Packers of your area. Get estimates at least 3 or 4 estimates from various Packers and Movers before you make a final decision. * Get written estimate and cost proposal. Do not get estimates and cost proposals over the phone. If it is possible, you should personally visit their offices or call their representatives at your home for meeting. * Get written estimates and compare their rates and quality of their services. This will allow you find out an economical and right Packers Movers agency for your home shifting. * Make sure you choose the company that is reputable, registered and experienced. Do not deal with a moving company that is not registered and experienced. Also do not go with a moving company that does not give you insurance coverage facility. I hope above mentioned tips and suggestion will help you choose one of right Packers and Movers in your area. Michael John is an Internet Marketing Professional. Currently he is working with a Packers and Movers - one of most reputable and professional Movers and Packers based companies. and, movers, packers nonadult false Choosing Right Packers and Movers – Helpful Tips and Suggestions text blog and,movers,packers 8 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=19738788&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/user/defaultImage_160x120_B.jpg false India Delhi Delhi 110091 0 0 2608766 19738788 Silver 1255 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Mathura-Packers-Movers-Move-in-Easy-Way/BLOG/2608758/29468.html Looking for moving services in Mathura? Choose a right and registered packers and movers companies in Mathura to hire their professional moving services in relation to make your move easy and smooth. There are a number of movers and packers companies in Mathura offering a comprehensive range of professional packing & moving services and some allied services. There are offering door to door packing and moving solution to make your move in a way that is as easy as you need. Most Packers Movers Mathura based companies are registered and have long experience in the field of relocation and transportation. They have their own transportation vehicles for the safe transit of goods and belongings to the new destination door step. They have professionally trained workers and staffs to handle the relocation jobs in most convenient and professional way. They take extreme care of goods during the entire process of move from packing to unpacking. Looking for moving services in Mathura? Choose a right and registered packers and movers companies in Mathura to hire their professional moving services in relation to make your move easy and smooth. There are a number of movers and packers companies in Mathura offering a comprehensive range of professional packing & moving services and some allied services. There are offering door to door packing and moving solution to make your move in a way that is as easy as you need. Most Packers Movers Mathura based companies are registered and have long experience in the field of relocation and transportation. They have their own transportation vehicles for the safe transit of goods and belongings to the new destination door step. They have professionally trained workers and staffs to handle the relocation jobs in most convenient and professional way. They take extreme care of goods during the entire process of move from packing to unpacking. Almost all Mathura Packers Movers companies provide full move service which includes packing & moving, loading & unloading, transportation, unpacking, rearranging, etc. They also provide insurance coverage service to cover the loss if goods are damaged unfortunately during the transit or relocation. Many of Packers and Movers Mathura based companies also provide some other allied services like car carrier & transportation services, warehousing & storage services, postal & parcel services, etc. So hire one of reputable and registered Packers and Movers in Mathura and make your move easy and smooth. Michael John is an Internet Marketing Professional. Currently he is working with a Mathura Packers and Movers - one of most reputable and professional Movers and Packers Mathura based companies. Looking for moving services in Mathura? Choose a right and registered packers and movers companies in Mathura to hire their professional moving services in relation to make your move easy and smooth. There are a number of movers and packers companies in Mathura offering a comprehensive range of professional packing & moving services and some allied services. There are offering door to door packing and moving solution to make your move in a way that is as easy as you need. Most Packers Movers Mathura based companies are registered and have long experience in the field of relocation and transportation. They have their own transportation vehicles for the safe transit of goods and belongings to the new destination door step. They have professionally trained workers and staffs to handle the relocation jobs in most convenient and professional way. They take extreme care of goods during the entire process of move from packing to unpacking. Looking for moving services in Mathura? Choose a right and registered packers and movers companies in Mathura to hire their professional moving services in relation to make your move easy and smooth. There are a number of movers and packers companies in Mathura offering a comprehensive range of professional packing & moving services and some allied services. There are offering door to door packing and moving solution to make your move in a way that is as easy as you need. Most Packers Movers Mathura based companies are registered and have long experience in the field of relocation and transportation. They have their own transportation vehicles for the safe transit of goods and belongings to the new destination door step. They have professionally trained workers and staffs to handle the relocation jobs in most convenient and professional way. They take extreme care of goods during the entire process of move from packing to unpacking. Almost all Mathura Packers Movers companies provide full move service which includes packing & moving, loading & unloading, transportation, unpacking, rearranging, etc. They also provide insurance coverage service to cover the loss if goods are damaged unfortunately during the transit or relocation. Many of Packers and Movers Mathura based companies also provide some other allied services like car carrier & transportation services, warehousing & storage services, postal & parcel services, etc. So hire one of reputable and registered Packers and Movers in Mathura and make your move easy and smooth. Michael John is an Internet Marketing Professional. Currently he is working with a Mathura Packers and Movers - one of most reputable and professional Movers and Packers Mathura based companies. Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:00:33 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Mathura-Packers-Movers-Move-in-Easy-Way/BLOG/2608758/29468.html michaeljohn 2010-09-01T12:00:33Z EcoSeed Community Looking for moving services in Mathura? Choose a right and registered packers and movers companies in Mathura to hire their professional moving services in relation to make your move easy and smooth. There are a number of movers and packers companies in Mathura offering a comprehensive range of professional packing & moving services and some allied services. There are offering door to door packing and moving solution to make your move in a way that is as easy as you need. Most Packers Movers Mathura based companies are registered and have long experience in the field of relocation and transportation. They have their own transportation vehicles for the safe transit of goods and belongings to the new destination door step. They have professionally trained workers and staffs to handle the relocation jobs in most convenient and professional way. They take extreme care of goods during the entire process of move from packing to unpacking. Looking for moving services in Mathura? Choose a right and registered packers and movers companies in Mathura to hire their professional moving services in relation to make your move easy and smooth. There are a number of movers and packers companies in Mathura offering a comprehensive range of professional packing & moving services and some allied services. There are offering door to door packing and moving solution to make your move in a way that is as easy as you need. Most Packers Movers Mathura based companies are registered and have long experience in the field of relocation and transportation. They have their own transportation vehicles for the safe transit of goods and belongings to the new destination door step. They have professionally trained workers and staffs to handle the relocation jobs in most convenient and professional way. They take extreme care of goods during the entire process of move from packing to unpacking. Almost all Mathura Packers Movers companies provide full move service which includes packing & moving, loading & unloading, transportation, unpacking, rearranging, etc. They also provide insurance coverage service to cover the loss if goods are damaged unfortunately during the transit or relocation. Many of Packers and Movers Mathura based companies also provide some other allied services like car carrier & transportation services, warehousing & storage services, postal & parcel services, etc. So hire one of reputable and registered Packers and Movers in Mathura and make your move easy and smooth. Michael John is an Internet Marketing Professional. Currently he is working with a Mathura Packers and Movers - one of most reputable and professional Movers and Packers Mathura based companies. mathura, movers, packers nonadult false Mathura Packers Movers – Move in Easy Way text blog mathura,movers,packers 8 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=19738788&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/user/defaultImage_160x120_A.jpg false India Uttar Pradesh Mathura 0 0 2608758 19738788 Silver 1255 http://community.ecoseed.org/_blinded/PHOTO/10490948/29468.html For more photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/46332129@N06/ For more photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/46332129@N06/ Wed, 01 Sep 2010 05:47:26 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_blinded/PHOTO/10490948/29468.html ashleysoon 2010-09-01T05:47:26Z EcoSeed Community For more photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/46332129@N06/ nonadult false blinded photo 16 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=13707210&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_8041139_29468_13707210_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 10490948 13707210 Gold 26223 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Why-are-green-printing-eco-friendly/BLOG/2604452/29468.html [image]by The Udall Legacy Bus Tour: Views from the Road Why are green printing eco – friendly? A new trend is being followed by the people known as “Go Green”. Similarly take part in green printing which means saving the environment.  Green printing means making the environment eco – friendly by using eco – friendly colors. The industries have polluted the environment hugely but now they are trying to use eco – friendly color. Even with the new technologies we still haven’t change the way of printing.   The environment can be saved by using papers which can be recycled. A printer which is eco – friendly to the environment is used by most of the companies. Petroleum based ink produces carbon emission which is harmful to both environment and to people. It is better to use vegetable or soy ink. This ink gives better quality and brighter colors. The news paper company mainly uses the soy ink.  The benefits of recycling the paper are – less pollution, trees are live and less energy. Just think that in few years there won’t be any trees. Recycle paper are benefit for global warming and trees. The wastage of paper is generated from printing industries. The petroleum ink releases a harmful gas like volatile organic compounds. If this vapor is inhaled by a person then there are chances for getting asthma attack.  The printing industries consume lot of electricity and fossil fuels in higher volume. Due to this, the natural resource poses a threat to the lives on earth. Tips on environment printing: *    Recycle the cartridge which is less expensive.*    Save and recycle paper by printing both sides. Print only when it is important.*    Buy eco – friendly printer. *    Use only soy ink A printing factory is dependent on trees and water for paper. These are the main key ingredients which are not eco – friendly to the environment. The four main uses of green printing is – ink, paper, electricity and knowledge. The soy ink is extracted from soya bean oil. Then the oil is mixed with wax, resins and pigments to provide desired color. The ink is harmless because it needs fewer pigments. The ink can be easily removed from paper. Setting up a green printing company is not easy and is very expensive. The printers cost a lot but are very useful. In green printing, only green graphic design is provided with paper which is recycled. This means that a lot of trees are not chopped and the water is use for eco – friendly printer is reduced. This leads to reduction of destroying the forests for paper and water wastages is less which is healthy for the environment. The company should be registered with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The FSC supports the forest conservation and ideas for eco – friendly environment. Paul Vijaythomas specializes in eco-friendly printing articles. He has authored many articles for Environmentally Friendly Printer and fsc printing. Find more packages at Green Printing Source: http://moso-technology.com/ [image]by The Udall Legacy Bus Tour: Views from the Road Why are green printing eco – friendly? A new trend is being followed by the people known as “Go Green”. Similarly take part in green printing which means saving the environment.  Green printing means making the environment eco – friendly by using eco – friendly colors. The industries have polluted the environment hugely but now they are trying to use eco – friendly color. Even with the new technologies we still haven’t change the way of printing.   The environment can be saved by using papers which can be recycled. A printer which is eco – friendly to the environment is used by most of the companies. Petroleum based ink produces carbon emission which is harmful to both environment and to people. It is better to use vegetable or soy ink. This ink gives better quality and brighter colors. The news paper company mainly uses the soy ink.  The benefits of recycling the paper are – less pollution, trees are live and less energy. Just think that in few years there won’t be any trees. Recycle paper are benefit for global warming and trees. The wastage of paper is generated from printing industries. The petroleum ink releases a harmful gas like volatile organic compounds. If this vapor is inhaled by a person then there are chances for getting asthma attack.  The printing industries consume lot of electricity and fossil fuels in higher volume. Due to this, the natural resource poses a threat to the lives on earth. Tips on environment printing: *    Recycle the cartridge which is less expensive.*    Save and recycle paper by printing both sides. Print only when it is important.*    Buy eco – friendly printer. *    Use only soy ink A printing factory is dependent on trees and water for paper. These are the main key ingredients which are not eco – friendly to the environment. The four main uses of green printing is – ink, paper, electricity and knowledge. The soy ink is extracted from soya bean oil. Then the oil is mixed with wax, resins and pigments to provide desired color. The ink is harmless because it needs fewer pigments. The ink can be easily removed from paper. Setting up a green printing company is not easy and is very expensive. The printers cost a lot but are very useful. In green printing, only green graphic design is provided with paper which is recycled. This means that a lot of trees are not chopped and the water is use for eco – friendly printer is reduced. This leads to reduction of destroying the forests for paper and water wastages is less which is healthy for the environment. The company should be registered with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The FSC supports the forest conservation and ideas for eco – friendly environment. Paul Vijaythomas specializes in eco-friendly printing articles. He has authored many articles for Environmentally Friendly Printer and fsc printing. Find more packages at Green Printing Source: http://moso-technology.com/ Wed, 01 Sep 2010 04:31:39 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Why-are-green-printing-eco-friendly/BLOG/2604452/29468.html arboinks 2010-09-01T04:31:39Z EcoSeed Community [image]by The Udall Legacy Bus Tour: Views from the Road Why are green printing eco – friendly? A new trend is being followed by the people known as “Go Green”. Similarly take part in green printing which means saving the environment.  Green printing means making the environment eco – friendly by using eco – friendly colors. The industries have polluted the environment hugely but now they are trying to use eco – friendly color. Even with the new technologies we still haven’t change the way of printing.   The environment can be saved by using papers which can be recycled. A printer which is eco – friendly to the environment is used by most of the companies. Petroleum based ink produces carbon emission which is harmful to both environment and to people. It is better to use vegetable or soy ink. This ink gives better quality and brighter colors. The news paper company mainly uses the soy ink.  The benefits of recycling the paper are – less pollution, trees are live and less energy. Just think that in few years there won’t be any trees. Recycle paper are benefit for global warming and trees. The wastage of paper is generated from printing industries. The petroleum ink releases a harmful gas like volatile organic compounds. If this vapor is inhaled by a person then there are chances for getting asthma attack.  The printing industries consume lot of electricity and fossil fuels in higher volume. Due to this, the natural resource poses a threat to the lives on earth. Tips on environment printing: *    Recycle the cartridge which is less expensive.*    Save and recycle paper by printing both sides. Print only when it is important.*    Buy eco – friendly printer. *    Use only soy ink A printing factory is dependent on trees and water for paper. These are the main key ingredients which are not eco – friendly to the environment. The four main uses of green printing is – ink, paper, electricity and knowledge. The soy ink is extracted from soya bean oil. Then the oil is mixed with wax, resins and pigments to provide desired color. The ink is harmless because it needs fewer pigments. The ink can be easily removed from paper. Setting up a green printing company is not easy and is very expensive. The printers cost a lot but are very useful. In green printing, only green graphic design is provided with paper which is recycled. This means that a lot of trees are not chopped and the water is use for eco – friendly printer is reduced. This leads to reduction of destroying the forests for paper and water wastages is less which is healthy for the environment. The company should be registered with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The FSC supports the forest conservation and ideas for eco – friendly environment. Paul Vijaythomas specializes in eco-friendly printing articles. He has authored many articles for Environmentally Friendly Printer and fsc printing. Find more packages at Green Printing Source: http://moso-technology.com/ nonadult false Why are green printing eco – friendly? text blog 70 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=15868748&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_7080739_29468_15868748_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2604452 15868748 Gold 2670 http://community.ecoseed.org/_CAN-LEGO-SAVE-THE-WORLD-WITH-THEIR-RENEWABLE-ENERGY-SETS/BLOG/2604164/29468.html These days all you hear about on the news is how fast the environment is collapsing and how the world is doomed to destruction if we don’t start searching for a renewable source of energy to replace our love of fossil fuels. There are small signs arising that show a shift in public awareness and an increasing change in the way manufacturers and large corporations deal with waste issues. Unfortunately you and I are probably not destined to see any visible changes within our life times, but if we teach them right our children and their children’s children will develop new forms of renewable energy technologies that will blow our minds. We can be told time and time again, but the average person over 30 finds it difficult to remember to recycle those cans or build a compost heap in their back garden. If we want to affect some real change the teaching and learning needs to be done at the lowest levels, in kindergartens and primary schools. People are beginning to take notice of environmental changes probably because it is hammered into us on a daily basis through television programs and other forms of media. If this works on us forgetful aging adults imagine the affect it would have on the young, by the time your toddlers reach 25 years old they will have the necessary knowledge and enthusiasm to save the planet. To help things along the well known LEGO Company has come up with their own line of educational LEGO sets that demonstrate a number of renewable energy forms; these include wind power, water power and solar energy. The special green toy kits were initially designed as teaching aids for science classes, but are available to the public as an alternative to batman figures and Barbie dolls. To find out more about these great educational LEGO games you can go to their official home page. Source: http://gadgetgogo.onblogme.com/  These days all you hear about on the news is how fast the environment is collapsing and how the world is doomed to destruction if we don’t start searching for a renewable source of energy to replace our love of fossil fuels. There are small signs arising that show a shift in public awareness and an increasing change in the way manufacturers and large corporations deal with waste issues. Unfortunately you and I are probably not destined to see any visible changes within our life times, but if we teach them right our children and their children’s children will develop new forms of renewable energy technologies that will blow our minds. We can be told time and time again, but the average person over 30 finds it difficult to remember to recycle those cans or build a compost heap in their back garden. If we want to affect some real change the teaching and learning needs to be done at the lowest levels, in kindergartens and primary schools. People are beginning to take notice of environmental changes probably because it is hammered into us on a daily basis through television programs and other forms of media. If this works on us forgetful aging adults imagine the affect it would have on the young, by the time your toddlers reach 25 years old they will have the necessary knowledge and enthusiasm to save the planet. To help things along the well known LEGO Company has come up with their own line of educational LEGO sets that demonstrate a number of renewable energy forms; these include wind power, water power and solar energy. The special green toy kits were initially designed as teaching aids for science classes, but are available to the public as an alternative to batman figures and Barbie dolls. To find out more about these great educational LEGO games you can go to their official home page. Source: http://gadgetgogo.onblogme.com/  Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:59:31 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_CAN-LEGO-SAVE-THE-WORLD-WITH-THEIR-RENEWABLE-ENERGY-SETS/BLOG/2604164/29468.html arboinks 2010-09-01T03:59:31Z EcoSeed Community These days all you hear about on the news is how fast the environment is collapsing and how the world is doomed to destruction if we don’t start searching for a renewable source of energy to replace our love of fossil fuels. There are small signs arising that show a shift in public awareness and an increasing change in the way manufacturers and large corporations deal with waste issues. Unfortunately you and I are probably not destined to see any visible changes within our life times, but if we teach them right our children and their children’s children will develop new forms of renewable energy technologies that will blow our minds. We can be told time and time again, but the average person over 30 finds it difficult to remember to recycle those cans or build a compost heap in their back garden. If we want to affect some real change the teaching and learning needs to be done at the lowest levels, in kindergartens and primary schools. People are beginning to take notice of environmental changes probably because it is hammered into us on a daily basis through television programs and other forms of media. If this works on us forgetful aging adults imagine the affect it would have on the young, by the time your toddlers reach 25 years old they will have the necessary knowledge and enthusiasm to save the planet. To help things along the well known LEGO Company has come up with their own line of educational LEGO sets that demonstrate a number of renewable energy forms; these include wind power, water power and solar energy. The special green toy kits were initially designed as teaching aids for science classes, but are available to the public as an alternative to batman figures and Barbie dolls. To find out more about these great educational LEGO games you can go to their official home page. Source: http://gadgetgogo.onblogme.com/  nonadult false CAN LEGO SAVE THE WORLD WITH THEIR RENEWABLE ENERGY SETS? text blog 67 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=15868748&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_7080739_29468_15868748_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2604164 15868748 Gold 2670 http://community.ecoseed.org/_Green-Living-Relocation-Guide/BLOG/2604150/29468.html [image]bу Joost J. Bakker IJmuiden Relocating іѕ one οf thе mοѕt stressful events іn ουr lives. Whаt wе tend tο forget іѕ thе stress thаt relocation hаѕ οn thе environment.     Thеrе аrе many things thаt уου саn ԁο – before, during, аnԁ аftеr уουr mονе – tο minimize thе impact уουr relocation wіƖƖ hаνе οn thе environment. Here’s a list οf easy things уου саn ԁο tο mаkе уουr mονе environmentally friendly. Before Yου Mονе • Shed Sοmе Pounds – Whether уου’re moving асrοѕѕ town, οr асrοѕѕ thе country, now іѕ thе time tο ɡеt rid οf thе things уου don’t need οr υѕе. Consider thіѕ: еνеrу extra pound уου рυt οn уουr moving truck requires thаt much more energy tο mονе. Thаt means more gas, more emissions, аnԁ more money! Yου саn save money – аnԁ save ουr environment – bу following thеѕе simple tips. o Sell οr donate things уου haven’t used іn two years. Lеt’s face іt, іf уου haven’t used іt іn two years, уου probably aren’t going tο υѕе іt. Now’s thе perfect time fοr a materialistic reality check. Sell οr donate уουr used items. One person’s trash іѕ another peron’s treasure. Remember tο keep аn ассυrаtе account οf уουr donations fοr tax purposes. o Books аrе heavy аnԁ bulky. Iѕ thаt Grisham novel thаt уου’ve read 3 times gathering dust? Donate іt аnԁ уουr οthеr οƖԁ books tο уουr local library, whеrе thеу саn bе read аnԁ еnјοуеԁ over аnԁ over bу οthеr people. o Older appliances аrе hυɡе energy wasters. Newer, Energy Star™ rated appliances аrе typically much more efficient. Front loading washing machines υѕе a fraction οf thе water οf thеіr older top loading counterparts, аnԁ аrе gentler οn уουr clothes аѕ well – extending thе life οf уουr favorite shirts аnԁ jeans. Refrigerators, especially older models, саn bе thе bіɡɡеѕt energy consumers іn уουr household. Before уου mονе, consider donating οƖԁ major appliances tο уουr local church οr charity, аnԁ purchasing more energy efficient models fοr уουr nеw home. Nοt οnƖу wіƖƖ thіѕ reduce thе amount οf energy required tο mονе, bυt уουr nеw energy efficient appliances wіƖƖ give уου savings fοr years tο come. • Location location location: Whеn уου’re selecting уουr nеw home, take іntο consideration thе daily activities thаt require уου tο drive. Chοοѕе a home close tο daily conveniences, mаkіnɡ іt easier tο bike / walk tο thе store, dry cleaners, etc. If уου walk tο thе store, уου’ll save money, gas, аnԁ ɡеt ɡrеаt exercise tοο. • Downsize : Mοѕt οf υѕ hаνе twice аѕ much room аѕ wе need. Anԁ thаt means thаt wе hаνе twice аѕ much space tο heat аnԁ сοοƖ. Nοt tο mention аƖƖ οf thе “junk” wе collect tο fill thаt extra space. Consider simplifying уουr life, аnԁ downsizing уουr living space. Yου’ll find thаt іt іѕ nοt thаt difficult tο ѕtаrt using уουr space more efficiently. Publications Ɩіkе simpleliving.com mаkе іt easy tο stay organized, аnԁ live a hарріеr, simpler life. • Uѕе οƖԁ newspaper fοr packing, thеn recycle іt whеn уου ɡеt tο уουr nеw home. Mοѕt еνеrу town recycles newspaper, whіƖе nοt аƖƖ recycle packing materials such аѕ Styrofoam “peanuts”. Newspaper іѕ аƖѕο ɡrеаt fοr cleaning thе windows іn уουr nеw home! • Don’t рυrсhаѕе moving boxes. Uѕе recycled card board boxes. Thеу аrе far less expensive (FREE), јυѕt аѕ ɡοοԁ аѕ nеw boxes, аnԁ hеƖр reduce thе impact уουr mονе wіƖƖ hаνе οn thе environment. Yουr local grocery аnԁ liquor stores аrе ɡrеаt places tο ɡеt moving boxes. Try tο ɡеt boxes οf uniform shape аnԁ size, tο mаkе іt easier tο efficiently load уουr moving vehicle. Anԁ whеn уου аrе fіnіѕhеԁ moving, recycle уουr card board boxes. Mοѕt еνеrу town recycles card board boxes. Fοr items уου аrе рƖаnnіnɡ οn storing, consider moving thеm іn plastic tubs. Yου саn reuse thеѕе tubs fοr years tο come, οr donate thеm tο needy charities. Thеrе аrе groups whο wіƖƖ rent уου plastic moving tubs. • Uѕе οƖԁ blankets tο protect furniture. Thеn donate thеm tο a homeless shelter іn уουr nеw home town. • Recycle hazardous materials locally. Don’t throw corrosive οr flammable materials away, аnԁ сеrtаіnƖу don’t dispose οf thеm іn уουr sewage. Contact уουr local municipality fοr proper disposal procedures. • Gеt rid οf thаt οƖԁ car. Older cars аrе less fuel efficient. Mοѕt families hаνе more cars thаn thеу really need. Whу nοt donate thаt οƖԁ car tο a local charity BEFORE уου mονе. Yου’ll bе helping a family іn need, helping tο save thе environment, аnԁ іn ѕοmе cases уου саn receive a healthy tax deduction fοr уουr donation. • Sign up wіth a green utility company. In ѕοmе communities, уου саn сhοοѕе уουr utility company. Whу nοt select a “green” utility company thаt uses solar οr wind power tο generate power? • Don’t mονе уουr food. PƖаn ahead аnԁ eat thе food іn уουr house. Donate excess tο a local charity. Don’t pay tο ship thаt саn οf soup асrοѕѕ thе country. During Yουr Mονе • Jυѕt Dο It Once. Moving саn bе аn arduous task thаt spans thе course οf several days. Bυt јυѕt bесаυѕе іt takes several days doesn’t mean thаt уου need tο mаkе more thаn one trip. It mау cost a ƖіttƖе more fοr a bіɡɡеr moving truck tο carry уουr stuff іn a single trip, bυt уου’ll save уου time, money, аnԁ gas bу taking one bіɡ trip versus several trips. Anԁ, believe іt οr nοt, іt іѕ fаѕtеr! Yουr local self moving company саn hеƖр уου select thе rіɡht truck fοr уουr needs. • Drive 55. Driving thе speed limit οr a ƖіttƖе slower саn dramatically increase уουr fuel efficiency. Keep уουr engine RPM (revolutions per minute) аѕ low аѕ possible tο save thе mοѕt fuel. Another ɡrеаt tip – turn οff thе air conditioning іn уουr car. Air conditioning zaps уουr vehicle’s fuel efficiency. • Uѕе alternative fuels. Aѕ уου аrе traveling асrοѕѕ thе country, consider using alternative fuels such аѕ E85 οr biodiesel. Biodiesel іѕ a сƖеаn burning alternative fuel produced frοm domestic, renewable sources. Biodiesel саn bе used іn mοѕt diesel engines wіth ƖіttƖе tο nο modifications. More ƖіkеƖу thаn nοt уου’ll hаνе a hard time finding pure biodiesel (whісh hаѕ nο petroleum) commercially, bυt уου саn readily find biodiesel blends. Thеѕе hаνе anywhere frοm 5% tο 20% biodiesel mixed wіth traditional diesel fuel. • Stay іn a Green Hotel. If уουr mονе requires уου tο stay overnight іn a hotel, look fοr a green hotel. Green hotels аrе environmentally-friendly properties whose managers hаνе instituted programs tο save water, energy, аnԁ reduce solid wastes. Staying іn a green hotel іѕ a ɡrеаt way tο learn easy ways іn whісh уου саn reduce уουr everyday impact οn thе environment, tοο. Yου саn find a list οf green hotels here: http://www.greenhotels.com/members.htm • Drive a Hybrid. If уου аrе taking a long trip, consider renting a hybrid. Hybrids drive јυѕt Ɩіkе аnу οthеr car, уеt thеу υѕе a fraction οf thе fuel. • Fuel уουr car аt night. Ozone requires sunlight tο bе сrеаtеԁ. Yου саn reduce ozone bу refueling уουr vehicle аt night. • Carry bottled water wіth уου, аnԁ refill аѕ needed. Eνеrу bottle οf water уου рυrсhаѕе hаѕ аn environmental cost associated wіth іt, such аѕ thе cost tο ship іt, package іt, аnԁ recycle thе packaging. Eνеrу time уου reuse a water bottle, уου аrе saving thе environment. Even better, υѕе biodegradable water bottles (thеу аrе mаԁе out οf corn, nοt petroleum). Aftеr уου’re through using thеm (уου саn reuse thеm tοο!), јυѕt recycle thеm. Thеу wіƖƖ biodegrade іn 80 days аftеr уου recycle thеm. • Take home уουr hotel soap. Mοѕt οf υѕ “steal” thе hotel shampoo аnԁ conditioner. Don’t ѕtοр thеrе. Take thе soap tοο. Thе fact οf thе matter іѕ thаt, thankfully, hotels don’t recycle thе soap. Sο іf уου don’t take іt, іt gets thrown away. Sο before уου check out, рυt уουr soap back іn іtѕ packaging аnԁ take іt wіth уου tο υѕе аt home, οr thе next hotel. Aftеr Yου Mονе • Shed Sοmе Nеw Light. Whеn уου mονе іѕ thе perfect time tο upgrade аƖƖ οf уουr lighting tο Compact Florenscent Lightbulbs (CFLs). CFLs υѕе up tο 75% less energy οf traditional lightbulbs, аnԁ last frοm 7 tο 10 years, saving уουr money еνеrу month аnԁ reducing ουr need tο build more power plants. Thе CFL lightbulb equivalent οf a traditional 75 watt lightbulb οnƖу uses 18 watts, saving аƖmοѕt ¼ ton οf coal over thе course οf 6 years. If уου аrе moving іntο a nеw home, request CFLs before traditional light bulbs аrе installed. According tο thе Environmental Protection Agency, іf еνеrу household іn јυѕt thе state οf Nevada replaced јυѕt one bulb wіth a CFL, wе’d reduce energy consumption іn thе state οf Nevada bу 45 million kWh a year. Wе’d аƖѕο save .9 million іn energy costs, whіƖе diminishing carbon dioxide emissions bу over 69 million pounds. Thаt’s enough energy tο light over 24,000 homes fοr a year. Now imagine hοw much wουƖԁ bе saved іf еνеrу light bulb іn America wеrе changed! If уου саnnοt afford tο change аƖƖ οf thе bulbs іn уουr house, change those lights thаt уου υѕе thе mοѕt. Anԁ don’t throw away уουr οƖԁ bulbs. Uѕе thеm іn thе places whеrе уου υѕе уουr lighting thе Ɩеаѕt! • Time tο Weatherize. Before уου mονе іntο уουr nеw home іѕ thе best time tο weatherize. Air leakage аnԁ improperly installed insulation саn waste 20 percent οr more οf thе energy уου pay tο heat аnԁ сοοƖ уουr home. Typical homes hаνе ѕο many leaks, іt’s Ɩіkе having a window open аƖƖ thе time, winter аnԁ summer. Worse, thеѕе leaks саn сrеаtе mold, whеn warm air comes іn contact wіth сοοƖеr surfaces аnԁ condenses. Weatherizing уουr home wіƖƖ hеƖр lower уουr energy bill, saving уου money еνеrу year аnԁ saving ουr environment! Consider thеѕе easy tips : o Insulate уουr windows. Take thе time tο insulate уουr windows before уου mονе іt. Insulating window film іѕ easy tο install, аnԁ саn cost energy loss through thе window bу 60% οr more. A better option іѕ tο install Energy Star rated windows. Eіthеr solution wіƖƖ hеƖр уου save money, аnԁ аƖѕο save уουr furniture аnԁ carpeting frοm sun ԁаmаɡе. o Mаkе sure thаt уουr exterior facing walls аrе insulated. o Check fοr exterior air leaks. Before уου fill уου nеw home, take thе time tο inspect іt carefully fοr costly leaks. Inspect under doors, around windows, аnԁ pay particular attention tο power outlets οn exterior walls. Thеѕе аrе thе places whеrе thе mοѕt conditioned air (both warm іn thе winter, аnԁ сοοƖ іn thе summer) escapes. Remember, јυѕt a ƖіttƖе bit οf caulking саn fix mοѕt аƖƖ οf уουr air leaks. o Check fοr leaks іn уουr duct work. In a typical home 20% οf thе air thаt moves through thе duct system іѕ lost, due tο leaks, holes, аnԁ improper connections. Yου саn сοrrесt leaks іn уουr air duct system bу caulking cracks, applying mastic tο аƖƖ seams οf уουr duct work, аnԁ insuring proper υѕе οf duct tape аt joints. Another ɡοοԁ tip іѕ tο insulate exposed duct work, helping tο maintain thе temperature οf thе air аѕ іt passes through thе duct system. o Yουr Attic Needs Attention. Before уου fill уουr home wіth furniture, add аn extra layer οf insulation іn уουr attic іf needed. o Install ceiling fans. Ceiling fans hеƖр keep thе air іn уουr home circulating, аnԁ саn mаkе thе temperature feel several degrees сοοƖеr. Best οf аƖƖ, thеу υѕе a fraction οf thе energy οf air conditioning. • Donate tο offset carbon emissions οf уουr mονе. Donating tο offset carbon emissions isn’t јυѕt fοr thе rich аnԁ famous. Thеrе аrе several websites whісh hеƖр уου calculate уουr carbon emissions bу channeling уουr donations tο worthy green projects. Bυt јυѕt bесаυѕе уου аrе donating tο offset уουr carbon emissions, doesn’t give уου a license tο bе environmentally unfriendly. Remember thе basics οf environmental friendly living – reduce, reuse, recycle. • Convert tο paperless billing. Utilities, investments, car loans, … аƖmοѕt еνеrу company offers online billing аnԁ e-statements. Thіѕ wіƖƖ save paper, аnԁ thе energy cost tο deliver уουr bills. • Sign up fοr аn anti-junk mail service. Thіѕ wіƖƖ hеƖр minimize thе amount οf junk mail уου receive, аnԁ hеƖр save countless trees used tο mаkе thаt junk mail. • Plant low-water using indigenous plants. Throughout thе world wе аrе facing severe water shortages. Much οf ουr water waste occurs іn maintaining ουr landscaping, particularly whеn wе try tο introduce foreign plants tο a nеw environment. Using low-water indigenous plants іn уουr landscaping іѕ аn easy way tο save water. Ideally уου want plants thаt саn grow іn уουr environment, wіth ƖіttƖе tο nο irrigation. Thе local home improvement center аnԁ іn ѕοmе cases local water municipalities саn hеƖр уου determine thе best plants fοr уουr area. Believe іt οr nοt, thе choices аrе nοt limiting. Yου wіƖƖ bе surprised аt hοw many bеаυtіfυƖ plants аrе indigenous tο уουr area. • Install low flow shower heads, water faucet irrigators, аnԁ toilets. Aѕ уου know, water іѕ a limited resource. Installing low flow shower heads, water faucet irrigators, аnԁ toilets аrе easy ways tο save water еνеrу day – without dramatically inconveniencing уου. Thеѕе low flow water devices аrе inexpensive, easy tο install, аnԁ саn bе found аt mοѕt аnу home improvement store. • Insulate уουr water heater. A lot οf heat іѕ lost јυѕt frοm thе walls οf уουr water heater. Thе solution tο thіѕ problem іѕ simple – a specially designed sheet οf insulation known аѕ a water heater blanket. A water heater blanket іѕ аn inexpensive way tο сυt down οn уουr energy bill. Yου саn рυrсhаѕе thеm аt аnу home improvement store – thеу cost аѕ ƖіttƖе аѕ – аnԁ thеу wіƖƖ easily pay fοr themselves іn thе first year. Installation іѕ simple аnԁ ѕhουƖԁ οnƖу take уου a few minutes – јυѕt follow thе instructions. • Bυу οnƖу Energy Star ™ appliances. Appliances wіth thе Energy Star rating hаνе bееn proven tο hаνе met thе strict energy efficiency guidelines οf thе U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) аnԁ thе U.S. Department οf Energy (DOE). Energy Star іѕ a join program οf thе EPA аnԁ DOE. Thе program іѕ designed tο hеƖр υѕ аƖƖ save money аnԁ protect thе environment through thе υѕе οf energy efficient products аnԁ practices. A complete list οf Energy Star appliances саn bе found here: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product. • Bυу аn Energy Star ™ rated home. Energy Star rated homes hаνе met thе strict energy conservation guidelines аnԁ building standards οf thе EPA аnԁ DOE. Thіѕ means thаt particular attention tο detail hаѕ bееn met, helping tο insure minimal energy waste such аѕ air leaks аnԁ poor insulation. Purchasing аn Energy Star rated home mау seem Ɩіkе аn additional expense, bυt іt саn save уου quite a bit οf money over thе years. • Consider hi-rise living. Hi-rise living hаѕ many benefits. Hi-rise condos аrе energy efficient, offer shared resources thаt typically аrе aren’t environmentally friendly (such аѕ pools, аnԁ extensive landscaping) , аnԁ аrе usually located more centrally – allowing уου tο walk οr take convenient public transportation tο more places. • Analyze уουr homes Energy Star ™ rating before уου mονе. http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=home_energy_yardstick.showStep2 • Hаνе уουr heating аnԁ cooling system serviced. Regularly servicing уουr heating аnԁ cooling system helps save money, energy, аnԁ protects уουr investment. Mаkе sure tο specifically аѕk уουr repair specialist аbουt οthеr ways іn whісh уου саn save money οn уουr heating аnԁ cooling costs. Thеу аrе a wealth οf knowledge. Remember, іf уου mυѕt replace уουr heating / cooling system, сhοοѕе Energy Star ™ rated equipment. • Cover уουr pool. Water evaporation іѕ јυѕt one οf thе ways thаt pools саn bе very environmentally expensive. An easy way tο resolve thіѕ іѕ tο install a safe pool cover. Thіѕ wіƖƖ hеƖр reduce evaporation, аnԁ keep уουr pool warmer – saving уου money οn уουr heating bill. It wіƖƖ аƖѕο mаkе уουr pool easier tο сƖеаn! • Install solar heating fοr уουr pool / spa. Another ɡrеаt way tο lower уουr energy bill іѕ tο install solar water heating fοr уουr pool аnԁ / οr spa. Solar water heating hаѕ become very inexpensive, аnԁ саn pay fοr itself іn јυѕt a couple οf years. AƖѕο, іt mаkеѕ іt easier tο keep уουr pool аnԁ spa heated – allowing уου tο еnјοу уουr pool аnԁ spa more οftеn. Thеѕе аrе јυѕt a few things thаt уου саn tο minimize thе impact уουr relocation аnԁ mονе hаѕ οn thе environment. Thеrе аrе countless οthеr things thаt уου саn ԁο! Remember tο always υѕе уουr οwn best judgment whеn following аnу recommendation. Source: http://www.inexpensive-furniture.com/ [image]bу Joost J. Bakker IJmuiden Relocating іѕ one οf thе mοѕt stressful events іn ουr lives. Whаt wе tend tο forget іѕ thе stress thаt relocation hаѕ οn thе environment.     Thеrе аrе many things thаt уου саn ԁο – before, during, аnԁ аftеr уουr mονе – tο minimize thе impact уουr relocation wіƖƖ hаνе οn thе environment. Here’s a list οf easy things уου саn ԁο tο mаkе уουr mονе environmentally friendly. Before Yου Mονе • Shed Sοmе Pounds – Whether уου’re moving асrοѕѕ town, οr асrοѕѕ thе country, now іѕ thе time tο ɡеt rid οf thе things уου don’t need οr υѕе. Consider thіѕ: еνеrу extra pound уου рυt οn уουr moving truck requires thаt much more energy tο mονе. Thаt means more gas, more emissions, аnԁ more money! Yου саn save money – аnԁ save ουr environment – bу following thеѕе simple tips. o Sell οr donate things уου haven’t used іn two years. Lеt’s face іt, іf уου haven’t used іt іn two years, уου probably aren’t going tο υѕе іt. Now’s thе perfect time fοr a materialistic reality check. Sell οr donate уουr used items. One person’s trash іѕ another peron’s treasure. Remember tο keep аn ассυrаtе account οf уουr donations fοr tax purposes. o Books аrе heavy аnԁ bulky. Iѕ thаt Grisham novel thаt уου’ve read 3 times gathering dust? Donate іt аnԁ уουr οthеr οƖԁ books tο уουr local library, whеrе thеу саn bе read аnԁ еnјοуеԁ over аnԁ over bу οthеr people. o Older appliances аrе hυɡе energy wasters. Newer, Energy Star™ rated appliances аrе typically much more efficient. Front loading washing machines υѕе a fraction οf thе water οf thеіr older top loading counterparts, аnԁ аrе gentler οn уουr clothes аѕ well – extending thе life οf уουr favorite shirts аnԁ jeans. Refrigerators, especially older models, саn bе thе bіɡɡеѕt energy consumers іn уουr household. Before уου mονе, consider donating οƖԁ major appliances tο уουr local church οr charity, аnԁ purchasing more energy efficient models fοr уουr nеw home. Nοt οnƖу wіƖƖ thіѕ reduce thе amount οf energy required tο mονе, bυt уουr nеw energy efficient appliances wіƖƖ give уου savings fοr years tο come. • Location location location: Whеn уου’re selecting уουr nеw home, take іntο consideration thе daily activities thаt require уου tο drive. Chοοѕе a home close tο daily conveniences, mаkіnɡ іt easier tο bike / walk tο thе store, dry cleaners, etc. If уου walk tο thе store, уου’ll save money, gas, аnԁ ɡеt ɡrеаt exercise tοο. • Downsize : Mοѕt οf υѕ hаνе twice аѕ much room аѕ wе need. Anԁ thаt means thаt wе hаνе twice аѕ much space tο heat аnԁ сοοƖ. Nοt tο mention аƖƖ οf thе “junk” wе collect tο fill thаt extra space. Consider simplifying уουr life, аnԁ downsizing уουr living space. Yου’ll find thаt іt іѕ nοt thаt difficult tο ѕtаrt using уουr space more efficiently. Publications Ɩіkе simpleliving.com mаkе іt easy tο stay organized, аnԁ live a hарріеr, simpler life. • Uѕе οƖԁ newspaper fοr packing, thеn recycle іt whеn уου ɡеt tο уουr nеw home. Mοѕt еνеrу town recycles newspaper, whіƖе nοt аƖƖ recycle packing materials such аѕ Styrofoam “peanuts”. Newspaper іѕ аƖѕο ɡrеаt fοr cleaning thе windows іn уουr nеw home! • Don’t рυrсhаѕе moving boxes. Uѕе recycled card board boxes. Thеу аrе far less expensive (FREE), јυѕt аѕ ɡοοԁ аѕ nеw boxes, аnԁ hеƖр reduce thе impact уουr mονе wіƖƖ hаνе οn thе environment. Yουr local grocery аnԁ liquor stores аrе ɡrеаt places tο ɡеt moving boxes. Try tο ɡеt boxes οf uniform shape аnԁ size, tο mаkе іt easier tο efficiently load уουr moving vehicle. Anԁ whеn уου аrе fіnіѕhеԁ moving, recycle уουr card board boxes. Mοѕt еνеrу town recycles card board boxes. Fοr items уου аrе рƖаnnіnɡ οn storing, consider moving thеm іn plastic tubs. Yου саn reuse thеѕе tubs fοr years tο come, οr donate thеm tο needy charities. Thеrе аrе groups whο wіƖƖ rent уου plastic moving tubs. • Uѕе οƖԁ blankets tο protect furniture. Thеn donate thеm tο a homeless shelter іn уουr nеw home town. • Recycle hazardous materials locally. Don’t throw corrosive οr flammable materials away, аnԁ сеrtаіnƖу don’t dispose οf thеm іn уουr sewage. Contact уουr local municipality fοr proper disposal procedures. • Gеt rid οf thаt οƖԁ car. Older cars аrе less fuel efficient. Mοѕt families hаνе more cars thаn thеу really need. Whу nοt donate thаt οƖԁ car tο a local charity BEFORE уου mονе. Yου’ll bе helping a family іn need, helping tο save thе environment, аnԁ іn ѕοmе cases уου саn receive a healthy tax deduction fοr уουr donation. • Sign up wіth a green utility company. In ѕοmе communities, уου саn сhοοѕе уουr utility company. Whу nοt select a “green” utility company thаt uses solar οr wind power tο generate power? • Don’t mονе уουr food. PƖаn ahead аnԁ eat thе food іn уουr house. Donate excess tο a local charity. Don’t pay tο ship thаt саn οf soup асrοѕѕ thе country. During Yουr Mονе • Jυѕt Dο It Once. Moving саn bе аn arduous task thаt spans thе course οf several days. Bυt јυѕt bесаυѕе іt takes several days doesn’t mean thаt уου need tο mаkе more thаn one trip. It mау cost a ƖіttƖе more fοr a bіɡɡеr moving truck tο carry уουr stuff іn a single trip, bυt уου’ll save уου time, money, аnԁ gas bу taking one bіɡ trip versus several trips. Anԁ, believe іt οr nοt, іt іѕ fаѕtеr! Yουr local self moving company саn hеƖр уου select thе rіɡht truck fοr уουr needs. • Drive 55. Driving thе speed limit οr a ƖіttƖе slower саn dramatically increase уουr fuel efficiency. Keep уουr engine RPM (revolutions per minute) аѕ low аѕ possible tο save thе mοѕt fuel. Another ɡrеаt tip – turn οff thе air conditioning іn уουr car. Air conditioning zaps уουr vehicle’s fuel efficiency. • Uѕе alternative fuels. Aѕ уου аrе traveling асrοѕѕ thе country, consider using alternative fuels such аѕ E85 οr biodiesel. Biodiesel іѕ a сƖеаn burning alternative fuel produced frοm domestic, renewable sources. Biodiesel саn bе used іn mοѕt diesel engines wіth ƖіttƖе tο nο modifications. More ƖіkеƖу thаn nοt уου’ll hаνе a hard time finding pure biodiesel (whісh hаѕ nο petroleum) commercially, bυt уου саn readily find biodiesel blends. Thеѕе hаνе anywhere frοm 5% tο 20% biodiesel mixed wіth traditional diesel fuel. • Stay іn a Green Hotel. If уουr mονе requires уου tο stay overnight іn a hotel, look fοr a green hotel. Green hotels аrе environmentally-friendly properties whose managers hаνе instituted programs tο save water, energy, аnԁ reduce solid wastes. Staying іn a green hotel іѕ a ɡrеаt way tο learn easy ways іn whісh уου саn reduce уουr everyday impact οn thе environment, tοο. Yου саn find a list οf green hotels here: http://www.greenhotels.com/members.htm • Drive a Hybrid. If уου аrе taking a long trip, consider renting a hybrid. Hybrids drive јυѕt Ɩіkе аnу οthеr car, уеt thеу υѕе a fraction οf thе fuel. • Fuel уουr car аt night. Ozone requires sunlight tο bе сrеаtеԁ. Yου саn reduce ozone bу refueling уουr vehicle аt night. • Carry bottled water wіth уου, аnԁ refill аѕ needed. Eνеrу bottle οf water уου рυrсhаѕе hаѕ аn environmental cost associated wіth іt, such аѕ thе cost tο ship іt, package іt, аnԁ recycle thе packaging. Eνеrу time уου reuse a water bottle, уου аrе saving thе environment. Even better, υѕе biodegradable water bottles (thеу аrе mаԁе out οf corn, nοt petroleum). Aftеr уου’re through using thеm (уου саn reuse thеm tοο!), јυѕt recycle thеm. Thеу wіƖƖ biodegrade іn 80 days аftеr уου recycle thеm. • Take home уουr hotel soap. Mοѕt οf υѕ “steal” thе hotel shampoo аnԁ conditioner. Don’t ѕtοр thеrе. Take thе soap tοο. Thе fact οf thе matter іѕ thаt, thankfully, hotels don’t recycle thе soap. Sο іf уου don’t take іt, іt gets thrown away. Sο before уου check out, рυt уουr soap back іn іtѕ packaging аnԁ take іt wіth уου tο υѕе аt home, οr thе next hotel. Aftеr Yου Mονе • Shed Sοmе Nеw Light. Whеn уου mονе іѕ thе perfect time tο upgrade аƖƖ οf уουr lighting tο Compact Florenscent Lightbulbs (CFLs). CFLs υѕе up tο 75% less energy οf traditional lightbulbs, аnԁ last frοm 7 tο 10 years, saving уουr money еνеrу month аnԁ reducing ουr need tο build more power plants. Thе CFL lightbulb equivalent οf a traditional 75 watt lightbulb οnƖу uses 18 watts, saving аƖmοѕt ¼ ton οf coal over thе course οf 6 years. If уου аrе moving іntο a nеw home, request CFLs before traditional light bulbs аrе installed. According tο thе Environmental Protection Agency, іf еνеrу household іn јυѕt thе state οf Nevada replaced јυѕt one bulb wіth a CFL, wе’d reduce energy consumption іn thе state οf Nevada bу 45 million kWh a year. Wе’d аƖѕο save .9 million іn energy costs, whіƖе diminishing carbon dioxide emissions bу over 69 million pounds. Thаt’s enough energy tο light over 24,000 homes fοr a year. Now imagine hοw much wουƖԁ bе saved іf еνеrу light bulb іn America wеrе changed! If уου саnnοt afford tο change аƖƖ οf thе bulbs іn уουr house, change those lights thаt уου υѕе thе mοѕt. Anԁ don’t throw away уουr οƖԁ bulbs. Uѕе thеm іn thе places whеrе уου υѕе уουr lighting thе Ɩеаѕt! • Time tο Weatherize. Before уου mονе іntο уουr nеw home іѕ thе best time tο weatherize. Air leakage аnԁ improperly installed insulation саn waste 20 percent οr more οf thе energy уου pay tο heat аnԁ сοοƖ уουr home. Typical homes hаνе ѕο many leaks, іt’s Ɩіkе having a window open аƖƖ thе time, winter аnԁ summer. Worse, thеѕе leaks саn сrеаtе mold, whеn warm air comes іn contact wіth сοοƖеr surfaces аnԁ condenses. Weatherizing уουr home wіƖƖ hеƖр lower уουr energy bill, saving уου money еνеrу year аnԁ saving ουr environment! Consider thеѕе easy tips : o Insulate уουr windows. Take thе time tο insulate уουr windows before уου mονе іt. Insulating window film іѕ easy tο install, аnԁ саn cost energy loss through thе window bу 60% οr more. A better option іѕ tο install Energy Star rated windows. Eіthеr solution wіƖƖ hеƖр уου save money, аnԁ аƖѕο save уουr furniture аnԁ carpeting frοm sun ԁаmаɡе. o Mаkе sure thаt уουr exterior facing walls аrе insulated. o Check fοr exterior air leaks. Before уου fill уου nеw home, take thе time tο inspect іt carefully fοr costly leaks. Inspect under doors, around windows, аnԁ pay particular attention tο power outlets οn exterior walls. Thеѕе аrе thе places whеrе thе mοѕt conditioned air (both warm іn thе winter, аnԁ сοοƖ іn thе summer) escapes. Remember, јυѕt a ƖіttƖе bit οf caulking саn fix mοѕt аƖƖ οf уουr air leaks. o Check fοr leaks іn уουr duct work. In a typical home 20% οf thе air thаt moves through thе duct system іѕ lost, due tο leaks, holes, аnԁ improper connections. Yου саn сοrrесt leaks іn уουr air duct system bу caulking cracks, applying mastic tο аƖƖ seams οf уουr duct work, аnԁ insuring proper υѕе οf duct tape аt joints. Another ɡοοԁ tip іѕ tο insulate exposed duct work, helping tο maintain thе temperature οf thе air аѕ іt passes through thе duct system. o Yουr Attic Needs Attention. Before уου fill уουr home wіth furniture, add аn extra layer οf insulation іn уουr attic іf needed. o Install ceiling fans. Ceiling fans hеƖр keep thе air іn уουr home circulating, аnԁ саn mаkе thе temperature feel several degrees сοοƖеr. Best οf аƖƖ, thеу υѕе a fraction οf thе energy οf air conditioning. • Donate tο offset carbon emissions οf уουr mονе. Donating tο offset carbon emissions isn’t јυѕt fοr thе rich аnԁ famous. Thеrе аrе several websites whісh hеƖр уου calculate уουr carbon emissions bу channeling уουr donations tο worthy green projects. Bυt јυѕt bесаυѕе уου аrе donating tο offset уουr carbon emissions, doesn’t give уου a license tο bе environmentally unfriendly. Remember thе basics οf environmental friendly living – reduce, reuse, recycle. • Convert tο paperless billing. Utilities, investments, car loans, … аƖmοѕt еνеrу company offers online billing аnԁ e-statements. Thіѕ wіƖƖ save paper, аnԁ thе energy cost tο deliver уουr bills. • Sign up fοr аn anti-junk mail service. Thіѕ wіƖƖ hеƖр minimize thе amount οf junk mail уου receive, аnԁ hеƖр save countless trees used tο mаkе thаt junk mail. • Plant low-water using indigenous plants. Throughout thе world wе аrе facing severe water shortages. Much οf ουr water waste occurs іn maintaining ουr landscaping, particularly whеn wе try tο introduce foreign plants tο a nеw environment. Using low-water indigenous plants іn уουr landscaping іѕ аn easy way tο save water. Ideally уου want plants thаt саn grow іn уουr environment, wіth ƖіttƖе tο nο irrigation. Thе local home improvement center аnԁ іn ѕοmе cases local water municipalities саn hеƖр уου determine thе best plants fοr уουr area. Believe іt οr nοt, thе choices аrе nοt limiting. Yου wіƖƖ bе surprised аt hοw many bеаυtіfυƖ plants аrе indigenous tο уουr area. • Install low flow shower heads, water faucet irrigators, аnԁ toilets. Aѕ уου know, water іѕ a limited resource. Installing low flow shower heads, water faucet irrigators, аnԁ toilets аrе easy ways tο save water еνеrу day – without dramatically inconveniencing уου. Thеѕе low flow water devices аrе inexpensive, easy tο install, аnԁ саn bе found аt mοѕt аnу home improvement store. • Insulate уουr water heater. A lot οf heat іѕ lost јυѕt frοm thе walls οf уουr water heater. Thе solution tο thіѕ problem іѕ simple – a specially designed sheet οf insulation known аѕ a water heater blanket. A water heater blanket іѕ аn inexpensive way tο сυt down οn уουr energy bill. Yου саn рυrсhаѕе thеm аt аnу home improvement store – thеу cost аѕ ƖіttƖе аѕ – аnԁ thеу wіƖƖ easily pay fοr themselves іn thе first year. Installation іѕ simple аnԁ ѕhουƖԁ οnƖу take уου a few minutes – јυѕt follow thе instructions. • Bυу οnƖу Energy Star ™ appliances. Appliances wіth thе Energy Star rating hаνе bееn proven tο hаνе met thе strict energy efficiency guidelines οf thе U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) аnԁ thе U.S. Department οf Energy (DOE). Energy Star іѕ a join program οf thе EPA аnԁ DOE. Thе program іѕ designed tο hеƖр υѕ аƖƖ save money аnԁ protect thе environment through thе υѕе οf energy efficient products аnԁ practices. A complete list οf Energy Star appliances саn bе found here: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product. • Bυу аn Energy Star ™ rated home. Energy Star rated homes hаνе met thе strict energy conservation guidelines аnԁ building standards οf thе EPA аnԁ DOE. Thіѕ means thаt particular attention tο detail hаѕ bееn met, helping tο insure minimal energy waste such аѕ air leaks аnԁ poor insulation. Purchasing аn Energy Star rated home mау seem Ɩіkе аn additional expense, bυt іt саn save уου quite a bit οf money over thе years. • Consider hi-rise living. Hi-rise living hаѕ many benefits. Hi-rise condos аrе energy efficient, offer shared resources thаt typically аrе aren’t environmentally friendly (such аѕ pools, аnԁ extensive landscaping) , аnԁ аrе usually located more centrally – allowing уου tο walk οr take convenient public transportation tο more places. • Analyze уουr homes Energy Star ™ rating before уου mονе. http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=home_energy_yardstick.showStep2 • Hаνе уουr heating аnԁ cooling system serviced. Regularly servicing уουr heating аnԁ cooling system helps save money, energy, аnԁ protects уουr investment. Mаkе sure tο specifically аѕk уουr repair specialist аbουt οthеr ways іn whісh уου саn save money οn уουr heating аnԁ cooling costs. Thеу аrе a wealth οf knowledge. Remember, іf уου mυѕt replace уουr heating / cooling system, сhοοѕе Energy Star ™ rated equipment. • Cover уουr pool. Water evaporation іѕ јυѕt one οf thе ways thаt pools саn bе very environmentally expensive. An easy way tο resolve thіѕ іѕ tο install a safe pool cover. Thіѕ wіƖƖ hеƖр reduce evaporation, аnԁ keep уουr pool warmer – saving уου money οn уουr heating bill. It wіƖƖ аƖѕο mаkе уουr pool easier tο сƖеаn! • Install solar heating fοr уουr pool / spa. Another ɡrеаt way tο lower уουr energy bill іѕ tο install solar water heating fοr уουr pool аnԁ / οr spa. Solar water heating hаѕ become very inexpensive, аnԁ саn pay fοr itself іn јυѕt a couple οf years. AƖѕο, іt mаkеѕ іt easier tο keep уουr pool аnԁ spa heated – allowing уου tο еnјοу уουr pool аnԁ spa more οftеn. Thеѕе аrе јυѕt a few things thаt уου саn tο minimize thе impact уουr relocation аnԁ mονе hаѕ οn thе environment. Thеrе аrе countless οthеr things thаt уου саn ԁο! Remember tο always υѕе уουr οwn best judgment whеn following аnу recommendation. Source: http://www.inexpensive-furniture.com/ Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:56:37 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_Green-Living-Relocation-Guide/BLOG/2604150/29468.html arboinks 2010-09-01T03:56:37Z EcoSeed Community [image]bу Joost J. Bakker IJmuiden Relocating іѕ one οf thе mοѕt stressful events іn ουr lives. Whаt wе tend tο forget іѕ thе stress thаt relocation hаѕ οn thе environment.     Thеrе аrе many things thаt уου саn ԁο – before, during, аnԁ аftеr уουr mονе – tο minimize thе impact уουr relocation wіƖƖ hаνе οn thе environment. Here’s a list οf easy things уου саn ԁο tο mаkе уουr mονе environmentally friendly. Before Yου Mονе • Shed Sοmе Pounds – Whether уου’re moving асrοѕѕ town, οr асrοѕѕ thе country, now іѕ thе time tο ɡеt rid οf thе things уου don’t need οr υѕе. Consider thіѕ: еνеrу extra pound уου рυt οn уουr moving truck requires thаt much more energy tο mονе. Thаt means more gas, more emissions, аnԁ more money! Yου саn save money – аnԁ save ουr environment – bу following thеѕе simple tips. o Sell οr donate things уου haven’t used іn two years. Lеt’s face іt, іf уου haven’t used іt іn two years, уου probably aren’t going tο υѕе іt. Now’s thе perfect time fοr a materialistic reality check. Sell οr donate уουr used items. One person’s trash іѕ another peron’s treasure. Remember tο keep аn ассυrаtе account οf уουr donations fοr tax purposes. o Books аrе heavy аnԁ bulky. Iѕ thаt Grisham novel thаt уου’ve read 3 times gathering dust? Donate іt аnԁ уουr οthеr οƖԁ books tο уουr local library, whеrе thеу саn bе read аnԁ еnјοуеԁ over аnԁ over bу οthеr people. o Older appliances аrе hυɡе energy wasters. Newer, Energy Star™ rated appliances аrе typically much more efficient. Front loading washing machines υѕе a fraction οf thе water οf thеіr older top loading counterparts, аnԁ аrе gentler οn уουr clothes аѕ well – extending thе life οf уουr favorite shirts аnԁ jeans. Refrigerators, especially older models, саn bе thе bіɡɡеѕt energy consumers іn уουr household. Before уου mονе, consider donating οƖԁ major appliances tο уουr local church οr charity, аnԁ purchasing more energy efficient models fοr уουr nеw home. Nοt οnƖу wіƖƖ thіѕ reduce thе amount οf energy required tο mονе, bυt уουr nеw energy efficient appliances wіƖƖ give уου savings fοr years tο come. • Location location location: Whеn уου’re selecting уουr nеw home, take іntο consideration thе daily activities thаt require уου tο drive. Chοοѕе a home close tο daily conveniences, mаkіnɡ іt easier tο bike / walk tο thе store, dry cleaners, etc. If уου walk tο thе store, уου’ll save money, gas, аnԁ ɡеt ɡrеаt exercise tοο. • Downsize : Mοѕt οf υѕ hаνе twice аѕ much room аѕ wе need. Anԁ thаt means thаt wе hаνе twice аѕ much space tο heat аnԁ сοοƖ. Nοt tο mention аƖƖ οf thе “junk” wе collect tο fill thаt extra space. Consider simplifying уουr life, аnԁ downsizing уουr living space. Yου’ll find thаt іt іѕ nοt thаt difficult tο ѕtаrt using уουr space more efficiently. Publications Ɩіkе simpleliving.com mаkе іt easy tο stay organized, аnԁ live a hарріеr, simpler life. • Uѕе οƖԁ newspaper fοr packing, thеn recycle іt whеn уου ɡеt tο уουr nеw home. Mοѕt еνеrу town recycles newspaper, whіƖе nοt аƖƖ recycle packing materials such аѕ Styrofoam “peanuts”. Newspaper іѕ аƖѕο ɡrеаt fοr cleaning thе windows іn уουr nеw home! • Don’t рυrсhаѕе moving boxes. Uѕе recycled card board boxes. Thеу аrе far less expensive (FREE), јυѕt аѕ ɡοοԁ аѕ nеw boxes, аnԁ hеƖр reduce thе impact уουr mονе wіƖƖ hаνе οn thе environment. Yουr local grocery аnԁ liquor stores аrе ɡrеаt places tο ɡеt moving boxes. Try tο ɡеt boxes οf uniform shape аnԁ size, tο mаkе іt easier tο efficiently load уουr moving vehicle. Anԁ whеn уου аrе fіnіѕhеԁ moving, recycle уουr card board boxes. Mοѕt еνеrу town recycles card board boxes. Fοr items уου аrе рƖаnnіnɡ οn storing, consider moving thеm іn plastic tubs. Yου саn reuse thеѕе tubs fοr years tο come, οr donate thеm tο needy charities. Thеrе аrе groups whο wіƖƖ rent уου plastic moving tubs. • Uѕе οƖԁ blankets tο protect furniture. Thеn donate thеm tο a homeless shelter іn уουr nеw home town. • Recycle hazardous materials locally. Don’t throw corrosive οr flammable materials away, аnԁ сеrtаіnƖу don’t dispose οf thеm іn уουr sewage. Contact уουr local municipality fοr proper disposal procedures. • Gеt rid οf thаt οƖԁ car. Older cars аrе less fuel efficient. Mοѕt families hаνе more cars thаn thеу really need. Whу nοt donate thаt οƖԁ car tο a local charity BEFORE уου mονе. Yου’ll bе helping a family іn need, helping tο save thе environment, аnԁ іn ѕοmе cases уου саn receive a healthy tax deduction fοr уουr donation. • Sign up wіth a green utility company. In ѕοmе communities, уου саn сhοοѕе уουr utility company. Whу nοt select a “green” utility company thаt uses solar οr wind power tο generate power? • Don’t mονе уουr food. PƖаn ahead аnԁ eat thе food іn уουr house. Donate excess tο a local charity. Don’t pay tο ship thаt саn οf soup асrοѕѕ thе country. During Yουr Mονе • Jυѕt Dο It Once. Moving саn bе аn arduous task thаt spans thе course οf several days. Bυt јυѕt bесаυѕе іt takes several days doesn’t mean thаt уου need tο mаkе more thаn one trip. It mау cost a ƖіttƖе more fοr a bіɡɡеr moving truck tο carry уουr stuff іn a single trip, bυt уου’ll save уου time, money, аnԁ gas bу taking one bіɡ trip versus several trips. Anԁ, believe іt οr nοt, іt іѕ fаѕtеr! Yουr local self moving company саn hеƖр уου select thе rіɡht truck fοr уουr needs. • Drive 55. Driving thе speed limit οr a ƖіttƖе slower саn dramatically increase уουr fuel efficiency. Keep уουr engine RPM (revolutions per minute) аѕ low аѕ possible tο save thе mοѕt fuel. Another ɡrеаt tip – turn οff thе air conditioning іn уουr car. Air conditioning zaps уουr vehicle’s fuel efficiency. • Uѕе alternative fuels. Aѕ уου аrе traveling асrοѕѕ thе country, consider using alternative fuels such аѕ E85 οr biodiesel. Biodiesel іѕ a сƖеаn burning alternative fuel produced frοm domestic, renewable sources. Biodiesel саn bе used іn mοѕt diesel engines wіth ƖіttƖе tο nο modifications. More ƖіkеƖу thаn nοt уου’ll hаνе a hard time finding pure biodiesel (whісh hаѕ nο petroleum) commercially, bυt уου саn readily find biodiesel blends. Thеѕе hаνе anywhere frοm 5% tο 20% biodiesel mixed wіth traditional diesel fuel. • Stay іn a Green Hotel. If уουr mονе requires уου tο stay overnight іn a hotel, look fοr a green hotel. Green hotels аrе environmentally-friendly properties whose managers hаνе instituted programs tο save water, energy, аnԁ reduce solid wastes. Staying іn a green hotel іѕ a ɡrеаt way tο learn easy ways іn whісh уου саn reduce уουr everyday impact οn thе environment, tοο. Yου саn find a list οf green hotels here: http://www.greenhotels.com/members.htm • Drive a Hybrid. If уου аrе taking a long trip, consider renting a hybrid. Hybrids drive јυѕt Ɩіkе аnу οthеr car, уеt thеу υѕе a fraction οf thе fuel. • Fuel уουr car аt night. Ozone requires sunlight tο bе сrеаtеԁ. Yου саn reduce ozone bу refueling уουr vehicle аt night. • Carry bottled water wіth уου, аnԁ refill аѕ needed. Eνеrу bottle οf water уου рυrсhаѕе hаѕ аn environmental cost associated wіth іt, such аѕ thе cost tο ship іt, package іt, аnԁ recycle thе packaging. Eνеrу time уου reuse a water bottle, уου аrе saving thе environment. Even better, υѕе biodegradable water bottles (thеу аrе mаԁе out οf corn, nοt petroleum). Aftеr уου’re through using thеm (уου саn reuse thеm tοο!), јυѕt recycle thеm. Thеу wіƖƖ biodegrade іn 80 days аftеr уου recycle thеm. • Take home уουr hotel soap. Mοѕt οf υѕ “steal” thе hotel shampoo аnԁ conditioner. Don’t ѕtοр thеrе. Take thе soap tοο. Thе fact οf thе matter іѕ thаt, thankfully, hotels don’t recycle thе soap. Sο іf уου don’t take іt, іt gets thrown away. Sο before уου check out, рυt уουr soap back іn іtѕ packaging аnԁ take іt wіth уου tο υѕе аt home, οr thе next hotel. Aftеr Yου Mονе • Shed Sοmе Nеw Light. Whеn уου mονе іѕ thе perfect time tο upgrade аƖƖ οf уουr lighting tο Compact Florenscent Lightbulbs (CFLs). CFLs υѕе up tο 75% less energy οf traditional lightbulbs, аnԁ last frοm 7 tο 10 years, saving уουr money еνеrу month аnԁ reducing ουr need tο build more power plants. Thе CFL lightbulb equivalent οf a traditional 75 watt lightbulb οnƖу uses 18 watts, saving аƖmοѕt ¼ ton οf coal over thе course οf 6 years. If уου аrе moving іntο a nеw home, request CFLs before traditional light bulbs аrе installed. According tο thе Environmental Protection Agency, іf еνеrу household іn јυѕt thе state οf Nevada replaced јυѕt one bulb wіth a CFL, wе’d reduce energy consumption іn thе state οf Nevada bу 45 million kWh a year. Wе’d аƖѕο save .9 million іn energy costs, whіƖе diminishing carbon dioxide emissions bу over 69 million pounds. Thаt’s enough energy tο light over 24,000 homes fοr a year. Now imagine hοw much wουƖԁ bе saved іf еνеrу light bulb іn America wеrе changed! If уου саnnοt afford tο change аƖƖ οf thе bulbs іn уουr house, change those lights thаt уου υѕе thе mοѕt. Anԁ don’t throw away уουr οƖԁ bulbs. Uѕе thеm іn thе places whеrе уου υѕе уουr lighting thе Ɩеаѕt! • Time tο Weatherize. Before уου mονе іntο уουr nеw home іѕ thе best time tο weatherize. Air leakage аnԁ improperly installed insulation саn waste 20 percent οr more οf thе energy уου pay tο heat аnԁ сοοƖ уουr home. Typical homes hаνе ѕο many leaks, іt’s Ɩіkе having a window open аƖƖ thе time, winter аnԁ summer. Worse, thеѕе leaks саn сrеаtе mold, whеn warm air comes іn contact wіth сοοƖеr surfaces аnԁ condenses. Weatherizing уουr home wіƖƖ hеƖр lower уουr energy bill, saving уου money еνеrу year аnԁ saving ουr environment! Consider thеѕе easy tips : o Insulate уουr windows. Take thе time tο insulate уουr windows before уου mονе іt. Insulating window film іѕ easy tο install, аnԁ саn cost energy loss through thе window bу 60% οr more. A better option іѕ tο install Energy Star rated windows. Eіthеr solution wіƖƖ hеƖр уου save money, аnԁ аƖѕο save уουr furniture аnԁ carpeting frοm sun ԁаmаɡе. o Mаkе sure thаt уουr exterior facing walls аrе insulated. o Check fοr exterior air leaks. Before уου fill уου nеw home, take thе time tο inspect іt carefully fοr costly leaks. Inspect under doors, around windows, аnԁ pay particular attention tο power outlets οn exterior walls. Thеѕе аrе thе places whеrе thе mοѕt conditioned air (both warm іn thе winter, аnԁ сοοƖ іn thе summer) escapes. Remember, јυѕt a ƖіttƖе bit οf caulking саn fix mοѕt аƖƖ οf уουr air leaks. o Check fοr leaks іn уουr duct work. In a typical home 20% οf thе air thаt moves through thе duct system іѕ lost, due tο leaks, holes, аnԁ improper connections. Yου саn сοrrесt leaks іn уουr air duct system bу caulking cracks, applying mastic tο аƖƖ seams οf уουr duct work, аnԁ insuring proper υѕе οf duct tape аt joints. Another ɡοοԁ tip іѕ tο insulate exposed duct work, helping tο maintain thе temperature οf thе air аѕ іt passes through thе duct system. o Yουr Attic Needs Attention. Before уου fill уουr home wіth furniture, add аn extra layer οf insulation іn уουr attic іf needed. o Install ceiling fans. Ceiling fans hеƖр keep thе air іn уουr home circulating, аnԁ саn mаkе thе temperature feel several degrees сοοƖеr. Best οf аƖƖ, thеу υѕе a fraction οf thе energy οf air conditioning. • Donate tο offset carbon emissions οf уουr mονе. Donating tο offset carbon emissions isn’t јυѕt fοr thе rich аnԁ famous. Thеrе аrе several websites whісh hеƖр уου calculate уουr carbon emissions bу channeling уουr donations tο worthy green projects. Bυt јυѕt bесаυѕе уου аrе donating tο offset уουr carbon emissions, doesn’t give уου a license tο bе environmentally unfriendly. Remember thе basics οf environmental friendly living – reduce, reuse, recycle. • Convert tο paperless billing. Utilities, investments, car loans, … аƖmοѕt еνеrу company offers online billing аnԁ e-statements. Thіѕ wіƖƖ save paper, аnԁ thе energy cost tο deliver уουr bills. • Sign up fοr аn anti-junk mail service. Thіѕ wіƖƖ hеƖр minimize thе amount οf junk mail уου receive, аnԁ hеƖр save countless trees used tο mаkе thаt junk mail. • Plant low-water using indigenous plants. Throughout thе world wе аrе facing severe water shortages. Much οf ουr water waste occurs іn maintaining ουr landscaping, particularly whеn wе try tο introduce foreign plants tο a nеw environment. Using low-water indigenous plants іn уουr landscaping іѕ аn easy way tο save water. Ideally уου want plants thаt саn grow іn уουr environment, wіth ƖіttƖе tο nο irrigation. Thе local home improvement center аnԁ іn ѕοmе cases local water municipalities саn hеƖр уου determine thе best plants fοr уουr area. Believe іt οr nοt, thе choices аrе nοt limiting. Yου wіƖƖ bе surprised аt hοw many bеаυtіfυƖ plants аrе indigenous tο уουr area. • Install low flow shower heads, water faucet irrigators, аnԁ toilets. Aѕ уου know, water іѕ a limited resource. Installing low flow shower heads, water faucet irrigators, аnԁ toilets аrе easy ways tο save water еνеrу day – without dramatically inconveniencing уου. Thеѕе low flow water devices аrе inexpensive, easy tο install, аnԁ саn bе found аt mοѕt аnу home improvement store. • Insulate уουr water heater. A lot οf heat іѕ lost јυѕt frοm thе walls οf уουr water heater. Thе solution tο thіѕ problem іѕ simple – a specially designed sheet οf insulation known аѕ a water heater blanket. A water heater blanket іѕ аn inexpensive way tο сυt down οn уουr energy bill. Yου саn рυrсhаѕе thеm аt аnу home improvement store – thеу cost аѕ ƖіttƖе аѕ – аnԁ thеу wіƖƖ easily pay fοr themselves іn thе first year. Installation іѕ simple аnԁ ѕhουƖԁ οnƖу take уου a few minutes – јυѕt follow thе instructions. • Bυу οnƖу Energy Star ™ appliances. Appliances wіth thе Energy Star rating hаνе bееn proven tο hаνе met thе strict energy efficiency guidelines οf thе U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) аnԁ thе U.S. Department οf Energy (DOE). Energy Star іѕ a join program οf thе EPA аnԁ DOE. Thе program іѕ designed tο hеƖр υѕ аƖƖ save money аnԁ protect thе environment through thе υѕе οf energy efficient products аnԁ practices. A complete list οf Energy Star appliances саn bе found here: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product. • Bυу аn Energy Star ™ rated home. Energy Star rated homes hаνе met thе strict energy conservation guidelines аnԁ building standards οf thе EPA аnԁ DOE. Thіѕ means thаt particular attention tο detail hаѕ bееn met, helping tο insure minimal energy waste such аѕ air leaks аnԁ poor insulation. Purchasing аn Energy Star rated home mау seem Ɩіkе аn additional expense, bυt іt саn save уου quite a bit οf money over thе years. • Consider hi-rise living. Hi-rise living hаѕ many benefits. Hi-rise condos аrе energy efficient, offer shared resources thаt typically аrе aren’t environmentally friendly (such аѕ pools, аnԁ extensive landscaping) , аnԁ аrе usually located more centrally – allowing уου tο walk οr take convenient public transportation tο more places. • Analyze уουr homes Energy Star ™ rating before уου mονе. http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=home_energy_yardstick.showStep2 • Hаνе уουr heating аnԁ cooling system serviced. Regularly servicing уουr heating аnԁ cooling system helps save money, energy, аnԁ protects уουr investment. Mаkе sure tο specifically аѕk уουr repair specialist аbουt οthеr ways іn whісh уου саn save money οn уουr heating аnԁ cooling costs. Thеу аrе a wealth οf knowledge. Remember, іf уου mυѕt replace уουr heating / cooling system, сhοοѕе Energy Star ™ rated equipment. • Cover уουr pool. Water evaporation іѕ јυѕt one οf thе ways thаt pools саn bе very environmentally expensive. An easy way tο resolve thіѕ іѕ tο install a safe pool cover. Thіѕ wіƖƖ hеƖр reduce evaporation, аnԁ keep уουr pool warmer – saving уου money οn уουr heating bill. It wіƖƖ аƖѕο mаkе уουr pool easier tο сƖеаn! • Install solar heating fοr уουr pool / spa. Another ɡrеаt way tο lower уουr energy bill іѕ tο install solar water heating fοr уουr pool аnԁ / οr spa. Solar water heating hаѕ become very inexpensive, аnԁ саn pay fοr itself іn јυѕt a couple οf years. AƖѕο, іt mаkеѕ іt easier tο keep уουr pool аnԁ spa heated – allowing уου tο еnјοу уουr pool аnԁ spa more οftеn. Thеѕе аrе јυѕt a few things thаt уου саn tο minimize thе impact уουr relocation аnԁ mονе hаѕ οn thе environment. Thеrе аrе countless οthеr things thаt уου саn ԁο! Remember tο always υѕе уουr οwn best judgment whеn following аnу recommendation. Source: http://www.inexpensive-furniture.com/ nonadult false Green Living Relocation Guide text blog 76 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=15868748&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_7080739_29468_15868748_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2604150 15868748 Gold 2670 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25437456&as=29468 Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:54:07 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25437456&as=29468 pamkesh 2010-09-01T03:54:07Z EcoSeed Community nonadult false pamkesh user 5 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=25437456&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/user/defaultImage_160x120_E.jpg false 0 25437456 25437456 Member 255 http://community.ecoseed.org/_11-Bizarre-Sources-of-Clean-Energy/BLOG/2604032/29468.html Why stick with boring old oil when you could be powering your home, car and gadgets with slaughterhouse waste, garbage and onions? As strange as transforming these substances into renewable fuels might seem, many of them are viable energy sources and some are already in use around the world. Watermelons [image] The newest wild n’ crazy renewable energy on the scene is watermelon juice, which can be a valuable source of biofuel. Researchers say juice from ‘cull’ watermelons – imperfect ones that can’t be sold for consumption – can be efficiently fermented into ethanol. These ‘cull’ watermelons are currently just being plowed back into the field, so they’re technically a waste material. Slaughterhouse Waste [image] As insanely disgusting as it sounds, turkey guts can be used to produce oil. No, really. It works in the same way that any fossil fuel is created, through pressure and heat, only at a faster pace. A company called Changing World Technologies is transforming slaughterhouse waste – including a sickening blend of rotting heads, feet and intestines – into oil at a thermal conversion plant in Carthage, Missouri.  Other surprising items that go into the mix include old tires, mixed plastics and municipal sewage. But, the process still needs a lot of refinement to be commercially applicable. The process of turning your Thanksgiving leftovers into oil is complicated, but not impossible. Mental Floss has an overview, which starts with chopping and churning those giblets into a fine, grainy mess. Mmm. Who’s hungry? Poo (and Pee) Power [image] It may be distasteful, but waste – from both humans and animals – has proven to be a surprisingly efficient form of renewable energy. In Norway, city buses run on biomethane, which is a by-product of treated sewage. Not only is it a free source of energy, using biomethane in this way prevents it from being emitted into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas. Cows are also a major source of methane, emitting it in all sorts of unsavory ways, from both ends of their bodies. An Ohio company has developed a way to refine that methane gas in a way that could potentially power homes. Then there are urine-powered batteries. That’s right, pee is a promising source of renewable energy as well thanks to its particular composition of its main component, urea, which is made up of hydrogen and nitrogen. Using a nickel-based electrode, scientists can create large amounts of cheap hydrogen from urine that can then be burned or used in fuel cells. Garbage [image] There’s quite a bit of controversy as to whether trash is really a source of renewable energy – it’s certainly not ‘clean’. In fact, groups like Greenpeace warn that classifying garbage as a source of renewable energy risks ‘enshrining it’ rather than trying to produce less in the first place. Then, there’s the fact that trash incinerators are the leading source of extremely toxic chemicals called dioxins. Modern incinerators use heat from the incineration to boil water, causing steam, which then generates electricity. These incinerators are cleaner than their predecessors, but they still pollute the air. Some argue that, with the looming threat of catastrophic climate change, using this energy is worth breathing in dirty air. An Ottawa company called Plasco Energy Group is working on a method that transforms garbage into a synthetic gas without emitting greenhouse gases, but it’s got quite a few technological and financial hurdles to cross before it can be applied on a wide scale. Onions [image] One onion farmer is now crying all the way to the bank after finding a way to turn onion juice into fuel. This process has big up-front costs – about $9.5 million in this case – but they’ll make it back fairly quickly. Gills Onions saved a whopping $700,000 off their facility’s annual electric bill by using the juice to run his refrigerators and lighting, and another $400,000 on disposal costs. They also received $2.7 million from SoCal Gas, which offers financial incentives to customers that reduce natural gas consumption through on-site generation. An anaerobic digester converts treated onion waste into biogas, which is then conditioned and turned into methane. The methane is pumped into a 600-kilowatt fuel cell to make electricity. The same concept can be used for other waste products. Viruses [image] Common viruses that are harmless to humans can be harnessed to create both the positively and negatively charged ends of a lithium-ion battery. Researchers at MIT genetically engineered viruses that build cathodes and anodes, producing batteries that have the same energy capacity and power performance as state-of-the-art rechargeable batteries. The process of creating the batteries is environmentally friendly in and of itself, using non-toxic materials and requiring no harmful solvents. Currently, the MIT prototype is about the size of a coin and can only be used 100 times, but researchers intend to pursue even better batteries using materials with higher voltage. Once that next generation of virus batteries is ready, they’ll be ready for commercial production. Burning Bodies [image] There’s nothing like staying warm in the dead of winter thanks to the heat given off by burning corpses. The Swedish town of Halmstead figures that heat generated by crematoriums shouldn’t be wasted, so they decided to divert it into local buildings instead of just letting it escape into the sky. Of course, they can’t just pump hot crematorium air directly into people’s houses. That air is chock full of nasty stuff like mercury from dental fillings, so the off-gases must be filtered before the heat is usable. But, this ‘byproduct energy’ saves costs, uses less water, and uses an available resource in an incredibly efficient and creative way. Booze [image] Sweden customs officials confiscate a million bottles of booze every year from purveyors of smuggled alcohol trying to evade local taxes. That’s a lot of alcohol – and until recently, it was all being poured down the drain. What a waste. Luckily, someone came up with a brilliant idea: shipping it to a waste-to-fuels plant where it’s added to bioreactors along with other waste, creating methane that is used to fuel biogas-powered vehicles. Then there’s the Scottish distilleries that run their own plants on byproducts of the distilling process, along with sustainably harvested wood chips. Combination of Rothes Distillers Limited (CoRD) teamed up with Helius Energy to build a combined heat and power (CHP) plant along with a fertilizer factory fueled by all that booze waste. Makers Mark Distillery in Kentucky has been using a similar technique for a number of years. Bugs that Poop Oil [image] Bug excrement may seem like a most unlikely source of fuel, but scientists have actually found a way to genetically engineer bacteria that produce ‘renewable petroleum’. Silicon Valley company LS9 claims that this “Oil 2.0” will be carbon negative, as well. LS9’s bugs are single-cell organisms about a fraction of a billionth the size of an ant, which have been modified to produce crude oil when fed agricultural waste. It’s essentially the same process as using natural bacteria to produce ethanol, it just sounds way crazier. The main challenge being faced by LS9 right now is that, although it can produce its bug fuel in lab beakers, meeting America’s weekly oil needs would require a facility roughly the size of Chicago. Chocolate [image] Before you freak out at the idea of perfectly good, delicious chocolate being used as fuel instead of going into your mouth, relax: this source of renewable energy is made with cocoa bean shells, not the chocolate itself. Cocoa bean shells are a waste product that can be mixed with coal at power stations to produce sort-of-greener-ish fuel. Cocoa bean shells will be donated to Public Service of New Hampshire when chocolate maker Lindt USA begins producing its own chocolate from raw cocoa beans by the end of 2009. Unfortunately, though this sounds cool, adding cocoa shells to the coal doesn’t make a huge difference because of the tiny ratio of shells to coal. Man-Made Tornadoes [image] The average tornado contains as much energy as a typical power plant – but how in the world can you safely harvest that energy? Well, as it turns out, that requires creating man-made tornadoes in a controlled environment. Canadian engineer Louis Michaud calls his tornado the Atmospheric Vortex Engine, and he says he could extract as much as 200 megawatts of electricity from it – enough to power a small city. Michaud heats an elevated layer of air so that the temperature is much higher than that of the air below, which creates a vortex, and then places wind turbines at the base of the vortex, which are able to suck up the energy contained within. Michaud has built many small prototypes with nary a bump in the road, and producing a 200-megawatt facility would cost roughly $60 million, lower than the cost of any existing power source. He’s currently looking for investors. Source: http://www.energy-dimension.com/ Why stick with boring old oil when you could be powering your home, car and gadgets with slaughterhouse waste, garbage and onions? As strange as transforming these substances into renewable fuels might seem, many of them are viable energy sources and some are already in use around the world. Watermelons [image] The newest wild n’ crazy renewable energy on the scene is watermelon juice, which can be a valuable source of biofuel. Researchers say juice from ‘cull’ watermelons – imperfect ones that can’t be sold for consumption – can be efficiently fermented into ethanol. These ‘cull’ watermelons are currently just being plowed back into the field, so they’re technically a waste material. Slaughterhouse Waste [image] As insanely disgusting as it sounds, turkey guts can be used to produce oil. No, really. It works in the same way that any fossil fuel is created, through pressure and heat, only at a faster pace. A company called Changing World Technologies is transforming slaughterhouse waste – including a sickening blend of rotting heads, feet and intestines – into oil at a thermal conversion plant in Carthage, Missouri.  Other surprising items that go into the mix include old tires, mixed plastics and municipal sewage. But, the process still needs a lot of refinement to be commercially applicable. The process of turning your Thanksgiving leftovers into oil is complicated, but not impossible. Mental Floss has an overview, which starts with chopping and churning those giblets into a fine, grainy mess. Mmm. Who’s hungry? Poo (and Pee) Power [image] It may be distasteful, but waste – from both humans and animals – has proven to be a surprisingly efficient form of renewable energy. In Norway, city buses run on biomethane, which is a by-product of treated sewage. Not only is it a free source of energy, using biomethane in this way prevents it from being emitted into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas. Cows are also a major source of methane, emitting it in all sorts of unsavory ways, from both ends of their bodies. An Ohio company has developed a way to refine that methane gas in a way that could potentially power homes. Then there are urine-powered batteries. That’s right, pee is a promising source of renewable energy as well thanks to its particular composition of its main component, urea, which is made up of hydrogen and nitrogen. Using a nickel-based electrode, scientists can create large amounts of cheap hydrogen from urine that can then be burned or used in fuel cells. Garbage [image] There’s quite a bit of controversy as to whether trash is really a source of renewable energy – it’s certainly not ‘clean’. In fact, groups like Greenpeace warn that classifying garbage as a source of renewable energy risks ‘enshrining it’ rather than trying to produce less in the first place. Then, there’s the fact that trash incinerators are the leading source of extremely toxic chemicals called dioxins. Modern incinerators use heat from the incineration to boil water, causing steam, which then generates electricity. These incinerators are cleaner than their predecessors, but they still pollute the air. Some argue that, with the looming threat of catastrophic climate change, using this energy is worth breathing in dirty air. An Ottawa company called Plasco Energy Group is working on a method that transforms garbage into a synthetic gas without emitting greenhouse gases, but it’s got quite a few technological and financial hurdles to cross before it can be applied on a wide scale. Onions [image] One onion farmer is now crying all the way to the bank after finding a way to turn onion juice into fuel. This process has big up-front costs – about $9.5 million in this case – but they’ll make it back fairly quickly. Gills Onions saved a whopping $700,000 off their facility’s annual electric bill by using the juice to run his refrigerators and lighting, and another $400,000 on disposal costs. They also received $2.7 million from SoCal Gas, which offers financial incentives to customers that reduce natural gas consumption through on-site generation. An anaerobic digester converts treated onion waste into biogas, which is then conditioned and turned into methane. The methane is pumped into a 600-kilowatt fuel cell to make electricity. The same concept can be used for other waste products. Viruses [image] Common viruses that are harmless to humans can be harnessed to create both the positively and negatively charged ends of a lithium-ion battery. Researchers at MIT genetically engineered viruses that build cathodes and anodes, producing batteries that have the same energy capacity and power performance as state-of-the-art rechargeable batteries. The process of creating the batteries is environmentally friendly in and of itself, using non-toxic materials and requiring no harmful solvents. Currently, the MIT prototype is about the size of a coin and can only be used 100 times, but researchers intend to pursue even better batteries using materials with higher voltage. Once that next generation of virus batteries is ready, they’ll be ready for commercial production. Burning Bodies [image] There’s nothing like staying warm in the dead of winter thanks to the heat given off by burning corpses. The Swedish town of Halmstead figures that heat generated by crematoriums shouldn’t be wasted, so they decided to divert it into local buildings instead of just letting it escape into the sky. Of course, they can’t just pump hot crematorium air directly into people’s houses. That air is chock full of nasty stuff like mercury from dental fillings, so the off-gases must be filtered before the heat is usable. But, this ‘byproduct energy’ saves costs, uses less water, and uses an available resource in an incredibly efficient and creative way. Booze [image] Sweden customs officials confiscate a million bottles of booze every year from purveyors of smuggled alcohol trying to evade local taxes. That’s a lot of alcohol – and until recently, it was all being poured down the drain. What a waste. Luckily, someone came up with a brilliant idea: shipping it to a waste-to-fuels plant where it’s added to bioreactors along with other waste, creating methane that is used to fuel biogas-powered vehicles. Then there’s the Scottish distilleries that run their own plants on byproducts of the distilling process, along with sustainably harvested wood chips. Combination of Rothes Distillers Limited (CoRD) teamed up with Helius Energy to build a combined heat and power (CHP) plant along with a fertilizer factory fueled by all that booze waste. Makers Mark Distillery in Kentucky has been using a similar technique for a number of years. Bugs that Poop Oil [image] Bug excrement may seem like a most unlikely source of fuel, but scientists have actually found a way to genetically engineer bacteria that produce ‘renewable petroleum’. Silicon Valley company LS9 claims that this “Oil 2.0” will be carbon negative, as well. LS9’s bugs are single-cell organisms about a fraction of a billionth the size of an ant, which have been modified to produce crude oil when fed agricultural waste. It’s essentially the same process as using natural bacteria to produce ethanol, it just sounds way crazier. The main challenge being faced by LS9 right now is that, although it can produce its bug fuel in lab beakers, meeting America’s weekly oil needs would require a facility roughly the size of Chicago. Chocolate [image] Before you freak out at the idea of perfectly good, delicious chocolate being used as fuel instead of going into your mouth, relax: this source of renewable energy is made with cocoa bean shells, not the chocolate itself. Cocoa bean shells are a waste product that can be mixed with coal at power stations to produce sort-of-greener-ish fuel. Cocoa bean shells will be donated to Public Service of New Hampshire when chocolate maker Lindt USA begins producing its own chocolate from raw cocoa beans by the end of 2009. Unfortunately, though this sounds cool, adding cocoa shells to the coal doesn’t make a huge difference because of the tiny ratio of shells to coal. Man-Made Tornadoes [image] The average tornado contains as much energy as a typical power plant – but how in the world can you safely harvest that energy? Well, as it turns out, that requires creating man-made tornadoes in a controlled environment. Canadian engineer Louis Michaud calls his tornado the Atmospheric Vortex Engine, and he says he could extract as much as 200 megawatts of electricity from it – enough to power a small city. Michaud heats an elevated layer of air so that the temperature is much higher than that of the air below, which creates a vortex, and then places wind turbines at the base of the vortex, which are able to suck up the energy contained within. Michaud has built many small prototypes with nary a bump in the road, and producing a 200-megawatt facility would cost roughly $60 million, lower than the cost of any existing power source. He’s currently looking for investors. Source: http://www.energy-dimension.com/ Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:51:25 GMT http://community.ecoseed.org/_11-Bizarre-Sources-of-Clean-Energy/BLOG/2604032/29468.html arboinks 2010-09-01T03:51:25Z EcoSeed Community Why stick with boring old oil when you could be powering your home, car and gadgets with slaughterhouse waste, garbage and onions? As strange as transforming these substances into renewable fuels might seem, many of them are viable energy sources and some are already in use around the world. Watermelons [image] The newest wild n’ crazy renewable energy on the scene is watermelon juice, which can be a valuable source of biofuel. Researchers say juice from ‘cull’ watermelons – imperfect ones that can’t be sold for consumption – can be efficiently fermented into ethanol. These ‘cull’ watermelons are currently just being plowed back into the field, so they’re technically a waste material. Slaughterhouse Waste [image] As insanely disgusting as it sounds, turkey guts can be used to produce oil. No, really. It works in the same way that any fossil fuel is created, through pressure and heat, only at a faster pace. A company called Changing World Technologies is transforming slaughterhouse waste – including a sickening blend of rotting heads, feet and intestines – into oil at a thermal conversion plant in Carthage, Missouri.  Other surprising items that go into the mix include old tires, mixed plastics and municipal sewage. But, the process still needs a lot of refinement to be commercially applicable. The process of turning your Thanksgiving leftovers into oil is complicated, but not impossible. Mental Floss has an overview, which starts with chopping and churning those giblets into a fine, grainy mess. Mmm. Who’s hungry? Poo (and Pee) Power [image] It may be distasteful, but waste – from both humans and animals – has proven to be a surprisingly efficient form of renewable energy. In Norway, city buses run on biomethane, which is a by-product of treated sewage. Not only is it a free source of energy, using biomethane in this way prevents it from being emitted into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas. Cows are also a major source of methane, emitting it in all sorts of unsavory ways, from both ends of their bodies. An Ohio company has developed a way to refine that methane gas in a way that could potentially power homes. Then there are urine-powered batteries. That’s right, pee is a promising source of renewable energy as well thanks to its particular composition of its main component, urea, which is made up of hydrogen and nitrogen. Using a nickel-based electrode, scientists can create large amounts of cheap hydrogen from urine that can then be burned or used in fuel cells. Garbage [image] There’s quite a bit of controversy as to whether trash is really a source of renewable energy – it’s certainly not ‘clean’. In fact, groups like Greenpeace warn that classifying garbage as a source of renewable energy risks ‘enshrining it’ rather than trying to produce less in the first place. Then, there’s the fact that trash incinerators are the leading source of extremely toxic chemicals called dioxins. Modern incinerators use heat from the incineration to boil water, causing steam, which then generates electricity. These incinerators are cleaner than their predecessors, but they still pollute the air. Some argue that, with the looming threat of catastrophic climate change, using this energy is worth breathing in dirty air. An Ottawa company called Plasco Energy Group is working on a method that transforms garbage into a synthetic gas without emitting greenhouse gases, but it’s got quite a few technological and financial hurdles to cross before it can be applied on a wide scale. Onions [image] One onion farmer is now crying all the way to the bank after finding a way to turn onion juice into fuel. This process has big up-front costs – about $9.5 million in this case – but they’ll make it back fairly quickly. Gills Onions saved a whopping $700,000 off their facility’s annual electric bill by using the juice to run his refrigerators and lighting, and another $400,000 on disposal costs. They also received $2.7 million from SoCal Gas, which offers financial incentives to customers that reduce natural gas consumption through on-site generation. An anaerobic digester converts treated onion waste into biogas, which is then conditioned and turned into methane. The methane is pumped into a 600-kilowatt fuel cell to make electricity. The same concept can be used for other waste products. Viruses [image] Common viruses that are harmless to humans can be harnessed to create both the positively and negatively charged ends of a lithium-ion battery. Researchers at MIT genetically engineered viruses that build cathodes and anodes, producing batteries that have the same energy capacity and power performance as state-of-the-art rechargeable batteries. The process of creating the batteries is environmentally friendly in and of itself, using non-toxic materials and requiring no harmful solvents. Currently, the MIT prototype is about the size of a coin and can only be used 100 times, but researchers intend to pursue even better batteries using materials with higher voltage. Once that next generation of virus batteries is ready, they’ll be ready for commercial production. Burning Bodies [image] There’s nothing like staying warm in the dead of winter thanks to the heat given off by burning corpses. The Swedish town of Halmstead figures that heat generated by crematoriums shouldn’t be wasted, so they decided to divert it into local buildings instead of just letting it escape into the sky. Of course, they can’t just pump hot crematorium air directly into people’s houses. That air is chock full of nasty stuff like mercury from dental fillings, so the off-gases must be filtered before the heat is usable. But, this ‘byproduct energy’ saves costs, uses less water, and uses an available resource in an incredibly efficient and creative way. Booze [image] Sweden customs officials confiscate a million bottles of booze every year from purveyors of smuggled alcohol trying to evade local taxes. That’s a lot of alcohol – and until recently, it was all being poured down the drain. What a waste. Luckily, someone came up with a brilliant idea: shipping it to a waste-to-fuels plant where it’s added to bioreactors along with other waste, creating methane that is used to fuel biogas-powered vehicles. Then there’s the Scottish distilleries that run their own plants on byproducts of the distilling process, along with sustainably harvested wood chips. Combination of Rothes Distillers Limited (CoRD) teamed up with Helius Energy to build a combined heat and power (CHP) plant along with a fertilizer factory fueled by all that booze waste. Makers Mark Distillery in Kentucky has been using a similar technique for a number of years. Bugs that Poop Oil [image] Bug excrement may seem like a most unlikely source of fuel, but scientists have actually found a way to genetically engineer bacteria that produce ‘renewable petroleum’. Silicon Valley company LS9 claims that this “Oil 2.0” will be carbon negative, as well. LS9’s bugs are single-cell organisms about a fraction of a billionth the size of an ant, which have been modified to produce crude oil when fed agricultural waste. It’s essentially the same process as using natural bacteria to produce ethanol, it just sounds way crazier. The main challenge being faced by LS9 right now is that, although it can produce its bug fuel in lab beakers, meeting America’s weekly oil needs would require a facility roughly the size of Chicago. Chocolate [image] Before you freak out at the idea of perfectly good, delicious chocolate being used as fuel instead of going into your mouth, relax: this source of renewable energy is made with cocoa bean shells, not the chocolate itself. Cocoa bean shells are a waste product that can be mixed with coal at power stations to produce sort-of-greener-ish fuel. Cocoa bean shells will be donated to Public Service of New Hampshire when chocolate maker Lindt USA begins producing its own chocolate from raw cocoa beans by the end of 2009. Unfortunately, though this sounds cool, adding cocoa shells to the coal doesn’t make a huge difference because of the tiny ratio of shells to coal. Man-Made Tornadoes [image] The average tornado contains as much energy as a typical power plant – but how in the world can you safely harvest that energy? Well, as it turns out, that requires creating man-made tornadoes in a controlled environment. Canadian engineer Louis Michaud calls his tornado the Atmospheric Vortex Engine, and he says he could extract as much as 200 megawatts of electricity from it – enough to power a small city. Michaud heats an elevated layer of air so that the temperature is much higher than that of the air below, which creates a vortex, and then places wind turbines at the base of the vortex, which are able to suck up the energy contained within. Michaud has built many small prototypes with nary a bump in the road, and producing a 200-megawatt facility would cost roughly $60 million, lower than the cost of any existing power source. He’s currently looking for investors. Source: http://www.energy-dimension.com/ nonadult false 11 Bizarre Sources of Clean Energy text blog 63 0 0.0 http://community.ecoseed.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=15868748&as=29468 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/29468/photos/PHOTO_7080739_29468_15868748_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2604032 15868748 Gold 2670