Why Just Go Green?

Submitted by: Michael DeVries

It’s in vogue for advertisers to tout their green initiatives from how much paper they’ve saved through online billing and paying systems to recycling, reusing, and replenishing valuable resources.

And, certainly I-ShopTheWorld does not question the integrity of this need to preserve the environment.

We are “green” in that context, for sure, being an online shopping service, with an online catalog as opposed to a printed one. Our customers save gas by not having to get in their cars and drive someplace to shop. We all save paper through our online payment system. Even our accounting is online. We shop for environmentally friendly products to offer you and hope to add to that overall product category in the near future.

But, we beg to suggest that while green is a wonderful color, there are many other colors in nature that deserve preservation and honor. The blue of the sky with those puffy white clouds and their reflection in the waters of our oceans, lakes, and streams. The awesome browns, oranges, and yellows of fall foliage that signify life getting ready to take a rest so it can revive itself with the burst of those brilliant spring pastels. The holiday colors that enable us to recognize the symbols we associate with fun times, family, and friends.

Those are colors we do not want to overlook. We need the whole visual perspective to really appreciate the life around us. We need all aspects of how that color is seen. We need the glint of the sun bouncing off of a piece of silver jewelry, like unique the SilverLily jewelry you get from I-ShopTheWorld. We need the warm brown hues of a delicious cake baked just right, like our Tortuga Rum Cakes. We need the beautiful colors of silk, like our classic Thai silk clothing.

We may not start a campaign to put all colors on equal footing with green, but we do want to make you aware that you should not get so carried away being green that you overlook all of the other colors in the universe and forget to stop and appreciate the beauty of a piece of teak furniture or a flower in full bloom (we can sell you’re a silk orchid so that color is preserved for a very long time).

And, lest we be misunderstood, we do like green. We like the eco-greens that nature creates in grasses, leaves, and chameleons. We appreciate the greens that humans have devised for plastic recycling bins, bottles, and baubles. We totally enjoy the greens of money, a must for shoppers at I-ShopTheWorld.

We just wanted to let you, our visitors, know that you can relax and shop online and not obsess about whether or not you are doing good for the world by going green. So, if you are feeling blue or are red-in-the-face at that store in the mall, pay us a visit. Our products come in a variety of colors; many of them very mood enhancing. Look through our catalog, picture yourself glowing in the light of day while unpacking a box with something you’ve admired and given to yourself.

If you happen to be a “greenhorn” to online shopping, just give us a green light ‘cause we are here to help you.

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If you liked this Article on “Why Just Go Green?” and/or are interested in other Articles on Topics related to “Going Green”, You may Find and Read More of our Articles on “Going Green” at:

http://i-shoptheworld.com/topics/going-green/

Please Reply and Post All of Your Feedback and Comments regarding this Article and …

What All do You Think about “Going Green“?

What do You think about the premise that “Shopping Online is Green”, more so than shopping offline in “brick and mortar” stores?

What “Green Initiatives” do You Support? and How?

How else might You Recommend that I-ShopTheWorld may be “More Green”?,

... and/or ...

Support other “Green Initiatives”?

What else may We ALL Do Together to Help Save Our Environment and Save Our Planet?

at:

http://i-shoptheworld.com/2008/09/21/why-just-go-green/

…. for the Mutual Benefit of Everyone Around The World, ok?! :)

About the Author: Michael S. DeVries is the Founder of I-ShopTheWorld.com (http://www.I-ShopTheWorld.com ) - where You may Save Money on Unique Native Products Direct to You from All over the World! and a Principal of The Virtual Consulting Firm (http://www.TheVCF.com).

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Permanent Link: https://www.isnare.com/?aid=302890&ca=World+Affairs

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What You Should Know Green Energy

Submitted by: James Copper

Green energy refers to the use of power that is not only more efficient than fossil fuel but that is friendly to the environment as well. Green energy is generally defined as energy sources that dont pollute and are renewable.

There are several categories of green energy. They are anaerobic digestion, wind power, geothermal power, hydropower on a small scale, biomass power, solar power and wave power. Waste incineration can even be a source of green energy.

Nuclear power plants claim that they produce green energy as well, though this source is fraught with controversy, as we all know. While nuclear energy may be sustainable, may be considered renewable and does not pollute the atmosphere while it is producing energy, its waste does pollute the biosphere as it is released.

The transport, mining and phases before and after production of nuclear energy does produce and release carbon dioxide and similar destructive greenhouse gases. When we read of green energy, therefore, we rarely see nuclear power included.

Those who support nuclear energy say that nuclear waste is not, in fact, released into our earths biosphere during its normal production cycle. They stress as well that the carbon dioxide that nuclear energy production releases is comparable, in terms of each kilowatt hour of electricity, to such sources of green energy as wind power.

As an example of the green energy production the average wind turbine, such as the one in Reading England, can produce enough energy daily to be the only energy source for 1000 households.

Many countries now offer household and commercial consumers to opt for total use of green energy. They do this one of two ways. Consumers can buy their electricity from a company that only uses renewable green energy technology, or they can buy from their general supplies such as the local utility company who then buys from green energy resources only as much of a supply as consumers pay for.

The latter is generally a more cost - efficient way of supplying a home or office with green energy, as the supplier can reap the economic benefits of a mass purchase. Green energy generally costs more per kilowatt hour than standard fossil fuel energy.

Consumers can also purchase green energy certificates, which are alternately referred to as green tags or green certificates. These are available in both Europe and the United States, and are the most convenient method for the average consumer to support green energy. More than 35 million European households and one million American households now buy these green energy certificates.

While green energy is a great step in the direction of keeping our environment healthy and our air as pollutant free as possible, it must be noted that no matter what the energy, it will negatively impact the environment to some extent.

Every energy source, green or otherwise, requires energy. The production of this energy will create pollution during its manufacture. Green energys impact is minimal, however.

About the Author: James Copper owns www.propertycareerskills.co.uk who offer energy training and assessment.

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Spa Covers Going Green?

Submitted by: Spa Covers

All this talk about going green, a big part of saving the environment is to not create more waste that will just end up clogging our land fills. Follow me on this for a minute... There are 10 million spa owners in the USA, and each one of them uses a typical rigid foam spa cover on their hot tub. For the sake of this demonstration each foam cover is only two inches thick and every spa is eight feet by eight feet. That would mean each spa cover contained about 10.666 cubic feet of foam per spa cover. For the rest of this example we will use 10.5 cubic feet per cover.

If each cover on every spa becomes saturated within two years and needs to be replaced that would mean that we would be adding 52.5 million cubic feet of waste to our landfills in just spa covers every year.

If it takes two and a half covers worth of foam to make up one cubic yard that translates to 4 million cubic yards of waste added to our land fills every two years just in spa covers.

If there are 11 million Cubic yards of stone in the Great Pyramid at Giza, we are adding enough foam to build a duplicate of it to our landfills just from used spa covers every six years conservatively. There are four and a half million cubic yards of concrete in Hoover Dam. We could build a two lane highway of discarded foam filled spa covers from Seattle Washington to Miami Florida every two years.

In case you have not noticed most foam filled spa covers are not two inches thick anymore. If all those old foam covers were four inches thick all these calculations would be double.

But we are just being conservative so we want to stick with two inches thick. If we ripped the covers in half and laid those pieces end to end we could circle the earth at the equator on used spa covers every two years.

Heck with parking lots, in a few years we could pave the entire planet with foam just from saturated foam spa covers from the USA alone.

So what is the solution? Well shop for a better spa cover. There are options available on the internet that your local spa dealer probably does not offer. You do not have to quit using your spa to save us. You just need to get a Spa Cover that does not use foam to insulate. There would be two major advantages to doing so. First the spa cover that did not use rigid foam to insulate would last longer. Since what always fails in the typical spa cover is the foam, either breaking or getting so saturated that you cannot lift it, a spa cover that did not use foam would tend to last longer.

Second, if the new type of spa cover does not use rigid foam it will also be a lot more friendly to the environment when it does come time to discard it. Less trash, less waste, less land fill, not that is what going green is all about.

About the Author: The Author is a business owner with more than twenty years experience. A former Police Sgt, Pilot, Heavy Equipment Operator, Trained Mechanic that has written technical manuals and short stories. An accomplished motorcycle rider he enjoys riding the back roads of Washington on his Harley Davidson, with his wife riding copilot. Please visit SpaCap.com Spa Covers.

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Going Green is Easier Than You Think

Submitted by: Paul Travis

“Going Green” is a term more and more of us are becoming aware of. You see it on magazine covers in the supermarket checkout line. You see it in newspapers and on the internet. You hear about it on television. It has become the "fad" of the early 2000's. A fad that unlike big hair, avocado green appliances and acid dyed jeans, will hopefully become a permanent way of life for not just the United States, but for the entire world. Unlike previous fads, this one is actually good for the environment, and the planet as a whole.

You see, practically everything we humans do has some sort of impact on the environment. Even something as seemingly benign as a pack of chewing gum can have adverse effects. Is the cardboard package made of recycled paper? What will become of the plastic that houses the individual pieces of gum when I am through with it? Will it just add to the mountains of plastic and other garbage filling up land fills? Okay, that may be a bit deep. But it does make one think about how something that seems so insignificant, when multiplied by millions, can become a problem. Fortunately there are three easy steps we all can take to ensure that "going green" does in fact become a permanent lifestyle change and not just a passing fad.

Recycle! Another word we've all been hearing a lot of for a very long time. But one of the easiest things you personally can do to ease the burden on the planet. The only things you should be throwing in that kitchen trash can are food scraps and plastic packaging. Having separate bins for cans, plastic bottles, glass bottles and even cardboard packaging, is easy and affordable. Most municipalities now have curbside recycling programs. And those that don’t usually provide access to free recycling centers that you can take those recycled items to. Try it for a month. You will probably be amazed at how much longer it will take you to fill up that kitchen trash can. Okay, so now you’re recycling and well on your way to "going green". You have greatly reduced the amount of refuse you send to the landfill each week. Now what?

Well the second step you can take is replacing those toxic cleaning products under the kitchen sink with "green" ones. For general, all purpose cleaning, vinegar, baking soda and essential oils can work wonders. There are many great books and websites that contain recipes for making powerful, non-toxic cleaners; cleaners which are easy on the environment, your health and your pocketbook.

The third step is switch to appliances that consume less energy to operate. Neon and LED lights make a great alternative to normal lighting in that they use less energy to operate with than standard incandescent bulbs. They also look great for advertising your store. So basically you can increase your business while helping the environment. Aside from the lights, also look into other energy saving devices; such as televisions, washing machines, and ovens that use less energy to help your house leave a smaller carbon footprint.

So there you have it. Three easy and inexpensive ways in which you can help ensure that "going green" becomes more than just a fad. Making it a way of life will help improve the quality of life for this and future generations. Good luck on your quest to "Go Green"!

About the Author: Paul Travis wants to encourage people and businesses to go green to help our planet. One simple way is using business neon signs to promote their business because neon signs consume less power than normal lights. Aside from the use of business neon signs, there are other tips you can do to make the world a greener place.

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Going Green at Home

Submitted by: V.H. Rameng

Green Technologies have been here for a very long time now but adoption has been slow. Starting to go green is not that hard and in fact you can do it with a few basic steps. Here are a few simple steps on how you can go green at home:

1. Go for "Green" electronics:

You can go for Energy Star rated appliances, energy-efficient computers, NAT's, smart devices that power down when not in use and other green electronics. Energy Star rated monitors, televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, microwave ovens, etc. generally use 20%-30% less energy and are all easily available at most stores.

2. Try CFL and LED lamps:

A few years back, CFL's emerged as energy-saving bulbs and they still are, with prices dropping every few months. But this time a new competitor has emerged, the LED lamps. LED lamps usually cost $6 to $10 more than CFL's but LED lamps consume 33.3% to 44.5% less energy, not to mention they also last up to 5 times longer. The prices of LED lamps are also bound to come down in future. So a CFL will help you go green and an LED greener.

3. Let in natural light:

You can design your windows and curtains in such a way that you let in maximum natural light during the day. This will help you turn off your lights during the day and greatly reduce your energy consumption. Besides, sunlight makes a room seem more airy and fresh. If you are going to build a new home, strategically placed large windows and skylights are the best ways to maximize the use of natural light in your home.

4. Utilize your rooftops:

Unless you have a sloping roof and are adopting the Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting model in the rainy season, your rooftop can be populated with solar panels. They can be used for a wide variety of purposes ranging from water heating to lighting. They are most suitable for powering areas of your house that are lit by CFL's or LED's.

5. Smarten your energy-guzzlers:

If you are living in areas of extreme or uncomfortable temperatures, you might have an HVAC system. In recent years, HVAC manufacturers are beginning to implement motion sensors, brushless DC motors and timers in their products. Along with their smart controllers, these HVAC systems can save 20%-40% energy over conventional HVAC systems.

6. Save that water:

Using an aerator on all household faucets can reduce your annual water consumption by as much as 50%. By installing a low-flow toilet, you use about 1.9 gallons of water less per flush compared to older models. Using a broom instead of a garden hose to clean your driveway can go a long way in saving water.

7. Use Green Cleaners:

Use household cleaners that are environmentally safe and start using less of those common household cleaners that are potentially toxic to both you and the environment. There are ways of knowing green alternatives for cleaners like reading the labels for specific, eco-friendly ingredients when buying them. In floor cleaners and some window cleaners, look for grain alcohol which substitutes the common butyl cellosolve, otherwise known by the names butyl glycol, Dowanol and EGBE. In detergents look for plant oils such as coconut oil, etc. instead of petroleum ingredient. If you plan on not buying cleaners, you can use simple ingredients such as plain soap, water, washing soda (sodium carbonate), vinegar, baking soda etc. though these may not clean as effectively.

8. Slash Paper Usage:

You can buy recycled paper for use in almost everything from greeting cards to toilet paper, as these papers use less of new paper pulp which calls for less use of wood pulp and keeps more paper waste out of landfills. When shopping, carry your own cloth bags to the store and avoid using paper bags from the store, because less paper waste in the trash means less trees need to be cut for making new paper.

9. Compost your Garden:

Use compost instead of synthetic fertilizers in your garden as compost is rich in nutrients. The compost is a natural soil conditioner, a fertilizer, a natural pesticide for soil and it also adds vital humidity to the soil. Compost has also been known to prevent soil erosion.

10. Use Healthier Paints:

Many conventional paints contain high levels of VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) to help them dry faster. However, these release smog-forming chemicals into the air and continue releasing low-level toxic emissions into the air years after application. You can opt for zero or low-VOC paints as most paint manufacturers now produce one or more varieties of non-VOC paints. Lower VOC paints preserve air quality indoors and outdoors and prevents the hazard of inhaling VOC fumes.

11. If you want Hardwood Floors, use Bamboo:

Bamboo is a green and environment-friendly substitute for Hardwood for domestic flooring due to its ability to regenerate in a relatively short amount of time. Hardwoods take anywhere from 50-100 years to grow back but for bamboo it doesn't take more than 6 years. Just make sure that you look for the ones that use formaldehyde-free glues.

Finally, turn down your heating setting by about 1-2 degrees C. This will reduce your heating bill by about 8%. And remember to fill your kettle with only as much water as you need.

About the Author: Rameng V.H. Rameng is a green hobbyist and a green energy enthusiast and has been helping people find the perfect green solution for their homes. Green Energy Projects @ Home is designed to help people find the perfect green energy solution for their homes.

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Checking Your Car's Truck’s Van or SUV’s Battery

Submitted by: Frances T. Russell

Most people who own or drive a car, truck or sports utility vehicle know full well that their vehicle has a battery. After all if they leave their headlights on, their battery will often run “dead”. They will be unable to start their vehicle as the starter motor will not crank over. They will be stuck without transportation beside the road or in their parking lot. Hopefully their cell phone battery will be charged and they will be able to call their auto manufacturer toll free road side assistance help line (if they have a new vehicle and coverage), a tow truck or perhaps even a passing motorist for help boosting their engine and auto battery to start and charge up their vehicle to get them on their way.

Yet ask many motorists and auto owners’ – where is your battery and how do you check it and maintain it? It used to be that cars and batteries were simple and relatively all the same. Batteries used to be prominent and easy to find under the hood. Not so today. Some new Buicks even have their main auto battery hidden away located under the rear seat in the vehicle itself.

Hence first thing first you should take the time to locate the battery in your vehicle – be it car, truck, van or SUV. Generally it can be had in the automotive parts and supply industry that there are two kinds of auto service batteries. One is “sealed” and you never have to do anything to it (for the most part). However as a general overall rule of auto maintenance and care, most lead acid batteries have to have water added from time to time, the water mixes with an acid in the battery. Hence what you might assume what is simply water inside your automobile’s battery is really an acid- sulfuric acid at that.

In order to inspect or add water to the sulphuric acid mixture in the battery case you sill need to take off those caps to check the acid and battery acid liquid levels inside. As a general rule the acid level should cover those little grills you can see when you peer inside the battery case after taking off the battery cover caps. Leave rooms to put the caps covers back. Don’t overfill. According to professional auto maintenance staff and certified mechanics distilled as opposed to tap water must be used only. Distilled water is pure. You can get it any service station or big box auto supply outlet. Be more than careful and take great care that none of the acid in the battery gets on your hands or clothes. If it does immediately wash it off with plenty of water.

Let’s look at the battery connections. Shake them. They should be tight. You can see that one connection has the positive sign “+” stamped clearly on it. The other has a “-“negative symbol marking it. A “+” means positive and is usually colored as a red cable fitting or markings, whereas “-“ means negative “ground” usually marked with black colored cabling.

Lastly one major note of auto battery and connection maintenance especially when it comes to the positive terminal. You may get into your auto one day. You turn the key yet the auto motor starter just cannot get enough juice to turn over enough to start your motor. Yet the battery is not dead. Your headlamps light up. Think corrosion and grunge on the connection between your red positive charge battery cable connection and your positive battery terminal. Its basic and standard auto maintenance practice. Often the positive connection gets green fuzz all over it. That fuzz eats up and limits the connection and flow of vital electrical current. It can also eat up the metal straps that hold the battery. How do you get rid of it? Put a teaspoonful of baking soda into a cup of warm water. Use a small firm wire brush and wash the green fuzz away. Be careful. That green fuzz will also eat up your clothes.

With any luck now, your basic battery auto care and maintenance should have your car, truck, van or SUV started and you are on your way down the road to finish your journey.

About the Author: Frances T. Russel Port Coqutilam  British Columbia GM Auto Service Center  Lower Mainland Vancouver BC GMC Auto Truck Dealers Nepon Auto Welcome to the North End of Winnipeg People before profit  

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How To Maintain Your Car Battery

Submitted by: Marilyn Pokorney

One of the most important parts of your car is the battery. If it doesn't work, your car doesn't start. And, in the winter that is even more true than in the summer.

The electrical power produced by the battery is used by the cars ignition system for cranking the engine. The car's battery also may power the lights and other accessories.

Have the battery tested on a regular basis, including when the car is serviced, before long trips and after it's been recharged.

Here are some things you can do yourself to prevent being stranded on a cold winter day.

Know how old your battery is. To see how old your battery is look for a small decal on the battery. A letter with a number should be there. The letter indicates the month, starting with "A" for January, "B" for February, and so on. I is skipped so December is "M". The number represents the year with "9" standing for 1999, "0" for 2000, etc. so D2, would be April, 2002. F5 would be June, 2005. Experts usually advise getting a new battery when a battery is four years old.

Watch for corroded terminals or battery posts, loose clamps, loose cables, or a leaking or damaged battery case. Look for dirty, wet, corroded or swollen cables and battery top.

Look for a loose or broken alternator belt. If the alternator fails the battery might also need to power the vehicle's entire electrical system until repairs can be made.

Keep jumper cables in the trunk of your car for emergency start up. Make sure the cables are free of rust and corrosion and that there are no exposed wires before using them.

Park your car in a garage whenever possible.

If you must leave your car outside all day, go out and start the car two or three times a day and let the car run for a few minutes to warm up. This will help the car to start more easily when you are ready to go.

When temperatures are below zero Fahrenheit avoid leaving the car out for extended periods of time.

About the Author: Marilyn Pokorney. Freelance writer of science, nature, animals and the environment. Also loves crafts, gardening, and reading. Website: http://www.apluswriting.net

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