Reducing Kitchen Energy Consumption

          Many of us would consider the kitchen to be at the heart of our home. We use it not only to prepare and share meals, but for socialising and housework. This high level of activity means that a lot of energy is used up in the kitchen – to enable the household to run smoothly. If you are aware of how you are consuming energy, and take steps to reduce this energy consumption, this can have a huge impact on your household becoming more energy efficient. Leading not only to an environmentally friendly home, but more money left in the bank!

           The first place to look? Easy – your kitchens electrical appliances. Considering everyday electrical items will be a key factor in becoming more energy efficient. Not only the basics – such as the oven, freezer or fridge, but also more specialised appliances such as your dishwasher, blender or electrical whisk. All those appliances that make cooking and cleaning up that little bit easier for you.

The Oven

           Firstly, did you know that by opening the oven door to check if your food is cooked actually reduces its temperature by 25 degrees? This means cooking your food takes more time and energy than is really necessary. A great way of making your cooking more efficient is to cook the items you need for your meal simultaneously in order to reduce the total amount of time your oven is on. Lastly, a trick for those with an electrical oven – your oven will maintain the same temperature for 10 mins after you have turned it off before cooling – so next time try turning it off 10 mins in advance.

Your Fridge and Freezer

           Fridges and freezers are the two largest energy consumers in the kitchen – so it’s important to take steps to make their energy use more efficient. Firstly, check the doors are tightly shut – otherwise a lot of energy is being wasted in maintaining the temperature. Secondly, as soon as it comes to replacing your appliances, be sure to choose Energy Saving Recommended models – they typically use 60% less energy than a standard model.

Washing Machines

           It is important to remember that when washing clothes, often it is possible to obtain the same results at a lower temperature. Indeed, technological progress means that many washing liquids and powders are in fact optimised to be used at 30 degrees rather than 40. This gives a lower energy consumption per cycle. Of course, be sure to have a full load before running a cycle.

Other Non-Essential Appliances

          Other appliances such as juicers, blenders and electric whisks are very much “nice to haves” – they are not essentials! Whilst we may now rely upon them to accomplish everyday tasks to save time, try and minimise your use of them in favour for more energy efficient options. For example, washing up by hand every other day instead of using the dishwasher, and hanging clothes outside rather than using the tumble dryer when it’s a sunny day.

source of article:

www.ecogreenarticles.com

How To Make Money With Renewable Resources

          When it comes to making money with renewable resources, without government incentives you have to rely on the savings that you make by not having to rely on your normal energy supplier. However there are now government incentives in place which mean that there are more ways of making money with it. The government has done this because they want to try to avert global warming by encouraging people to use more solar energy and other renewable energy sources.

Saving Money

     The fundamental way that you make money with renewable resources, without any government incentives, is by the savings you make on energy bills. So we’ll look at that aspect of it first.

       The focus is going to be on solar energy as that is what is most popular in terms of renewable energy. Most people have the necessary conditions to be able to install solar panels as it only requires that you have a roof they can fit on. Actually, the can also be ground mounted so there’s that as well.

           When it comes to the actual amount of savings that you can make by using something like solar energy instead of your normal energy supplier, the savings are not actually that big. Although having said that, they’re getting bigger all the time as energy prices rise.

           When you are looking at the savings you are going to make by doing something, you also have to consider how much it cost to do it. So in this case, the savings from using solar energy have to be set against a solar installation. In that case they don’t come out that favourably as it would take around 25 years usually to pay off the cost of the installation usually.

           It should be no surprise, then, that before the feed in tariff came in to effect, there were not many people who were getting solar installations. Afterwards though, there were many more people getting solar panels, and we will now see why that is.

Feed In Tariffs

        The feed in tariff is a government scheme whereby all of the renewable energy that you create with renewable resources such as solar energy, you get paid for. Now it’s important to note that you still get to use this energy, so it is not an exchange. You are just being financially compensated for using renewable energy.

          Governments all over the world are introducing feed in tariffs for this purpose because they want to reduce their carbon emissions. Indeed, the UK government has a specific target to make a significant reduction in carbon emissions by the year 2020. The reason for this is that they are concerned about the potential effects of global warming if we keep using fossil fuels as we have been.

        By taking the feed in tariff in to account as well then, by how much does this improve the financial incentive for getting solar panels? Well, one way of looking at it is that instead of taking 25 years for you to make enough to equal the cost of the installation, it now only takes around 10 years.

          The effect of taking much less time to pay off the cost of the installation, of course, is that it means that you will be able to make much more money. You could have about 15 years of actually making money on the solar energy, for example. And at the same time be guarded from the full effects of rising conventional energy prices.

Renewable Heat Incentive

          The renewable heat incentive, which is going to be available soon, works in the same way as the feed in tariff. While the feed in tariff applies to electricity produced with renewable energy though, the renewable heat incentive applies to heat energy that you produce.

        This is going to apply to a number of systems. For example heat pumps like the ground source heat pump. You can also get an air source heat pump. It will also apply to solar thermal systems, which use solar energy to heat water. So it’s soon going to be more financially viable to use a solar hot water system as well.

source of article:

www.ecogreenarticles.com

Solar Technology for Your Household

           Considering the rising costs of energy due to the scarcity of fossil fuels and the economic uncertainties, it is not a surprise that home solar panels kits have become as popular as they have. These systems, while not designed to function off the grid completely, can significantly reduce the amount of energy a house uses from the conventional power grid.

        Home solar panels, of course, translate directly into savings. The idea of cutting their monthly energy bill in half is enough to make this idea not only popular, but rising in popularity. In fact, the more people that employ this energy in their homes, the cheaper it gets to install and own such a system. There are a number of reasons why such a system can be a very good idea to have.

           Of course, most people already know that the use of such a system is a green, clean way to get energy. This is beneficial to the environment as a whole. It may not seem like the person is making much of a contribution, but in fact, every house that drains less energy than it used to from the grid means less pollution in the air.

         Another fact that many people may not know about such a system is that it enables the home owner in question to get power anywhere they live. People choosing to live or visit in a distant or rural area may be happy to know that they will not need to invest tens of thousands of dollars to extend the conventional power grid to their home.

        Many people do not know that the scientific principle that is behind this cutting edge technology is called the photoelectric effect. This effect enables the photovoltaic cells that comprise such a system to convert visible light into electric current. This conversion of sunlight into electricity is what makes this system work.

           However, what many people may be discouraged to know is that owning this system does come at a considerable cost upfront. Still, the news here is not all that bad. These systems can last a very long time, especially if maintained properly. They can last between twenty five and forty years. In addition to that, the savings from the monthly energy bill will add up to completely offset the initial cost within eight to twelve years.

           This is not the only way that this system can help pay for itself. In fact, many governments around the world are working with many institutions to promote the development and use of such systems. As a result, there are considerable financial incentives such as rebates and tax breaks that can help the homeowner pay for the installation and maintenance of such a system.

         The development of home solar panels kits makes it possible for anyone to be on the winning side of the energy debate. No matter how the cost of such a device is calculated, the home owner can count on peace of mind due to the benefits.

source of article:

www.ecogreenarticles.com

Top Reasons To Buy Eco-friendly Products

           Eco-friendly products or ‘ecology-friendly products’ are products that are nature friendly. For a product to be nature friendly, it must be produced entirely from natural products without the use of any harmful additives. The finished product would be completely natural.

Here are some reasons to buy eco-friendly products:

1.The planet that we live on is a living, breathing planet. It has a limited amount of resources and it is important to save these resources if we want to preserve the quality of life we now enjoy. Commodities like plastic bottles, plastic bags and so on choke the earth. The heavy use of chemicals and disinfectants upsets the delicate equilibrium that sustains life on Earth. Through the use of eco-friendly products, we can put into practice the age old philosophy of ‘Recycle, Reuse and Reduce’. By using eco-friendly products, we can maintain this equilibrium.

2.In the normal course of manufacture, factories and industries produce a large number of hazardous waste products that ultimately pollute the earth. Eco-friendly products do not harm the Earth even through the release of by-products.

3.Factories that produce eco-friendly products are themselves nature friendly. They make use of natural resources like the sun and wind to provide energy. Thus, they do not overload the fragile ecosystem.

4.Eco-friendly products make use of biodegradable products which go back into the earth without creating any lasting problems.

5.The concept of recycling is vital to eco-friendly products. By recycling and reusing materials, there is effective management of the resources of the Earth.

6.Eco-friendly products are human-friendly too. Such products do not cause any irritation on the skin or cause harmful reactions on the body. As people become more and more sensitive to the effects of chemicals in their environment, the use of eco-friendly products like organic clothes and natural soaps are in demand.

In our daily lives, we can incorporate eco-friendliness by using clothes that are made from natural materials and use organic dyes. Organically manufactured soaps, toys, cosmetics are other options. Even recycled paper is a great blessing as it greatly reduces cutting down of trees. Eco friendly bags reduce the burden of plastic on the Earth. If millions of people switch over to eco-friendly products, it is possible to make a huge difference. We can reduce our carbon footprint and bring the Earth back from the brink of an ecological disaster.

source of article:

www.ecogreenarticles.com

Ideas On Buying An Electric Motor For Your Boat

           Electric motors have develop into highly regarded in fishing boats and in addition many different types of boats over the years. Many individuals have no idea that there are a lot of sorts of motors which are meant for use for a lot of totally different purposes. Earlier than you take into account shopping for an electrical motor on your boat, there are just a few factors that needs to be looked at first earlier than you proceed to buy a motor. Under are a number of tips on how to decide on or resolve which electric motor can be good on your boat and serve the aim intended for it.

           You must first take into account the thrust of the electrical motor that you wish to set up in your boat because this is among the most necessary issues that you should think about before shopping for a motor. The thrust of the motor is all in regards to the power of that exact motor. The motor that you just choose on your boat must have the mandatory power to be able to transfer the boat round steadily via waves and winds when on the water. When you choose an electric motor that has low thrust, you’ll have a very difficult time in dealing with the boat in some climate situations and subsequently it’s advisable to purchase an electric motor that has the very best power.

           Another essential thing that one wants to consider before shopping for an his/her boat is the voltage. Electrical motor boats use a battery and you’ll have to select between the 12 volt, 24 volt and 32 volt systems. The electric motors that use the 12 volt marine battery are the best to function and also the cheapest to purchase however the 24 and 36 volt marine batteries will provide more thrust and last longer as a result of they use low amps.

           Some motors are managed utilizing the arms and different motors are controlled utilizing the feet. The easiest manner you may control your boat is through the use of your feet as a result of in case you are maybe using the boat for fishing, it will likely be to your benefit if your arms are free to carry out different duties but it’s important to have a pedal in your deck to operate the motor utilizing your feet.

           You must first think of essentially the most appropriate point to mount the motor in your boat earlier than shopping for a motor. There are some electrical motors that can be mounted on the front of the boat however the most common type is the one that is mounted on the back of the boat.

           The last thing it’s best to consider earlier than shopping for a motor to your boat is the size of the shaft. When you select a motor having a shaft that’s brief, the propeller won’t be correctly submerged and in the event you select a motor having a long shaft, you may not be capable of function properly in shallow waters. These are a few ideas that will help you select an appropriate motor for our boat.

source of article:

www.ecogreenarticles.com

INTENSE ENVIRONMENT VIDEO, PLANET, GLOBAL WARMING

It was shown on this video the real beauty of the Earth. However, some images here shows the undeniable truth about the Earth – how it looks today compared years ago. The environment is now damage due to unstoppable human abuse. The Earth is suffering due to human indifference. Thus, calamities occurs – floods, landslide, draughts, water and air pollution, land degradation, loss of biodiversity. It is now suffering from different environmental problems such as global warming, climate change, pollution, and many other.

The damage that humans bring to the Earth will return to them and to the Earth itself. So, as stewards of the Earth, people should do something about it. As human who rely on it for them to live and survive, they should learn to develop and preserve it.

PHILIPPINE ENVIRONMENT

There will be no doubt that the Philippines was blessed with natural resources and beautiful environment.

This video shows how rich the Philippines is when it comes to natural resources. But it seems that these were being abused – natural resources are being over use. Thus, it caused destruction of the environment. People should do something about since they are the major cause of these problem. Man were the stewards of all the creature that is why it is their responsibility to take good care of it. It was entrusted to them for them to use, but to preserve and develop.

ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS

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Human beings have huge impact on the environment, thus, they should learn to be responsible on every action they do especially when the environment is involve. Also, they should learn on how to be environmentally aware, for them to at least lessen their negative impact on the environment.

It is important for humans to be aware on the consequences that their action might bring so that they will be able to make the right decision. Furthermore, they will be able contribute on saving the environment.

TO before the world contribute on saving the Mother Earth.

Why is Biodiversity Important?

thereselientearth.com

         Why is Biodiversity important? Does it really matter if there aren’t so many species?

        Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play.

        For example, a larger number of plant species means a greater variety of crops; greater species diversity ensures natural sustainability for all life forms; and healthy ecosystems can better withstand and recover from a variety of disasters.

        And so, while we dominate this planet, we still need to preserve the diversity in wildlife. In order for us to survive, we need to take care of our environment because it is the major source of our needs. 

source of information:

www.globalissues.org

ENVIRONMENT TODAY

  

nevain.deviantart.com

        “Look around us, the prophecy of doomsday is now a reality, it is starting. What can we do?”
        

       Today, our environment is changing more drastically than before, under the impact of humans. The earth is desolating because of us. Climate change, global warming, the extinction of plant and animal species, and the destruction of our environment- all these happen because we perceive that the earth belongs to us. Humans perceive that, having the highest level of intelligence, they are superior and the ruler of this planet. They just don’t know that in reality, the earth doesn’t belong to man; rather, man is only part of the Earth.

        The prophecy of doomsday is starting and now, earth can’t be save by simply “not using plastic bags, planting more trees or cleaning our bodies of water,” if only one will do it and will only do it once. We have to work together, we need every mind, heart and hand in order to lessen or minimize, if not prevent the desolation of our planet.

        A change of mind is also necessary. We are only part of the Earth, along with other living and non-living things here. We must develop care and concern for them, so as to make a realization of our existence here. The view that everyone must perceive today is that we are all part of the Earth and everything is interconnected and interdependent.

        The damage that humans bring to earth will return to us and to the Earth itself. We only have one planet; we must protect it, not only for ourselves, not only for other living things, not only for the generations to come, but for the Earth itself.

ENSURE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

nataliesreblog.blogspot.com

        In reducing poverty and sustaining development, it should start by having a healthy planet. However the exploitation of natural resources such forest, lands and water have caused alarming changes in the natural world. Thus, this affects vulnerable people in the world who depend on the natural resources as their livelihood.

        The first target of the 7^th Millenium Development Goal – ensure environmental sustainability – is to integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse loss of environmental resources. This includes the following:

• The rate of deforestation shows signs of decreasing, but is still alarmingly high
• A decisive response to climate change is urgently needed
• The unparalleled success of the Montreal Protocol shows that action on climate change is within our grasp.

        The second target of this goal which is to reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, a significant reduction in the rate of loss, includes:

• The world has missed the 2010 target for biodiversity conservation, with potentially grave consequences.
• Key habitats for threatened species are not being adequately protected.
• The number of species facing extinction is growing by the day, especially in developing countries.
• Overexploitation of global fisheries has stabilized, but steep challenges remain to ensure their sustainability.

        Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable to access safe drinking water and basic sanitation includes:

• The world is on track to meet the drinking water target, though much remains to be done in some regions.
• Accelerated and targeted efforts are needed to bring drinking water to all rural households.
• Safe water supply remains a challenge in many parts of the world.
• With half the population of developing regions without sanitation, the 2015 target appears to be out of reach.
• Disparities in urban and rural sanitation coverage remain daunting.
• Improvements in sanitation are bypassing the poor.
  

        Lastly, by 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers includes:

• Slum improvements, though considerable, are failing to keep pace with the growing ranks of the urban poor.

7th Millennium Development Goal

makepovertyhistory.com

        Environmental problem is one of the goals that the United Nation is aiming to reduce or at least lessen. It is indeed to be one of the major problem that the Philippines is facing. Actually, not just the Philippines but almost all the country around the world.

        The Millennium Development Goal (MDG's) – which aims to eradicate extereme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability and promote global partnership for development.

        Specifically, the 7^th MDG aim to ensure environmental sustainability and targets to:

• Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes; reverse loss of environmental resources.

• Reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water.
• Achieve significant improvement in lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers, by 2020.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO LIVE GREEN?

loriborde.deviantart.com

 

        The Earth is indeed suffering from human abuse which led to its the destruction. It is now suffering from different environmental problems such climate change, global warming, pollution, land degradation, loss of biodiversity, and many other.

        We can never hide the fact that it is us who caused all these environmental problems. Because of these, many people are thinking if it is still possible for them to Live Green. Is it still possible for the next generation to witness the true beauty of nature?

As what people believes, “Nothing is Impossible”.

        People don't have to wait until there is no more chance for them to Live Green. They don't have to wait until the environment is totally damaged. They still have chance TODAY! NOW! They can start doing things that will lessen their impact on the environment.

        Simple things can do help. By just being environmentally aware on the consequences that their action might bring, it can do help. By just simply reducing the materials you use, reusing things you have used and recycling old materials, you can help in saving the environment. SIMPLE THINGS COUNT.

        Saving the Mother Earth means saving ourselves. Start being environmentally aware because through this, LIVING GREEN WILL BE POSSIBLE.

FROM NOTHING TO SOMETHING

greentipsforum.com

        What word comes from your mind when you hear the phrase, “from nothing to something”?

         I guess majority of you will think about “recycling” right? From nothing to something... it's like, from something without use to something you can get benefits from.

Well people, you got it right! The title of this article is referring to “recycling”.

        Recycling refers to the process of collecting used materials (waste) and processing it into a new products. This is different from reusing because when you say reusing, you just repeat using the old product while recycling means making or manufacturing a new product out of the old one.

        Some of the most items that were being recycled are plastics, cans, glass, papers, and many other.

Why Recycle?

1. Recycling helps conserve the limited resources.
2. You can earn income from recycling by selling the new products you made out of old materials.
3. It can provide job to those who doesn't have work.
4. It is energy efficient because recycling requires less energy rather that manufacturing new goods.
5. It is Earth friendly.
6. It can contribute to the progress of the economy of the country since it is a source of income and create jobs.
7. It saves environmental conditions and reduces pollution.
8. It saves space for waste disposal.
9. Reduce consumption of new materials.

         Recycling is one of the best way for you to give positive impact on the Earth. It will not just benefit us, but also the environment.