Thursday, April 30, 2009

Charity event on social & environmental consciousness


Green Cleaners is proud to support the forthcoming 'Let's Do Our Part! For our future & future generations' seminar on social and environmental consciousness on 16th May 2009.

Presenters from varying fields of expertise are joining together in this event to convey the broadness of social and environmental consciousness. Highlights of the day include the following talks:

1. “Cancer Cured and Prevented Naturally” by Betty Khoo-Kingsley;
2. “Sustainable Investing and the Stock Market” by Michael O’Brien;
3. “Riverkids Project” by Dale Edmonds;
4. “Change Your Diet, Change the World” by Clarence Tan VP of Vegetarian Society.
5. “Caring for the Earth by Caring for Ourselves” by Toby Ouvry;
6. “How We Can Do Our Part in Small Ways, Every Day” by Shamala Tan;
7. “The Personal Reward in Social Enterprise” by Dr Sarah Clay Mavrinac;
8. “Weaving the Web of Life” by Faizah Jamal.

Tickets at $39- each participant. 100% of the net proceeds will go to the Riverkids Project (www.riverkidsproject.org), a charity trust that prevents child trafficking in Cambodia.

We're hoping for your support to spread the word around! Basically the aim is to educate people, and to also raise funds for the children in Cambodia and at the same time enjoy and have fun at the seminar.

Please visit www.letsdoyourpart.com for more details. See you on the 16th!! :)

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Polls on Public Awareness of Global Warming


In 2007 and 2008, Gallup conducted polls in 127 countries to understand the level of public awareness on global warming. The results show that about 38% of the world’s population have never heard about global warming or did not have an opinion. There are 2 key findings:
Public awareness of global warming tends to be higher in highly developed countries and lower in less developed countries.
Their responses reveal that public knowledge of the concept of global warming is not the same thing as the public belief that global warming is a result of human activities.

Here’s a selection of the countries in Asia and their responses:
Those Reporting Knowing “Something” or a “Green Deal” About Global Warming (How much do you know about global warming or climate change?)
Percentage reporting knowledge of global warming:
Japan - 99%
South Korea - 93%
Hong Kong - 93%
Taiwan - 91%
Thailand - 88%
Singapore - 84%
Laos - 80%
Mongolia - 75%
Vietnam - 73%
Sri Lanka - 73%
Malaysia - 71%
China - 62%
Cambodia - 58%
Philippines - 47%
Indonesia - 39%
Nepal - 37%
India - 35%
Pakistan - 34%
Bangladesh - 33%
Those Reporting That Global Warming Is a Result of Human Activities (Temperature rise is a part of global warming or climate change. Do you think rising temperatures are … a result of human activities?)
Percentage who say result of human activities:
South Korea - 92%
Japan - 91%
Taiwan - 81%
Hong Kong - 78%
Philippines - 72%
Thailand - 70%
Laos - 65%
Malaysia - 63%
Sri Lanka - 63%
Bangladesh - 62%
China - 58%
Indonesia - 55%
Mongolia - 54%
India - 53%
Vietnam - 49%
Nepal - 48%
Singapore - 44%
Cambodia - 34%
Pakistan - 25%
Japan and South Korea are tops in the above rankings, which is not suprising given the strong government leadership and public campaigns. Singapore ranks quite highly on the knowledge of global warming but is among the bottom countries in Asia that thinks that global warming is not a result of human activities. Well, that means more work is needed to educate the public in Singapore on global warming and climate change - the science, causes, impacts and solutions. Likewise for other Asian countries.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

$1b to green Singapore


THE Government on Monday unveiled a sweeping $1 billion blueprint for Singapore's sustainable development over the next 20 years, which covers broad areas from the way Singaporeans live to the way businesses will run.

The Inter-Ministerial Committee for Sustainable Development (IMCSD), set up in January last year, announced its findings and detailed goals for the next 10 to 20 years.

80% green buildings by 2030
IT IS a paltry 1 per cent today, but come 2030, 80 per cent of all of Singapore's buildings will be green.

To achieve this, property developers will be given free gross floor area if their new buildings achieve high Green Mark standards, and the Government has set aside a $600 million fund to green existing public and private buildings.

Goals and initiatives to green S'pore
- 80 per cent of Singapore's buildings will be green by 2030
- 35 per cent reduction in energy intensity, energy use per dollar GDP, by 2030 from 2005 levels
- Reduce water consumption from 156 litres per person per day to 140 litres
- Raise overall recycling rate from 56 per cent currently to 70 per cent
- Increase share of public transport use to 70 per cent of all journeys
- Improve air quality
- Achieve 0.8 ha of green space per 1,000 persons by 2030 and increase skyrise greenery
- Increase blue space by opening up 900 ha of reservoirs and 100km of waterways for recreational activities.
- Increase accessibility and convenience for pedestrians and cyclists by expanding covered linkways and cycling networks
- Build Singapore into an international knowledge hub in sustainable development solutions.

BCA'S 2ND GREEN BUILDING MASTERPLAN
Speaking at a media conference, Minister for National Development and co-Chair of the IMCSD Mah Bow Tan said: 'Sustainable development can only be achieved through long-term attention and effort. We must act now.

'As individuals, we must be prepared to change the way we live, work, play and commute. As a nation, we have to invest to develop new technologies and alternative sources of energy.'

Noting that the economic situation has changed dramatically since the committee was set up, Mr Tan said: 'The temptation is to slow down our efforts in the area of sustainable development while we tackle the immediate economic challenges. However, the two are not mutually exclusive.'

Singapore will also continue to invest in the clean technology industry that will help green urban cities. This will contribute some $3.4 billion to Singapore's GDP and create 18,000 jobs by 2015.

The other IMCSD co-chair, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, said that the concrete targets set out in the blueprint 'reflects how serious we are about sustainable development.'

'These targets will be reviewed regularly, as technology improves and the cost-effectiveness of measures changes,' he added.

Dr Yaacob also emphasised the role that all Singaporeans must play and how this could have a global impact, noting that that 'achieving our goals will require a whole-of-nation effort.'

Over the past year, members of the public and leaders of non-governmental organisations, businesses, grassroots organisations, academia, and media have contributed to the blueprint. More than 700 people gave their views through various focus group discussions, and members of the public submitted over 1,300 suggestions.

Monday, April 27, 2009

John Legend Plans Eco-Friendly Summer Tour


John Legend will embark on major U.S. tour this summer in support of his latest album, "Evolver." The trek, which will hit over 50 cities and begins on June 27th.

Legend will team up with non-profit environmental organization REVERB to go "green" on the tour. Their efforts will include coordination with venues and local caterers to ensure and facilitate the use of green products and practices, along with neutralizing CO2 emissions from venue energy use, hotels, flights and touring vehicles. The tour's "carbon footprint" was calculated by REVERB and neutralized by financially supporting the construction of new renewable energy projects such as wind farms. Eco-friendly merchandise will be available for fans and a John Legend on-line ride-sharing service will encourage and assist carpooling to shows.

A John Legend "greening" website will include tips and calls to action for fans with prize incentives.

In January, he performed at the Green Inaugural Ball, a celebration of the Obama administration's pledge to build a sustainable energy economy that was executive-produced by Live Earth founder Kevin Wall. His 2-year-old Show Me Campaign is dedicated to improving life for the residents of poverty-stricken Mbola, Tanzania, with clean water and higher-yielding agriculture. Last year Legend teamed with professor Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University's Earth Institute for a speaking tour to promote sustainable development in Mbola and other impoverished areas.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

This film is very touching and inspirational....

Please take a look at the video of a real happening. It will make you more thankful of what you have, see it till the very end and you will understand why.

Check out this link for the winning entry to the Berlin short film festival:

www.cultureunplugged.com/play/1081/Chicken-a-la-Carte

You'll be moved to count your blessings. . . may all of us be a blessing to others too.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Green Tips For Offices


Here are the key suggestions and solutions for general uses:

Maintenance and Green Building
1.Turn up the air con one or two degrees. Each 1-degree increase for an eight-hour period reduces your fuel bill percent, saving money, and cutting down on electricity usage.
2.If you can, install ceiling fans to cool down your building without overusing the A/C.
3.Strategically placed windows will provide natural light and may help with heating or cooling costs.
4. Switch to eco-friendly light bulbs that save money and electricity, turn out lights when they’re not being used, especially in conference and training rooms.
5. Switch to safe cleaning products. Put out hand sanitizer to cut down on over-washing hands in the bathroom.
6. Buy furniture made of eco-friendly items. Support local furnishers and companies that use environmentally-sound and humane methods for manufacturing these goods.
7. Buy supplies from local businesses.
8. Ensure that your building is properly insulated and fix any water leaks to cut down on wasted electricity and water, which also saves money.
9. Plant in-season, local flowers and shrubs, cut down on excessive landscaping that rips up the natural environment. Also, use safe and/or natural pesticides will help keep your plants healthy without damaging your health or the environment, opt for natural mosquito repellants such as catnip and citronella grass. If you’re allowed, get rid of waste by composting.
10. Be aware of dumping and runoff laws. Dump trash in zoned areas and keep empty trash cans around your premises so that it’s easy for patrons to properly dispose of garbage.
11. Reserve the closest parking spots for those who car pool and drive eco-friendly cars. Help your employees set up a car pool or van pool so that they can cut down on pollutants. Set up a large bike rack at your premises to encourage employees and visitors to ride their bikes instead of driving.

Hardware
12. Use recycled paper, write on both sides of paper, use up to every inch of scratch paper before throwing it away, and recycle ink cartridges.
13. Purchase eco-friendly computers. Also consider laptops as they use less electricity than desktops. Whatever computers you buy safely recycle them.
14. Hook up several computers to the same printer. This popular method saves electricity and paper, since you don’t have to continuously stock several different printers, and money. Also use eFax: This online version of a fax service cuts down on wasted paper.
15. Know how to clean your computers: Eco-friendly, safe computer cleaning tips include using biodegradable dust cloths and old t-shirts.
16. Turn off computers when not in use.

Break Areas/Cafeterias
17. Sell Fair Trade coffee. Fair Trade coffee is made in eco-friendly and humane conditions.
18. Sell drinks and snacks that are bottled and packaged in eco-friendly materials.
19. Provide food that is from within 100 miles of your community to ensure that you’re supporting local farmers and cutting down on pollutants from shipping food.

Using the Web
20. Take advantage of all the Web tools and sites you can use to cut down on paper.
21. Hold meetings and organize training workshops online through a virtual world like SecondLife instead of requiring employees to drive to offsite meetings.
22. Move accounts online. Cut down on paper notices and make it easier for patrons to keep up with their accounts by making them accessible via the Web.
23. Instead of mailing out paper newsletters, create e-mail campaigns to announce special events and keep in touch.
24. Create a Facebook (News - Alert) or other social network page to stay in contact with your employees and list events and announcements.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Obama launches push for green revolution


President Barack Obama launched his push for a green energy revolution and to pass historic climate change legislation, making his pitch from a wind energy factory on Earth Day. Obama argued in Iowa, the state that set him on the road to the White House, that bloated US energy consumption was inflicting an unacceptable cost on the economy and the climate, as his top environmental officials lobbied Congress.

"The American people are ready to be part of a mission," Obama said at a closed-down appliance factory that was converted into a facility that makes huge towers for wind energy turbines, with the creation so far of 91 jobs.

Obama boasted his administration had already made more progress than in the previous 30 years of US energy policy, but warned the quest for alternative fuels would not be without bumps on the road or be cost free.

"On this Earth Day, it is time for us to lay a new foundation for economic growth by beginning a new era of energy exploration in America," he said.

The president bemoaned the fact that the United States had less than five percent of the world's population but accounted for a quarter of its demand for oil, often extracted from unstable regions.

"We cannot afford that approach anymore -- not when the cost for our economy, for our country, and for our planet is so high."

"The choice we face is not between saving our environment and saving our economy -- the choice we face is between prosperity and decline."

Obama also unveiled a program for renewable energy projects on waters of the US Outer Continental Shelf that produce electricity from wind, wave, and ocean currents. New regulations will help the US tap into its vast ocean resources to generate clean energy, he said.

Obama aides said the speech, and the testimony on Capitol Hill of top administration officials responsible for environment and energy issues, marked the launch of a concerted political push to pass historic energy legislation.

They hope that Obama's Democratic allies in Congress will clear the energy bill before the end of the year, including a market-based cap and trade plan designed to help slash greenhouse emissions by 80 percent by 2050.

The choice of the former Maytag factory outside Iowa state capital Des Moines was supposed to highlight an economic as well as environmental dividend for cutting consumption and developing pioneering energy sources.

Obama laid out a plan that calls for creating thousands of new green energy jobs, participating in a global effort to battle climate change and multi-billion dollar investments in a clean, green energy economy.

The initiative is also designed to shatter US dependence on foreign oil with a new generation of cars and trucks running on alternative fuels and power generation from advanced biofuels and a new efficient power grid.

More than a billion people around the world were expected to take part in 40th anniversary Earth Day events, designed to highlight how an educated global population can preserve its environment.

Earth Day was the idea of late US senator Gaylord Nelson in 1969 and has since spread to 174 nations.

Top Obama lieutenants complemented Obama's Iowa speech by starting the political push rolling in Congress.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu told a hearing on climate change that the United States faced a "defining challenge" to avert the looming danger of inaction on climate change and the loss of green energy jobs abroad.

Obama argues that with the future of the planet at stake, the United States must now take the lead on global warming after years of denial under the former administration of George W. Bush.

The administration hopes the bill will be agreed before the UN climate change conference in December in Copenhagen.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Lisa Jackson rejected "doomsday scenarios about runaway costs" in another hearing.

The costs of cap and trade "would be modest compared to the benefits that science and plain common sense tell us a comprehensive energy and climate policy will deliver," she said.

But John Boehner, the top Republican in the House of Representatives, rejected the Democratic plan for a cap and trade system that "makes big promises, but amounts to little more than a national energy tax" that he said would destroy jobs in the teeth of a brutal recession.

Vice President Joe Biden meanwhile took advantage of Earth Day to announce 300 million dollars in funding in Obama's 787 billion dollar economic stimulus bill for an expansion of clean, sustainable for state and local governments.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Benefits of Green Cleaning....


Cleaning is very essential for maintaining hygiene. We always try to keep our surroundings clean because we care for our health. We clean our surroundings to remove dusts and germs that could affect our health. Fresh and clean environment is beneficial for our health and also makes us feel good. No one likes to stay in an untidy mess with rubbishes scattered al over. With the rise in the level of air pollution, maintaining cleanliness has become even a bigger challenge, as the risk of getting affected by germs and dusts is higher than ever. Different cleaning processes and endless varieties of cleaning products are available in the market for public use. But do you know that some these cleaning products too can pose threat for your health? According to scientists and physicians, strong chemical compounds used in cleaning products can cause different dermatological and respiratory problems for people. That’s why people are opting more for green cleaning these days.

Indeed, green cleaning is the ideal cleaning process today. Green cleaning is an environment-friendly cleaning process, which does not involve the use of any chemical based cleaning products and thus has got no side affects that could harm the health of people. As the name suggests, green cleaning is a natural formula for keeping your environment clean and fresh. Unlike factory-made cleaning solutions and detergents, green cleaning is totally free from all kinds of toxic chemicals. If you are a user of green cleaning items, you are always safe from health problems.

So if you want to keep the environment of your office or house really clean and healthy, opt for a green cleaning service. You are guaranteed to have a healthy atmosphere around you :)

Thursday, April 16, 2009

10 ways to go green at the Gym....


1 Look for resistance tubing or bands that are bio-degradable or made out of natural latex.
2 Wear workout shirts made of natural, sustainable fibers, like those used in Cocona, made from recycled coconut shells.
3 Use soft weighted balls that are latex-free vinyl, filled with natural sand and iron.
4 Carry a workout bag or tote made of natural materials, such as salvaged rice paper.
5 Wear workout shorts made from soybean oil-based fibers.
6 Work out using an exercise ball made with nontoxic, phthalate-free and latex-free vinyl.
7 Try socks made from antibacterial bamboo charcoal, recycled polyester, Merino organic wool or organic cotton.
8 Wear running/gym shoes made with a biodegradable midsole or other recycled materials.
9 Use a yoga block made from bamboo, a sustainable natural resource.
10 Lie down on a yoga mat made of natural rubber.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Five Tips for Building an Eco Friendly Garden


1. Garden with native plants. This doesn't mean your yard has to look "wild". You can achieve very conventional looks with native plants - using buffalograss, for instance, to make a native lawn. Native plants are adapted to the climate and soil you plant them in, meaning less watering and less work.

2. Stop spraying. Ninety-nine percent of insects are either benign or beneficial, and pesticides kill other animals, too, like birds and butterflies.

3. Before you build, take a plant survey. Contact your local native plant society and have an expert walk you through your property. Find out what you should keep, and what you should remove.

4. Find an architect and a builder willing to work with you. It's not essential that they have experience "building within nature," but it is essential they understand what you want and they're enthusiastic about helping you.

5. Physically protect your plants while building. Fence off areas you want to protect, and clearly mark the plants you want to keep, transplant, or remove. An easy way to do this is to color-code them: use three colors of ribbon, and tie them around the plants.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

S$221m international school to open in Tianjin Eco-City in 2011


An international school and 1,300 eco-friendly residential apartments will open in Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City by 2014.

The new projects, costing S$221 million, is aimed at attracting and catering to foreign talent.

The international school, which will take in about 600 foreign students from pre-school to high school level, will open in 2011.

The efforts are part of plans to attract international talent to work and reside in the city.

It will be developed under a Memorandum of Understanding between Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Investment and Development, Chiway Holding Group, and EtonHouse International Holdings.

Chiway and EtonHouse both have experience developing and operating international schools in Chinese cities such as Suzhou and Wuxi.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Green Easter Guide

Easter is a great holiday to spend with the family because there are activities involved -- dying eggs, egg hunts and gift-giving.

As with anything, it's very simple to make your holiday more environmentally friendly! Here are some quick Greener Easter tips!

1. GREENER EASTER BASKETS

Just use the basket from last year -- which you saved, right? -- and fill it with cut-up newspaper and magazine clippings. It's not like that cheap plastic stuff really approximates grass, anyway! Plus, it'll be easier to clean up.

2. GREENER GOODIES

Fill the baskets with local, organic chocolates and low-impact, usable gifts that encourage green living and thinking -- like bike accessories, or solar-powered toys.

3. BETTER EASTER EGGS

Dye eggs that you'll actually eat -- cage-free, organic and all the rest -- and do it with natural dyes.

4. GREENER EASTER NEXT YEAR

Put your Easter baskets in storage for next year -- and watch stoop sales and flea markets for anything you really wish you had but don't want to buy new -- like those plastic eggs, for example.

Happy Easter!!

Friday, April 10, 2009

Michelle Obama plants first seedlings in White House garden....


Mrs Obama was joined by a group of 25 children who tend to a similar garden at their school for the inaugural plantings.

Among the crops brought into the 1,100-square-foot L-shaped plot on the South Lawn was spinach, assorted types of lettuce, herbs - including dill, oregano and rosemary - onions, shallots, cucumbers, peppers and peas.

An advocate of eating fresh and healthy food, Mrs Obama and her family could be enjoying salads made with lettuce from the garden in a fortnight and blueberries "by June".

Before the group got their hands dirty, Mrs Obama talked to the Bancroft Elementary School students about eating more fruit and vegetables. "It does have nutrients, it does make you strong, it is all brain food," she said. Mrs Obama said she was asked about the garden while in Europe last week by Prince Charles, another keen gardener.

"In many countries they really believe in the importance of planting and growing their own food," she told the children. She said the garden was also "real inexpensive," no more than $200, and would yield "a ton of stuff."

"We can produce enough fruits and vegetables to feed us for years and years to come, for just a couple of hundred dollars," she said. Some of the food grown in the garden will be served to the Obamas and to White House staff and guests. Some will be donated to a local soup kitchen.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Cardboard Oven Wins £50,000 Green Contest


This is the £50,000 winner of a contest to find the world's greenest invention - a solar-powered oven made from cardboard. The cooker took the FT Climate Change Challenge crown after beating 300 other creations, including a food additive which stops cows passing wind.

The Kyoto Box oven - which costs just £3.50 to make - can cook casseroles, boil water and bake bread. It is made from two boxes, one inside the other with an acrylic cover, which lets the sun's power in and traps it.

Black paint on the inner box and silver foil on the outer help concentrate the heat while a layer of straw or newspaper between the two provides insulation.

It is the brainchild of Kenya-based entrepreneur Jon Bøhmer. Mr Bøhmer, a Norwegian, set up Kyoto Energy with his Kenyan wife Neema, and has used his own money to fund the project. The oven is targeted at the three billion people who use firewood to cook in developing countries.

Mr Bøhmer said: "We're saving lives and saving trees. I doubt if there is any other technology that can make so much impact for so little money."

He plans to use the prize to conduct mass trials in 10 countries, including South Africa, India and Indonesia and gather data to back an application for carbon credits. The box aims to save some of the millions of children who die each year from food cooked with unclean drinking water.

He believes it will also halve the need for firewood, saving an estimated two tonnes of carbon per family per year. He has now developed a more robust, longer-lasting cooker in corrugated plastic, which he says can be mass-produced as cheaply as the cardboard version.

The oven narrowly beat the animal feed additive Mootral from Neem Biotech, UK, to take the title.

Mootral, which is derived from garlic, cuts the methane produced by cows, sheep and other ruminants. Animal methane is estimated to be responsible for 20% of global warming.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Going Green with Oprah....


These easy eco-friendly tips from Oprah not only lighten your footstep, they also make you feel better about your life. Living green affects your whole psyche.

There’s nothing better for your mind and soul than treading lightly on the planet. You’ll save money with some of these green tips, and your family’s physical and emotional health will also improve. When you apply these easy eco-friendly tips, you’ll see the psychologcial benefits of living green.

You can also harness positive energy by living green.

Eco-Friendly Tip #1 on Oprah: Eco-friendly Canvas Bags
When you’re deciding between paper and plastic at the grocery store, choose neither. Plastic takes 1,000 years to decompose and paper bags use 14 million trees a year. Instead, an easy eco-friendly tip is to use cloth grocery bags. Any cloth bag will do, but Oprah said that her website is selling organic cotton canvas bags made without pesticides.

Another easy eco-friendly tip on Oprah is to use an organic mesh bag for organic produce. One eco-friendly expert urged consumers to look at the amount of packaging in the grocery store. Since petroleum-based packaging isn’t good for the environment, buy items that use minimal packaging.

This easy eco-friendly tip may cost you a little more money: organic produce. It’s a green tip because it takes less energy to harvest and doesn’t use pesticides, so it’s healthier for the planet. But, organic produce isn’t necessarily a green money saving tip – though it could make you physically healthier.

Eco-Friendly Tip #2 on Oprah: Eco-Friendly Eating
One green tip is using one less napkin a day because paper napkins make a huge difference. Give up one paper napkin a day, and you’ll save a billion pounds of paper waste in landfills a year. Using cloth napkins is one easy eco-friendly tip on Oprah that makes a huge difference.

Eco-Friendly Tip #3 on Oprah: Natural Cleaning Products
“Clean doesn’t have a smell,” says one environmentally friendly family. When your bathroom is clean, it shouldn’t smell like pine or lemon. Switch from toxic to non-toxic, natural cleaning products and cleaning services. We only use non-toxic products, which improve your family’s healthy by being less likely to cause asthma attacks.

Eco-Friendly Tip #4 on Oprah: Change Your Lightbubs
Most of the energy comes from coal-fired plants. A compact fluorescent light bulb is more energy-efficient and will save your money in the long run. CFL lightbulbs are energy smart; they’re more expensive, but they’ll last longer.

Eco-Friendly Tip #5 on Oprah: Daily Green Tips for Every Family
These easy eco-friendly tips are things you can do every day.

Use the same cups over and over.
Don’t run the dishwasher unless it’s absolutely full.
Don’t throw clothing or shoes away, especially leather shoes.
Buy clothes at secondhand, consignment, or resale shops.
Put power strips on your tv to turn everything off when you go to bed or leave for the day. Vampire or standby power drains energy.
Another eco-friendly tip on Oprah is to go to a landfill and see where your garbage goes. It doesn’t just disappear! When you see a landfill in person, you’ll think twice about what you throw in the garbage and what you recycle. Recycle as much as you can.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Simple steps can lead to giant leaps....

1. Choose Organics
Studies show that organic produce actually tastes better, but there are other reasons for it as well. Start by buying even just 2 percent organic and work your way up from there.

2. Eat Locally
Look for foods grown locally at your grocery store or farmers' market.

3. No More Paper or Plastic
Any time you hit the grocery store, meat market, even mall, take your own reusable shopping bag. Paper bags require a lot of energy to create and plastic bags are made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource, and they aren't going anywhere.

4. Avoid the Phantom Draw
You can reduce your consumption of electrical energy by simply unplugging electronics when they're not in use. Phone chargers draw energy all day long when they're left plugged into the wall, and electronics can use 40 percent of their regular running energy when plugged in on standby.

5. Embrace the Green Triangle
Get in the habit of recycling your glass, plastics, aluminum and paper.

6. Conserve Water, So It's Not H2O-No
Here's permission to skip the pre-rinse when loading your dishwasher. It can waste 20 gallons per load and according to Consumer Reports, it doesn't help.

Take quick showers, fix leaky faucets and shut off the water while you brush your teeth. That alone can save almost 2,000 gallons a year.

7. Reach for the Stars
Energy Star appliances use less energy, save you money and help protect the environment.

8. Turn the Cool Up
Turning up your air conditioner one degree could save you 3 percent in home energy costs.

9. Green Your Ride
Even if you're not ready to buy a hybrid, there are ways you can conserve fuel. Keep your tire pressure at the recommended level for greater fuel efficiency. Keep the AC on low, running it on high decreases your car's fuel efficiency up to 25%. Check your air filter, because a clean one can make your car 10% more fuel efficient. And drive a little less. Cars release about a pound of CO2 for every mile driven, so avoid driving 20 miles a week and you'll spare the environment 1000 pounds of CO2 emissions in a year.

10. Switch Out Your Lightbulbs
Choose energy saving bulbs, they last 10 times as long and are 25 percent more energy efficient, they'll save you some green.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

The Green Shopper!



With the launch of the new film, "Confessions of a shopaholic", here's our tips to becoming an eco friendly shopper....

A family of four can save $3,000 a year simply by buying products in the largest size they can use and by buying long lasting reusable items. Think about the effect of your purchases on the environment when you shop. Items with excess packaging and products that need to be discarded after only a few uses cost more money, use up valuable resources and create more waste.

BUY PRODUCTS IN THE LARGEST SIZE YOU CAN USE; AVOID EXCESS PACKAGING

A family of four can save $2,000 a year in the supermarket by choosing large sizes instead of individual serving sizes. Remember, 10% of every shopping dollar is used to pay for packaging. Small sizes use more packaging for each ounce of product than larger sizes. So, if you buy large sizes, you save money, reduce waste, and help the environment. That is a really good buy. Here are a few good examples, look for others the next time you shop.

Buy cereal in a large box instead of in individual serving sizes.
Buy juice in concentrates and use reuseable containers instead of single serving packages.
Save money by buying bottled water in a large plastic jug instead of six packs of 16 ounce bottles. Reuse plastic water bottles.
Buy large packages of sugar and flour.
Avoid the small boxes of raisins and buy the same amount in the 24 ounce box.

BUY REUSABLE AND LONG LASTING ITEMS

Products that can be reused are cheaper in the long run than those you throw away and buy over and over again. Goods that are designed to last a long time are also cheaper in the long run than those that wear out quickly. A family can save $1,000 each year buy buying reusable and long lasting products.

Use rechargeable batteries in toys, flashlights, radios. You can save $200 a year by using rechargeable batteries instead of disposables in one cd player used two hours a day.

Use a real camera instead of disposable ones. If you take 24 pictures each month you will save $144 each year.

Use washable plates, cups, and silverware for parties and picnics instead of disposable products.

Use an electric razor or hand razor with replaceable blades instead of disposable razors.

Use a washable commuter mug for your morning coffee and eliminate a Styrofoam or plastic cup every day.

Bring bags to the market, either cloth ones or your old paper and plastic ones. Many markets will credit your bill for using your own bags. When buying only a few items, don't take a bag.

Clean and service your appliances, computers, tools, and cars so that they will enjoy even longer lives. And, before you replace them, check to see if they are repairable.