Love Green

Think before you buy.

noreply@blogger.com (Tattoo) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:38:00 +0000

Go online to find new or gently used secondhand products.

Whether you've just moved or are looking to redecorate, consider a service like craigslist or FreeSharing to track down furniture, appliances, and other items cheaply or for free.

Check out garage sales, thrift stores, and consignment shops for clothing and other everyday items.

When making purchases, make sure you know what's "Good Stuff" and what isn't. Watch a video about what happens when you buy things. Your purchases have a real impact, for better or worse.

Skip the bottled water.

noreply@blogger.com (Tattoo) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:36:00 +0000

Use a water filter to purify tap water instead of buying bottled water.

Not only is bottled water expensive, but it generates large amounts of container waste. Bring a reusable water bottle, preferably aluminum rather than plastic, with you when traveling or at work.

Check out this short article for the latest on bottled water trends.

Eat smart

noreply@blogger.com (Tattoo) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:34:00 +0000

If you eat meat, add one meatless meal a week.

Meat costs a lot at the store-and it's even more expensive when you consider the related environmental and health costs.

Buy locally raised, humane, and organic meat, eggs, and dairy whenever you can. Purchasing from local farmers keeps money in the local economy.

Watch videos about why local food and sustainable seafood are so great. Whatever your diet, eat low on the food chain . This is especially true for seafood.

Less gas = more money (and better health!).

noreply@blogger.com (Tattoo) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:28:00 +0000

Walk or bike to work. This saves on gas and parking costs while improving your cardiovascular health and reducing your risk of obesity.

Consider telecommuting if you live far from your work. Or move closer.

Even if this means paying more rent, it could save you money in the long term. Lobby your local government to increase spending on sidewalks and bike lanes.
With little cost, these improvements can pay huge dividends in bettering your health and reducing traffic.

Save water to save money.

noreply@blogger.com (Tattoo) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:21:00 +0000

Take shorter showers to reduce water use. This will lower your water and heating bills too. Install a low-flow showerhead.

They don't cost much, and the water and energy savings can quickly pay back your investment. Make sure you have a faucet aerator on each faucet.

These inexpensive appliances conserve heat and water, while keeping water pressure high. Plant drought-tolerant native plants in your garden.

Many plants need minimal watering. Find out which occur naturally in your area.

Save energy to save money.

noreply@blogger.com (Tattoo) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:17:00 +0000

Set your thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer to save on heating and cooling costs.

Install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) when your older incandescent bulbs burn out.

Unplug appliances when you're not using them. Or, use a "smart" power strip that senses when appliances are off and cuts "phantom" or "vampire" energy use.

Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water.

Use a drying rack or clothesline to save the energy otherwise used during machine drying. If you must use a dryer, consider adding dryer balls to cut drying time.

Disney Launches New Environmental Policies

noreply@blogger.com (Tattoo) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 22:09:00 +0000

Disney's environmental counsel of senior executives developed the company's new policies, which includes analyzing the company's current operations to develop sustainable strategies for Disney's impact on the environment.

Disney calls these policies its biggest-ever commitment to the environment, building on its environmental affairs department's 20 years of work. The company says these policies will incur costs up front, but will result in savings over the three to five year time frame.

Disney's 2008 Corporate Responsibility Report details its environmental policies along with its approach on nutrition and online safety. It includes the company's first comprehensive greenhouse gas inventory as well as a media strategy to encourage media consumers around the world to be more environmentally responsible.

Long-term environmental goals detailed in the report include "zero waste, zero net direct greenhouse gas emissions from fuels, reduced greenhouse gas emissions from electricity, a net positive impact on ecosystems, minimized water use, minimized product footprint, and inform, empower and activate positive action for the environment."

The company is detailing the environmental impact of Disney's Parks & Reports division with six additional reports, looking at the different parks and their importance to the surrounding region.

Go Green...

Obama budget proposes shift to green energy

noreply@blogger.com (Tattoo) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 22:07:00 +0000

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's first budget plan moves aggressively to tackle climate change and shift the nation from reliance on foreign oil to green energy.
The proposed budget released Thursday by the White House would rely on $15 billion a year, beginning in 2012, from auctioning off carbon pollution permits to help develop clean-energy technologies, such as solar and wind power. But Congress has yet to write a bill that would regulate heat-trapping gases and collect that money.

Across the government, Obama's commitment to dealing with climate change is apparent.
There's more money at NASA for space-based monitoring of greenhouse gases, expanded support at the Energy Department for finding ways to economically capture carbon emissions from coal-burning power plants, and more money for the Interior Department to mitigate the impact of climate change on public lands and wildlife.

The document also asks Congress to approve an additional $19 million for the Environmental Protection Agency to measure how much climate-related pollution industries are releasing.
The administration "will work expeditiously" to get Congress to approve an 83 percent reduction in global warming emissions by mid-century, the budget document says.

The administration's success on global warming will depend on a second set of priorities outlined in the budget document to reduce the nation's dependence on fossil fuels, including oil and coal, by quickening the transformation to renewable energy and development of technologies to help people use less energy.

The budget would impose a new excise tax and fees on companies that take oil and natural gas from federal waters and reimposes a tax — again largely targeting the oil industry — to pay for cleaning up Superfund sites.

The budget calls for "significant increases" in cutting-edge research into renewable energy, including solar, wind and geothermal sources and ways to produce non-corn ethanol, and eventually a gasoline-like fuel, from plants.

"By investing in groundbreaking research, making homes and businesses more energy efficient and deploying solar, wind, biomass and other clean energy, this budget will help ensure that America once against leads the world in confronting our global economic, energy and climate challenge," said Energy Secretary Steven Chu.

The budget calls for collecting $646 billion between 2012 and 2019 from the auctioning of greenhouse pollution allowances under a yet-to-be enacted plan to combat climate change. Democratic leaders in Congress hope to produce a climate bill this year, but there is disagreement over whether allowances should be auctioned to given to carbon-intensive industries to hold down costs.

House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio criticized Obama's auction plan, calling it "a carbon tax which will increase taxes on anyone who uses electricity, anyone who drives a car." But White House officials who briefed reporters on the budget said large portions of the money from the auctions would be used to help people offset higher energy costs.

Pickens: US Moving Toward Energy Policy

noreply@blogger.com (Tattoo) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 22:04:00 +0000

Billionaire energy investor Boone Pickens says the government is now behind at least half of the energy-reform plan he advanced last summer to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil.
In Washington for a CNBC energy summit, Pickens said he expects the plan to make a huge difference in America's energy dependence within the next three to five years.

"We've got the grid, and we've got the wind and solar, into the stimulus package," he said.
His attention is now focused on replacing Diesel fuel with natural gas—a resource in which he has major investments—to power big trucks.

"The only way we're going to reduce foreign oil is with natural gas," he said. "It's the only resource we have in America that can do it. I think that goes in the energy package coming up shortly."

Video: Boone Pickens discusses his energy plan and belief that natural gas is the only current alternative.

Pickens stressed the importance of a national energy plan, something the country has not had for four decades, and said Washington is moving swiftly in the direction of adopting one.
"A fool with a plan can beat a genius with no plan," he said. "I think we could very well see a real energy plan before Memorial Day."

He stressed the nature of dependence on foreign energy as a threat to national security, despite the recent collapse of oil prices.

"The security of the country remains at risk, no matter what the price is," he said.

Think Globally, Ask Locally

noreply@blogger.com (Tattoo) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 22:02:00 +0000

A few weeks back, you mentioned in passing that it's better to heat your home with natural gas than electricity. Is that true even if our local power company uses renewable energy? Don't your answers depend on where people live?

A few weeks back, you mentioned in passing that it's better to heat your home with natural gas than electricity. Is that true even if our local power company uses renewable energy? Don't your answers depend on where people live?

The Lantern pleads guilty: The keys to living a more environmentally friendly life aren't universal, and the greenest choices for your home and community often vary across the country. For a good example, it's worth looking at a recent Yale study (subscription required) on the great debate over mercury in compact fluorescent light bulbs.A quick refresher: CFLs have become the eco-conscious bulb of choice, on account of their longer lifespan and reduced energy use. (By federal law, the fluorescent bulbs will entirely replace incandescents on store shelves by 2014.) Skeptics have cried foul, calling attention to the fact that a small amount of mercury is used in manufacturing the bulbs.

Yet, as the Lantern and others have pointed out, electric power that comes from coal—like nearly half of electricity generated in the United States—is responsible for its own mercury emissions. So overall, using CFLs actually reduces the amount of mercury pollution.According to the Yale paper, the truth is slightly more complicated. In most states—42, to be exact—switching to CFLs does appear to result in a net reduction of mercury emissions. But that's not true in Alaska, California, Idaho, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont: In these states, mercury emissions would actually increase if everyone started using CFLs.Why is that? The biggest factor is how those states generate their electricity. By and large, the eight outliers are far less reliant on coal than the rest of the country.

(Here, Vermont and Rhode Island take the cake—they don't have any coal-fired power plants at all.)* Mercury emissions also depend on what kind of coal a state uses and on the pollution controls installed at each power plant.That means that in some states, at least, there's a real (albeit small) tradeoff involved in switching to CFLs. The Lantern still thinks CFLs are a good choice, even if you live in Vermont. For one, overall mercury emissions are likely to be lower to begin with, simply because of the lower reliance on coal-fired power plants. (Indeed, the magnitude of mercury reductions from making the switch in coal-heavy states like West Virginia would be far larger, per bulb, than the corresponding increase in a state like Vermont.) And from an individual perspective, it's easy enough to ensure that CFLs don't result in added mercury emissions wherever you happen to live: As long as you recycle them properly, the mercury won't pose too much of a problem.

(Home Depot, Ikea, and True Value, among other retailers, will take your old CFLs; the EPA can help you find other recyclers here.)Let's get back to your original question. The same issue of local energy sources applies to how you heat your home. The Lantern usually suggests heating your house with natural gas rather than electricity, because natural gas produces fewer carbon emissions per unit of heat than does coal. But if you live in Vermont, electricity produces relatively little carbon, so natural gas—which is, after all, a fossil fuel that is often environmentally costly to extract—doesn't look quite so good.When it comes to living green, it's always a good idea to know where your electricity comes from. (Fortunately, this handy search tool from the EPA can help.)

If your power company uses more coal than the national average, then be extra careful to cut down on your electricity use. And if it uses much less, then electricity might not be quite as bad as other fossil fuel sources.The same idea holds true for water usage. Wasting water is always somewhat problematic, since sending lots of tap water down the drain puts more strain on the water-treatment system. But in some parts of the country—easily identified on this map—drought is a major concern.

If you are unsure, the best thing to do is ask. Every state has agencies tasked with protecting the local environment, and the folks who work at these departments should be able to answer questions about your own community. Even when you're talking about global warming, some of the best information is still local.

Green Screens

noreply@blogger.com (Tattoo) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 21:56:00 +0000

I'm thinking of getting a big, new flat-screen TV so that my friends and I can watch the Steelers pummel the Cardinals in this Sunday's Super Bowl. But then I read that the EU wants to ban big plasma televisions because they drain so much energy. How do I choose a TV that won't kill the planet?First off, it's a myth that the EU is "banning" plasmas—it's working on stricter energy regulations for all TV types. But, yes, TVs are getting thirstier, and the biggest, least-efficient plasmas can potentially use as much electricity as a refrigerator—traditionally the most power-hungry appliance in your house. But those are the sets at the extreme end of the market. If you shop carefully, you can get any kind of fancy new TV you want without dramatically increasing your energy consumption.

Let's first go over some terminology. There are four basic kinds of televisions. Cathode-ray tube, or CRT, televisions are the bulky machines you grew up with. CRTs are on their way out: Most major manufacturers don't even bother making them anymore. If you're looking for an upgrade, then, your options are liquid crystal displays, plasmas, and rear-projection microdisplays. Each uses a different method to produce images, with varying aesthetic results. The term flat screen simply refers to the size and shape of the machine; flat screens can be either LCD or plasma. (Rear-projection TVs, which are generally only available in very large sizes, are flatter than old-fashioned TVs but too heavy to hang on a wall.)

On average, plasma screens use the most energy—nearly three times as much per square inch as rear-projection TVs and roughly 20 percent more than LCDs. This rule of thumb isn't foolproof, though, because screen size and resolution are also major factors. CRT screens, for example, use about as much energy per inch as plasma screens—that's why a clunky CRT computer monitor is less efficient than a sleek, similarly sized LCD model.Ten years ago, the average American color TV used 137 kilowatt hours per year, assuming seven hours of average daily use. An energy-efficient 42-inch LCD might require roughly double that amount—this Phillips model, which received the best energy rating in its category in CNET's extensive testing, clocks in at 233 kilowatt hours per year. A gain of 100 kilowatt hours isn't worth too much hand-wringing, considering that the average American household uses about 10,000 kilowatt hours annually. On the other hand, choose the least-efficient LCD on CNET's list—this 65-inch Sharp—and you're looking at a much uglier 1,491 kilowatt hours a year, or about 1.1 metric tons of CO2 equivalent.So where does this leave you, sports fan, standing there clueless in your local Best Buy?
If your happiness truly depends on getting a massive TV—55 inches or larger—a rear-projection unit is the way to go. This 61-inch Samsung model will use a relatively dainty 437 kilowatt hours a year, assuming seven hours of daily use. Since rear-projection TVs are being pushed out of the market by plasmas and LCDs, now's the time to get one. By next year, they might be gone.Otherwise, the Green Lantern suggests buying the smallest, lowest-resolution LCD you can live with—and keeping it for as long as possible. Because televisions last for about 10 years, the most significant environmental costs stem from electricity use on the consumer end rather than on the manufacturing end.

But if you trade up at every Super Bowl, you'll quickly negate the benefits of choosing an energy-efficient model. So be realistic about your techno-lust: Don't scrimp on inches or clarity if it means you'll be back in the store in two years.In choosing your specific TV, consult CNET's consumption ratings and look for models that meet the latest Energy Star 3.0 specifications. And when you do choose your new set, make sure you recycle the old one.Of course, you can easily blow all that work if you get the thing home and then don't use it properly. Don't leave the set on in the background all day—that will double its electrical diet. And don't forget the energy costs associated with your components, like cable boxes and video game consoles, which many people forget to turn off when not in use.

Your PlayStation 3 will guzzle about as much energy as this 46-inch LCD while you're dodging cops in Grand Theft Auto; if you leave the device on after switching the TV off, it'll continue to use the same amount. You should also keep your peripherals plugged into a single power strip, so you can turn them all off with one click—and that will have the side benefit of keeping your media center from sucking out too much standby power when its components are turned off but still plugged in.You also need to consider the picture setting. Most high-definition televisions offer at least two options: a super-bright setting for electronics-store showrooms ("retail" or sometimes "dynamic" or "vivid") and a dimmer one for standard home use. The difference between the two can be huge—CNET found that this 50-inch Panasonic plasma used almost three times as much energy in "vivid" mode as it did in standard: 1,366 kilowatt hours a year versus 488 kilowatt hours a year. While you can't expect to get such extreme savings with every set, it's always worth adjusting this setting.

Finally, lots of recent press reports have focused on the use of nitrogen triflouride (NF3), a highly potent greenhouse gas, in the manufacture of "flat-screen TVs." (Actually, they're only used in making LCDs.) The Green Lantern agrees that NF3 deserves more monitoring, especially now that greater amounts of it have been discovered in the atmosphere than previously estimated. But according to the University of California report that prompted the coverage, even if all the NF3 produced annually escaped into the atmosphere, it would have only 0.44 percent as much impact on global warming as carbon dioxide does each year. Plus, NF3 is used in all kinds of electronics; only a fraction goes toward televisions. So at least for now, the Green Lantern doesn't think NF3 is a reason to avoid upgrading.

Clean Jar, Clean Conscience?

noreply@blogger.com (Tattoo) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 21:50:00 +0000

Not really. Recycling facilities are well equipped to handle dirty cans and bottles, so some caked-on tomato sauce and the occasional stray chickpea won't significantly hinder the process. (These facilities can even handle that lime wedge you left in your Corona bottle.) Residue left on plastic or glass containers generally gets flushed out with water at some point in the process; most of the gunk left behind on steel and aluminum cans is burned away when those containers get melted down. So there's no need to waste water by running the faucet over your recyclables—even if you were to get them squeaky clean, they'd probably end up getting washed again, anyhow.
That being said, the Green Lantern doesn't advocate tossing cans and bottles immediately, and she really doesn't want you chucking half-full jars of mayonnaise or jelly. It's wasteful and it's just not sanitary—food scraps can lead to mold and bacteria growth, and the smell can attract insects and other vermin.Once you put your recyclables on the curb, they aren't processed right away. Let's say your local collection agency picks up your bins once every two weeks—that's already plenty of time for stuff to start spoiling and rotting. Then your cans and bottles go to a consolidation facility, where they're sorted and baled, usually within 24 hours of arrival. At this point, they might sit around in a warehouse for weeks or even months before they're sold to a reprocessing facility, where they'll be cleaned before getting ground up, melted down, or chipped into flakes. (These days, those bales might sit around even longer than usual—prices for recycled material have gone down significantly in the last several months, which means some sorting facilities may be holding onto their goods, waiting for prices to rise again.)

Now imagine your bottle of half-eaten, four-month-old tartar sauce, lounging about in a stuffy warehouse and getting riper by the day. Not pleasant, is it? As one recycling center worker put it: "It sure is appreciated when people take a minute or two to wash [their food cans] … it's a real day-wrecker when someone throws up because of the horrible smell."So out of deference to the health and safety of America's recycling industry employees, the Green Lantern suggests the following course of action. First, scrape out as much food residue as you possibly can—the Lantern recommends using one of those skinny, flexible baking spatulas—and then swish out the can or bottle in your leftover dishwater.

If you use a dishwasher, don't take up valuable real estate with items meant for the recycling bin. Just fill a bowl with water and use it to clean out any food particles, ideally from several containers at once.Rinsing is an especially good idea if your community participates in single-stream recycling, where everything from newspapers to detergent bottles are placed in a single curbside bin. Paper is easily contaminated by oil and grease, which is why pizza boxes usually aren't accepted unless they're in pristine condition.

If you're really concerned about making the recycling process as efficient as possible, read your community guidelines so that you're not overloading the system with nonrecyclable materials.Rather than worrying yourself into a tizzy over how to clean out your Coke bottles, here's an even better idea: Why not try cutting down on packaging in general? Recycling is only the third R in the waste-management hierarchy, after all—reducing and reusing are even better. According to the EPA, Americans generated 254 million tons (PDF) of municipal solid waste in 2007. (That's everyday, nonindustrial trash.) Containers and packaging made up the biggest fraction of that waste—30.9 percent, or 78.4 million tons. Nearly half of that amount ended up being recycled, but it would be better if we had less packaging to begin with. After all, disposal is only part of the equation—there are also significant environmental costs that come with manufacturing those boxes, cans, and bottles. In fact, a widely cited 1992 study by the Boston-based Tellus Institute found that 99 percent of the environmental harm caused by packaging came from its production, not its disposal.

Even when you factor in 17 years of greener design and fabrication, it's clear that reducing our dependency on individually wrapped single servings is a laudable goal. And—major bonus—if you don't buy it in the first place, you don't have to worry about cleaning it when you're done.

Green Lipstick?

noreply@blogger.com (Tattoo) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 21:43:00 +0000

The Green Lantern feels your pain—she often finds herself standing glassy-eyed in the soap aisle, seduced and confused by the pretty pictures of exotic fruits. We can all be forgiven for being hypnotized by the hype: After all, beauty firms spend, on average, a whopping 20 percent to 25 percent of their revenue on advertising and promotion, compared with just 2 percent or 3 percent on research and development. The industry knows that green is hot these days, and it hasn't been shy about exploiting it—between 2006 and 2007, the number of product launches that came with "natural" claims increased by 79 percent, while the number professing to be "organic" jumped 173 percent. As one savvy hair-care exec put it, the words "natural and environmental" used to mean "dried twigs and bark and herbs"; now they mean "juicy, alive and luscious."
So how do you make sense of all the buzzwords? First of all, don't expect phrases like botanical or natural or plant-derived—or the Lantern's head-scratching favorite, nature-inspired—to mean anything. Though the FDA has the authority to reprimand personal-care product-makers whose labels make false and misleading claims, it's never imposed standard definitions for these green-sounding terms. So a body cleanser with only trace elements of cucumber extract can legally call itself a "natural" product, as can a fully synthetic product engineered to smell like an apple orchard.

The word organic, on the other hand, can sometimes have real meaning—though the precise nature of that meaning depends on who's using the term. The USDA began certifying organic bath-and-beauty products in 2005. (You can recognize these products by the circular "USDA Organic" logo on the packaging.) The government uses the same standards it applies to produce (PDF)—i.e., produced without conventional pesticides and by companies that put an emphasis on soil-and-water conservation—and offers three levels of certification: "100 percent organic" (meaning that a product contains only organically produced ingredients), "organic" (at least 95 percent organic ingredients), and "made with organic ingredients" (at least 70 percent organic ingredients).

There are at least four other new programs that purport to quantify the "naturalness" of American personal-care products. Two are already in use: the Natural Products Association standard (a green leaf logo) and Whole Foods' in-house Premium Body Care label (a blue-and-green sprout sticker). Two more labels specifically dedicated to organic personal-care products, the NSF 305 logo and the OASIS seal, will start appearing on products later this year.
Don't assume that OASIS' "organic" means the same thing as the USDA's—the definitions of each term vary from program to program. There's also no way to stop a rogue greenwasher from forgoing the stickers and logos altogether and calling its 90-percent-synthetic body spray "organic" just the same. (The USDA does regulate the term organic when it comes to food labeling, but it monitors only the specific phrase USDA Organic when it comes to personal-care products.) Inversely, you shouldn't assume that the lack of one of these five labels means a product has no green cred whatsoever. Since these certification programs are so new, and since there's still a lot of confusion over what their standards actually mean, many companies haven't yet decided how to get certified. We can only hope that the United States eventually takes a cue from Europe, where a number of certification bodies have recently joined up in an effort to harmonize organic labeling on cosmetics.

You also have to realize that most of these labeling efforts stem from consumers' anxieties about the perceived health risks of artificial ingredients—not necessarily their concerns about big-picture eco-issues, such as sustainability or water safety. If cutting down on tongue-twisting chemicals makes you feel healthier, more power to you. (You can begin your research with the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, though the Green Lantern suspects this activist organization overstates the danger of certain commonly used chemicals.) But when it comes to the health of the planet, plant-based products aren't necessarily the better choice. To give just one example, Unilever, the maker of Dove soap, was recently lambasted by Greenpeace for its reliance on unsustainably farmed (though certifiably natural) palm oil.As a rule of thumb, though, products that bear the above-mentioned labels will generally be greener than conventional drugstore choices. These programs are, at the very least, making gestures—if often frustratingly vague ones—toward sustainability.

The USDA, NFS, and OASIS logos all promote organic agriculture, which is generally more sustainable than conventional farming. The Natural Products Association, in turn, stresses that ingredients should come from "a renewable resource" and that "companies should strive to maximize their use of recyclable and post-consumer recycled content in packaging." Whole Foods claims its Premium Body Care products are "sourced and manufactured with respect for the environment" and designed to have "minimal eco-impact after use." You have to trust that the programs are actually following up on these recommendations, but at least they're stressing their importance.Ultimately, making green beauty choices involves doing a little research before you head to the drugstore. But there are a few things you can do in those final minutes. Reduce your impact immediately by choosing products that come with minimal packaging, made from recyclable and post-consumer recycled content. (The average American woman uses a dozen beauty products a day—just think about all the shrink wrappers and plastic casings swaddling those soaps, lotions, creams, and powders.) Learn to love the refillable compact. Swap out your bottle of liquid body cleanser—particularly if it's made of plastic that's not the easily recyclable types No. 1 or No. 2—in favor of simply packaged bar soap.

Try to steer clear, too, of products with triclosan and trichlorocarbon, two antibacterial agents found in soaps and deodorants. Scientists are only beginning to study the effects of pharmaceuticals and personal-care products in our water, and though the environmental and health consequences of these trace chemicals are largely unknown, triclosan and trichlorocarbon have been singled out for special attention.

Of course, you can always follow the green golden rule, by cutting down on your cosmetic consumption in the first place. Think carefully about whether you really need separate creams for your eyelids, cheeks, and neck or six different pots of brown eye shadow, half of which you'll throw away before finishing. You'll not only save the planet, but you'll also have the added benefit of less goop at the bottom of your purse.

The Growth in 'Green-Collar' Jobs

noreply@blogger.com (Tattoo) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 21:40:00 +0000

Even in a shaky economy, there are expanding opportunities in environmentally friendly industries.

Paul McAnally never planned on becoming a "green-collar" worker. A former Navy shipbuilder, McAnally, 47, lost his job with a plumbing contractor when the housing market slumped. The Pennsylvania father of six was on unemployment benefits when he heard about Gamesa, a Span ish-owned wind energy compa ny that two years ago started making turbines at a former U.S. Steel plant near Philadelphia. He was hired to build nacelles, the giant structures that house turbines' electricity-gener ating equipment. When he took his children for a factory tour recently, says McAnally, "they were expecting to see a windmill from Holland" and were amazed instead to see colossal steel towers 300 feet tall and sleek fiberglass blades. "I was able to tell them, 'We're making these tur bines for your future'," says McAnally. "'So you can have clean energy'."

The presidential candidates all tout green-collar jobs like McAnally's as part of their plans to combat climate change-and to buoy the sagging economy-by in vesting heavily in energy sources such as wind and solar that do not generate greenhouse gases. As they crisscross Pennsylvania before its Democratic primary this month, both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama stopped in at Gamesa, which has hired 1,300 people in the state in the last two years, to pitch their plans for boosting the alternative energy sector. (Obama even autographed a 130-foot windmill blade.) John McCain will hold his own climate-change-and-jobs tour on the West Coast next month.
The candidates' visits say a lot about the appeal of green-collar jobs as a campaign slogan in these anxious times. "Energy prices are going up, greenhouse gases are going up, and the economy is going down," says Van Jones, founder of Green for All, an Oakland, Calif.-based organization that promotes green job training for the poor. "The new president will need to hold the country together through a difficult economic and ecological period."

While much of the hype around the emerging "clean tech" economy has centered on celebrity venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, most of the jobs, says Jones, will be created in less glamorous sectors: weatherizing homes and offices, installing solar panels and retrofitting factories with ener gy-efficient technologies. "This is not an eco-elite, eco-chic movement for people who can afford to buy hybrid cars and shop at Whole Foods," says Jones. "The green economy to come is going to be a broad-shouldered, mass movement of American labor."
Already there are strange bedfellows. Last year the United Steelworkers and the Sierra Club formed a partnership, the Blue Green Alliance, to pro mote green job incentives and environmentally friendly trade policies. "It's not a question of jobs or the environment," says Dave Foster, the group's executive director. "It's both or neither." The alliance lobbies Congress and states to pass aggressive re newable energy standards, which require that a certain percentage of electricity be gen erated from nonfossil sources such as wind or solar.

The guaranteed market for renewable energy, advocates say, means green tech start-ups grow faster-and hire more workers. (Though defining green-collar is still tricky for the purposes of designing tax incentives. If a miner extracts coke that makes steel used to assemble a wind turbine, says Foster, everyone in the production chain can be counted as a green-collar worker. But not if that steel is instead molded into a Hummer.)

Both Clinton and Obama say they'll cut tax breaks for oil companies and invest about $150 billion over the next decade to promote a green energy sector. Revenues from a carbon "cap and trade" system will pay for job training, weatherization and other efficiency measures along with alternative energy research. Both candidates claim they can add about 5 million jobs to the economy. McCain offers no pre cise figures but says he will promote policies that help develop alternative energy and then "let the consumers choose the win ners."

Though definitions and economic estimates vary widely, advocates say green jobs can revitalize whole communities. In Richmond, Calif., a gritty indus trial city in the Bay Area, a city-sponsored program teaches un derprivileged youth how to install solar panels. Graduates like Rodney Lee, now a project manager for a solar firm, earn $18.50 an hour. Thanks to city incentives, the once-abandoned Ford Motor plant on the city's waterfront has been made over with bamboo floors and sky lights into the headquarters of SunPower Corp., a firm that de signs industrial solar roof installations. "With the right investments," says Jason Walsh of Green for All, "the re sulting green economy can generate a lot of good jobs at a far greater scale than a pollu tion-based economy." And that's no hot air.

Bioenergy : Understanding what is Bioenergy!

noreply@blogger.com (Tattoo) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 19:43:00 +0000

What is Bioenergy? I get this for you to a make it clear what is the meaning of!
Bioenergy can used to go to green even save cost,save earth,land and air because this energy is safe to our environment.
while we can save earth by reducing of oil used.

Bioenergy is the term used to describe Biomass, Biogas and Biofuels.
Bioenergy
can be used to create electricity or produce heat, as well as to
power vehicles. Biomass is usually used to mean products that produce heat or
energy, and biofuel is used for liquids used as fuel for transportation such as
additives for petrol or diesel.

Approximately 10% of energy used in the world is bioenergy, and this figure
looks like it will increase.Bioenergy is produced from organic materials that
are often grown for the sole purpose of producing bioenergy, or from
agricultural, domestic and industrial waste. Bioenergy is a form of renewable
energy, and so reduces the need for traditional fossil fuels and landfill space.
Bioenergy is produced by biomass and utilises solar energy stored during
photosynthesis.

Bioenergy can be highly beneficial in countries or areas where traditional
sources of energy and fuel are less available, less viable, or have to be
imported. Using bioenergy can therefore increase the availability of fuel, and
reduce the reliance on imports. Crops required for bioenergy can be grown
quickly, and almost anywhere, and so reduce the transportation and processing
costs.Whilst bioenergy is a renewable energy, it isn’t carbon neutral, as there
is some transportation involved.

However, if waste destined to become bioenergy is sourced locally, then the
transportation effects will be minimal. Also, if trees used to produce the
bioenergy are not replaced, then deforestation takes place. Greenhouse gases are
significantly reduced using bioenergy compared to methods of producing energy
from fossil fuels and other sources. When bioenergy is burnt it produces carbon
dioxide, but the carbon dioxide will be balanced by photosynthesis of new
replacement plants. As bioenergy uses waste products such as waste wood to
produce energy, there is less waste organic material to be incinerated and put
in landfill sites.

Bioenergy is produced differently depending on the source material. For
plant matter biomass, bioenergy is made by burning the organic waste. This can
be used to produce steam which can power a turbine to produce electricity. For
animal waste biomass, bioenergy is produced from anaerobic digestion and can be
used to generate steam to drive a turbine or to fuel an engine. The methane
produced by landfill sites and animal waste can be used to power turbines which
can be used as a form of bioenergy to generate electricity.

Ethanol is produced by fermenting crops, and can be used as a type of
bioenergy as biodiesel in vehicles. As bioenergy develops, and renewable energy
becomes more widespread, the demand for fossil fuels will be reduced.The
argument for alternative renewable energy is clear, and as the technology
progresses, more and more energy will be provided by bioenergy. From electricity
produced by waste wood or crops such as olives, to cars running on fuel produced
by crops, and biomass fuelled heating systems, bioenergy is here to stay, and is
a very credible form of renewable energy, that is easy to use and can be
produced almost anywhere in the world.
Then what your own opinion?

save energy by Acupuncture Medicine

noreply@blogger.com (Tattoo) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:10:00 +0000

Do you Believe you can get recover by Acupuncture Medicine?

Many ills that conventional Western medication fails to prevent and cure--migraine, diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and allergies, to name a few--are in some cases relieved through the remarkable effects of acupuncture. This comprehensive history presents a complete and coherent guide to the widely acclaimed and employed Oriental practice. we are know that every physician should have the knowledge and advantage of Oriental medicine and acupuncture in addition to the benefits of Western medicine. The combined techniques offer enormous potential not only for alleviating suffering and possibly even saving lives, but also for reducing common medical expenses. Starting with historical background, including the origins and meanings of concepts essential to the practice of acupuncture, the text proceeds to a discussion of the anatomical and pathophysiological concepts of Oriental medicine, concluding with a detailed review of diagnostic methods. A wide audience awaits this practical guide, including lay practitioners as well as healthcare professionals.

In modren era recover by Acupuncture Medicine is a popular, may I think by this way we can geet recover from illness then save earth by reducing of hazard used.

What do you think?

Share your love go to Green

noreply@blogger.com (Tattoo) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 09:18:00 +0000

there are so many way to get a green in our life

Go to nature and Make Green

noreply@blogger.com (Tattoo) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 17:35:00 +0000

People who are love peace and health, dream a living that fresh and peace.

People from last period of year have done many things to reach this success , but with technology and world devolepment people step by step down to forget about it. The modren people have a different things how to see a success now.

In digital era Green is not too important from the part of life, but more technology is one more important people seek.

Here I am try explain what people do to make green in their life by go to nature, i am not tell you that live in jungle is one way to do this.

But more than it we have to do in that success.

As I have blogging in past several days , such go on foot,reduce instant product,reduce to use detergent,cook for our self,plant a plant and many more is the way to go tunatur to make green.

in modren living we have a city in jungle, they are you can see in europe and america also in some of modren asian country.

In other place people offer a green living and seriously have a good campaig to make green but some times in other place they forget about other people also need green to save their life.

take an example, modren people or the rich people always think that people like them are need that green place to live but do not know if the poor need too.

So here I am not try to make other people in blame ,but I just try to make a fair and balance understanding , what is the real habit to make green!

If other place fail to make green other will fail also, so we need to do it togather to get that dream, if not I am not sure if people will have it.

Cook on Your Own To Go to Green

noreply@blogger.com (Tattoo) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:39:00 +0000

Here we can expect many bad habit to increase garbarage in public waste, Consumption more instant product.

Kid and teeneger the most who have responsible with this, especially people who live in big city and have a rich parents.

Their parents always do this to make simple their job, even though they have some servant help to do heir home job.

Generally servant will not care much about it as it also make their job so easy, without parents conttrol with their kids there is nothing we can do.
Parents take all the control to reduce their teeneger and kids consumption instant product while it is not good to kids heath also not good to our environtment.

Yes, you have much money but live in un healthy environtment is useless all you have then in the future.

That is why we all very recommended to reduce or even to avoid instant product.

Cook for your self, teach your kids do the same to make them known with this habit and then I believe even though they are out of parent control they can cook for themselves.

Some time to teach our kids we must ignore the servant help to make our kids and teenager in their future depend on another people role.

Save Energy : Turn off Your Ligth

noreply@blogger.com (Tattoo) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:39:00 +0000

Turn off your ligth when it is not use,

This is the one way where we can minimize our cost also save energy for future use.
make your self be know and do as a habit when leaving a room to turn off the ligth.

Turn off your ligth in the day, ttry to open all the window to get light from out side to make you possible to turn off the light in the room.

Some time it is not possible to turn off the light in the room when the room have no window, but you need to search some tips how to make possible to get a light from out side.

you can try one of them such use the roof from fiber that allow your room get light from the roof.

Diet and Green

noreply@blogger.com (Tattoo) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:13:00 +0000

Diet is one of the campaign part to make green, Why?

Diet have a good relation with vegatarian, that is why diet by vegetarian is recommended many health care center depatment.

so what the relation with green?

We have to know by more people be a vegetarian more chance to animal to live, more animal more plant will plant, that the ecosystem in our earth.

Do you have opinion on it?

We have many source related with this.

Save money save Earth

noreply@blogger.com (Tattoo) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 02:50:00 +0000

Do you know, you can save money while you save your earth!

This is amazing way to help our earth to recover and you can save your economic in this recession.

Why,by save our money can save earth from damage?

If you cave your money and eat normally without spending your money buy some instant food, it can be more garbage in your area, instand food more expensive than you cook your selft.

Then When you go to office by bycle you can save your money, you do not need buy patrol, while you can do it as a sport.

oke, to day is enough, there are so many example you can do to save earth while you save your money, with out any skill or knowledge.

tomorrow i will post more..

see you

What You could Do to Save Air in Your Location?

noreply@blogger.com (Tattoo) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 05:45:00 +0000

There are many campaign about how to save your air from high polution in your location, in TV channel,news paper,ads,or slogan.

As a common people like you or me , there is a lot of we could do to save air in our location from hight polution and I can say we are the real actor here.

Why?

Look, if we say that all of this job is just go to goverment office to run about some program to save the air in our location we are in wrong opinion, Govermnet actually just a donator in this program, we are the planner and the worker.

Sometime we just got confuse how to do that as a common people like me, the goverment just about few people compare with us.
We act in every location in our area from farmer,seller,driver,worker etc..

The first think We must know is How deep we love your City? it is just a few sample of question to make people motivated to do some action to save air in the area.
How deep you love your baby,your wife,your husband,your parent,your friends?

As a commond people we can start from our self without see other,may be with this good attitude other will follow you.
Try to campaign use bycle when go to office or walk on foot if you want to to office or to other place if possible.

make this simple understanding, if you go by bycle or walk on foot you can save your own money while you have alternatif sport in your daily activity.

If this si not possible because your office is very long distance from your own home, you can go there by general bus or You can go by your own car but try to ask people who hhave the same office or located in the same place with your office to go togather by your car or their car.

Do not smoke, This is the old campaign from year by year, but it is still not too active because of the business or other reason.
But It is all up to you now as goverment have make some general reh=gulation to reduce smoker in public place and isolated smoking area from public area.
I think we do not have much to say about this as this very complicated case year by years, I fyou ask me when this program will be hundred percent to be done, I think This care will never solve as long as law still give a space to smoker.

Above are the simple activity to do to start save your air in your city and keep fresh and away from high polution, because to avoid polution of air is a mission impossible to do in this time.

But for you, you must realize to do some of this activity you have save your life cost much especially in the economic recession, many people tigh budget, I think this way is a simple act to do if you are one of them.

"Happy Valentines Day"

Going Green to Make Green

noreply@blogger.com (Tattoo) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:16:00 +0000

"Students Enroll in Green Jobs Training in Hopes of Capitalizing on Next Economic Boom"

On a sunny winter's day in Southern California, a group of students sits in windowless classroom at Los Angeles Trade and Technical College, eyeing the contents of small bottles of alternative fuels.

"This is actually biodiesel, but this is not derived from the soy bean, this one is actually a plant," explains associate professor Jess Guerra to the group.

Guerra teaches a "Diesel Technology" class to those hoping to become part of the green work force, where she instructs the fine points of biofuels. It's a technology that could be just one of the businesses with the potential to drive the U.S. economy right out of the ditch.

Labor experts predict renewable energy and energy efficiency industries could create as many as 37 million jobs -- and students at technical colleges like this one are counting on it.
With President Barack Obama's pledge this week to renew the U.S. economy and jump-start the nation's clean energy future, it's a job outlook that's pretty bright.

Across the country, hundreds of thousands of students, those with jobs and those in search of good work, are now "greening" their skill set in hopes of competing for a host of environmentally friendly jobs, from electricians and metal workers to environmental scientists.
Some of the most promising money-makers are in the fields of wind power development and manufacturing, solar power, fuel cells (low polluters which generate electrical power quietly and efficiently) and, of course, biofuels.

Green American Dream

Earlier this week in California, a "Dream Green Job" fair attracted hundreds of San Francisco Bay Area job-seekers to an event at the Commonwealth Club.
"I'm looking for something that really aligns with who I am and what I want to be doing in the world," said Jessica Zdeb, who's searching for a green job.

In addition to representatives from job networking Web sites and green industries like solar power, there were colleges and universities spreading the word about their course offerings, training and degree programs promising to prepare adult students for a greener future.

"I'm pretty excited about prospects here," said Struan Vaz. "I want to understand what's out there, what are people doing? What are the movers and shakers talking about? With that you can make a good decision."

As promising as a green economic boom may be, some in the field still see a few clouds on the horizon.
"Greenjobs.com" CEO Peter Beadle worries the country's current economic woes are having a chilling effect on the sunny prospects of eco-friendly industries looking to expand.
"I believe that the government has to solve the credit crisis before it can tackle the green economy," Beadle said. "I mean it's a fundamental underlining all industry; not just green industry."
And the green industry is feeling the effects of the troubled economy too.
While the number of Beadle's applicants are soaring, the number of available jobs is flattening out. But a "dream green job" can still become a reality for the energized job-seeker.

"It's not an economy where you can be a passive jobseeker," said Caroline McCelland of Green Career Central. "You must be innovative; you must be willing and ready to do the work of doing the research and getting involved and getting engaged."
And career counselors in the green arena say it's important to focus and spend time educating yourself about the big world of renewable and sustainable energy.
"Whether it's solar or wind or hydro, recognize that they are different," Beadle says. "You have to become an expert in one of them."

And that's precisely what thousands of students at Los Angeles Trade and Tech College are doing: becoming experts to bank on a hopefully secure job future that is greener.
"It's very, very rewarding to see them leave here, be successful not only make a difference again in their lives, but they, they impact society as a whole," said Guerra.

Clean your Room

noreply@blogger.com (Tattoo) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 23:33:00 +0000

Do you believe clean your room can make your environtment safe?

I do it almost everyday, even I do ever know if there is something bad happen to our land,but as human being I like to see my room clean and tidy.

When I was a child, my mom give us a job and every body responsible about the job each, I have 4 sisters and 2 brother.

Whe I was 9 years old , my job was to clean or room,living room,kitchen,bed room every morning before leaving home to school. it is I do almost 3 years, and then after I finished my primary school, my job was to clean front field of home.

Now after I finished my school from high school, I know that our earh is going to be damage and we need to care it more.

Clean your room also make your environtment safe. do you do it?

....