Get Your Green On

The telephone always has had the potential to be a powerful environmental tool. Like many things, it’s up to the user to realize all of the possible benefits.

Just one phone call can save plenty of time, energy and pollution when the alternative is jumping in the car. And with little effort, the telephone can be used to mobilize and inform people. But these options have been at our fingertips for years.

However, the environmental power of the telephone is starting to emerge in some new and different ways. Cellular One, a Seattle-based mobile phone company, has created several new regional programs aimed at helping the environment.

In southern Florida, Cellular One customers can use their car phones to access an Environmental Destruction Hotline. All calls are toll-free and are routed directly to the Florida Department of Environmental Regulations.

“We started this program in September 1990, in an effort to get the community more involved with environmental protection,” said Cellular One’s Jacqueline Stewart. “Our callers can either report hazardous situations or get advice on topics such as oil disposal.”

In November 1990, Cellular One started a different program in Colorado, called Air Line. Under this program, the company’s customers are encouraged to use their car phones to report vehicles that are emitting excessive amounts of smoke.

The toll-free telephone calls are routed directly to a local pollution prevention agency, Clean Air for Colorado, where the offending vehicle’s license plate and car model are recorded. The office also makes note of the date and location of the incident.

After the vehicle is reported, the Colorado Department of Health sends a letter to the vehicle’s owner, warning that a citation may be issued if the problem is not corrected.

“The Air Line handled more than 500 calls between November and March last winter,” said Dick Abels, with Cellular One in Colorado. “And these are Colorado’s worst air pollution months because of cold-air inversions.”

Cellular telephones do have great potential in terms of environmental protection. They’re adding eyes and ears to the movement, and they’re saving precious response time.

(Tip/Stat) Use your telephone to find out more about possible radon contamination in your home. Call the Radon Hotline at 1 (800) SOS-RADON.

Technorati Tags: environmental protection, environmental tools, helping the environment, energy, pollution, waste reduction, cell phones, pollution prevention

Source: pollution

I usually don’t promote these types of things, but I actually did this and it worked!  I know that I am cutting down my gas usage already, but for the times I really need to drive… this helps beat Mr. Bush down.

Anyone in pursuit of job security should take a look at the oil spill cleanup business. With about 10,000 spills on America’s waterways every year — or one spill every 53 minutes — there’s plenty of work. And if you count chemical spills, the numbers triple.

Dr. Roy Hann, Jr. has been leading the fight against these disasters for more than twenty years. Applying his hands-on experience with tanker, pipeline and facility spills, Hann started the world’s first oil spill cleanup school at Texas A&M University in 1974. He also has directed oil spill courses for the United Nations, Brazil, Chile and India.

“The job market for our graduates is booming,” he said. “Since the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska, our enrollment has doubled. We’ve even got a backlog of students trying to get into the program.”

Like most problems, it’s easier to prevent a spill than clean one up, Hann said. Prevention saves both time and money in the long run, as well as the environment.

“Most companies know what ought to be done,” he said, “but don’t actually do it.”

That’s why he stresses a system called the “prevention cycle” — a thought process that starts with ship and facility design and considers all aspects of the business, including construction, maintenance and training.

Since Texas A&M’s campus at College Station is landlocked, only research work is done at that site. The actual school is conducted through an extension program on the Texas coast at Galveston.

Many of the school’s graduates find jobs in the oil industry or government, working on both prevention and cleanup issues. Hann’s graduates earn either a Master’s or Doctor’s degree in civil engineering, with an emphasis on environmental engineering.

“In many cases, they’re going to companies we never would have expected,” Hann said. “McDonald’s, banks…..it’s almost unlimited.”

Currently the school is limited to 40 or 50 new students each year. Expanding the program is being considered, Hann said, but will depend on funding and grants.

Still, Texas A&M’s popular program remains one of the few oil spill clean-up schools in the world.

(Tip/Stat) The world’s worst oil spill occurred off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago on July 1, 1979, and was nearly ten times worse than the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska.

Technorati Tags: oil spill, oil spills, oil spill cleanup business, chemical spills, oil industry, environmental issues, environmental schools

Source: oil industry

Although it is much less expensive to initially get hooked into the local electric company’s grid than it is to set up and hook into wind turbines, in the long run one saves money by utilizing the wind for one’s energy needs—while also becoming more independent. Not receiving an electric bill while enjoying the advantages of the modern electrically-driven lifestyle is a wondrous feeling.

Electric bills and fuel bills are rising steadily—but the cost of wind turbine energy is zero, and the cost of installing and hooking up a turbine is steadily coming down as demand rises and more commercial success is realized by various companies producing the turbines and researching technologies to make them ever more efficient. In addition, people are moving away from the traditional electric grids and the fossil fuels for personal reasons including desire for greater independence, the desire to live remotely or rurally without having to “go primitive”, political concerns such as fears of terrorist strikes on oil fields or power grids, or concerns about the environment.

Again, this motivation to get away from the traditional energy sources is the same one that causes people to seek the power of the wind for their energy, giving more business opportunities to profit from wind turbine production and maintenance, which drives their costs down for the consumers. In nearly thirty states at the time of this writing, homeowners who remain on the grid but who still choose to use wind energy (or other alternative forms) are eligible for rebates or tax breaks from the state governments that end up paying for as much as 50% of their total “green” energy systems’ costs.

In addition, there are 35 states at the time of this writing where these homeowners are allowed to sell their excess energy back to the power company under what are called “net metering laws”. The rates that they are being paid by the local power companies for this energy are standard retail rates—in other words, the homeowners are actually profiting from their own energy production.

Some federal lawmakers are pushing to get the federal government to mandate these tax breaks and other wind power incentives in all 50 states. Japan and Germany already have national incentive programs in place. However, “A lot of this is handled regionally by state law. There wouldn’t really be a role for the federal government,” the Energy Department’s Craig Stevens says.

And as might be imagined, there are power companies who feel that it’s unfair that they should have to pay retail rates to private individuals. “We should [only have to] pay you the wholesale rate for … your electricity,” according to Bruce Bowen, Pacific Gas & Electric’s director of regulatory policy. However, the companies seem to be more worried about losing short term profits than about the benefits, especially in the long run, of the increased use of wind turbines or wind farms. Head of the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies of California V. John White points out, “It’s quality power that strengthens the grid.”

alternative energy, wind power

Source: wind power

Turning the fruits of a recycling program into tangible results has proven hugely successful for the Chicago Park District and the city’s residents.

Chicago’s 563 parks are now being covered in garbage. But it is in the form benches, playground barriers and other items composed completely of plastic donated by residents in the city’s Plastic On Parks (POP) program.

At the start of the two-year-old project, 400 pounds of plastic was being collected each week, said Fred White, director of recycling for the park district. Now, more than 40,000 pounds of plastic are brought to the city’s 260 recreation centers every week.

“When you contribute to a project and can see what your efforts are creating, it’s a lot easier to get excited about it,” White said. “They know their plastic bottles are becoming useful items.”

Under the program, residents bring their empty plastic milk, water and pop containers to their local city recreation center. Because of the volume, the park district has dedicated a truck solely to collecting the bottles, and must stop at some of the centers every day.

The bottles are then sorted and bailed before being shipped to Hammers Plastic Recycling in Iowa Falls, Iowa. This company creates plastic lumber out of the plastic and returns it to Chicago.

“Our contract says the company must return the plastic we give them,” White said. “This is why people do it — they can see what is being done with the plastic.”

A majority of the plastic wood received so far has been used to refurbish some of the city’s 630 playgrounds. A 12-inch-high perimeter wall is built around each playground using the lumber, and the inner area then filled with a soft material like wood chips or sand, he said. The unique lumber also has been used to build park benches and floating docks.

“Our carpenters have no problem with the plastic,” he said. “It cuts like wood, saws like wood and nails like wood.”

But the plastic lumber doesn’t deteriorate like wood, and children don’t have to worry about splinters. Also, the plastic is graffiti resistant because it is non-porous and can easily be cleaned, White added.

“We’ve collected more than 2 million pounds of plastic since we started,” he said. “If we’ve diverted that much material from landfills, then we’ve helped lengthen the lives of those landfills and benefited everyone here.”

The park district has received many inquiries from other cities regarding the POP program, White said, and has offered lend whatever assistance it can to help establish similar recycling programs in other communities.

(Tip/Stat) Approximately 350,000 plastic bottles are used to refurbish one playground
under Chicago’s POP program.

Technorati Tags: recycling programs, recycling, landfills, plastic, green stories, environmental heroes, green communities

Earth News Media is a pioneer in the field of environmental news and information. The company was founded in 1991 as an international news service. Its efforts have led to a syndicated environmental news column being published around the world.

Source: green stories

 Biodiesel is an alternative to petroleum fuel that comes from 100% renewable resources and is biodegradable.  It can be used in a vehicle in an unaltered form or mixed with petroleum diesel to form a blended fuel.  It is nontoxic and is one of the easiest alternative fuels to use.  Compared with fuel from petroleum sources, biodiesel produces about 60% less net lifecycle carbon dioxide emission and 35% less smog-forming hydrocarbon emissions, and emits somewhat less nitrogen oxide. 

Biodiesel fuel is made through process known as tranesterfication.  In this process, glycerin is taken out from vegetable oil or fat and methyl and glycerin are byproducts.  This type of fuel is free from sulfur and other aromatics that are present in traditional fuels.  This unique quality makes it different from other alternative fuels.  Biodiesel has passed all human and environmental safety tests.  It is legally registered with the Environmental Protection Agency.  Unlike other alternative fuels, it can be legally sold and distributed in any part of world.

The raw materials used to make biodiesel are less costly than those used in the production of petroleum-based fuels, making it a more economical as well as more environmentally friendly.  The oil used in its production usually comes from plants, including soybeans, rice, corn, and even algae.  Vegetable oils that have already been used for cooking can even be used, although this slightly complicates the production process.  Nowadays this alternative to petroleum is gradually becoming available to the general public, especially in Europe and Asia.  In Germany it is cheaper than normal diesel at gas stations.  Demand for it is starting to increase as more people become aware of its many benefits.  It is starting to be used to run farm equipment as well as automobiles with diesel engines.

There are some vehicle manufacturers that are supportive of the use of biodiesel.  These companies have released lists of their vehicles that run on it, and also cite lower engine wear as one of its benefits.  This renewable fuel source is just as good as standard diesel fuel for running vehicles and is able to remove deposited dust in the fuel line.    

Biodiesel can also be used as heating oil for domestic and commercial boilers.  Some work needs to be done to modify existing boilers before they can be run on it.  Overall, it does not take much effort or cost to convert to this remarkable new form of energy. 

Source: Renewable Energy

When many people hear solar cell they give you the deer in the headlights look. To keep it simple consider the solar cell calculators that came out in the 1980’s. No battery simply powered by light. This is the dream and soon the reality of what could be powering your next family sedan.

Solar cell powered vehicles are making their way to us in the near future. With companies such as Honda making great strides in solar cell testing we may all be using solar cell energy by the year 2030. Not only our vehicles but also our homes our business and so on will be powered by the sun. The Honda FCX clarity is not solar powered at this time but it is a zero emissions vehicle.

This means no harmful fumes are expelled for environmental harm. This was a dream in 1986 and is a reality in 2008. Vehicles are making there way to running from electric motors with no more toxic fume expulsion. We are seeing more and more solar devices such as water heaters, cell phone chargers and lampposts that use solar cells for energy production.

We will soon be able to breath easier as the world becomes a cleaner place thanks to time, effort and research. Information on solar powered vehicles from its beginnings in history in the 1980’s to where we are and where we are going can be found online. There are even sites that show you steps to building your own solar powered vehicles. You will be amazed and on board for the changes that await us.

Source: Solar Panels

Since early this year, Lang Son province has granted licences of investment and construction of five hydro-electric power plants with a total installing capacity of over 45.8 MW and a total investment capital of more than VND 946.5 billion.

The construction of Bac Giang and Thac Xang hydro-electric power plants has kicked off and the preparation for the construction of other Ban Nhung, Khanh Khe and Bac Khe hydro-electric power plants are in full swing.

These five plants are expected to connect to the national grid by 2010.

Via:nhandan.com.vn

Tags: software engineering, value engineering, construction engineering

Source: construction engineering

If you’re still using the same old marketing strategies that everyone else is using, then you are all missing out on a large number of customers. That’s the bottom line.

You could have the best product in the world, but if it’s not marketed effectively, you’re dead in the water.

Ecological Niche Marketing is a new e-book that will show you the best place for your future marketing–and how you can get paid while doing the best thing for the environment.

The best part is, these secrets are the same ones that companies like Starbucks and Philips use every day.

If you want to break into a customer base that buys what they believe in, then you need this ebook. The truth of the matter is that loyal customers will keep coming back. If they believe in your product, then you know you’ll keep their business year after year.

However, in order to get their business in the first place, you need to stand out from the pack. I’ll show you how to do that.

The bottom line is that if you want to see your business last, you should be reading my book and finding out where the future of marketing is.

Hop over to this page and find out more:
Green Marketing Book

To lock in a lifetime of clients you need to first get their attention, and you’re only going to do
that once you have an effective marketing plan. Start creating yours now:

Green Marketing Book

Source: ebooks

The environmental movement is rising almost as fast as the rising cost of fossil fuel and the Internet is playing a major role. Environmentally-conscious consumers and the overall population are turning to social networks, online communities, niche-market websites and blogs for green products, hybrids, organically grown food and eco-tourism. 

Just look at some of the numbers from Sarah Radwanick's post, The Internet Goes Green:

TreeHugger.com, a popular green site, has seen visitation reach 515,000 people in March 2008, an 81% increase from March 2007.

Freecycle.org, site connects people in communities to exchange items they no longer need or want for free, gained 15% from the previous year to 322,000 visitors in March 2008.

(Reference: ComScore blog, The Internet Goes Green, by Sarah Radwanick)

Using comScore Marketer, a search intelligence tool, Sarah Radwanich investigated several green search terms and came up with the following:

Terms such as “ecotourism” and “climate change” have experienced large search query increases in the past year, with “ecotourism” growing 574% to 12,864 searches in February 2008 while “climate change” jumped 167% to 9,542 searches.

Searches for “hybrid cars” also gained (up 48% to 68,332 searches), while basic environmental word searches have also seen growth, including “recycle” (up 35% to 72,779 searches) and “pollution” (up 58% to 32,788 searches).

At AIM Custom Media, we're seeing more interest in the environment as well. One of our new clients, Eco-Gardeners.com (a new blog by The Happy Gardener), provides articles and organic gardening tips for gardening enthusiasts. In addition, they offer a full-line of organic gardening products that are safe for children, kids and your kitchen table. Their business model also includes the opportunity for passionate gardeners, and/or savvy entrepreneurs, to start their own home businesses.

The Happy Gardener, has been featured in Women's Day, Forbes, Entrepreneur Magazine, Prevention Magazine and the Richmond Times Dispatch (among others).

Annette Pelliccio, owner of The Happy Gardener, said,

 “Everyone involved with our growing company is committed to helping families learn healthier methods to benefit the future of our communities and the environment.”

Going green to gold isn't limited to gardening and numerous corporations are helping to drive the environmental moment. One book explains how, Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage (you can read the reviews on Amazon).

There are several articles on this topic. Here are a few more for those interested:

• Corporations Find Business Case for Going Green (MSNBC article)
  Global giants, from Wal-Mart to HP, see cost savings, other benefits
• Corporations Finding Green in Going Green (Engadget.com article)
• Companies That Go Green Really Help (ABC News article)
  Firms Like News Corp. Set a Good Example for Climate Change, Environmentalists Say

Source: environmental trends