“The goal is to bring global warming under control by curtailing the release of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping “greenhouse” gases into the atmosphere.
We can help immediately by becoming more energy efficient. Reducing our use of oil, gasoline and coal also sets an example for others to follow.” – Excerpt from eartheasy.
“Can fixing energy-wasting buildings stave off global instability? Former president Bill Clinton thinks so. In the biggest project his foundation has taken on since securing a supply of cheap generic AIDS drugs for third world countries, Clinton has brokered a $5 billion effort to finance the retrofit of old buildings in 16 cities around the world.
The project, which Clinton announced at a climate conference in Manhattan yesterday, creates a financing and labor pool to replace energy-hogging light fixtures, as well as install better building insulation and more efficient HVAC systems”. – Excerpt from businessweek.com
Click on link below to read entire article.
“These 4 cars can lower your gas bill.
If you’re in the market for a new car and want to be a little more environmentally friendly with your ride, check out the four new hybrids that will hit the road in 2008.
Hybrid cars use two power sources, and most of the hybirds on the road right now use a combination of gas and electricity to run.
The combination of gas and electric power uses much less gasoline than standard vehicles. And, with the price of gas, that can mean more money in your pocket”. – Claire Anderson, UpstateLink.com.
Click on the links below to read about each car.
“For graduate students, it’s getting ever easier to be green, thanks to an interdisciplinary newcomer called sustainability science by some and sustainable development by others. Whichever label you use, the challenge of figuring out how to keep the world in balance “is a boom area,” says Jeffrey Sachs, executive director of Columbia University’s Earth Institute, where master’s and doctoral students typically integrate environmental, biological, and social sciences with government, economic, business, and policy studies.” – Excerpt from U.S. News & World Report
Click on the link below to read the entire article.
“Look no further than your own home for ways to make a difference. Thanks to environmentally friendly products, helping to sustain our planet’s resources can be as simple as changing a light bulb.Â
Replacing a few household items with energy-saving options not only can reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases, but also can save you valuable dollars each month.” – Excerpt from Lowe’s Creative Ideas Septebmer/October 2007 Issue.
Click on the link below to read the entire article.
Sign up to receive the Creative Ideas Magazine for Free
Â
EcoFriendly events are a timely and relevant way to reach the community. We at Green Arch Design Group have created a eco-friendly event series called the greenLIFEproject. Modeled after DisneyWorld’s popular KidCot program, the greenLIFEproject is a fun, interactive way for children of all ages to learn about conservation.
Total costs for a portable ‘booth’ or table that can be set-up at movie theatres, public schools, etc. is less than $250.00.
Volunteers
Volunteers needed for set-up, the event and take-down range from 2-6 persons.
Booth/Table Equipment & Costs
Folding Table – Office Depot Brand Budget Folding Table – $49.99
Table Cloth – K-Mart – $39.00
Portable Tent – K-Mart – $78.00
City of Greenville Recycle Brochure – FREE!
Greenville County Recycle Brochure – FREE!
Where Do You Recycle Difficult To Recycle Items Brochure – FREE!
EcoFriendly Kids Masks
The masks are the interactive part of this event. Children make masks similar to Epcot’s KidCot masks. They were given cutouts of a lightbulb, tree, car, and a recycle symbol to put on their masks. These symbols stood for the following:
Light bulb - Replace your burned out light bulbs with CFL’s – Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs.
Tree - Plant a tree to clean the air.
Car - Drive less, carpool and/or buy a high mileage/hybrid car.
Recycle Symbol - Recycling is something that everyone can do, even children.
Movie events.
We took our greenLIFEproject to the movie opening of Evan Almighty, the first “green” film to be made. Everything that was used in the movie was either donated to Habitat for Humanity or to the community where the movie was being filmed. Click on the link below to learn more about how this movie was “green”.
#1 Event for Church Facilities & Technology Teams!
“WFX is dedicated to helping growing churches reach their ministry objectives… This unique event provides unparalleled learning… Join thousands of your peers from across the world to study, share ideas, gain inspiration and lean… ” – excerpts from www.wfxweb.com.
Â
“The act of building has significant effects on our regional and global environments. Resources are consumed, natural habitats are altered and the ecological systems are affected. This has been the case throughout human history, but as the world’s population and pattersn of consumption have increased, the impacts have become more critical.Â
Building and fire safety codes and standards establish the benchmarks for what government, industry and society deem acceptable for the public welfare.
As with life safety code requirements, energy efficiency requirements set out minimum acceptable levels of performance. The important difference is that the adoption and enforcement of a code like the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) has a cumulative benefit of not only reducing evergy consumption within the given jurisdiction but also minimizing global impacts.” – Excerpt from the Building Safety Journal On-Line.
Click on the link below to read the entire article.
Â
“The temperature atop Chicago’s City Hall building on an average summer day is usually 14 degrees to 44 degrees cooler than the county office building across the street. The reason: the county building has a typical black-tar roof, while City Hall has a green roof planted with grass, plants, and flowers.
The idea of planting grass or other vegetation on the roof of a building or house may seem like a holdover from the ’60s counterculture movement, but proponents say such roofing systems are the solution to a wealth of environmental problems plaguing cities and jurisdictions across the country.
“Green roofs reduce resource consumption and are restorative in nature,†says Steven Peck, founder and president of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, a Toronto-based nonprofit industry association and research network. “They clean the water, clean the air, and contribute to the health of a city.†– Excerpt from residentialarchitect.com.
Click on the link below to read the entire article.
Al Gore and the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Friday, and the former vice president used the attention to warn that global warming is “the greatest challenge we’ve ever faced.” – excerpt from msnbc.com updated Oct 12, 2007.
Click here to view entire article.
Click here for more msnbc news on the Environment.
Click here for more msnbc news on Climate Change.
Green power is electricity generated from renewable sources. It includes solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and small hydro. Renewable sources are more environmentally friendly than traditional electricity generation. Unlike fossil fuels they emit little or no air pollution and leave behind no radioactive waste like nuclear. Most importantly, they are naturally replenished by the earth and sun.
Solar: Converting energy from the sun into electricity using photovoltaic panels and solar thermal plants.
Wind: Harnessing the power of the wind using turbines (wind power is the fastest growing renewable energy technology).
Geothermal: Use of steam that lies below the earth’s surface to generate electricity.
Biomass: Releasing solar energy stored in plants and organic matter by burning agricultural waste and other organic matter to generate power.
 Small Hydro: Use of flowing water to power electric turbines
(small hydro plants are less than 30 megawatts in size)
Click on the link below to find out more about green power here: http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/
IT SAVES ENERGY.
IT CONSERVES WATER.
IT PROTECTS NATURAL RESOURCES.
IT REDUCES BUILDINGS’ IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY.
IT CONTRIBUTES TO A SAFE, HEALTHY INDOOR ENVIRONMENT.
Click on the link below to read more about green building material.
                           
Get Challenged! Looking for a way to help the environment but don’t know where to start? Need simple ways to get involved? Join Campaign Earth’s monthly challenge. We’ll give you one new step to take each month. We even send you emails to keep you motivated and reminded when it’s time for your next challenge. - Excerpt from  campaignearth.org.
Click on the link below to read about the challenge.
Click on the link below to sign up for the challenge.
Subscribe to this site's RSS feed.