According to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), buildings in the United States account for 70% of our nation’s electricity use. Find more Green Building Research click HERE.
“A new publication provides a thorough yet easy-to-read overview of the issue of climate change in our state. “Climate Change in South Carolina” describes the impact of climate change on South Carolina’s environment, public health, and economy. It goes on to detail solutions both individual and collective: efficiency and conservation, renewable energy innovation, and political leadership. The 24-page booklet is the product of former Upstate Forever intern Colin Hagan’s yearlong Compton Mentor Fellowship and was co-sponsored by Upstate Forever, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, and Abell Muiltimedia”. - Excerpt from Upstate Update monthly bulletin.
Click on the link below to view the guide.
SC Guide to Climate Change
Click HERE to see msnbc’s interactive multi-media map of global warming.
The August 11 edition of BusinessWeek reports that despite China’s pollution and other ecological problems, the country is determined to be a green leader. The incredible images above come from National Geographic - Wallpaper.
Click here for further info - Environmental strides in China.
“Almost half the coral reef ecosystems in United States territory are in poor or fair condition.” reported NOAA’s deputy assistant secretary Timothy Keeney. “Since NOAA’s last report in 2005, the Caribbean region has lost at least 50% of its corals.” The culprit? The rise in sea temperatures that accompany global warming. - excerpt from AP article.
Click HERE to view entire AP article.
Click HERE to view entire NOAA report.
Click HERE to view a blog that discusses this report.
See the following Oceana.org reports on Global Warming (GW) , what GW is doing to the Oceans, GW ocean victims, and What We Can Do!
Matt Cheney is trying to make it easy and cheap to go green. His firm, MMA Renewable Ventures (MMA), helps companies build solar energy systems, cut their electricity bills, and lock in rates for decades-all with no money down. The San Francisco company has erected some $300 million worth of solar panels for clients ranging from Denver International Airport to Gap (GPS).
MMA’s approach brings together evergy users, builders, and financiers. Essentially, MMA is the middleman. It contracts with companies to install the solar panels, which it owns and operates. Customers then pay MMA for the power the panels generate-like a traditional utility but with cheaper rates.” - Excerpt from www.newsweek.com.
Click on the link below to read the entire article.
“Earth Day falls every year on April 22, in celebration of the importance of the environment and to encourage action. It was initiated in 1970 by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson, who started a “teach-in” to protest the government’s environmental ignorance. This eventually led to legislation including the Environmental Policy Act (1969), the Clean Air Act (1970), the Clean Water Act (1977) and fuel efficiency standards for automobiles.
Recycling is one of the easiest ways for people to take action on behalf of the environment, a way to make Every Day Earth Day. Recycling reduces the amount of waste in landfills, and prevents hazardous materials from leaking into our soil and water systems.
Earth day is a day to stop and think about your affect on the environment and what you can do to help protect it. One of the best ways to do that is by properly disposing of the products in your life”.
Click on the link below to read more about how you can take part on this day and every day.
“Algae biodiesel isn’t practical yet, but startups and giants are enthusiastically exploring the possibilities
In a world spooked by global warming and thirsty for nonpolluting fuel, lowly algae hold a potent appeal. The plants sop up large quantities of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, and produce tiny globules of fat that can be collected and turned into biodiesel fuel for trucks, cars, and trains. The oils might even be processed into aircraft fuel.
One of algae’s great virtues is that the plant has so little in common with other sources of fuel. Unlike cornfields that are harvested to produce ethanol, algae farms don’t require huge volumes of freshwater, nor do they tie up land that could be used for food crops. Algae flourish in saltwater or even wastewater and grow up to 40 times faster than other plants. Compared with current energy crops, algae have “the potential to deliver 10 or 100 times more energy per acre,” says Ron C. Pate, a technical expert at Sandia National Labs. That’s why industrial giants ranging from Chevron (CVX ) to Honeywell (HON ) to Boeing (BA ) are starting up algae business units. “In the past two years, we have changed from algae skeptics to proponents,” says Dave Daggett, Boeing’s technology leader for energy and emissions”. Excerpt from www.businessweek.com.
Click on the link below to read the entire article.
“When it comes to spewing out carbon dioxide and other agents of global warming, some of the biggest offenders are mundane construction products like drywall. Serious Materials in Sunnyvale, Calif., says that manufacturing it accounts for 1% of all the energy used by U.S. industry, and thus a comparable percentage of all industrial emissions. The company will soon market a product called EcoRock that could drastically shrink drywall’s carbon footprint.
In the traditional production process, gypsom and other raw materials are combined in watery slurry that must be rolled flat and dried, guzzling energy. Serious Materials’ new recipe combines chemicals that, when mixed, react to create much of their own drying heat. The company was voted the top prospect at a recent green investment forum, and in November, it snared $50 million in venture capital. CEO Kevin Surace argues that industry must find a way to improve on traditional building products.” - Excerpt from www.businessweek.com.
—By John Carey. Edited by Adam Aston
By Annie B. Bond, executive producer of Care2’s Green Living
“A little dab of this and that from your kitchen cupboard will provide you with the best window cleaner!
THE BEST WINDOW CLEANER
Make a great all-purpose window cleaner by combining 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon liquid soap or detergent, and 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Combine in a spray bottle. Shake to blend”. - Excerpt from http://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-best-window-cleaner.html
“To see Germany’s latest cash crop, take a train across the flat plains between Hannover and Berlin or cruise the waters off the gusty North Sea coast. In both places, you can’t miss the rows of windmills marching to the horizon, quietly generating some 7% of the nation’s electricity needs- and powering an important new industry.
Thanks to smart regulation, Germany has become a global powerhouse in green energy, producing more electricity from wind than any other country. While the industry owes some of its success to German expertise in fields such as aerodynamics, the biggest boost has come from the government. The nation’s energy law guarantees operators of windmills and solar generators an above-market price for power for as long as 20 years. Other countries have similar policies, but few have applied them as consistently as Germany”. - Excerpt from http://businessweek.com/.
Click on the link below to read the entire article.
“For some industries, the prospet of $3.5 billion in federal subsidies now, and double that in three years, might be a powerful incentive. But not, apparently, for the oil industry, which is seeing crude oil prices soar to record highs. Despite collecting billions for blending small amounts of ethanol with gas, oil companies seem determined to fight the spread of E85, a fuel that is 85% ethanol and 15% gas. Congress has set a target of displacing 15% of projected annual gasoline use with alternative fuels by 2017″. - Excerpt from Businessweek Magazine.
Click on the link below to read the entire article.
Hopefully, Spring is just around the corner and we need to get ready for it. You might not live out in the country but with the help of the booklet Backyard Conservation you can bring the country to you! It tells you how to protect the environment and how to add beauty and interest to your backyard.
You can get a printed copy of the 28-page booklet free by calling 1-888-LANDCARE or you can download the booklet by clicking on the links below.
Backyard Conservation, pages 1-14
Backyard Conservation, pages 15-28
“This campaign is a cooperative project of the National Association of Conservation Districts, the Wildlife Habitat Council, and USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.”
“Caring for all the green and growing things in your yard can have a big effect on how much waste your household creates. From grass clippings and leaves to pesticides and water, the eco-impact of your lawn and farden can be significant.”
Click on the link below to read the entire article. Once you get to the webpage, click on In The Yard on the left side of the page.
“A low odor, low VOC, 100% acrylic latex flat that provides high hiding, excellent touch up, and a uniform flat finish. Eco Spec Interior Latex Flat (219) is ideally suited for commercial, facility management, and residential applications. Eco Spec Interior Latex Flat (219) does not have the odor of conventional paints that contain ingredients known as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)”.
Recommended For: New or previously painted interior wallboard, plaster, ceilings and masonry, as well as primed or previously painted wood and metal; use Eco Spec Interior Latex Primer (231) as a first coat when a low odor, solvent free Primer / Finish system is desired. - Copied from www.benjaminmoore.com.
Click on the link below for more details.
By Catherine Zandonella, M.P.H
“When my husband and I exchanged two decades of urban existence for suburban life, I didn’t know a rhododendron from a Rototiller. We did know that we wanted to forgo the “weed ‘n’ feed” approach to lawn care and build a safe yard where our kids could poke around in the dirt without us worrying about their health. To our pleasant surprise, organic yard care is simple once you go through the steps of disconnecting your lawn from its chemical life-support system.
Curing this chemical dependency has its environmental benefits. One 40-pound bag of synthetic fertilizer contains the fossil-fuel equivalent of approximately 2.5 gallons of gasoline, and mowing for one hour with a gasoline-powered mower generates the same amount of pollution as driving a car for 20 miles, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). To keep lawns green, we apply about 10,000 gallons of water, which leads to fungal diseases and weeds that attract pests, so we douse our coveted green patches with approximately 67 million pounds a year of synthetic pesticides.
It’s getting easier to avoid these harmful chemicals, thanks to increasing resources and the availability of least-toxic products. “The shift to organic lawn care reflects a broader awareness of the dangers of pesticides to both the environment and our health,” says Eileen Gunn, project director for the advocacy group Beyond Pesticides”. - Excerpt from National Geographic’s TheGreenGuide
Click on the link below to read the entire article.
“For the fifth consecutive year, Honda’s natural gas-powered Civic GX took top honors as the greenest vehicle, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).
The Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid claim spots two and three, while the Nissan Altima Hybrid and Toyota Camry Hybrid also make the list of the ten greenest vehicles. “Hybrids stand out, even after being taken down a notch by the new fuel economy calculations,” said ACEEE vehicle analyst Shruti Vaidyanathan. The Smart Fortwo and the Toyota Yaris fall right behind the greenest hybrids, showcasing the environmental benefits of smaller passenger vehicles.” - Excerpt from www.hybridcars.com
Click on the link below to read the entire article.
The world’s first commercial compressed air-powered vehicle is rolling towards the production line. The Air Car, developed by ex-Formula One engineer Guy Nègre, will be built by India’s largest automaker, Tata Motors.
The Air Car uses compressed air to push its engine’s pistons. It is anticipated that approximately 6000 Air Cars will be cruising the streets of India by 2008. If the manufacturers have no surprises up their exhaust pipes the car will be practical and reasonably priced. The CityCat model will clock out at 68 mph with a driving range of 125 miles. - Excerpt from Yahoo!Green
Click on the link below to read the entire article.
“In the spring of 1999 a stranger named Bill Moore arrived in the small town of Lowville, the county seat of Lewis County, New York, and checked into the Ridge View Motor Lodge on Route 12. Like many towns in this county, Lowville (the “Low” rhymes with “now”) is blanketed with countless parcels of farmland and pastureland that are whipped, especially in winter, by powerful winds gusting out of Canada, 60 miles to the north. This is dairy country, though the constant pressure for cheap milk has made the economics too chancy for single-family dairies. Moore, a broad-shouldered Yale man who had worked on Wall Street, had a passion for renewable energy and owned a company, Atlantic Renewable, that had already developed two wind farms — one with seven turbines and the other with 20 — 75 miles south of town. He had what he considered a good proposal for the 27,000 citizens of Lewis County: Milk wind, not cows.
When he started telling the locals about his notion, Moore was met with indulgent smiles but little genuine enthusiasm. “I made a presentation at a town meeting, and they looked at me like I was from Mars,” he says. “They were polite. They didn’t openly laugh.” Next, he wandered the countryside, knocking on farmhouse doors to ask permission to erect meteorological equipment to test the wind speed. “I was thrown out by a number of people,” he says. “They’ve listened to a lot of sales pitches over the years: seed salesmen, fertilizer salesmen.” As he’d learned over the years, farmers were a tough crowd to win over.
Eight years later, though, it’s as if the cool reception Moore received never happened at all. Windmills stud the flat, stark landscape as far as the eye can see.” - Excerpt from www.nrdc.org.
Click on the link below to read the entire article.
Glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula are melting away at an alarming rate. - Excerpt from National Geographic
Click on the link below to watch the video
Scientists in Wisconsin are discovering that increased greenhouse gases are having some unexpected effects. - Excerpt from National Geographic
Click on the link below to watch the video
“Our planet, the earth, is like a giant spaceship. Everything we need for survival is on board the ship — air for breathing, water for drinking and land for growing food.Also like a spaceship, our earth cannot make more air, water or land, or get more from outer space. In fact, the water you drink, the air you breathe and the ground you play on have been around for a very, very long time.” - From Illinois EPA Envirofun.
Click on the links below to learn about our earthship.
Annual savings: $50 to $150 on electric bills per machine.
Up-front cost: About $500 to $1,500 per machine.
Quick Fix: Compact fluorescent bulbs (costing about $5 each) could save you about $5 each annually. The biggest problem with fluorescents is that their bluish light can make even the healthiest homeowner look ready for his last rites.
To minimize the operating room glare, says Jeff Miller, president-elect of the International Association of Lighting Designers, buy only name-brand bulbs that are labeled “soft” or “warm” light. Keep in mind that wattages are different than you’re used to: The GE 26-watt compact fluorescent bulb, for example, gives off as much light as a 100-watt regular bulb”.
Add insulationAnnual savings: About 5% on your fuel bills (if you have some insulation already) to 25% (if you have none).
Up-front cost: About $1,000 to insulate the attic and foundation yourself; about $2,000 to $4,000 for a handyman to do it.
The credit: 10% of the cost of materials (credit cannot exceed $500).
Quick Fix: A Smart Power Strip (costing about $30) could save you $30 per strip a year. Most electrical devices gobble energy even when they’re shut off and unplugging them is a hassle. Plug in your printer, speakers and other peripherals and they’ll get power only when your computer is on. Same goes for TV and stereo equipment. Each strip will pay for itself in about a year”.
In the attic, look for gaps around anything that comes through the floor, such as pipes, fan ducts and electrical lines. Use an expanding-foam spray or paint-able caulk to seal cracks.
Annual savings: Up to 10% on your fuel bills
Up-front cost: About $100 if you do it yourself; $500 or more if you hire out the job.
Tax credit: 10% of the cost of storm windows (credit cannot exceed $200).
Quick Fix: A water heater blanket (about $20) could save you $34 a year for a gas heater; $54 for an electric one”.
Excerpt from Money Magazine
Up-front cost: About $50 if you do it yourself; $500 to $3,000 otherwise.
Instead of waiting for the next oil shock, consider learning to wean yourself off oil dependency somewhat now; it will benefit your pocket and the planet. Every gallon of petrol/gasoline you use results in approximately 20 pounds of carbon dioxide being produced. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
Huh? Those figures don’t add up? How can one gallon create 20 pounds? That’s because most of the weight of the CO2 doesn’t come from the gasoline itself, but the oxygen in the air that is burned as part of the combustion process. The chemical reaction between elements of gasoline and oxygen create carbon dioxide.
Click on the link below for some gas saving tips that can help lessen your consumption and impact on the environment, not to mention save you some serious money! - Excerpt from http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/44/1/Gas-saving-tips.html.
If you have not started recycling yet, then today is your day. It’s America Recycles Day 2007. It just takes a little effort to recycle and it can be fun too. Make it one of your family chores thus you will be teaching your children how to be a good recycler. If we start teaching our children now, it might just change the world! Come on! Do your part!
Click on the link below to read about Recycling Day. There’s a lot of good information on the website.
“We believe the optimal green coating should do two things: minimize the impact on air quality and deliver maximum performance. So we’ve developed the GreenSure symbol to help you identify the products that meet our highest green coating standards.
Going further than most third-party certifications, the GreenSure designation takes into consideration product performance and other criteria that impact the environment.” - Excerpt from sherwin.williams.com.
Click on link below for more details.
Hey kids, do you like finding out things about animals, entering contests, playing games and much more? Then click on the link below and start having fun while you learn.