tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89136486346583671542024-02-07T17:53:58.013-08:00You Can Be Eco FriendlyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913648634658367154.post-14866625058229589462013-10-03T20:04:00.003-07:002013-10-03T20:04:28.937-07:00Green Wave Bike Lanes<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Green Wave Bike Lanes</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2803/4249078454_de43e39bfd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" id="yui_3_11_0_3_1380855692200_430" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2803/4249078454_de43e39bfd.jpg" width="320" /></a>What are Green Wave Bike Lanes? They are simply bike lanes that are have a posted speed limit that if you ride the limit you will get green lights all the way along a certain road or path without having to stop at any red lights. Not bad when you time it just right. Sometimes the green wave bike lanes are even painted a bright green and other times they are just left the normal street color. Personally I like the normal street color as the bright green gets really ugly over a little bit of time. A lot of people prefer the bright green because they feel we shouldn't have to share the bike lane with anyone but I just don't think that's feasible. So, what do you think would you like to see a Green Wave Bike lane in your town at least on your way home from work. That would be my favorite. Or do you think that it's just a fad and it slows down vehicle traffic too much? What do you all think? </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>If You Had a Green Wave In Your Town Where Should It Be</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you could decide where to put it in your town where would you put it or would you put one at all. would you put one on the way to work or on the way home from work. Or would it be on the way to pick up your kids from school. We all have differing needs form our bicycles. I know that a lot of people will be against this bike infrastructure as they are with a lot of bike projects but I think this is something that is worthwhile. Especially in downtown's where speeds are slower so you don't slow down the pace of traffic too much to accommodate the green wave bike lane.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">photo by SFBIKE@FLICKR</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913648634658367154.post-63074924060103994962013-08-04T19:11:00.000-07:002013-08-04T19:11:36.427-07:00Is LEED a Scam<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Is LEED a Scam?</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8430/7729815614_bcaa6ff581.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8430/7729815614_bcaa6ff581.jpg" height="237" id="fancybox-img" width="400" /></a>The LEED Green building certification is the current go to thing to have if you want to be hip and with it in the green construction and environmentally responsible building designs. But suppose you go out and build your building do everything your supposed to do get the top LEED certification get all the good green press that you can then go away. All is good right? Not really if your building is not really green at all. This is precisely what happened with the Bank of America Tower that opened in New York City in 2010. This building was given the LEED Platinum rating. (<a href="http://www.fastcodesign.com/1673142/leed-lies-bank-of-americas-green-skyscraper-is-actually-an-energy-guzzler" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">see this article in co.design</a>)However it is truly a high energy user in fact it uses more energy than many older buildings in New York. Suppose your building is really not a Prius but a Hummer H1 going down the freeway at 80 miles per hours in terms of energy consumption? Well then you have a problem right, well not really because it's not like the Leed people will fine you or take away your LEED certification. They really can't do anything to you since they have no power to do anything like that. They are just a certifying group. They are a group of designers, builders and industry people really who have a vested interest in your building being LEED certified. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Replace Leed With Something Better</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Replace Leed with something better. That seems easy enough right. I think it can be done pretty easily. You see a Leed certified project is a building that is certified before it is built and they tell you what the energy usage will be before you ever build the project. To me that is completely backwards they should be giving out certifications after the building is built. Only then can you see how much energy this project uses. That is the way to determine if this is truly a green building or not. </span></span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913648634658367154.post-17736128365256133242013-05-24T20:42:00.000-07:002013-05-24T20:42:42.247-07:00Santa Clara County Considering Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Santa Clara County Considering Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure</b></span></span><br />
<a href="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2294/2224059454_776626dcf9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" id="yui_3_7_3_3_1369453154283_447" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2294/2224059454_776626dcf9.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Santa Clara County is considering a push to make wiring all new homes and homes that are remodeled more friendly to electric car chargers. As it stands today, typically electric vehicles are charged on chargers connected to 110 to 120 volt outlets. This can take a few hours to charge an electric car battery. A faster charge can be had with a 220 volt outlet the type more commonly found for use with dryers and washers. A yet faster charge as little as 30 minutes or so can be had on an outlet that serves 480 volt DC. However currently there are no rules in place in Santa Clara County to require the high voltages for auto charging. The supervisors are considering requiring all new construction and all remodels to come with at least 220 volts in the garage so that a new owner of an electric vehicle will not also have to get their house rewired. Because with all the talk of charging stations all over the country as common as gas station. The fact of the matter is the charging station most people use every day is the one in their garage. A lot of people will think this is not a good idea because hey it adds to the cost of a home or the cost of a remodel and that is all true but if you own an electric vehicle you will be saving the money on not buying gas. I suppose if you don't own an electric vehicle you will spend the money regardless and not see the savings but I do suppose you will at least have smaller lines at the gas station and that is worth something right. What do you think?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by RightBrainPhotography@Fickr.com</span><br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913648634658367154.post-65378356569457747982013-05-13T19:06:00.001-07:002013-06-08T08:49:17.193-07:00The Unlocking Technology Act of 2013<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>The Unlocking Technology Act of 2013</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4049/4369336197_23929f9a7e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Spotify by Johan Larsson" border="0" height="213" src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4049/4369336197_23929f9a7e.jpg" width="320" /></a>The Unlocking Technology Act of 2013 is a new bill winding it's way through government bureaucracy that basically says that companies cannot throw you in jail for up to five years and fine you huge sums of money while hiding behind copyright and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Basically what this is about is companies like Apple computer, Samsung, and Sony don't want you doing such nefarious things with the product you buy from them as Jail breaking them. Or god forbid that you take one of those products to a new perhaps cheaper carrier and cut off their cash cow. Now they are using the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to say that simply jail breaking a phone is breaking their copyright. That is simply wrong. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>The Beginning</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the beginning of the personal computer age in the time of the TRS 80 and other computers of that time and day you were given the code and some simple programs to master to help you learn how to code. On the TRS 80 it was BASIC and one of the first things I did was I coded some games and I took out the original coders name and put in my own. It was simple to do and it was cool for a kid who was twelve and it taught me to love what you could do on a computer. So here we start out where they give you all the code and teach you basic programming and the computers are always in need of working on and you just have to work on them they are made for the owners to work on all the time. Basically remove 4 screws and you can get into your Personal Computer anytime you want now what do you want to upgrade and make better or faster? Then DMCA comes along and these companies are saying whoa stop there don't change a thing. After they taught us hey you need to keep working on this machine to keep it going and keep it up with current technology. Now they say stop. Not only do they say stop but they say you bought this from us but we still own the copyright on it so you can't touch it and if you do you will go to jail. Many people did anyway and some got in trouble with law. That's how we have come to the Unlocking Technology Act of 2013 To stop these abuses of regular people just trying to make to phones that they spent their hard earned money on work better for them. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Comparisons</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So what is you bought a table from <span style="font-size: large;">www.i<span style="font-size: large;">kea.com</span></span> and it was beautiful, the best table you could find. But then you found out that everyone in town had virtually the same table as you? So you said to yourself hey I will<span style="font-size: large;"> buy some paint f<span style="font-size: large;">rom </span></span> <span style="font-size: large;">www.homedepot.com</span> and paint my table. But then you get the call from Ikea, don't paint the table because if you do you are breaking the law and you will go to jail for a long time and be fined so much money you will never be able to pay the bill. Sounds pretty stupid right? I know it totally makes sense about this table. But for some reason these phone companies just don't want to let go of this control they have on all of us. I know you are thinking why is this type of post of a green living blog? Well, part of green living is being able to choose and live a life in the easiest cheapest way. The Unlocking Technology Act Of 2013 will help to make our lives a little easier and cheaper. If we want to unlock our phone to get more features or to take it to another cheaper carrier then we can. More power to you. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/johanl/4369336197/">Spotify</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/johanl/">Johan Larsson</a> on Flickr.</span></span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913648634658367154.post-74344457332740408552013-05-10T19:59:00.000-07:002013-05-10T19:59:29.601-07:00Paper or Plastic? Which Grocery Bag To Choose<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Paper Or Plastic Which Grocery Bag To Choose</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3015/5791732429_5f2652a397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Attack of the Plastic Bags by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com" border="0" height="240" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3015/5791732429_5f2652a397.jpg" width="400" /></a>Paper Or Plastic we are given this choice at least once and sometimes several times every week as we go about something as simple as our grocery shopping. So what is the right answer? I know that some people just prefer the plastic and some people will say hey it takes as much energy to make a paper bag as it does to recycle a plastic grocery bag. But this is my thought on the paper or plastic grocery bag question. I think that a paper grocery bag is made of a biodegradable product that can be used over and over again. Now I know that a plastic grocery bag can be as well but it just isn't as durable as a paper grocery bag. I mean think about it. Remember back in school when we covered our books with paper grocery bags and it would last a whole year. Then we would throw what was left away at the end of the year. Do you think we could make a book cover out of a plastic grocery bag that would last a whole year of school?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Deforestation To Make Paper is a Big Problem </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are some that say huge swaths of forest are being deforested to make paper bags. I say that is not true. The truth of the matter is that paper is made from trees that are fast growing and from trees that are replanted at a rate that will keep up with the rate of cutting otherwise the paper company will go out of business.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>It is Easier To Recycle Paper Than Plastic</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The steps the recycle paper are fairly straightforward. First you must collect the paper products. Then the large bales are soaked so that the paper separates into individual fibers. Chemicals are then added to this soup of water and pulp. This paper soup is then sent into a system to remove all of the ink. Once the ink is taken off the pulp it is treated just like fresh pulp and fed into a paper machine. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Reusable Shopping Bags </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Reusable Shopping bags are really a great thing. They are the best thing to use. They are king of like the steel reusable water bottles. The best choice for the job at hand. But if you are like me you don't always have your reusable bags with you. So you know the new laws that say you have to purchase a bag for 10 cents if you don't bring your own reusable bags? I hate those laws. Now since this is a living green blog you would probably think I would love those laws but I hate them simply because they take a normal cost of the grocery business and pass it to the consumer as if it's a great thing. Not to mention that they sell you the reusable bags. Make using reusable bags as easy and simple as throw away bags and then it will become so simple and normal and people will have no problem with it. But I do like them I just don't like the fact people have to pay for them and then are forced to pay ransom for their groceries if they forget their reusable bags at home.</span></span><br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913648634658367154.post-66881279879581975752013-04-26T18:22:00.000-07:002013-04-26T22:35:20.972-07:00USPS Jumping Into E-Waste Recycling <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>How Much E-Waste Is In Your House?</b></span></span><br />
<a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3563/3466837489_d741a0108e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Junk Drawer Organized With Temp Containers by Zayabibu" border="0" height="300" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3563/3466837489_d741a0108e.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Okay now go ahead open up that junk drawer. What do you have in there? I will tell you what is in mine. I have Batteries of all sizes including ones for flash lights and cameras I no longer use. I have old iPhones and iPods, Smart phones and dumb phones, and I don't know how many ink cartridges that I just haven't taken back to the recycle place. Oh and a couple of desktop computers in the garage that have been there since college days. Not to mention the laptop that just doesn't come on anymore. But the United States Postal Service is going to come to my rescue. They are going to liberate me of all of this junk that I no longer need. Heck I no longer needed it a long time ago. So What do I do with it. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>How do You Get Recycle Your E-Waste</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You go down to the post office and get a postage paid envelope and place your e-waste in a postage paid envelope and mail it off to Clover Technologies Group a Chatsworth based company that recycles E-Waste. They beat out 19 other companies to provide this program for the United States Postal Service. The Postal Service believes that this will be a new revenue stream for the Post Office which has been losing money in the last few years. Not to mention that people like me will be able to get rid of all these things laying around in their junk drawers. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/candyheartsandpaperflowers/3466837489/">Junk Drawer Organized With Temp Containers</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/candyheartsandpaperflowers/">Zayabibu</a> on Flickr.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913648634658367154.post-60248464661486992752013-03-26T19:23:00.001-07:002013-03-28T18:46:15.222-07:005 Low Flow Shower Heads To Save Water In The Shower<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Save Water With Every Shower</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tarynmarie/3289465020/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="low flow shower head"><img alt="low flow shower head by TarynMarie" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3328/3289465020_bf47ca2ca7.jpg" /></a>If you are like me you have an older home and the shower head as well as all the other fixtures in the house are not exactly <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003UQ17O4/?tag=coffeebean00-20">modern low flow models</a>. Not to mention the cabinets and sinks and floors are not exactly modern either but that's for another post and another few thousand dollars. But, modern shower heads that actually save water and at the same time </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">will give me a shower that really feels like a real shower and the water is not just dripping out that is what I am looking for. So, it has really taken a while but I have narrowed the list down to five modern low flow to save water yet they will still give you a shower that feels like the old fashioned shower head that just dumps water on your head. So here is my list of shower heads and one that I just couldn't believe the price <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005Q4XH1O/?tag=coffeebean00-20">this is the most expensive shower head I could find</a> and no it's not low flow but I just couldn't believe the price.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Old Style Shower Head Flow Rate</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, if you just bought that old house or if you have had it for a long time and you still have those shower heads that you love because man they just put out a lot of water lucky you or not so lucky you. How much water does an old style shower head put out? An old style shower head puts out about 7 gallons of water per minute. Wow, can you believe that? How much water is seven gallons a minute. Well you can plug up your tub and turn on the water for one minute and see for yourself and hey by the way save that water and at least water plants with it or do something useful with it don't just let it go down the drain. Another way to picture it is you know at Home Depot those big orange buckets they sell? Those buckets are five gallons so if you run your old school shower head for one minute you will fill up one and a half of those buckets. Then hey it's at least easier to water the plants that way. Now how many minutes do we all usually shower for? I know I am bad I take about a 20 minute shower so that's about 140 gallons with the old style shower head.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Low Flow Shower Head Flow Rate</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now if you have been using the old style shower heads you see above how much water you have been just wasting. But when you see the low flow shower head flow rate you will see there is an answer because it's more than just water it's really money going down the drain every time we use more water than we need. So how much water does the average low flow shower head use per minute? Typically a low flow shower head flow rate will be anywhere from 1.25 gallons per minute to 3 gallons per minute. So as you can see it's quite a bit less than the old style shower head in the example above. Basically it's half and you still have a nice comfortable shower.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>So here is my list of five low flow shower heads that I recommend. </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/current/swflash.cab" height="175px" id="Player_34ed62d3-3291-45a1-8703-5abf08a014fc" width="500px"> <param NAME="movie" VALUE="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?rt=tf_cw&ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=US&ID=V20070822%2FUS%2Fjustmike01-20%2F8010%2F34ed62d3-3291-45a1-8703-5abf08a014fc&Operation=GetDisplayTemplate"><param NAME="quality" VALUE="high"><param NAME="bgcolor" VALUE="#FFFFFF"><param NAME="allowscriptaccess" VALUE="always"><embed src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?rt=tf_cw&ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=US&ID=V20070822%2FUS%2Fjustmike01-20%2F8010%2F34ed62d3-3291-45a1-8703-5abf08a014fc&Operation=GetDisplayTemplate" id="Player_34ed62d3-3291-45a1-8703-5abf08a014fc" quality="high" bgcolor="#ffffff" name="Player_34ed62d3-3291-45a1-8703-5abf08a014fc" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" height="175px" width="500px"></embed></OBJECT></span></span> <noscript><a HREF="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?rt=tf_cw&ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=US&ID=V20070822%2FUS%2Fjustmike01-20%2F8010%2F34ed62d3-3291-45a1-8703-5abf08a014fc&Operation=NoScript">Amazon.com Widgets</A></noscript>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tarynmarie/3289465020/">low flow shower head</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tarynmarie/">TarynMarie</a> on Flickr.</span><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913648634658367154.post-55887779019182650122013-03-16T19:36:00.000-07:002013-09-02T07:26:55.126-07:00Sometimes I Just Want The Big Can<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>How the Size of Your Trash Can Affects Recycling Efforts</b></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4021/4399722114_38d5697899.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Trash Can Serial Numbers by Paul Garland" border="0" height="265" src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4021/4399722114_38d5697899.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So I get my curbside trash service from Waste Management Inc. The behemoth trash hauling company that basically handles anything trash or garbage related. They also handle all sorts of recycling of many different household products and for this I applaud them. I have been living in my house for around three years and I had those little bins that you have to stack together for my curbside recycling for around a year or so and I have to tell you they were practically worthless especially on a windy day. Since then your recyclables would be flying down the street and do your neighbors really need to know what applesauce you buy? No, they don't, but they do if they live downwind from me. However soon we got the fancy rolling trash and recycling bins with the closing lids and all was well in the world until today. It didn't really bug me that all my trash didn't fit in my little trash can I just had to recycle more. I mean hey don't I have a blog about green living and all of that anyway well with this little trash can you need to recycle as much as you can or everything won't fit. So I was fine with the status quo and everything was great it would be nice to have a little bigger trash bin but hey who really cares until today when I noticed that everyone on my block has a bigger trash can then me. What is the world coming to? Did I not get invited to the big trash can party or what? I mean is it really a big deal? No, it's not really a big deal and I have been going along just fine until today. Yet, part of me is saying hey I am going to call Waste Management and get a bigger trash can. But, the bigger part of me is thinking hey I have gotten along just fine with this little trash can and recycling more for the better part of a year and a half so if I got a bigger can then I would probably just spend more money and not recycle as much as I am basically forced to now. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have another question for you could you get by on a smaller trash can from your trash provider and how much do you pay for trash service monthly? </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Please share this post on your social media it takes 5 seconds and helps this blog a great deal. Thank you.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsbrown99/8531788474/"></a><br /></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_garland/4399722114/">Trash Can Serial Numbers</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_garland/">Paul Garland</a> on Flickr.</span></span><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913648634658367154.post-79622659346630237272013-03-04T10:12:00.001-08:002013-03-04T10:13:59.046-08:00Will Sequestration Affect Our Environmental Protection Efforts?<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Will Sequestration Affect Our Environmental Protection Efforts?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3625/3566044905_48ae340e3f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" id="yui_3_7_3_3_1362419672022_296" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3625/3566044905_48ae340e3f.jpg" /></a> The President and Congress could not get their act together and make rational decisions about the budget and spending in our country. Due to that the Sequestration kicked in which is basically across the board cuts to major programs and entities in government. I think somehow we will all feel this is one way or another. Be it personally or just a family member. So can the Sequester cuts affect our nations EPA or any other types of environmental protection efforts? The short answer is yes most definitely there will be direct cuts to the EPA's budget. What types of cuts am I talking about? The Environmental Protection Agency's 2013 budget will be cut by $472 million due to the March 1st Sequester order. Now that is just a direct budget cut. The other programs that are being cut are regulatory programs and also state Grant programs that help states implement EPA's strong federal environmental protection rules. These are the same programs that the states are all ready saying are currently underfunded at this level. So with these cuts I do believe that the Sequester order is going to have an adverse affect on how the EPA goes after companies and individuals that pollute and also the loss of grants to help the states enforce the Environmental protection rules will stop them from enforcing them as vigorously. So I think this all adds up to an environment where there is less money to monitor these programs and less money to help the states go after people who pollute the environment. If there is no enforcement you may as well not have the laws. Because without enforcement efforts the law is just a good idea. It has no teeth. </span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913648634658367154.post-21618960406217335262013-03-02T12:38:00.000-08:002013-03-02T12:41:09.908-08:00Does A Green Vehicle Have To Be More Expensive?<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Can A Green Vehicle Save You Some Green?</b></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5269/5886346325_8bb423e5a3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="2011 Chevrolet Volt - NRMA Drivers Seat by NRMA New Cars" border="0" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5269/5886346325_8bb423e5a3.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> I had a discussion with a friend of mine the other day and he told me the story about how he bought the new Chevy Volt hybrid gas electric vehicle. Now this is a person who lives a sort of green lifestyle. What do I mean by that? Well he has cards on his washer and dryer telling the kids at what hours of the day they can wash clothes simply because it's cheaper. So, this friend of mine doesn't live a green lifestyle because he wants to save the earth and get rid of gas guzzlers but simply to save money. So he leased a Chevy Volt hybrid vehicle. Why lease the Chevy Volt I asked well for him the numbers simply worked better. The Volt lease was about $270.00 a month for three years. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> What really convinced him though was his daily commute from Salinas Ca to Monterey Ca is about 24 miles and in his vehicle that currently gets 18 miles to the gallon that works out to be 48 miles round trip and costs him $10.66 a day round trip to get from home to work. That is 213.00 a month in fuel costs alone that he spends with his current vehicle. So he replaced his current vehicle with the Chevy Volt. So I was asking him well how much fuel do you use in the Volt and he told me that the Volt goes about 40 miles on electric if you charge it up which he does at work for free and at home for a small cost. So basically he is still on his first tank of gas. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> So, there has to be a downside to all of this. He tells me that there are some downsides mainly that the volt while running on the battery if you use the heater it really eats through the battery so he tries to just use the seat warmers unless his kids are in the car. One of the other downsides is that in a gas vehicle he hates getting gas and with the Volt it's like getting gas every time you stop you need to plug in versus every week you need to get gas. But other than that he is very happy with his choice. Is this something you would think about? </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nrmadriversseat/5886346325/">2011 Chevrolet Volt - NRMA Drivers Seat</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nrmadriversseat/">NRMA New Cars</a> on Flickr.</span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913648634658367154.post-76127900936703558312013-01-12T08:32:00.004-08:002013-01-12T08:34:14.213-08:00Alaska State And Federal Energy Efficiency Tax Credits<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Alaska State and Federal Energy Efficiency Programs</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The state of Alaska has many programs to promote energy efficiency and energy production. So if you live in Alaska take advantage of as many of these programs as possible it will help with your energy usage and bills as well as your tax bill in some cases.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenbondy/2149526252/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Brown bear and salmon"><img alt="Brown bear and salmon by Ken Bondy" height="213" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2066/2149526252_0cc9c96cda.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Alaska Local Option Property Tax Exemption For Renewable Energy Systems</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">If you install any type of renewable energy system in your home that system will be property tax exempt. This includes Photovoltaic Solar Panels, Solar Hot Water, Biomass, Wind, Geothermal Electric and other generation methods. This is a great deal you get to improve your home lower your energy bill and not be taxed on the improvements to your home.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Alaska Golden Valley Electric Association Sustainable Natural Alternative Power SNAP Program</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">For photovoltaic, wind, geothermal, landfill gas, biomass, small hydroelectric, tidal energy, wave energy.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This program pays a flat $.30 per kWh for energy produced by any of the above means. This is really a great program. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Alaska Energy Efficiency Rate Reduction Program</b></span></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is a great program and pretty simple. You simply purchase a home that is rated with a 5 star or 5 star plus energy rating and the state will give you a .25% - .50% rate reduction on the first $200,000.00 of your home loan. After that amount you will get a blended rate. So this is really simple and a great way to lower your interest rate on a new home in Alaska.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Contact <a href="http://www.ahfc.us/"> http://www.ahfc.us/</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> <span style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenbondy/2149526252/">Brown bear and salmon</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenbondy/">Ken Bondy</a> on Flickr.</span></span><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913648634658367154.post-77328622210881156282013-01-06T14:01:00.000-08:002013-01-12T08:10:32.086-08:00Alabama State and Federal Energy Efiiciency Tax Credits<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/diamondduste/1390195886/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Alabama vs. Arkansas"><img alt="Alabama vs. Arkansas by Diamondduste" height="320" src="http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1362/1390195886_9ed4f0d19e.jpg" width="307" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Alabama State and Federal Energy Efficiency Tax Credits</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you live in the state of Alabama there are a number of options for you as far as Tax Credits for energy efficiency as well as grants and loans to make your home or business more energy efficient. The following are just a few of the different programs available in Alabama.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>TVA Green Power Providers-</b> This program is designed to be an incentive for customers to produce their own power through the use of solar, wind, or hydroelectric power sources. What the program does is pays you a $1000.00 payment up front when the project is installed. Then for 10 years after that the TVA will purchase any electricity you make at a premium rate of $.09 per kilowatt hour for photovoltaic and $.03 per kilowatt hour for any other source. So to me the best choice will be solar panels. Then for the next ten years TVA will purchase your power at the normal rate. I think this TVA Green Power Providers Program is a very good program if you are thinking of going solar anyway. The thousand dollars up front is a pretty good incentive</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Contact <a href="http://www.tva.com/renewablestandardoffer/index.htm">Tennessee Valley Authority</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Geothermal Heat Pump Loan Program- </b>This program is through the TVA as well and it's a Loan Program to purchase a Geothermal Heat Pump with a cost up to $10,000 dollars. This loan term will be for 10 years and the interest rate will be 6 - 8% and repayment will be through the customers electricity bill. So on this one the question will be will the heat pump save you enough money to pay off the loan on the heat pump. It really depends on how much heating you do currently.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Contact <a href="http://www.energyright.com/residential/heat_pumps.html">Tennessee Valley Authority</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Alabama Water Heater Rebate Program</b>-This one is a simple rebate program. If you put in a new water heater that is Highly energy efficient you should get a 50 Dollar rebate. So you should apply for the rebate as soon as you buy and install your new high efficiency water heater.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Contact Tennessee Valley Authority 865-232-2101</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/diamondduste/1390195886/">Alabama vs. Arkansas</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/diamondduste/">Diamondduste</a> on Flickr.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913648634658367154.post-89094059121602246502012-10-13T08:49:00.000-07:002012-10-13T08:49:48.905-07:00More Cars Than Bikes Sold in Italy For The First Time Since WWII<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>More Cars Than Bikes Sold In Italy </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58847482@N03/5587776439/" title="Bike Chic - (Day 3 Holiday 2011)"><img alt="Bike Chic - (Day 3 Holiday 2011) by Kenski1970" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5181/5587776439_997898e092.jpg" /> </a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Financial Crisis in Europe seems to be driving a return to the bicycle. For the first time since WWII there were more bicycles sold in Italy than cars. The home of the Italian super car. I mean who wouldn't want one of those under the tree this year. Another thing that drives this demand for bike is simply traffic. A lot of places in Italy the roads are tiny. I mean when you watch the Tour De France those beautiful country roads would make for a lovely summer drive or bike ride but would you like to have to pass a line of cars on that same road. In Italy this year they sold 1.75 million bikes compared to 1.748 million cars. So, it's a start, it doesn't make it where one Friday a month all the cars come out and drive haphazardly around the city during rush hour and stop everyone from going home but as more people ride and realize they get to their destination faster they will continue riding bikes.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>How Would Looks Like In America </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In 2010 there were 14.9 million bikes sold in America and 4.6 million cars. So where are all the bikes? Simple I would say most of these people are not commuting to work or the grocery store they are buying those bikes and riding occasionally or on weekends for fun. Most people here have not made the jump to hey I could get rid of one car and commute to work on my bike and not pay all this money for gas.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> <span style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58847482@N03/5587776439/">Bike Chic - (Day 3 Holiday 2011)</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58847482@N03/">Kenski1970</a> on Flickr.</span></span><br />
VIA <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/">Christian Science Monitor</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913648634658367154.post-38075318019472476632012-09-30T10:32:00.000-07:002013-01-01T14:24:30.112-08:00I love This Ozeri Green Earth Ceramic Cookware<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGgZgBGOKlx9akxydUfb-xmm1cE5Gil5Md3MMO1rZx9MLvgQVQKkAXFemOV_KxBoQ__JdmN1ldvyQml4aRNpJMgegSoUURF1J2jRBq739b4xzM5MyzmvlmZ7PYhcFpWMoGwXctcUMI0eU/s1600/61RDIkZPe+L._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGgZgBGOKlx9akxydUfb-xmm1cE5Gil5Md3MMO1rZx9MLvgQVQKkAXFemOV_KxBoQ__JdmN1ldvyQml4aRNpJMgegSoUURF1J2jRBq739b4xzM5MyzmvlmZ7PYhcFpWMoGwXctcUMI0eU/s320/61RDIkZPe+L._SL1500_.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>I Love This Green Earth Ozeri Ceramic Cookware</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> These<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005473FMO/?tag=justmike01-20"> Green Earth pans by Ozeri</a> are really a nice product, they are truly green which the color doesn't really go with my decor but the function of the cookware is the best. The color is straight out of the seventies remember those yellow fridges everyone had. That's how I feel about green colored cookware. But oh well. The reason I like these pans so well is that they are covered in ceramic so the nonstick coating will never come off in your eggs like traditional nonstick cookware. I mean let's face it after awhile it's like you don't even have to put pepper in your eggs but it still looks like you did. These use no PTFE or PFOE chemicals in the nonstick treating process. So it's definitely a lot better for your health than the other nonstick metal pans out there. I think I will get over the green color.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913648634658367154.post-20314210795036622202012-09-15T09:58:00.001-07:002013-01-01T14:25:17.109-08:00Greenwashing What Is It?<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>What is Greenwashing?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Greenwashing</b></span></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmt2InDvPajpYQ2WWNMBXPiIU-e6LcOiUp2Ul8UajiVj8ekNdiOLV5UHxbiNaMIC-ZxU4U8gE3stgru4Ic2QjCzz21hQCvqx17Mb8zMKCgUrIFQpPO1x3Yl4v-a095dcAT5YhrIeZwdfE/s1600/61CJhH3bP9L._SL500_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Greenwash" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmt2InDvPajpYQ2WWNMBXPiIU-e6LcOiUp2Ul8UajiVj8ekNdiOLV5UHxbiNaMIC-ZxU4U8gE3stgru4Ic2QjCzz21hQCvqx17Mb8zMKCgUrIFQpPO1x3Yl4v-a095dcAT5YhrIeZwdfE/s1600/61CJhH3bP9L._SL500_AA300_.jpg" title="Greenwash The Reality Behind Corporate Environmentalism" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/%200945257775/?tag=justmike01-20">Buy The Book</a></span></span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Greenwashing is the what companies do when they want to appear to be a green Eco friendly company when in fact they are not. This is simply marketing as green is the new black right. It's popular now to say you are a green ecofriendly company. Not to mention it can affect your bottom line. I mean wouldn't it be nice if BP was a green company? Of course it would but the fact is it's an oil company and we all use oil in one form or another so how can BP be a green Eco friendly company? So basically a company will get their marketing company to highlight anything that their company does for the environment or any type of cleaner process for doing something that might really be terrible for the environment stamp a green label and even sometimes the color green as a cue that this is a green product. Now I am happy they are doing</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">things cleaner and maybe a little greener but at the end of the day it's just a way to make us buy more of their products that aren't really green.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Subtle Greenwashing</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Subtle greenwashing is a different kind of greenwashing all together. I almost prefer the in your face hey this Hummer H3 is green because it uses new higher efficiency tires. Or something like that than subtle greenwashing. Simply because it's a lot easier for people to read through. It's not under the surface.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>An Example of Subtle Greenwashing </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">An example of subtle greenwashing are like when you go into your hotel room and look at the wrapper for the toilet paper and what does it say <b>made from 100% renewable resources</b>. Umm of course it is it's all paper that's scored so you can tear pieces off. What else is it made of just trees and those are renewable right. Paper products are notorious for this type of thing because it's easy and simple and cheap. You don't have to make national TV commercials to convince anyone your oil company is greener than the next one you just have to stamp on your product that just happens to be 100% renewable that it is in fact renewable. That's easy right?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">What Do You Do About Greenwashing?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">There's not much you can do about all of this except to point it out especially to your kids or nieces and nephews because they will spread the word like wildfire. Because it's pretty funny thing when you see an oil company claiming to be green or a toilet paper company that is 100% renewable. Trust me they will point it out to everyone. They will be the ones that will take the value out of greenwashing. Because after all what do we truly want and need not greenwashing but actual green and Eco friendly behaviors by companies and that is what we should be rewarding with our dollars.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913648634658367154.post-17001150592003838312012-08-25T09:37:00.000-07:002013-01-01T14:25:40.432-08:00Apple Moves To Smaller Connector For Charger on iPhone 5<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>iPhone 5 Gets a 19 Pin Connector Port</b></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2146/2045863365_20b714b60f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="iPhone-23.jpg by ThiagoMartins" border="0" height="240" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2146/2045863365_20b714b60f.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b> </b>The iPhone 5 will be getting a smaller charging port. Technology is moving on from the the current port with 30 pins. What does this mean for you. Well, technology moves forward bigger faster smaller and all of that. But at the end of the day you need to buy new chargers new speakers unless of course you all ready have a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003TFEHMU/?tag=justmike01-20">Blue tooth speaker system</a>. All of those external products that you were able to connect to your iPhone for what the last 10 years or so. You really can't blame Apple as this is just how things in technology go. Hey if you make this connector smaller they might be able to give you a bigger battery etc. But, The bigger issue with this is how many of these products now end up in a landfill somewhere? They would have ended up there anyway right but now this just speeds their demise and further production of more products. You can't even use your current case on your new iPhone 5 because the earphones will connect at the bottom so even that is out. The only positive is you might get a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005VGFQXE/?tag=justmike01-20">great deal on the iPhone 4S</a> when the iPhone 5 comes out</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>What Will You Need To Replace If You Buy An iPhone 5?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In some ways there is a whole list of things but the good answer is for a few years a couple anyway I am sure Apple will have to put out some sort <b>iPhone 4S iPhone 5 Adapter</b> but even that will not cure all the problems. So most people have some sort of speaker system to connect to their iPhone. If that will accept the adapter then your set but if not, if it's too tight of a fit you may need to replace it. The companies and individuals that have gone to Blue tooth speaker systems were really ahead of the game on this, no connectors or adapters or anything else for them. Now what about the chargers in your cars and at the office etc. Those are easily replaced but probably at a cost of about forty dollars or so. I wonder what the true cost of this change is to the average iPhone user in terms of dollars after they buy the new iPhone. How much do they spend on new adapters, new chargers, new speakers, basically a whole new ecosystem for apple products.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Great For Manufacturers</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This is great for manufacturers. I mean think about we are wondering how much all of this will cost us. The manufacturers are wondering how much all of this will make them. Think about it everything needs to be replaced. That will be a boon for the manufacturers of these products from cases to chargers to speakers to connectors for your car system etc.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>My Hope For Apple</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My hope for Apple is that they eventually embrace the micro USB charging as so many other high tech companies have done on their high end tech devices. This would be great for Apple's consumers as well as for the company since it is a much greener option. However Apple has never been known to be a company that follows the crowds and I guess that's why so many of us love their products.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> <span style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thiagomartins/2045863365/">iPhone-23.jpg</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thiagomartins/">ThiagoMartins</a> on Flickr.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913648634658367154.post-56115748741604966962012-08-19T12:16:00.000-07:002012-08-30T21:32:55.583-07:00Ways To Conserve Water<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Some Ways To Conserve Water</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3032/2695344419_c570ea275b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sprinkler by Ed Yourdon" border="0" height="400" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3032/2695344419_c570ea275b.jpg" width="226" /></a>We all know the ways to conserve water around the house. They have been taught to us since we were children. But, how many of us really put them into good use. The simple ones are easy to do and keep up on right, like <b>turn off the water when you brush your teeth</b> that's pretty simple to remember and do. What are some other ways that are not so simple and some ways that make it easier to remember? First of all do you have an old fashioned toilet?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>How To Save Water With Your Toilet</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">If you have an old fashioned toilet you know that every time you flush it takes about 5 gallons of water to flush the toilet. Newer models it only takes about 1.6 gallons per flush. Big difference right. Well, how many times do you flush the toilet per day? Now, how many times does your family flush the toilet per day? You could spring for a modern toilet but that is very expensive. Another option is to simply place a brick in your toilet tank and see if your toilet still flushes normally. If your toilet still flushes normally place another brick and so on. Basically what the brick does is displace water in your toilet tank so it fills up faster and flushes less water with each flush. You won't get down to 1.6 gallons per flush like a high efficiency toilet but your toilet wasnt' made to flush with such a little amount of water. Another way to save water with your toilet is to test to see if your toilet valve is leaking.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Check Your Toilet Flapper Valve For Leaks</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">One way you can be using a lot of water with your toilet without even knowing it is with a leaking flapper valve in your toilet. What is the flapper valve. Take off the back of the toilet. Push the flush lever do you see the rubber valve connected to the end of that chain at the bottom of the toilet tank? That rubber stopper looking thing is your toilet flapper valve. The way to see if it's leaking is to put some food coloring in the back of the toilet tank and see if it appears in the toilet bowl. If it doesn't then no problem your flapper valve does not leak at all. If food coloring does appear in the toilet tank then you need to replace the flapper valve on your toilet. Don't worry it's a very simple procedure. Flush the toilet and turn off the water. Don't worry it's clean water so you won't get dirty. Now disconnect the chain from the flusher handle and disconnect the flapper valve from the plastic tube in the middle of the toilet and remove the flapper valve. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/mn/search/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=toilet%20flapper%20&linkCode=ur2&tag=justmike01-20&url=search-alias%3Daps" rel="nofollow">Buy the correct flapper valve</a> and replace it the same way you removed it. Congratulations.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>How Your Kids Can Save Water In The Tub</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Kids love taking a bath and they love filling the tub to the brim with water and that can be 50 or 60 gallons of water. If it's a large soaking tub it can be a lot more than that. So one way I have found to keep the water use down for baths with small children is to put a sticker of some animal they like at the level of water I want them to use most times. So basically when the water gets up to the starfish or the turtle shut it off. But, once in awhile you can let them fill it up and just enjoy it. Hey, kids need to be kids too right.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913648634658367154.post-66850588252856644342012-08-14T19:41:00.000-07:002012-08-14T19:41:59.901-07:00UC Davis Named Nations Coolest School<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>UC Davis Has Been Named Nations Coolest School</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/julien-vergneau/6779335649/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Composting sign"><img alt="Composting sign by Julien_V" height="480" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7009/6779335649_e1d2668b4e.jpg" width="640" /></a>In the annual rankings of Sierra magazine's greenest campuses once again University of California at Davis comes out at the top of the list. Their efforts to be a green campus have paid off and have been noticed. One of the first things you notice when you go to Davis and not just the campus but the actual town of Davis is that it's bike town USA. I mean there are bike here and there and bikes everywhere. One of the things highlighted by Sierra magazines publishers is the transportation system that includes about 20,000 bikes on campus. That is a huge number of bikes. Not to mention the new development of the West Village. West Village is a planned community that is the country's largest zero net energy community. Big things are happening in Davis. This only will get bigger as more and more students go through this University with so much emphasis placed on these green initiatives this will stay with these students as they leave campus and go off into their new lives and hopefully establish themselves elsewhere but take with them all these green ideas they learned at Davis.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Do You Go To A Cool School? </b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">What I mean by that is what does your school do to help the environment? Do you have a large biking community? Do most people car pool to class or live on campus. Do you have a large community that is that is zero net energy? In other words should your campus be on this list next year. If not maybe you should get working. It only takes a few dedicated students and faculty to get something like this started. Davis didn't start with 20,000 bikes on campus they started with a couple hundred a few years ago or so and then students demanded more bike access and administrators allowed it and approved it. So it always starts small. So leave your campus better than you found it in four years. Good Luck.</span></div>
Via <a href="http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/201209/coolschools/slideshow/top-ten-cool-schools-appalachian-state-10.aspx">Sierra</a><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/julien-vergneau/6779335649/">Composting sign</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/julien-vergneau/">Julien_V</a> on Flickr.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913648634658367154.post-44398244135355400772012-08-11T09:57:00.000-07:002012-08-11T11:32:34.218-07:00Nest Learning Thermostat More Than a Pretty Thermostat<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Nest Learning Thermostat</b></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nest/6264860151/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Nest's chameleon design blends with a green wall"><img alt="Nest's chameleon design blends with a green wall by Nest" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6157/6264860151_34f3033197.jpg" title="Nest Learning Thermostat" /> </a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Nest Learning Thermostat</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The Nest Learning Thermostat is really unique, it's a
thermostat which is something fairly utilitarian but when you see the
model put out by the Nest designers it looks like something that came
out of Apple Computer. In fact one of the designers worked at Apple
before starting Nest. It even has a click wheel like the first iPod. Yes
it's that beautiful but the question is do you want a two hundred
dollar pretty thermostat hanging on your wall? Or, do you want a two
hundred dollar thermostat on your wall because it's pretty and it saves
you money in the long run? That's the question is it really worth it? <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006ML9J4O/?tag=justmike01-20" target="_blank">The Nest Thermostat</a> </b>is a<b> Learning</b> <b>Thermostat</b>.
What is a learning thermostat? A learning thermostat basically means
that instead of putting in a schedule of daily temperature fluctuations
that you want to be scheduled, like your normal thermostat you will
basically change the temperature to what you want, when you want it. In a
few days the Nest Learning Thermostat will learn what you like and what
you don't like. Then it will keep the house to those temperatures. Now
if you are home a couple of days or whatever don't worry you can change
the temperature and it won't affect the Nest. Like I said it takes about
a week for it to learn a new schedule or basically a new habit. One of
the settings I like on the Nest is the Auto Away Mode. Basically the
nest has a motion sensor and when it hasn't seen you in a few hours it
will automatically set to the lowest temperature you have set for your
home say 65 degrees. This is a really great feature for someone like me
who is always away and when you are going out of town there is a list of
things to do and one of the last on that list that is frequently
forgotten is to turn down the thermostat. So my home is nice and toasty
the whole time I am gone. This is not a problem with the Nest If your
Nest is centrally located and you pass by it regularly throughout your
time at home this works out great. However your Nest is located in that
place in your home that is not in your daily traffic pattern and you
hardly ever go by it then you won't be able to use this feature.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Buy Nest Thermostat</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Okay you have decided to <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006ML9J4O/?tag=justmike01-20" target="_blank">Buy A Nest Thermostat</a> </b>What
are your options? If you click the link at the left you can buy one at
Amazon.com which is great that way the Nest will come to you. Other
choices for buying the Nest are to go to The Apple Store or also they
are available now at Best Buy. So there are a few different choices to
get your Nest Learning Thermostat.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Features of The Nest </b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
The Nest Thermostat has many features I really like one of them is that
it can be connected into your wifi network in your house so that
software updates are automatic. This is a really great thing because
let's face who is actually going to think to do software updates on
their thermostats. We all have enough gadgets that need updating as it
is. So this one will do it for you. Another great feature is the Web and
Mobile apps for your energy history and usage. If you use Air
Conditioning a lot in the summer the new</span><b style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Nest Airwave</b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> can save
you a lot of energy. Basically it works like this in the summer when
it's hot and your AC is on, your AC unit gets cold then when you shut
off the AC the unit is still cold. What Airwave does is shut off the AC
before your house reaches the desired temperature and leaves the fan
running to circulate the warm air through your cold AC unit. That way it
doesn't waste that energy, and your house still cools down to the
desired temperature. So I think The Nest Learning Thermostat is more
than a pretty Thermostat it will save you energy in your home.</span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nest/6264860151/">Nest's chameleon design blends with a green wall</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nest/">Nest</a> on Flickr.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913648634658367154.post-80903924907355072302012-08-01T17:26:00.002-07:002012-08-03T19:32:14.162-07:00Essentials For Your Dorm<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Essentials For Your Dorm</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jessycat_techie/116982039/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="dorm room - closet & door"><img alt="dorm room - closet & door by jessycat_techie" height="240" src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/55/116982039_3ffd22d490.jpg" width="320" /></a>The Essentials for your dorm or your child's dorm are the things that will make your life a little easier as you head off to start your new life in your college dorm. This is just a list of essential items for you dorm that can help that transition. It is by no means fully complete as everyone's needs are different.</span></div>
<a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/3q122js0ys-FLLPLPOIFHGNPINJG" onmouseout="window.status=' ';return true;" onmouseover="window.status='http://www.AbeBooks.co.uk';return true;" target="_blank">
<img alt="AbeBooks.co.uk Book Sale" border="0" src="http://www.tqlkg.com/rd65fz2rxvGMMQMQPJGIHOQJOKH" /></a>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Your College Dorm</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Your College Dorm will almost resemble a cell in a jail when you arrive. One of the first things you will notice is that it is very drab and the same as everyone els's. Then you will notice how small it is. It will be smaller than your bedroom at home and you will be sharing it with someone else. Who is also not used to sharing a bedroom.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Plan ahead so you don't duplicate.</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Your college will contact you before the fall semester starts and give you, your roommates information. Contact them and talk to them and get to know them after all this is the person you will be living with for the next nine months at least. If you get along, hopefully you might live with them for four years or more. So get used to this idea and try to go into it with the idea that you can get along with this person unless you just can't. So when you are talking to them find out what they plan to bring to the dorm because if they are planning on bringing a bike rack that holds two bikes then great you don't have to. Likewise if you are bringing your PlayStation 3 to stream movies and video on then they don't have to bring theirs. You get the idea. Otherwise you will both bring everything and then nothing will fit in your room.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Things You Need For Your Dorm </b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Dorm Essential List</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>1. </b>PlayStation 3 or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003O6JKLC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003O6JKLC&linkCode=as2&tag=justmike01-20%22%3EXbox%20360%204GB%20Console%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=" target="_blank">XBox 360</a> <b>- </b>You can use these to play games as well as watch T.V. and stream movies on and watch Netflix and HULU.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">2.<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000077CPK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000077CPK&linkCode=as2&tag=justmike01-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Bike Rack</a>- This is self explanatory if you own a bike you need a bike rack for your dorm room one of the ones that lean against the wall is great. Try to get one that will accommodate two bikes. That way there is room for your roommates bike as well as yours. It's all about sharing.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">3. Coffee Pot and a Hot Pot- You can use the Hot pot to heat soups and noodles basically any type of instant food that needs to be cooked in water. It's for when you just can't take the cafeteria one more time this week.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">4. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AYWV52/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001AYWV52&linkCode=as2&tag=justmike01-20" target="_blank">Bed Risers</a>- These are plastic or wooden blocks that you put under the legs of your bed so that you can store things in bins and put the bins under your bed. They work really great since most dorms lack storage and closets in a lot of cases.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">5. Small Microwave Toaster Oven- Once again for those times you don't feel like going to the cafeteria.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">6. Plate, Bowl, Forks, Spoons, Knives</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">7. A <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Q33LNO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000Q33LNO&linkCode=as2&tag=justmike01-20%22" target="_blank">Dry Erase Board</a> to put on your front door- even in these times of text messaging people will still walk by your door and leave a message.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">8. Drying Rack and Laundry Basket or bag</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">9. Printer and ink cartridges- whichever roommate has the best printer should bring theirs. Make it a laser printer they are very cheap now and you will save the money in ink cartridges. You can buy a laser print cartridge for $100.00 and it will print about 3,500 pages or so.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">10. Laundry Marking Pen and rolls of Quarters to do Laundry</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I can't stress enough that you need to talk to your roommate about what you are bringing so you don't duplicate your efforts. For one it costs a lot of money to outfit a dorm. Some of this stuff you will have but a lot you will have to buy, so it's better to plan ahead so you don't have two of something. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Make Your Dorm Yours</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">As I said above your dorm will have a littel bit of an institutional feel to it at first so bring a carpet or some posters that you like or things like that so it will make it feel like home to you. Because for the next few months it will be home. It won't feel like it on the first day but it will in a week I promise.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jessycat_techie/116982039/">dorm room - closet & door</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jessycat_techie/">jessycat_techie</a> on Flickr.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913648634658367154.post-89065918864940025982012-07-30T19:40:00.000-07:002012-07-30T19:43:31.463-07:00Teens Wait Longer To Drive<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Teens Wait Longer To Drive</b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="Dodge Charger by jbspec7" height="213" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3290/2315094391_bdfdc86f40.jpg" width="320" /> </span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Teens Wait Longer To Drive</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As soon as I hit sixteen years old me and all my friends couldn't wait to get our drivers license's it was a right of passage for every sixteen year old kid that I knew. You go down to the DMV and take your driving test as soon as you can convince your parents to take you. Then somehow convince them to help you buy some clunker of a car that you will fix up so you will have a way to get around. But, now it seems teenagers are waiting to drive longer and longer. For several different reasons really. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Some of The Reasons Teens Are Waiting </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Teen Driving Laws</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In several states there are harsh teen driving laws that regulate teen driving. For instance in California if you are a teen driver between the ages of 15 and a half and 18 years old you will be given a<b></b> <b>Driver's Permit</b>.<b> </b>You must drive with a Driver's Permit for at least six months before you are able to apply for a<b> Driver's License. </b>Teenagers with a provisional permit may only drive with an adult 25 or older in the vehicle. Once you pass the all the tests and actually get your driver's license you still have restrictions. You cannot have any passengers under the age of 20 in your vehicle and no driving between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. This restrictions is for one year. Now when I was a kid I looked forward to cruising around with my friends and going out late or taking a girl on a date. Well, with these types of restrictions on your license none of that is possible.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Technology </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Technology is another reason teens are waiting to drive. For a couple of reasons really. One being that teens would rather spend $100 dollars a month on a smart phone plan, than that same money on insurance. Let's face it cars cost money and they can't connect you on Face book. But in the car you can drive over to your friends house and see what they are up to. In today's modern world a teenager would rather go onto Twitter or Face book than actually drive over to the same friends house. Not to mention if one or the other has moved with the economy and jobs situation then it may not be just across town it may be across the country but you can still connect on a social network just like your right there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Families are Moving Closer To City Centers </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Families are moving out of the suburbs and into the down towns to cut back on commute times not to mention the fact that it puts them closer to friends and family. They are also able to use services that they left behind when they originally left the city in the first place such as library's and colleges and medical facilities without having a long commute in their car. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>This is Great For The Environment </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is really great for the<b> Environment</b>. All of these shorter commutes and less kids buying cars therefore driving less is great for the environment. Because if they don't buy the car then they will ride their bike or get a ride with a friend or their parents or simply ride the bus. So all these options become available and normal to them if it's something they have always used. Not to mention it is cheap compared to gas, insurance and upkeep on a car. For instance this summer you can get a bus pass you you and your bike for my whole county for $43 dollars. That is cheap that won't even buy most people a tank of gas around here.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jbonvouloir/2315094391/">Dodge Charger</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jbonvouloir/">jbspec7</a> on Flickr.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;">VIA http://www.thedetroitbureau.com</span> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913648634658367154.post-52294042130947160582012-07-26T18:36:00.001-07:002012-07-26T18:40:16.725-07:00Reusable Water Bottle Choices<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Reusable Water Bottles</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/4626047848/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Plastic Water Bottles Mountain Ice Hunger Takes Flight KFB May 20, 20107"><img alt="plastic water bottles" height="213" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3442/4626047848_63cb3b670d.jpg" title="plastic water bottles" width="320" /></a><b> </b>We are all trying to cut back on our use of plastic and throw away single use items and one of the ways to do this is with the simple single use plastic water bottle. I mean think about how many of them we have simply thrown in the trash over the years. Man if I had a quarter for every one that I have thrown in the trash I would probably be rich. Now I am switching over to a reusable water bottle. Reusable plastic bottles can help cut back on the amount of plastic you throw away simply by letting you fill them up at the tap and going on your way instead of getting a new bottle of water out of the fridge every time you want some water. I mean who would have thought way back when we would actually pay for water by the bottle. If you think about it we pay more for it than we pay for gas and no one bats an eye at that. But we all do it day in and day out. So my plan to stop throwing away plastic bottles is simple I will use a refillable glass bottle day to day and when i am somewhere where I don't have a filtered tap to refill my bottle I will use a refillable filtered water bottle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Glass Water Bottle</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I really like the glass refillable water bottles. They just seem nicer than having a single use plastic bottle that you refill over and over again and it's something you can wash in the dishwasher and not have to worry about the buildup of bacteria like that single use plastic bottle. My favorite refillable glass bottle is the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003DTLNUG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003DTLNUG&linkCode=as2&tag=justmike01-20" target="_blank"><b>Takeya glass water bottles</b></a> for in the 22 ounce size. I know at the end of the day if I have emptied that a couple of times then I have had my daily intake of water. Not to mention it comes with a sleeve for a little bit of protection.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Filtered Water Bottles</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I prefer Filtered Water Bottles whenever i am out at the park or someplace where I really don't know the quality of the water I am drinking. So I always take a filtered water bottle when i am at the park or walking the dog or what have you. This is a good one also when you are filling up even from the school drinking fountains. I like the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004GN6QV4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004GN6QV4&linkCode=as2&tag=justmike01-20" target="_blank"><b>Brita 24 ounce bottle with filter.</b></a> It's a good deal and it comes as a two pack with a filter. So at this cheap of a price you get two fairly large water bottles so there is not excuse not to drink water and no excuse to be using single use plastic bottles and throwing them in the trash or even the recycling bin.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/4626047848/">Plastic Water Bottles Mountain Ice Hunger Takes Flight KFB May 20, 20107</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/">stevendepolo</a> on Flickr.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913648634658367154.post-39049786106856386392012-07-11T08:53:00.000-07:002012-07-11T08:53:29.116-07:00Apple Abandons Green Standard on New Products<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Apple Abandons Green Standard on New Products</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/santanna-silveira/2576241031/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Apple inside II"><img alt="Apple inside II by Sant'Anna Silveira" height="316" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3190/2576241031_44e33dc905.jpg" width="320" /></a> Apple Computer has been a leader in green computing technology receiving the Gold Standard every year since 1997 from<b> EPEAT </b>which stands from Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool. EPEAT is a leading standard in green consumer electronics. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Apples decision on EPEAT</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> I think this mainly came about with their new retina displays on the new Mac Book Pro. Previous to this product macs and all the other products have been fairly easy to repair with sub assemblies that if you had the right tools you could easily take them apart. With the new Mac Book however that is not the case. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>What Does This Mean For Apple?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> In the short term it means nothing. We will probably still buy their products because let's face it they are good products. However school districts have policies on how much of their electronics have to be sourced from green electronic sources. That has been one of Apple's capstone ideas from the old days put computers in the schools and you make customers of the students. Will Apple lose that or do they need that now that they are a huge company. The next thing they will lose is the Federal Government as 95% of their electronics have to come from green sources. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>What Do You Think?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Will Apple abandoning it's green ideals make you consider another company when you are buying a computer or phone next time? Let me know in the comments.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/santanna-silveira/2576241031/">Apple inside II</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/santanna-silveira/">Sant'Anna Silveira</a> on Flickr.</span><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913648634658367154.post-4893892022303831052012-06-30T11:22:00.001-07:002012-06-30T11:22:40.066-07:00California State Parks Avoid Most Cuts<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>California State Parks Mostly Saved From Budget Cuts</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/taylar/3605952691/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="No Better Cause"><img alt="Save California Parks" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2465/3605952691_0f2a3b70d8.jpg" title="Save California Parks" /></a> At one time more than 70 state parks were on the list to be closed due to budget cuts in the State of California. As everyone knows California is in a continual budget crisis and must do what is can to find money and state parks is just another thing to close to save that much needed cash. When the list of 70 parks was put out there were many favorites of many people around the state. California is an outdoor state. I grew up in California and I remember backpacking and camping in many of California's state parks and boating on the lakes and kayaking on the creeks in many of these parks. So when you talk of closing 70 parks trust me many people will speak up and ask what they can do to help.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Private Donors and Foundations Support State Parks</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> So what has come out of all of this is support for many of California's state parks from many many individuals and Foundations and even some companies. Because let's face it if you always take your family camping in a certain park every summer what do you tell the kids hey we let the park close. No, there are many talented people in California that can use their skills to raise money and secure funds for individual parks or even groups of parks in certain geographical areas. Or for some businesses if you are the local business that state park down the road just might make your whole summer or your whole year with the increased traffic from boaters and RV's and families going camping. So, it would be in your best interest to make a donation to keep that park open.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Take Your Kids To a State Park </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Take your kids to a state park and maybe go camping or fishing or even a hike. After all it's easier to live a green life and appreciate what you are trying to help save when you can look around and see it for yourself. It's one thing to say I'm trying to protect the environment but it's another to go hiking on a trial and see that environment for yourself. Not to mention it instills those memories in your children that hey this is what we are doing this for not just because mom says so.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Where do California Parks Stand Now </b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Currently there are only five California parks that have failed to find enough outside support and donors willing to support them. The five that could use your help are </span><b style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Benicia State Recreation Area, The California Mining and Mineral Museum, Gray Whale Cove State Beach, Zmudowski State Beach, and Providence Mountains State Recreation Area</b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">. So if you want to support California state parks either support one near you or support one of the five on the chopping block.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/taylar/3605952691/">No Better Cause</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/taylar/">ingridtaylar</a> on Flickr.</span><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913648634658367154.post-32251339162674711462012-06-25T19:42:00.000-07:002012-06-25T19:42:43.605-07:00Be Green Borrow From Your Neighbors<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Get To Know Your Neighbors</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b>I know in this day and age it seems that no one I mean no one actually knows the people they live around or the lady that lives at the end of the block. I wonder why that it? I think maybe it has to do with how busy everyone is now and the fact that in a couple, both people have to work just to support the family. So consequently you don't get to know the people around your home and down your street. Remember when you were a kid your family knew everyone on the street and around the block and since that was the case as a kid you actually had a lot more freedom. So why should you get to know the neighbors? Well, if you think of the three R's of living a greener life Reduce, Reuse, Recycle knowing your neighbors will go a long way to help you in accomplishing that greener lifestyle you want. Not to mention saving you a ton of green dollars in your pocket and a lot of space in your garage. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Live Green By Borrowing From The Neighbors</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> So like above your family knew everyone on the block. But what they also knew was who on the block had a rototiller, or a bike rack, or a kayak that sat in their garage all year waiting for that one or two times a year when they actually took that item out and used it. So, if your dad needed to use a rototiller chances are he would walk down the street and knock on the door of the rototiller owner and ask to borrow it. The owner would agree saying that as long as your dad repaired any damage etc. Now why would this guy loan your dad something that could cost up to $400.00 at the time which was a lot of money? Well, this guy always borrowed your dads roof rack every year when his family went camping so what goes around comes around. So in this neighborhood not everyone has to own a rototiller or a bike rack or all those things that we all use a few times a year. Just someone in the neighborhood has to own it. That way our garages don't get filled up with stuff that we never use and the money that we save can stay in our bank accounts. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Peer To Peer Borrowing</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Now in this modern time this would be called peer to peer borrowing and I'm sure if I was a Java Developer I could write some nifty code with the Google maps API and you could put in your neighborhood and it would show who had what and what they were willing to lend out etc. Or on the other hand you could just get to know your neighbors and when they ask to borrow your good pruning shears let them because you never know when you might want to borrow that extra bike that their daughter grew out of. Besides it's nice to know your neighbors.</span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0