Author Archive

Green Tips we can learn from The Pentagon

The Pentagon is that Iconic building in Arlington Country Virginia, which was constructed over a 29-acre swamp wasteland and was seen through to completion on January 15, 1943.  Apparently, this 17-building War Department complex in the United States has one of the largest areas of ground for an office complex in the whole world.  But even for a large government property, efficiency is a priority of its design.  The Pentagon's sensitivity on the issues on climate change has fueled its vision of converting into a more environmentally sustainable building complex.  By year 2011, Pentagon's big green renovation" project is scheduled to be finished. The Pentagon's 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review sites climate change as a potential source of conflict to the War Department's vision for its missions and force structure for military operations.  The intended green renovation" will be first done in the five sections of the pentagon-shaped complex building.  The program is lead by the EPA through its Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) program, which is designed to determine and make sure that only environmentally preferable classes of products are used in the project.  The project is currently 80 percent complete.  Renovations of Section 1 mainly involved the replacement of blast-resistant windows ...

Saving the Planet One Peel at a Time

When you want to start being more ecologically responsible and when you are looking to make sure that all of the food in your kitchen gets some use, you'll find that you are going to start looking in askance at your orange peels.  Whether you love your fresh squeezed orange juice or you simply love eating slices of fresh orange, you may be wondering what to do with the peels after you are done with them.  Don't just throw them away!  There are plenty of great uses for orange peels that you may simply not be aware of! First, were you aware that you can use orange peels to clean your fingernails?  Simply turn the peel over to explore the soft white side and dig your fingernails into it.  This can get any grime or debris out from under your fingernails as well as making your nails smell pleasantly of citrus. Another place for your orange peels is a stock box.  One great way to get vegetable broth at home is to have a stock box.  To get one started, just get a plastic bin and start filling it with organic materials.  Leave the bin in the freezer and add any sorts ...

Searching For Environmentally Friendly Paints!

Whether you are looking to paint your shed or you are tired of blank white walls, you may be all set to search out your favorite colors and go to work, but what does your home improvement project mean for the environment?  The unfortunate truth is that paint can be very problematic for the environment and finding eco friendly solutions is not nearly as easy as it should be.  The problem that you are going to run into, however, is that the things that make paint as durable as it is tend to be very rough on the world, and that can make painting the exterior of any building a daunting task. The first thing that you should be aware of is how paint affects the environment.  Though lead in paint was once a major concern, this type of paint has now been outlawed.  Do be concerned though, of old paint jobs that might have lead still in them.  Be aware of the fact that many paints will produce volatile organic compounds, things that will be released into the air even after the paint dries.  These VOCs have been known to cause cancer in animals and in humans, but even their ...

New Battery Alternative Stores Huge Amounts of Energy

From their initial observation by General Electric engineers and subsequently commercialization by Standard Oil, ultracapacitors have grown into a multi-million industry.  With their green energy properties, which include quick charging and temperature stability, these battery alternatives have high potential to replace the conventional batteries found in electric cars and their hybrid cousins. New Development On a new development, researchers at the University of Texas have developed graphene to boost the energy storage capacity of ultracapacitors.  Supposedly, the carbon-based nanomaterial will double the present maximum capacity of these battery alternatives. Graphene is described as a planar sheet of carbon atoms, which are one-atom thick and densely condensed in a benzene ring structure.  When you see images of graphene, you will think of chicken wire or a honeycomb lattice albeit in atom sizes. The ability of graphene to store large amounts of energy lies in its large size, atomically speaking.  With each gram of graphene equivalent to one large football field, it is no wonder that the potential for double amounts of stored energy is possible.  It will take more research on the matter but it is an exciting development, nonetheless. Good News Without going into the technical side, the green energy movement will benefit from the new ...

Impact of Convenience Packaging

How conscious are you when it comes to your day to day purchases?  Has it ever crossed your mind on how good or bad this can be to our environment?  It is appalling to see the amount of waste caused from packaging.  Imagine a trip to the deli just to buy a sandwich wrapped in three layers of plastic and paper protection which is more than it really needs plus tons of napkins on the side.  Or let’s say for example if you purchase an item online having the same size of a pocketbook and it is delivered at your door inside a box that can fit a 14 inch TV covered in an enormous amount of bubble wrap and Styrofoam.  This is already generating a lot of garbage.  How much is too much?  The thought of it ensures us much convenience knowing that our food stays fresh longer or products we buy are in good condition.  But then again this kind of action is ridiculously too much. People tend to neglect this little kind of action not thinking of the big negativity that comes with it.  Thinking and considering your options when it comes to purchasing something.  It is not ...