Green at Work

U.S. House Undertakes Energy Savings Measures

While you may be working to go green and work on saving energy to help keep the environment as healthy as possible, you may be wondering why government officials are not doing the same.  Well, recently it was announced that the U.S. House is undertaking some great measures for saving energy. It all starts with Representative Peter Welch, who happens to be a democrat from the state of Vermont.  He is a part of the program called the Green the Capitol program.  He recently came out and discussed some of the changes that he has made within his own offices to help save energy and make a difference.  This program has been developed to work on renovating the buildings in the capital to make them greener and more energy efficient.  They are partnering with a private company that is putting the money into these changes, and later the government will pay the amount of money they save back to the company.  Their goal is to reduce the energy use in the House of Representatives by about 50%. There are many changes that have been made by Representative Welch.  Some of them include going with HVAC efficiencies as well as low flow plumbing.  ...

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Sustainable Building

Going green seems to be a new “fad” lately considering the amount of places that are becoming greener.  This little fact is a very good thing because people are now realizing the Earth is changing, and we have no way to stop it.  Travel such as hotels and airlines, citizens, schools; all are trying to take this problem and fix it by becoming greener.  We now have construction companies building sustainable housing for commercial and residential buildings to help with our crisis. Sustainable buildings are buildings that are built eco-friendly and are quickly becoming very popular in the world of construction.  There are several reasons besides global warming, the rising cost of fuel, and pollution.  One of which is the better indoor air quality of the houses, causing a reduced level of allergens and toxins, generally making citizens feel healthier. The products used are also much better than products used in houses that are not sustainable, making them more demanded amongst future and present home owners.  An example of this is cork used as the floors in a kitchen or a bathroom.  The cork is naturally antimicrobial which is defined as killing or inhibiting the growth of microorganisms, making it safer for ...

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Greener Workplaces Can Help Us All

The movement to go green is not about individuals.  It is great when you make a decision to go green in your family, but your family alone can't make the big difference that we need as a society.  What we need is every person to take the step to go green.  One of the best ways to start a big movement and get everyone on board is by large companies setting the standards and showing people they are willing to make the changes needed to go green. Large companies and corporations often set standards in society.  When they start making changes they can influence individuals to change, too.  This is true too of the government.  When the government starts making changes, people take notice.  They are more likely to make those same changes in their own home. Changes on the Federal Level One move that the federal government is making is a switch to federal buildings that are more environmentally friendly.  Kevin Kampschroer, from the General Services Administration, is the person who is leading this change.  He is hoping to help the environment and also those people who work in the federal buildings. Kampschroer is the director for the Office of Federal High-Performance Green ...

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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 ...

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Eco-friendly Graphic Designing

Promoting greener image in the community is a way of creating awareness for the environment.  But by helping create a greener product, you initiate the steps of actually saving it from gradual damage.  Graphic designers can also make this step in saving the environment.  Small business owners and freelance designers can make simple changes to the way they deliver their services to establish a more environment-friendly operation.  Also, establishing eco-friendly graphic designing operations helps save money both for the client and the designer. Eco-friendly graphic designing is all about practicing more sustainable designs.  This move goes beyond converting to non-toxic and recyclable materials.  It also involves the use of energy saving means.  The primary aim of practicing a sustainable design is to reduce the use of available resources, as a way of reducing waste.  Preferring and using re-usable and recyclable materials definitely have positive impacts to the environment. The main job of a graphic designer is to produce creative ideas that will effectively send the client's message across.  By working a greener image, you also get to involve your client and add value to your relationship with him.  More and more consumers are turning a new page in preferring greener products and ...

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