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Green Living
Ideas to Help you Plan an Event Greener and more Eco-Friendly
Green Event Planning Events such as parties, conferences, and weddings often have a large impact on the environment. They produce a sizable amount of waste, including everything from plastic eating utensils to name badges that are then disposed of after the event. However, there are many easy ways to make your next event a much greener one. As an added bonus, some of these ideas will also save you money in the process. Here are some ideas to help make an event greener and more environmentally friendly. Before the Event When sending invitations; consider choosing an option that does not create waste or use up resources. Instead of thick, paper invitations that are mailed in envelopes (and delivered using fuel-consuming trucks), consider other invitations options. Email can be effectively used to invite people to an event, either by sending an email with the details or using an online invitation service such as evite.com. Another option for small gatherings is to call each guest and personally invite them. Ask that people RSVP to the event ahead of time. This will prevent you from over ordering and throwing out wasted, unused food. Choose a location that is near public transportation and provide that information ...- Bookmark :
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Eco-Friendly Home Economics for the Working Class
Not long ago I was talking to someone about going green and they actually told me that they had gone through 30 different tubes of caulking. They used it to plug the gaps and holes that were through their home. They put the caulking around the cracks, around doors, windows, and more. While I'm not sure how the job was that they did, since they used quite a bit of caulking, more than likely using the 30 tubes of the caulking actually do quite a bit of good. No doubt it helped them keep the home comfortable while saving money by increasing the energy efficiency of the home. There have been times when I've been working on homes that had huge leakage areas. After having energy audits done it came out to several meters or area that were leaking, which is just as bad as having a huge window that is always open, even during the winter months. More than likely you wouldn't keep your windows open in the winter months, but many homeowners accidentally do things that are almost as bad because they have a lot of leakage areas. For a nice tube of caulking, you'll only pay about $6, although ...- Bookmark :
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How Home Building may affect Wildlife
Two scientists, Heidi Kretser and Michale Glennon, who are part of the Wildlife Conservation Society in Adirondack decided to find out how building a home can impact wildlife. They came up with a study that would show them this. They would look at small mammals, large mammals, and amphibians and reptiles. This study was done at three different stages during the process of building, which included the stage before construction was done, the time while the construction was being done, and then the stage that was after the construction had been completed. One study that they did was set up at the home site for the Kraft family. They were working to build a home that was energy efficient in the Upper Saranac Lake area. Now these scientists are in the second part of the surveys, bind done at a control site as well as at the site of construction. They reason they have decided to use a control site is so that they can see the differences in changes in population that is due to phenomena that may be region wide and those that are actually due to the impact of construction. To learn a lot more about this study being ...- Bookmark :
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Save the Planet by Switching Pens
Even with the advent of the so-called paperless society, thanks to computers and the Internet, there are still many things, transactions and technologies that need the old-fashioned pen and paper to complete. You have to sign documents ranging from credit card authorizations to formal contracts and everything else in between of various values. Unfortunately, the use of pen and paper also has a negative environmental impact. Since many articles have already been devoted to the impact of paper, let's focus on the mighty pen. It is mighty not only to effect change in societies through ideas put to paper but it can also change environments via waste filling up our landfills. Consider the Statistics In September 2005, Bic announced that it has sold its 100 billionth disposable pen. If that boggles your mind, just think of the billions more of disposable ballpoint pens manufactured by other companies. To place 100 billion in perspective, think of placing the pens end to end. Now, imagine that the world is literally in your hands. You will discover that the arranged pens can circle the globe 348 times! And to think that Americans alone purchase a staggering 106 billion disposable ballpoint pens on an annual basis. We shudder ...- Bookmark :
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Your Options for Wind Turbines
Solar power is not all there is to eco-friendly power generation for residential purposes. You should also look into the possibilities of wind turbines to provide electricity for everything from your cell phone to your hybrid car. In this regard, you have two choices, the horizontal-axis and vertical-axis wind turbines. You will find that both perform similar functions although the pros and cons of each type must be carefully considered. Keep in mind that either one requires a relatively significant financial outlay, which can be recouped largely by actually using the unit for power generation. Horizontal-Axis Wind Turbines If you have seen pictures of the traditional Dutch windmill, then you have just seen the prototype of the modern horizontal-axis wind turbines or HAWT. Skipping the technicalities, HAWTs have their electrical generator and rotor shaft located at the topmost part of the tower. A gearbox may or may not be included in the infrastructure. The design has been around for centuries so it must have advantages. Since the angle of attack can be adjusted remotely, you can harness the wind energy at its greatest amount despite the season and time of the day. If the HAWT is located in an area with strong winds, the ...- Bookmark :
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