Air travel may be the most convenient, easiest and fastest way to travel but it is as guilty as the rest of the land and water-bound forms of transportation when it comes to its carbon footprint.  We might say that the airlines are the menace in the sky for environmentalists - a necessary evil, if you will.  Fortunately, many measures are being undertaken to make the airline industry greener.  These measures range from the use of alternate sources of fuel to changes in aircraft design both on the exteriors and the interiors.  Hopefully, many of these changes will take effect in this lifetime. First on the list is the use of biofuels in airplanes as well as on vehicles used in ground support.  This is good news especially when the rising costs of conventional fuels are taken into consideration, not to mention their enormous carbon footprints from the oil fields into the airplane tanks.  Even related products like the de-icing and anti-icing fluids are now being derived from natural non-petroleum sources like corn and sugar.  Although there is still a long way to go before we can see biofuel pumped into all airplanes, one small step towards this goal is one ...

Around the world today, especially in developing countries, many men, women and children are breaking their backs to produce agricultural products and handicraft items at paltry daily wages, often just a dollar a day.  Along the market chain from producer to consumer, the finished products are sold at prices ten times, even a hundred times, more than the wages paid to manufacture them. Add in the hazardous working conditions and the damage wrought upon the environment by the manufacturing processes involved and you have a clear case of unfair trade practices.  Fortunately, the concept of fair trade is gaining worldwide acceptance among producers and consumers. Fair Trade Defined Fair trade is the organized social movement that seeks to achieve a two-pronged objective.  First, the implementation of fair trade practices can assist producers to attain a better quality of life through the payment of fair wages as well as the provision of opportunities for equal employment and advancement, financial and technical assistance, and safe working conditions. Second, the appropriate application of fair trade principles promotes environmental sustainability through the use of eco-friendly manufacturing processes and practices.  The environmental aspect is most often achieved through the safe handling and minimal use of agrochemicals, resource conservation especially ...

Cereal boxes, cracker boxes, shoe boxes, delivery or shipping boxes and more.  That sure is a whole lot of boxes!  We might not notice it but after the contents of these boxes are taken out or used up, they usually are left sitting in the corners of our house or it goes directly to the trash bin. There is an overwhelming amount of cardboard box production.  Considering the environmental impacts of paper production and how much damage it has caused to our planet.  Paper manufacturers have been a major source of the accumulation of toxic chemicals.  These chemicals are used in paper making.  There is mass energy and water consumption for producing paper using up a huge amount of water and electricity.  It also has contributed to air pollution, production of solid waste materials and has done much damage to our forests.  Deforestation happens because for years the paper industry has depended upon paper pulp from forests endangering the ecological balance.  Let’s take into consideration some facts about cardboard boxes: First, over 90% of products in the United States are shipped using cardboard boxes and 70% is recovered for recycling.  This type of packaging allows fewer resources by doing away with any ...

Solar power has two main advantages that set it apart from other electricity generation methods such as nuclear power and hydropower.  First, it is the greenest energy power that harnesses the most renewable energy source known to man.  Second, it is relatively simple to install and use with just solar panels, wiring, battery, solar regulator and inverter. Solar Regulator The solar regulator is the small box located between the batteries and the solar panel.  It performs two main functions.  First, it protects the battery from overcharges, which usually happens when there is little consumption but there is a strong sun.  Second, it protects excessive discharge when there is little sun (i.e., bad weather conditions) and heavy consumption.  Either way, the solar regulator protects the battery from damage to its components. In addition to controlling the amount of charge from the solar panel into the battery, you can directly charge appliances to the solar regulator.  In this instance, the batteries are bypassed but continue to receive charges from the panels. There are two basic types of solar regulators.  First, there is the on-off shunt regulator, which possesses the advantages of simplicity of installation and use, high reliability at a low cost and very small power ...

From its first known use in East Asia and China more than 5,000 years ago, the humble soy continues to be part of the daily diet of people around the world in its many forms.  From human food to dog food, it provides nutrients that promote good health, prevent certain cancer types and heart diseases, and even lessen hot flashes in menopausal women. However, like many other food, soy has its bad side that humans will do well to remember.  After all, too much of a good thing is still toxic! Soy Benefits Soy is used in many products from the grocery shelves to cosmetic counters to household items cabinets.  Truly, this is one versatile bean! As a food product, it is the primary ingredient in soy foods like tofu, soy milk, soy cheese, miso, soy flour, soy nuts, soy sauce, butter, cooking oil, infant formula and even as ice cream and vodka.  However, it must be noted that the health benefits of soy consumption can only come from those containing soy protein, or whole soy as it is also called.  It also helps to look for the non-GMO label to avoid the health problems that can arise from this type of bioengineering. The health ...