Green Driving Tips And Save Money

One of the worst ways in which we can ruin our environment is by driving conventional cars. By burning fuel we contribute to the worsening ozone levels and to make matters worse, the increasing prices of gas don't help us to save money while we drive our cars.

Therefore you need all the help you can get to drive green and save money in the process. The current economy certainly doesn't contribute to people's financial worries and unless you know how to save money wisely you might be chasing the wrong end of the tail.

The following green driving tips are a smart way to go green and help contribute to our planet's health and your pocket.

The first thing you need to do to go green is to make sure your car has decent tires fitted. Up to 20 percent of your fuel can actually be wasted with the wrong tires, especially if the resistance is too high. This makes the car work a lot harder, hence more fuel is getting wasted. It pays to spend a little more upfront by buying decent fitted tires to save money long-term.

If you are stuck in traffic jams or need to wait at traffic light it is a good idea to turn off your engine if you wait longer than 60 seconds. The same energy is used to restart a car as if it was to run in idle mode. This helps to save you money and stops unnecessary emissions of green house gases.

Many car drivers carry far too much gear around with them. Just because you don't have to physically carry it you shouldn't load your car to capacity either. In fact, doing this will waste fuel, money and contribute to the decline of our planet. Think green and lighten your load.

Have you ever considered to carpool? If not you should. Just by carpooling with 3 others you can save up to 25 percent of your weekly fuel cost. Take equal turns in driving each other's car or else decide to use the one car only and help with financial contributions to fuel.

Walk this way. To help green the planet why not walk more? Especially if you just pop down the road to pick up some groceries, consider walking instead of driving the car. This will actually not only help to save you money but also keep you fit.

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Green Living Tips For Computer Users

Do you know that using laptops and desktop computers have a lot of diference in terms of energy comsumption?

The following are some rough calculations based on coal fired power generation for just the computer aspect:

Laptop = 50w x 10 hours a day x 365 days = 182.5 kilowatts
Desktop = 300s x 10 hours a day x 365 = 1095 kilowatts

There is a huge difference as you can see and in terms of carbon emissions, the savings by using a laptop are around 1360 pounds annually or over half a ton.

Switching from a desktop machine to a notebook is a great way to save electricity. However, even with a desktop system there's a lot you can do to green your computer use.

When you're not using your computer for extended periods, switch your computer off at the wall to avoid phantom power load consumption.

Ensure your power saving/management options are enabled and properly configured. In Windows, this can be found in Settings/Control Panel/Power Options

While using your computer, only have your screen as bright as you need it - unneccesarily bright screens will use additional electricity.

For a screen saver, use a blank (black) screen as animated screen savers are energy suckers.

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Green Living Tips On How To Purify Your Indoor Air - Part IV

This is the 4th part of Green Living Tips On How To Purify Your Indoor Air.

Vent or Shut Off Your Wood Stove

Fireplaces and wood or gas stoves in your home can produce carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and fine particle pollution, as well as other toxic air pollutants.

Use a fireplace or wood stove only if you must have it for heat. If you must use a wood or gas stove or fireplace, make certain it is fully vented to the outside. Wood stoves should meet State of Washington emission standards, which require cleaner-burning stoves.

Beware of Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is a nearly colorless gas found in many home products. Disinfectants, adhesive or bonding agents, insecticides, urea formaldehyde foam insulation and particle board may all contain formaldehyde. It is a carcinogen and can cause health problems that include coughing, eye, nose, and throat irritation, skin rashes and asthma-like symptoms. People with asthma may be more sensitive to formaldehyde.

Keep formaldehyde away from your home by choosing wood panel products that are not made with urea formaldehyde glues, lumber or materials. Cigarette smoke is also a major source of indoor formaldehyde -- another reason to ban smoking from your home.

Avoid Pesticides

Pesticides used to curb household pests can allow harmful chemicals into your home and may cause added health dangers to children and pets. Still, some pests can trigger allergic reactions and worsen asthma.

Practice integrated pest management to keep your home free of pests and harmful chemicals alike. Integrated pest management includes simple things like blocking holes and keeping food in tightly sealed containers. Cover your trash cans and keep your floors and counter free of crumbs. Use bait traps if necessary to catch pests. Only use chemicals as a last resort and get professional help.

Avoid Toxic Products

Consumer products can produce harmful air pollution indoors. Hair and nail products, cleaning products, art and hobby supplies and other common products can increase the levels of VOCs, or volatile organic compounds. Some of the VOCs in these products include substances linked to cancer, headaches, eye and throat irritation and worsened asthma.

Look for products which are marked “low VOCs” and be sure to open windows and use exhaust fans when using these products.

Ventilate Your Kitchen

Cooking can be a big source of indoor air pollution, especially if you have a gas stove. Scientists who measured indoor air quality found that cooking a single meal on a gas stove can produce levels of nitrogen dioxide that the EPA considers unsafe to breathe. Nitrogen dioxide can worsen asthma and increase your risk of respiratory infection.

Ventilate your kitchen stove directly outside or open a kitchen window when you cook. Keeping exhaust -- including cooking odors and particles -- outside of your home prevents dangerous fumes and particles from harming you or your family.

Ventilate Your Bathroom

Bathroom fans can help reduce the level of moisture in your home and prevent the growth of mold. Make sure to use them whenever possible. If you are building a home or remodeling, install a fan with a separate timer that can continue to remove moisture after you turn out the light.

A little common sense goes a long way. If a bathroom smells like mold or you can see water spots, you need to reduce the moisture level of your home. Always start by identifying the source of household problems, and then find the simplest step to fix it. Taking small steps to improve the air quality of your home can have tremendous results.

Know The Limitation Of Air Purifiers
Air cleaning devices can help reduce some of the tiniest airborne particles, and as part of a comprehensive strategy, may help reduce indoor air pollution.

However, they have limits. For example, they aren't effective against gases or humidity. Larger, heavier particles -- including many allergens -- fall too quickly out of the air to be effectively removed this way.

If you chose to use an air cleaning device, make sure that it does not produce ozone -- either intentionally or as a byproduct.

Don't Install Carpet

Avoid using carpet whenever possible. Carpet traps unhealthy particles -- including chemicals, dust mites, pet dander, dirt and fungi -- and vacuuming can make them airborne.

If you do have carpets, use a HEPA (high efficiency particle air) vacuum cleaner to ensure better air quality.

Hard surface flooring, like wood, tile or cork can be readily cleaned by damp mopping.

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Green Living Tips On How To Purify Your Indoor Air - Part III

This is the 3rd part of Green Living Tips On How To Purify Your Indoor Air

Protect Your Kids From Bad Air On The Bus

Your child may be breathing high levels of dangerous pollution inside their school bus, including diesel exhaust, fine particles and carcinogens. Studies of air inside old diesel school buses found high levels of a wide list of pollutants, with consistently higher levels than outdoor air.

Protect children's health by advocating for the use of clean diesel school buses. While all buses emit pollution, buses with cleaner equipment installed can reduce the amount of pollution your child breathes.

Ventilate To Control Humidity

Properly ventilating your home is one of the best ways to protect and improve air quality. High levels of moisture in your home increase dampness and the growth of mold, which not only damage your home but threaten health. Dampness and mold are linked to increased wheezing, coughing and asthma attacks in people with allergies. Normal daily household activities -- including cooking, washing and even breathing -- produce water vapor, so having adequate ventilation is essential to remove moisture from the air.

Try these dehumidifying tricks to keep the humidity in your home below 50%.

• Install and run exhaust fans in bathrooms to remove unhealthy moisture and odors from your home.
  
• Make sure that vents exhaust air outdoors and not into other parts of your home.
  
• Remove any mold damage or growth and fix all leaks.

Beware of Dry Cleaning Chemicals

Dry cleaning solvents are strong chemicals, and can be toxic to breathe. Let dry cleaned items air outdoors before bringing them inside. Hanging them on an outdoor clothesline will prevent many of these chemicals from entering your home.

Beware Of Old Lead Paints

Keeping the air clean within the walls of your home starts with the walls themselves.

Lead-based paints can still be found in homes built before 1978. Any peeling, chipping or chalking of lead-based paint can increase the risk of unhealthy lead exposure. Young children risk delays in mental development, lower IQ and behavioral problems from inhaling lead paint dust. Some of those damages can be permanent.

Remodeling that requires sanding, scraping or removing walls will release paint dust into your living space. However, you can reduce the risk if you take the proper steps. The Environmental Protection Agency offers these six recommendations:

• Keep areas where children play as dust-free and clean as possible.
• Leave lead-based paint undisturbed if it is in good condition; do not sand or burn off paint that may contain lead.
• Do not remove lead paint yourself.
• Do not bring lead dust into the home.
• If your work or hobby involves lead, change clothes and use doormats before entering your home.
• Eat a balanced diet, rich in calcium and iron.
  

Get professional help for peeling paint or remodeling if your home was built before 1978. Older homes likely have lead-based paint on the walls, doors and trim. Inhaling the lead paint dust can be harmful to your health and professionals can help you stay safe.

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Green Living Tips On How To Purify Your Indoor Air - Part II

This is a continuation on my previous post on green living tips on how to purify your indoor air.

Kill the Dust Mites

Dust allergies are actually allergies to dust mites -- microscopic pests that need moisture to survive. Scientists have also concluded that breathing dust mite allergens can cause asthma in children. Dust mites feed on human skin and live in bedding, pillows, mattresses, stuffed toys, upholstery and carpets.

To fight dust mites in your home:

• Keep humidity levels below 50% indoors.
  
• Use a dehumidifier if necessary.
• Intensive vacuuming and steam cleaning of upholstered furniture may help.
  
• Remove carpets.
  
• Using dust-mite-resistant covers and washing your bedding in very hot water may help as part of a comprehensive approach, but don’t rely on those steps by themselves.

Don't Disturb Asbestos - Get Help

Asbestos is a mineral fiber that can still be found in many older homes. Inhaling tiny asbestos fibers can increase the risk of lung cancer and other lung diseases. Pipe coverings, flooring, shingles and roofs are likely places to find asbestos.

Check asbestos-containing materials regularly for damage from tears, water or wear. Don't try to remove asbestos that is already in place; asbestos is best left undisturbed. If the material is damaged or you plan to remodel, protect your health by getting professional help.

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Organic Products For You, Your Pet and Your Garden

Organic product for you!

Certified Organic Cotton Bath Towel

For your pet!

12 oz Natural and Organic Oatmeal Pet Wash

and For your garden!

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Green Living Tips On How To Purify Your Indoor Air

Do you know that your indoor air quality is 2-5 times more polluted than outdoor air? The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that people spend 90% of their time indoors, and this indoor air pollution can threaten the health -- and the lives -- of everyone in your family.

The most effective way to keep the air in your home safe and healthy is to keep away cigarette smoke, excess moisture and chemical. Ventilate your house to pull dangerous pollutants out of the house. Run the exhaust fans in your bathroom and kitchen. Open your windows. Make sure you have a good exhaust system in place for appliances and stoves.

3 Most Deadly Indoor Air Pollutants

1. Carbon monoxide: over 400 people die each year and thousands of others become ill or seek medical attention after exposure to the odorless gas. Sometimes the early symptoms resemble the flu, but look for these differences: if more than one family member has symptoms -- even your pets -- and you feel better away from home, you may have a carbon monoxide problem. Carbon monoxide levels can rise very quickly in unventilated areas without anyone noticing the colorless, odorless, toxic gas. Protect yourself by installing a carbon monoxide detector near your sleeping rooms. Also have all fuel burning appliances inspected by a qualified technician once a year to keep the deadly gas away from your home.
2. Secondondhand smoke: 7,500-15,000 children are hospitalized or sickened with respiratory tract infections, and older adults with cardiovascular or lung illness are at higher risk of health problems from cigarette smoke exposure. Never let anyone smoke inside your home. The Surgeon General states that there is no safe level of secondhand smoke. Ask smokers to take it outside to protect the health of you and your family.
3. Radon gas: Is a lethal and invisible killer. It is the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers and the second-leading cause of lung cancer, period. Scientists estimate that radon causes thousands of deaths annually.
   
   Radon is an odorless, invisible gas that occurs naturally in soil and rock and can only be detected through testing. Protect yourself and your family. Test your home for radon. Testing is easy and inexpensive and getting rid of radon may save your life.silent. It's odorless. It's found in many American homes, and it is the second biggest cause of lung cancer, after cigarette smoke.

Fix Leaks
Rain and high humidity can bring moisture indoors, creating dampness, mold and mildew -- big problems for healthy indoor air. Dampness alone -- not just mold -- is associated with higher risk of wheezing, coughing and asthma symptoms.

Check your roof, foundation and basement or crawlspace once a year to catch leaks or moisture problems and route water away from your home’s foundation. Fix problems as quickly as possible to prevent unhealthy dampness from entering your home.

Clean Your Air Conditioner and Dehumidifier

Asthma is the leading serious chronic illness of children in the U.S. Help keep asthma triggers away from your house by fixing leaks and drips as soon as they start. Standing water and high humidity encourage the growth of dust mites, mold and mildew -- some of the most common triggers that can worsen asthma. Use a dehumidifier or air conditioner when needed, and clean both regularly.

Keep Your Pets Outdoors
Pet allergies can come from an animal’s saliva, urine, feces and dead skin cells, so no pet is “hypoallergenic.” If someone in your family has pet allergies, keep your pet outdoors. Moving your pet from indoors to out can help reduce exposure to these allergens. However, cat allergens can stay in place for 20 weeks or more.

If you must keep your pet indoors, keep it away from sleeping rooms. Clean floors and upholstered furniture frequently (two or more times a week) to reduce exposure to pet allergens indoors. Unfortunately, two often-recommended actions do not seem to work: neither washing pets nor using indoor air cleaning devices helps.

to be continued next posting...

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“Your Planet Needs YOU! UNite to Combat Climate Change”

“Your Planet Needs YOU! UNite to Combat Climate Change” is the theme for World Environment Day Celebration for 2009.

The whole month of June is dedicated to celebrate Environment Month which is participated worldwide. However, it has a special celebration - The Wold Environment Day. This celebrated every 5th of June . The purpose of this special day are:

• to give a human face to environmental issues;
  
• empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development;
  
• promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues;
  
• and advocate partnership which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future.

World Environment Day is also a popular event with colourful activities such as street rallies, bicycle parades, green concerts, and essay and poster competitions in schools, tree planting, as well as recycling and cleaning-up campaigns.

Like the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Office in the Philippines, during this month we will always starts the celebration with a parade and culminate with an Inter Provincial Sports fest. Ballgames like basketball, volleyball, tennis, table tennis, bowling, badminton, and dart are being played. DENR employees from different provinces have the chance to banned together.

Likewise, DENR also will spearhead the hanging of streamers with its theme and requesting everybody to participate in keeping our environment clean and green.

Amongst the activities we usually undertake are:

• clean-up campaigns (involve private sectors, government offices, NGOs, and other sectors)
  
• tree planting (on roadsides, mini-parks and coast lines)
• conducts quiz bowl and poster making contests
• information dissemination through media and flyers
  

Though this posting is late, i would still love to dessiminate these information since some do not know yet.

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Eco-Friendly Product For Your Laundry Use

This is an amazing eco-friendly product for your laundry care. Refresh'n dryer towels are an amazing way of refreshing and revitalizing our clothes within minutes..

The Refresh'n dryer towel will clean and freshen undesirable, previously worn, slightly dirty, odorized, lifeless, wrinkled clothing into fresh, ready to wear articles without the need for washing.

The Refresh'n dryer towel is lint free, will not shrink, spot, or fade your clothes, uses no chemicals, and is 100% natural.

Refresh'n dryer towels have a patented weave pattern that allows your clothes to be professionally steamed to remove bacteria, odors, dirt and wrinkles. Thus giving your clothes a fresh clean look.

Refresh'n dryer towels can be reused up to 25 times, save on water and electricity, lessen time in the laundry, prolong the life of your clothes, and is 100% natural.

Anybody have tried this one! Please share your experiences here.

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