Be Green

Join the Global Online Wind Energy Web Conference being held May 26th and 27th 2009. More than 25 experts are scheduled to speak on opportunities, trends and challenges related to community wind energy projects at this unique online conference.

Some of the speakers will be:
American Wind Energy Association, US Dept. of Agriculture, US Dept. of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, Native Energy, Spirit Lake Community School, AWS Truewind, Windustry, Pembina Institute, Baker & McKenzie, Citibank, Hyannis Country Garden, Wind Energy Solutions, Illinois Rural Electric Company and many more! Agenda can be found here.

If you are interested in learning more about community wind projects and grasping a better understanding and greater use of Green Energy this Web Conference will provide you with invaluable information.

Registering for the Wind Energy Global Online Web Conference will give you the opportunity to interact and connect with all presenters and other professionals around the world, to gain insights, contacts and opportunities to help increase the use of Green Energy.

Reserve your place today by registering for this extraordinary Web Conference and connect with some of the world's top Community Wind experts. All presentations will be recorded and available to registered participants online almost immediately after the broadcast so you won't miss any of the speakers.



Other Conferences on Wind Energy, Green Energy, Solar Energy, Bio Energy, Hydro Energy to be scheduled in the coming year.

A video I made in tribute to the beauty of our planet earth. You can watch it on YouTube.


Our Fragile Planet Earth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMGnEnoZ89A

Make a conscious decision in your everyday life to help make a difference in our world, to help prevent the crises that we are facing regarding the health of our planet and it's fragile inhabitants.

Is it really so bad? The experts are saying YES!

World coal reserves could be substantially exhausted this century.
Optimistic estimations of peak oil will happen in the 2020s or 2030, some say sooner. World oil peak is going to happen, and will likely be abrupt.
A fall in global oil supplies could cause spiking food prices and unprecedented famine in the coming decades.
If alternatives fuels are not produced and put to use on a wide scale, the oil based products we use every day and are dependent upon such as fertilizers, detergents, solvents, adhesives, and most plastics, will become scarce and expensive. This could lower living standards and in the worst case lead to worldwide economic collapse.
Farmers raising crops such as corn for non-food use in an effort to help mitigate peak oil has lowered food production.
Rising food and fuel costs has already limited the abilities of some charitable donors to send food aid to starving populations.
Over 90% of transportation in the US relies on oil. Peak oil would leave many Americans unable to afford petroleum based fuel for their cars, and force them to move to higher density areas, where walking and public transportation are more viable options. Suburbia may become the slums of the future.

So what can we do as individuals?

I've dedicated my website GREEN-OPTIONS.COM to Living Green. I have streaming news about green living and products we use in everyday life that will help make a change. Simple things like using glass bottles instead of plastic, changing light bulbs to Compact Fluorescent Lighting, using cotton tote bags at the grocery store and cloth instead of paper towels. The list goes on. These little things can help.

If you want to take action visit the Earth Friendly Links at Green-Options.com

The rising prices of gas has many cars and truck owners asking: "How can I save on gas mileage?" "Can I make my car run more efficiently and save money on fuel?"

You may have seen ads or heard rumors that you can run your car or truck on water. It's a scam and not true.

However, HHO Technologies are feasible, practical and make it very easy for you to install a kit in your engine that supplements your fuel with WATER!
No, you can't run a car on water alone. But HHO gas has proven to be a solution to the rising gas prices.

Never heard of HHO gas? Well, it's not something new, in fact some of the first automobiles used HHO gas. Now with inflating gasoline and diesel prices we are getting back to that technology.

Unfortunately, the automobile makers are still producing engines that run on gasoline or diesel. We need to curtail our dependence of these types of fuels. One way to do that is to use HHO gas generator kits in our existing vehicles, whether they be trucks, cars, motorcycles or even tractors and lawn mowers.

"What the heck is HHO Gas?" Learn all about it, how it works and how it can save you $1000's at HHO.GREEN-OPTIONS.COM

Using Compact Fluorescent Bulbs (CFLs) instead of traditional light bulbs, otherwise known as incandescent bulbs is an effective, simple change to use less electricity at home and prevent greenhouse gas emissions that lead to global climate change. Lighting accounts for close to 20 percent of the average home's electric bill. ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs use up to 75 percent less energy (electricity) than incandescent light bulbs, last up to 10 times longer, cost little up front, and provide a quick return on investment.

If every home in America replaced just one incandescent light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified CFL in one year it would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes. That would prevent the release of greenhouse gas emissions equal to that of about 800,000 cars.

Are Compact Fluorescent Bulbs safe? CFLs contain a very small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing - an average of 4 milligrams - about
the amount that would cover the tip of a ballpoint pen. By comparison, older thermometers contain about 500 milligrams of mercury - an amount equal to the mercury in 125 CFLs. Mercury is an essential part of CFLs; it allows the bulb to be an efficient light source. No mercury is released when the bulbs are intact (not broken) or in use. Most makers of light bulbs have reduced mercury in their fluorescent lighting products. Mercury content in CFLs has dropped at least 20 percent in the past year. Some manufacturers have even made further reductions, dropping mercury content to 1.4 - 2.5 milligrams per light bulb.

Some precautions should be taken when using CFLs in your home or office. CFLs are made of glass and can break if dropped or roughly handled. Be careful when removing the bulb from its packaging, installing it, or replacing it. Always screw and unscrew the light bulb by its base (not the glass), and never forcefully twist the CFL into a light socket.

Should a CFL breaks in your home, follow these clean-up recommendations:

- Before Clean-up: Air Out the Room
- Have people and pets leave the room, and don't let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out.
- Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
- Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.

2. Clean-Up Steps for Hard Surfaces
- Carefully scoop up glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
- Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass pieces and powder.
- Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place towels in the glass jar or plastic bag.
- Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.

3. Clean-up Steps for Carpeting or Rug:
- Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
- Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
- If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken.
- Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.
4. Clean-up Steps for Clothing, Bedding, etc.:
- If clothing or bedding materials come in direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from inside the bulb that may stick to the fabric, the clothing or bedding should be thrown away. Do not wash such clothing orbedding because mercury fragments in the clothing may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage.
- You can, however, wash clothing or other materials that have been exposed to the mercury vapor from a broken CFL, such as the clothing you are wearing when you cleaned up the broken CFL, as long as that clothing has not come into direct contact with the materials from the broken bulb.
- If shoes come into direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from the bulb, wipe them off with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place the towels or wipes in a glass jar or plastic bag for disposal.

5. Disposal of Clean-up Materials
- Immediately place all clean-up materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area for the next normal trash pickup.
- Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing clean-up materials.
- Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your specific area. Some states do not allow such trash disposal. Instead, they require that broken and unbroken mercury-containing bulbs be taken to a local recycling center.

6. Future Cleaning of Carpeting or Rug: Air Out the Room During and After Vacuuming
- The next several times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a window before vacuuming.
- Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after vacuuming is completed.

When a CFL burns out, what are the proper disposal methods?

Used CFLs should be disposed of properly. EPA recommends that consumers take advantage of available local recycling options for compact fluorescent light bulbs. EPA is working with CFL manufacturers and major U.S. retailers to expand recycling and disposal options. Consumers can contact their local municipal solid waste agency directly, or go to www.epa.gov/bulbrecycling or www.earth911.org to identify local recycling options.

If your state or local environmental regulatory agency permits you to put used or broken CFLs in the garbage, seal the bulb in two plastic bags and put it into the outside trash, or other protected outside location, for the next normal trash collection.

Never send a fluorescent light bulb or any other mercury-containing product to an incinerator.

Precautions are important but don't let them scare you or keep you from saving energy because CFLs help to reduce greenhouse gasses, other pollutants associated with electricity production, and landfill waste (because the bulbs last longer). Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs are clearly the environmental winner when compared to traditional incandescent light bulbs.

Dish soaps being touted as "green" products and environmentally friendly have been in the news lately. Many of the so called "green cleaners" actually contain 1,4-Dioxane, a probable human carcinogen created as a byproduct of petrochemicals used in a process to soften detergents. That finding became public in March, courtesy of Organic Consumers Association, a consumer advocacy group that tested 100 "green" products to find that 47 had detectable levels of 1,4-dioxane. Of them, dish washing liquids were the one of the most likely products to contain the probable carcinogen. In defense, many companies manufacturing and selling these products said they haven't yet figured out a way to make effective dishwashing liquid that doesn't contain 1,4-dioxane but they are working on an alternative.

Should you be worried about minute amounts of 1,4-dioxane in your dishwashing cleansers? The federal government says "few studies are available that provide information about the effects of 1,4-dioxane in humans," but adds that "exposure to very high levels of 1,4-dioxane can result in liver and kidney damage and death."

If you don't want any toxic risk, you could pick up some Dr. Bronner's castile soap which has undetectable levels of 1,4-dioxane.

You can find it on sale in my Green-Options Store

We are all interested in living better, healthier lives these days. What's more important than the very air we breathe?

The air that we breathe can contain particles that can trigger symptoms such as allergies and asthma, including dust mites, pollen, mold spores, pet dander, and smoke. Children are especially vulnerable to indoor contaminants since a child's respiratory system is still developing. The good news is that there are things you can do to help reduce air pollution in the home.

Clean Air 4 Life provides products that we can use in our homes and offices to insure that we are breathing clean air and drinking pure water.

I like this company for it's superior customer service and 30 day, money-back guarantee. The products they offer are the best of their type, class and price range.



According to The American Lung Association: Bacteria, viruses, fungi, pollen, dust mites and other insects, animal dander (tiny scales from hair, feathers, or skin) and molds can travel through the air and are often invisible. They are usually inhaled, either alone or by attaching themselves to particles of dust entering the respiratory system.

These biological pollutants are found indoors, some come from the outdoors. Some of these substances are in every home; it is impossible to get rid of them all.

Two conditions are essential to support biological growth of all kinds: food and water.

Bacteria, fungi and molds find food and flourish in air-cleaning filters, air conditioners, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, improperly maintained air ducts, and carpets. They grow especially well in improperly ventilated places where moisture collects, such as bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms and basements.

Viruses can be carried indoors and spread by people. Plants, pets and insects are potential sources of pollen, dander, and other allergens. Dust mites and other insects thrive in sofas, stuffed chairs, carpets and bedding.

HEALTH EFFECTS

All of us are exposed to biological pollutants. However, the effects on our health depend upon the type and amount of biological pollution around us and our individual sensitivity. Some people have no health reactions from certain biological pollutants, while others may face allergic reactions, infectious diseases, or other respiratory symptoms:

Allergic Reactions may be the most common health problem associated with poor indoor air quality in homes, except for the spread of infections.4 They are often connected with animal dander (mostly from cats and dogs), dust mites (microscopic animals living in household dust), and pollen. Allergic reactions can range from mildly uncomfortable to life-threatening, as in a severe asthma attack. Some common signs and symptoms are:

* Watery eyes
* Runny nose and sneezing
* Nasal congestion
* Itching
* Coughing
* Wheezing and difficulty breathing
* Headaches
* Fatigue

INFECTIOUS DISEASES caused by bacteria and viruses, such as influenza, measles, chicken pox, and tuberculosis, may be spread indoors. Most infectious diseases pass from person to person through physical contact. Crowded conditions with poor air circulation can promote this spread. Some bacteria and viruses thrive in buildings and circulate through indoor ventilation systems. For example, the bacterium causing Legionnaires' disease, a serious and sometimes lethal infection, and Pontiac Fever, an influenza-like illness, have circulated in some large buildings.

RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS caused by biological pollutants can include coughing and wheezing.

CONTROLLING THE PROBLEM

Sampling the air in your home to find all biological pollutants is not the best way to find out what may be causing health problems. Even if you tested your home, it is nearly impossible to know which biological pollutants cause which symptoms or health problems. The amount of most biological substances required to cause disease is unknown and varies from one person to the next.

You can take several simple and practical actions to remove sources of biological pollutants. Begin by walking around inside your home. Follow your nose and use your eyes. Two major factors help biological pollutants grow: food and moisture with poor air circulation. During your walk-through, look for these conditions, and plan ways to make improvements.

* A musty odor, moisture on hard surfaces, and water stains are a sign of water leaks or condensation. Common problem areas include air-conditioning units; basements, attics, and crawl spaces; bathrooms; humidifiers and dehumidifiers; and refrigerator drip pans. Fix all leaks; increase air movement and ventilation; and keep appliance drip pans clean.
* Dust and construction materials, such as wood, wallboard, and insulation, contain nutrients that allow biological pollutants to grow, and must be kept clean and dry.
* Carpet absorbs moisture and nutrients, and is an ideal environment for biological pollutants. Pay special attention to carpeting on cool concrete floors, where moisture can condense and become trapped.
* Firewood is also a source of moisture, fungi, and bugs, and should be stored outdoors.

A healthy dose of common sense is the best way to control the spread and growth of biological agents. Regular and thorough cleaning of places where biological pollutants are likely to grow will keep them at a minimum. You will never be able to get rid of all biological agents, but you can inhibit their growth.

Source: American Lung Association
http://www.lungusa.org

You can see the importance of having clean air. Get help with cleaning the air in your home at:

There is a gadget that you can use to determine what your costliest devices and appliances are in your home. The Kill-A-Watt Electric Usage Monitor is just that gadget. It's a meter that goes between the device drawing power and the power source, usually a typical wall outlet. You can monitor just an hour's usage of any single electronic item or appliance letting you know what devices are using the most electricity and increasing your monthly power bill. It also can detect voltage drops and brownout conditions before they damage delicate equipment and use it to test the outlets in your home to be sure they are working properly.

The Kill-A-Watt Monitor allows you to figure hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly costs for running an individual electronic device. You just connect your appliances into the Kill A Watt and assess how efficient they are. A large LCD display counts consumption by the Kilowatt-hour just like utility companies. You can figure out your electrical expenses by the hour, day, week, month, even an entire year. Monitor the quality of your power by displaying Voltage, Line Frequency, and Power Factor.

Kill-A-Watt is a popular and inexpensive device for energy conservation minded consumers.

Some people complain that adding solar panels on a house makes it look ugly. Obviously they are more concerned with aesthetics than alternative energy and how it saves the environment.

A gentleman by the name of Peter Richardson has won the Land and Sea Architecture award of the International Design Awards. His award winning solar design involves using water ways as functional space by placing solar panels in them. This not only makes good use of space that isn't used but the solar panels are shaped like water lilies. It's not only a thing of beauty but also generates energy. The solar lillies so impressed UK Glasgow City Council that they expressed interest in developing a pilot project.

Mr Richardson says: "They can be moved and dismantled and are simply tethered to the river bed, integrated motors can rotate the discs so their orientation to the sun is maximized throughout the day."

The solar lillies are aesthetic, original and functional making them my eco-friendly idea of the week!

Find cheap solar panels and solar energy products at GREEN-OPTIONS.COM