Green Living with Alternative Energy & Recycling!

Solar power is the process of using the light from sun and turning it into an energy source.

It has become a reliable alternative to regular power sources in remote areas. It has even been used in outer space. Solar power is used in homes, lighting, architectural projects, and cooking. It has become even more popular as the cost of fossil fuel continues to rise. Solar panels are designed to collect the power from the sun.

Once solar energy is collected by the solar panels it has to be converted into energy. This can be done by a process called solar thermal application.

It involves using the energy from the sun to directly heat air or liquids. The process of photoelectric application involves the use of photovoltaic cells to change the energy into electricity.

Solar power poses no harm to the environment. However, other threats to the environment may affect the ability to use solar power in the future. Global dimming is the result of pollution. It allows less sunlight to reach the surface of the Earth.

A recent concern is global dimming, an effect of pollution that is allowing less sunlight to reach the Earth's surface. Global dimming is caused by pollution particles and global warming.

The Solar Electric Power Association is an organization of electric utility companies and the solar industry. They joined together to find solutions to meet our energy needs.

SEPA is a network of more than one hundred companies. Fifty are utility companies, twenty five are solar companies, and the rest are various types of businesses. They share experiences, knowledge, and information about solar programs, They also discuss policies and technology relating to their field.

Is solar energy right for you? There are advantages to using this as a safe alternative to fossil fuel. Solar energy is free. It can be used in areas where electricity can't be set up easily.

The sun is not a resource that is going to be depleted. Disadvantages are that it doesn't work at night. The cost of creating solar power stations to store such energy is very expensive. In some area of the world, solar energy just isn't an option because the climate does not receive enough sun light.

The trend toward homes that are powered by alternative energy sources, ranging from wind turbines and solar collection cells to hydrogen fuel cells and biomass gases, is one that needs to continue into the 21st century and beyond.

We have great need of becoming more energy independent, and not having to rely on the supplying of fossil fuels from unstable nations who are often hostile to us and our interests.

But even beyond this factor, we as individuals need to get "off the grid" and also stop having to be so reliant on government-lobbying giant oil corporations who, while they are not really involved in any covert conspiracy, nevertheless have a stranglehold on people when it comes to heating their homes (and if not through oil, then heat usually supplied by grid-driven electricity, another stranglehold).

As Remi Wilkinson, Senior Analyst with Carbon Free, puts it, inevitably, the growth of distributed generation will lead to the restructuring of the retail electricity market and the generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure.

The power providers may have to diversify their business to make up for revenues lost through household energy microgeneration.

She is referring to the conclusions by a group of UK analysts, herself included among them, who call themselves Carbon Free.

Carbon Free has been studying the ever-growing trend toward alternative energy-using homes in England and the West. This trend is being driven by ever-more government recommendation and sometimes backing of alternative energy research and development, the rising cost of oil and other fossil fuels, concern about environmental degradation, and desires to be energy independent.

Carbon Free concludes that, assuming traditional energy prices remain at their current level or rise, microgeneration (meeting all of one's home's energy needs by installing alternative energy technology such as solar panels or wind turbines) will become to home energy supply what the Internet became to home communications and data gathering, and eventually this will have deep effects on the businesses of the existing energy supply companies.

Carbon Free's analyses also show that energy companies themselves have jumped in on the game and seek to leverage microgeneration to their own advantage for opening up new markets for themselves.

Carbon Free cites the example of electricity companies (in the UK) reporting that they are seriously researching and developing ideas for new geothermal energy facilities, as these companies see geothermal energy production as a highly profitable wave of the future.

Another conclusion of Carbon Free is that solar energy hot water heating technology is an efficient technology for reducing home water heating costs in the long run, although it is initially quite expensive to install.

However, solar power is not yet cost-effective for corporations, as they require too much in the way of specialized plumbing to implement solar energy hot water heating. Lastly, Carbon Free tells us that installing wind turbines is an efficient way of reducing home electricity costs, while also being more independent.

However, again this is initially a very expensive thing to have installed, and companies would do well to begin slashing their prices on these devices or they could find themselves losing market share.

What could be better than helping out the environment?

Why, saving some money while you are helping out the environment, of course!

Of course, most everyone wants to lower their carbon footprint and help the environment be healthier but if you can save money doing it, then you have the best of both worlds.

Luckily, there are many ways to go green and save some green at the same time.

Here are 5 things you can do that will help boost your bank account and the environment:

1. Buy Second Hand - most people don't think of buying second hand stuff as being environmentally consciences but when you buy something second hand it helps to keep that item from ending up in a landfill.

Not only that but buying second hand can save you a bundle! Plus buying something used doesn't mean you have to settle for something that is broken or damaged - there are plenty of brand new items waiting for you to pick them up.

Great places to shop for second hand goods include eBay, Craigslist, yard sales, flea markets and Consignment stores.

2. Energy Efficient Lighting - Swapping your incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lighting might cost a bit at first, but it can save you a bundle in the long run in energy costs.

In fact, fluorescent lights use 1/3 the energy that incandescent do and, since lighting is typically one of the largest energy uses in any home, this could save you 25% or more on your bill. Not only that but compact fluorescent lights last 10 times longer so you won't have to buy them nearly as often.

Want even more savings? Then seek out the new LED lighting - they are more efficient and the lighting itself is much better then the fluorescents.

3. Save On Paper Towels - If you're anything like me, you probably use a ton of paper towels in the kitchen. They're great for wiping up spills, drying off your hands and putting food on but what do you think happens with them once you are don? Right - they end up in the landfill!

You can reduce your costs for paper towels and lighten the load on the landfills by using cloth kitchen towels instead. Invest in a bunch of them and make sure they are handing for wiping up. You'll be amazed at how few paper towels you really need!

4. Eat More Veggies - Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that eating more fruits and vegetables and less meat is better for your health, but did you realize that it's also better for the environment? Yes, it's true, raising cattle takes a huge toll on the environment.

Plus beef costs more than vegetables so why not help your health and the environment by replacing a few of your meaty meals with vegetarian choices?

5. Conserve Water - There are many options in faucets today that will help you conserve water which, of course help the environment and saves you on your water bill.

You can get low flow facets and smart faucets that will automatically shut off after a certain amount of time or sense when something is under it - turn the water on and then sense when nothing is under it and turn the water off.

One mainstay of green living is using eco-friendly products and today, almost anything you want to buy can be had in eco-friendly version.

Eco-friendly simply means that the product is made in a way that is friendly to the environment. It could mean that it is made of sustainable materials such as bamboo flooring or that it takes an old material that would be dumped into the landfill and gives it new use such as recycled glass countertops.

Eco-friendly products aren't just reserved for major home remodeling however. You can get eco-friendly bamboo laptops, belts made from recycled bike inner tubes, and even shoes made from recycled quilts.

Whenever you look at buying something, you want to look at how it is made. Is it manufactured in an environmentally friendly manner? There are actually a couple of levels of eco-friendly products. One is that the product itself is made from renewable or sustainable materials and the other is the method of manufacture and its effects on the environment. The best of both worlds is to be able to get a product that is made from renewable materials and manufactured in an earth friendly manner.

You can take the concept of using eco-friendly products down to any level. For example, even your grocery shopping can be made more eco-friendly by buying locally grown, organic produce and using recyclable bags to carry it in.

When it comes to home renovations, you have a lot of great options. Everyone has heard of bamboo flooring which is both beautiful and made from a renewable resource but there other types of flooring that you can use as well. Cork flooring is also renewable and can be very beautiful and it is warm and soft on the feet. Marmoleum is a type of flooring that's actually been made for quite some time using earth friendly methods and has a great industrial or retro feel that fits right in with today's styles.

Even clothing can be eco-friendly. Choose items made from organic cotton, hemp and even bamboo. Even big name manufacturers are getting on the green bandwagon with Levi Strauss using recycled zippers and buttons as well as organic cotton. Today's eco-friendly clothing can also be trendy so when you're in the store pay attention to the labels and try to help out the environment while you are picking out your new wardrobe.

Even things like cosmetics and cleaning products can be eco-friendly. You want to choose items that are made from organic materials that don't have toxic chemicals in them. In fact, using these products will be better for the environment as well as for your health so it's worth your while to seek them out.

Some of the best eco-friendly products also help you conserve resources like water and electricity. Showerheads and faucets that help conserve water are great choice as well as compact fluorescent bulbs that lower your electric bill and help reduce the strain on energy worldwide.

Today there is a large demand for eco-friendly products so you will find more and more choices as time goes on. Look at your product labels carefully and take the time to make sure what you're buying really is eco-friendly and you'll know that you're doing your part to keep the planet healthy.

It seems almost inconceivable to think that starting my car and letting it run for five minutes to get the heat or air conditioning going has any effect on the earth's pulse, but when you multiply that millions of times, there's no doubt that it has a serious effect.

Simple things that we do, or don't do, have an effect on our planet's precious atmosphere. How many times a week do you go to the coffeehouse and get your coffee in a paper or cardboard cup?

You might have thought about how many years it takes for that cup to decompose, but have you thought about the energy that went into the production and transportation of that cup? Multiplied by?

Do you reduce, re-use and recycle? Make it a goal to reduce the amount of garbage you produce by recycling
and composting. Your town office or city hall will provide you with a list of how to separate your items for recycling. Every item that you can re-use or recycle is one less item in the landfill.

One of the simplest ways to help is to purchase and use cloth shopping bags. The hard part is remembering to take them out of the car and into the store, but
once you get into the habit, it becomes second nature. Resolve to not accept plastic bags in a store.

Traveling in a gas-powered vehicle as little as possible is a great way to conserve. Walk or bike whenever and wherever you can; it'll help the planet and your health. If you live in the city, use public transportation. Likewise, if you live in the country,
carpool to work and instead of making several trips a week to run errands, save them for one trip.

If you take the time to think about your daily activities, and how you can do them a little differently, you may find yourself not only helping the environment, but helping your wallet. Do only full loads of laundry and dishes; cut your shower by two minutes; switch to energy-saving light bulbs; turn your refrigerator and air conditioner up a single degree and turning off your electronic devices at night are all painless ways to help.

Challenge yourself to think before you act for a few days and you will surprised at how easy it is to begin the process of going green.