Going Green Stone Drink Coasters

David Artsmith  – Green cars, solar panels, bamboo plates and green furniture. The world is going green with almost everything. You can also go green with your drink coasters. Coasters made from degradable materials such as sandstone are as durable, beautiful and useful as the synthetic ones. These materials are recyclable and will not damage the environment. Another benefit is the feeling that you will get inside, knowing that you are doing something to help out the world around you.

By using natural propducts in our homes, instead of man made manufactured items, we can greatly reduce the amount of waste that we generate over the course of the year. Not only does a factory not have to manufacture the amterial, but the materials itself is a part of the world, and as such, it is not truly garbage, even when it is broken or when it is time to throw it away. Stone can't ever be garbage, its part of the world? Rock is the material that the entire earth is made of.

You can use them in your kitchen, mini bar, patio or in the garden. Wherever used, they serve the same function as their wood, paper or plastic versions.

Coasters protect your furniture from damage in an environmentally responsible way. You will be able to shield your tables, desk or coffee tables from stains, discoloration and warps. This way you can make them last longer, preserve their shine and maintain their beauty.

Sandstone coasters come in various shapes and sizes. They can have customized logos or have themed graphics. If you have a bar, you can have your slogan or logo neatly printed on the sandstone coasters. You can also have these types of coasters in your restaurant where you have pieces of advertising messages on them. Stull further, you can use these green coasters as giveaways, gifts, or souvenirs for patrons at your eatery. If you had an environmentalist friend, the sandstone coasters will serve as a perfect gift for them.

Choosing eco friendly coasters demonstrates your commitment to the protection of the world’s resources. Using them to protect your furniture will complement conservation efforts.

What Are The Best Green Power Options?

Everybody wants green energy. What is the best way to achieve being able to get the power we need without damaging the environment, which is our obvious goal? Should we be opting for wind farms, hydroelectricity, or solar energy as alternative power? This guide to green living will help us decide

Resources that are regenerative, meaning they cannot be depleted are considered renewable energy. These resources are safe for our environment and produce energy without the harmful pollutants and emissions associated with fossil-fuels.

Wind farms often receive a bad press, especially when they’re situated near homes or in popular hiking areas. Because they have to be placed in skylines for maximum efficiency and they make a lot of noise and often spoil views. Offshore wind farms are less problematic in this way and can take advantage of fierce sea winds, increasing their output, but they rely on a nation having a lot of suitable coastline.

While the Netherlands does very well with its wind farms, the US is, considering the comparative size of its population, at a distinct disadvantage. For the home-owner, small wind-powered generators are available, but they’re not very efficient and often result in complaints from neighbors.

A much more effective way of generating power is using hydroelectricity that uses tidal forces and the natural energy of rivers. However, there are a limited number of suitable locations for hydroelectric generators, and often these are in areas which already provide fertile farmland, so a lot of people have to be displaced and lose their land in order for them to be built. The impact on local wildlife can also be damaging.

The test is being easy to access, non-polluting and practical and solar power is the only alternative that truly passes that test. Solar panels of today will still work effectively even in areas that are always cloudy. They require very little maintenance and once installed do not get in any ones way. Harnessing the power of the sun is the greenest way to generate the power we need for these reasons.

Green Energy Technologies Launches WindCube(R) at Windpower 2009

First Commercial-Scale Urban Wind Power System for Rooftop Use Customers With Small Footprints, Moderate Wind Can Expect Short Payback AKRON, Ohio, May 5 /PRNewswire/ — Green Energy Technologies LLC, a privately held company founded in 2006, announces the launch of WindCube(R), a 60kW rooftop wind turbine designed for on-site power generation by commercial and industrial power users in urban and suburban locations. The turbine, which captures and amplifies the wind, fills a previously unmet need for wind turbines that can be placed into service in a very small footprint and take advantage of the nation’s net metering laws. “Now building owners anywhere can consider being a part of the renewable energy picture,” said Mark L. Cironi, president and founder of Green Energy Technologies, and with John W. Fedor, the technology’s inventor. “With WindCube, it’s not necessary to have the wind of Kansas or Nebraska to become a generator of wind power. In states with excellent renewable energy incentives, moderate wind and high electric rates, the payback can be as little as three years.” The turbine is available as a single (60kW) or dual (120kW) system and in rooftop or tower-mounted design. The product is modular to satisfy a customer’s electrical requirements, and produces the same amount of energy in a 22x22x12-foot framework as a traditional turbine with blades 50 feet in diameter. It is ideal for a wide range of users, from industrial companies and commercial office buildings to big-box retailers, college campuses and electric users in remote locations. Innovative Technology Amplifies Moderate Wind The WindCube features a groundbreaking patent-pending design that relies on the wind tunnel effect known in physics as the Bernoulli Principle. While the rest of the wind industry generates energy through the use of free-stream wind, the WindCube captures and amplifies the wind, which produces more kilowatt-hours (kWh). As the wind comes into the WindCube shroud, it becomes concentrated, creating increased velocity and in turn, more power. Because of the amplification effect, the WindCube is able to capture wind energy as low as 5 mph. The WindCube generates electricity by running its motor backwards using an impeller (the opposite of a propeller), eliminating the need for a gearbox. This lowers the cost of ownership because the gear box is the source of most of the maintenance problems and failures on conventional wind turbines. Value-Added Energy Services Part of Each Sale Roth Bros., Inc. (Youngstown, Ohio), a national energy management company, will provide WindCube customers with 24/7 monitoring of energy usage using an online remote system that it designed for the WindCube. Roth will also provide professional installation of the WindCube turbines at each customer’s location, from initial site analysis to commissioning, and Roth can provide post-installation preventive maintenance and service on the units. Roth currently provides remote energy management and HVAC and roofing services for more than 100,000 locations throughout the United States. “Adding Roth Bros.’ construction and installation capability, contractor network, and energy management and services expertise gives us the infrastructure to truly launch the WindCube on a national basis,” said Mr. Cironi. “In our business, we are working every day with energy and facility managers looking for ways to reduce their energy bill and shrink their carbon footprint,” said Paul Belair, president of Roth Bros. “We believe there is a huge potential demand for a product like the WindCube from building owners and managers as well as developers seeking renewable energy credits from green building programs like LEED and Green Globes.” Along With Net Metering, Stimulus Bill Tax Credit Lowers Cost Net metering is a simple, inexpensive, and easily-administered mechanism for encouraging the use of small-scale wind energy systems. When a customer produces more electricity than is needed in a building via an on-site generation system such as the WindCube, the existing electricity meter spins backward, yielding a credit to the electric bill. At an average wind speed of about 15 miles per hour, one WindCube will generate about 160,000 kWh per year of electricity. In addition, a highly favorable element in the timing of the WindCube launch is the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 federal stimulus bill, which contains a provision that allows buyers of “small wind” systems (up to 100 kW) an uncapped investment tax credit of 30 percent of the total installed cost for systems placed in service between now and 2016. The American Wind Energy Association predicts the federal subsidy could help the small-turbine market grow by 40 to 50 percent annually, a boost that would parallel the growth of the U.S. solar photovoltaic industry after a similar 2005 initiative. Moreover, in addition to the federal tax credit, most states provide some form of applicable renewable energy incentive. Ohio, for example, offers a tax rebate of 40% (capped at $200,000) of the overall project cost on facilities served by the state’s investor-owned utilities. About the Inventors Mr. Cironi has more than 30 years of experience in corporate management, sales management, and project management in the information technology field with IBM, Oracle and Digital Equipment. Mr. Fedor is the co-founder and former president of Cleveland-based Masco Machine, Inc. Green Energy Technologies’ chief engineering consultant on the project is David Spera, Ph.D., who served as Chief Engineer of NASA’s wind turbine projects from and is the lead author and editor of internationally recognized book Wind Turbine Technology. He also led the development of the ANSI-ASME Performance Test Code for Wind Turbines, which is an industry standard. Dr. Spera now works as an independent consultant for DASCON Engineering, which he founded in 1991. About Green Energy Technologies (Booth #1517 at Windpower 2009) Green Energy Technologies (www.getsmartenergy.com) is the manufacturer of the WindCube(R), a unique wind turbine designed specifically for commercial and industrial power users located in urban and suburban settings. As the premier provider of urban wind systems, we are committed to delivering innovative, reliable technology and providing best-in-class customer support. The WindCube’s groundbreaking design allows large power-users to integrate wind energy into a variety of standard urban roofs. If roof space is limited or incompatible, the WindCube may be tower-mounted. With the WindCube’s superior flexibility, a wide-range of users can now benefit from the power of the wind. It is ideal for everyone from industrial companies to developers with LEED-certified commercial office buildings to electric users in remote locations. WindCube is a registered trademark of Green Energy Technologies.

SOURCE Green Energy Technologies LLC

Looking To Buy or Rent A Green Home?

“Looking to buy or rent a green home? These days, lots of green homes are going on the market as sellers and landlords recognise they’re in demand. But how is one to know which homes are truly green?
Here’s a checklist of features to look out for and questions to ask to determine the green quality of your next home.”

Katie Patrick has some good tips for you if you’re looking to buy a green home. Check it out at:

http://www.thegreenpages.com.au/blogs/katiepatrick/?p=102

What You Should Know About Green Energy

What You Should Know Green Energy
By James Copper

Green energy refers to the use of power that is not only more efficient than fossil fuel but that is friendly to the environment as well. Green energy is generally defined as energy sources that dont pollute and are renewable.

There are several categories of green energy. They are anaerobic digestion, wind power, geothermal power, hydropower on a small scale, biomass power, solar power and wave power. Waste incineration can even be a source of green energy.

Nuclear power plants claim that they produce green energy as well, though this source is fraught with controversy, as we all know. While nuclear energy may be sustainable, may be considered renewable and does not pollute the atmosphere while it is producing energy, its waste does pollute the biosphere as it is released.

The transport, mining and phases before and after production of nuclear energy does produce and release carbon dioxide and similar destructive greenhouse gases. When we read of green energy, therefore, we rarely see nuclear power included.

Those who support nuclear energy say that nuclear waste is not, in fact, released into our earths biosphere during its normal production cycle. They stress as well that the carbon dioxide that nuclear energy production releases is comparable, in terms of each kilowatt hour of electricity, to such sources of green energy as wind power.

As an example of the green energy production the average wind turbine, such as the one in Reading England, can produce enough energy daily to be the only energy source for 1000 households.

Many countries now offer household and commercial consumers to opt for total use of green energy. They do this one of two ways. Consumers can buy their electricity from a company that only uses renewable green energy technology, or they can buy from their general supplies such as the local utility company who then buys from green energy resources only as much of a supply as consumers pay for.

The latter is generally a more cost – efficient way of supplying a home or office with green energy, as the supplier can reap the economic benefits of a mass purchase. Green energy generally costs more per kilowatt hour than standard fossil fuel energy.

Consumers can also purchase green energy certificates, which are alternately referred to as green tags or green certificates. These are available in both Europe and the United States, and are the most convenient method for the average consumer to support green energy. More than 35 million European households and one million American households now buy these green energy certificates.

While green energy is a great step in the direction of keeping our environment healthy and our air as pollutant free as possible, it must be noted that no matter what the energy, it will negatively impact the environment to some extent.

Every energy source, green or otherwise, requires energy. The production of this energy will create pollution during its manufacture. Green energys impact is minimal, however.

James Copper owns http://www.propertycareerskills.co.uk who offer energy training and assessment.

Seven Hotels Recognized as Delaware Green Lodging Hotels

Environmentally-friendly Practices Set Green Hotels Apart

Seven hotels recently received Delaware Green Lodging certification for implementing basic green lodging practices that conserve natural resources, save money and enhance their marketing potentials as environmentally-responsible businesses. The announcement, which brings the total number of Green Lodging Hotels in Delaware to twelve, was made by program partners – the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the Delaware Hotel and Lodging Association.

“Green hotels have responded to consumer demands by changing to more environmentally-friendly and sustainable practices,” said Crystal Nagyiski, Delaware Green Lodging program manager. “By incorporating green practices in the way they do business, green hotels have set themselves apart from the competition.”

The seven hotels recognized were: Quality Inn & Suites, New Castle; Holiday Inn Express, Bethany Beach and Rehoboth Beach; the Atlantis Inn, Rehoboth Beach; Embassy Suites, Newark; the Awaken Inn, Millsboro; and The Biden Environmental Training Center, Lewes. To qualify for the program, the hotels implemented five basic green lodging practices – recycling, water conservation, optional linen service, energy conservation and a “green events” package.

DNREC’s website includes an overview of the Delaware Green Lodging program, the checklist businesses need to complete to qualify and other information. A list of participating businesses and environmentally-friendly practices implemented is also included. Visit www.dnrec.delaware.gov/p2/Pages/GreenLodging.aspx.

The Delaware Green Lodging Program is a voluntary, self-certifying program that encourages hotels, resorts and other hospitality facilities to understand their impacts to the environment and implement pollution prevention practices. Facilities that meet the requirements receive a certificate and window decals and can display the Delaware Green Lodging logo on marketing materials. In addition, Green
Lodging hotels are listed on the program website and are eligible to participate in grant opportunities.

For more information on the Green Lodging or other Pollution Prevention programs, contact Crystal Nagyiski at (302) 739-9072 or crystal.nagyiski@state.de.us.

Green Living – Tips for Conservation & a Greener Planet

Making green changes in your lifestyle is an easy way to get more enjoyment out of your life and help to conserve the natural resources of our planet. It is in our hands as individuals to protect and preserve our home. World governments and the corporations that feed their pockets with gold have never and will never care about the environment – they care about cash. When you make the decisive commitment to initiate a plan for green living in your family, you help to make your community and the world in general a more holistically natural and healthy place for us all to live and thrive. Here are some tips to begin your new green lifestyle with:

Tip 1:

Knowledge is power. You have to understand the problems at hand to be able to deal with them effectively. The environment has been being attacked for decades and decades from pollution-causing manufacturing plants and governmental agencies who do far less than not caring. Truths have been consistently masked and hidden from the public in the name of increased profit margins. To believe otherwise is both ludicrous and self-destructive. This is your planet! Stand up and fight for it. Educate yourself and grow in knowledge. Use that knowledge to force your elected leaders into positive action that addresses the urgent environmental issues at hand. Be a green mover; become a green knowledge bank!

It’s not enough to simply be aware of the problems that are destroying our planet; you have to be proactive in your approach to addressing them. Almost everyone acknowledges that there are many things which must be done to reverse the damages done and impede or stop further damage to our planet. That’s no surprise. Taking action is what it’s all about though.

Tip 2:

Change the way that you and your family move around. Transportation of the masses of people around the planet everyday unleashes a devastating amount of toxins into the atmosphere, soil and water. Consider green alternative forms of transportation such as bicycling, scootering, walking or mass transit systems. Explore the possibility of working from home to cut down on your need to travel so much. Ever thought about forming a carpool? If you just can’t see making full-time green changes in your travel habits, maybe you could just change them on a few given days of each week. At a minimum, you should at least be driving a fuel-efficient vehicle. The bottom line is that it is you that must take action. Just do something!

Tip 3:

Green living has a lot to do with intentionally lessening your consumption of energy. You don’t have to spend a hundred thousand dollars transforming your home with wind turbines, solar panels and flux capacitors. You can do simple green things for free like shutting the lights off when you leave a room. Try dropping that thermostat setting a few degrees in the winter and raising it a few degrees in the summer. Buy energy-saving light bulbs and appliances. Ensure that your home, water lines and hot water tanks are thoroughly insulated. You can also periodically inquire about green alternatives with your utility companies. If they never get the requests, they will never embrace the changes necessary.

Tip 4:

Train yourself to embrace healthier eating habits of water-rich foods. It is a very green way to enhance your health while simultaneously saving the planet. The Internet has made it possible to drop ship international foods all around the planet with simple mouse clicks. Shipping products and intensive farming methods have deadly impacts on the environment. Embrace the concept of gardening. Start a compost pile in your backyard and enrich the soil on your land. Eliminate your consumption of inorganic, pesticide and herbicide laden vegetables. Eat less meat. Enjoy the natural, seasonal bounties of nature.

There are many healthful, environmentally-responsible and fun ways to enjoy a greener lifestyle and become a part of an international effort to save our planet. Why should we continue to turn a blind eye towards corrupt governments and corporate entities? Why should they continue to unleash total devastation on our planet – our home? Make at least some small, simplistic changes in your lifestyle today to further the green cause. The rewards that you experience will be far further reaching than you will be able to see.

Phillip runs an awesome green website at http://www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.org/

He wants to call attention to the impact of wasted natural resources and help to advocate the necessity of the Green movement.

You are encouraged to check out the site’s blog at http://ypggblog.com/

Please visit often!

Small Lifestyle Changes Make a Big Difference: Going Green

There are plenty of things you can do as an individual, and a household, that can reduce the damage done to our environment.

The most effective changes you can make to your lifestyle begin, as all the best things do, at home, and the best part is these changes require nothing more than small alterations to your normal routine. The best way to start is to cut down on your energy uses. There are a variety of ways to do this, but start by always ensuring that appliances that are not in used are switched off at the plug – stand-by is not your friend. The same goes for lighting – if you’re not in the room, switch the light off.

You can also save water and energy by only boiling as much water as you need. A good way to do this is to fill whatever mug you’re going to use with cold water, put it in the kettle, half fill the mug again and add this, and boil. You need slightly more than a full cup as boiling produces steam and causes evaporation. On the same water-saving vein, having a bath is far more eco-friendly than using a shower.

Other small changes that will drastically reduce your energy consumption include relying less on heating – if you’re just a bit chilly, put a jumper on rather than reaching for the dial. And for whatever heating you do use, if you foil back your radiators, you will get more heat into the room for the same energy use.

Outside of the home there are still plenty of options. Check and see if your bank or telecoms provider offers paperless billing. This usually means your bill is sent in full to an email account and this is turn really helps the environment. It is also worth investing in some sturdy, long-term canvas bags to use while shopping for groceries – the carrier bag is one of the worst eco-enemies in use today. Complete eradicate it from your weekly shop and your carbon footprint will go into freefall.

The last, and perhaps most obvious, green friendly tip is the three Rs: recycle, recycle, recycle. Separate all your waste products in their appropriate places, so instead of just putting it all in one bin, split it into categories like food waste, garden waste and plastic and then send it to be recycled.

When it comes to being eco friendly, small changes to one person’s habits can make a huge difference to the earth.