Live Paste

Health/Eco/Lifestyle

Eco-Friendly

Recycling: An Easy Way To Go Green

by

Who doesn’t want to make good choices? Going green, or making environmentally friendly choices is a great way to do your part to help save the planet in which we all live on. The Earth is quickly deteriorating and now it is very important to do all we can to keep our environment in good standing for future generations. There are many ways you can be green and recycling is one of them. Continue reading to learn how you can go green and make the most of your recycling efforts.

One of the first things you should do is check with your local recycling center. Talk to them and find out when they open and ready to accept recycling. Some centers are open around the clock and some are only open a few days a month so it is important that you know so you do not make a wasted trip just to find out that they are closed. You also want to find out what materials they accept and how they want the items. Do they want things separated or will they take everything all together? You will also want to see if there are any other rules or anything that you should know about.

Now it is time to start recycling. It might help to have a special part of your home where you put all of your items to be recycled. It could be a special container in the kitchen or something out in the garage. Designate a spot so everyone who lives in your home can easily place their recycling there.

What can you recycle? So many items we use today can be recycled. Your local recycling center can tell you what they take and if there is anything you want to recycle that they don’t handle; check around to see where you can recycle those items.

Paper

Most paper products can be recycled. If you read the newspaper or magazines, you can recycle them when you are finished reading them. You can also recycle any junk mail or other papers that you no longer need. Paper packaging, such as cereal or other food boxes, can be recycled, too.

Cardboard

Cardboard is a thicker paper and your recycling center may want it separate from paper. If you have any boxes you no longer need, break them down and recycle them.

Plastic

A lot of items are now coming in plastic containers. Many drinks come in plastic bottles. Shampoo, laundry soap, and sauces come in plastic bottles. You will find that a lot of other items you use come in plastic containers, too. When you are finished with these plastics, rinse them out and place them in your recycling container.

Metal

Metal can be recycled, and it can even make you money. Your recycling center may not pay you, but look for a junk yard or another business that pays for metal cans or other scrap metal.

Recycling is a great choice. Not only is it good for the planet, but it is good for your conscious, too.

Quick And Easy Tips For Green Living

by

Everybody wants to be greener today, but many people are under the mistaken impression that it is inconvenient or expensive to go green. In this article, we will discuss some quick and easy everyday ways that you can go green! Read on to learn more.

It just takes one green-minded consumer to change a light bulb and save 75 percent on energy consumption and cost. New LED and CFL light bulbs burn cooler and use less energy than old-fashioned incandescent bulbs. Using less energy means creating less pollution. They cost a bit more than old-fashioned bulbs, but they last a lot longer, so you end up saving money on your purchase price in the long run, too.

Look for the Energy Star Label to save money and energy for the life of the appliance. These days, it’s almost impossible to find a new appliance that does not have the Energy Star Label, so any time you replace an old appliance or electronic item with a new one, you are sure to save money and energy naturally. If you generally purchase second-hand appliances to save money, take a long, hard look at energy consumption. You may find that spending more on a new appliance will end up saving you big-time on an ongoing basis.

You can save even more electricity by turning off lights when not in use and setting electronic equipment to low power settings whenever possible. Unplugging electric items when not in use or using a power bar so that you can shut off electricity to them all at once will also save you money and power.

Water is a finite resource. We only have the amount of water on Earth that we began with. Using water wisely every time you use it is a smart way conserve this precious and vital resource while saving money on your water bill. You can take big measures, such as installing low-flow toilets and water saving shower heads. Maintaining your plumbing well by fixing leaks immediately is another great way to save water. Encourage everyone in your household to develop the habit of turning off the water when having it on is unnecessary. For example, you could turn off the water while brushing your teeth, use a bucket and rag to wash your car, fill dishpans to wash dishes rather than washing them with the water running, run your washing machine or dishwasher only when full, and so on. All of these simple steps will save many gallons of water.

Making smart transportation choices is a great way to save energy, reduce pollution and stay in shape. Choose walking, cycling, carpooling or public transportation whenever possible. Keep a list of errands and items and take care of them all in one trip rather than driving your car back and forth to the store and other destinations multiple times a week. These simple steps will save fuel, reduce carbon emissions, save money and help you save time and stay fit.

Keep excess rubbish out of the landfill and make the most of our resources by participating in recycling. Many communities have curbside recycling for paper, plastic, steel, aluminum and cardboard. Most communities have recycling centers where you can deliver these items if curbside pickup is not available. Additionally, you may be able to locate recycling points for cell phones, batteries, printer cartridges, paint, motor oil and more. Identify the recycling options offered by your community and participate fully. You will be amazed at the reduction in the amount of trash you throw out weekly. Be sure to donate any usable items you may have to local charities. Throwing perfectly good, usable items into the landfill to sit until the end of time is unconscionably wasteful.

It’s easy to see that everybody can go green! When you make smart choices in your purchases and your use of water and other resources and take a few extra steps to recycle and reuse, you are being a good steward of our planet. Follow the tips presented here so that the world will be a better place thanks to your existence.

Questions You Should Consider Before You Install Solar Panels

by

You may be wanting to install solar panels for a variety of different reasons. However, solar panels are not for everybody. Before installing solar panels you should consider the following.

When you go out and buy a solar panel system, often you will be thinking more about the long term and realize that it will save you money over time. While that is certainly a reasonable viewpoint, you must also think about the short term a little bit. If finances are tight for you right now it may not be wise to get a solar panel immediately. You must make sure that you can cover the initial costs of the solar panels without really limiting your finances. It’s not worth going green if you can’t pay your other bills!

You must also make sure that you have realistic expectations about how much you will save by switching to solar panels. Since going green is a controversial issue, you will see both sides posting information all over the internet that is misleading or just flat-out wrong in order to support their case. Make sure you do your research thoroughly and get your facts from unbiased sources to find out exactly how much you will be saving. You should also remember that if you are installing solar panels for a home you won’t save as much money as a giant corporation that installs solar panels. Don’t be swayed by ridiculous numbers that are not realistic for personal use.

Before you look into installing solar panels at all you should first figure out if you are even allowed to install solar panels. Believe it or not, some towns or neighborhoods do not allow their residents to install solar panels. The last thing you want is to spend the hefty initial investment on solar panels and then have the government come knocking to tell you to take the panels down. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

Solar panels are not the smallest things in the world. You will need to figure out exactly how much space you will need both inside and outside of your home in order to successfully install your solar panels. If you do not have enough space, you may be out of luck until technology advances to the point where solar panels can take up much less space than they do today.

Solar panels will take quite a bit of technical expertise to install correctly. You can’t just put some panels on your roof and think that’s all you have to do. If you don’t know what you’re doing you will likely have to call a professional to do the installation for you. This will add to your initial investment and may be enough to make you realize that installing solar panels just might not be for you. Remember to keep the professional installation in mind when calculating how much it will cost.

If you went through this entire article and still feel confident about installing solar panels, go for it! You will find that the benefits will eventually outweigh any drawbacks that you may be worried about.

Making Your Workplace Greener

by

It’s pretty much common knowledge that there are many ways to “go green” at home. However, it is possible to make these changes at work as well. If you want to expand the benefits that you are bringing to the environment through what you do at home by making changes at work too, then check out this article. It will give you some tips for being an environmental activist at work — and for sharing your expertise with your co-workers.

Talk to your employer and see if there are any ways you can increase the environmentalism that your company practices. Perhaps you can convince them to order only recycled paper, instead of standard office paper. Also, see if you can convince your company to order water that comes in the large plastic bottles that sit inside coolers, instead of providing the smaller plastic water bottles. Having employees bring their own bottles to use while draining the larger bottle will cut down on the number of bottles that are consumed. Even though plastic bottles are recyclable, the energy that goes into producing them can be conserved if everyone has their own permanent bottles.

Throughout your workday, there are many ways to use less paper. First of all, don’t print out every single email that you receive. You don’t need hard copies of them, especially with the sophistication of the most recent version of mail applications, which allow you to sort the messages in your inbox into as many different folders as you need to. This way, you can have the messages at your fingertips, anywhere that you can find an Internet connection.

Another way to save paper in the workplace is to work with documents on your monitor screen. If you have a document that you need to look at while you’re working on something else, pull it up on your monitor or on your tablet computer. You can refer to it while working on another document on your monitor. This way, you won’t have to print things out and use paper and ink.

There are many more materials that can be recycled besides paper. If you drink water out of plastic bottles, those are easy to recycle. If you’re drinking soda out of a plastic bottle or aluminum can, it just takes a few seconds of rinsing to prepare them for the recycling bin as well. If you have cardboard boxes that contain items that you have ordered, you can break them down and recycle them as well. Even the ink cartridges that you use in your printers are recyclable — the manufacturers often include the recycling envelopes in the packaging in which you buy them, or you can run the old cartridges by an office supply store and drop them off.

If you are energy efficient at work, you will be helping out the environment — and yourself as well. You’ll be boosting the use of green energy, and you’ll be spreading the word of environmentalism to those you work with.

Making Your Kitchen Earth Friendly

by

As one of the most used rooms in a typical home, the kitchen also consumes more energy than just about any other place. With numerous appliances running several times a day, the carbon footprint of your cooking space is probably high. To make this room more energy efficient and earth-friendly, you will need to put some time and thought into it, and probably a bit of money as well. Read on for some ideas on how to get started.

The obvious place to look for saving large amounts of energy is at your large appliances such as stove, oven, dishwasher and refrigerator. If these appliances are older ones, it is highly likely that they are consuming more energy than newer models. This is not only costing you extra money on utility bills, but it is also harming the environment. Consider replacing these older units with some with Energy Star ratings. Ask your utility provider for rebate programs when updating to these appliances. Also ask your tax adviser about the possibility of tax credits.

If you are considering a new floor, look at renewal options such as cork and bamboo. These products can be very attractive and now come in many styles and colors. Check for affordable options in warehouses and discount membership stores. For cabinets, look for ones made from FSC Certified sources, which indicate they are approved by the Forestry Stewardship program. When painting walls, trim or kitchen islands, choose eco-friendly paints.

When it comes to lighting in your kitchen, you can do more than just purchase energy-saving light bulbs. Look for fixtures that are energy efficient, as well. Look for ones that have dimmer switches so that you can regulate the amount of light used. During the daytime hours, use natural light as much as possible. Open curtains and blinds to let the sunshine in, but during the summer months you may need to close them during the hottest hours. Otherwise, you will end up with a hot room and the need to use more air conditioning. This obviously will work against your efforts to conserve resources.

Take a look at your counter tops and decide whether any remodeling job could be done with recycled materials. Tiles, particularly natural stone versions, can be very durable and therefore able to be used over and over again. Check out architectural salvage warehouses, where you may be able to find tiles that have been removed from previous homes or businesses. It is possible that you will also find some unique styles and designs from previous decades. This can give your kitchen a great retro look while also contributing to a healthier environment.

Doing your part to make the world a better place starts right in your own kitchen. Everyone can contribute in small ways, with minimal effort. Use the ideas here to get started today, then build upon your new lifestyle by extending the concepts into every room in your home. Your family and friends will also learn by your admirable efforts.

Making Any Home More Energy Efficient

by

Everyone wants to save money, especially in a tough economy. While it may seem backwards to spend a little extra when shopping when you want to save money, green products use less energy, and therefore save you money in the long run. All you need is a little knowledge and you can make decisions that can greatly improve your financial outlook. Keep reading to learn what you can do to hit your monthly budget.

Set your thermostat according to the season. Just a couple degrees won’t effect your comfort level, and makes a huge impact on your bill. You will also want to buy a programmable thermostat if you don’t already have one. This will allow you to vary the temperature throughout the day. A lower temperature at night can promote good sleep and uses less power. You can also turn the climate controls off while you are at work.

If your bills have gone up dramatically than you probably have a leak. It is time to call a qualified professional to diagnose and fix your problem. You may want to have someone come and check every year or so regardless. They may discover possible issues before they occur, saving you money. This can save you a bundle.

Curtains are not just for privacy. They also help act as insulation against heat and air conditioning escaping through your windows. Pick out something you will enjoy to kill two birds with one stone- both a decor upgrade, and a energy saver.

Just like you’ve heard you should turn the lights off when you leave a room, you should also turn off any appliances as well. Since anything that uses electricity uses it even when you are not actively using it, you are literally throwing away money. Unplug anything you aren’t currently using to prevent this unneeded power drain.

Start using cold water to wash your laundry. Don’t worry- it has been proven that washing your laundry in cold water cleans them just as well as hot water. For items that may contain extra bacteria, it is the heat of the dryer that kills them, not the hot water in the wash. There is no real reason to spend extra money heating the water when it doesn’t help your clothes get cleaner. Some items you may even want to line dry on sunny summer days. A quick tumble in the dryer without any heat on will fluff them into what you are used to dealing with. However, as was mentioned the heat in the dryer can help kill bacteria. There are some items you may want to use the dryer on every time, and others you may want to do this way every so often.

Use these tips in your home to help save money and the environment. While your personal may seem ineffective, spread over communities or even whole cities, the cumulative effect is massive. Change starts with small steps, and you can take a few now by applying what you have just learned. Since they save you money as well there really is no good excuse not to put them in practice.