Whether you realize it or not lawns can consume up to 50-80% of a household’s water. That amounts to a lot of energy spent which costs you money! Here are some tips to save on water as keeping a green lawn takes a lot of care.
Lawns need 1/2 inch of water ever other day during really hot weather.
Water early in morning as to lessen evaporation. Do not water at night as lawn disease may occur.
Water deeply, not often as it also encourages deeper roots. Only water every third to fourth day when using this method.
Make sure your automatic sprinkler system is setup correctly to in the early AM.
Replace all or part of your lawn with wild flowers or the whole lawn with artificial turf.
Add some scenic walkways around your property as they require no water.
Mulch, preferably from your compost bin, helps keep moisture in the soil, and keeps weeds down.
Cutting your grass higher also helps prevent water loss as it helps shade the soil.
Petra Solar designs and manufactures the first smart grid interactive solar electric system specifically designed for installation on utility distribution poles, Utility Grade SunWave™ UP Series. The systems, which operate as individual power generation stations, combine solar power, smart grid and power management technologies to enable utilities to improve power quality and grid management. Petra Solar’s systems operate on streetlight and utility poles, connecting directly to the grid’s secondary voltage lines at the pole.
Last July the N.J. Board of Public Utilities approved a contract between Petra Solar and New Jersey’s largest utility, PSE&G, to generate 40MW of power through SunWave solar systems installed on up to 200,000 poles in New Jersey. The intelligent photovoltaic solar units are currently being installed throughout the state’s six largest cities and 300 suburban communities and will be running on the AT&T wireless network. For more information see Petra Solar.
Gas-powered lawn mowers are polluting monsters. Mow for an hour or drive your car for four hours: the emissions are equal. Mowers have been largely unregulated with few emissions controls, although all that will change as of 2012, when new emissions standards for small spark-ignition engines goes into law. The rules intent is that it will provide a 35 percent reduction in hydrocarbon emissions, lower evaporative emissions, and hence less ozone and greenhouse gas formation as a result of all that grass cutting.
Goats are ruminants, and emit methane as part of the enteric fermentation that occurs in their first “stomach,” the rumen. In 2003, according to the EPA, U.S. goats emitted 0.3 Teragrams CO2 equivalent of methane emissions. By comparison, landfills emitted 131.2 Tg, termites about 20 Tg, and mobile sources 2.7 Tg. Goats are not blameless, but they are better than lawn mowers and termites. However the old fashion push mower may remain your best choice for lawns if you really want to produce NO emissions and burn some additional calories!
Traditional manicured home lawn mowing is perhaps the wrong application or wrong image to convey. Goats are best used for hillsides and or rough terrain as they not only love to eat grasses, they also love all those plants we don’t want as well. So hence we see companies, like Google and other SIlicon Valley firms, using them not on a lawn, but in weedy fields. Goats easily and happily eat a huge variety of invasive and noxious plants down to the nub. Blackberry and poison ivy are just two examples of unwanted plants that goats love to eat.
Google is not the first to prefer goats over machines: Many goat herders are renting out their goats for landscape renovation and maintenance. Goat herds are used to maintain areas alongside airplane runways, like at SeaTac in Washington state, to remove scrub in fire-prone areas, and to replace pesticides in weed eradication on ranches. They do all this and more without the impact of heavy equipment or deadly herbicides. Their byproducts provide a type of fertilizer, as their hooves stomp into ready made compost. See the video below for more insight.
Several trends are shaping the future of green jobs and the growth of the green economy. Entrepreneurs from more established sectors like telecom and IT are moving into the green sector. Traditional companies are adding new divisions to take advantage of growing consumer demand for green products and services. And greentech startups are buying up assets from bankrupt old-economy industries and repurposing them, while energy incumbents are buying up greentech assets.
Greentech has seen a significant influx from telecom and IT. Big-name entrepreneurs such as Sun Microsystems co-founder Vinod Khosla, Ethernet inventor and 3Com co-founder Bob Metcalfe and Brightmail founder Sunil Paul have moved into green sectors like solar, wind, biofuel, water purification, electric vehicles and smart grid technologies. Employees as well as technologies also are cross pollinating from biotech, nanotech, semiconductor and automotive industries. Play the video below for some insight from John Doerr of Kleiner, Perkins, a Venture Capital firm based in Silicon Valley.
An easy-to-use Refrigerator Kit reduces electricity usage 3 ways. A temperature gauge ensures that an optimal 36-38 degree environment is maintained. An open door wastes valuable electricity, so our door alarm emits an audible beep when the door is ajar for more than 1 minute. Dirty refrigerator coils impair efficiency and raise electricity costs. Cleaning your coils is simple with our cleaning brush and instruction guide.
This Refrigerator Kit can save you up to $35 per year. Properly cleaning your coils once a year will save you $15 on an annual operating cost of $132. The monitor’s alarm will notify you when your refrigerator door is open too long. Avoiding poor opening/closing habits can save you up to 120 kWh per year, or just over $14. Lastly, the monitor will help you set the correct temperature in your refrigerator between 37˚ and 40˚ and save you approximately $6 per year, assuming the temperature is set 2˚ too low and each degree set below the recommended range raises operating costs by 2.5%. At an electricity cost of 11.7 cents per kWh, the combined savings is $35 per year. See Practecol.com
Electricity bills are rising. Now you can cut down on costs and find out which appliances are actually worth keeping plugged in. Simply connect these appliances to the Kill A Watt™, and it will assess how efficient they really are. Large LCD display will count consumption by the Killowatt-hour, same as your local utility. You can calculate your electrical expenses by the day, week, month, even an entire year. Also check the quality of your power by monitoring Voltage, Line Frequency, and Power Factor.
Now you´ll know if it is time for a new refrigerator or if that old air conditioner is still saving you money. With the amazing Kill A Watt™ you´ll know “Watts” killing you.
Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies recently announced the launch of a disruptive pocket-size fuel cell power plant targeting portable consumer electronics markets. Named MiniPak, this is the first of several Horizon portable fuel cell power products of varying size and fuel storage technologies to be released commercially over the next months and years.
Starting sales at $99, the MiniPak breaks the cost barrier traditionally associated to most fuel cell devices, making it the first affordable and refillable fuel cell product to enter the consumer portable electronics market. A higher production levels, prices are expected to drop to $29, with extra fuel cartridges sold at prices similar to disposable alkaline batteries, and refilling costs not exceeding a few cents.
It is a palm-size universal portable power charger and power extender for ANY electronic device requiring up to 2W of power. Devices compatible with the MiniPak include cellphones, but also smartphones, gaming devices, GPS handhelds, small lighting devices and MP3 players. The MiniPAK device integrates a passive air-breathing fuel cell and a “solid-state” hydrogen storage unit. The MiniPak DC power output is 2W (5V, 400mA), delivered through standard micro-USB port and a multi-choice cable. The device is supplied with 2 refillable and ready to use solid state hydrogen cartridge.While a cartridge replacement and filling infrastructure develops, Horizon took the extra step to develop a home refueling system called “HydroFILL” – sold as a separate accessory for added convenience. The MiniPAK is positioned to address gaps in providing energy “on the go” to power-hungry device users, as well as a low cost energy storage option for emergency and long duration off-grid power users.
Antec now makes it easier than ever to charge and power your notebook while on the go with the SNP90. This notebook power adapter’s slim, lightweight design offers the utmost portability, making it perfect for travel. And with seven detachable connectors, the SNP90 works with virtually any notebook on the market, including the latest models from Dell, Toshiba, Acer, HP, Sony and more. Lighten your load and charge your notebook with 90 watts of Continuous Power with one notebook power adapter: Antec’s SNP90.
This Energy Star certified charger includes 7 detachable connectorsfor compatibility with nearly every laptop on the market. This power adapter has a minimum high-efficiency rating of 87% at full load, saving you money and energy. It is available at Amazon.com and other fine electronics retailers.
Well it’s that day again. A time to give thanks to all the Dads and what better way then to give him new cravat to update his collection (a cravat is a neckband, the forerunner of the modern tailored necktie and bow tie, originating from 17th century Croatia). If all those Father’s Day neckties that your dad has received over the years are piling up and not being worn there are plenty of ways to reuse neckties once they’ve been retired. Below are a few suggestions for what to do with them.
Make a pocket square made from an old, favorite necktie. Cut off six inches or so from the wide end of a necktie, fold the cut end under, and then tuck into the suit breast pocket.
Avoid scalded hands with a coffee sleeve fashioned from one of dad’s cast-offs. To make a necktie coffee sleeve, all you need is a pair of scissors and some self-adhesive Velcro.
Use neckties as home décor. Choose two ties that have similar colors or patterns and use them as tiebacks for curtains — or, sew a bunch of ties together to make a pillowcase. Multiple ties can even be woven together to create the seat of a chair.
The silky textures, bright colors, and pretty patterns of neckties make them the ideal scraps for sewing projects big or small. If you’re handy with a sewing machine, multiple neckties can be sewn together to make a handbag, a skirt, or table cloth.
Several places accept necktie donations. Prairie Moon Quilts, for instance, sews donated neckties into quilts that are then given to charities for fund raising.
For other ways to use them or donate them use the search function on your browser and type in “Necktie Recycling“
The ships were on their way. Exploratory oil drilling was set to begin this spring off the coast of America’s Arctic coast in Alaska. Then the gulf oil disaster struck. The Arctic drilling plan was postponed by President Obama.
It is another case of history repeating. In the 1980s, President Reagan approved a congressional measure to allow oil drilling on the tundra of America’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The oil industry celebrated, and was prepared to begin the exploration.
Then the Exxon Valdez oil disaster struck. The oil drilling plan in the Arctic was shelved and has been banned since.
Could the universe be telling us something, or simply intervening to stop us from bad ideas? I do believe in signals that guide our highest good, and throughout history, the signals have been clear. It is time to change our course.
That the disasters are growing in size and severity is no coincidence. In December 2009, more than a billion gallons of coal ash sludge spilled into the Clinch River in Tennessee. In October 2001, more than 300 million gallons of coal slurry contaminated more than 100 miles of the Big Sandy River in Kentucky. On a daily basis, we see destruction taking place in the mountains of Appalachia as mountain top removal is decimating vast acres of mountains.
There is no need to blame anyone for these disasters, for most of us support these energy sources every time we flip a switch, power up, or turn the ignition. We are collectively responsible.
I believe the answer is to become good stewards, which means taking steps to reduce usage of these energy sources. Drive less, eat less meat, turn off the lights and electronics when not in use. Make progress. Reduce does not mean to do without. Even just a 10% reduction in energy usage is good progress.
The first step is to make a commitment to pay attention and do the best you can to be a good steward. Vocalizing your commitment to another person makes it stronger. The next step is to take every energy-saving opportunity that presents itself. Don’t stop living, but take notice, and do what you can. I do believe when we collectively adopt a culture of good stewardship we will see the world transform in beautiful ways. The alternative leaves much to be desired.
Jeff Barrie’s dream is to build an energy conservation nation by working with households, businesses, schools and communities to reduce their energy usage. Jeff has been producing independent documentary films since 1993, films that show how we are all part of the solution to environmental challenges. His latest film and non-profit project Kilowatt Ours features an award-winning documentary film, a curriculum for K-12 schools, and a new energy savings workshop series for low-income communities in partnership with NES (Nashville Electric Service). Jeff is working on a new film project called “Pedaling a Dream” which he hopes will motivate more people to become involved in creating the clean, green world of our dreams. Jeff lives in Nashville with his wife and co-star of Kilowatt Ours, Heather, and their two daughters.
Petra Solar designs and manufactures the first smart grid interactive solar electric system specifically designed for installation on utility distribution poles, Utility Grade SunWave™ UP Series. The systems, which operate as individual power generation stations, combine solar power, smart grid and power management technologies to enable utilities to improve power quality and grid management. Petra Solar’s systems operate on streetlight and utility poles, connecting directly to the grid’s secondary voltage lines at the pole.
