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Your office might be among the largest consumers of energy in the home. Here are a few simple ideas to help you be energy efficient in your office.

#1  Connect everything in the office into a power strip.

Computers, printers, recharging stations, radios or televisions and even the light fixtures can be plugged into power strips. At the conclusion of each day or each working period, turn off your various electronics and also switch off the power strip.

This can conserve a tremendous amount of energy since many electronics continue to use energy even when they’ve been powered down. Turning off the power strip eliminates energy consumption when electronics are not in use. And only turning on the item when you have to use it saves energy also.

Furthermore, many power strips are surge protectors, which offers your electronics protection against powerful electrical surges which is often caused by lightening and other things.

#2 Passive Solar & Wind Energy

Passive solar is the practice of using the sun’s energy passively For instance, you can use the sun’s power to heat your office in winter time by opening the curtains and letting the sun’s rays heat the office. In the summer you would want to close the curtains to help your office remain cool.

The wind’s energy could also be used to cool the office in the summertime by producing cross breezes. Open windows on opposing sides of the office to produce a path for the air current to flow. As the air passes through your office it can help it remain cool.

Fans are also a big help although they usually run on electricity, they’re more cost effective cooling methods than air conditioning which can cost more than $500 a summer.

#3 Active Solar

There are numerous office products on the market today that utilize solar cells to maximize the sun’s energy. You can purchase laptop bags with solar cells to power your laptop. You can buy solar recharging stations and recharge all of your electronics. You can even buy solar powered electronics.

Finally, reorganizing the office for optimum air flow can help it remain cool in the summertime. If you have boxes stacked and furniture sitting over vents there won’t be any means for the cool air to circulate in the office. Clean house and minimize clutter for maximum energy savings.

There are numerous methods to become more power effective in the office.  Utilize the power of the sun and the wind for heating and cooling and become wise about turning off and on your electronics whenever you need them. Utilize just as much as you’ll need.

Want to find out more facts about solar energy, then visit Ben Jerry’s site on solar energy information.

Picture for a second, a future world where all the paper goods we consume can bud into a flower when planted in soil.  Like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory where everything is edible, except with this ideal world: all of the paper is seeded and sproutable, plus the schnozberries still taste like schnozberries!  The way it turns out, seed paper transforms this possibility into a reality.

If you have never heard of seeded paper you are not alone, who knew paper made out of seeds possibly will bloom a flower or any plant for that matter? Yes, despite the paper making procedure, the seeds can still germinate which enables them to bud when planted.  Seed paper is a beautiful, eye-catching, and easily recyclable item which may include many different plant seeds.

But why should we utilize and increase the word about eco-friendly seed paper and all recycled paper for that matter?  In accordance with the CWAC (Clean Water Action Council) the answer is due to environmental damage caused by the paper industry, which is a good deal more than merely deforestation. The following are a few main damaging effects on our eco systems caused by paper waste according to Clean Water Action Council. A lot of impure sediments seep into food supplies and river systems containing a multitude of species of fish and ducks. There is certainly a ceaseless continuation of toxic chemical pollution, in addition to atmosphere pollutants including carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides, sulfur dioxides, carbon monoxides and particulates. There is also a large quantity of energy consumption. Mills extract a immense quantity of electrical energy from public utilities, or mills are forced to construct their very own energy facilities. An extensive quantity of water is needed along with copious quantities of solid waste. Worldwide, colossal tracts of forest are stricken by the paper industry, accounting to the world’s scary deforestation trends. Politicians are a bit deterred to act caused by collaboration of government entities and the multi billion dollar paper industry interests.

The majority of us are aware of global warming, man’s ever-growing carbon footprint, and detrimental man-made pollution of all sorts.  We perceive with our own eyes the unsafe toll on the environment attributable to the increased effects of our personal human actions and behavior.  We wish to reduce, reuse, recycle, and make this planet a greater place for upcoming generations, but every so often we must be confident, empowered, and reminded.  We are making strides with companies promoting the use of reusable grocery bags. Seed paper as well is an ideal way to inspire one another to go green.

If you’re a business expert, conservationist, business proprietor, salesperson, or simply passling along your annual holiday letter to family and friends, using seeded paper as your correspondence stationary is a great way to show your personal or organization-wide promise to reducing your carbon footprint while also saving trees.   When you give out your seed business card, or send out your holiday seed cards you are extending the excellent news about seeded paper, recycling, and the imperative necessity for all of us to exist and be eco friendly.  As the 40th anniversary of Earth Day comes to pass (April 22nd), there has never been a more fitting moment for organizations to purvey their obligation to reducing their carbon footprint through adopting green methods to make this world a better place for upcoming generations.

Most celebrities splurge their fortune on outrageously extravagant homes with everything from multi-car garages and huge swimming pools to state-of-the-art kitchens and entertainment rooms with enough high-tech gadgets to use up a small town’s worth of electricity.
Clearly, these home owners have given little to no thought to the massive increase in their carbon footprint which these homes are causing. But, there are some celebrities out there who put their care for the environment before their obsession with luxury:

Johnny Depp

Not only is Johnny Depp one of Hollywood’s hottest actors, he is also known as one of Hollywood’s most environmentally-friendly A-Listers.
Johnny Depp enlisted eco-homes expert Michael Strizki to turn his 35-acre island getaway in the Caribbean into a self-sustaining habitat run on solar-hydrogen power. With Strizki – project promoter of The Hopewell Project – on the case, it is doubt the rest of the building plans will be equally as energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall

Before Julia Louis-Dreyfus and husband Brad Hall became famous for their comedic acting and writing on Saturday Night Live, Seinfeld, and The New Adventures of Old Christine, they were a pair of environmentally-minded theatre students. Now they share an energy-efficient Santa Barbara bungalow that includes a retractable roof, which stimulates airflow and negates the need for air conditioning; day-lighting, to reduce the need for electric lights; and solar heating that’s put back into the grid when the house isn’t in use. The couple also had their contractor salvage all the pre-renovation wood since, as Hall put it: “Having a second home is itself a sort of appalling excess. We figured if we’re going to do it, we better be as responsible as we can.”

Daryl Hannah

Known just as much these days for her environmental passion as she is for her films, actress Daryl Hannah spends her days off in the Rocky Mountains, where her converted-stagecoach-stop home is almost entirely solar powered. The off-grid dwelling sits next to a winterised barn (also solar powered) made of reclaimed wood, and inside, Hannah and her guests sit on a moss-covered stone that doubles as a couch.

Julia Roberts

Julia Roberts, her husband Danny Moder and their three children share an over-sized, 6,000-square-foot home, complete with tennis court and pool, but the home’s recent estimated $20 million green renovation – including recycled tiling and sustainable building materials – help keep the mansion’s carbon footprint restrained. The home’s three roofs’ worth of solar panels takes advantage of living in Malibu by harnessing the climate’s natural energy.

Orlando Bloom

Perhaps all the time together Orlando Bloom shared with Johnny Depp on the Pirates of the Caribbean set allowed some of Depp’s environmentalism to rub off on co-star Orlando Bloom.
Bloom, who is a participant of the Global Cool climate change campaign, made his new-construction home in London as green as possible, with everything from solar panels to energy-efficient light bulbs. He has since said that the project required nearly twice as much money as he had initially budgeted, but the finished product is sure to be well worth the cost.

Like this post? See more like it at Letitflow.com– your one-click stop for all the latest news on celebrities, fashion, high-tech gadgets, luxury cars, exotic travel destinations, and much more!

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When it comes to environmental initiatives and sustainability, certain US cities have been deemed ahead of the curve, at least when compared to their lagging neighbors. Back in February 2008, Popular Science produced a list of the top 50 greenest cities in the United States. These are the greenest cities in the United States based on their research study.

1. Portland, OR
2. San Francisco, CA
3. Boston, MA
4. Oakland, CA
5. Eugene, OR
6. Cambridge, MA
7. Berkeley, CA
8. Seattle, WA
9. Chicago, IL
10. Austin, TX

The top 50 cities, and further rankings, were determined based on scores related to four major categories: electricity, transportation, green living, and recycling. Cities scored well in the electricity category when they drew energy from renewable resources, such as solar power. Transportation points went to cities with good public transportation systems (ie places where the population actually uses public transportation). A green living score was determined based on the number of certified buildings and lastly, recycling points went to cities with great recycling systems and programs.

The list, however, seems to be outdated. It was compiled over two years ago. What qualifies a green city today and are we still looking at the same criteria? Are the green cities listed above list-proof, or in other words, would they appear on a 2010 list done by another research group? The questions can be answered based on a new 2010 study done by the Business Courier of Cincinnati. Here are the top 10 greenest cities based on the Business Courier's research.

1. Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA
2. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
3. Honolulu, HI
4. Austin-Round Rock, TX
5. Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH
6. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
7. Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO
8. Pittsburgh, PA
9. Albuquerque, NM
10. Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY

Cities were ranked using the ACBJ’s Green City Index. Essentially, the index compiles environmental data from various resources and organizations. The index incorporates a significant number of external statistics, such as number of Energy Star rated facilities (from the US EPA) and carbon emissions data (from the Brookings Institute). Examining these lists, it's clear that places like Boston and Seattle are some of the most environmentally-friendly cities in the US. Further within these green cities, there are particularly sustainable districts and neighborhoods. For example, it’s no wonder that people look for Jamaica Plain condos (Boston, MA). With many parks, such as the Olmsted Park, the neighborhood is constantly cited as one of Boston's greenest and most desirable.

During the Second World War, resources were hard to come by and Governments ran big recycling campaigns to ensure nothing was wasted. Waste was segregated for the following uses:

- Tins and metal were recycled for use weapons, tanks and aircraft.

- Left over food provided feed for chickens, pigs and goats.

- Rubber was collected to make tires.

- Boiled bones were used to make glue for aircraft, ground up to make fertilizer or made into glycerin for explosives.

People were also encouraged to mend belongings, such as clothes, rather than buy new. Campaigns such as ‘Make Do And Mend’ and ‘Sew And Save’ gave advice on how to recycle textiles and make clothes last longer. Knitting also soared in popularity during the Second World War.

Families had to plan meals carefully so as to minimize wastage. With no fridges or freezers, perishable food had to be purchased in small quantities and meals were made with some interesting substitutes. Meat fat was commonly saved to make pastry, and the cream from milk was collected in a jar and shaken to make butter and buttermilk.

It is sad that it took people so long to recognize the importance of recycling, and also that it took such unfortunate circumstances to draw it to our attention. These days, we realize the importance of recycling to preserve the Earth’s resources, save money, reduce pollution and help combat climate change.

However, we are still falling well below targets for diverting waste from landfill sites. The reasons for recycling may be different now from what they were during the War, but we can still look to our grandparents and the older generations for tips and inspiration.

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Ware 4 Recycling Bins Ltd have been promoting cost effective recycling bins, trolleys and waste containers for over 5 years.

Natural Cleaning Techniques: “But…how did they do it 100 years ago?”

This is a common question that I ask myself and my fellow community members here at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, a striving-to-be-sustainable community. How did they do this or that before electricity? Before mass production? Before everything came in plastic? More often than not we adopt the old way of doing things here: canning or root cellaring our food for preservation, heating our homes with wood, and making butter with a hand cranked, turn-of-the-century churn.

When it comes to cleaning, there are certainly many old fashioned ways of cleaning that one could easily choose to use. From baking soda to lemon juice, there may be simple ways to save yourself from adding too many products to your life. I know at least a few folks who believe that you can clean just about anything with white vinegar and newspaper or an old rag. And while we do employ a number of very simple cleaning techniques here at Dancing Rabbit, even we are not free of mass-produced cleaning products… but we stick to those that meet our standards for sustainability.

That’s why you’ll find a number of Seventh Generation products under our sinks. We’ve been known to use their various spray bottle bathroom cleaners and those squirty-topped dish soaps, because we know this company shares our vision of living more lightly on the Earth. Having replaced toilets with a simple humanure system, we don’t need to use any of their toilet cleaning products (though we do still use Seventh Generation toilet paper).

You will also find a number of citrus-based cleaners used for anything from mopping the floor to washing our clothes. Citric acid can, in almost all cases, be used in the same way as bleach. Mixed with salt, citrus becomes especially powerful. And just think of how much more pleasant the smell of lemon is compared to the smell of bleach!

Personally, I have, at one time or another used Dr Bronner’s Magic Soaps for just about everything. From its inception, Dr. Bronner’s has listed “eighteen-in-one” potential uses for their product on the bottle, and it can really be used for every one of them. Along with body wash and hand soap, Dr Bronner’s also makes great laundry soap, and is even safe to use on your pets!

I have no doubt that some people look at our way of life, and think that we’re trying to return to the 19^th century. With some specific practices, they’re right! But we don’t reject progress… we just want to see it achieved sustainably. These natural cleaning products allow us to enjoy a bit of convenience, while still maintaining our values.

Best of luck combining simplicity, sustainability, and practicality, and happy cleaning!

Mary Beth Bishop is a resident of Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage in Northeastern Missouri, and a freelance writers currently under contract with long-running green blog sustainablog, which now features an eco-friendly shopping portal that carries a full range of cleaning brands, including Dr. Bronner’s.

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There has long been a conflict between living a sustainable and environmentally friendly lifestyle, and still indulging in life’s luxuries. We don’t want to pollute the atmosphere with CO2, but still want to take our holidays to Barbados every year and keep our houses warm and cozy in the winter. We don’t want to fill up landfill sites, but can’t resist those luxury biscuits that come in a tin and five layers of packaging inside. We don’t like to waste water, but a hot bath at the end of a long day just feels too good.

Thankfully we are starting to realize that we don’t have to give up on all of life’s luxuries in order to save the earth, and improvements in technology and innovation have allowed us to do more than ever whilst keeping a clear conscience. One such luxury that has not always been so ‘green’ is spa days. These intensive pampering sessions have received a lot of criticism over the years for their harmful impact on the environment, but now you can go on spa days that are a little kinder to mother nature. Here are 3 ways that health spas are going green:

Green Products.

Whilst the skin care and beauty products used by health spas are often very good, they are not always good to the earth. Synthetic ingredients, harmful bi-products and animal testing are just a few of the ways products can be harmful, but thankfully there are good alternatives these days. Producers of all-natural skin care and beauty products have upped their game recently, and largely due to increased public demand, there is a far greater range and level of quality for health spa products.

Green Energy.

Most health spas often encompass a scary number of energy-consuming devises and environments. Saunas, Jacuzzis, swimming pools, steam rooms etc, they are burning large amounts of fuel and don’t do any good for the planet’s CO2 levels. More health spas though are now waking up to green energy, both creating it from renewable sources and improving the efficiency of its use. Here are some examples of how health spas are reducing energy usage/loss:

• Solar panels on roofs

• Recycling of hot air from pools, steam rooms etc

• Better insulation in spa areas

• Movement sensor switches on lights

Green Waste.

Health spas are notorious for producing large amounts of waste. Water is wasted at an incredible rate via ‘back-washing’ the pools to remove sentiment and also via constant laundry washing. Much of this waste water can actually be reused if put through the proper filters and many spas can make their money back within a couple of years by saving on water costs. The other big wastage is the packaging and containers that beauty products and are delivered in. Some spas are recycling these by handing them back to the suppliers after each delivery and asking them to be reused, saving both money and unnecessary landfill.

So with all these green initiates that many health spas are signing up to, you can still enjoy your massage, without feeling guilty about your impact on the planet.

Duncan is a green enthusiast and a blogger for a London health spa who are doing their bit for the environment.

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Below are some of the environmental and money saving benefits of recycling paper…

Saves Trees – The most obvious reason to recycle paper is for saving trees which provide vital oxygen for the planet. Just 1 ton of recycled paper saves at least 16 of them.

Wildlife Preservation – More often than not, the wildlife that lives in the trees that are cut down to make ‘new’ paper, die quickly because they cannot adapt to living anywhere else. Recycling paper means that they can die natural deaths instead of forced ones.

Cheaper Paper – Recycled paper is often cheap to purchase. Buying cheaper, recycled goods encourages more recycled goods to be manufactured, sustaining the recycling industry.

Less Water Consumption – 1 ton of recycled paper can save over 6500 gallons of water.

Saves Electricity – Producing electricity seriously damages the environment, but more than 400 kilowatt hours are saved by recycling 1 ton of paper.

Reduces Oil Dependence – Oil production has some horrific effects on the environment and any chance to reduce oil consumption should be taken. Saving 2 barrels per ton of recycled paper really makes a difference in the long term.

Less Pollution – Burning paper in waste incinerators pumps masses of pollution into the air. That means that we are unnecessarily causing the air that we all breathe to be of a lower quality.

Creates Jobs – Think about all the people who work within the paper recycling industry. Collectors, sorters and machine operators being just a few of them. The more that we recycle, the more of these jobs there will be created.

Paper Logs – Many people are now turning to paper logs as a supplementary fuel source. Consisting of tightly compressed briquettes of paper, these logs can be thrown on a fire or used in a wood burner to provide heat for free.

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This article is provided by http://www.paperlogmaker.org.uk/, a website dedicated to paper log makers and paper recycling.

Each and every year thousands upon thousands of tons of trash is poured into landfills. While we are in no danger of running short on landfill space, this is expensive in terms of space, time, and energy invested, along with the sheer waste of materials that will not ever be used again.

With that in mind, consider these reasons to keep your aluminum and steel cans out of the landfill by recycling them instead.

– Aluminum which has been recycled is back in use again within 2 months. In contrast, it would take over 200 years for that metal to break down naturally if were just thrown away.

- Metal cans can be recycled for cash at many places. Various states offer five cents for each can given to them, and some recycling centers pay anywhere between a dollar and two dollars per pound of cans recycled.

- There are can crushing machines available that can be used to make the job easier, and you can even make a home-made one for free. Therefore, it is no excuse to say that recycling cans takes up too much space.

– Recycled steel and aluminum are have exactly the same composition as ‘new’ aluminum and steel. Recycled metals are just melted down and then forged into new products, which can then be recycled again when they are finished being used.

– The United States currently uses steel that is more than 65% recycled. This is a good start, but it could definitely be higher. Significant further progress would be made if more people were aware that they can recycle their steel cans.

– The 100,000,000 ‘new’ steel cans produced every day consist of 25% recycled materials. That equates to 25 million reclaimed cans vs. 75 million completely new cans. If people recycled more frequently, that number would soon jump to 50-50 and a great deal of energy and resources would be saved.

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This article has been provided by Can Crusher, a site dedicated to information on crushing cans and recycling.

It is a fact that companies who take a clean and green approach to the way that they operate are more trusted by customers, and the public in general, and also incur fewer costs. What then can be done to become an environmentally friendly company?

Reduce Waste Where Possible – Assess your company processes to see where waste could be reduced. For example, can invoices be sent electronically and goods ordered in bulk to reduce packaging waste? Waste reduction should be the top priority of any waste management scheme as this is where the most cost effective and positive and environmental changes can be achieved.

Buy Recycled Paper – Producing one tonne of recycled paper saves 3000 liters of water and 78% energy use. Air emissions of gases such as CO2 are cut by 95% and there is less pollution because recycled paper is not bleached with chlorine. As for purchasing recycled paper, it is no more expensive than virgin paper, and nowadays the quality is as good.

Re-Use Plastic Cups – Plastics are harmful to the environment both when they are produced (various chemicals are emitted) and when they are disposed of (taking hundreds of years to decompose). Therefore, it really is inexcusable to not re-use the same plastic cup throughout the day, or to even do away with plastic cups altogether and just use mugs instead.

Recycle Printer Cartridges – Around 2 million printer cartridges are discarded every year. Recycling cartridges is easy as many suppliers offer a return scheme for used cartridges. Using recycled toner cartridges reduces demand for raw materials and they can be purchased for as little as half the price of non-recycled cartridges.

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Ware 4 Recycling Bins Ltd have been promoting cost effective bins, trolleys and waste containers for over 5 years. For more info, visit Ware 4 Ltd.