December 3rd, 2008
A story from a resident of Windsor Terrace about solar power was pretty funny, if you ask me. Back when he had first installed solar panels on his home’s roof, he was already starting to save money. Now when an employee of the electricity company checked on the meter, he saw that it did move - but it had moved backwards. Of course, the employee was dumbstruck and told the owner that things do not work that way. What he did not know was that he was using power but not from the grid.This is the true story of Peter Landy. He said, “We haven’t had a bill. Just the connection fee, which is around $11. We produce more [electricity] than we use, so the meter goes backwards.”
Now for the electricity company employee, that was something new to him because he sure did not see much meters going backwards.
Source: Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Image source: FreeFoto.com
Tags: Brooklyn, Solar, solar panels, solar-power
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By Noel -- 0 comments
December 2nd, 2008
The Philippines is a pretty sunny country - the sun shines for the most part of the year. And it would be really good to have solar chargers making their way to this country. Not only would such help the environment but it would also help the people of the country save much on energy bills.
One of the newest solar chargers that have made its way to this Asian country is the GreenMobile Solar Chargers and this one has been created by Tritec Integrated Philippines Inc. It comes with lithium batteries and has been given solar cells. Any gadget that needs charging could be easily given juice by just connecting it to the charger via a USB cable.
Tristan San Buenaventura is the head of Tritec and on this, he shared, “Our solar chargers dramatically reduce energy cost of gadget users because they don’t have to spend any or just need to spend less because it does not directly consume current.”
Source: Business Mirror
Tags: GreenMobile Solar Chargers, Solar, solar charger, solar gadgets, Tritec Integrated Philippines Inc.
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By Noel -- 0 comments
December 1st, 2008
I wanted to get everyone into the winter holiday spirit before kicking off December. However, I didn’t just want to post classic Tree Hugging posts. That said, with a little help from the rest of the channel, I rounded up a huge list of killer holiday (and eco-friendly) posts.
Sit back, browse, read, and linger in the holiday bliss!
Remember, no matter the treat or recipe, you can always green it up by exchanging organic and natural ingredients for conventional.
50 Cute and Tasty Christmas Cookie Ideas
Cherry Dot Cookies
Organic Holiday Cookies!
Hey It’s Sugar Cookie Day - worth it for the pretty snowy cookie image alone.
Bacon Nut Stuffing - don’t forget, pork is a high pesticide food item, so buy organic if you make this dish.
Top 10 Turkey Tools
Pumpkin Cheesecake - one of my personal favorite treats.
What Else Is In Your Beer? AND Vegan Beer & Wine - I know beer and wine do not make a meal, but hey, they are treats, and if you have a drink, you may as well get the best.
Don’t forget to green up your holiday crafts by using recycled materials when possible.
Making Festive Ice Wreaths
yo-yo Christmas tree ornaments
Easy Christmas Crafts for the Kids
24 Things To Make - A Crafty Christmas Countdown
Beautiful Christmas Wreath Ideas You Can Create Yourself
Quick and Easy Christmas Wreath Idea - Snowflake Wreath
Homemade Recycled Holiday Luminaries
Embroidered Christmas craft how-tos
Christmas in July Crafts for Kids
Christmas sewing & crafting tips and tricks
Free holiday projects from around the bead-osphere!
Free Holiday Projects
Favorite Christmas tree ornament tutorials, free patterns & ideas
50 Holiday Things You Can Make Yourself
Thrifty Christmas Crafting
Homemade Christmas Ornament Ideas: Pinecones
How to Make a Candy Christmas Wreath
Make Your Own Pop Up Christmas Card
Green up your homemade holiday gifts by using recycled materials and natural and organic ingredients when possible. You can apply this thinking to almost any homemade gift idea.
Homemade Eco Gifts You Can Make for the Holidays!
Fabric Covered Journal Tutorial
How To Make Your Own Bath Salts
A Gift You Can Make With Your Children~ Hot Chocolate Mix Jar
Make Your Own Solar Light!
DIY Eco Chic Soap
Make Your Own Oilcloth Bags
Cheap Christmas Spa Basket Gift - Heating Pads
When it comes to green holiday tips you can do a lot; be a smart consumer, save energy, reuse items, and way more.
Turn Cereal Boxes into Gift Boxes
Green Product Review: Green Christmas Book
Tips on Staying Healthy During the Holidays
Green Christmas Shopping - 3RLiving Exclusive Discount to Unplugged Living - 3R Living has the coolest green gear, and now, you can score it for less.
How To Reduce Your Winter Heating Bill
Weatherization Assistance Programs
Easy ways to save money when gift shopping online (conserve gas, stay at home and shop).
The First Snowfall - A Day for Fun and Quilting Inspiration
Snow! Snow Everywhere!
25 Reasons To Get Outside During Winter
Christmas Tree Coat Stand
Eco-Friendly Christmas Trees
Decorating Your Holiday Table - with the goodness of soy
Christmas Lights
Decorating Your Coffee Table for Christmas
Great Kitty Stocking Stuffers - recycled tins, natural kitty treats!
15 Unique Christmas Gifts - many recycled!
Steal This Christmas Gift Please!
Kitten Christmas Pictures - you know me; NOT a pet fan. So if I’m posting kitten pictures, you can bet your hide they’re flippin’ adorable. Even I was moved.
Best Holiday Books, 2008 - kid friendly! Use the library or share with friends to be extra green with holiday books.
Christmas Party Game Idea - Family Tree
Green Holiday Gift Guide: Great Books for Kids
Holiday Lights Video
[Image via stock.xchng]
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By Noel -- 0 comments
December 1st, 2008
It is not everyday that we hear pieces of news about followers of one religion praise yet another person from another religion. That is why it is very important that I share this bit with you. See, the Hindus have given praise to the Pope and the Vatican for going solar. Nice.
Rajan Zed is a well known statesman who is also a Hindu. He said that he really looked up to Pope Benedictus XVI because of the “environment friendly move and frequent calls to save the planet and curb environmental degradation.” The whole solar project which has been completed in the Vatican would help the earth by cutting around 225 tons of carbon monoxide as well as around 80 tons of oil.
Zed also added, “We may believe in different religions, yet we share the same home—our Earth. We must learn to happily progress or miserably perish together. For man can live individually but can only survive collectively.”
Source: Red, Green, and Blue
Tags: Hindu, Pope, Solar, solar project, Vatican
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By Noel -- 0 comments
November 29th, 2008
There is already quite a number of solar chargers available in the market right now. With the number of such chargers available, you might have a hard time choosing one for yourself. That is why it is good to take a look at specs and see which one is going to work well for you and for what you need it for.
This new one that I had found recently is the iPower SX which has been created by Battech. According to the specs that come with this solar charger, it has a far more sophisticated battery in the sense that the standard solar charger’s battery is at 1800 mAh. iPower SX’s is a 2200 mAh. So this means that you can give more juice to your portable gadgets.
Now most solar chargers would not tell you just how much juice is left in the battery. However, the iPower SX tells you how much you get left. That way, you would be warned if you need to give it more power. Neat.
Source: Slash Gear
Tags: Battech, iPower SX, Solar, solar gadgets, solar-power
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By Noel -- 0 comments
November 28th, 2008
This is not about Asimo. Well, in the first place, that robot is not a solar powered robot. This is about AgBot, a robot that runs on solar power and has been developed by the Louisiana State University.
I find this solar robot to be quite interesting. I mean this one has been given the ability to do quite a number of things. It will take care of your house if you want it to. You would not need guards or dogs to guard your house against intruders of any sort. Plus, if you do not have the time to take care of your yard or your garden, then AgBot would do that for you. Really, this one is a pretty helpful robot if you ask me. Plus add to that the fact that you do not need to charge it with a plug right into the grid or maybe buy itself batteries.
I don’t know though if this one would be up for commercial sale. I would want one for my house.
Source: CleanTechnica.com
Tags: AgBot, Solar, solar robot, solar-gadget, solar-power
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By Noel -- 0 comments
November 27th, 2008
I got an email today from John Reed which contains some very nice information about solar installations in Northern California produced by NorCal Solar Energy Association. This association, is a non-profit, solar education group in Northern California. They just released some new findings on the growth of solar energy installations for 165 cities in the 10, Bay Area Counties for the year 2007.
Check out these interesting facts
- From 1998-2007, Californians have purchased more than $2.1 billion in solar electric technology (PV).
- In the Bay Area, there are 11,563 solar projects - built at a cost of $746 million - producing more than 84 megawatts of electricity according to the new report that includes all installations as of December, 31, 2007.
- Statewide, for 2007, there were 30,466 PV installations in California yielding 244 MW of electricity from PV solar power.
The report even has a list of the top counties according to the total watts of the solar installation systems.
County Watts
1 Alameda 4,602,223
2 Santa Clara 4,284,085
3 Sonoma 4,035,870
4 Contra Costa 3,257,158
5 Napa 2,155,196
6 San Mateo 2,113,341
7 Marin 1,539,937
8 Santa Cruz 1,078,312
9 San Francisco 956,331
10 Solano 892,800
You can check out the full report at the norcal website.
[source: norcal website (see link above)]
Tags: california solar, north california, solar installation, solar system, solar-power
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By Noel -- 0 comments
November 27th, 2008
Yes, I am talking about a solar air heater, a gadget that has been designed to use the power of the sun to help heat a room. And you should probably be needing one right now that the cold season has just declared its presence.
There are a lot of solar air heaters available in the market. However, it would be even better if you had built your own solar air heater like how this site has offered suggestions on how you can create your own one.
For most solar air heaters, what happens is that the sun’s power is used to heat the air that goes through some sort of pipe. That heated air is then sent to the room while a new batch of ‘unheated’ air goes into that pipe for some heating.
It is that simple and so that means creating your very own solar air heater would be also easy. That means less expenses and a happy earth.
Source: SFGate
Tags: Solar, solar air heater, solar gadgets, solar-power
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By Noel -- 0 comments
November 26th, 2008
You did not know that, did you?
Well, now you know. Grease could be turned into biodiesel. And that would be far better - recycling grease we have used for cooking and turning them into biodiesel than just throwing them away through your drain. Just imagine where all that grease goes and what it does later on.
Anyway, the grease recycling activity is actually part of the grease recycling activity which happens this Friday in Pima County. The county’s department on Environmental Quality is hosting the mentioned event and there would be six places to drop off any grease that you would want to get recycled. And yeah, it doesn’t matter how messy or greasy or dirty your grease is.
Anyway, here are the locations. Just in case you may wanna drop off those tubs of grease from that Thanksgiving dinner.
- O’Rielly Chevrolet, 6160 E. Broadway
- Pima County Industrial Waste Control, 5025 E. Ina Road
- El Hogar de la Paz Alternative Learning Center, 450 E. Wetmore Road
- Pima County Conveyance Division, 3390 N. Richey Road
- City of Tucson Water Plant No. 2, 1102 E. Irvington Road
- Shell Super Stop, 795 W. Via Rancho Sahuarita
Source: Tucson Citizen
Tags: grease, recycle, recycling, recycling grease
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By Noel -- 0 comments
November 25th, 2008
I know times are bad right now and Christmas shopping is just around the corner so I was looking for a way to help my blog readers save some money.
If you want to really really save, don’t buy gifts. Or at least, keep it to a minimum. A Christmas card would be nice though (and it’s inexpensive).
Now for those people who you really wanted to give a gift, I suggest give them something “green” in nature. Since this is an environment related blog, of course I would like you guys to be “green” this Christmas. So what I did was to look for some online shopping site (which features “green” products) and strike a deal to get a discount coupon for my readers at unpluggedliving.com
I emailed Mark of 3rliving.com and told him that I would like to request if I can get a coupon code for my readers at unpluggedliving. Guess what, he agreed!
The only condition? You just need to check out these 2 pages.
Holiday Eco Products
Green Gift Ideas
The coupon code that I will give you would be applicable to any product in the site, not only from those 2 pages. The coupon code is “link08” and needs to be plugged in upon checkout.
As for me, I personally like this solar backpack. So if any of you kind hearted souls out there wanted to send me a gift, you know what to give me (hahaha!)
Tags: christmas shopping, christmast gift ideas, green gift ideas, green gifts, green products
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