by Carm Paynter

“Food Miles”, the distance our food travels between the farm that produced it and our table. Preliminary estimates in some areas suggest that less than 8.5% of our diet is produced on local farms. While fifteen years ago it was almost double. The environmental pressure that our food transportation produces is enormous. Food that has been locally produced and traveled less “food miles” not only is better for the environment but often tastes better too, Food has to be harvested in a much less mature state so it can “ripen” in transit while locally grown food can “ripen” on the plant. Fortunately people are becoming more aware of the source of their food.

The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa State University, Ames Iowa reported in July 2003, that the weighted average source distance (WASD) for locally locally grown produce to reach institutional markets was 56 miles, while the conventional WASD for the produce to reach those same institutional points of sale was 1,494 miles, nearly 27 times further.
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Many kids today are surprisingly eco-conscious. If yours is one of them– or you know one that is– you might want to have a look at some of the eco ‘toys’ available on the market today. These are often fully functional kits which kids can put together to learn how green energy production works. Consider, for instance, these three wind generator kits, ranging in price from $10.75 all the way up to $46.99:

For solar energy, as well, there are kits which kids can put together and experiment with– some for as low as $7.99. Here are a few examples:

And finally, a ‘toy’ that will appeal to many of us no-longer-kids as well: a solar powered car!

Or for a gift that blows away all the nintendo nonsense, there’s this Thames and Kosmos Fuel Cell Car and Experiment Kit:

Whether you buy a kit or simply fashion a few home grown experiments from instructions readily available for free on the web (such as building this simple solar still, or building your own solar panel), trying out a few green energy solutions with your– or someone else’s– kids is a great way make your holidays, and holiday gift giving greener.

by John Mowatt

Your cottage, farm or even city home can be lighted with electricity generated by the wind. Even if you are far from a power line you need not be without power. Wind power is also one of the green forms of energy generation which does no harm to our environment. It is in fact probably the cleanest form of power generation which can be harnessed at reasonable cost.Solar energy is also very “clean” but solar panels are costly and have low power output.

Commercially made wind power plants are available but are quite costly.The simple solution to this problem is to build your own wind power generator.If you have room on your property you could build several units for the price of one commercial unit.Any excess power which you generate can be sold to your power company in many areas now.
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by Lill Hawkins

Are you overwhelmed by the thought of all the changes you’d have to make to your life to be as green-as-you-wannabe? Join the club and stop beating yourself up. Sure your neighbor, friend, sister in law, favorite Hollywood star is so green they’re growing algae in their pool to make biodiesel. Yes, I know that even Republicans are talking about maybe doing something – somewhere in the future – about climate change and the price of gas. And I’m also painfully aware of how you can be ostracized if you haven’t gone vegan, adopted a square mile of rainforest and saved a whale before breakfast.

But don’t get your 100% organic, no-sweat shop, fair trade knickers in a twist. Relax. You can do this. After all, remember how hard it was to remember zip codes when they first came out? You don’t? Hmm, well, I do. I’m that old. If I, at my advanced age, can change my lifestyle to protect the planet, improve my health and do the right thing, so can you.
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by Sam Deane

As the prices of oil and gas continues to go up and up, the installation of solar panels is giving many families solace and stability. The sun offers an almost infinite source of energy. No wonder so many people are rushing to install solar panels. Indeed, their popularity is increasing so rapidly that manufacturers of solar panels are having difficulty keeping up with demand.

Two Types Of Solar Panels

Predominantly, solar panels come in two types. There are solar energy panels in the form of ’solar thermal collectors’. These focus solar energy into a liquid medium, usually water, heating the liquid that is then utilized as and where it is required. The other of the two types of solar panels is known as the photovoltaic module. These solar panels convert the sun’s energy into electricity, which can then be distributed immediately or stored within a battery to be used later.

Solar panels have been commonplace for decades. Think of calculators and watches. Many swimming pools have been heated using solar panels for years. These days, the electricity to homes and offices often comes from the cleaner alternative energy source of bigger, better, more efficient solar panels.

The influence of solar panels has spread so wide that even the National Grid take some of their power from solar energy panels.
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by Joseph H. Ben

Although solar technology has been around for years, it has only been recently adopted on a large consumer scale. If you are interested in buying solar panels, you are probably asking yourself ‘How do I know how much energy my panels will yield’?

There are several factors determining the amount of electricity a solar panel unit will generate, some are fixed and some vary, depending on location and time. Fortunately, all factors are predictable, making buying and using solar technologies a safe investment.
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By Megan Holley

These days when you walk down the aisles of your local grocery store, there are hundreds of chemicals and synthetic materials available for a variety of uses. Most of us use these chemicals and synthetics everyday without giving a second thought about their effect on our health or the environment. Believe it or not, many of these compounds can be very harmful and take generations to dissolve in landfills.

There are many green alternatives to the harsh chemicals used every day in businesses and private residences. Best of all, these natural cleaners can be cheaper and smell a lot nicer than chemicals!
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by C. Greene

The problem with many ‘money-saving’ environmental tips is that they save money only in the long run: you often have to spend quite a bit of money up front before you begin to earn it back in savings. But one of the best things you can do for the planet is also one of the easiest on your wallet: stop buying bottled water! The cost of energy, use of oil and the pollution from the production of plastic bottles and the addition of so much plastic to landfills is a huge, unnecessary drain on our natural resources. What’s more there is evidence that plastic bottles can release residues which have unknown health consequences. To top it all off, many water companies simply bottle tap water–so you are often paying money for resources you have literally ‘on tap’ at home.

Now that you’ve stopped adding so many plastic bottles to your trash, what about plastic bags? Using reusable cloth bags instead of paper or plastic will make a big difference. But what if you can’t remember or don’t want to go that far? Well, you could simply recycle your plastic bags when you’re done. Or, stop buying plastic trash bags! Use your grocery bags as garbage liners. That way you save money and reuse your grocery bags at the same time.

Another simple, money-saving tip: use less paper. Instead of buying paper books, buy e-books. If you hate to read on the computer, consider investing in a kindle from amazon or another e-book reader. The newer ones are well designed to have the look and feel of a real book and to be easy on the eyes. Sign up for paper-less billing and keep your records permanently on discs or hard drives. Use single-ply, unbleached toilet paper and cloth rather than paper towels.

Weather-stripping your doors and windows is another way to save energy – and money. Weather-stripping is inexpensive and easy to install. You can find it any home-improvement store. Such stores may also offer instruction if you’re not handy and are uncertain how to work with the materials they sell.

Finally, save water by putting aerators on all your faucets. These are easy to attach and mix air with water. It saves water, but doesn’t change the water pressure. Just this one small change can save you up to 280 gallons of water per month.

To read more green living tips, visit http://www.greenenergyhowto.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=C._Greene

by Jenny Antelli

Global climate change has become a matter of increased significance among many companies. As a result, products and activities have started to turn “green.” The world of cleaning products is no exception to this trend. “Green cleaning” is a term used to describe the use of cleaning materials that contain environmentally friendly ingredients and chemicals for industrial, manufacturing, and household cleaning. The reason that many people are “going green” is to deal with the human illnesses and environmental damage that result from exposure to and disposal of certain products. Toxic chemicals that can cause personal and environmental damage are eliminated with green cleaning techniques, protecting both the environment and the health of individuals. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limits the amount of human exposure and the release of toxic chemicals into the environment, but still allows some of these chemicals to be used. Green cleaning aims to eliminate use of these toxic chemicals entirely. Advancements in chemical technology have made it possible to create equally effective cleaning products without these harsh chemicals.
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