Six Steps to being eco-friendly while saving money

pexels photo 1125298 - Six Steps to being eco-friendly while saving money

For every passing day, the world witnessed several births of people who are concern about the Mother Earth. But there’s always a dying down of interest and perseverance to keep the cause alive. This is because the projects or advocacy they try to manage at the fly of the moment becomes too ambitious for people to achieve when added to their daily life.

Listed below are six steps to help us stiffen our conviction in assisting the Earth for its survival without damaging or altering our personal lives. These steps are relatively to do, making it convenient and realistic.

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  1. Save Energy

Saving energy is relatively easy, with the most obvious method of turning off every appliance that consumes power or electricity that is not currently at use. Just switch off every unused light that you could see, turn off the air conditioner at moments it is not necessary and free those outlets from unused devices. We must do this because keeping your chargers plugged in could drain electricity even if they are not used. This way, you could save money quickly.

  1. Going Paperless in Every Aspect

To start going paperless, we should opt for electronic services that do not involve in printing our bills. Instead of using the monthly bank statements that consist of the use of paper, we should optimize the use of electronic statements that go to our email. This could help save much paper and properly organize your statements in your email, accessible whenever and wherever you need it.

  1. Be a Laundry Wizard

Laundry is something that we do on a daily basis, and because it is so, we have to consider that it takes a huge toll on our electricity bill.  But little did you know that there is actually a way you could reduce the energy consumption a little bit, it would make a huge impact in the long run. To do so, use cold water in doing laundry because it requires a lesser amount of energy then refrain from using dry cycle. Instead, let the sun dry it out for you to stop the use of dryers completely. Lastly, hand-wash every delicates as much as possible.

  1. Refrain the Use of Commercial Cleaners

There are many eco-friendly chemical cleaning products currently accessible and available on the market. But the question of validity and legitimacy of such products never stops, why not create our own eco-friendly cleaning products? Home-made cleaners are very cheap and legitimate since you actually know the ingredients and would never doubt the validity of its greenness.

  1. Say No to Supermarket Organics

Organic products give us a pretense that it is the best method for going eco-friendly all the while saving up our money. Instead of purchasing organics from supermarkets, how about going to any local market near your location for a better version of these produce that is also authentically organic but costs less. Because its locally-sourced, there’s less fuel that is consumed to distribute the goods to the market. With less fuel consumed, there is also less pollution and saving our environment at the same time.

  1. Discarding the Disposables

There is no denying that recycled merchandise is all right, but they cost too much money that would eventually just be thrown away. How about discarding the disposables for good and select the more durable utensils that could be reused for many times? Why purchase disposable cups when we could use a rather sturdy cup that could be reused as long as you want it to be. Let us reduce the garbage level by not using disposables.

The methods listed above are the most straightforward steps that we could apply to our daily lives, helping Mother Earth and saving money at the same time. Let us not be selfish here and think about our environment more than the leisure of easy laundry, cleaning and shopping. This way, we could help the planet by being eco-friendly in these simple yet easy steps. For progress in saving our environment, we have to give up the simple leisure of our daily lives. Integrate this into your daily life, and I’m sure you are already helping in saving our planet.

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How Plastic Bags Affect Our Lives

pexels photo 1141835 - How Plastic Bags Affect Our Lives

Buying food always comes with a package. No, we don’t mean the additional-benefit kind of package. We mean it literally. Whenever you purchase food, it always comes in a box, in a bag or even in a bag in a box. Sure, it is necessary for food protection especially during transportation but people tend to take advantage of this and use them for convenience. If you must know, a single cucumber does not need its own plastic bag! There is no reason to use disposable plastic bags to bring your groceries home when you can just use a reusable cloth bag that lasts even longer and are more durable than plastic.

Globally, humans use as many as one trillion plastic bags every year, and only a meager of 5% of these plastic bags are recycled. If you are one of the many millions who use plastic bags, investing in reusable bags will definitely be worth it.

Personal Effects

One of the main causes of fresh food being rotten is the plastic containing them. The plastic wrapped around your fruit or vegetable won’t allow any fresh air for your food to be exposed with. Instead of ripening them, you’re actually rotting your food so if you want them to last longer, you just have to avoid unnecessary usage of plastic bags.

In addition to that, it has been unfortunately known that plastic has made its way to the food chain. Lots of businesses in countries all over the world are making use of plastic being broken down into smaller pieces as one of their ingredients in making food. Although it is uncertain what the long-term effects are when consumed, we are willing to bet that all the effects will be negative.

Environmental Effects

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Without the environment, the human race will cease to exist which is why we should take care of it. Nature has its way of coming back at us whenever we do something to harm her. One of these harmful ways is the use of plastic bags. Since they already have their place into our daily lives, they are slowly working their way as well into the environment in a rather not constructive way.

Plastic takes a long time to degrade. Plastic bags specifically take 1,000 years to decompose in a landfill. Additionally, the marine life is also greatly affected by this. Sea creatures tend to unintentionally eat plastic which doesn’t make its way out of the animal’s stomach that eventually causes them sickness or death. In other cases, the plastic might also get stuck in the animal’s nose, intestines, and other parts of their body which can cause blockage.

How can you help?

Solutions to long-term problems always start small. Although you may think what you’re doing to protect the environment does not help, it actually does especially when a lot of people are doing it with you.

The use of reusable bags is one of the many ways to help the environment. By nature, they are more durable and more substantial. Although we cannot stop the massive production and shipping of these things that still leave a significant carbon footprint, using them as alternatives to a one-time use of a plastic bag can still be helpful.

Another thing is to recycle. Always recycle. Banning plastic bags is not the only option. It is unavoidable that some people are always going to use plastic bags, and if you are one of them, then it is your responsibility to increase that 5% of recycled plastics.

One of each is not going to end the problem, but with both combined – the banning of single-use bags and the recycling of plastic bags – it could actually make a huge impact on both humanity and the environment.

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Innovations Made Possible by Technology that Could Save the Environment

pexels photo 830891 - Innovations Made Possible by Technology that Could Save the Environment

The invention and improvement of modern technology and science turned what we thought was impossible into a possible feat, from the invention of devices that made our daily lives quite pleasant and comfortable, all the way to machinery and tools that profoundly impacted our knowledge of the world and the universe. The use of technology as a way of making our lives comfortable is excellent and all, but the most significant contribution that technology could achieve as of the moment would be to help the environment recover. What with the growth in population and with it the increase in pollution, it would be the most logical task to do.

Even if we are not capable of creating methods in fixing our deteriorating landforms and restoring our ozone layer to its prime, there is still progress being made. Innovations that could deal with helping our environment give a breathing room are now available and is currently being utilized. Below are some of those inventions that are on use.

Roadways with solar panels.


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A French physicist Antoine-Cesar Becquerel already conceptualized the use of solar energy as another method of power source, a research that dates back to 1839 proved so. The solar cell is the main component of this technology that could convert sunlight and heat into electrical energy, but the limitation of such convenient method would be the consumption of space and its expensiveness. But with the brilliant minds of Scott and Julie Brusaw solved the problem by utilizing the roadways with reinforced solar panels. The spacious roads solved the issue of space and also transferred the expenditure to the government. It is a feat worth commending due to the environment-friendly method.

Handy and consumer-friendly water filter.

The shortage of water and lack of access to clean water is a problem that numerous people around the globe still suffer. The invention of inexpensive water filters by lots of researchers and scientists made it easy to distribute them to places that are deprived of water sources at a meager cost.

Vestergaard, a Switzerland-based company, invented the LifeStraw. It is a portable water filter that comes in a shape of a straw that is made so that one could drink any unfiltered and dirty water instantly. The LifeStraw functions in such a way that it eliminates parasites and contaminants with its mechanical filtration system that could also sterilize the water with iodine. What the drinker then consumes is a sanitized and dirt-free water from any water sources.

Electric cars and bicycles.

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It is undeniable that as of the moment, the most significant contributor to air pollution is the use of a fuel-based mode of transportation that constantly pollute the environment. This is due to their emission of black exhaust and chemicals that are considered threatening to humankind and to the planet, they also release other greenhouse gases that are contributing to climate change.

To fix this problem, there are other modes of transportation that run on renewable and environment-friendly energy are already released and used by many consumers. The electric bicycle could run only with a push of the pedal and as well as the energy output of the brush DC motor installed in the frame of the bicycle. Due to this, it allows people to travel on lengthy trips, with the rider capable of recharging the batteries through power outlets.

Ocean cleanser.

Currently, the ocean is also taking a toll because of the nature-destroying activities done by humans. We treat the ocean as if it’s one colossal dumping site for chemical waste and trash. Australian surfers Andrew Turton and Pete Ceglinski devised a floating water filter that siphons trashes and floating objects in the ocean as well as oil spills and chemical wastes. This is feasible due to the water pump installed unto the device that could absorb 25, 000 liters of debris and chemical wastes per hour and an advanced filtering system used to support the Seabin’s water-filtering ports. Even if this invention by these two surfers is not available in the market, its proven to be working and improve the situation of our ocean.

There are still many inventions and innovations that display numerous promises in recovering our nature and avert dangers in the future, the moment they are ready to be released in the public market. Let us hope that technology could speed up in its progress in improving and restoring our environment for the better future.

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Using Energy Efficient Appliances

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If you conserve energy all the way through home appliances and tools that run on a power supply, you can contribute to keeping the environment healthier and cleaner. As energy saving measures, you can make some changes in your home, so that the consumption of energy can lessen to go green and leave a healthy life. Substantial energy savings can be done by installing updated appliances or repairing the existing one. You can also start alternative energy sources which have a lower carbon footprint. Here are a few strategies that you can try to add to energy savings.

Plan Smart Purchases

If you plan smart purchases, it will help you to make the most of your energy efficiency and money savings. You can take advice from a professional energy advisor or auditor on cost-effective changes that enhance safety and pay off well for the expensive energy-efficient products.

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Go Better With the Home Insulation

This change will help you to save a big amount of energy during the winter months. You can do it by yourself, but it’s always better to hire an expert to handle this task professionally.

Consider Replacing the Old Appliances

The aged technology tools are not energy friendly! If you are using the olden technology appliances, it means you are consuming more energy as they are not much energy savvy. You can consider replacing all these appliances with the new energy efficient appliance. In many cases, you can repair your appliances for better performance with less power consumption.

Switch to Alternative Power Sources

If you switch to alternative power sources like solar and air power tools, it could be a great investment for the future. However, solar panels are a little bit costly, but they can be installed and used easily with no worries of shock and maintains. These panels produce their energy which can be used for various uses from running a water pump to lighting your home.

Switch off the Lights and Gadgets when You Are Out

Why do consume power through your appliances when they are not in use? Many times you left kitchen appliances, computers and other things in running condition even you don’t need them immediately. Make a habit of switching off your appliances when you are leaving home for a day or a few hours.

Avoid Over-Using Home Appliances

Don’t overuse your appliances! Switch on a heater and other things only when it is a must. For instance if you are older and need have a lift recliner like the ones from Reclinercize, then use it when you need to stand, don’t play around with it.

Purchase Star Rating Energy Efficient Appliances

If you buy energy star rated appliances, they will ensure less energy consumption. However, it will cost you more during the purchase, but they will save on power bills over the time.

energy efficient score card - Using Energy Efficient Appliances

Energy savings could not be difficult if you follow the above steps!

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Major Climate Issues


What’s Global Climate Change?


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The Major Environmental Issues Because of Climate Change


climate change - Major Climate Issues

1. Depletion of Ozone


2. Water and Air Pollution


3. Changes in Ecosystem



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It’s Their Endangered World Too: How Global Warming Has Affected European Wildlife

Blog11 - It's Their Endangered World Too: How Global Warming Has Affected European Wildlife

Isn’t it funny how everyone claims to love animals yet very little of us care about how our actions affect their lives? Today, we discuss how European wildlife has been drastically affected by global warming. Humans aren’t the only living things on this planet. We live our lives breathing the same air as the animal kingdom.

Our actions affect them in ways that most people don’t realize. You’ve probably seen videos of sea turtles whose shells did not develop well because they swam into soda rings. You’ve even probably seem videos about the effects of oil spills on avian life. What most people tend to not remember is the drastic effect that man-made global warming has on animals.

Weather extremes wipe out their food

Droughts kill plant life. The drastic lack of plant life causes the death of herbivores. The death of herbivores means that carnivores do not have food either. It’s a vicious path that we’ve sadly seen before.

Ocean acidification really messes up plankton populations. If you do not realize, plankton is the preferred food of millions of species of marine life. If the plankton doesn’t grow properly, a cascade occurs that will end up hurting humans in the long-run.

Shifting climate destroys habitats

If you ever wanted to see how fast climate change can affect our ecosystem, go look at some corals. Coral bleaching is a response to severely warm temperatures. In certain areas in the world, coral bleaching has gotten so bad that over 70% of corals simply die.

When corals die, fish have nowhere to live. When the ice caps melt because of global warming, this raises the sea levels. When sea levels go up, they can error beaches and shores wherein sea turtles lay their eggs.

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Which animals are most at risk?

In a general sense, all of them are at risk. However, there are some that truly risk dying out more than others. Some of these are: polar bears and sea turtles.

Something truly needs to be done

This is the only planet we have and the animals we share the planet with don’t have much of a choice on where they live. So if we continuously disregard our environment, we slowly but surely build up the ways in which we decide to kill off ourselves and our planet.

If you have any causes near and dear to your heart, share them with us!

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How truly reliable is renewable energy? An end user’s view

Blog10 - How truly reliable is renewable energy? An end user's view

How truly reliable are renewable sources of energy? We explore the end user’s view on which types of renewable energy are the most reliable and effective in battling climate change. Since the turn of the recent decade, everyone seemed practically obsessed with the idea of renewable energy.

Why shouldn’t they be? Our dependency on fossil fuels cannot sustain us forever. It’s a limited resource and everyone uses it. So it would only be wise to look for other ways to secure energy for ourselves without damaging this lonely blue dot we live on.

What are the different renewable sources available?

  • Wind
  • Sunlight
  • Water

While there are other types like biofuel, we shan’t be discussing that as it is harmful to the environment when burned. Geothermal heat is also another renewable resource but does not yet have an application for home usage and integration. Think of uses like AC repair in Miami.

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Which is best for an end user’s home?

Depending on the location of the user’s home, a variety of options are suitable. The most commonly used would be solar panels—tapping into solar energy. Photovoltaic panels are placed (usually on rooftops or backyards) in the area where they can get most of the sun’s rays. The system converts the sun’s rays into electrical direct current.

For remote areas, water is a good resource for renewable energy. There are better systems that can gather power even from a crawling stream.

Wind as a resource for the end user is a tad more complicated. There is not yet a way to successfully integrate wind as a resource for a personal home. A concern is that wind can be dreadfully inconsistent in providing power.

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Which is the most reliable one?

In terms of convenience, pricing, and reliability, solar panels have everything beaten. At the start of the renewable resource quest, solar panels were deemed quite expensive. However, the long term benefits prove to any end user that the purchase is worth it.

End users simply need to keep a sharp eye out for low quality panels. Yes, such things exist. Before purchasing solar panels, it would be prudent for the end user to practice due diligence. Ask around and look for recommendations.

Do you guys have an opinion about the reliability of renewable energy? Which one do you think is the most reliable? Sign off in the comments or send us a message to let us know!

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Smart Grid: Is This The Solution To Global Warming?

Blog9 - Smart Grid: Is This The Solution To Global Warming?

Are you familiar with the concept of the Smart Grid? Join us today as we explore the theories, practical applications, and its relativity to the topic of Global Warming.

What is the Smart Grid?

The smart grid is known as the application of digital tech to the electric power sector. It consists of a host of technologies that are built together in order to be able to fully run diagnostic on its own system. Smart Grids are made to improve not only the performance but also the way electric grids could be accessed and modified.

Smart Grids have been the favorite topic of energy symposium for the last decade or so. One thing that makes them so different for previously existing electrical grids is that the “smart” grids are packed with various software to efficiently link the operation of the energy source.

Special characteristics

  • Integrated Communications
  • Advanced Control Methods
  • Evolved Interface and Support
  • Automatic Meter Reading or Advanced Metering Infrastructure

What is meant by automatic meter reading?

In the aim to provide a seamless and intelligent system, the AMR grants permission for utility providers to directly access electricity, water, and gas meters. It does away with the need to send personnel to do a physical reading of the user’s meters per month. The same is accomplished regarding connection and disconnection.

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What does a smart grid have to do with global warming?

Smart Grinds are ideally able to reduce greenhouse gasses in different ways. It helps regulates the voltage received by your system. Smart grids are often operated at a lower voltage in order to avoid distribution losses.

While it does not promise to remove climate change for you, it will definitely slow global warming’s advancement. This smart system is made specifically to adapt and learn in order to develop better ways to mitigate climate change.

As a smart grid does away with the necessity of physically sending someone to read meters or address issues, it severely cuts down air pollution cause by the transportation system of engineers.

What else can a smart grid do?

Smart grids come with digital metering. These meters have software that notifies your utility provider in the event of a power outage. Having a digital meter does away with the necessary computations that may baffle the everyday end user. Instead, all the data can be presented seamlessly. This empowers users to tweak their energy consumption as they see fit. An old issue was to just do what you can and pray the next bill was lower. The Smart Grid lets users manage their home completely, finding out which is connected and which consumes most power.

Smart Grids are the future and it will allow an efficient integration of renewable energy services systems. They are also designed to be “self-healing” this is in the sense that they are able to conduct their own internal diagnosis to determine vulnerabilities and correct the issues. When there’s certainly a lot more things to do in life, having one less thing to think and worry about is always welcome.

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Critics Crushed: The Domination of Clean Energy Jobs

Blog8 - Critics Crushed: The Domination of Clean Energy Jobs

One of the constant criticisms of those who do not believe in renewable energy is the idea that it will not generate any form of employment for anyone and the subsequent loss of jobs for others. By ‘others’ it referred to those who worked in the unsustainable fields of coal, oil, or gas. It seemed plausible back when the argument was first introduced. However, it’s been completely blown out of the water since then.

In the other side of the pond, the US Energy and Employment Report reflected the information that clean energy workers have already surpassed the number of those employed by unsustainable resources. So in a sense, they were correct when they said that the green movement was going to take away jobs. However, what they didn’t emphasize was the sheer number of jobs it would offer as replacement. In terms of gender empowerment, women have found quite the haven in the renewable energy sector.

Clean energy makes more jobs

In 2016, the renewable energy watchers have declared that over a million individuals in Europe have now been employed by renewable energy sectors. The solar power industry, with its vast occupation of space, required more workplaces and workers to oversee it.

Wind farms require specialists that can efficiently and effectively determine a diagnosis of operating systems. The installation of turbines also requires a bit of manpower. With the explosion of interest in sustainable energy, more and more of the clean energy factories are being built in several locations all over Europe. While there was some concern over the efficacy of wind turbines given the inconsistent nature of wind, the mass production in other locations (inland and shore) give a wider net to catch more wind and generate more energy.

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A common misconception about green factories is that they are self-sufficient and self-operating. This is hardly the case. In fact, green factories require more labor as maintenance must be constant and ongoing.

Clean energy companies are able to supply these jobs due to the fact that businesses, as a whole, have finally realized the benefit of sustainability. With its ability drive down operational and energy costs, it is a smart and ideal investment for any business owner. The benefits of shifting to sustainable energy are plenty and are truly worth getting into.

The wonderful thing about the renewable energy movement is that its sole focus is not just simply for the benefit of the environment. It may have started out that way but it has continued to evolve through the years as newer and newer studies were done. Now, governments are taking note that renewable energy can do more than just limit greenhouse gas production. It is now also a smart avenue to revive economies, generate employment, and establish better trade policies.

As renewable energy drives down the operating costs of factories and the general cost of energy consumption, more funds are freed up for better technological advancements. It’s good then that the dedicated professionals in the field of energy development are working non-stop to provide better solutions.

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European Stubbornness at its Best: The Nations That Refuse to Budge

Blog7 - European Stubbornness at its Best: The Nations That Refuse to Budge

Today, we take a closer look at European nations who are sticking to their guns. By guns, we mean their sources of unsustainable energy production.

A majority of Europe have agreed to ratify the Paris Agreement. However, not all members of the EU are following suit and are lagging behind.

Who, you may ask?

 One of these nations is France. This nation alternates between digging in their heels and putting forth the mandates given to them.

In Bosnia, there are 4 coal plants that are still operation. The residents have complained of the pollution for years but to no avail. Now, there are more plans toward more coal sites; 7 of them, in fact. Studies done regarding their proposed additional coal sites have given the figures of an 18% increase in harmful emissions. Despite the additional health risks of these new coal sites, Bosnian locals are not shying away from taking jobs in these sites.

Residents of Tuzla express that while renewable energy is still being perfected, there are no other jobs available. Therefore, they take the coal sites job with reservations.

The United Kingdom, while showing some promise, still lags behind other countries. However, since the Brexit fiasco, they are no longer really obliged to hit the target for 2020. The Netherlands, as of 2015, has only accomplished 5.8 of the goal of 14.

While there are only three years to go regarding the 2020 goal, everyone is waiting to see what the other lagging nations are planning to do.

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 Not all is lost. There are heroes.

There are now at least eleven EU nations who have managed to meet their 2020 targets. These nations are: Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Lithuania, Finland, and several others.

Global Warming is the very thing that the European guideline for Renewable Energy 2020 goal is trying to address. By lowering the collective emissions of the EU, they hope to significantly slash the speed in which global warming is progressing.

As the noticeable effects of global warming continue to propagate, it is ultimately more and more necessary to adhere to stricter rules regarding the lessening of carbon emissions.  As the USA has pulled out from the Paris Agreement, it will be Europe’s responsibility to blaze the path toward clean and sustainable energy.

It is wonderful how the concepts of green energy, global warming, and sustainability are all intertwined. One cannot unravel without the others. It’s a balance that must be met and maintained. In order to lessen the rapid advancement of global warming, people as a whole do need to start taking steps toward more sustainable living.

While it is great that there are now agreements that need to be met with regard to renewable energy, it is still ultimately the dependence on foreign oil that drags everything down. As long as there is a demand for the supply of gas and oil, the fight will continue. Here’s to hoping that all the European members of the EU get to meet their targets well.

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