Top 10 Ways To Save Money By Going Green

High prices got you down? The politicians can talk all the want but the truth of the matter is that prices are rising faster than paychecks can keep up. The good news is that you can save tons of money each month on your energy bills, water bills, trash bills, and even your shopping bills, by making choices that protect the environment. Here are the top 10 ways to save money by going green:

1. Don't Drive: If the environmental benefits of ditching your car don't convince you, the financial perks surely will. With gas prices at an all time high, you'll save a fortune by carpooling, walking, biking, or taking public transportation whenever possible.

2. Wait A Day: One of the very best things you can do for the environment is to buy less stuff. So use the 24-Hour rule the next time your at the store: if you see something you like, wait 24 hours before you buy it. Nine times out of ten, you will have forgotten all about it before you even get home!

3. DIY for a Green Clean: Steer clear of toxic cleaning agents that cost a bundle and are harmful for your family and the environment. Natural ingredients like vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice will get your whole house sparkling and germ-free for pennies.

4. Be A Label Lover: Manufacturers are trying to cash in on the green movement by "greenwashing" their products to appear green. Don't waste your money on this overpriced junk, but don't give up on buying green either. Click here to learn which green labels to look for at the store.

5. Control Your Temp: Adjust your thermostat by a measly three degrees and open a window (or throw on a sweater in cold weather) instead to save a fortune on your annual energy bill.

6. See The Light: Lighting accounts for 20% of your home's annual energy bill. Control these costs by installing energy-efficient bulbs and turning off the lights whenever you leave a room.

7. Block Leaks: Stop throwing money out the window by making sure that windows (and doors) are insulated and weather-proofed to further reduce the energy required to heat and cool your home.

8. B.Y.O.B: Disposable water bottles are planet-trashing, money wasting junk. Why spend your hard earned dollars on water when you can fill up a reusable bottle of filtered tap water for free?

9. Buy in Bulk: Save money at the store by purchasing items in the largest size possible. Go in with friends and co-workers to defray the costs even further.

10. Take A Shorter Shower: You pay for the water in your shower three times...to buy it, to heat it, and to take it away. Shave a few minutes off your shower each day and do your thinking, singing, or dreaming elsewhere. You'll help conserve water while keeping your money from going down the drain.

Solar Powered Toyota Prius!

TRANSPORTATION TUESDAY: Solar Powered Toyota Prius!
by Jorge Chapa

The manufacturer of the most popular hybrid car on the market is planning take its green vision even further. Toyota, the makers of the Prius, have decided that the best way to make their top selling hybrid car even greener is to add a set of solar panels to the roof of the vehicle. The addition of solar power to the already super efficient Prius marks the first time that a major auto maker will use this renewable energy in a top selling car. Could this be the official start of a hot commercial trend?

According to a report in the Nikkei Business Daily, Toyota is seriously mulling installing solar panels, to be produced by Kyocera, that will power the air-conditioning unit of the vehicle. This is part of the refreshed model which is expected to be available next spring. It is probably more of a symbolic gesture than anything else, but still, it is a nice detail that will save some fuel.

With oil prices so high, everyone is focusing on making their vehicles as fuel efficient as possible. And, as far as the big car manufacturers are concerned, no one does this better than Toyota. Hopefully, where Toyota leads, others will follow.

+ Toyota to equip Prius with solar panels: report
+ Toyota Prius

Image via: Car and Driver

Sharp’s Solar Powered Television

Sharp’s Solar Powered Television
by Jorge Chapa

As part of G8 Summit in Hokkaido, Japan, Sharp will be showcasing some futuristic new technologies in the Zero Emission House. Amongst the future-forward prototypes to be shown: a 26-inch solar-powered LCD television that can be powered by a thin-film photovoltaic panel! Sharp’s plan is to distribute the TV and solar module to areas that have no easy access to grid power.

The triple-junction thin film solar cell module is the cost effective panel to date that is being mass produced by Sharp. The panel can be produced to be made semi-transparent, to be as windows, and is manufactured to not require rare or scarce metals. The television itself is an ultra low-powered LCD screen that uses less than a third of the energy required by conventional LCDs. The area required to power this television would be similar to that of the TV screen, something which is not possible with current TVs.

So, is a TV really the most practical use for a new solar panel? Initially, we would’ve thought that people living off the grid with no access to electricity might want that electricity for something else — something more useful like lighting or cooking. Still, we have to admit, an ultra-low powered LCD is certainly a positive development.

+ Sharp to Exhibit at Hokkaido

Giant Anaconda Tube Generates Energy from Waves!

Giant Anaconda Tube Generates Energy from Waves!
by Jorge Chapa

A snake-like rubber tube floating in the ocean could prove that wave energy conversion is an economically viable solution to meet our power needs. At least that’s what the creators of the Anaconda device are hoping. Designed in the UK by Francis Farley and Rod Rainey, the Anaconda is a very simple giant rubber tube that generates energy by simply bobbing up and down in the water. We’ll bite our tongues and hold the inevitable dirty jokes on this one (but do check out the video below the fold).

Despite being the unfortunate namesake of one of the most unbelievable action movies of all times, the Anaconda has convinced us of its plausibility. The device is a 200 meter long and 7 meter diameter plastic tube that is completely closed at both ends and filled with water. It is then anchored to the ocean floor and sits just a little bit below the sea’s surface.

The device is remarkably simple as there are few moving parts. In principle, the Anaconda could just bob up and down on the currents forever. Electricity is generated via the up-and-down motion of the waves. The waves will hit one end of the tube, thus creating a bulge which is pushed from one end to the other. The bulge becomes bigger and bigger as it runs down the tube until it hits the generator, where the water turns a turbine, and generates electricity.

The brainchild of Francis Farley and Rod Rainey, the Anaconda is being developed by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council in collaboration with Checkmate Seaenergy. If proven successful, those involved hope to be able to deploy a significant number of these along the British coast. Each tube is expected to generate around 1MW.

+ Anaconda Wave Power Bulging Snake
+ Checkmate Seaenergy
+ Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

5 Steps to Green, Clean, and Beautiful

You may be surprised to hear that toxins are lurking in your bathroom? And I'm not talking about whatever's hiding on your faucet handles or under your toilet seat. I'm talking about the thousands of chemicals that are found in the very products you use to get clean and beautiful each day.

Just how toxic is your bathroom?

To date, 89% of the 10,500 ingredients used in personal care products have not been evaluated for safety by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (an in-house panel appointed by the cosmetics industry), or anyone else.

FDA officials and health experts throughout the world are particularly concerned about the “cocktail effect” that may occur when different chemicals and toxins are mixed in the body and then subsequently in the environment.

A 2004 survey by the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit research group, found that the average adult uses approximately nine personal care products each day, for a total of 126 unique chemical ingredients.

While some products are tested for reactions such as skin redness, rashes, or stinging, there is little to no information about the long-term safety of these chemical cocktails for either humans or the environment.

The good news is that you don’t have to give up washing your hair or smelling good in order to protect your health and be nice to the planet. There are safe, non-toxic alternatives to virtually every personal care product your family needs. Here are the top 5 ways to green your beauty regime.

1. Read The Labels: Take five seconds to read the label and put down any product that contains phthalates, mercury, toluene, lead, formaldehyde, petroleum distillates, parabens (hormone-disrupting preservatives such as methylparaben, butylparaben, ethylparaben, isobutylparaben, and propylparaben), or BHA. These chemicals are considered the most detrimental to human and environmental health.
   
   
2. Use A Little Less: Reevaluate your beauty regimen to see if you can get by with a little less. Do you really need all of those beauty products in your cabinet? For each product you eliminate, you’ll save money and reduce the chemicals in your body and in the environment.
   
   
3. Be Kind To Animals: Animal testing is unnecessary, unethical, and just plain cruel. Look for the “Leaping Bunny” label to make sure your beauty products are “cruelty-free.” This symbol, created by the The Coalition For Consumer Information On Cosmetics, is the only international standard for personal care products indicating that they have not been tested on animals.
   
   
4. Don’t Leave A Carbon Footprint On Your Face: O.K., so you’ve cut back on the amount of oil and gas you use in your car, now how about reducing the carbon footprint of the chemicals you use on your body? Petroleum derivatives are found in a surprising number of personal care products such as lip balm, lotions, and lubricants, as well as the plastics used in sanitary products. Pass on products that use petroleum or its derivatives (paraffin oil, propylene glycol, and ethylene) and look for alternatives such as beeswax, cocoa butter, and vegetable oils instead.
   
   
5. Skip Disposables: According the environmental news website Grist , 2 billion disposable razors end up in United States landfills each year. Invest in a reusable and refillable razor to save money and take a knick out the waste stream.