Implementing Sustainable Business Practices

There's so much to think about when running a business. Switching over to green business practices might not seem like top priority, but you might want to consider it.

More and more people are taking an interest in things that are green. That also means they are choosing companies which follow sustainable business practices. Also, there are so many ways to save money when you are being more green. So if you're considering switching over to green business practices, here are some tips for how and why you should make the switch.

Prevent Air Pollution

Look for this logo when considering business appliances & materials. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By installing Energy Star qualified products you can help reduce the air pollution your company produces. By making your company more energy efficient, you will save money on energy bills while helping the environment. Energy efficient products use less energy and therefore emit less pollution into the air by using less fossil fuels. 

Switch to Renewable Energy

Using fossil fuels is costly and bad for the environment. Look for ways to add solar panels, geothermal technology, wind, hydro energy, and biomass. There are incentives for using renewable energy sources through the government which can help “buy down” the cost of these kinds of upgrades.

If you're a small business who cannot afford to buy all of these environment-friendly products, then contact your energy companies. You can purchase green energy at a slightly higher cost. Don't forget, people might just buy your product just because you have taken more steps to be more green, so the added cost can potentially lead to more sales.

Reduce the Use of Paper

Giving electronic receipts over paper receipts for things will help use less paper and fewer trees. The energy used to produce paper is significant as well. So the less paper you use, the less energy is being drawn to produce said paper. Not to mention the energy used to harvest trees and transport them, and then ship the paper to you.

Aside from offering electronic receipts, you can also do double-sided printing. Use paper that has high recycled content. Recycle your paper as much as possible.

Graph originally published in 3rd International Congress on Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Sources Proceedings, 2007 paper: DETERMINING ENERGY SAVINGS USING UTILITY BILLS. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Reduce Waste

This can save you huge amounts of money by having smaller removal costs, as well as cost savings on raw materials, and it can make you more efficient, productive, and will improve your public image. To accomplish this, simply produce less waste. You can do this by:

* Exchanging, selling, or giving away unneeded goods
* Redesigning products to use less material
* Redesigning packaging
* Designing a packaging return program with your customers
* Reusing shipping/packing materials
* Developing a product take-back program
* Eliminating, reusing, or recycling cardboard
* Repairing broken furniture to extend its life instead of tossing and buying new
* Buying products made from recycled material
* Using and maintaining durable equipment and supplies
* Purchasing environmentally preferable products
* Not using catalogs or sending junk mail
* Finding ways to reuse products you no longer need or passing them along to someone else
* Recycling. Whenever possible recycle.
* Conserving water. Getting water to your building uses energy unless you have a well system. So to save here, make sure you repair broken pipes, use water efficient appliances, have controls that turn faucets off automatically, water efficient landscaping, install an energy efficient water heater, and insulate pipes. 

Doing these things will save you and your business money in the long run, and in general will be good for business. As more and more people become interested in energy conservation, they will also seek out companies which have the same values.

Hybrid Car Comparison: Which Hybrid Car Should You Choose?

Hybrid cars are getting more and more popular today. In fact, more and more people are now purchasing hybrid cars for a number of reasons. One is that they will enjoy tax incentives as a buyer of a hybrid car, two is that they can save a lot of money from the rising cost of precious, expensive and limited fossil-based fuels and three, it will enable them to generate less pollution in the environment because of lower toxic emissions generated by hybrid cars.

Solon, Swedish hybrid car.  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Because of the growing popularity of hybrid cars, more and more car manufacturers are now competing to produce the best hybrid cars. Many hybrid cars are now integrated with state-of-the-art technology that will enable consumers to save more on fuel, and also lower toxic emissions.

However, because of the growing market for hybrid cars, and also because of more and more car manufacturers that are now integrating hybrid technology in their cars, many people tend to get confused on which hybrid car to purchase. After all, if you listen to the car manufacturers, they all claim to have the best hybrid car!

In order to know which hybrid car to purchase, you have to compare them closely to know which hybrid car is for you and which hybrid car you can benefit from the most. You have to compare some factors of hybrid cars in order to determine which hybrid car is better than the others for your particular situation.

However, before you go on and compare hybrid cars, you first have to know a little something about how hybrid cars work and how you can benefit from them. First of all, hybrid cars use a clean and efficient source of energy - electricity - coupled with gasoline. Hybrid cars are what you can describe as a cross between a conventional gasoline-powered car and an electric-powered car.

This allows you to save fuel and emit lower volumes of toxic fumes because hybrid cars run on electricity when idling. What this means is that when you are stuck in traffic, and the hybrid car is running idle, or not in motion, it will automatically switch of the gasoline engine. Therefore, the hybrid car will run purely on electricity. Once you step on the accelerator pedal, it will automatically switch on the gasoline engine again to run the car.

Toyota Prius C concept hybrid car exhibited at the 2011 Washington Auto Show (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So, now that you know how hybrid cars work, you now have to know how to compare hybrid cars in order to get the right kind of hybrid car for your everyday use.

First of all, you need to determine how you will use the car. If you have a family, you may want to get an SUV hybrid vehicle. This will enable you to carry more passengers. However, you also have to consider that SUV hybrid vehicles can cost a little more than other hybrid cars, and they are also less fuel efficient than smaller hybrid cars. Also, if you do a lot of long-distance highway driving, and don't sit in much traffic, your car will not save you as much money on gasoline costs as someone who does more city driving, so that's also a consideration.

The main advantage of a hybrid car is that it is fuel efficient. You have to choose a hybrid car that is the most fuel efficient for your needs in order for you to maximize its benefits. You can ask your dealer about the fuel efficiency of the car. They will be able to tell you how many miles a gallon it can save compared to conventional cars and other hybrid cars.

You will want to balance fuel efficiency with your own space and travel needs in order to choose the best option for you. But to start your search, Honda and Toyota are two of the leading companies today that produce affordable and efficient hybrid cars in a variety of shapes and sizes to suit your needs.

Video: Why Alternative Fuel Sources Aren't Mainstream

While somewhat conspiracy theorist, this video does contain some interesting info and ideas as to why we are so reliant on gasoline and fossil fuels for our energy and transportation needs. It is going to take a massive demand from us as consumers to change the direction of the economic machine to one of cleaner and environmental resources. It really is up to us as individuals to make a difference and demand better choices be made available.

Alternative fuel government cant tax and wont support, water
Hydrogen is high in energy, yet an engine that burns pure hydrogen produces almost no pollution. NASA has used liquid hydrogen since the 1970s to propel the space shuttle and other rockets into orbit. Hydrogen fuel cells power the shuttle's electrica...

New Uses for Solar Power

When you think of solar power you probably think of heating and light for your home. That is one of the many things that we use solar power for.  Solar power is everywhere and its use is growing every day. There are many different products that are made using solar power. Solar power means using the sun's natural heat to produce electricity, heat, and more.  When you use solar power you are using a natural and abundant resource that we cannot deplete, and which causes no pollution (other than the making of means of storing and processing this energy - which continues to become ever more efficient).

A basic, Sharp-brand solar calculator. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are more products that use solar power than what we realize. A lot of today's electronics use some type of solar power in order to function accurately.  Calculators are a prime example of a useful solar power product.  These calculators may or may not have on and off switches.  Some rely on the solar panel completely in order to stay or turn off.  Solar power calculators need a certain amount of light inside the solar panel in order to turn the calculator on and perform what you want it to do; add, subtract, divide, multiply and more.  The solar panel in a calculator is obviously not as big as the one that you would to power your home.  The size needed for a calculator is adjusted before installation to provide the amount it needs. Solar power use can also be found in travel products, outdoor recreation, safety products, emergency products and more. 

Solar power radios are produced with a solar panel inside that transforms the sunlight into energy allowing you to listen to your radio while you are outside.  You may also find solar power in flashlights, battery chargers, mobile phone chargers, watches, lanterns, emergency products such as sirens and lights.  As you see there are a number of products that are already using solar power technology.  Portable solar chargers are great because they charge the product that you have using just the sunlight, and they are very easy to use.  Camping equipment and supplies also work well with solar power because sunlight during the day then helps to supply lanterns, flashlights and radios at night.

Solar powered tea (Photo credit: Nick . Brooks)

Cooking outdoors can also be done by using solar power to heat the element that will ignite and allow for even cooking.  Because more people are turning to solar power for their main energy source there are more and more companies that are marketing products that are produced using solar power.  Appliances are being made specially for solar power homes.  Many new appliances such as refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers, and more will work great in a home that is generated by solar power.  They are built to conserve energy and operate very efficiently.

As the demand for more efficient and clean energy grows, the availability of solar powered appliances and electronics will grow as well. We can look forward to seeing more interesting innovations in this field in the years to come.

Kid's Eco-Friendly Project: PicoTurbine Savonius Windmill Kit

Hand-on teaching is the best way to explain science principles to children. If you are a home schooling parent or if you have a child that is interested in learning more about renewable energy and wind power, the PicoTurbine Savonius Windmill Kit is a fantastic teaching tool. The windmill can be built by kids as young as 10, but I would recommend it to kids older than that with a better understanding of certain science principles.

The windmill, once assembled, is a fully functioning small windmill. It uses high quality materials to allow it to withstand the elements. It includes everything your kids will need to build a vertical windmill, from recycled blades, s-foils to copper coils and five, ceramic grade magnets. Once assembled and stationed outside, it shows students how windmills can harness wind energy and turn it into electricity. At a wind speed of 12 mph you can produce approximately 3.0V/50mA.

Overall, I think that this kit will add to students' knowledge of how wind power works, how to convert it into electricity, alternative energy resources, aerodynamics and other scientific principles. I am sure any student interested in science will appreciate this fun kit as a present.

Where to buy: www.amazon.com

 

Video - Geothermal Energy in Iceland - Imagination At Work

Here is a very inspiring video about some of the advancements in technology that help Iceland provide 90% of its energy requirements from this renewable, non-polluting energy source. The video also discusses the impact that the change in environmental consciousness is having on the country, as well as the possibility of the use of geothermal energy sources within the US and other countries to achieve more clean and safe energy production.

Check it out - it's worth a watch to see what great innovations are happening in other parts of this great globe!

Geothermal Energy in Iceland
The most inventive, progressive and eco-friendly energy system in the world is the cornerstone of a national consciousness that is a blueprint for the world's future.

Video - The Future of Alternative Energy

Here is a quick and interesting video on some of the different options out there for producing alternative energy sources. There are some interesting ideas here that I had not heard of - such as using the old cornstalks, etc.

Check it out, and learn more about some promising options for reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.

Alternative Energy
A new wave of technologies is on the verge of producing energy that's clean, renewable, and most importantly, affordable.

Video-Solar Energy Concentrator

Here is a pretty interesting video which demonstrates a simple energy concentration device using energy from the sun for a variety of purposes. It also includes some great explanations of how and why solar energy works, and how you can build a similar device.

Becoming energy independent is an important goal for living a green lifestyle that is healthy for both yourself and the planet. While this device won't solve all of our energy problems, it is great to see such interesting ideas taking shape and being used to create new opportunities for you and me.

Solar Energy Concentrator
Purchase: hilaroad.com This video demonstrates how solar energy can be focused with a curved mirror. Once focused this energy can be used to cook food, sterilize water even create electricity. Includes an explanation of Energy, Power, Joules, Watts. ...

Related articles  on Solar Energy

• The Advantages of Solar Energy (ideagreenshop.com)
• Who would benefit most from solar energy? Study ranks states (physorg.com)
• Solar Energy Companies, Assisting Your Own Alternatives For Your Full Advantage (ideagreenshop.com)
• Scientists develop a way to funnel solar energy (sciencedaily.com)