Video - Small Home Solar Power System Demo

Here's a short demo of one family's small home solar power system they use to power electronics in the home. While they're not completely off the grid, they are using this small solar power system to meet everyday electricity needs such as lights, television, computers, kitchen appliances, and more. Pretty cool!  If you want to learn more about solar power kits and D.I.Y. solar power info, visit the link below the video.

DIY My small home solar power system
A brief layout of my solar system that I added to my small house. This house is still hooked up to the grid. I use it to run all the lights in my home and the tv, every day. I am able to run anything up to 1000 watts if needed


Click Here to Learn More About D.I.Y. Solar Power....

Review: 10-Watt Plug-and-Play Portable Solar Power Kit

If you're looking to build your own solar power system, there are a lot of options out there nowadays. You can go completely from scratch, or you can also use kit that is either partially or mostly pre-assembled. Spheral Solar provides a lot of great options from small to large - from small portable kits all the way up to full-size systems that can take you off the grid completely. But if you just want something simple and small that you can use in a pinch - not necessarily to supply your whole household with electricity, there are a great many advantages to the 10 Watt Plug and Play Portable Solar Power Kit. It can be used indoors, but is ideal to be taken along when camping, picnicking in the park or working outside in your garden or yard to power up electrical equipment such as handheld games, lamps, TV's cell phones, laptops etc.

The solar power kit comes with a 10 watt solar panel which charges a Duracell 300 power pack which will provide power for up to 15 hours. In case of emergency, it has a built-in fluorescent emergency light. I like the fact that this system can even jump-start a car - it comes with built-in jump-start cables and clips. 

Overall, this solar power kit is a very versatile and useful device to have at home and when on the road. It will certainly come in handy when grid power is not available or when camping.

Where to Buy: 
www.spherasolar.com

How to Choose the Right Solar Power System for Your Home

With energy costs rising steadily, more and more people are seeking ways to incorporate solar power into their energy plans for their household. However, there are some things to bear in mind if you want to install a solar power system in your home. Not just any system will do. It needs to fit your energy needs and your property location. Here are some tips.

First, determine if your location is conducive to solar. You need to have an area of your property that faces in a southerly direction - ideally, it will face directly south, but slightly southwest will work. It needs to receive sunlight between 9AM and 3PM. Make sure you observe this area all year round, because a property's sunlight can vary greatly from season to season.

Remember, too, that you can mount solar panels on tall poles and trees, not just your roof. So if an area of your property is shady during the key part of the day, look up - it might be sunnier up higher.

Second, call your utility company and find out what your average monthly use of kilowatt hours is. Then you can determine how many KW hours your solar system will have to generate. (You might choose to have only half of your KW hours replaced by solar.)

Types of Home Solar Systems

In order to narrow down what sort of system you need, it's important to familiarize yourself with the different types. Most homeowners choose to be tied in to the power grid, because a stand-alone system can get very complicated and expensive. It is an option, however.

Flat-plate solar thermal collector, viewed from roof-level (Photo credit: Wikipedia)1. Photovoltaic solar panels
These are what most people think of when they think of solar power. They are flat panels that sit on your roof. Generally, photovoltaic systems can power appliances and lights only, not heating and cooling.

The power generated is usually tied in with the conventional power grid, and this is viable option for most solar power users. If you are tied in to the grid, you do not need a battery back-up for night-time and other times when the sun is not shining. The conventional power company becomes your back-up when you are tied to the grid.

2. Solar heating systems

There are active and passive solar heating systems for our home. Passive solar heating uses conduction, convection, or radiation to move sun-generated heat throughout the home. Active solar heating collects the sun's heat in some kind of air or water reservoir, then pumps it throughout the home.

Obviously, depending on the system you choose, these are usually less costly and easier to set up and maintain than a solar panel system. You may choose to go less intensive and just use passive or active solar heating, or you may add solar panels as well and reap the benefits of a combination of these systems.

For a great resource for both solar D.I.Y. info, and pre-made solar power system kits, check out Solar Sphere's website.

Video - How Get Healthy by Shopping Locally

This short video is less than 5 minutes long, but it very clearly sums up the health challenges facing our country today, and offers a helpful solution that could improve the health of our nation as a whole if we take it seriously. Although this video focuses on one specific community, its message is one that applies to most American families. The benefits of eating fresh, locally grown foods are far-reaching, and affect not only you, but your community, and believe it or not, ultimately the planet as a whole.

Check out this excellent video to learn why:

Healthy, Local, Fresh: Farmers Markets & Community Wellness
Sponsored by the Tacoma Farmers Market and Triniti Media, this film depicts the rising health concerns in Pierce County due to poor nutrition, and how the Tacoma Farmers Markets make healthy and locally-grown food accessible to local residents.

More Resources On The Benefits of Eating Local:
   

Take Action to Support the Local Farms & Foods Act!

We don't jump on the bandwagon for many causes, but this is an important one for all of us. Americans are clamoring for more locally and sustainably grown food that is better for our health and the environment (and tastes better too!). But the farmers producing sustainable food for local markets need help to compete with the bigger, better-financed conglomerates. Especially in these tough economic times, it makes sense to support healthier local food systems that will boost your local economy and create thousands of jobs. The Local Farms, Food and Jobs Act is definitely worth your support - it is a strong bill that could have a big impact.

This bill will do some really terrific things, such as:

Image via Wikipedia:: Provide more money for local farmers' markets and to help farmers adopt organic methods.
:: Allow schools to use more of their federal funding to buy fresh, local foods.
:: Make it easier for low-income families to use food stamps at farmers' markets.
:: Increase support for local processing and distribution networks so schools, hospitals, stores and restaurants can more easily purchase healthy food directly from local farmers.
:: Improve credit and crop insurance for diversified and organic farmers producing for local markets.

With the 2012 farm bill fast upon us, this is going to be a big year in the fight to level the playing field for local farmers and to ensure greater access to healthy, sustainably produced food. This bill is a crucial part of that fight. We need to make sure our representatives understand that we want our food to come from local farmers, and that we expect Congress and the US Department of Agriculture to do their parts. It's clear we're ready for something different - now.

Click here to email your elected officials today and urge them to co-sponsor this important local food bill:
http://action.ewg.org/p/dia/action/public/index.sjs?action_KEY=1963

Thank you for standing up for healthy, local food!

Want to Buy Healthy? Check Out These Healthy Shoppers Resources

Shopping in today's world can be a mind-boggling exercise, especially if you are concerned about buying the healthiest foods for you and your family - avoiding toxins, getting the best nutrition, and supporting your local community at the same time.

Here are some excellent resources you may find very helpful in guiding you through the food shopping jungle!  (And of course be sure to check back here, as we share helpful tips on these sorts of things on a regular basis. For ideas and recipes for preparing healthy meals, also see our Cooking From Scratch blog.)

EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce
Image via WikipediaThis is a great one you will always want to check with when trying to decide which fruits and vegetables to buy organic and which are OK to buy conventional. And keep your eyes on this blog, as this is updated annually, and we always post the new results when they become available.

The Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass just released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This interactive map shows where to find USDA-supported projects in your area that support local food. Just click the link to learn more about markets near you.

The Meat Label Decoder, in EWG's Meat Eater's Guide to Climate Change + Health. This handy guide gives some helpful tips on how to read labels on meat and dairy products. From free-range to lean, it helps you know what you're buying.

Organic vs. Natural. What's the difference between natural and organic anyway? If you still find these terms a little confusing, our friends at The Organic Center have published this handy tip sheet to help you out.

EWG's Sugar in Children's Cereal Report. Did you know that many popular cereals have more sugar than
Twinkies or chocolate chip cookies?? This report may shock you. (Click the "Full List of Cereals" link to find out where your favorite ranks.) And if you're looking for a healthier alternative breakfast choice, try the yummy recipes in tip #4.

Use these resources to shop healthier the next time you go grocery shopping!

Video - 5 Super Foods That Could Change Your Life

Here is a really interesting video segment from The Today Show, on 5 superfoods you may never have heard of, but which have amazing health benefits and will be coming soon to a store near you! I am intrigued to try the Laver (I love the seaweed chips I've tried), and have had alligator and it was excellent, but not readily available here in the Midwest yet, and haven't heard of most of the others, but they sound very interesting.

Check it out, and if you've tried any of these before, we'd love to hear about it, so post your comments below!

The Today Show, 5 Super Foods to Change Your Life
TotalLifeChanges.com The Today Show on NBC, 5 Super Foods that can Change Your Life. Try Dr Millers Iaso Tea, All Natural, All Organic.


Find These Super Foods Online: