http://www.fitnessmagazine.com

Reduce your carbon footprint and boost your bank account with these easy, healthy, earth-friendly tips from Josh Dorfman, author of The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget.

1. Choose eco workout wear.

Look for tops, pants, shorts — even sports bras made with recycled materials, such as Cocona fabrics, which come from coconut shells. They dry quickly and provide excellent sun and odor protection. (For info and products, go to www.coconafabric.com.) Need new sneaks? Brooks running shoes feature the industry’s first biodegradable midsole (www.brooksrunning.com).

2. Make a fair trade.

Instead of buying new fitness DVDs and books, use swapping sites like www.swapadvd.com and www.paperbackswap.com to trade with thousands of other people for free.

3. Wheel and deal on exercise equipment.

Whether it’s a bike, a Bowflex, or a Precor elliptical machine, you’ll find great deals at craigslist.org in the local classified ads and forums.

4. Get your grooves for less.

Why pay full price for an MP3 player? Check out sites that offer refurbished electronics, like www.dyscern.com where you can save more than 50 percent off the retail price. Refurbished items are typically those that were returned within 30 days of purchase, had damaged packaging or a slight cosmetic defect, were used as in-store display items, or were simply overstocked. Many are still covered by their original warranties; before they can be resold they go through rigorous defect testing.

5. Drink smarter.

More than 38 billion disposable plastic bottles end up in landfills every year in the United States. Instead of adding to that number, tote a reusable water bottle and fill it with filtered water. At FilterForGood.com, a campaign created by Brita and Nalgene, you can sign a pledge to give up disposable water bottles and get a coupon for $5 off a Brita system.

6. Save water and energy.

Less water for your daily shower + less heat = lower utility bills. Evolve has designed a series of water-saving showerheads that let the cold H20 run until the water temperature reaches 95 degrees and then stops it to a trickle until you step into the shower and turn the valve. If you choose the Roadrunner low-flow showerhead ($39.95), you’ll also save about one gallon of water per minute. Find out more at www.evolveshowerheads.com.

7. Keep cool.

Set the right temperature in your home with a Lux digital thermostat — an affordable, Energy Star-rated option that starts at about $35 and is available at stores like Wal-Mart and Sears. Energy Star requires that all of its qualified models come with four pre-programmed settings to automatically adjust temperatures throughout the night and day.
8. Breathe easier.

A HEPA filter vacuum sucks up very small particles of dust, allergens, and chemicals and traps them in the vacuum instead of spewing them back out into the air. The Eureka Upright is one of the most affordable HEPA filter vacuums available at around $140.

9. Carpool.

Zimride is a ride-share service that lets you create personal profiles, like Facebook, and select car mates who share similar music tastes or favorite sports teams. Zimmers can evaluate things like driving speed and smoking preferences before agreeing to hop in. www.zimride.com.

10. Better yet, bike to work.

Cut down on car emissions and get some exercise by cycling to your office. Go to Mapmyride.com, plug in your starting point and your destination and you’ll be able to see the route’s elevation map. Choose a path with hills for a workout, or a flatter ride to arrive sweat-free.

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/health/spirit/your-best-you/10-ways-to-go-green-get-healthy-save-money/

How can we live lightly on the Earth and save money at the same time? Staff members at the Worldwatch Institute, a global environmental organization, share ideas on how to GO GREEN and SAVE GREEN at home and at work.

We all have a responsibility to take notice of climate change

Climate change is in the news. It seems like everyone’s “going green.” We’re glad you want to take action, too. Luckily, many of the steps we can take to stop climate change can make our lives better. Our grandchildren-and their children-will thank us for living more sustainably. Let’s start now.

Keep reading for 10 simple things you can do today to help reduce your environmental impact, save money, and live a happier, healthier life.

1. Save energy to save money.

* Set your thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer to save on heating and cooling costs.
* Install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) when your older incandescent bulbs burn out.
* Unplug appliances when you’re not using them. Or, use a “smart” power strip that senses when appliances are off and cuts “phantom” or “vampire” energy use.
* Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water.
* Use a drying rack or clothesline to save the energy otherwise used during machine drying.

2. Save water to save money.

* Take shorter showers to reduce water use. This will lower your water and heating bills too.
* Install a low-flow showerhead. They don’t cost much, and the water and energy savings can quickly pay back your investment.
* Make sure you have a faucet aerator on each faucet. These inexpensive appliances conserve heat and water, while keeping water pressure high.
* Plant drought-tolerant native plants in your garden. Many plants need minimal watering. Find out which occur naturally in your area.

3. Less gas = more money (and better health!).

* Walk or bike to work. This saves on gas and parking costs while improving your cardiovascular health and reducing your risk of obesity.
* Consider telecommuting if you live far from your work. Or move closer. Even if this means paying more rent, it could save you money in the long term.
* Lobby your local government to increase spending on sidewalks and bike lanes. With little cost, these improvements can pay huge dividends in bettering your health and reducing traffic.

4. Eat smart.

* If you eat meat, add one meatless meal a week. Meat costs a lot at the store-and it’s even more expensive when you consider the related environmental and health costs.
* Buy locally raised, humane, and organic meat, eggs, and dairy whenever you can. Purchasing from local farmers keeps money in the local economy.
* Watch videos about why local food and sustainable seafood are so great.
* Whatever your diet, eat low on the food chain. This is especially true for seafood.

5.Skip the bottled water.

* Use a water filter to purify tap water instead of buying bottled water. Not only is bottled water expensive, but it generates large amounts of container waste.
* Bring a reusable water bottle, preferably aluminum rather than plastic, with you when traveling or at work.
* Check out this short article for the latest on bottled water trends.

6. Think before you buy.

* Go online to find new or gently used secondhand products. Whether you’ve just moved or are looking to redecorate, consider a service like craigslist or FreeSharing to track down furniture, appliances, and other items cheaply or for free.
* Check out garage sales, thrift stores, and consignment shops for clothing and other everyday items.
* When making purchases, make sure you know what’s “Good Stuff” and what isn’t.
* Watch a video about what happens when you buy things. Your purchases have a real impact, for better or worse.

7. Borrow instead of buying.

* Borrow from libraries instead of buying personal books and movies. This saves money, not to mention the ink and paper that goes into printing new books.
* Share power tools and other appliances. Get to know your neighbors while cutting down on the number of things cluttering your closet or garage.

8. Buy smart.

* Buy in bulk. Purchasing food from bulk bins can save money and packaging.
* Wear clothes that don’t need to be dry-cleaned. This saves money and cuts down on toxic chemical use.
* Invest in high-quality, long-lasting products. You might pay more now, but you’ll be happy when you don’t have to replace items as frequently (and this means less waste!).

9. Keep electronics out of the trash.

* Keep your cell phones, computers, and other electronics as long as possible.
* Donate or recycle them responsibly when the time comes. E-waste contains mercury and other toxics and is a growing environmental problem.
* Recycle your cell phone.
* Ask your local government to set up an electronics recycling and hazardous waste collection event.

10. Make your own cleaning supplies.

* The big secret: you can make very effective, non-toxic cleaning products whenever you need them. All you need are a few simple ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, lemon, and soap.
* Making your own cleaning products saves money, time, and packaging-not to mention your indoor air quality.

http://www.worldwatch.org/resources/go_green_save_green

http://www.livescience.com

The scientific and political arguments surrounding the health of our planet can make the whole topic seem beyond the grasp of the individual. How fast is the climate changing? Exactly what effect to humans have? And what will the government do about it?

How we treat Earth also involves trillions of little decisions by billions of individuals.

That in mind, LiveScience presents 10 ideas for saving energy and otherwise cutting down on your impact on the planet. The list was compiled by the Earth Day Network organization and republished here with permission.

1. Change light bulbs

Many consumers don’t know this, but there are now highly efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) that last for years, use a quarter of the energy of regular bulbs and actually produce more light.

Look for the government’s ENERGY STAR label, which means the bulb has been tested for quality and efficiency. While each ENERGY STAR qualified bulb will cost more initially—anywhere from $3 to $9 a piece—remember that there are two price tags: what you pay at the register and what you pay in energy costs to over the bulb’s lifetime. So you may pay more up front, but you will actually save hundreds of dollars in your household budget over the long term because of their long life.

While CFLs were harder to find a few years ago, they’re now widely available and much more affordable. You’ll find them at major home improvement and hardware stores—even grocery and some convenience stores.

Here’s the impact. If every household in the U.S. replaced a burned-out bulb with an energy-efficient, ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent bulb, the cumulative effect is enormous. It would prevent more than 13 billion pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere—which is like taking more than a million cars off the road for an entire year.

There are other, simple things with household lighting you can do to conserve: turn off unneeded lights, dim lights when you can and bring natural sunlight into your home when it is feasible.

But changing those old light bulbs and replacing them with ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescents that can last for a decade or more is by far the best thing you can do.

2. Drive differently, or drive a different vehicle

The sad truth is that your car emits as much carbon dioxide as your entire house. That’s the bad news. The good news is that anything you can do to improve the fuel efficiency of your car will have an enormous impact on climate change. In fact, experts say that paying attention to fuel efficiency in your car may be the single biggest thing you can do to prevent global warming

Buying a fuel-efficient car (like a hybrid) is wonderful. In fact, replacing your gas-guzzling car with a fuel-efficient one is by far the best thing you can do, out of all your choices. But not all of us can do that—at least, not right now. Carmakers haven’t sold enough hybrids in the U.S. yet to make them as affordable as they should be. That will change, but not for a few years.

So, in the interim, there are things you can do with the car you drive now to conserve energy and be more fuel-efficient.

Drive less. Every year, Americans as a whole drive more miles than they did the year before. Stop this trend, and we drive a stake in that trend. Telecommuting and public transportation are great options—once a week saves a ton of carbon dioxide a year—but even piling multiple errands into one trip helps. If you can walk instead of drive, even better.

Get your car tuned up. Just a simple tune-up often improves fuel efficiency by half. If 100,000 of us went out and got a tune up, we save 124,000 tons of carbon dioxide.

Slow down, don’t race your car’s engine, and watch your idling. All of these save on gas (saving you money) and have a big impact on burning gasoline.

Horribly inefficient SUVs, minivans and pickup trucks now make up more than half of the cars on American roads. The real tragedy is that automakers could double the current average fuel efficiency of SUVs if they wanted to, which would save 70 tons of carbon dioxide per car. The technology exists. Unfortunately, consumer demand does not.

3. Control your temperature

The bad news is that half of your household energy costs go towards just two things—heating and cooling. The good news is that means you have lots of room for improvement, and even small changes make dramatic improvements in household fuel efficiency.

Older heating and cooling systems are a third less efficient than the new systems. So replacing the old with the new is a wonderful idea, but not very practical for most of us. Things you can do right now to make sure you’re setting the right temperature in your house include:

Tune up your heating system. This one thing every couple of years can reduce your heating costs by 10 percent a year.

Clean vents, close unused vents, and change filters in the vents. Again, just these simple things will save you 10 percent.

Buy a programmable thermostat, which can regulate different temperatures at different times of the day. And if you have one, use it! Right now, three-quarters of people who have programmable thermostats don’t use them at all.

Add two degrees to the AC thermostat in summer, and two degrees in winter. If everyone did this, the cumulative impact is significant.

Make sure windows and doors are sealed. Again, this will dramatically improve your household fuel efficiency.

Of course, if you can stand it, by far the best approach is to avoid air conditioners at all. Ceiling fans, instead of AC, can reduce your cooling costs by more than half.

4. Tame the refrigerator monster

Did you know that your friendly refrigerator has a voracious energy appetite? It is, by far, the single biggest consumer of electricity in the average household, responsible for 10-15 percent of the electricity you use each month.

Older refrigerators, as a rule, are far less efficient than the newest ones—as much as 50 percent more efficient in many cases. But buying a brand-new, energy-efficient refrigerator is almost certainly not in the cards for most of us. Fortunately, other things will help.

Don’t set the thermostat too high. Even 1 degree will make a big difference.

If your refrigerator is near a heating vent, or always in the sun, then change the location, cover up the heat vent near it or drape the window.

Turn on your “energy saver” switch near the thermostat.

Clean the condenser coil. This one, very simple thing can improve the efficiency of your refrigerator by a third!

Get rid of your second refrigerator. If you don’t need it, don’t waste the energy.

Make sure the doors seal properly, and keep the cool in.

5. Twist some knobs

The other big users of energy in your household are your hot water heater, your washer and dryer, and your dishwasher. Each, in its own way, can be inefficient. Here are some things to try:

Either turn the hot water heater down a couple of degrees, or turn on the “energy conservation” setting.

Buy insulation for your hot water heater at a local store and insulate the pipes as well.

Install a timer on your water heater to turn off at night and just before you wake up in the morning.

When possible, wash a few dishes by hand. Over time, that will save a few loads in the dishwasher, conserving energy.

Don’t pre-rinse dishes. Today’s detergents are powerful enough to do the job.

Wait until you have a full load to run the dishwasher.

Wash clothes in warm water, not hot. The clothes will be just as clean, and you’ll cut energy use by 50 percent.

Don’t over-dry your clothes. That will save 15 percent.

6. Plant smartly

While it is true that planting more trees will help in the short term because they essentially soak up carbon, they also release carbon dioxide when they die. So it just postpones the problem. But there are other reasons to plant trees—as wind breaks to save energy, and as shade to lower cooling costs. And even the short-term help while we get our act together is a good thing.

As for plants, do everything you can in your yard and garden to create ways in which plants use less water. Choose hardier plants, plant things in groups that need more water and put in mulch to help keep moisture in. When you mow your grass, make sure you do it smartly—with sharp blades, and only when the grass needs cutting. Finally, make sure you water your lawn sparingly. All of these will conserve energy.

7. Invest in green energy

Imagine if we ran out of fossil fuels tomorrow, what would we do? Well, we’d get our electricity from renewable sources—solar panels, geothermal and wind power sources. Many utilities now give consumers the option to buy “green power.” Ask for it!

Learn the truth about nuclear power and natural gas as viable “green” options. They aren’t. Radioactive waste will be a problem for tens of thousands of years into the future, and natural gas kicks out almost as much carbon dioxide as coal and oil. Natural gas can help us make a transition, but it isn’t the solution.

Finally, if you invest, invest in green stocks and renewable energy companies through socially responsible funds. They perform just as well (if not better) than all of the unfiltered funds.

8. Go organic

Even with our vast reservoir of scientific knowledge about farming, most American farmers still spray a billion pounds of pesticides to protect crops each year.

Now here’s the kicker: when chemical pesticides are used to kill pests, they also kill off microorganisms that keep carbon contained in the soil. When the microorganisms are gone, the carbon is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. And when those organisms are gone, the soil is no longer naturally fertile and chemical fertilizers become a necessity, not a luxury.

But besides going organic—thereby saving the carbon release from soil—there are other simple things you can do with food that will also make a difference:

Eat locally grown food. If the food doesn’t have to travel far, there’s less carbon dioxide from the trucks that ship it.

Eat fruits and vegetables in season. Again, that saves the enormous transportation costs.

Plant your own vegetable garden. It’s not as hard as you might think.

9. Buy recycled

This may sound simple, but it takes less energy to manufacture a recycled product than a brand new one. So if you and every other consumer buy recycled, you’ll help create a market, and conserve energy along the way.

Because many manufacturers don’t go out of their way to tout their recycled products, you should know that aluminum and tin cans, glass containers, and pulp cardboard have a fair amount of recycled content. So buy away!

Recycled is often considerably cheaper than non-recycled, so it’s cost-effective as well as conservation-minded. For instance, recycled paper can be as much as a third cheaper than non-recycled paper.

Finally, before you buy, check to see if the product or its packaging can be recycled. The recyclable logo (three arrows forming a triangle) is fairly common now.

10. Be a minimalist

We know it’s difficult, but in today’s consumer economy, an easy way to conserve energy is to simply use—and buy—less. Every time you buy something, energy has gone into getting that product to you. So the less you buy, the more you save energy-wise. It’s a simple equation.

This last item on our Top Ten list may, in fact, be the single biggest way to make a dent in the global warming problem. Again, we know it sounds obvious, but buying less things—some of which you just don’t need—changes the energy equation across the board, on every single consumer product. If everyone used less, the impact would be large indeed.

So how about some specific things? Here are a few:

Buy in bulk. In short, bulk items use less packaging, which translates into less energy.

Buy one of something, not 21 of something. You don’t need 21 pairs of shoes, if one pair works just as well.

Go through your closet. Donate or recycle what you really don’t need, then make a pledge not to replace everything you just got rid of.

Buy quality products that will last longer. Over time, you’ll obviously buy fewer products that way.

Be creative in what you use for work, play and leisure. You don’t always have to buy new products for activities. Re-use in creative ways.

http://www.livescience.com/environment/060421_earth_day_tips.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk

Most everyday, simple green acts do also happen to save money.

With all this talk about how an economic downturn will spell the death of environmentalism, it seems like a good time to remember that there can be some very good savings to be made by “going green”.

The central logic is undeniable: any act where you try to reduce your energy use will lead to savings in both costs and emissions. Equally, being thrifty with precious resources such as water will also leave you with more money in the pocket.

It all sounds so crushingly obvious when you spell it out, but this message often gets drowned out by all that talk about how much a loaf of organic bread can cost, or how cripplingly expensive it is to pay the upfront costs of fitting solar panels.

But most of the everyday, simple acts to live a more environmentally sensitive life do happen to save money.

To get the ball rolling, here are 10 ways to save money by going green. Please do add your own ideas below …

Zonal living

You’ve fitted draught excluders and heavy curtains to your external doors and windows. You’ve turned the thermostat down a couple of degrees. You’ve put on a woolly jumper. But there are still other ways to keep your heating costs down. One of the simplest is to think about the “zones of living” in your house and heat them accordingly. For example, you only really need to heat your bedroom and bathroom for a maximum of a couple of hours each day, typically in the morning.

Equally, you only really need to heat your sitting room for the few hours in the evening when you are likely to be in there watching TV, or whatever. Thermostatic valves and timers can help you heat each zone accordingly rather than simply flicking the “on” switch on your heating and firing up the whole home.

Video conferencing

Why waste hundreds, if not thousands, on traveling all the way by plane to some faceless hotel for a two-hour meeting with a business associate when you could just save time, hassle, money and emissions by speaking to them via video conference? The technology is improving all the time and it is now even free if both parties use software such as Skype.

Change your driving style

You can knock up to 20% off your fuel costs simply by changing the way you drive your car. In the US, the Drive 55 campaign tries to educate drivers about how much less fuel efficient a vehicle becomes once it exceeds 55mph. In the UK, there are now even eco driving lessons on offer to teach drivers how to go through the gears smoothly when pulling away from a junction – one of the most fuel-intensive actions when driving. One good tip in a petrol car is to try and change gear before the engine reaches 2,500 revs.

Cloth nappies

The Women’s Environmental Network estimates that parents can save almost £1,000 over the 2.5 years a child is typically in nappies if they use “real” nappies instead of disposable ones. It’s probably fair to say that the savings are even better than this given how much disposable nappies are going up in price at the moment due to the fact that they are materials produced from petrochemicals. But don’t be tempted to use a …

Tumble dryer

Of all the white-good appliances in our homes, nothing munches kilowatts quite as ferociously as the tumble dryer. A washing line or clothes horse will help you save hundreds of pounds over the life of an average tumble dryer, very few of which are A-rated in terms of energy use. Even the Church of England recently got in on the act of calling “for an end to spin”. For a list of Energy Saving Trust-recommended dryers, click here.

Water butts

Water bills seem to be rising along with just about every other utility at the moment so it clearly pays to reduce your water consumption wherever possible. Hose pipes can use huge amounts of water, particularly if you’re watering a lawn, or washing a car. Getting a spring-loaded nozzle for your hose can help you get your water use down, as can using a bucket and sponge to wash your car. Lawns are a much trickier one. Sprinklers are a no-no, really, as they can use hundreds of litres of water an hour.

Better just to let your grass grow a bit longer in summer so it can better retain moisture. Better still, get a water butt and use rainwater to water your garden. Many local authorities now offer subsidised water butts.

Invest in a flask

It’s funny how old technologies are so often the best. For many of us, flasks have slipped from the mind as an everyday tool, but they are incredibly useful – and, more importantly, incredibly efficient. For example, you only need to boil a kettle once in the morning to provide all your hot water for tea and coffee for the rest for the day. And if you take it to work you will save yourself a few quid each day by not needing to buy tea or coffee once there.

Food cooperatives

For just a few pounds a year, you can join a local food cooperative, which will help you to keep your food costs down by taking advantage of the wholesale prices that collective buying allows. And it means that you get to support local farmers and keep food miles to a minimum. The Soil Association has a long list of local food networks and cooperatives on its website so have a look and find the closest one to you. And if you want to set up your own, it’s worth knowing that there is currently £50m worth of Lottery-funded grants up for grabs to support local food projects.

Seed swaps

People have been doing this for centuries, of course, but the act of swapping your spare seeds (steady now) with other gardeners seems to have formalised in recent years into proper community get-togethers, as seen by the popular Seedy Sunday meets. Made all the more attractive by the fact that seed prices are, like everything else, going north all the time. Why pay £3 a packet for some generic carrot seeds, when you can get some Cherokee Trail of Tears beans for free?

Car clubs

Get public transport… Yadda, yadda. Yes, we all know the drill by now, but one increasingly popular way to reduce car use and save money is to join a car club. It’s a concept that is only really suited to city-dwellers, but car clubs are nonetheless a very economic for the occasions when only a car will do. Street Car in London, for example, starts at £3.95 an hour, and there’s usually one parked within a few streets of your home. Plus, you don’t have any of the extra hassles of owning a car such as MOTs, insurance and garage bills. Oh, and the first 30 miles of fuel you use per day are free.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/ethicallivingblog/2008/jun/03/tenwaystosavemoneybygoin

Ten Technologies to Save the Planet, a new book by businessman and climate-change commentator Chris Goodall, says climate change can be overcome if we adopt the following energy sources and technologies:

1. Wind power

Despite a reputation for being unreliable, wind power has the potential to provide more than 30% of the world’s electricity. The wind does not blow constantly, of course, so we will need to develop better ways of storing the energy we generate with it. And rather than being used purely locally, wind energy will have to be distributed between different states and countries.

2. Solar energy

The sun provides more than enough energy to power the world many times over – we just need to come up with an effective way of capturing this energy. Current solar panels are relatively inefficient, but increasing investment in solar cells is producing better models which capture more energy and cost less to produce.

3. Power from the oceans

Tides, waves and currents possess huge potential for low-carbon energy generation, but efforts to harness them have been hampered by the difficulty of designing devices that can tolerate harsh oceanic conditions. This year, however, power-generating buoys that harness wave energy 50 metres underwater were put to the test in the UK, and the world’s first commercial-scale tidal turbine delivered electricity to the UK national grid.

4. Combined heat and power

Waste heat accounts for about 40% of the energy produced by power stations. One way to avoid this is to bring the power station into the home, by installing domestic microgenerators. These miniature power plants are almost as efficient as huge generators and the heat they produce can be used to heat our homes and water.

5. Super-efficient homes

Instead of building new houses that are “zero carbon”, a better – and cheaper – way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from domestic housing is to eco-renovate existing buildings. Germany is leading the way with the PassivHaus movement, which aims to reduce emissions by 80-90% through measures such as insulating walls and windows and using improved ventilation methods that don’t lose heat.

6. Electric cars

Electric cars have a bad reputation when it comes to style and speed, two factors that matter to car enthusiasts. But electric sports cars like the Tesla Roadster can give petrol-powered models a run for their moneyMovie Camera. Though they’re not cheap at the moment, prices are likely to come down as batteries improve.

And with running costs as little as 5% those of diesel models, electric cars will soon start to look like a more viable option. Recent research has even suggested that electric cars could act as energy stores for the power grid when not being driven.

7. Second-generation biofuels

Making fuel from food crops is now almost universally regarded as a bad idea, encouraging deforestation and potentially leading to food shortages. But the next generation of biofuels made from agricultural waste shows real promise. Using new cellulose-cracking technologies, waste wood can be broken down into liquid fuel, and with US venture capitalists investing heavily in these technologies, it won’t be long until this idea becomes a reality. However, with the global appetite for fuel on the increase, careful management of cellulose production will be vital.

8. Carbon capture

With the growth of renewable energy sources failing to keep up with world demand for electricity, finding an effective way of capturing and storing the carbon dioxide produced by power stations is one of the most important challenges we face. Investment in carbon-capture technologies has been slow to pick up, but governments around the world are starting to understand the importance of funding this research, and promising new technologies are already emerging.

9. Biochar

With predictions of climate change getting increasingly urgent, we desperately need cheap, simple and fast ways of reducing greenhouse emissions. One idea is to sequester carbon as biochar, a charcoal made from burning agricultural waste in the absence of air. Biochar is exceptionally stable and can be stored underground for hundreds of years without releasing its carbon into the atmosphere – and it improves the fertility of the soil.

10. Biogas stoves

Deforestation is a complex issue, and it’s looking more and more likely that we will have to pay people to maintain forest lands. But until such a system is up and running, we will need to focus on technologies that reduce the need to cut down trees. One such technology is biogas stoves, powered by methane released from rotting organic waste, which would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. Leading the way is China, which is heavily promoting the use of biogas technologies.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16179-ten-ways-to-save-the-world.html

http://science.howstuffworks.com

Going green is easier than you think. There are little things you can do every day to help reduce greenhouse gases and make a less harmful impact on the environment. Taking care of the Earth is not just a responsibility — it’s a privilege. ­In that spirit, HowStuffWorks came up with 10 things you can do to help save the Earth.

1. Pay attention to how you use water. The little things can make a big difference. Every time you turn off the water while you’re brushing your teeth, you’re doing something good. Got a leaky toilet? You might be wasting 200 gallons of water a day [Source: EPA]. Try drinking tap water instead of bottled water, so you aren’t wasting all that packaging as well. Wash your clothes in cold water when you can.

2. Leave your car at home. If you can stay off the road just two days a week, you’ll reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 1,590 pounds per year [Source: EPA]. Combine your errands — hit the post office, grocery store and shoe repair place in one trip. It will save you gas and time.

3. Walk or ride your bike to work, school and anywhere you can. You can reduce greenhouse gases while burning some calories and improving your health. If you can’t walk or bike, use mass transit or carpool. Every car not on the road makes a difference.

4. Recycle.You can help reduce pollution just by putting that soda can in a different bin. If you’re trying to choose between two products, pick the one with the least packaging. If an office building of 7,000 workers recycled all of its office paper waste for a year, it would be the equivalent of taking almost 400 cars off the road [Source: EPA].

5. Compost. Think about how much trash you make in a year. Reducing the amount of solid waste you produce in a year means taking up less space in landfills, so your tax dollars can work somewhere else. Plus, compost makes a great natural fertilizer. Composting is easier than you think.

Save the Earth – Energy and Driving Tips

6. Change your light bulbs. Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) last 10 times longer than a standard bulb and use at least two-thirds less energy. If you’re shopping for new appliances or even home electronics, look for ENERGY STAR products, which have met EPA and U.S. Department of Energy guidelines for energy efficiency. In 2006, the ENERGY STAR program saved energy equivalent to taking 25 million cars off the road and saved Americans $14 billion in utility costs [Source: ENERGY STAR]. (Learn more about proper disposal of CFLs.)

7. Make your home more energy efficient (and save money). Clean your air filters so your system doesn’t have to work overtime. Get a programmable thermostat so you aren’t wasting energy when you aren’t home. When you go to bed, reduce the thermostat setting — you won’t miss those extra degrees of heat or air conditioning while you’re asleep.

8. Maintain your car. Underinflated tires decrease fuel economy by up to three percent and lead to increased pollution and higher greenhouse gas emissions [Source: EPA]. Underinflation also increases tire wear, so it will save you money in the long run if you’re good about checking your tire pressure.

9. Drive smarter. Slow down — driving 60 miles per hour instead of 70 mph on the highway will save you up 4 miles per gallon. [Source: Consumer Guide Automotive]. Accelerating and braking too hard can actually reduce your fuel economy, so take it easy on the brakes and gas pedal.

10.Turn off lights when you’re not in the room and unplug appliances when you’re not using them. It only takes a second to be environmentally conscious.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/save-earth-top-ten.htm

1 Look to the people

Not revolutionary, but by using energy more efficiently in our homes and offices, and switching to renewable power sources, the biggest climate-savers are likely to be ourselves

2 Solar surplus

Sunlight energy – the most abundant source of free energy on the planet – is high on the list. With the right technology, there is an endless amount to intercept

3 Carbon capture

When we find the best way to do it, sucking up and storing CO2 from the atmosphere will be key to combating global warming. At present, however, these technologies are hugely energy-intensive

4 Plant power

Growing plants, such as oil palms, for fuel is dogged by ecological and food-conservation issues. However, second-generation biofuels use agricultural waste to generate energy. Most promising are third-generation biofuels, using algae. Algae farms could convert sunlight into oil

5 Scrubbing emissions

Stopping CO2 reaching the atmosphere means we’ll have a lot less to remove later. Algae farms, once again, could be the solution. By building farms near power stations, emissions can be filtered through algal vats. These remove CO2. The algae can then be harvested for oil or dried to be processed into ethanol

6 Taming the seas

Hurricanes need warm water to grow. Giant tubes that pump cold water up from the bottom of the sea could ‘tame’ storms by cooling the surface. The pumps could also mix nutrient-rich deep water with the relatively barren ocean surface. This would encourage algae to grow and use up dissolved CO2 in the water

7 Changing colour

Painting areas white might be an effective way to cool down. This is the opposite of what’s happening in the Arctic, where disappearing ice means more heat is accepted by the planet

8 A bit of everything

Some scientists argue that we don’t need to develop new technologies; we already have what we need to slow down climate change — wind, solar and nuclear energy, for example. However, to work, these techniques need to be scaled up and implemented immediately

9 Scale down

The world’s population, currently about 6.6 billion, is growing at unprecedented rates. Experts warn that, as well as technological fixes, stopping the population from reaching nine billion ‘would be jolly helpful’

10 Nuclear fusion

This radioactive-free power source has recently shown promising signs. Experts note that nuclear fusion ‘should not be forgotten’

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/article2793337.ece

http://www.independent.co.uk

It has been a really bad week for the climate. Each day brought depressing news as scientists meeting in Copenhagen told us global warming is taking place more rapidly than expected. The seas are rising faster than predicted; the polar ice caps are melting more quickly; and the Amazon rainforest is doomed unless urgent action is taken.

The main solutions are widely agreed. The world needs to forge a much tougher treaty this year to replace the failed Kyoto Protocol. Global emissions of carbon dioxide must be cut by at least half by the middle of the century, much more in industrialised countries. Using energy more efficiently is essential, as is rapidly increasing it from renewable sources. Nuclear power and biofuels are much more controversial, but are likely to be used to some extent. But new, much less familiar solutions are also emerging.

1.Sweep away soot

Cutting soot emissions from car exhausts, factories and open fires is probably the fastest way to tackle global warming, and there are calls for a treaty to achieve this. Scientists say the pollutant is the second biggest culprit in climate change after carbon dioxide. Black carbon, which gives soot its colour, has two main effects. It heats the atmosphere by absorbing radiation from the sun and releasing it into the air. And it darkens snow and ice when it falls on them, causing them to reflect less sunlight, heat up and melt – in turn exposing land or water, which also warms rapidly. Reducing emissions is fairly easy, using tried and tested technology. And it has a rapid effect as soot stays only days or weeks in the atmosphere, compared with centuries for carbon dioxide.

2.Save the ozone

Measures to save the ozone layer have so far been the most effective steps to combat climate change, as many of the chemicals that attack the protective layer in the atmosphere are also global warming gases. A 20-year-old treaty, the Montreal Protocol, has almost phased out their production, coincidentally eliminating the equivalent of 11 billion tons of carbon dioxide a year. This puts to shame the Kyoto Protocol, which aimed to cut emissions by 2 billion tons. Experts want measures to remove the chemicals from equipment such as old fridges, where they acted as coolants, when these are scrapped, saving the equivalent of 20 billion tons of carbon dioxide.

3. Make connections

Renewable energy is often unreliable: the sun does not always shine, the wind does not blow for ever. But the European Commission and other bodies are drawing up plans to get round this by tapping clean sources and linking them up, so that there will always be enough to meet all Europe’s electricity needs. Solar power stations, for example, would be placed in the Sahara, where just a fraction of the desert could provide for the whole continent. Tides would be tapped along Britain’s coasts, the world’s best place for exploiting this resource. Huge wind farms would be erected in the North Sea, and these would be balanced by hydropower in mountainous areas such as Norway, storing water behind dams and releasing it on calm days. It would all be linked by a continent-wide electricity grid.

4. Wise up the grid

Barack Obama, David Cameron and Eric Schmidt, the chairman of Google, are all sold on creating a “smart grid”, which the Tory leader describes as like moving from “the plain old telephone system to the internet”. The present “dumb grid” just delivers electricity from generators to consumers; the smart one would enable them to communicate with each other. So, it can make fridges and washing machines and other appliances use power when it is abundant and cheap, and avoid peak times when it would be much more expensive. Smoothing out demand in this way means that the grid needs fewer power stations, and can accommodate renewable energy more easily. It would also provide a huge boost to a “rooftop revolution”, where households generate their own electricity from the sun or the wind and sell what they do not need to the grid.

5. Rethink cars

Motoring could be revolutionised if cars were marketed like mobile phones – in a manner that would cut carbon dioxide and reduce the cost of driving. Motorists would get subsidised – or possibly even free – electric cars in the same way that customers currently get mobile phone handsets. In return, they would take out a contract for miles, rather than minutes, entitling them to get power either by plugging in to recharging points (at home, in car parks or on the street) or exchanging batteries at filling stations. The idea is the brainchild of a thirty-something former dot-com entrepreneur, Shia Agassi, who believes it would halve motoring costs. It sounds too good to be true, but Israel, Denmark, Hawaii and San Francisco are already starting to put the system in place ? and even Gordon Brown has toyed with the idea. But to tackle climate change properly, the electricity has to be provided by renewable sources or nuclear power rather than fossil fuels.

6. Embrace scum

Slimy scum could prove our saviour, as algae are emerging as one of the most promising and environmentally friendly sources of biofuel. Algae can grow extraordinarily fast, doubling in weight several times a day. They produce at least 15 times as much fuel per hectare as conventional crops like corn or oilseed rape, and do not take up farmland needed to grow food; they can be grown in lakes, the sea or even in the process of cleaning polluted water. Algae take three times their own weight of carbon dioxide from the air while growing, and the fuel they produce packs much more power for its weight than other biofuels. It is therefore being developed as a potential carbon-neutral way of fuelling aircraft: Air New Zealand has already mixed it with ordinary jet fuel for test flights. Cars have run on pure algae biofuel, and big oil companies are investing in it.

7. Pay for trees

Felling forests, especially in the tropics, is the second biggest cause of carbon dioxide emissions after burning fossil fuels, accounting for a fifth of the world’s total. But people and governments have no incentive to leave them standing when they can make money by selling the timber, or farming the cleared land. Now international negotiators are beginning to work out how the world as a whole could compensate them for setting aside the chainsaw. In practice, of course, the money would end up coming from rich countries. Halving emissions from deforestation is estimated to cost about $20bn (£14.3bn) a year, but would avoid pollution costing at least five times as much. Similarly, Ecuador is seeking international compensation for refraining from developing a huge oil field lying under a particularly important area of Amazonian rainforest in the north-west of the country.

8. Grow houses

Hemp is the world’s second fastest growing plant after bamboo, shooting up four metres in just 14 weeks, rapidly taking carbon from the air. One hectare provides enough hemp to construct a house, if mixed with lime to revive an ancient building material. Limetechnology, the Abingdon-based firm pioneering the practice, calculates that growing it will capture 50 times as much carbon dioxide as would be saved by upgrading a traditional home to modern standards of energy efficiency. Biochar, an ancient technique used by Amazonian Indians to fertilise their land by burying charcoal, has even wider applications. Opponents worry that growing trees for it will take land out of food production, but Craig Sams – the co-founder of Green and Black’s chocolate, who is now developing it – believes that just 21/2 per cent of the world’s productive land would suffice to get carbon dioxide levels down to those of the pre-industrial age by 2050.

9. Reform taxation

Green taxes are beginning to come back into fashion after being eclipsed for years by sophisticated schemes for trading carbon emissions. They would work best as part of an “ecological tax reform”, which would reduce taxes on employment – such as income tax and national insurance – at the same time. By shifting the burden from “goods”, such as work, to “bads”, such as pollution, it becomes cheaper to lay off barrels of oil than to fire people, reducing pollution and increasing employment. The European Union has estimated that this could create at least 2.7 million jobs across the continent, while combating global warming. The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have both taken up the idea and promised to introduce it if they get into power. But so did Gordon Brown in opposition, and, despite introducing some modest measures in his 1999 Budget, he backed off after the fuel price protests the next year.

10. Follow a busker

A former busker, Aubrey Meyer, thought up what is increasingly regarded as the long-term solution to global warming – and, through relentless campaigning, he has managed to get his idea adopted as policy by many governments, especially in developing countries. Dubbed “contraction and convergence”, it starts from the principle that everyone on Earth is entitled to emit the same amount of carbon dioxide. It then determines the level of emissions low enough to avoid dangerous climate change. The total amount put into the atmosphere worldwide each year must then be made to “contract” until it reaches this point. Simultaneously, the totals of individual countries have to “converge”, so that each emits the same amount for every one of its citizens; rich countries would have to reduce their totals very heavily, while some poor countries could actually be able to increase theirs. Most experts agree that it is the fairest framework. Persuading Americans to agree to emit the same amount as Ethiopians is another matter.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/ten-ways-to-save-the-world-1645384.html

http://www.pcmag.com

Recycling your old, unwanted cell phone and carrying your laptop in an eco-friendly bag are just some of the steps you can take to protect the environment.

Most folks aren’t exactly what you’d call “environmentally conscious” when it comes to technology. We often leave our computers powered up for weeks on end (even though we know better). Our old cell phones get tucked away in dresser drawers alongside other discarded devices. Peek into our homes and offices, and you’ll often find chargers still plugged into sockets even though they’re not in use.

Not every techie is guilty of all of these crimes against the environment, of course. Some of us have actively taken the first step toward going green, such as investing in a green PC, or using solar-powered gadget chargers and LEDs. But these aren’t the only ways we can take better care of the environment. Whether it’s recycling an old cell phone or reducing computer power, here are 10 steps you can take towards going green.

1. Use an Eco-Friendly Laptop Bag: Targus Grove Bags

Targus recently released its line of eco-friendly notebook bags, made of recyclable material and nickel-free metals, and are PVC-free. The Grove Bags line consists of the Messenger ($49.99), Sling ($59.99), Topload ($59.99), and Convertible Messenger/Backpack ($79.99). The cases fit 15.4-inch laptops, and also include a security strap and custom pockets for your water bottle and MP3 player. Targus will offer free shipping to anywhere in the U.S. for the rest of April. In addition to the green bags, Targus partnered with Dell on its “Plant a Tree for Me” program to help off-set the impact carbon emissions have on the environment.

2. Reduce Computer Energy: The ecobutton

The next time you leave your computer to take a lunch break, attend a business meeting, or go away for the weekend, press the ecobutton to put your computer in energy-saving mode. This recycled, computer power-saving device can really make a difference for your home or work PC power usage. It can be placed on your desk and connects to your computer via USB. When you’re about to take a break, press the button, and your computer will be put into energy-saving “eco-mode,” which is said to ensure that both your computer and monitor draw the same nominal power as when they are shut down. In addition, each time your computer is put into “ecomode,” the ecobutton software records how many carbon units and how much power and money you have saved. The ecobutton is available outside the UK for £17.92 ($35 USD) plus shipping costs.

3. Unplug Your Phone Charger: Nokia’s Mobile Tip

Nokia recently shared some very helpful green mobile-phone tips with us. A simple way to save energy in your home is by unplugging your phone charger when your phone is fully charged. “Two-thirds of the energy consumed by a mobile phone during its usage is lost when the phone is fully charged and unplugged but the charger is left connected to the outlet,” according to the company. In an effort to remind consumers to unplug their charger, Nokia released four phone models that include alerts to remind people to unplug the charger once the battery is full: the 1200, 1208, 1650, and the 3110 Evolve, which is currently available in select European markets. By the end of 2008, virtually all of Nokia’s newly launched phones will have this alert built in. To learn more about Nokia’s environmental efforts, visit www.nokia.com/environment.

4. Share Your Favorite Green Products: Amazon’s Green 3

Amazon.com just launched Green 3, a site where Amazon shoppers can list the three green products they are most passionate about and would recommend to other consumers. Amazon’s vast selection of environmentally-friendly products includes everything from Electronics & Computers to Home Improvement. Consumers can also educate themselves about going green with the ongoing series of postings from leaders in the green community.

5. Web Surf the Green Way: Flock’s Eco-Edition Browser

Social Web browser Flock, which lets users organize their online interests in one place, has launched an Eco-Edition browser. Scheduled to go live on Earth Day, the new Web platform is built on the company’s existing model of social applications, offering a wide range of environmentally related content from media streams, news feeds, and recommended bookmarks that will be free to download and use. Flock partnered with major news and information outlets like Discovery Networks, The New York Times, and TreeHugger.

6. Recycle Old Phones: Verizon Wireless’ HopeLine Program

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, approximately 130 million cell phones will be retired this year, and fewer than 20 percent of those phones will be recycled. Verizon Wireless wants to make it easier for mobile phone users to recycle no-longer-used wireless phones through its HopeLine phone-recycling program. The phones are “refurbished, recycled or sold and the proceeds are donated to domestic violence advocacy groups or used to purchase wireless phones and service for survivors.” Go to www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline to find a store to donate.

7. Educate Your Kids: Planet Earth, SeaLife, and WildLife DVD Games

Saving the planet is important for people of all ages. What better way for parents and children to explore the beauty of the planet and the importance of keeping it clean than with Imagination Games’ three new DVD board games? In Planet Earth ($25), answer a range of trivia questions based on the award-winning television series. The DVD game features categories like Fresh Water/Ice Worlds and Seasonal Forests/Jungles, and is made out of 100-percent recycled materials. In SeaLife ($27), players collect sea creature cards by correctly answering educational ocean-based trivia questions. And in WildLife ($30), players explore the African Serengeti safari.

8. Shop Green Electronics: CircuitCity.com’s Online Resource

Electronics retailer Circuit City offers a new online resource that aids consumers in adopting a green lifestyle. By visiting www.circuitcity.com/green, consumers can research and shop for products that have earned ENERGY STAR designations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The site also offers tips for recycling electronics, saving energy, and spotlights Circuit City’s trade-in program, which allows consumers to turn in old electronics in exchange for Circuit City gift cards.

9. Reduce Your Carbon Footprint: iLinc’s Green Meter Web Conferencing

If you’re a frequent business traveler, you may want to mention to your boss that it’s better to Web conference than commute. James M. Powers, Jr., head of the Web conferencing software company iLinc, designed the Green Meter, a CO2 savings application embedded in the company’s conferencing products. Inspired by Al Gore’s initiative to save the earth, the Green Meter uses a “mathematical algorithm to detect the locations of the people that are attending a Web conference via IP address and measures the distance between the meeting participants and the meeting leader.” The program then arrives at the amount of travel and measures how much CO2 is saved by Web conferencing rather than commuting. iLinc’s Green Meter comes standard with iLinc version 9.0.

10. Travel Green: SmarterTravel.com

SmarterTravel.com, an online travel resource, is covering new eco-friendly travel destinations for its “Trip du Jour” series every day for the month of April. The series will feature domestic and international destinations, including New York City, Berkeley, and Iceland. For instance, the site highlights the Big “Green” Apple, with organic bakery finds and environmentally friendly clothing stores.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2286030,00.asp