Archive for October, 2009

Product Description
In 1963, the first edition of Legal and Regulatory Environment of Business, authored by Bob Corley, started a new course emphasizing the legal environment in which business is conducted. By focusing on the public nature of how government regulates business activities, rather than simply how businesses privately make transactions, a movement away from traditional Business Law began. Through its previous 14 editions, The Legal and Regulatory Environment of Business … More >>

The Legal and Regulatory Environment of Business

Desktop using alternating current, most computer user may not pay great attention to energy-saving features on computers, But use battery-powered laptops, the use of energy-saving features should be taken seriously. How to design computer hardware more energy-saving, this is not the problem user shouldsolve.Users can do is set the computer to effectively use the energy saving option.
Energy-saving setting, there are two require the user to adjust: First, the computer BIOS Setup program settings on the energy saving mode; the most important is the operating system such as Windows 98 has many energy-saving settings and operation. Computer system in the actual implementation, Windows system should take precedence over energy-saving settings in the CMOS settings.

1. Energy-saving settings in BIOS

In the CMOS settings,Most have a “Power Savings”, which can choose to “Maximum Battery Life”, and “Maximum Performance” and other options. “Maximum Battery Life” is the default energy-saving mode setting. Laptop xps m1530 battery power saving mode in several states, such as the Idle Mode, Standby Mode, Suspend Mode. These settings on the laptop, was able to regulate power consumption, mainly because when the computer into energy-saving state, it timely closure the system equipment which is not required. For example, in wait state, close the display and hard drive; into hibernation, in addition to close the display and hard drive, but also the contents of memory can be saved to the hard disk, the basic maintenance of the entire computer system shut down state, once activated, or restart the computer,Desktop will be exactly restored to the state before dormancy.

The energy-saving settings in the CMOS, mainly set the Standby Timeout time of Enter Standby Mode from the Idle Mode.Phoenix BIOS notebooks are most common. Different energy-saving BIOS settings may be different, should carefully read the screen prompts

2. Energy-saving settings in Windows

For general users, in the Windows system the energy management operations may be more simpler to understand. Windows help files, in the “management hardware and software” entries, there are two notebook computers Dell inspiron 1525 1526 Battery energy-related elements: “Energy Management” and “use of portable machine” in the “management of portable computer power.”you should read the content before making windows energy saving settings  

In the Windows “Control Panel”, click “Power Management”, you can open the “Power Management Properties” dialog box.in the “Power Management Properties” dialog box, The “power scheme” should be set to “Portable / Laptop” and rationalize “the system to wait”, “close Monitors”, ” turn off hard disk “and other options. Different computer control the options have some differences, the new factory and the latest computer software will be more workable option, Detailed settings should be based on the functions of the computer itself and the Windows Help file

If you need to completely run out of dell xps m2010 battery in power, no need to find something else discharge channels, Only in the “Power Management Properties” dialog box setting “the power to use the program” to “always open”, the “system standby” and “close the monitor display is” set options such as “never”, The computer can also automatically run a number of computational complexity program, 3D demo program, this will soon run out of battery power remaining, of course,do these operations do not forget to unplug the AC plug

How can technology help improve the environment? Are we promoting a more singular existence, where individualism is the force that is driving us along? We are now living in a world that is in an accelerated mode of change and innovation. Is this rate of change detrimental to our existence? Think about this for a moment. On the one hand we have improvements in all areas of our lives some are greater than others. On the other hand we are looking at the effects of the harmful destruction of our planet earth.

The first computers started to emerge around the 1940’s, now we have computer processors in a lot of the electronic equipment we use every day. We even have computers that can fit in your hand that have more power than the first computers.The first Television and television transmission appeared in 1925 and now we are watching gigantic flat screens, some as big as buildings and others screens as small as wrist watches. In the past 80 years the medical field has also grown in leaps and bounds in the areas of IVF, genetic research, cloning, stem cell research, along with the progress in the prevention, cure and management of various diseases. Other fields such as astronomy, environmental science, weapons/warfare and engineering have also had their fair share of extraordinary development achievements.

Looking at the issues of Global warming and human environment interaction we are currently facing within our natural environment. Should we really be in a race to ruin the land where we live? We cannot keep up with the current technology, just look at all the equipment you have taken to the recycle tip in just the last 12-24 months. Consider how many Televisions, Videos, DVD players, Computers, Laptops, Hi-fi’s and Home entertainment systems you have changed or bought recently, the list is endless. When an improvement is made to a product it can sometimes make the original product obsolete. Satellite Navigation equipment a new and easily available product for everyone. Even if you only use it once a year it is believed to be a must have product. Mobile phones is another product every man and his dog has one these days. How often do you change your mobile phone for the latest model? Can you ever imagine being without a mobile phone? How did we ever cope without them? The raw materials used to make a phone cannot be recycled easily.

I believe as we get to understand one part(s) of our lives we seem to lose sight of others parts that are equally as important. What can be done to slow down the rate of change or how do we as a nation become more aware of the effects of the rate of change has on our environment.

If we could not have a new television or other new product until the old one had been recycled properly we would help the environment tremendously. Today if we implemented this many products or versions of products would be missed because of the speed at which technology changes. Like the latest flat screen with super clear picture quality. It seem that every other week we get the next new and improved product. Just look at washing power or washing up liquid advertisements.

Just some food for thought more to come soon.

The concept of saving money by making energy efficient improvements to your home or business is nothing new, but what is new is the magnitude of money you can save, now that energy prices have spiraled upwards. Combine this increased capacity for energy savings with an increase in tax credits and grants provided by federal and state governments that can be applied to many energy saving home improvements and you have the perfect storm to motivate almost anyone to make energy efficient improvements.

WHERE DO YOU START?

Any plan for saving energy should always start with the simplest and most basic improvements. This is necessary to ensure your money is spent in the most productive way since the whole point is to save money and not to throw it away by spending more money than necessary for any energy saving home improvement.

For example, if you have it in mind to add solar panels to make power for your home, but have done little or nothing to first reduce your homes electrical needs, you will require a much larger solar power system and will spends an excessive amount of money to compensate for not having taken care of the little things first.

START WITH LOW COST METHODS TO STOP WASTING ENERGY

Duh, but hey, this first step is often missed, and is generally the least expensive and most rewarding step as compared to obtaining the highest ROI (Return on Investment) or how much you spend versus how much you save and how quickly you recover your costs.

Before I list any energy saving ideas, let’s put things into perspective and create a clear motivation as to why the small steps are so important and can be so rewarding.

Let’s say you were sizing a solar power system and wanted to know how large the system should be for your home. You need to take many things into account, but for this example, let’s say we just wanted to look at your lighting needs.

Taking a quick walk through the home reveals there are 60 light bulbs in your home. In most cases only a portion of the lights are being used at any time, but to get the best example of your energy needs, we’ll calculate that one-third or twenty bulbs would be used in all your rooms on a typical afternoon, for a total power requirement of 1600 watts.

Since the average solar panel has an output level of 170 watts, you would need nine panels to provide 100% coverage for your lighting. At a cost of about $450 per solar panel, your total cost would be $4050 — not including installation.

Now, if you first reduce your power needs by updating your lights from incandescent bulbs to CFL’s (compact fluorescent lights), you will reduce the power needs of these twenty bulbs to one-third their previous level at a cost of $3 per bulb or a total of $60 dollars. Now that your lighting load has been reduced from 1600 watts to only 500 watts, you can now get by with three solar panels at $450 each for a total cost of $1350 plus installation.

As you can see, by spending $60 on simple CFL’s, you will have saved over $2700 on your solar power system… and that’s just one item, so let’s take a bold and fresh look at why we should be motivated and thankful to experience the benefits of saving energy by not wasting energy.

As you read the list of energy saving ideas below, look past any initial expense or labor involved and see only that the benefits will always exceed the initial cost and effort. When looking at these improvements in that light, the expenses and tasks can become enjoyable, plus you can always remind yourself that in the process of saving energy, you are being very green by helping to improve the planets environment.

Also, if you wanted even more information on the rewards of making energy saving improvements, search for my book, The Rewards of Making Energy Efficient Choices and you’ll obtain an even clearer idea of how to best go about saving energy in the most practical way.

- Replace all incandescent bulbs with CFL’s or LED’s

- Replace conventional dryer vent with a dryer vent seal

- Replace bathroom exhaust wall switches with 30 to 60 minute timer switches

- Clean the coils in your refrigerators and freezers twice a year

- Install water saving shower heads

- Don’t run your clothes dryer on very cold nights or on extremely hot and humid afternoons

- Replace computer power strips with Energy Saving Smart Power Strips

- Replace weather stripping on older doors and windows

- Caulk any cracks around windows, doors, siding, etc.

- Wrap your water heater and/or boiler with an insulation blanket

- Install programmable thermostats with winter settings no greater than 68 degrees and summer settings no less than 74 degrees

- Insulate hot water and heating pipes in your basement or any unconditioned space

- Replace filters twice annually in your forced air heating and air conditioning systems

- Turn off televisions when not being viewed

- Seal off unused windows and wall cavities in basements and attics

- In hotter climates, install curtains or shades on southern and western facing windows and close them during the afternoon until the sun sets

- In cooler climates, be sure to open southern and western facing shades or curtains during the day to allow the suns free energy in. Close them once the sun sets.

Most of these improvements cost less than $100 each to perform and yet they can provide significant savings throughout the year. Some of the suggestions cost absolutely nothing and simply require a change in habit. Overall, you can significantly reduce your energy use, significantly reduce your carbon footprint and enjoy a greener home and lifestyle by making these low cost energy saving changes.

If you don’t know where to get your products or aren’t sure exactly what to look for, simply search online for the ‘best energy saving products’ and start there, but do start. Don’t put it off a moment longer and just make it so. As i already demonstrated, you’ll be happy you did.

After you have taken care of all the minor energy saving improvements, you can opt to move onto more aggressive and more expensive items such as increasing your homes level of insulation, replacing doors and windows, upgrading your heating and cooling system and more. Since these items can take much longer to recover their costs, it would be best to have an experienced weatherization inspection performed by a Weatherize America representative so that you can determine your best options.

Improper recycling habits, meet your untimely end. Keep America Beautiful Man is here! From the creators of “The Life and Times of Tim.”

• Multi faceted shphere light
• connect up to 43 LED Sets (2580 bulbs) end to end
• Light length 19.6 feet

Product Description
Multi faceted shphere light, connect up to 43 LED Sets (2580 bulbs) end to end, Light length 19.6 feet… More >>

60 Bulbs Multi Faceted Sphere Lights Energy Saving Led with Green Wire By Philips

ENVIRONMENT – Despite the chaos of Copenhagen, politics and the environment remain close companions. FRANCE 24 looks at how political takeover of the environment.

What energy saving tips or ideas for going green work? Which energy conservation ideas are virtually guaranteed to save money while still being affordable for most people to do? Here’s my Top Ten.

1. HOME LIGHTING

To get the most from your lighting:

a. Replace all incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient CFL’s ( Compact Fluorescent Lights )

b. Reduce outdoor lighting loads by using solar powered path lighting and super bright solar lamps.

c. Install solar skylights to allow natural light into normally darkened areas of the home.

Using CFL’s and more natural lighting methods is guaranteed to save energy.

2. DOORS AND WINDOWS

You can improve the efficiency of the doors and windows in your home or apartment whether you own or rent:

a. For drafts blowing under an exterior door: – on modern doors, adjust the threshold to reduce the gap between the bottom of the door and the threshold. – on older doors, install weather stripping that seals the crack at the bottom of the door when the door is shut.

b. Install weather stripping around the sides and top of all exterior doors.

c. To improve the efficiency of windows:

1. Install any available storm windows. – If storm windows are not available, but removable screens are installed, remove the screens and then wrap them with plastic and replace the screens.

2. Caulk all exterior cracks around the window frame and home siding.

3. Install heat shrinkable plastic on the inside of the window.

By sealing your doors and windows better, you are guaranteed to save energy.

3. ELECTRIC CLOTHES DRYERS

The clothes dryer is a primary sources of wasted energy. The energy fix for the dryer includes:

a. Install a dryer vent seal. This eliminates any back drafts from entering the home when the dryer is not in use and could reduce your homes heating and cooling costs by up to 10%.

b. Don’t run the dryer on frigid winter nights or on hot summer afternoons because whenever you run the dryer and exhaust the air outdoors, the same amount of air is being sucked into your home.

By installing the dryer vent seal and by not running the dryer when outdoor temperatures are at extreme levels, your energy savings are guaranteed.

4. BATHROOM EXHAUST FANS

Exhaust fans are very helpful in removing moisture and foul odors from your home, but they are also a primary source of energy waste. To improve their performance:

a. Install a timer for each exhaust fan switch to ensure the fan is not running longer than necessary.

Exhaust fans pull unconditioned outside air into your home while also exhausting out air you paid to heat or cool. This process is wasteful and unecessary. By performing these simple steps, you are guaranteed to save energy.

5. COMPUTERS AND PERIPHERAL DEVICES

Your computer, printer, sound system, backup drives, etc, use your homes energy 24 hours a day, forever. To resolve these issues or to at least reduce their impact:

a. Install an energy saving smart strip for your computer and supporting devices. The smart strip device senses when you have shut down your computer and then shuts down all your other peripheral devices automatically.

b. Work on improving your habit to turn your computer off more often.

By forming a habit of turning the computer off while using a smart strip, you’ll save about $25 in energy costs per year.00 and you are guaranteed to save energy.

6. REFRIGERATORS AND FREEZERS

Your refrigerator and freezer runs twenty-four hours a day, forever, so even a little improvement makes a difference. The energy saving fix for these items is two-fold:

a. Clean out all the dust and dirt from the refrigerator coils.

b. Keep the refrigerator and freezer as full as possible. Using a combination of zip-lock bags or Tupperware bowls, store extra ice, frozen vegetables, frozen fruit, etc, so there is less empty air space.

By following these suggestions, the unit will run even less, emit less heat into your kitchen and even lower your air conditioning load on the house. The energy savings are guaranteed.

7. HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS

To reduce the amount of energy being wasted by your heating and cooling systems:

a. Seal the Leaks

- 1. Forced Air Systems – while the system is running, follow the main duct line and use either the back of your hand or a smoke stick to locate areas where air is escaping from the duct system and seal those leaks with foil duct tape.

- 2. Hot Water or Steam Systems – Insulate the pipes with foam insulation, being especially diligent where piping crosses near basement window and door areas.

b. Perform yearly cleanings.

- 1. It is vital that your oil or coal boiler be cleaned yearly and the chimney cleaned every other year. By removing the soot from the boiler, you improve the boilers capacity to absorb the heat and by keeping the chimney clean, you allow the fuel to burn hotter and cleaner.

- 2. Air conditioning systems, as well as air source heat pumps require yearly maintenance. Coils need to be cleaned, refrigerant charges need to be adjusted and routine maintenance needs to be performed.

Being diligent about performing preventive maintenance on your heating and air conditioning systems will not only lengthen the systems life time, but your energy savings will be guaranteed.

8. WATER

All the energy saving benefits of reducing water usage are even greater for those who have wells and use a pump to extract their water in the first place.

a. Replace your shower head with an energy saving shower head that uses less than the standard 2. 5 to 3. 5 gallons of water per minute. Many models are available that use 1. 5 to 1. 75 gallons per minute . By reducing the amount of water used while showing, the energy you use to heat your water can be dramatically reduced.

b. Locate the sink closest to your water heating source and use that sink whenever you need to wash your hands. This will leave less heated water standing in the pipes.

By becoming more aware of how you may have been wasting your heated water, you can easily change a few habits that are guaranteed to help you save energy.

9. CEILING FANS

Fans can be defined as devices that help move air from one place to another. This works for both cool or hot air.

a. During the winter, set your fan reversing switch in the upwards position and keep the speed setting on low to gently push any heated air off the ceiling and force it back down along the walls to the floor where you want it. You wont feel any breeze or draft during this process.

b. During the summer, set your fan reversing switch in the downwards position and use the low or medium speed setting to keep the room from becoming stagnant and prevent hot air from building up near the ceiling. Meanwhile, you will feel this breeze and you will feel cooler as the wind from the fan helps your perspiration evaporate from your skin.

When we take advantage of using ceiling fans to better distribute our heated or cooled air, our overall comfort level increases while the amount of energy we use decreases. This more comfortable situation is guaranteed to save energy.

10. CLOTHING AND ATTIRE

By learning how to better dress ourselves, we could learn to live more comfortably in our homes while using less energy to condition the air within our homes.

a. During colder weather conditions, be sure to wear socks, full length pants and long sleeve shirts in your home. By simply ensuring you are protecting your exposed skin from “drafts”, you will feel more comfortable at a lower temperature setting. Then, by lowering your thermostat by 5 to 10 degrees, you can save from 10% to 20% more energy.

b. During the summer, dress lighter and remove your socks if possible. Doing so will allow you to maintain a warmer temperature in the home and reduce your air conditioning costs.

Bottom line, if you are walking around your home in the winter in your shorts, you are going to be cooler and you will either raise the thermostat setting or put on more clothing. One choice will waste energy and the other is guaranteed to save energy.

We effectively give ourselves a raise in salary the moment we stop being wasteful. That’s great motivation, so whether you agree with the reports on global warming or believe we should keep drilling or not, most of us already agree that we’d like to have more money, so by reducing what we waste, we will all have more money left to enjoy on things that matter to us.

• The 7 plug, auto switching powerstrip protects your electrical devices and saves energy
• Offers up to 40db line noise reduction and superior EMI/RFI filtering
• Provides 3-way, 130-volt, 48,000-amp protection
• Designed with conveniently-spaced outlets and a 45-degree, angled space saver plug
• 1225 joules of surge protection keep your equipment safe from harsh power spikes

Product Description
BITS LIMITED SCG5 7-OUTLET SMART STRIP (WITH FAX MODEM & COAXIAL CABLE PROTECTION) 7 OUTLETS; 1225 JOULES; 3-WAY, 130V PROTECTION; 6-FT HEAVY-DUTY POWER CORD WITH 45deg ANGLED SPACE-SAVER PLUG; FEATURES 3 DIAGNOSTIC INDICATORS – POWER, SWITCHED OUTLETS & GROUND SURGE STATUS; WITH FAX MODEM & COAXIAL CABLE PROTECTION… More >>

Smart Strip SCG5 Energy Saving Power Strip with Autoswitching Technology and Coaxial Surge Protection

If you are looking for a good way to raise your school some extra money you should take a look at recycling programs. Schools use tons of materials that can be redeemed for cash through recycling programs dedicated for schools and other non-profit organizations. So what can you recycle at your school? An average size school will generate thousands of aluminum cans each month that can be recycled. This is one item that all schools should begin recycling if they are not already. Another highly used product in schools is simply all the paper that is used. Does your school already have separate containers to dispose of paper in instead of using the trash can? If your school is not currently already recycling their paper then this is yet another high volume product that schools are using every day that could be put to use in a recycling program for your school. It is true that many schools are already recycling their aluminum cans and paper products, so what else can a school do in terms of recycling as a fund raiser?

One common product that many schools do not currently recycle that they should be recycling are their ink cartridges – another item that is widely used in all schools. There are a few recycling programs that are specifically dedicated to recycling ink cartridges for schools and other non-profit companies to make sure that you get a fair rate for all the ink cartridges you collect in your fund raiser. When researching what program would be best for your school to use, it is important to research what ink cartridges are accepted by the company you are researching. Some programs have a very limited list of cartridges that they will pay you for, while others may accept almost any type of ink cartridge that your school is using. So if you are looking for a great recycling fund raiser for your school an ink cartridge recycling program is a great solution. The fund raiser would not only be limited to the ink cartridges that the school uses, but also those that students collect at home and bring in to school. Believe it or not, an ink cartridge recycling program can generate a large sum of money for a school if executed correctly.

You may be asking how to properly execute a program such as an ink cartridge recycling fund raiser. The answer to your question will actually come from the company you decide to do your fund raiser through. Many of these programs want to help you meet your goals and will provide you with promotional materials to promote your recycling efforts. Promotional materials such as flyers, posters, drop off signs, and more can be provided for your school to use in order to achieve fund raising goals. Placing the promotional materials around the school and making announcements about the program will help you kick start your program and help you achieve success.

Recycling fund raisers do not stop at aluminum cans, paper, and ink cartridges. There are numerous other programs related to recycling that your school could use to help earn more money. Another popular recycling item is electronics – more specifically used cell phones. What did you do with your old cell phone? I know numerous people who have simply tossed their old cell phones to the garbage can. Instead of tossing your used cell phones to the trash why not earn some money from them? When a school runs a recycling program to collect old cell phones it is surprising just how many are often times collected as many people have numerous old cell phones just laying around the house. Once you have collected a good amount of phones your school can then redeem them for cash! This is yet another great fund raising activity that a school can take advantage of.

So – if your school is looking for a good fund raiser then you should mention a recycling drive to them. One fund raising recycling drive could involve all of the items I mentioned above and can honestly raise large sums of cash. Many schools now run ink cartridge and cell phone recycling programs all year and simply redeem the collections for cash once they have collected enough worthy of redeeming. Just think how many ink cartridge and even cell phones people go through on a year to year basis! Your school or non profit organization could be cashing in on these items instead of them being tossed in the trash or put on a shelf to not ever be used again. So the bottom line is that you need to find a good recycling program for your school to join. Once you have found a reputable program to join you can begin promoting the fund raiser throughout the school and begin collecting the items you will be recycling. This type of fund raiser is very effective at schools because most people are more than willing to donate old ink cartridge and cell phones simply because they have no other use for them.

Recycling is an endeavor that the city of San Diego has actively pursued for almost 20 years.  The city’s recycling program is under the general supervision of the San Diego Environmental Services Department.  Housed in Ridgehaven, which is considered to be one of the United States’ most energy efficient buildings, the San Diego Environmental Services Department’s recycling program has been very successful so far.  The waste diversion rate of the city has gone up to 52% as of 2004.

Basically, the San Diego Environmental Services Department’s responsibilities cover: collection services, enforcement of the city’s waste reduction regulations, management of the landfill in Miramar, coordination with various recycling centers and education of the public on San Diego’s recycling program.

Waste Reduction Regulations

The city of San Diego has a number of regulations that its Environmental Services Department is enforcing.  Included among these regulations are ordinances against littering, illegal dumping, scavenging, recycling contamination, leaving garbage and recycling bins out beyond collection hours, and others.  To enforce these regulations, the city has officers that are assigned to patrol specific areas of the city.

The Miramar Landfill

The Miramar Landfill is the destination for most of the household refuse generated by San Diego.  According to statistics, 1.4 million tons of garbage is buried there every year, but that figure is down from the 1.8 million tons being dumped at the landfill before the establishment of the San Diego Environmental Services Department in 1988.

The Miramar Recycling Center is located just within the entrance of the landfill.  The recycling center accepts numerous recyclable materials, including TV monitors, computer monitors, printer ink cartridges and computer electronics.  Scrap metal can also be recycled there, but for a small fee.

Recycling at Home

There are many options for householders to do their recycling at home.  They can choose to do their recycling with the recycling centers under the San Diego Environmental Services Department, or with other private enterprises.  Householders can also opt to donate their recyclables or to avail of paybacks.

Recyclables accepted in the blue recycling bins installed at curbsides by the city are: plastic bottles and jars; glass bottles and jars; newspapers, magazines, catalogues and telephone directories; paper and junk mail; cardboard, dry food packaging, paper bags and packaging; metal cans, foil and empty aerosol cans.

The recycling program of San Diego is considered to be one of the most successful in the United States.  This recycling program is successful largely because of the active participation and cooperation of the city’s residents.

Reduce, Reuse, And Recycle. We hear and see those words everywhere lately. Why is recycling so important? Recycling prohibits materials from being wasted by reprocessing them into new products. The average American produces 4.5 pounds of trash each day. Our landfills are overloaded; currently it takes an area the size of Ohio to dump all of our waste each year. If everyone in this country would just separate the paper, plastic, glass, and aluminum items from their trash and recycled them, we could reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills by 75%. Recycling is the most significant task we can integrate into our daily routines.

Alright, we’ve established how important recycling is to our planet. Where do we go from here? The first thing is to get in contact with your local recycling center. They can supply you with information on what kinds of materials are accepted in your area. Not all materials are recycled in all areas. Some municipals offer curb side service, while in other areas you will have to transport the recyclables yourself.

Next, you will need to acquire some recycling bins. You don’t absolutely have to have fancy recycling bins, any washable plastic container or trash can will do. Cardboard boxes work great and they are recyclable as well. Label bins with accepted items and special instructions to insure all contents will be properly recycled. The number of bins needed will be determined by the number of different materials to be collected.

Now you need to decide exactly what materials you want to start recycling. It’s probably best to start with the top four: paper, plastic, glass, and aluminum.

Let’s start with paper, which almost all types can be recycled. The highest grade of recyclable paper is white office paper. To be included in this category the paper has to be clean white sheets usually from printers and copiers. Other sub-categories of paper include: newspaper, phonebooks, corrugated cardboard and mixed paper. Mixed paper is all types of paper not previously covered including: magazines, packaging, contaminated white paper, and even envelopes with plastic windows.

Plastic comes in many different forms and is made largely from synthetic material, which is composed mostly of petroleum. With the proper knowledge a large number of plastics can be recycled. Knowing what types of plastics to collect is somewhat confusing. Plastics are marked with a variety of codes and the ones that are collected depend on your local recycling center. Even though it is more difficult, please don’t give up on plastic.

Everyday more than 12 million glass bottles and jars are recycled in America. Most soda bottles, food containers, beer, wine, and liquor bottles, and juice containers can be recycled. Throw out any mixed color and broken glass, as well as ceramics, it can contaminate the recycling process. Make sure all collected glass is rinsed clean.

Aluminum cans are the premier example of a recyclable waste. Recycling aluminum requires less than 5% of the energy originally used to make it. Make sure the cans you are collecting are aluminum, most aluminum is clearly marked. Smashing the cans is not required but does save space. By recycling just one aluminum can, we save enough energy to keep a 100-watt bulb burning about three and a half hours.

Reducing consumption, Reusing what can’t be reduced, and RECYCLING what can’t be reused may go against the norms of a consumer based society, but it can fit right in with the life of an individual seeking to achieve green living. For more information on environmental issues and alternative solutions visit www.greenplanetz.com.

Product Description
Modern business is full of ethical dilemmas and snares. But LAW AND ETHICS IN THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT, 6e, equips you with the tools and practice you need to effectively handle the ethical issues you will likely face as a manager. Offering a unique interdisciplinary blend of theory and practical applications, LAW AND ETHICS combines up-to-the-minute issues in business ethics with the latest in case law. A refreshing change from the rote learning of many texts, LAW … More >>

Law and Ethics in the Business Environment

There is a lot of talk about going green, saving energy and being environmentally friendly and such, but what really works? Really – what energy saving tips or ideas for going green work? Which energy conservation ideas work fast and are virtually guaranteed to save money while also being affordable for most people to do?

Here’s my list of what I call the Top 10 Energy Saving Guarantees that have been proven to save energy and save money while also being affordable enough for almost anyone to handle. I provide these guarantees because I know that many people want to be green, but have a hard time finding a place that is affordable to get started.

1. HOME LIGHTING

Recent increases in electric utility costs have us either cutting back or changing how and what we light. To get the most from your lighting:

a. Replace all incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient CFL’s ( Compact Fluorescent Lights )

b. Reduce outdoor lighting loads by using solar powered path lighting and super bright solar lamps

c. Install solar skylights to allow natural light into normally darkened areas of the home.

Changing your lighting to use CFL’s and allowing more natural light to enter the home is guaranteed to save energy.

2. DOORS AND WINDOWS

To improve the efficiency of the doors and windows in your home or apartment, the following suggestions are affordable enough to consider, whether you own or rent:

a. For drafts blowing under an exterior door:
- on modern doors, adjust the threshold to reduce the gap between the bottom of the door and the threshold.
- on older doors, install weather stripping that seals the crack at the bottom of the door when the door is shut.

b. Install weather stripping around the sides and top of all exterior doors.

c. To improve the efficiency of windows:

1. Install any available storm windows.
- If storm windows are not available, but removable screens are installed, remove the screens and then wrap them with plastic and replace the screens.

2. Caulk all exterior cracks around the window frame and home siding.

3. Install heat shrinkable plastic on the inside of the window.

If you follow the guidelines provided for better sealing your doors and windows, you are guaranteed to save energy.

3. ELECTRIC CLOTHES DRYERS

As much as a clothes dryer is essential, it is also one of the primary sources of wasted energy. The energy fix for the dryer includes:

a. Install a dryer vent seal. This eliminates any back drafts from entering the home when the dryer is not in use and could easily reduce your homes heating and cooling costs by up to 10%.

b. Don’t run the dryer on frigid winter nights or on hot summer afternoons because whenever you run the dryer and exhaust the air outdoors, the same amount of air is being sucked into your home.

By installing the dryer vent seal and by not running the dryer when outdoor temperatures are at extreme odds with your indoor temperature, your energy savings are guaranteed.

4. BATHROOM EXHAUST FANS

Exhaust fans are very helpful in removing moisture and foul odors from your home, but they are also a primary source of energy waste. To improve their performance:

a. Install an Intermatic, thirty to sixty minute timer for each exhaust fan switch. This will guarantee an exhaust fan is not running longer than necessary.

Exhaust fans are pulling in unconditioned outside air into your home while also exhausting air you paid to heat or cool. This process is necessary, but the focus is to reduce the amount of time to only what is necessary.

By performing these simple steps, you are guaranteed to save energy.

5. COMPUTERS AND PERIPHERAL DEVICES

Computer may be able to shut down or hibernate when it detects it has not been used for a while, but your printer, sound system, backup drives, etc, keep chugging away at your homes energy, 24 hours a day, forever. To resolve these issues or to at least reduce their impact:

a. Install an energy saving smart strip for your computer and supporting devices. The smart strip device senses when you have shut down your computer and then shuts down all your other peripheral devices automatically.

b. If you have the habit of leaving your computer on when it is not being used, you could work on improving your awareness of your habit and turn your computer off more often or set your computer to hibernate or sleep after two hours or so.

Tests I ran have shown that the simple habit of turning off the computer more often while also using a smart strip, will reduce yearly energy costs by at least $25.00. Install a smart strip for your computer and you are guaranteed to save energy.

6. REFRIGERATORS AND FREEZERS

Your refrigerator and freezer runs twenty-four hours a day, forever, so even a little improvement makes a difference due to how often these items run. The energy saving fix for these items is two-fold:

a. Remove the vent cover at the bottom of the unit and clean out all the dust and dirt from the refrigerator coils.

b. Keep the refrigerator and freezer as full as possible. Using a combination of zip-lock bags or Tupperware bowls, store extra ice, frozen vegetables, frozen fruit, bread, pitchers of water, etc, so that there is less empty air space.

By cleaning the coils, the unit will run slightly less, and by filling empty air space with solid objects, the unit will run even less. When these two ideas are used together, the unit runs less, emits less heat into your kitchen and even lowers your air conditioning load on the house. The energy savings are guaranteed.

7. HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS

To reduce the amount of energy being wasted by your heating and cooling systems:

a. Seal the Leaks

- 1. Forced Air Systems – while the system is running, follow the main duct line and use either the back of your hand or a smoke stick to locate areas where air is escaping from the duct system and seal those leaks with foil duct tape…not that sticky gray tape.

- 2. Hot Water or Steam Systems – Insulate the pipes with foam insulation, being especially diligent where piping crosses near basement window and door areas.

b. Perform yearly cleanings.

- 1. Oil and coal heating systems have the capacity to create a lot of soot. It is vital that your boiler be cleaned yearly and the chimney cleaned every other year. By removing the soot from the boiler, you improve the boilers capacity to absorb the heat and by keeping the chimney clean, you improve air flow which allows the fuel to burn hotter and cleaner.

- 2. Air conditioning systems, as well as air source heat pumps require yearly maintenance. Coils need to be cleaned, refrigerant charges need to be adjusted and routine maintenance needs to be performed.

Being diligent about performing preventive maintenance on your heating and air conditioning systems will not only lengthen the systems life time, but your energy savings will be guaranteed.

8. WATER

Your savings can really grow by learning how to better conserve your water. All the energy saving benefits of reducing water usage are even greater for those who have wells and use a pump to extract their water in the first place.

a. Replace your shower head with an energy saving shower head that uses less than the standard 2. 5 to 3. 5 gallons of water per minute. Many models are available that use 1. 5 to 1. 75 gallons per minute while still providing full body coverage and pressure while showering.

By reducing the amount of water used while showing, the energy you use to heat your water can be dramatically reduced, plus it will help eliminate your water heater or furnace from running out of enough heated water so that another person could shower right after you.

b. Locate the sink closest to your water heating source and use that sink whenever you need to wash your hands. You’ll have hot water quicker and will leave less heated water standing in the pipes.

By becoming more aware of how you may have been wasting your heated water by using too much during showering or by leaving much of it to just cool down in your pipes, you can easily change a few habits that are guaranteed to help you save energy.

9. CEILING FANS

Fans are often only associated with cooling things, but they can better be defined as devices that help move air from one place to another. This works for both cool or hot air.

a. During the winter, set your fan reversing switch in the upwards position and keep the speed setting on low. What this will do is to gently push any heated air off the ceiling and force it back down along the walls to the floor where you want it. Since the fan is pushing the air around the perimeter of the room, you wont feel any breeze or draft during this process.

b. During the summer, set your fan reversing switch in the downwards position and use the low or medium speed setting. This will help keep the room from becoming stagnant and will prevent hot air from building up near the ceiling and will allow the air to mix better and cool more naturally. Meanwhile, since the fan is blowing air down directly, you will feel this breeze and you will feel cooler as the wind from the fan helps your perspiration evaporate from your skin.

When we take advantage of using ceiling fans to better distribute our heated or cooled air, our overall comfort level increases while the amount of energy we use decreases. This more comfortable situation is guaranteed to save energy.

10. CLOTHING AND ATTIRE

By learning how to better dress ourselves, we could learn to live more comfortably in our homes while using less energy to condition the air within our homes.

a. During colder weather conditions, be sure to wear socks, full length pants and long sleeve shirts in your home. It’s not necessary to add multiple layers (unless you want to), but by simply ensuring you are protecting your exposed skin from “drafts”, you will feel more comfortable at a lower temperature setting. Then, by lowering your thermostat by 5 to 10 degrees, you can save from 10% to 20% more energy.

b. During hotter weather conditions, and especially at night, remove your socks, wear shorts and short sleeve shirts. If you exercise in the home or come home hot and sweaty, give yourself a few minutes to cool down a little and then change your shirt or pants with something fresh and lighter. Doing so will allow you to maintain a warmer temperature in the home and reduce your air conditioning costs.

There is often too great a tendency to up the thermostat during winter months instead of dressing more efficiently. If you are walking around your home in the winter in your shorts, you are going to be cooler and you will either raise the thermostat setting or put on more clothing. One choice will waste energy and the other is guaranteed to save energy.

The overall message is no different than what our grandparents used to say in that ‘a penny saved is a penny earned’. As we learn to stop wasting, we are effectively giving ourselves a raise in salary. That’s great motivation, so whether you agree with the reports on global warming or believe we should keep drilling or not, most of us already agree that we’d like to have more money, so by reducing what we waste, we will all have more money left to enjoy on things that matter to us.

Premier Ebook Aimed At The Christian Marketplace! An Alternative For Those Seeking A Faith-based Approach To Help. By Author Of The Best-Selling (over 61,000 Copies) Ebook, Save The Marriage. Excellent Conversion, Often Exceeding 10%! No Popups!
Save Your Christian Marriage.