Shenelle's Blog

There is a two-fold benefit for utilizing free energy – saving money on utility bills and saving the environment. But what is it that I’m talking about here? Some sort of perpetual motion machine, perhaps? No, of course not – I mean extracting energy from free sources such as the sun through the use of photovoltaic cells (“solar panels”), taking geothermal energy from the ground and converting it into usable electricity and heating, and so on and so forth. So, how are some of these accomplished? Let’s go over some info on this…

Well, first off… we can use the power of the sun, as we all know, to extract free energy, saving tons in energy expenses. The best thing about this is the times we live in today – it used to be, back in the early seventies when this technology was first becoming popularized, that it was wildly expensive to invest in such energy conservation systems. An array of panels on a solar home roof could cost many thousands of dollars just to power most of the appliances in a small home, which resulted in its paying for itself only after so many years later. It did seem cost-effective if the topic of time was overlooked.

Nowadays, it’s not only a lot less expensive to invest in this kind of energy conservation efficiency, but the energy output of solar panels has vastly increased over the many years of development since solar energy’s initial burst of popularity decades ago. This type of free energy, saving the environment by not burning fossil fuels, is now being undertaken even by do-it-yourselfers who spend little more than one to two hundred dollars on parts, to make a single two by five foot solar panel which can by itself power a home PC, and entertainment center, and an air-conditioner all from one panel, as a weekend project. Just three or four of these could provide enough power for a small home and at just a tiny fraction of the cost that it used to be.

Another example of free energy saving the environment and utility bill expense is geothermal energy. Pipes driven into the ground under a house’s foundation which have water coursing through them takes the heat from the ground that transfers to the water and courses it through heat exchangers and heat pump electricity generators. A system like this can also be used in place of a hot water heater in some cases, and this is just another example of how we can use what the environment already provides for us so freely for our power, and never rely on burning fossil fuels again. This is not only a great way to save on expenses, but to reduce the impact we continue to have on our environment every day.

Water conservation is an important concept, but many people may not realize exactly how much of a difference conserving water can actually make.  It’s easy to picture water as being an endless resource, causing the value of water conservation to seem relatively small… after all, what’s the point in conserving water when there’s always going to be more?  Unfortunately, water is not anywhere near being a limitless resource; without conservation there is a very real threat of water shortages in the areas that need water the most.  The environmental impact of water conservation isn’t the only thing that should be considered when deciding how important conservation really is, however.

It is generally much easier to see a problem when viewing it from the perspective of how it can affect you instead of how it affects the world, and water conservation can have a major impact on your life without you even realizing it.  By conserving water you save money, and not just the few dollars on the water bill each that can be saved by fixing leaky faucets and adjusting the water output of your toilet.  The more water that is conserved, the less need there will be for expensive facilities to desalinate or treat water that currently isn’t able to be used for human consumption.  This can reduce taxes as well as your water bill overall, and by making more water available for irrigation efforts can even reduce the amount that you pay for vegetables and other foods at the store.  When adding this to the amount that adds up from the “few dollars” that you save each month you may find that you’re actually saving quite a bit of money each year because of water conservation efforts.

On the larger scale, water conservation is important from the environmental standpoint because it increases the amount of useable water that is available overall.  Polluted water and saltwater are not only bad for humans to drink, but can damage crops and will even cause problems or grazing fields and trees as well.  Clean water is needed to combat droughts that are becoming more common in major agricultural sectors, and is also vitally important to disaster relief efforts focused on areas where local water may be contaminated with potentially deadly bacteria.  Without water conservation, the amount of fresh water available to assist in these situations will be drastically reduced… and that’s not even counting the water shortages that may occur in other areas as the water supplies become more in demand.

One of the greatest benefits to water conservation is the fact that it’s fairly easy to accomplish.  You can save money and greatly help the environment simply by taking the time to reduce your water usage and eliminating water waste.  Conservation doesn’t require any large changes to your lifestyle; you simply have to spend a little bit of time figuring out where most of your water waste occurs and then take steps to correct the problems that you find.  Even relatively small changes in the amount of water that you use can have a major impact in the long run.

Global warming is an issue that we have created. It is an issue that we can work to resolve. The damage that is already done is irreversible, but we can make changes now to protect the earth’s atmosphere in the future. If we reduce the amount of fuel that we burn, by making changes to our lifestyle, we can reduce the amount of damage that is done to the atmosphere. Here, you will find what role you can take in order to reduce the effects of global warming on our world.

1) The first step that you can take in order to reduce the effect of global warming is to change all of your light bulbs from standard bulbs to energy efficient light bulbs. Energy efficient light bulbs are generally more expensive, but they will save you a considerable amount of money on your energy costs and will also reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that are released into the earth’s atmosphere.

2) The next step that you can take to reduce the effect of global warming is to ensure that you turn things off when you are not using them. This helps to save on the amount of electricity that you use. When you save on electricity, you save money on your power costs and reduce the amount of fuel that is required to burn to give you electricity. This, in turn, helps to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that are released into the atmosphere. You should also ensure that you turn off water when it is not being used to benefit the atmosphere.

3) It is important that you learn to recycle and reuse things when you are able to. You should make sure that you get actively involved in a local recycling program. When you recycle, you can reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that can add to the global warming issue.

4) It is important that you try to use the air conditioner and heater in your home less. You should use a thermostat when one is available to control the usage of these items. You should try to use fans more and less air conditioning. This will help to reduce the effect of global warming by limiting the amount of greenhouse gases that are released into the atmosphere.

5) You should try to encourage others to conserve energy. Inform them of the dangers of global warming and how greenhouse gases affect the atmosphere. You should let them know that everyone should hold themselves accountable for the energy that they consume, the amount that they drive, and the things that they do not recycle.

6) You should try to buy products that are considered energy efficient. Many appliances that are available now have an energy efficiency rating. You should make an effort to buy appliances that use less electricity in order to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that enter the earth’s atmosphere.

These are just a few changes you can make in your everyday life which will contribute to lessening the amount of greenhouse gases. By all of us working together, we can all have a positive effect on reducing the consequences of global warming.

There are things that you can do at home, at the office, and while driving down the road. All of them are easy but can add up big. And the great thing is that not only will the planet benefit but your wallet will benefit too.

Things you can do to your car such as keep it tuned up, replace dirty filters, change your spark plugs, keep the tires properly inflated, etc, are all easy things that will help your car run more efficiently and therefore burn less fuel. That will save you money and help the environment.

At the office you can recycle your water bottles, don’t use disposable coffee cups, pack your lunch in reusable plastic containers instead of disposable plastic bags.

And last, but not least, at home. Here you probably have more options for saving energy than anywhere else. The biggest energy consumption, and biggest expense, in most households is utility costs. The good news is that there are many things you can do to bring these costs under control.

Some simple things you can do are to get your furnace inspected to make sure it’s running properly, change the filters monthly during heating season, add a programmable thermostat so you can automatically turn the temperature down when you’re not there or sleeping, and add insulation and new windows and doors.

If you want to really conserve energy you might want to consider investing $200 and a weekend of your time to build your own wind turbine. You don’t need any technical skills or knowledge, just pick up a manual that will walk you through the whole process quickly and easily.

You can go big or you can go small when it comes to energy conservation, it doesn’t matter. The point is as long as you do something you can help the environment and save some money.

Global warming has become a hot topic over the past few years. While some may assume that the discussion of global warming effects is a new one, it has actually been around for a number of decades. The main difference today is that the conversation has grown to include millions of people throughout the globe. Part of the reason that so many people are concerned about global warming is due to a number of alarming points put forth by research organizations.

Here are some of the issues they have raised alarm over:

Probably the most alarming point many have made is the notion that carbon dioxide emissions cause great harm to the environment. As the studious know, human beings emit carbon dioxide when they breathe. Since human beings will always emit carbon dioxide, this would make the reduction of carbon dioxide very difficult since humans can not be taken out of the equation.

Fossil Fuels and Global Warming

The relationship between fossil fuels and the causes of global warming has also created alarm among many. Fossil fuels emit carbon dioxide and other emissions into the air when they are burned. This creates a very complex situation because the top three fossil fuels – oil, coal, and natural gas – are the primary sources of energy in the world. Then again, many people take a number of simple steps to reduce such emissions. Turning the lights off in the home and not driving as much all are all habits that can reduce energy consumption. The more people who do this the less energy resources will need to be tapped.

Effects on the animal kingdom

If there was one aspect of global warming news that has pulled on the heartstrings of people it has been the effect of global warming on the animal kingdom. Or, more specifically, it is the effect global warming has had on the polar bear community. Since people have always had a fondness for these exotic animals, many have sympathy for the animal’s plight. While many are familiar with the reports that global warming has had a negative effect on the polar bear community they may not understand what exactly occurs.

Essentially, polar bears live in a habitat that is comprised of sea ice. If global warming can cause this ice to melt it reduces the habitat in which the polar bears live on. This could radically impact polar bears in the same way urbanization affected grizzly bears. In the early 1800′s, Grizzly bears lived in all fifty US states. As the human population grew and cities were developed, Grizzly bears died off since their habitat disappeared. A similar effect is possible with polar bears and other animals that live in the same habitat if sea ice continues to melt.

Effects on the human kingdom

If anything, the effects of global warming on the animal kingdom concerns people over what type of effect it may have on the “human kingdom”. Yes, there is fear of a potential all encompassing ripple effect and this fear fuels much of the alarmism over global warming. How the story will eventually play out over the next several years is not predictable. It is, however, predictable that people will address their alarmism with calls to action. Hopefully, this will yield a positive effect.

Just like the Earth itself, we human beings are composed primarily of water. Water is essential to all life; you can live for weeks without food, but only days with no water. Conserving this precious resource is a duty which all of us must share. If all of us made an effort to conserve water, each person could save thousands of gallons of water every year.

Even though so much of the Earth’s surface is water, very little of the world’s water is fresh water which is drinkable to humans – and of the fresh water, only about a third of it is available to us. As you know, most of the water on Earth is found in the oceans and is salt water. We can’t drink this, obviously. Only a little of the fresh water available to us is actually consumed by humans – the vast majority of this water is instead used to irrigate crops, for sanitation and to produce energy.

As the population of the world continues to increase, the available supplies of fresh water are diminished. In the last century alone, water consumption has increased by leaps and bounds 0 this led the UN to declare 2003 “The International Year of Fresh Water” to draw attention to the dwindling amount of fresh water available for human consumption.

A failure to save water will eventually lead to a severe negative impact on the environment as well as the global economy. There are so many things which we use water for that a sustained water shortage would cripple human activity. Conservation is all about the effective management of resources in order to avoid waste. Water, like any other natural resource must not be taken for granted.

Not only is conserving water good for the environment, it can also help your own bank account! You’ll be doing your part for the environment while lowering your water bill. You can and should install water and energy efficient appliances, low flow water fixtures and choose landscaping with a smaller water requirement (native plants are best) – this can save you hundreds of dollars (and thousands of gallons of water) every year.

Choosing a tankless water heater can reduce your household’s energy consumption by as much as 30% when compared to a conventional storage water heater. These are the kinds of simple things which we can all do to reduce water consumption. Remember,  it’s everyone’s responsibility to reduce their use and waste of water, lest we find out that we don’t have enough left!