5 Easy Ways to Save Energy

1. Use an Energy Monitor: Measure your way to savings with an energy monitor.Research has found that such info leads consumers to reduce their electricity consumption significantly.



2. Pay less for hot water by insulating pipes: Check to see if your pipes are warm to the touch. If so, they are good candidates for insulation.Pipe insulation is often R-3 or, for batt styles that you wrap around, a stronger R-7.



3. Upgrade your appliances: If your furnace is old you could save a lot of money in the long run by upgrading to a new unit.



4. Use a Laptop Instead of a Desktop: Laptop computers draw only 15 to 25 watts during regular use, as compared to the 150 watts used by a conventional desktop computer and monitor.



5. Get an Energy Audit: An energy audit will help you determine exactly how much juice you are using, and will identify ways you can reduce it, through better insulation and other techniques.

Linke to refer:
http://twitter.com/grnlivingtips
http://www.commonfloor.com/green-living

5 Green Living tips

• Carry your own bags for grocery shopping.Stores should also keep this policy,either bring a reusable bag not a polythene bag or buy one from the store.

• As far as possible use dark, infact black background on your PC or laptop or dark desktop, it looks cool and saves energy.

• Don't Buy movie videos and books.Hire videos and DVDs, and borrow books from a library. Download songs instead of buying audio CD's.

• Regularly cleaning the condenser coils found in the back or bottom of the refrigerator will maximize its efficiency.

• Develop an awareness chart in your office or home where everyone can see a list of ways they can reduce their carbon footprint.

Source: www.commonfloor.com/green-living

Animals at risk as oil spill

Marine scientists studying the effects of the BP disaster are seeing some troubling phenomena. The animals' presence close to shore means their usual habitat is badly polluted. Already, scientists say they're seeing more sharks and dolphins in unusually shallow waters.Rescuing birds and cleaning off the oil from their bodies only serves to keep them alive temporarily.Cleaning birds with detergents strips away the natural oil which acts as a protective water proof layer for sea birds.

Seabirds are strongly affected by oil spills.The bird then eats the oil to clean its feathers and poisons itself. If workers have found sea birds that are not dead because of oil, they will take the birds to a cleaning center or captivity where they are kept in a facility because they can not live in the wild on their own. Many people don’t realize all the animals in the ocean that oil spills affect. When hundreds of plankton die because of oil, that specie of animal may become extinct. Then, fish won’t be able to eat the plankton, so they will become extinct. A killer whale could then become extinct because it can’t eat the fish. The oil spills can damage the entire food chain in the area.

Day by day, scientists in boats tally up dead birds, sea turtles and other animals, but the toll is surprisingly small given the size of the disaster. Figures show that 783 birds, 353 turtles and 41 mammals have died. Researchers said there are several reasons for the relatively small death toll such as many can't be found after sinking to the bottom of the sea or getting scavenged by other marine life, scientists can locate only a fraction of the animals and large numbers of birds are dying deep in the Louisiana marshes where they seek refuge.

Nils Warnock, a wildlife specialist with the Oiled Wildlife Care Network at the University of California says, "The public demands that something be done. It's heart-wrenching—you see this totally oil-covered animal. The only way you can see that they're alive is that their little eye blinks. That kills me every time."

Past studies suggest that oil drenched birds have a high death rate.German biologist Silvia Gaus contended that studies show that more than 99 percent of rehabilitated birds will die as a result of oil exposure, leading to kidney and liver damage. Birds covered in oil are crawling deep into Louisiana marshes, never to be seen again.

Source: rescuers-clean-decision

Green lifestyle brings down the carbon footprints and save earth

The need and importance of conservation of water, energy and natural resource are known to people all over the world.Water conservation helps in bringing down the water bill saving money and environment. Today Green is a buzz word associated with environment or earth. Water conservation is important and vital for better future.

Adopting Green Lifestyle

• Encourage your family to keep looking for new ways to conserve water in and around your home.

• Promote water conservation need and methods in community newsletters and on bulletin boards.

• Apartment owners can form an association or group for implementing rainwater harvesting system in the apartment.

• A faucet that drips once every second could be wasting over 2,500 gallons of water a year. Replace or repair leaky faucets as early as possible.

• Turning the water off while you lather the soap can save as many as 5 gallons of water each time you wash. Use one glass of water for brushing teeth instead of running the faucet.

• In order to reduce the usage of water during toilet flushes, put a 1-liter bottle filled with water inside each of the flush tanks.

• For cleaning toilet and flushing, use recycled water.

• Upgrade your toilet with new water efficient models.

Read More @ Water Conservation in Apartment Complex

Check the star rating before purchasing an electrical appliance

Energy star for your appliance plays vital role in saving energy and reducing your carbon footprints. Energy Star is an international standard for energy efficient consumer products.The Energy Star program was created in 1992 by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in an attempt to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission by power plants. Energy Star specifications differ with each item, and are set by either the Environmental Protection Agency or the Department of Energy.The star labeling was made mandatory for refrigerators, AC's, tubular fluorescent lights and distribution transformers from January 2010.


How many of you actually check the star rating before purchasing an electrical appliance? The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has started a national education program on star labeling for AC's. They, along with Emerson Climate Technologies and International Copper Promotion Council of India, launched a program on Wednesday to train 450 salesmen across 120 showrooms in Bangalore. They will be trained by BEE on star-rated products. These salesmen will help customers choose energy-efficient AC's. BEE will also provide 24 touch screen energy calculating kiosks for designated showrooms.

Window AC's have got up to three star rating and may soon get a four star too. However, other models have already got five star rating. From January this year, one to five-star labeling, depending on the energy efficiency of the appliance, has been made mandatory for refrigerators, AC's and tube-lights. The room fitted with AC should be fully covered on all sides, with a firmly closing type door. If you are air conditioning your living room, which is open to the kitchen on one side, then you need to provide a partition.If any windows are exposed to direct sun rays, use a drape or venetian blind to keep away the radiation heat from entering the room.

Reduce electricity Consumption

when you switch off TV , VCR or DVD player using the remote then also there is power loses so unplug this equipment when not in use.



Use a motion sensor for outside lighting. This helps to save energy and use lights only when light is required rather than keeping light on for whole night.

Turn off the monitor when your computer is unattended, for instance when downloading files overnight, listing songs or going away from your desk.

Use bulbs and other electric apparatus that consume comparably less electricity.

Replace old home appliance with energy star home appliance. Research and collect information on energy star equipments and energy saved by using them.

Switch off lights and fans when not in use.Set the monitor to automatically shut off or switch to standby mode when idle

Save Water, Living beings and the Environment

It takes a considerable amount of energy to deliver and treat the water you use everyday. By reducing household water use you can not only help reduce the energy required to supply and treat public water supplies but also can help address climate change.Leaks inside your toilet can waste up to 200 gallons per day.Here are some tips for conserving water in your home.

Toilet flushing is responsible for about 30 percent of all water used by the household, which means that almost 44,000 gallons of quality water is flushed away per family every year.Stop using potable water for Toilet flushing.

Turning the water off while you lather the soap can save as many as 5 gallons of water each time you wash.


Plant one little sapling for each and every little occasions you celebrate for it grows to remind you of the happiness time and again.

Throwing chemicals in the trash or down the drain means they might end up back in your water supply and come back to haunt you.To ensure sustainable availability of water, every citizen has to play a vital role not only in conserving water but also preventing contamination of groundwater.

Do not dispose of food waste in kitchen sink as it requires lots of water for disposal and also increases unnecessary load on septic tank.

Water should be used properly.Don't leave the tap open while shaving, brushing your teeth etc.

Residents can use one pipe for drinking, bathing and utensil cleaning where other pipe will bring in rain water and treated water for toilet, lawns, washing cars, floors etc. This will enables to save 40% of potable water.

Old toilets consume more water, replace old toilets with new one that helps to save water and consumes less water.

You can save energy by unplugging the appliances which are not in Water your plant or garden in early morning or in evening, this helps is minimizing evaporation of water.

If your faucet is dripping at the rate of one drop per second, you can expect to waste 2,700 gallons per year which will add to the cost of water and sewer utilities, or strain your septic system.Repair dripping faucets by replacing washers.

Read More Green Living Tips @ commonfloor.com/green-living

Promote Organic fruits and organic Farms

Organic farms do not consume or release synthetic pesticides into the environment.Early consumers interested in organic food would look for non-chemically treated, fresh or minimally processed food.Foods claiming to be organic must be free of artificial food additives, and are often processed with fewer artificial methods, materials and conditions.



A major benefit to consumers of organic food is that it is free of contamination. Organically grown plants are nourished naturally, rendering the structural and metabolic integrity of their cellular structure superior to those conventionally grown. As a result, organically grown foods can be stored longer.Organic farming normally does not involve capital investment as high as that required in chemical farming.Crop failure, therefore, does not leave an organic farmer into enormous debt.Organic food prevents food producers from using pesticides and other dangerous chemicals.

In traditional India, entire agriculture was practiced using organic techniques, where the fertilizers, pesticides, etc., were obtained from plant and animal products. Many farmers in India are shifting to organic farming due to the domestic and international demand for organic food. When calculated either per unit area or per unit of yield, organic farms use less energy and produce less waste. Today people are increasingly concerned about the quality and cleanliness of the foods they eat. Organic farms or eating locally grown food helps in the fight against global warming.Eating locally encourages the use of local farmland for farming and eliminates the wastage of fuel in transportation. Promoting organic fruits and locally grown food helps to reduce carbon footprints.

Simple ways to go green and save environment

Replace old appliances: Replace your old, inefficient appliances with Energy Star qualified appliances and save energy and money.

Improve air quality: Upgrading and properly maintaining your home air filters is easy and helps improve indoor air quality.

Compost and recycle: Composting is the smart way to dispose of leaves, yard clippings, selected food scraps, and other organic wastes.Make it a habit to recycle your glass, cans, cardboard, and newspapers.

Natural Air fresheners: Air fresheners listed as “natural” or “unscented” can contain hazardous chemicals. Making your own scented products with non-toxic ingredients such as flowers, herbs, spices, citrus, essential oils, and so fourth is a safe.

Eco-friendly throw pillows: Decorative organic cotton Eco-Art Pillows pillows are hand printed with modern designs using environmentally safe water-based inks.

Save water: Turning the water off while you lather the soap can save as many as 5 gallons of water each time you wash. Skip rinsing your plates before putting them into the dishwasher. In average you will save 15 gallons of water per load.

Simple green tips you can easily adopt in your daily life

Green living is today a buzz word and adopting green lifestyle is easy. You can adopt following green methods our environment and your money. Following are Simple green tips for your daily life.

Turn water off while lathering your hands: Turning the water off while you lather the soap can save as many as 5 gallons of water each time you wash.

Prefer to walk for Nearby Destinations: This would help you save lots of Power, reduce pollution and is good for health.

Avoid extra wear and tear on your car: Erratic driving with sudden accelerating and hard braking uses up extra gas. It puts extra wear and tear on your car.

Live Closer to Your Destinations: Living close to your destinations helps to explore neighborhoods that are near your workplace, have public transportation, and offer easy access to the places you visit most often.

Cycle for Green: Cycle daily to work and you can save the environment and also maintain your health.

Contribute your Green Ideas

Spread Green Living Ideas

Please share this Green Living Ideas with your friends and help spread the Green Consciousness.

Hazardous waste should be segregated separately : Fluorescents bulbs or tube contain mercury, which is highly toxic.each homeowner be required to have a garbage can labeled hazardous waste and only hazardous waste could go into it. Then contact hazardous waste garbage disposal company to pick it up in a separate truck, possibly only once a month.

Say No to Bottled water : Bottled water takes money from your pocket and adds an even greater amount of waste to landfills. Purchase a reusable water bottle to use at work or when traveling so you don\'t have to buy bottled water.


Get a Fuel-Efficient Car : Not only will a fuel-efficient car pollute less and use up less gas, it will save you money too.

Common Area Lighting : Solar Lighting is a useful source of renewable energy which used properly for common are alighting will save a lot of Energy(Power). Automating the Lighting system will further saves More Energy enabling us to contribute to resolve ISSUE OF GLOBAL. WARMING.

Live Closer to Your Destinations : Living close to your destinations helps to explore neighborhoods that are near your workplace, have public transportation, and offer easy access to the places you visit most often.

If you have Green ideas to share please add them at http://www.commonfloor.com/green-living

Save Our Tigers - Just 1411 Left

Tiger is national animal of India. The tiger is a unique animal which plays a pivotal role in the health and diversity of an ecosystem. According source, at the turn of the 20th century, India had an estimated 40,000 tigers in the wild. As per the monitoring exercise by Wildlife Institute of India in association with National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Government of India using camera traps, in 2008 we were left with only 1,411 tigers.


What you can do

Tiger is a top predator and is at the apex of the food chain. The extinction of this top predator is an indication that its ecosystem is not sufficiently protected, and neither would it exist for long thereafter. If serious efforts are not undertaken Tigers will only reside in our history books. You can do following things for saving or protecting tigers in India.

• Reduce pressures on the tiger habitats by promoting alternative livelihoods for local communities in and around tiger habitats.
• Forests are known to provide ecological services like clean air, water, pollination, temperature regulation etc.Promote afforestation and awareness for protecting forest.
  
• Reduce pressure on natural resources and use of products derived from forests, such as timber and paper.
• If you know of any information on poaching or trade of illegal wildlife, contact nearest police station. You can also contact TRAFFIC- an organization fighting the powerful poachers.
• Follow the forest department guidelines when visiting any wilderness area, tiger reserve in particular.
• You can form forums (or join existing ones) on the web for discussions and exchange views on tiger conservation.
• Be informed. Create buzz across all forums like blogging, writing on facebook, twitter, letters to the editors of newspapers and letters to the decision makers - the Prime Minister, the Minister for Environment and Forests.

Source: http://www.wwfindia.org

Going green to save environment

Today green living or go green is buzz word. The business, organizations and NGOs are conducting awareness program to go green. You can go green by changing your lifestyle or reducing your carbon footprints you leave on earth or environment. Here are some green tips for you.

Shorter the route more the traffic: The shorter the route more the traffic which in turn makes pressing the clutch and brakes more often, which in turn consume more fuel.So it is always advisable to take a route where you can drive without much hassle on your way.

Go green with e-statements: One simple way you can reduce your global footprint is to sign up for e-Statements – saving paper, trees, postage and delivery costs. Online banking, paying bills online, say no to postage or courier are good way to reduce clutter and good for the environment too.

Plant a sapling and make your world Greener: Plant one little sapling for each and every little occasion you celebrate for it grows to remind you of the happiness time and again

Limit your Balloon Release to 5 or fewer: Many people are-unaware that balloon releases can result in littering and harm to wildlife. Once balloons are out of sight, they don't disappear - what goes up must come down. Small-scale releases and balloon races may have a disproportionate effect on the environment.

Say No to Chewing Gum: chewing gum is the second largest littering item in the world.Chewing gum is not biodegradable and will stick to its surface for many, many years until treated.

Do not dispose of food waste in kitchen sink:Do not dispose of food waste in kitchen sink as it requires lots of water for disposal and also increases unnecessary load on septic tank.

Read More Green Tips at commonfloor.com/green-living

LED Lights to Save Electricity

Many towns and cities are saving money on their power bills by changing from incandescent light bulbs to light-emitting diode (LED) lights. LED lamps are used for both general lighting and special purpose lighting.CFL consume 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs. While LED bulbs use less electricity than both CFL and incandescent bulbs.

• A building’s carbon footprint from lighting can be reduced by 60 to 70 per cent by switching to LED lighting.

• In some states government offers incentives or rewards for supporting green living and reduce carbon footprint.

• LED lights supports timer and Timer for lights or electronic equipments in your apartment enables you to save electricity when they are not in use.

Read More at
http://www.commonfloor.com/articles/led-lights-to-save-electricity-for-your-apartment

Save water, Energy and Environment

Exercise in natural surroundings: Exercises like walking, jogging, cycling, hiking or simple rhythmic body movements in natural surroundings is more healthy and refreshing than exercising in the gym. It also saves precious electric energy.

Stop Polluting water: Throwing chemicals in the trash or down the drain means they might end up back in your water supply and come back to haunt you.

Get a roommate: According to the research, people who live in one-person households are the biggest consumers of energy, land and household goods—such as washing machines, refrigerators, televisions and stereos—per capita.Get a roommate or find some other way to expand your household.

Borrow things: Instead of buying things which you only need once in a while, you can borrow things from your neighbor, people in your apartment, office or in any other network.

Go Green with Soy Candles: Soy candles are free of petroleum, unlike conventional wax candles, and are nearly soot-free so they won’t pollute the air in your apartment or leave those nasty smoke marks on your walls. They burn up to 50% longer than wax candles and cost about the same.

Eco-friendly lifestyle enables you to reduce carbon foot print

Eco-friendly lifestyle enables you to reduce carbon foot print and minimize damage caused to environment. You can save time and money by using Eco-friendly products for your day-to-day activities. Here is a series of tips to help you reduce your impact on the environment.

Reduce carbon foot print

• Shop Online: Online shopping plays vital role in reducing impact on the environment.When you shop online you can save time and money.Sometimes online retailers will have better pricing than bricks and mortar stores, plus you'll save fuel in traveling from store to store.

• Earth-friendly gifts: When purchasing gifts, try and think "earth-friendly" every step of the way.This doesn't mean buying items the person may not need or want, but consider the person's interests and look for a green angle.

• Rechargeable battery: Battery operated items are a hugely popular as gifts.As part of your gift buying, purchase rechargeable batteries and a battery charger - these are quite economical items to buy these days and will save you a ton of money in the long run.

• Candles for decoration:If candles are part of your celebrations and decorations, consider using soy or beeswax types. Normal candles are made from paraffin, which is a petroleum based product.

• Recycle: Before the party or feast begins, have boxes or bins set up for different types of rubbish - cans, bottles, paper etc. This will make your job easier at the end of the day and minimize the amount of recyclables heading for landfill.

• Reusable bags: When heading out to do your shopping, take your own reusable bags rather than using the plastic ones provided by stores.

• Digital storage: When it comes to the environment, it's this aspect that certainly makes digital photography very economical and relatively earth friendly. Storing photos on digital media such as your computer or on DVD is far cheaper and more environmentally friendly than paying for hundreds for photos you print out.You can share your photos via email, social networking sites and other digital medias.Switching to digital storage for the bulk of your photos certainly saves time and money.

Links to refer :

• http://www.commonfloor.com/green-living

• http://twitter.com/grnlivingtips

Support green Living @ Common Floor

Go GREEN and support green living

Following tips help you to go green and support green living. Save water, air and environment.

• Eat green: Include vegetarian meals, and have meals planned using local, seasonal produce.
• Save energy. Coordinate with the meeting venue to ensure that energy lights and air conditioning will be turned off when rooms are not in use.
• Spread the word: Tell delegates, speakers and the media about your success.
• Use paperless technology. Use new media and electronic technology to cut down your paper use. Create a conference web site, offer electronic registration,confirmation and advertise using the web and/or email.
• Deliver bills online: Bills especially in supermarket, grocery store and restaurants can be delivered to your customer's email id and reduce usage of paper for printing bills.
• Teach your children and servants water saving tips. Don’t allow servants to clean driveways using hosepipe instead the driveway should be cleaned using brooms.

Reference:
http://www.commonfloor.com/green-living

Tips to Save Earth and Share your green ideas

Following are tips to save earth and share your knowledge or green ideas with your friends, neighbors or people with common interest .

Build your real-life social network: Most of us get a kick out of traveling to new countries, but don't even know the people on our block. Make friends, trade recipes, swap garden seeds, or build a carpool with your local community members. Some of the most interesting people live near you, and all it takes is a conversation to begin connecting.Share your latest green ideas with like-minded people around the world.

Comment on green blogs: You can either write blog to support green living or comment with you green ideas to share with other readers.

Deliver bills online: Save paper by delivering bills and cash receipt of your customer to their email id. Bills especially in supermarket, grocery store and restaurants can be delivered to your customer's email id and reduce usage of paper for printing bills.

Buy rechargeable batteries: Buy rechargeable batteries instead of throwing away batteries into landfills. Batteries contain heavy metals like mercury, lead, cadmium and nickel. Household batteries, especially alkaline and button batteries, are the single largest source of mercury in our trash.

Borrow things and reduce waste: You can borrow things from your friends, relatives or neighbors instead of buying things which you need only once in a while.

Read More

• green tips at www.commonfloor.com/green-living
• Daily green tips at http://twitter.com/grnlivingtips

Eco-friendly methods to control pests

Pest problems in one apartment,if left unchecked, can spread to neighboring apartments.Like any other living being, pests tend to move to a place where they can survive and their needs are met.Here are some tips for Eco-friendly pest control.

Tips for Eco-friendly pest control

Clean your apartment at regular interval and avoid storing newspapers, paper bags, and boxes for long periods. Also, check for pests in packages or boxes when you carry them to your home.

Don’t let garbage stack up or pile up in your home. Make sure that you don’t have bowls of water, discarded tires, and other receptacles that can contain rain water.

Baking soda and powdered sugar mixed in equal parts is a good Cockroach killer.

Cucumber is natural and non-toxic pesticide to get rid of bugs such as ants, wasps, mites etc.

Soak a cotton ball in the oil of peppermint and place it at a suspected entryway. Mice cannot stand the scent of peppermint or peppermint oil.

Caulking crack in your kitchen or bathroom doors and windows help to minimize the shelter of pests in your home.

More tips and preventive methods are at www.commonfloor.com/articles/pest-control-home-apartment

You Can Reduce Carbon Footprint

There are a lot of environmental groups, and we even celebrate Earth Day, but we cannot deny the fact that everyday of our lives, we worsen the condition of our environment. You can reduce carbon footprint by adopting following methods and support green living.

Replace ordinary chokes with electronic ballasts in tubes and Compact Fluorescent light bulbs can be easily substituted for the energy-draining incandescent bulbs and can save about 50% to 80% of energy. Convert twin tube fittings to single tube by using imported EGP reflectors.

Be sure to clearly label switches or equipment that must be left on, and then turn everything else off. Buy appliances that are marked as being energy saving.

Use occupancy sensors. These little gems are inexpensive, easy to install, and can produce significant energy savings around your homes. For larger rooms, install the sensors in the ceiling in smaller rooms they can be installed in place of the light switch.

For easy and convenient watering, choose a watering can that is well balanced to hold and has a long, narrow spout, which makes it easy to direct the water to the compost rather than over the plant. Plants probably die of over watering therefore plants should be watered often in little quantities. Plants should be handled gently, and should be positioned in a shady and sheltered location. Grow such plants as are good for local environment and animals and require less water.

Teach your children and servants water saving tips. Don’t allow servants to clean driveways using hosepipe instead the driveway should be cleaned using brooms. An easy way to get people involved, even youngsters in the community is to organize an information dissemination campaign regarding the importance of water.

You may create posters and slogans about global warming or saving the earth's precious life commodity. If you're not the leader-type who'd go out and advocate water conservation and protection, you can still help save it while at home.