Most of us are aware that adding insulation to our home’s walls, roof, and attic essential in reducing energy usage and associated costs. But, the insulation materials we choose can also have a direct impact on the environment as well as on our home’s indoor air quality. There is much more to insulation than its R-value (how efficient the material …
Environmentally and Socially Responsible Banking – How Do Banks Spend Your Money?
Perhaps unbeknownst to many checking and savings account holders, large and often controversial projects around the world are funded by banks. There has been a renewed surge of interest and concern about financial investments by banks, financial institutions, and Wall Street, driven in some part by media coverage of the Dakota Access Pipeline project (DAPL). Colleges, Cities, and States divesting …
Is Your Hamburger Destroying the Amazon?
Beef is not the most environmentally friendly food, as meats go- but things potentially just got a whole lot worse in August of 2016. This is when the US opened up beef imports from Brazil following an earlier import ban after concerns over Mad Cow Disease in 2012. The Amazon Rainforest in Brazil has been taking a big hit- since …
Plant Power: How Photosynthesis May Be the Next Big Thing in Energy
While it may seem like technology out of a science-fiction film, plants may just be the next big thing in energy in the real world. Here is what we know about this new energy right now. Photosynthesis 101 That week spent covering photosynthesis in middle school was a long, long time ago, so here’s a quick refresher of the basics. …
Donating a Car for Charity – What to Look For
Choosing a Car Donation Charity Generally, there are three different outcomes when donating your car to charity: It will be used and operated by the charity It will be given to a person in need It will be passed on to a 3rd party for a flat fee or percentage for resale/recycling Unless your car is in good or excellent …
Where Is Geothermal Energy Growing the Most?
Although the world is still heavily dependent on fossil fuels, promising developments have appeared in renewable energy and sustainability. Geothermal energy resources are located within hot water reservoirs below the Earth’s surface. Although technicians must sometimes drill down a mile or even further, they can use water and steam from those reservoirs to generate electricity or heat and cool buildings. …
Renewable Energy from Drinking Water Pipes
New clean energy sources don’t just come along everyday, but a new technology is combining turbines with gravity fed water pipes to generate hydroelectric power. While traditional hydroelectric energy generation is clean, it usually comes with some environmental impacts from interrupting waterways (endangered species, salmon spawning and eco-system health to name a few). This new in-pipe hydropower generates energy with …
Make a Green Move: What to Look for in a City to Be More Eco-Friendly
After living in your current city for a while, you might be ready for a change. Fortunately, in terms of deciding where you want to move, you pretty much have carte blanche. You are confident that you can find work wherever you live, you are great at making friends and your family is welcome to visit whenever they want. After …
Why We Should All Care About Food Labeling
A little war over food labeling has been going on in our food aisles, and it is much more important than you may think. You may be asking, “what’s the problem, isn’t everyone for the labeling of our foods?” Well, many conventional food producers contend that labeling will cause confusion and fear – and you don’t fear what you don’t …
DIY hand poke tattoo kits – A Small Green Business in 2019
It’s hard to be fully “green” in today’s global economy. As a reseller, I create a web of buying and selling that spans the globe. I do not meet most of the people whom I purchase from and sell to. What can we know about each other? Where do these products originate? Who made them, of what are they composed? …