They're looking for venture capital, and it looks very interesting to me (not that I really have any money to put towards a speculative venture right now.

http://waste2tricity.com/the-technology.htm (Opens in new tab)

In any case, I'm curious to hear what the members of GreenJoyment think about technology that heats waste to 6,000 Degrees plus CELSUIS (That's HOT!) in order to convert it into electricity to power homes and the grid (in this case, in the UK).

Please post your thoughts using the comments below.

Pretty cool concept!

What are the pros and cons of this new law and how can you share your thoughts, not just with us, but with your Senators and Representatives too?

In China, electronic bicycles are all the rage.

Just how popular are they?

Recent studies have shown that in China there are now four times as many electric bicycles as cars.

There's no doubt about it: e-bikes are cool.

The tally is currently over 100 million in the nation, with some estimates topping 120 million. Despite friction due to concerns over the bike's safety and an uproar from both sides over a possible mandate of licenses for riders, that number continues to grow - and may hit the 200 million mark by the end of the year.

The bikes are sleek, speedy, and maneuverable - easily darting through sluggish traffic or down cluttered alleyways. It's no surprise that they've caught on with the youth.
On an e-bike, one can silently glide up behind a pedestrian without them even knowing.
Or, as has sometimes been the case, speed towards unsuspecting victims and clip them unawares.

But it's not just young people that have taken a liking to e-bikes. The electric speedsters are becoming a choice way to get people where they need to go. Another advantage of e-bikes and contributing to the recent surge is that they are a way around bans on internal combustion engines (traditional gasoline).

In China, electric has been the way to go.

Having an electric car has been something we've been wanting for a long time now.

In fact, I remember back when I was in high school thinking that it would be awesome to have one. There was even one featured briefly on the TV show "Seventh Heaven" once, and I never saw an electric car again.

Now I know why.

I highly recommend that you take a look at "Who Killed the Electric Car". It really opened our eyes to some of the practices of the oil industry, and GM.

Who Killed the Electric car is a great documentary about the short life of a very popular electric car in California. If you have ever wondered what happened to the original electric car, I suggest you watch it.

I can tell you one thing, I (for one) will never look at GM the same way again.

I'm not one for destroying a company. But, I am one to promote when I think something is a good thing. An electric car is a good thing. The technology for electric cars exists. But, companies are still not making them. At best, they make a hybrid. A hybrid vehicle, such as the Prius, is a start, but it's not a solution.

In "Who Killed the Electric Car?" they offer many points for who it could have been without pointing a finger.

They just tell the story and offer suggestions. It's not one of those documentaries where they're trying to force a specific point of view on the general public. They just tell it how it is.

Unfortunately, at the moment, if you want to have an electric car (like I do), your best option is to buy a kit and convert your gas car into an electric car. You could even buy an old car from a junk yard and then a kit and instructions and learn how to convert your car to an electric car. The cost is less than you might expect. I've even seen places where you can buy an electric car for about $10,000.

We've found this electric car conversion kit. While we haven't tried it yet (as we don't have a car while we're traveling the planet), we will definitely have an electric car in the future, and we think that this electric car conversion kit is a great place to start.

Check it out.

Having an electric car has been something we've been wanting for a long time now. In fact, I remember back when I was in high school thinking that it would be awesome to have one. There was even one featured briefly on Seventh Heaven once, and I never saw an electric car again.

Now I know why.

I highly recommend that you take a look at "Who Killed the Electric Car". It really opened our eyes to some of the practices of the oil industry, and GM.

Do you wear contacts? If so, are they the disposable variety? If they are, how often do you throw them out and get new ones? Everything adds up. That's what most of us have a tendency to forget sometimes. One easy thing to overlook is packaging material, especially for small products.

Same thing goes for glasses, how often do you replace them? When you replace them, do you always replace both the frame and the lenses?

Now that I'm thinking about it, this is a really silly debate to be having. Why? Because if you wear contacts, then you probably also have a pair of glasses. In fact, I don't know any contact wearer who does not also own a pair of glasses.

I do, however, know several people who only wear glasses, and not contacts.

I think that's our answer. The greenest choice is to only have glasses.

But, I wear contacts. And I also have a pair of glasses.

However, my contacts are gas permeable, and I only need to replace them once every 4 years. I do need contact solution though. I go through a 3 ounce bottle every six weeks. This bottle comes with a cardboard box, and a paper instruction insert. All of this packaging is recyclable.

My glasses are 5 years old. But, I'm getting ready to replace them. When I replace my glasses, my old glasses will be donated. I've had the same case for 10 years. When I do get new glasses, I am going to get Teklite lenses.

Teklite is going green by donating the scrap plastic for secondary uses. Teklite also packages their products in recycled (and recyclable material), plants a tree for each order placed, uses less water during production of their lenses. They do a variety of things in the production of their lenses to be more environmentally friendly.
Want to learn more about Teklite environmentally friendly eyeglass lenses? Click here.

As in all things, the answer is to just be smart. Be aware of what you use and what you have. Keep in mind that you will always produce more waste if you wear daily disposable contacts than if you wear bi-weekly, monthly, or gas permeable.

Consider these resources to help you learn more about medicinal plants and herbs, their safety, growing them and using them.

Or maybe you are planning to become a wild food forager?

How can you know (or learn) that the foods you are foraging are safe to eat.

Consider these 7 resources to set you on the right path in your hunt for wild food treasures.

Brian, a member of the GreenJoyment community from ABC Garage Doors, shared this quick tip with us after the holidays in 2008, and we thought it relevant to share with you before you get your tree this year.

I do have a Christmas tip for your readers. Buy a real tree in a pot. Bring the tree inside in an intermediate temperature (garage or unheated mud room) for 2 days, then inside the house for 10-15 days (more then that may hurt the tree), then back in the intermediate temp for 2 days, and finally outside in a pre-dug hole (some places the ground is already frozen after Christmas). Use a little peat moss and plant according to directions that came with the tree. Our tree was only 3 feet tall, so we bought 2. It is a great project for kids. My son, who is 5, had no problem with a smaller tree because Santa would be so proud that we are planting 2 trees and not killing them. Use a little sugar and water when watering, but water like a standard house plant. The gradual temperature change is important; we even slowly heated our mud room. Pine trees make an excellent wind break as well as color to the winter season.

Thanks for the great tip Brian!

What other suggestions can you think of about simple ways to make Christmas and the holidays more green?

Seventh Generation offers a line of green cleaning products, including dish washing liquid, automatic dish washing powder and gel, rinse aids, and multipurpose household cleaners. But do they work?

Right now, Carrie and I are in San Jose, Costa Rica (South of Guatemala, North of Panama), Central America.

We are catching up on a whole bunch of work this week, so we're busily working away.

But next week, we are heading to a turtle conservation project.

There's limited electricity there, and no Internet connection.

However, we'll be defending sea turtles from machete wielding poachers...Or something like that - though it's probably not as dramatic as it sounds.

The hardest part I find to keeping up with my daily doses of green is that there isn't a lot of it in my house. I run around so much that grocery store runs become less frequent. One way to solve this? Grow your own garden.

There's nothing really new here, but Rebecca's easy on the eyes and this video has some simple tips for going green.

Hope you've enjoyed these simple tips and suggestions for going green and doing your part to save the environment.

If you're building your own solar panels, at some point, you'll end up wondering how to calculate the different energy conversions of watts, volts, amps, amperes, and you'll wonder how much wattage goes into charging a 6 volt or 12 volt battery.

To get things working right, you'll need to calculate watts, volts, and amps.

Unfortunately, they don't all work together simply, but there are some very simple ways to do the conversions.

The most recent GreeyDiyEnergy videos have some GREAT Step-By-Step screens to show you EXACTLY what to do, so I bootlegged one of them and posted it here. (Not the whole video, just the image screen which shows the conversions and how watts, volts, and amps relate to each other.)

I've now seen several projects which have used this and have had great success getting their home made solar panels to follow the sun.

$35 Sun tracker

Here's a guy who built a solar tracker using the $35 tracker and a bed frame.

The video below shows their solar and alternative energy research, as well as what they did to buy and install a grid inter-tied photovoltaic solar generating system on the roof of their suburban home.

Really, go and check this out. You can learn a LOT about solar PV systems from what he has on this site already.

I talk with Charlie Szoradi from the company called GreenAndSave. (FYI, GreenAndSave has offered EXCLUSIVE discount codes to members of the GreenJoyment community to save on their services.)

I'll have a transcript of this interview up later on this week.

For now, you can listen to the interview and get a discount code on GreenAndSave's services.

Green And Save has a unique concept regarding home efficiency, and you can take advantage of it (through a discount arrangement GreenAndSave has offered to GreenJoyment) in one of two ways.

Really, go and check this out. You can learn a LOT about solar PV systems from what he has on this site already.

Listen to the interview and/or read the transcript below!

You can also download the green smoothie interview here

Green Joyment: This is Jonathan Kraft with Green Joyment.com. I'm super, super excited today because we have on the phone here today, Kevin Gianni.

If you're not familiar with Kevin Gianni, he is a health advocate, an author, he's an interviewer, he's a film consultant - he's doing 20 different things at once! He's helped thousands of people from over 85 different countries learn more and improve their health through their programs and online seminars that they offer through their website and company, Renegade Health.

Kevin is the founder and host of "Renegade Health Show" which is one of the fastest growing internet health shows online and available just to anyone. He's also the creator and co-author of "The Busy Person's Fitness Solution," and he's got a new book out that I want to talk with him about a little bit.

Basically, he creates optimal wellness systems that help busy people reach optimal health; using just three to four hours of their precious time a week. He has expertise in all kinds of areas including exercise, energy techniques, nutrition, paradigm shifting and stress relief.

So I wanted to talk to you today Kevin because I think you just have some incredible knowledge that you can share with the people in the GreenJoyment community.

So, how are you doing today?

But are they really unusable? I think not! I rummaged around a bit and found a plethora of really cute ideas that you can use your old CDs for. Don't worry, I tried some out myself to make sure you won't ruin your personal belongings in the process.

I looked around on the internet for quite awhile and compiled a pretty impressive list of sites where you can find instructions, complete with pictures, on how to build your own green hot water heater (all of these use solar heating as the method), as well as companies that can help you out when building your own green solar hot water heater.

Ok Jonathan, you are the only other person I know that would truly be interested in this. If you don't have time, don't worry about it, but my parents had a great idea.

Fitness clubs. People are always on treadmills and cycle machines, constantly. There is even a spin class. Tell me something. WHY do those machines need to be electrically powered? Hook those things up to something like a wind turbine generator and people could be powering things. Not just their machine, they could potentially be powering the entire club, right? I think this is a huge idea, hooking athletic equipment up to these power generators. If you want your imagination to really turn wild, think about the future of turning around Americas obesity problem as your TV set being hooked up to a treadmill, ha!

You have to run to watch TV. But seriously, it's a good idea right?

It's amazing, the more I think about it, the more athletic clubs just aren't necessary, but with their existence, they could actually be doing lots of good in the world.

I responded to Lindsey's email (below) with the ZERI story which I heard about from ZERI's founder at the Denver Green Festival.

It's a pretty powerful study in what can be done with some creative thinking.

It was a question I think a lot of people have when looking at buying guides to solar energy, so I thought I would post the question here and my answer to it.

Do these instructions explain how to connect the solar panel to my home's power source?

Another way of asking this is: Does the solar panel guide from greendiyenergy show how to connect my home made solar panel into the power grid?

It's why you should shop local, and why local usually turns out to be Green.

Look no further. 3rdWhale has just launched a new paid version of their iPhone app that helps you easily find green businesses local to you along with giving useful sustainable living tips. It's been both beautifully revamped in its interface and is now a true trailblazer. It's now as simple as clicking on this application and driving (or better yet, biking) to your destination.

Orbitz, a Chicago based travel web site, has jumped on the green bandwagon to highlight eco-tourism packages as well as a list of eco-friendly hotels. While so many companies are greening (at least their advertising), Orbitz appears to be embracing the eco-friendly on several fronts.

While Orbitz is steadily making their mark on the travel industry as they book trips around the globe, the company is making efforts to decrease their carbon footprints on Mother Earth.

Growing up extremely poor, as the son of a farmer in rural Malawi (Africa), William had only three books available to him to learn these concepts from.

He built a windmill from the resources of three simple books.

He had no access to Google, no Internet, no Computer, and no Electricity.

He didn't even have running water.

The books he used are like hundreds of books that are available to anyone with access to a library in the Western World.

These are books about how electricity and windmills work.

The books were in English.

William didn't speak much English.

William built his windmill from pictures in the books.

He didn't have a drill.
He didn't have a wrench.
He found his parts from a scrapyard, and he also hoisted his dad's old bicycle 30+ feet in the air to make his windmill work. (He had to beg to be able to use the bike.)

The frame for his windmill came from a tree that he and some friends chopped down.

He had to put plastic bags around the base of each of the legs so that the termites wouldn't eat the legs.
(The termites eventually did eat the legs of the windmill)

William built his windmill from simply trying.

And his entire life is different today because of it.

For someone who had every excuse in the world, William didn't make excuses.

For someone who experienced opposition at every corner, William remained confident in what he knew would work.

He says, "If you want to make it, all you have to do is try..."

William is one of my new heroes.

More info: http://www.movingwindmills.org

From Re-Burbia.com

With the current housing crisis, the sub-prime mortgage meltdown, and rising energy costs, the future of suburbia looks bleak. Suburban communities in central California, Arizona and Florida are desolate and decaying, with for sale and foreclosure signs dotting many lawns. According to the US Census, about 90% of all metropolitan growth occurred in suburban communities in the last ten years. Urbanites who loathe the freeways, big box stores and bland aesthetics stereotypical of suburbia may secretly root for the end of sprawl, but demographic trends indicate that exurban growth is still on the rise.

These are primarily rubber tires and aluminum cans.

In six hours the desert receives enough energy to run the world for a year. However, right now the desert ground absorbs the heat and releases it back into the atmosphere. DESERTEC wants to rein in this waste and use it for our benefit.

And here's the map for CSP locations

30+ Utility-Scale Solar Installations in the United States

Basically, it's a way to get some money back for changing out inefficient water hogging appliances and fixtures in your home, condo, or apartment.

It's US based, and really only indexes the US and Canada. But if you're in the US or Canada, you really should take a look.

They organize into one place the various projects which are trying to give you money for changing out your water fixtures and appliances.

If you've just renovated, or are planning on renovating, or want motivation for why you should renovate, take a look at ToiletRebate.com.

Sometimes people fascinate me. Really.

I got that message after posting about solar updraft towers a few days ago.

I thought, and still think, that solar updraft towers as power plants are a great idea.

But I do think it's good to take differing perspectives into account, and so I decided to look into this.

What I've found (as you'll read below) has convinced me that solar updraft towers are not only a great idea, but one that we should be pressing our energy utilities to act on, or creating solutions to ourselves.

Here's what I mean:

We currently use coal to generate significant amounts of electricity, right?

Coal is cheap. It's "easy" to come by, and easy to use to generate power. (RIght?)

This is an aerial shot of one of the largest open pit mines in the world, the Black Thunder Coal Mine in Wyoming.

I learned from here, that "In 2004, Black Thunder became the first coal mine in the US to ship a cumulative 1,000Mst (907Mt) over its 27-year life to date." and that "The combined operation is now producing coal at a rate of around 91Mt/y, equivalent to about 10% of total US coal production."

I had no idea what those measurements meant.

Turns out it was easier than I thought. It's 901 Million Tons total, or 91 Million Tons/year.

So the first complaint/rebuttal offered by this individual was It has to be a kilometer tall?
Well, how much concrete would be needed to build a solar updraft tower?
I know that in the world trade towers, 425,000 cubic yards of concrete were used. (It's unfortunately an easy number to look up.)

1 cubic yard of concrete = 3,000 pounds (approx.) source

Less concrete would likely be needed for this kind of tower, but let's assume it's the right amount of concrete.

We would need 6,375,000 tons of raw material per tower. (I realize as well that there would be steel and other materials to build a solar updraft tower, but we'll just go with the base material for now.)

Not comparing apples to apples here (at all) but go out on a limb with me for a second and say we were to make towers out of the material that has been extracted already (coal instead of concrete). From what has already been taken out of the ground there in 27 years (as of 2004), we could have built 151 towers. (907Million tons/yr. divided by 6 Million tons/material per tower). Coal's not as dense as the material needed to make concrete, so let's round that number down to 100 towers, just to give flex room in my figures.

So I realize that's not apples to apples, but it gives a good base for understanding. From one (albeit large) mine, the raw material could have constructed 100 or more towers.

The next complaint offered by this person was It has to have a 1.5 mile radius of "greenhouse canopy"?
Well, just how big is that footprint?
The image below shows how many of these 1.5 mile radius greenhouse canopies could fit into the surface area of just the Black Thunder Coal Mine. (I left the scale on the map so you could see I was accurate to a 1.5 mile radius.)

I'll save you the time in counting.

It's 16 (or more).

So, for the same space used by this one coal mine over 27 years, we could build 16+ towers.
For the same (or similar amount) of raw material extracted from the earth by this one coal mine over 27 years, we could build 100+ towers.

The next issue offered by this person was this expense would be *just* to power 200,000 homes *only* for 50 years/tower?
Well, how much coal is needed for 50 years of powering 200,000 homes?

In 27 years, 907 million tons came out of the Black Thunder mine.

They say that met about 10% of the nation's energy needs.

If that number is accurate, this means that in 25 years, the US used about 10 billion tons of coal. If energy consumption remained the same (which it won't because consumption is increasing, but it's easy for purposes of the example), the US would use 20 Billion tons of coal in 50 years.

According to the US DOE, it currently costs about $36 to mine a ton of coal and deliver it to a utility.

20 Billion tons of coal * $36/ton = 720 Billion dollars to get coal to utilities over 50 years.

That's 720 solar updraft towers that can be built for the same amount of money.

But the utilities have costs to building and maintaining power plants for turning coal into electricity.

According to the DOE, "Each ton of coal consumed at an electric power plant produces about 2000 kilowatt hours of electricity."

According to APPVoices, a traditional coal power plant costs approximately $1,300 per kilowatt hour of generation capacity. Therefore, a 500 megawatt plant costs about $650 million. (Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle plants and Fluidized Bed plants are more expensive at more than $1,400 per kilowatt hour, or more than $700 million for a 500 megawatt plant.)

We're going to use the lower number of those numbers, $1,300 per kilowatt hour of generation capacity.

This means that (in 50 years) 20 billion tons of coal produced around 40 trillion kilowatt hours of electricity.

40 trillion kilowatt hours * $1300/kilowatt hour, is a a total cost (just in production of electricity from coal) of 520 trillion dollars (over 50 years).

Assuming each tower would cost 1 Billion dollars, we could *only* build 520,000 towers for what it would cost (at the current price of coal), to power the United States for 50 years.

(I know coal was less expensive in the past, but it will likely cost more in the future, especially with the dropping value of the dollar. So just stick with the example here.)

A single tower could power 200,000 homes. The US Census Bureau reports 126,316,181 housing units as of 2006. That equates to 632 of these towers to power the entire US. Let's round that up to 640.

(Significantly more than $640 Billion was spent in the Iraq war, 20 billion was spent so GM could go into bankruptcy, but I digress...)

After the first 50 towers were built, construction efficiency would increase and as a result costs would decrease. But let's assume that didn't happen.

Compare these numbers next to each other.
$520,072,000,000,000
$ 640,000,000,000

For the same space used by one coal mine over 27 years, we could build 16+ towers.
For the same (or similar amount) of raw material extracted from the earth by this one coal mine over 27 years, we could build 100+ towers.
For the same costs as the entire coal industry over 50 years, we could build 520,000 towers.
For the same electricity production as the entire coal industry (to power the United States over 50 years), we could save more than 520 TRILLION dollars.

Is my math flawed? Am I missing something here? Please let me know if I am.

Even if my numbers are way off, and there are all sorts of unaccounted for expenses in building the solar updraft towers, the cost to power the United States for the next 50 years is so much better when looking at the solution proposed by solar updraft towers.

And this ignores the real costs of coal.

Coal cleanup (after mines are carved into the earth)
Coal pollution (health challenges)
Trucking/Equipment pollution and oil price fluctuations

If you live in an apartment, you can still grow vegetables. Milk jugs, potting soil, and tomatoes combine to make simple summer plants, and you can use something you're probably throwing away right now: plastic containers.

The inspiration for this: Carrie and I saw a TV commercial where they were selling some plastic thing you could buy for $20 to grow your own tomatoes. What's the point of that? People have plastic containers like milk jugs that they throw out every day. We actually got the milk jugs for our tomato plants from the coffee shop where Carrie works sometimes. Carrie told me that the coffee shop throws out at least 15 of these milk jugs EVERY day. That's unbelievable. (Think about the hundreds of thousands of milk jugs thrown out every day my the thousands of coffee shops across America alone). So we turned them into tomato planters. If you live in an apartment or have limited space, this could be a perfect way for you to grow tomatoes as well.

Basically the idea is that a tower is constructed, and a large circle of the ground is covered with a material that sits 3-15 feet off the ground. Light can shine through the material, heating the air underneath the material and funneling it toward the only escape for the hot air, a tower at the center of the circle.

In the tower is a turbine. That turbine is turned by the heat rising upwards.

A successful research prototype operated in Spain in the 1980s, and many modelling studies have been published as to optimization, scale, and economic feasibility.

Here's a video of the tower that was done in the 1980's.

That video was taken before the tower collapsed in a storm in 1989.

The concept has come a long way since then. Although very little has been done to actually build towers in the world, but power companies are (slowly) beginning to look at this as a real possibility for meeting electricity needs in the short and long term.

The generating ability of a solar updraft power plant depends primarily on two factors: the size of the collector area and chimney height. With a larger collector area, a greater volume of air is warmed to flow up the chimney.

With a larger chimney height, the pressure difference increases the stack effect, ultimately producing a greater pull on the air flow and more electricity generated.

Heat can be stored inside the collector area greenhouse to be used to warm the air later on. Water, with its relatively high specific heat capacity, can be filled in tubes placed under the collector, increasing the energy storage as needed.

Peat Moss is a family of wild growing mosses of the Sphagnum kind or family of mosses (as it is scientifically known). Peat Moss, as used in gardening, is a fibrous, decomposed remains of these certain types of moss, which are found in very wet areas of the country. It is a highly prized natural plant food and can be used as a covering or mulch like substance for seeded areas.

Home was a beautiful showing of the majesty and beauty of our planet

You can watch it via the link below (the video below is just the trailer - odd that they decided not to allow people to embed the whole movie on their sites via YouTube), and if you have the ability to watch this movie on a large HD screen, I HIGHLY recommend doing so. Home has some BEAUTIFUL shots of our planet, a planet in peril.

My other thoughts on the movie are below. But my thoughts may spoil the movie if you haven't seen it, so I recommend watching the movie (1 and ½ hours long) before reading my comments.

Home - The Trailer

Home - Thoughts from the director and writer Yann Arthus-Bertrand (in French)

Watch the full movie here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU

There are two things I didn't like about HOME (aside from the fact that if the central theme of the movie is about "sharing," and they've already uploaded the video to YouTube. So then why did they prevent me from having an easy way of embedding the movie right here on the page??)

The first thing I didn't like about Home is that it depicts the corporation and the nation-state (pretty much most large corporations and all wealthy nation states) as evil entities bent on the destruction of the planet and humanity.

As I try to prepare for the future of the environment for my children, I have read several books in the hope that they will give me new ideas for teaching my family and children how to care for the environment, through conservation, involvement, reduce, reuse and recycling habits and sharing our knowledge with others. Some of my reading has been a "strike" and others a "home run."

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Other articles you may also enjoy:
http://www.greenjoyment.com/how-to-build-your-own-solar-panel-solar-cell-electricity.html
http://www.greenjoyment.com/wind_turbines_made_simple_how_to_build_your_own_electricity.html
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Hello there, I'm your host Dan Rohas .... and I'm Denise Rohas and today we're going to make our own solar panels.

This is the famous Harbor Freight solar panels that we've used in many of our previous videos. Today, we're going to be using cells of a different type.

There are three basic type of cells used in most solar panels. The least efficient and least expensive of these cells is the amorphous cell. (Amorphous solar comes in a film that is deposited on a substrate. This varies and include glass, plastic or metal.) Now this is what the Harbor Freight system is; the cells are deposited on glass usually and there are kits that come with this, they're really tricky to work with. I pretty much don't advise you to try to make these. The nice thing about these because they are deposited on glass, even though they are less efficient than the other types of cells, is the fact that you can just dunk these in water - you can pretty much do anything with them; they are really, really durable.

There are also mono-crystalline - those are hexagon cells. Those are the most efficient and the most expensive. The cell that we're going to be working with today is poly-crystalline. These cells are about a watt and a half, almost two watts apiece (actual cell specifications: Watts: 1.70 Wp, Amps: 3.5 Imax and Volts: 0.5 Vmax) and you can get these in lots of 100 - you can get them in just about any size. These cells you have to tab them together. Now one thing about these cells is they're very fragile! You can see that it didn't take much for you to break that. You have to be really careful when you work with these because that was about a $2 break that I just did right there.

Now one thing about these cells is they are about one and a half to two watts apiece, but they're .5 volts. So in order to get your voltage up to charge a battery - say to 18 volts or 20 volts -- you need to chain together 36 of these or 40 of these, depending on what voltage you're looking for.

So what we're going to be doing is tabbing these cells together today.

There are basically three different things that you need for this. You need tabbing wire which is a thin wire that's got a deposited metal (coated with tin) on it; this actually solders to the cells. There's also a bus wire - it's basically the same thing as tabbing wire but it's a lot thicker so it handles more amperage and you use this to tie your strings of cells together.

There's also some silver solder (tin, lead-free) which basically you use to enhance the soldering joints. You're also going to need a soldering iron. Now, they usually recommend that you use a 65-watt iron; we're going to use one a little bit less than that.

We're going to show you the basics for this and in future videos we're going to show you how to add a lot of components to the solar panels.

Here are some of the ways we all can build communities in our local areas.

Turn off your TV
Leave your house
Know your neighbors
Look up when you are walking
Greet people
Sit on your stoop
Plant flowers
Use your library
Play together
Buy from local merchants
Share what you have
Help a lost dog
Take children to the park
Garden together
Support neighborhood schools
Fix it even if you didn't break it
Have pot lucks
Honor elders
Pick up litter
Read stories aloud
Dance in the street
Talk to the mail carrier
Listen to the birds
Put up a swing
Help carry something heavy
Barter for your goods
Start a tradition
Ask a question
Hire young people for odd jobs
Organize a block party
Bake extra and share
Ask for help when you need it
Open your shades
Sing together
Share your skills
Listen before you react to anger
Mediate a conflict
Seek to understand
Learn from new and uncomfortable angles.
Know that no one is silent though many are not heard. Work to change this.
Participate in book clubs
Lend/give someone your shoes
Share music
Offer to baby sit
Have people over for tea
Talk to strangers (you're an adult now)
Throw a bon voyage party
Fix a computer
Edit your neighbors' papers
Buy airline tickets and/or travel with friends
Go to church together
Smile, especially when you don't want to

(Based on a post at http://travelwithoastler.com/)

What else would you add to this list?

Here is some information about Vibrant Solar. Perhaps if you are thinking of starting a solar company, their story will be inspirational to you.

If you are in Colorado and in need of a solar installer, take a look at Vibrant Solar.

One of the coolest items I saw for sale at the Denver Green Festival was the chopstick art made by Brian Parks. So I bought one and brought it home.

You can see the basket in the video above.

I saw this man talk on Saturday at the Denver Green Festival, and the talk amazed me... They've gotten mushrooms to "eat" Nerve gas... NERVE GAS, and turn it into NOTHING! The work being done here is nothing short of revolutionary.

Take a look.

Mycologist Paul Stamets studies the mycelium -- and lists 6 ways that this astonishing fungus can help save the world.

Is backyard gardening the smart new way to drastically lower your monthly food bills while simultaneously helping the planet? Or is it an overpriced hobby that ends up costing more than it saves?

Well, that depends upon the gardener.

Although gardening is heavily promoted as a key to shrinking our carbon footprints by reducing our number of trips back and forth to the store -- and hey, even the Obamas have planted a White House "Victory Garden" -- no one wants to admit a certain dark secret: Gardening, the way most people do it, can be pretty pricey.

Well,you can join in on the discussion by joining the GreenJoyment community forums at http://www.Greenjoyment.com/forum.

You can also use this post below as a great place to start getting education on what "green jobs" are, what they mean for the US and global economy, and how you can participate in the changing culture of production jobs and industry in general.

Take a look:
http://blog.seriousmaterials.com/?p=295

So it's no surprise that I ended up on their blog reading about experimentation with a Fresnel Lens.

Official Google Blog: Will it lens?

This concept for a fresnel lens is really nifty (hadn't seen anything like it before) and could be applied (in a smaller lens, or by focusing the indirect light of the focal point on some kind of flat cooking surface) to actually cook food in your backyard.

Of course, there's danger here too so it's something to be aware of, but check it out.

Official Google Blog: Will it lens?

Starting this weekend and once a month for the year, "Go Clean Bahamas" begins. To help with trash pick up of items not normally picked up by the regular weekly garbage run, we are placing three containers, one at Montague, one at Arawak Cay and one at the intersection of Carmichael and Bacardi Road for the general public to use to help clean up our country. Any large items that need to be discarded, please carry to any of these locations and place in the bin (not beside it or we will need to hire persons to clean up afterward and we are trying to keep our cost down to the minimum.]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/bahamas-beach-clean-up.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/bahamas-beach-clean-up.html Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:55:17 -0700 The Waterkeeper Alliance is a "neighborhood watch program" for waterways wherever they may be located. Who do they help, how do they work, where do they help and how can you be involved in keeping water clean?

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/what-is-the-waterkeeper-alliance.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/what-is-the-waterkeeper-alliance.html Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:29:42 -0700 Have you ever considered a green house? Don't know where to begin? Think they are too expensive? Maybe you have limited space and don't think there is room for a greenhouse. If you have considered a greenhouse you can have many of your questions answered from how to build one to what to consider when planning a greenhouse. Find out about solar greenhouses and even ones made from 2 liter plastic bottles.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/whats-in-your-greenhouse.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/whats-in-your-greenhouse.html Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:17:22 -0700 So you sometimes collect, um, beer cans? No doubt you usually recycle all your aluminum cans, but you may want to check out this unique way to reuse beer cans.

You've probably heard the ditty "Ninety Nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall," but how about 126 beer cans on the window? Or put to good use that beer can pyramid you designed in your college dorm.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/warm-up-with-beer-can-solar-collectors.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/warm-up-with-beer-can-solar-collectors.html Sun, 05 Apr 2009 15:23:48 -0700 Installing solar panels can be expensive - but in the long run can save you money. But how do you find ways to afford this green improvement to your home in the short term? By using federal, state and local tax credit opportunities. FInd out how!

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/federal-state-and-local-tax-credits-for-solar-panels.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/federal-state-and-local-tax-credits-for-solar-panels.html Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:34:31 -0700 Demonstrating true innovation and a passion for sustainability that's unfortunately not mirrored by their American counterparts, European car makers Pininfarina and Bollore have created a hybrid vehicle that truly embodies environmental friendliness, from wipers to its non-existent tailpipe.

The brainchild of Italian and French engineers, the B0 (B Zero) or Bluecar, is built around its LMP battery, which in turn is based on Lithium Metal Polymer technology.

Produced at BatScap, a subsidiary that was set up specifically for that purpose, the LMP battery provides a number of advantages: it can store five times more energy than a traditional battery weight for weight and can be recharged in a matter of hours. Its "solid-state" technology makes it safer too and its lifespan should outlast that of the car that it powers.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/europe-gets-the-blue-car-electric-solar-car.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/europe-gets-the-blue-car-electric-solar-car.html Wed, 25 Mar 2009 12:27:14 -0700 Reducing our use of plastics that pose health threats to our planet, our homes and our bodies is a good thing. But buying and using plastics is such as pervasive habit that many people will find plastic withdrawal unbearable. Before you start whittling a wooden toothbrush and recycling your old plastic handled one, consider an easy place to start... and for that matter be finished.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/breaking-the-habit-reducing-the-use-of-plastic-water-bottles.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/breaking-the-habit-reducing-the-use-of-plastic-water-bottles.html Mon, 23 Mar 2009 09:45:53 -0700 http://www.greenjoyment.com/can-we-live-in-a-plastic-free-world.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/can-we-live-in-a-plastic-free-world.html Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:55:36 -0700 It has been called the most pristine coral reef in the world.

Today, ecologists recognize that the Great Barrier Reef is under attack and at risk. What solutions can save this valuable and beautiful natural resource?

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/the-great-barrier-reef-global-warming-over-fishing-and-pollu.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/the-great-barrier-reef-global-warming-over-fishing-and-pollu.html Tue, 17 Mar 2009 08:59:50 -0700

How I home-built an electricity producing Wind turbine

It was easy. You can do it too
(From MdPub.com)
Michael Davis is amazing to be sharing all of this information for free. Thank-you Michael!

Several years ago I bought some remote property in Arizona. I am an astronomer and wanted a place to practice my hobby far away from the sky-wrecking light pollution found near cities of any real size. I found a great piece of property. The problem is, it's so remote that there is no electric service available. That's not really a problem. No electricity equals no light pollution. However, it would be nice to have at least a little electricity, since so much of life in the 21st century is dependant on it.

One thing I noticed right away about my property is that most of the time, the wind is blowing. Almost from the moment I bought it, I had the idea of putting up a wind turbine and making some electricity, and later adding some solar panels. This is the story of how I did it. Not with an expensive, store-bought turbine, but with a home-built one that cost hardly anything. If you have some fabricating skills and some small electronics know-how(or can learn or borrow from someone else's skills), you can build one too...

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/wind_turbines_made_simple_how_to_build_your_own_electricity.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/wind_turbines_made_simple_how_to_build_your_own_electricity.html Mon, 16 Mar 2009 01:15:21 -0700 Ralph Van Pelten, a member of the GreenJoyment community, shared this article from an online source called OneNewsNow.com.

I'm re-printing the whole article here to open up the discussion. What do you think GreenJoyment community? Is Global Warming a hoax? We'd love to know your thoughts in the comments below the article.

NEW YORK CITY
Speakers at a conference on climate change are making the case that the alarmism behind the global-warming bandwagon is politically motivated, has nothing to do with science, and could affect the sovereignty of the U.S.

The second annual International Conference on Climate Change hosted by The Heartland Institute is well under way in New York City. More than 700 registrants have gathered in the Big Apple to hear more than 70 scientists - representing the views of tens of thousands of their colleagues - make the argument that media and environmental advocacy groups have it all wrong, that global warming is not a crisis.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/global-warming-is-a-hoax.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/global-warming-is-a-hoax.html Sun, 15 Mar 2009 18:03:16 -0700 The Great Barrier Reef of Australia is under attack. While most agree that global warming is contributing to the threats of this unique biome, the future of the Great Barrier Reef is being attacked from a variety of enemies.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/global-warming-is-not-destroying-the-great-barrier-reef-at-l.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/global-warming-is-not-destroying-the-great-barrier-reef-at-l.html Sat, 14 Mar 2009 08:35:26 -0700 Many people are becoming more and attracted to the idea of growing their own food. We know that buying produce locally is more eco-friendly and what could be more local than growing your own food right in your own kitchen?

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/garden_harvest_from_an_indoor_garden.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/garden_harvest_from_an_indoor_garden.html Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:48:49 -0700 How much money is going down the drain in your home due to a leaky faucet? Not only can you save money, but you can help the environment to but fixing that drip - and sleep peacefully at night.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/leaky-faucets-water-down-the-drain-and-how-to-fix-it-.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/leaky-faucets-water-down-the-drain-and-how-to-fix-it-.html Sun, 08 Mar 2009 10:18:36 -0700 I thought this video did a good job of demonstrating just how powerful our sun is!

In case you're wondering (the video is a little dark) the things that are falling from the sky representing the sun's power are batteries.

If you haven't read it yet, you might be interested in seeing Michael Davis' step-by-step instructions for how to build your own solar panel.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/power-from-sun-falling-from-the-sky.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/power-from-sun-falling-from-the-sky.html Sat, 07 Mar 2009 00:26:54 -0700 You know, we have some truly amazing people in the GreenJoyment community.

I am constantly fascinated by the projects you are working on, the connections we are making, and how much of a difference we are making for our planet (and our wallets)!

Here's the challenge...

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/greenjoyment-launches-forum.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/greenjoyment-launches-forum.html Thu, 05 Mar 2009 23:03:01 -0700 The following is an article from Ben Stein.

In case you don't know who that is, maybe this picture will help.

Would love to have your thoughts via the comments at the end of Mr. Stein's article.

---------------------------------------------

Posted on Monday, January 26, 2009, 12:00AM
Let me be clear: I hate air pollution.

When I am in a traffic jam on the 10 Freeway in Los Angeles, with thousands of cars and trucks belching out carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, I feel as if I'm being gassed by my fellow motorists -- and they probably feel the same way about me.

I am not entirely convinced that the burning of gasoline causes climate change, and there are smart people with good points on both sides of this issue. But I do assume that filling the atmosphere with CO and too much CO2 is not good for children and most other living things (although C02 is good for plants).

And there is an economic impact to air pollution. A recent study co-authored by two Cal State Fullerton economics professors shows that air pollution costs the California economy more than $28 billion per year.

What Can We Do?

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/ben-stein-on-co2-emmissions.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/ben-stein-on-co2-emmissions.html Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:26:35 -0700 Ted Turner, CNN founder and philanthropist, may be more often in the spot light but Turner's daughter, Laura Turner Seydel and her husband Rutherford, have committed to live under "green" lights.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/ecomanor-green-building-practices-and-decorating.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/ecomanor-green-building-practices-and-decorating.html Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:12:01 -0700 What is CSA- Community Supported Agriculture and how does it work as well as benefit its community?

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/growing-and-eating-green-with-community-supported-agricultur.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/growing-and-eating-green-with-community-supported-agricultur.html Sun, 01 Mar 2009 00:56:07 -0700 This fun video (9 minutes) demonstrates some simple principles that were used to

• Power a building of apartments
• Heat a building of apartments
• Sell electricity back to a power company

Take a look!

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/turning_green_in_oxford_england.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/turning_green_in_oxford_england.html Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:17:27 -0700 Have you heard of pimp my ride? e-Bikes gives this a whole new environmentally friendly meaning.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/ebikes-e-is-for-eco-friendly.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/ebikes-e-is-for-eco-friendly.html Mon, 23 Feb 2009 10:03:53 -0700 Isaac, a member of the GreenJoyment community from Uganda, has shared the following story with us about how he developed a system for solar lighting (using LEDs) in his own home, and is now helping friends, family, neighbors, and strangers, to do the same.

It's a really amazing story, and one which we are honored that Isaac has shared with us.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/sharing-solar-light-in-dark-homes-uganda.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/sharing-solar-light-in-dark-homes-uganda.html Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:09:18 -0700 Are you building or renovating a home or office? Or maybe just redecorating a room? There are several beautiful and environmentally friendly choices available to your for your flooring needs. Not only are these choices eco-friendly, but they are in many cases healthier for your home too. Find out more about your flooring options.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/beautiful-environmentally-friendly-flooring-options.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/beautiful-environmentally-friendly-flooring-options.html Thu, 19 Feb 2009 12:45:34 -0700 Sue Zamora, a member of the GreenJoyment community, shared this article with us, and we're sharing it with you.

What do you think you, as an individual, can do to help with this issue?

Scientists: Pace of Climate Change Exceeds Estimates

By Kari Lydersen
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, February 15, 2009; A03

CHICAGO, Feb. 14 -- The pace of global warming is likely to be much faster than recent predictions, because industrial greenhouse gas emissions have increased more quickly than expected and higher temperatures are triggering self-reinforcing feedback mechanisms in global ecosystems, scientists said Saturday.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/pace-climate-change-exceeds-estimates.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/pace-climate-change-exceeds-estimates.html Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:48:03 -0700 How can the new economic stimulus plan save you green on your home or car -- as well as many other energy efficient plans for the future? Find out how these savings, credits, deductions and payments translate into real dollars . . . and sense.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/going-green-gets-you-some-green-pres-obamas-economic-stimulu.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/going-green-gets-you-some-green-pres-obamas-economic-stimulu.html Sun, 15 Feb 2009 20:34:22 -0700 A recent announcement about a new technology for cheaper, light-emitting diode or LED bulbs by Cambridge University is being called the "Holy Grail of Lighting."

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/even-more-efficient-new-led-hailed-as-the-holy-grail-of-ligh.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/even-more-efficient-new-led-hailed-as-the-holy-grail-of-ligh.html Thu, 12 Feb 2009 13:28:35 -0700 Bill Gross, the founder of Idealab, talks about his life as an inventor, starting with his high-school company selling solar energy plans and kits. Learn here about a groundbreaking system for solar cells -- and some questions we haven't yet solved.

This was taken at TED in 2003.

You may think, while listening, that Bill is a bit geeky, but every minute of this video is worth watching for learning about Bill's background and his ideas for solar energy going forward. You may have to watch it twice to understand everything he's talking about here.

About 6 minutes into the video, you'll see some totally new ideas for collecting the sun. Completely awesome, and incredible how he arrives at his conclusions.

The video doesn't seem to be working, so here's a direct link to the video (which will take you away fro GreenJoyment - opens in a new window)

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/solar-energy-bill-gross-on-new-ideas_for_solar_energy.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/solar-energy-bill-gross-on-new-ideas_for_solar_energy.html Tue, 10 Feb 2009 01:15:19 -0700

How I built an electricity producing Solar Panel
It was easy. You can do it too
(From MdPub.com)
Michael Davis is amazing to be sharing all of this information for free.  Thank-you Michael!

IMPORTANT NOTE: IF YOU BUILD THIS PANEL, PLEASE KNOW... you can't just plug something in to this panel and think that it will work.
It may destroy whatever you plug in to it.

After building this panel, you will still need a:

• Charge controller
• Battery (12 Volt DC battery)
• Inverter (to convert the DC power to AC power)

Several years ago I bought some remote property in Arizona. I am an astronomer and wanted a place to practice my hobby far away from the sky-wrecking light pollution found near cities of any real size. I found a great piece of property. The problem is, it's so remote that there is no electric service available. That's not really a problem. No electricity equals no light pollution. However, it would be nice to have at least a little electricity, since so much of life in the 21st century is dependant on it.

I built a wind turbine to provide some power on the remote property. It works great, when the wind blows. However, I wanted more power, and more dependable power. The wind seems to blow all the time on my property, except when I really need it too. I do get well over 300 sunny days a year on the property though, so solar power seems like the obvious choice to supplement the wind turbine. Solar panels are very expensive though. So I decided to try my hand at building my own. I used common tools and inexpensive (and easy to acquire) materials to produce a solar panel that rivals commercial panels in power production, but completely blows them away in price. Read on for step by step instructions on how I did it.

So what is a solar panel anyway? It is basically a box that holds an array of solar cells.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/how-to-build-your-own-solar-panel-solar-cell-electricity.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/how-to-build-your-own-solar-panel-solar-cell-electricity.html Sat, 07 Feb 2009 15:30:13 -0700 Because cell phones contain many chemicals such as arsenic, antimony, beryllium, cadmium, copper, lead, nickel and zinc, safe disposal of them is necessary to protect the environment and our health from a build-up of these toxins.

But how can we know where to go and what can be gained by properly disposing of our used cell phones?

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/you-guide-to-environmentally-friendly-disposal-of-cell-phone.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/you-guide-to-environmentally-friendly-disposal-of-cell-phone.html Sat, 07 Feb 2009 14:13:13 -0700 "Gray hairs" don't always make us smile and "grey areas" sometimes get us in trouble. But it's really clear that reusing grey water is a good thing. It's economical for homeowners and eco-friendly for the environment.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/grey-can-be-good-water-that-is.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/grey-can-be-good-water-that-is.html Wed, 04 Feb 2009 11:09:41 -0700 Wherever you are on your going green journey, we've got some ideas for going eco-friendly in the kitchen, from cooking, utensils, serving and decor.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/green-in-the-kitchen.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/green-in-the-kitchen.html Tue, 03 Feb 2009 11:14:28 -0700 Fair warning... This video starts off loud, so turn your volume down a little bit.

Focusing on natural elements like a discrete water droplet or a powerful ocean eddy, his work is elegant and hypnotic.

(It's also amazing to me how much math goes into his art.)

Also, the video ends with a sort of cheesy but simple explanation of how ocean waves could power our future.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/kinetic-wave-sculptures-from-recycled-materials.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/kinetic-wave-sculptures-from-recycled-materials.html Fri, 30 Jan 2009 18:30:16 -0700 What is Fair Trade? Who does it benefit and how? How can I be involved in Fair Trade practices?

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/the-who-what-when-where-and-why-of-fair-trade.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/the-who-what-when-where-and-why-of-fair-trade.html Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:17:40 -0700 This post is a series of conversations I have had, and great information I've received, from Chris Rohland, a member of the GreenJoyment community.

He has figured out how to run an engine on water, which means that in theory, if you had one of these engines in your home, you could run your heating and electricity on nothing but water.

GreenJoyment: Chris, what's gotten you interested in working/living green?

Chris: Originally boy scouts. I learned to live off and appreciate the land. Kind of like survivorman and man vs. Wild. But not to those extremes. I am currently in the process of sawing logs from an overgrown woods to hand craft a log home. The point is to live off the grid with minimal technology. I want to raise my kids in an amish like setting. Im not impressed with the direction or reliability of the future of society so im getting out while the gettin's good.

GreenJoyment: Not a bad plan. We're hearing that perspective more and more and have to say that it seems like the safest way to go... We'll do our best to bring you what help we can...

Chris: Here is the thing. With solar and wind power, there are downsides. As with everything. solar and wind power are subject to the availability of the sun and wind. Then the process of creating the solar cells is not a very green process. Just like bio fuels and ethanol, the process to create the fuel puts more co2 emissions into the atmosphere than if we just burned the petroleum that they replace.

Anyhow... Ive been checking into hydrogen to power my vehicles and my home. Attached is a diagram of a system i have been using in a '86 ford ranger with a 400 hp Chevy 355 ci engine. Living in Wisconsin, it is not practical in the winter months, because water easily freezes, but the idea is wonderful in the warmer months, and i plan on using the same principal to run a generator to power my home all year round.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/running_an_engine_on_water_chris_says_its_simple.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/running_an_engine_on_water_chris_says_its_simple.html Sun, 25 Jan 2009 19:12:33 -0700 Not creepy, not hairy, not poisonous and not even eight-legged, the spider plant is a wonderful kind of spider to invite to live in your home. Chlorophytum comosum, commonly known as the spider plant, is a great choice for greening your home.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/going-green-with-spiders-in-your-home-spider-plants.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/going-green-with-spiders-in-your-home-spider-plants.html Fri, 23 Jan 2009 12:55:06 -0700 Let's compare the light in our life -- as well as it's energy efficiency and cost. Which light will you be using in the future?

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/whats-in-your-lamp-led-clf-or-incandescent.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/whats-in-your-lamp-led-clf-or-incandescent.html Tue, 20 Jan 2009 11:28:25 -0700 One person's seeds are another person's garden. Seed swapping is one of those items that one person has, that another person can find a use for. The use of swaps, "free cycles", or recycling any product, good, or service is good for us all. Seed swapping is a great example of something that saves money, creates health, and helps the environment.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/seed-swapping-one-persons-seeds-become-anothers-garden.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/seed-swapping-one-persons-seeds-become-anothers-garden.html Sat, 17 Jan 2009 16:29:57 -0700

---------- message ----------
Hey Kelly!

Sorry for the delayed reply. I have watched the whole movie of Zeitgeist: Addendum, and even though I don't agree with all of it, I think it's very important for people to see and try to draw their own conclusions from. So, we are posting it on GreenJoyment.

Thank-you for your suggestion.
Warmest,

Jonathan

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/zeitgeist-the-movie-addendum-to-the-zeitgeist-movie.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/zeitgeist-the-movie-addendum-to-the-zeitgeist-movie.html Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:56:22 -0700 Elmer is a member of the GreenJoyment community. He shared something with me about his grass house, and I wanted to share it with everyone here, because I found it to be a great example of going green.

We're putting together a lot of resources about solar energy right now, and should have some interesting news to share soon.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/elmers-green-grass-house.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/elmers-green-grass-house.html Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:14:34 -0700 Solar power used for transportation in India; prototype solar powered transportation designs in London and improved working conditions that also leave no carbon footprint and lead the way to a transportation alternative to gas and diesel fueled vehicles.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/discover-solar-powered-transportation.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/discover-solar-powered-transportation.html Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:44:51 -0700 No longer do you need to tie your hands up in knots with plastic shopping bags as they twist and turn around your wrist. Or worry about your small child or visiting children to your home in danger from plastic bags, or even try to figure out where to store plastic bags -- even though you can't really reuse them again but you hate to throw them away. Read more on why you and your family should stop using plastic bags during your shopping trips and easy tips on how you can make it happen.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/release_yourself_from_plastic_bags_bondage.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/release_yourself_from_plastic_bags_bondage.html Fri, 09 Jan 2009 11:44:34 -0700 Many people may not realize that electric motors account for almost half of all the electricity used in our modern society. John Petro, founder of NovaTorque did realize this about electric motors. Mr. Petro has found a way to reduce energy consumption with a new kind of electric motor. Read more to find out about this interesting, energy efficient, and money saving new electric motor.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/novatorque_a_greener_more-gentle-electric-motor.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/novatorque_a_greener_more-gentle-electric-motor.html Sun, 04 Jan 2009 20:02:07 -0700

Fairtrade Foundation targets younger audience with banana rap animation

The Fairtrade Foundation has teamed up with ethical marketing agency Feel, to create a humorous rap animation that appeals to younger people. The animation, Rap Bananas, will be featured across a range of social websites with seeding expertise from 7th Chamber. Targeted at 16 to 24 year olds, the short animation is being launched to encourage young people to take part in the Go Bananas for Fairtrade action this Fairtrade Fortnight (23 February - 8 March).

The track used in the animation is Matt Helders' remix of the Roots Manuva classic Again and Again and has been donated by the artists who are known for their support for trade justice.

Go Bananas for Fairtrade involves people pledging to eat a Fairtrade banana between noon on Friday 6 and noon on Saturday 7 March to set a world record. Over 90,000 people are already signed up and thousands of events are expected to take place across the UK.

Giles Robertson, Interim Marketing Director at the Fairtrade Foundation said: "Feel have created a unique piece of entertainment that will appeal to young people. Our campaign, Go Bananas for Fairtrade, aims to highlight the straightforward support people can give to farmers and workers by choosing Fairtrade bananas. It's the perfect fit for the finale of our Fairtrade Fortnight campaign when we hope to drive sales and encourage people to find out more about Fairtrade".

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/going-bananas-for-fair-trade.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/going-bananas-for-fair-trade.html Thu, 01 Jan 2009 22:16:52 -0700 Ringing in the New Year, you can also ring in the green. Try any one or more of these New Year's Resolutions to begin or continue your journey toward saving money and the environment.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/new-year-environmentally-friendly-resolutions.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/new-year-environmentally-friendly-resolutions.html Wed, 31 Dec 2008 11:22:18 -0700 As you're taking your tree out this year, think about how you might make your Christmas a little more green next year.

Brian, a member of the GreenJoyment community from ABC Garage Doors, shares this quick tip.

I do have a Christmas tip for your readers next year. Buy a real tree in a pot. Bring the tree inside in an intermediate temperature (garage or unheated mud room) for 2 days then inside the house for 10-15 days (more then that may hurt the tree) then back in the intermediate temp for 2 days and finnaly outside in a pre dug hole (some places the ground is allready frozen after Christmas). Use a little peat moss and plant according to directions that came with the tree. Our tree was only 3 feet tall so we bought 2. It is a great project for kids, my son who is 5 had no problem with a smaller tree because Santa would be so proud that we are planting 2 trees and not killing them. Use a little sugar and water when watering but water like a standard house plant. The gradual temperature change is important, we even slowly heated our mud room. Pine trees make an excellent wind break as well as color to winter season.

Thanks for the great tip Brian! What other suggestions do people have about simple ways to make Christmas and the holidays more green?

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/having-a-green-christmas-tree.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/having-a-green-christmas-tree.html Sun, 28 Dec 2008 23:47:35 -0700 We all have them, those tough household projects like cleaning the oven or microwave, removing water stains, or taking care of metals like chrome, brass or copper, that we think we must use commercial chemical cleaners on. Guess again! there are several environmentally friendly ways to take care of household projects you just need the right recipe for it and we have them!

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/tough-household-cleaning-maintenance-jobs-naturally.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/tough-household-cleaning-maintenance-jobs-naturally.html Wed, 24 Dec 2008 14:56:03 -0700 Would love to clean with natural environmentally friendly products, but don't know how much or what to use? Try these easy to follow reciepes for cleaning success.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/recipes-for-whole-house-cleaning-success-natural-and-environ.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/recipes-for-whole-house-cleaning-success-natural-and-environ.html Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:10:20 -0700 To clean your house "green" and even save some green, start with the basics. This begins the first in our series of articles on cleaning green. Learn what products you have on hand to create cleaners without, an all purpose cleaner recipe and what supplies are needed for mixing and storing your green cleaning products. Next, look for recipes to clean your house from top to bottom.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/cleaning-your-house-green-where-to-begin.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/cleaning-your-house-green-where-to-begin.html Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:13:38 -0700 What is a moisture controller? Hint: It's not an anti-aging cream.

A moisture controller is a really a tool to measure the moisture content of soil. How effective are they, how can you use them to conserve water and have a beautiful garden or yard? Read more on moisture controllers.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/misture-control-not-just-for-skin-anymore.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/misture-control-not-just-for-skin-anymore.html Sat, 13 Dec 2008 13:13:04 -0700 What do you know about biodegradable diapers? Are they any safer? Do they make a good choice? Which is better; cloth, disposable or biodegradable? This concludes our two part series on the Great Diaper Debate.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/the-great-diaper-debate-part-2-disposable-and-biodegradable.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/the-great-diaper-debate-part-2-disposable-and-biodegradable.html Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:49:30 -0700

It's everywhere -- advertising from companies claiming that coal is clean. The stark reality is that there is literally no such thing as clean coal electricity in the United States today -- not one American home today is powered by a coal-burning plant that captures and stores its carbon pollution. And coal plants are responsible for a full third of America's carbon dioxide pollution -- the chief cause of global warming.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/clean-coal-the-harsh-reality-of-clean-coal.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/clean-coal-the-harsh-reality-of-clean-coal.html Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:14:05 -0700 It happens to every new and would be parent, even those not environmentally friendly. Which is better cloth or disposable? In our two part series we ask you this question -- so be sure to read and comment on your diaper changing experiences and options.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/the-great-diaper-debate-cloth-vs-disposable-part-1.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/the-great-diaper-debate-cloth-vs-disposable-part-1.html Sun, 07 Dec 2008 12:58:00 -0700 Solar ovens are an efficient, environmentally friendly way to cook for families, groups, communities and institutions. Find out how solar ovens are being used to save the world, the environment, and important limited resources.

(You can also see the GreenJoyment section on solar cooking at http://www.GreenJoyment.com/solar-cookers)

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/solar-ovens-for-more-than-cooking-but-saving-lives.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/solar-ovens-for-more-than-cooking-but-saving-lives.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:28:27 -0700 A new show hosted by Animal Planet, "Whale Wars" takes a look at the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, the protection of whales and the effects of this important conservation issue.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/animal-planet-host-to-whale-wars.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/animal-planet-host-to-whale-wars.html Sat, 29 Nov 2008 21:21:50 -0700 How can we responsibly get rid of our old electronics and gadgets without harming the environment and still be able to afford all the new electronics we are hoping to purchase?

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/electronics-trash-for-cash-trade-in-programs.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/electronics-trash-for-cash-trade-in-programs.html Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:00:52 -0700 Here's an alternative to consider, in response to our recent discussions and articles regarding travel and being environmentally friendly and conscious. CNN aired election night news coverage, containing a hologram as a reporter. Could holograms be the next step in web conferencing, presentations, and travel?

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/could-holograms-be-a-green-alternative-to-travel.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/could-holograms-be-a-green-alternative-to-travel.html Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:57:17 -0700 Just want to buy a water clock? Click here.

Old becomes new again. Water clocks have been used for centuries. But what's new about them. Even more importantly how is using a water clock part of going "green?"

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/water_clock_tick_tock_consider_a_water_clock.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/water_clock_tick_tock_consider_a_water_clock.html Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:47:35 -0700 In America's most recent election, I voted third party.

I believe that is the greatest opportunity for change in America.

That having been said, it's VERY cool to see the Obama transition team using new media (youTube, and Change.gov) to communicate what's happening and attempt to get people involved in the discussions and policy-making processes of government.

It's through a dispersed and open knowledge platform, and with the support (but not interference) of government, that new technologies will be developed by today's companies and individuals.

This can and will bring about the positive changes needed to really make solar, wind, and geothermal, and as-yet undiscovered sources of energy viable alternatives to power the United States, and indeed, the entire planet.

It remains to be seen just how aggressive the changes will be once president-elect Obama becmoes President Obama. However, they are to be congratulated for their efforts at transparency, and for communicating via media which allows average, everyday people to feel like their opinions matter.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/real-change-in-american-government.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/real-change-in-american-government.html Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:35:55 -0700 Organic gas, sounds like a "good" thing doesn't it? But organic gas is really "volatile organic compounds" (VOC's) which are gasses released into the air by certain solids or liquids. Find out how you are exposed to them, the adverse affects and how you can easily avoid VOC's through new and improved paints for your home.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/organic-gas-voc-and-paint.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/organic-gas-voc-and-paint.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:03:03 -0700 Organic batteries made from Chlorophyll? How does that work? Taiwanese Go to Bat on Green Battery. . . what is an organic battery, how does it work, and when will we be using chlorophyll or organic based batteries?

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/going-organic-with-batteries.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/going-organic-with-batteries.html Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:58:37 -0700 How can I teach my children or about going green and making green choices? As a parent, former educator, and now writer, this is a question that I hear quite often. But what is the answer? Read on for 10 tried and true tips for teaching your children to go green and grow green.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/growing_green_children.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/growing_green_children.html Tue, 11 Nov 2008 16:58:45 -0700 Solar tubes, an eco friendly alternative to lights, and easier to install post construction that skylights. They can be used in a variety of places from rooms to storage as well as offices providing not only environmentally friendly lighting options, but health benefits too.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/solar-tubes-right-for-your-non-solar-home.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/solar-tubes-right-for-your-non-solar-home.html Sat, 08 Nov 2008 14:53:15 -0700 Usually people with pools aren't too happy with the thought of green. Green in the pool equals slimy, yicky, mossy stuff that no one wants to swim in. But there's a time when green and your pool can be friends - when you heat your pool. Save yourself some money, enjoy your pool longer, and help the environment with these alternatives for heating your pool.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/pool-heating-solar-alternatives-for-heating-your-pool.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/pool-heating-solar-alternatives-for-heating-your-pool.html Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:49:11 -0700 Your home is your castle, and Michelle Kaufman, architect, designer and leader in the building of green and sustainable homes, wants ito make each of them better. Find out how she began, what her eco-principals are, and more about her design options for living and loving your home.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/michelle-kaufmann-green-homes-designer-michelle-kaufmann.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/michelle-kaufmann-green-homes-designer-michelle-kaufmann.html Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:33:13 -0700 A member of the GreenJoyment Community sent this message after getting our 13 simple steps for going green.

One thing that bugs me a little about your article is that you like to travel - Do you know how much fuel goes into an airplain??? Maybe another good way to see the world would be hiking, cycling or dry camping?? If you really like the environment I think you would probably enjoy these things.

I wanted to share my response, because I think it's important for people to understand, that there are varying degrees to going green. Some people will stop flying, get off the grid (whatever that means in their country), and really develop systems for making their life completely environment netural.

For other people, it will be a big step to spend $4 extra/month to start sorting their trash and have their trash company pick up their recycling.

Whatever level you choose to go to, is the point where you are at. Of course, you can always do more... the important point is that you start.

So even though we've done a lot of things in the past few years to make our lives more green, and continue to add more "green" things into our regular routine, here's were we stand on the air travel issue:

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/air-travel-bad-for-the-environment-not-green.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/air-travel-bad-for-the-environment-not-green.html Sun, 02 Nov 2008 04:57:57 -0700 Thin film solar cells are the future.

Good news is, thin film solar is here now. It's getting cheaper, and it's becoming more efficient.

In this post, I've attempted to collect enough information, in the proper order, for anyone to understand how thin film solar technology works, and how it is already changing the world we live in.

This video is a great visual presentation for beginning to understand how thin film *nanotechnology* solar panel production works to collect the sun's energy.

From HowStuffWorks.com: How Thin Film Solar Cells Work:

Thin-film solar cell manufacturers begin building their solar cells by depositing several layers of a light-absorbing material, a semiconductor, onto a substrate -- coated glass, metal or plastic. The materials used as semiconductors don't have to be thick because they absorb energy from the sun very efficiently. As a result, thin-film solar cells are lightweight, durable and easy to use. Photovoltaic cells rely on substances known as semiconductors. Semiconductors are insulators in their pure form, but are able to conduct electricity when heated or combined with other materials. A semiconductor that is mixed, or "doped," with phosphorous, develops an excess of free electrons. This is known as an n-type semiconductor. A semiconductor doped with other materials, such as boron, develops an excess of "holes," spaces that accept electrons. This is known as a p-type semiconductor. A PV cell joins n-type and p-type materials, with a layer in between known as a junction. Even in the absence of light, a small number of electrons move across the junction from the n-type to the p-type semiconductor, producing a small voltage. In the presence of light, photons dislodge a large number of electrons, which flow across the junction to create a current. This current can be used to power electrical devices, from light bulbs to cell phone chargers.

Traditional solar cells use silicon in the n-type and p-type layers. The newest generation of thin-film solar cells uses thin layers of either cadmium telluride (CdTe) or copper indium gallium deselenide (CIGS) instead. One company, Nanosolar, based in San Jose, Calif., has developed a way to make the CIGS material as an ink containing nanoparticles. A nanoparticle is a particle with at least one dimension less than 100 nanometers (one-billionth of a meter, or 1/1,000,000,000 m). Existing as nanoparticles, the four elements self-assemble in a uniform distribution, ensuring that the atomic ratio of the elements is always correct.

That may have gotten a bit technical for you.

If not, congratulations. It was pretty technical for me. But if you read through it a couple of times, and combine the understanding with the videos on this page, hopefully you'll begin to see just how powerful thin film solar technology is now, and will be in the future.

The good news is, this type of solar technology, thin film solar cells, is already being used extensively to create an incredible amount of power for the world.

The largest thin film solar power facility in the world (right now) is at "Rote Jahne" in Germany. This facility generates enough electricity to power about 2000 homes in Germany.

Here's a guy who installed thin film solar panels on his home (I believe in Florida), and shows a bit about how they work.

Here's a guy talking about thin film solar panels being installed on a roof. The YouTube description says the following about this thin film video: Installing clean, reliable, inflation-proof solar power is easier than ever, thanks to the invention of thin-film photovoltaic (PV) laminates that can be bonded directly onto metal roofing panels. Unlike crystalline PV material, there's no need for obtrusive racks and heavy, expensive glass. Instead, unbreakable thin-film PV is produced using amorphous silicon, encapsulated in Teflon and other polymers.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/solar_panels_thin_film_solar_technology_will_power_the_futur.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/solar_panels_thin_film_solar_technology_will_power_the_futur.html Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:01:13 -0700 Reduce, reuse and recycle -- but what is the other R and how does it help the environment? Find out what R values are and how it not only helps the environment but saves homeowners money.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/what-are-r-values.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/what-are-r-values.html Fri, 31 Oct 2008 21:15:31 -0700

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/sea-ice-in-the-polar-regions-from-nasa.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/sea-ice-in-the-polar-regions-from-nasa.html Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:45:50 -0700 Do whatever is doable for you. Whether it's buying recycled toothbrushes or shopping at a local organic fruit market or changing the light bulbs. Taking tiny steps can help in a huge way. Celeb's putting their green into being green. Find out what they do.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/celebrities-going-green.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/celebrities-going-green.html Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:54:01 -0700

Even the simplest everyday actions can have an impact on the environment. And in the end they all come back to you. A bunch of companies and people have teamed up to create http://www.connect2earth.org, an organization and web site you might want to take a look at if you have an interest in the "green" space, or if you want some good/great ideas on being more green in your everyday life.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/it-all-comes-back-to-you-karma-comes-back-to-bite-or-reward.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/it-all-comes-back-to-you-karma-comes-back-to-bite-or-reward.html Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:38:38 -0700 The US is known as a leader in the global community. But how does this super power stack up against other countries when it comes to going green? Find out where other countries stand on going green and which countries have already gone.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/going-green-around-the-world.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/going-green-around-the-world.html Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:27:39 -0700 How to safely get rid of batteries, even a battery that has a little charge left in it. Facts and statistics regarding batteries, their use and the potential dangers to our homes, children and the environment. Learn how to dispose of your alkaline and rechargeable batteries as well as ways to cut down on the expensive of batteries for your tools, games and electronics. Your guide to disposing of batteries is coming up.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/guide-to-disposing-of-batteries.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/guide-to-disposing-of-batteries.html Sat, 25 Oct 2008 13:59:00 -0700 A couple of days ago, we discovered this tool from Google that lets you see how "haunted" your house is.

The page is a good intro into the ideas behind reducing the costs of wasted energy, and saving money by adding things into your home.

It also shows you the potential of how much money can be saved from simple changes like using power management on your computer(s), unplugging devices that are turned off, but still drawing power, closing your flue, and more.

It's a fun way to begin to look at hazards and other things that may be "hiding" in your house, costing you money and harming the environment.

Check it out at Google Haunted House 2008

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/google-tool-estimates-reduced-energy-costs.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/google-tool-estimates-reduced-energy-costs.html Fri, 24 Oct 2008 08:00:40 -0700 Carbon offsets, carbon footprints -- what you should know about carbon emissions and products and services like Terra Pass and CCX, companies that offer products and services to businesses and individuals to for carbon offsetting.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/carbon-footprints-offsets-emissions.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/carbon-footprints-offsets-emissions.html Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:24:37 -0700 Fluorescent lamps and lighting aren't just for offices and malls anymore. Find out how your can have bright lights in your home and clean disposal of these money and eco friendly lights.

Fluorescent lamps and especially the compact fluorescent lights generally referred to as CFLs, are a more eco-friendly lighting solution than incandescent lights. While more and more people are going green in their homes to help protect the environment, florescent light bulbs have had a reputation to overcome. The long term economical savings and reduced maintenance for florescent lights were first taken advantage of in commercial or institutional properties. Many people may associate fluorescent lamps with office cubicles or government buildings.

For those who did give fluorescent lamps a try at home in years past they may have discovered an annoying lag time before a fluorescent light was fully bright. They may have noticed that fluorescent lighting just didn't seem to compliment peoples skin tone, in other words people just didn't look as good in fluorescent lights.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/bright-light-clean-disposal-fluorescent-lamps.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/bright-light-clean-disposal-fluorescent-lamps.html Mon, 20 Oct 2008 09:39:26 -0700 Most newer homes are looking at alternatives to traditional insulation, and cellelose insulation offers many alternatives to both newer and older homes that is cost effective,energy efficient and healthier for your home or busines. FInd out more about the advantages of cellulose insulation.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/cellulose-insulation-for-homes.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/cellulose-insulation-for-homes.html Sat, 18 Oct 2008 07:30:22 -0700 Which light is true, which light is good for you and your plants? Not to mention your wallet and the environment. The war of the lights ... who will be the winner. Read more to find out.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/lighting_for_plant_growing_incandescent_vs_fluorescent_light.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/lighting_for_plant_growing_incandescent_vs_fluorescent_light.html Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:47:39 -0700 Solar panels were once considered too expensive or not efficient enough, but with changes in production, there is more efficiency, energy produced, and money saved by using solar panels than you may have dreamed of. Find out about new uses, technology and even ways to pay for this investment in your home and the environment.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/photovoltaic-solar-panels-save-energy-and-money-home-or-away.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/photovoltaic-solar-panels-save-energy-and-money-home-or-away.html Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:40:28 -0700 Where do you go when you need to know about building green? From building to restoration and renovation, professionals, educator and individuals can find out and access resources and information on creating their own green home, school, building, office or neighborhood, as well as particpate in local chapters, educational programs and network with others who are building clean and green with the non profit organization, US Building Green Council.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/united-states-green-building-council-building-clean-and-green.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/united-states-green-building-council-building-clean-and-green.html Sun, 12 Oct 2008 11:55:05 -0700 Want to keep some green and make your home more "green?" Find out how to use Low E glass windows in your home and why you should.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/household/green_windows.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/household/green_windows.html Household Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:23:22 -0700 The who, what, when, where, why and how of light pollution and what we can do about it to save energy, the environment and maybe even a little sleep.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/household/shining-a-light-on-light-pollution.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/household/shining-a-light-on-light-pollution.html Household Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:30:11 -0700 Food prices are more expensive. There's no question about it.

The explanation they offer at the end of this video is completely lame.
Global grocery costs are more expensive because the rest of the world is beginning to eat more like America?

(Does that mean the rest of the world is getting fatter like America? Actually, statistically speaking, that's somewhat true.)

However, as far as a "food shortage", that explanation doesn't make any sense to me and sounds ridiculously America-centric.

It's much more likely that news of food shortages is fueling people's fears and turning the actual problem (of rising oil prices making food more expensive) into a much bigger issue than it actually is.

This is an imbalance in the system (Industrialized nations' overuse of oil and the middle east's stranglehold on the distribution and production methods) going through a correction.

So, instead of just complaining about the issue, and/or being scared because of what the "news" says, what can YOU do about it?

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/food-prices-are-more-expensive-food-costs-more.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/food-prices-are-more-expensive-food-costs-more.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:19:18 -0700 Using the rain that you have, you can create a beautiful, eco-friendly garden full of lush vegetation and reduce the amount of pesticides and water used for traditional gardens. Find out how, plus important do's and don'ts for a rain garden.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/household/rain-gardens-when-life-gives-you-rain-create-rain-garden.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/household/rain-gardens-when-life-gives-you-rain-create-rain-garden.html Household Sat, 04 Oct 2008 16:22:17 -0700 Since I've been learning a lot about photovoltaics wind power generation, I've started to look into how Carrie ad I can generate our own electricity at home and get paid back from our utility company for doing so.

There sure is a LOT to learn!

I'll be sharing my research and the things I've learned in upcoming posts here in GreeJoyment, and here's something I learned today about solar energy that I found absolutely fascinating.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/solar-power-and-some-little-black-dots.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/solar-power-and-some-little-black-dots.html Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:47:15 -0700 Today, I came across Sustain Lane's 2008 Green US City Rankings.

"This report benchmarks each city's performance in 16 areas of urban sustainability, including an essential new measurement this year: Water Supply. Forged in 2005 and now in its third edition, the peer-reviewed Rankings track the unfolding story of cities working to improve their residents' quality of life. In this story, some cities are becoming more self-reliant and better prepared for an uncertain future, while others have been slow to act on opportunities to green their municipalities."

Here are the top 13 cities, and what SustainLane had to say about each of them.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/americas-13-greenest-cities.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/americas-13-greenest-cities.html Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:23:14 -0700 Rain Is Free, Why Not Save It In Rain Barrels And Use It Later?

Many cities and municipalities are adding or increasing water taxes and usage fees. One way that you can avoid using so much water from a municipality is to have your own system to store rainwater and use it later. Depending on where you live, rainwater falls freely and frequently. Don't you think it makes sense to be able to harvest it, store it, and use it later?

If you look, you can find many very nice tools to collect rainwater, and many of them are completely free or have some very small cost associated with them. One of the best ways to get a large amount of water during a rainstorm is to collect water from the gutter and roof. By buying or finding some barrels, painting them with a paint that will increase sun refraction and lower the chances of algae forming, and putting them at appropriate places under downspouts, you will find that you can collect a fair amount of water. You will either want to create a system or move the barrels once they're full (which may mean going outside in the middle of a rainstorm), as having them sitting near your house (under downspouts), can allow large amounts of water overflow to be pooling next to your house, and you don't want the water to go in the foundation. Many rain barrels that you can purchase have fittings to connect a hose, so this will be very useful. Also another word of advice is to use a cover on your barrels, to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in your water and for keeping debris out. The cover will also prevent evaporation.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/rain-barrels-how-to-save-water-use-rain-water.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/rain-barrels-how-to-save-water-use-rain-water.html Wed, 01 Oct 2008 06:58:24 -0700 With all of the excitement of last weeks solar cookers (http://www.GreenJoyment.com/solar-cookers) you may not have noticed that we have changed what you see when you visit the GreenJoyment blog.

What do you think? Like the changes? (Maybe you didn't notice.)

In any case, we actually did this for a few reasons.

1. We wanted a little more professional look for our site (not that the old layout wasn't professional, just that we think this one is better). We've also been told that this new layout is much easier to navigate.

2. Some people told us their computers were having difficult getting to the old web site. So, if you can't access the site now, please let us know. (That seems kind of silly to say since if you can't access the site, you can't read this. Hmmm....) If you couldn't access the site before, but you can now, please post a comment on the blog and
let us know. Also, if you find something that's broken, or just doesn't seem to work right, please email us at green [AT] greenjoyment.com with what's going on, so that we can fix it.

3. We wanted a place to link to our upcoming book site on GreenJoyment. Yes, after many delays, the Ultimate Guide to Going Green is coming soon to you! We're so close on it now, and so excited!

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/solar-cooking-week-wrap-up-changes.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/solar-cooking-week-wrap-up-changes.html Tue, 30 Sep 2008 07:19:39 -0700 Carrie and I decided that it would be fun to eat an entire meal cooked by the sun.

So, we took our three cookers. In one, we placed leftover chili. In another, we placed potatoes.

And in a third, we placed Joan's rice pudding (for dessert). Thanks Joan!

All three videos are posted below (we made them for YouTube as individual videos, but we ate this as a full meal).

Other than the mildly disappointing results from the sun not cooking the rice pudding (simply because we didn't get it outside early enough in the day, we were very pleased with how this meal turned out!

Baked Potatoes wrapped in foil and cooked in an eagle solar cooker

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/final-solar-powered-cooking-experiment-meal-from-solar-cookers.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/final-solar-powered-cooking-experiment-meal-from-solar-cookers.html Sun, 28 Sep 2008 22:54:49 -0700 Just a quick note:

I was on TreeHugger's site today and clicked an ad that showed up in the left-hand column.

It appears that TreeHugger is still looking for people to fill positions on it's rapidly growing team, and we thought there might be some here in the GreenJoyment community who would be interested in finding out more and possibly applying.

If you do apply, it's not necessary, but we'd love it if you would mention that you heard through GreenJoyment.com about their search for qualified people.

Find out more at TreeHugger, or read below.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/treehugger-is-hiring.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/treehugger-is-hiring.html Sun, 28 Sep 2008 02:21:50 -0700 We made cinnamon raisin bread in two of our solar cookers (The Solar Funnel Cooker and the Eagle solar cooker), and boy was it YUMMY!

AND, IT WORKS! That's the most important part.

Our cookers got up to about 175 Fahrenheit (during the hottest time, but they stayed that hot for over an hour), and the bread was better than any store-bought variety for sure.

(Next time though, I'll make the dough differently and let the yeast rise in warm water before just putting it in the dough mixture. I realized that's what I did wrong, and why the bread tasted yeasty.)

The instructions are below, and we hope you will post your comments about what you like about this idea of making your own bread from the sun!

Here's the video of how we made this bread, and the solar cookers in action.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/bread-baked-in-solar-cooker-these-cookers-actually-work.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/bread-baked-in-solar-cooker-these-cookers-actually-work.html Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:24:04 -0700 Well, this is it! The big day for solar cooker week!

Which solar cooker does the best?

We took three solar cookers, and compared their performance side-by-side, in how they did with cooking 4 cups of water. It was a windy day, so the cookers may not have performed the best they could... but we tested a solar funnel cooker, a solar cookit, and the eagle solar cooker.

Which solar cooker performed the best?

• The eagle solar cooker?


• The Solar Cookit


• The Solar Funnel Cooker

Watch the video to find out!

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/which-solar-cooker-cooks-best-solar-cooker-week-5-test-of-the-cookers.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/which-solar-cooker-cooks-best-solar-cooker-week-5-test-of-the-cookers.html Fri, 26 Sep 2008 04:39:44 -0700 In attempting to make eggplant in a pizza box solar cooker, Carrie and I met with disappointing results, and ended up cooking it in the oven.

The food turned out absolutely delicious, but it wasn't because the cooker actually worked.

I think I figured out what we did wrong though, and look forward to sharing it with you in another video!

For now, you can learn how to make some really yummy eggplant Parmesean, which, curiously enough, uses mozzarella as the primary cheese and parmesan is just a secondary topping at the end.

This was totally delicious though. I'm getting hungry for some more just typing about it!

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/how-to-make-eggplant-parmesean-in-a-pizza-box-solar-cooker.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/how-to-make-eggplant-parmesean-in-a-pizza-box-solar-cooker.html Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:34:27 -0700 In our fourth cooker for this week, we show you how to make a solar cooker out of a pizza box. It's relatively simple really, (as long as you get that cheese and grease out of the inside of your pizza box).

This was a really fascinating and simple solar cooker to make, although I'm not sure just yet what we're going to cook in this box. It's kinda little.

Maybe we would use it to bake cookies.

(Actually, you'll see later today how we used this to make eggplant parmesean, with surprising results.

Hope you enjoy the video and learn how to make a pizza box solar cooker for yourself!




]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/how-to-make-a-pizza-box-solar-cooker-solar-cooker-week.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/how-to-make-a-pizza-box-solar-cooker-solar-cooker-week.html Thu, 25 Sep 2008 01:55:02 -0700 The eagle solar cooker has been my favorite solar cooker to make so far.

Even though there was a little measuring involved, and I messed up when making some of the bottom panels for the cooker, there was no protractor needed, and putting the panels together was very easily done with the duct tape.

I also like how the eagle collapses easily (though the Solar Cookit is supposed to be able to collapse easily too, I didn't figure out how to get it to collapse.

We will also be posting a transcript of this video shortly (which will tell you more about how to make this on your own). So for now, here's your materials list, and then watch and enjoy:

Materials List

• Cardboard (or another material with a reflective surface)


• Aluminum foil (if you're using cardboard)


• Glue (if you're using aluminum foil)


• Razor blade knife


• Measuring tape


• Duct tape


• Cutting surface (optional)


• Board (for folding against (optional))


• Scoring tool (if you decide to use printing sheets or sheet metal for your cooker).


]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/the-eagle-solar-cooker-solar-cooking-week-cooker-3.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/the-eagle-solar-cooker-solar-cooking-week-cooker-3.html Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:40:12 -0700 I found this project to be rather difficult.

Possibly because making one of these for the first time requires a protractor, or some other math tool that I just don't have anymore (and never really used in high school anyway).

Perhaps I should have been a better math student. (I even LIKED geometry - it's just been so long since I've used it.)

In any case, I don't think the science has to be quite 100% exact for you if you make a solar cookit. And trust me, if I can make a solar cookit, anyone can make one.

Over 5,000 of them are being used in the Iridimi Camp (where over 17,000 refugees from Darfur live at present) and it's hard to believe, but these Solar Cookit Cookers have changed thousands of lives there. (More about that below.)

To make a solar cookit, you will need:
Tape Measure
Razor Blade Knife
Cardboard and aluminum foil (or another material works too - watch the video!)
Marking tool (Pencil or otherwise)
Protractor (IMPORTANT!)
Cutting surface
Straight edge (for cutting and/or folding against)

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/solar-cookits-how-to-make-a-solar-cookit-solar-cooker.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/solar-cookits-how-to-make-a-solar-cookit-solar-cooker.html Tue, 23 Sep 2008 01:29:27 -0700 Welcome to Solar COOKER WEEK!

This week, we will be making four different solar cookers, showing you how they're made, and then on Friday, we'll be testing out a bunch of foods to see how (and if) the cookers actually work!

We'll be posting at least 1 video every day this week.

It's going to be a GREAT Week, so be sure you check back every day!

For our first video, we are going to teach you how to make a solar funnel cooker.

For this cooker, you will need:

Aluminum foil
Glue
Cardboard (I got some heavy duty cardboard, which was very difficult to fold)
A razor blade
A cutting surface (optional)
A measuring tape (optional)
Brads, bolts and nuts, screws, wire, or some other material that will hold things together (watch the video to see what I mean)
Straight edge (like a board) for forming creases)

We'll be posting a transcript of the video soon, but for now, just watch and enjoy!

(I actually mess up in the video and call this the "box solar cooker" but decided not to edit/re-record it)

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/solar-cooking-week-solar-funnel-cooker.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/solar-cooking-week-solar-funnel-cooker.html Mon, 22 Sep 2008 07:37:32 -0700 A member of the GreenJoyment community, Ross Boger, told us about the Pickens Plan. (Thanks Ross!)

We hadn't heard of it, and it seems like rather a good idea to us.

Watch the video below to learn more about what T. Boone Pickens would like to see happen in America as an energy plan for the next 10 years.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/pickens-plan-reducing-dependence-on-foreign-oil-energy-plan.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/pickens-plan-reducing-dependence-on-foreign-oil-energy-plan.html Sat, 20 Sep 2008 14:32:26 -0700 As you may have read in this post, next Saturday is my birthday.

Thanks to those of you who have contributed to this most worthwhile cause! (If you would still like to donate to (or just find out about the BornInSeptember water project - building clean water wells in Ethiopia), go here to read the post.

In some cultures around the world, it's polite to give gifts to others on your birthday. So, in honor of my birthday, we'll be giving you a gift every day next week.

Carrie and I have designated next week as solar cooker week here on GreenJoyment!

What does that mean? Well, Monday-Thursday next week, we're going to post 1 video/day. Each video will teach you how to make a different kind of solar cooker.

Then, on Friday, we are going to compare the results we get when we cook the same food, side-by-side, in the different solar cookers, so that you will know which solar cooker is the best!

(Now that I've committed to that, I'm realizing I should check the weather forecast! - However, I'm confident that the weather will cooperate with us.)

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/solar-cooker-week-how-to-make-solar-cookers.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/solar-cooker-week-how-to-make-solar-cookers.html Fri, 19 Sep 2008 01:35:33 -0700 I just read "Is Organic Agriculture Polluting our Food with Heavy Metals?" by James McWilliams on Slate.com. I know Slate to be unafraid to take a stance, and be heavily weighted towards one side of an issue. But this recent article has me a bit baffled; I have to admit.

Slate's article talks about the findings of lead and other poisonous metals found in the soils used in organic farming. They name the cause of these findings the fertilizer (mostly manure) that is being used. At first the article makes these great claims that the primary cause of lead exposure to be from fruit and grain consumption. But then they go on to say that, "findings might be preliminary and inconsistent".

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/food/attacking-organics-slates-stance-slanders-soil.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/food/attacking-organics-slates-stance-slanders-soil.html Food Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:03:36 -0700
Carrie and I have been thinking about installing a solar attic fan in our house, so we've been learning as much as we can about solar powered attic fans before installing one of our own.

It's interesting, because there are some great video guides available online which will guide you through the process and show you how to harness the sun's energy for spinning some blades and cooling your house.

Here are a couple of great videos we've found (and a couple of kits we're looking at).

In this video guide (Link opens in new window), you actually cut a hole through your roof in order to install the solar attic fan.

With this guide, you install the solar panel outside and then just run a cable to the inside of your house.


I guess the type of solar attic fan set up you choose will depend on a few factors:

- A review of the layout of your house (Will you be able to install a fan in a gable? Only if your house has one.)
- Your willingness to cut a hole in your roof
- How powerful and ambitious you're feeling (we would say the second type of fan (where you put the panel outside and the fan inside) is less difficult).

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/solar-attic-fans-review-guide-shows-how-to-install-solar-powered-attic-fan.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/solar-attic-fans-review-guide-shows-how-to-install-solar-powered-attic-fan.html Wed, 10 Sep 2008 23:34:02 -0700 Check out what Mike's done to his house.

Absolutely fascinating what CAN be done, and what will be easier to do once economies of scale kick in (once more people start doing it).

What does everyone think? Is this a reality that is possible for people to implement in their homes? Or is this just unrealistic? We'd love to hear your thoughts!

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/youve_got_to_see_this.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/youve_got_to_see_this.html Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:39:51 -0700

This year (hard as it is for me to believe), I'll be turning 29 on September 27.

(For future reference (and so that no one has to ask how old I am) every year after this year I'll ALSO be turning 29.)

Some of you don't normally buy me a gift for my birthday, but this year I am doing something special.

I'm asking friends and family of ours to consider participating in charity:water's September birthday project to build wells in Ethiopia and give the people there clean water.

I'm asking for my age in dollars, (which would be, in this case, $29) or whatever you can give (even if it's just a couple of dollars/pounds/euros/etc).

100% of everything we raise goes directly to build wells, and is MATCHED by another organization (founded by actor/director Matt Damon)

This matching means that $20 donated = $40 going towards building wells.

You can complete the process in less than 3 minutes.

Please take a moment and visit my page by clicking the graphic below:


To see why I'm supporting the campaign, watch the 3-minute trailer above (If you haven't already).

Thanks everyone!

Jonathan

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/29_for_water.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/29_for_water.html Wed, 03 Sep 2008 08:55:54 -0700 If you're reading this, chances are good you got here by clicking the link from the free report, "The Three Challenges of Solar Energy."

Please use the comments box below to add your thoughts and/or response to the information in the guide.

Thank-you for being part of the GreenJoyment community!

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/three-challenges-of-solar.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/three-challenges-of-solar.html Mon, 01 Sep 2008 23:20:01 -0700 Gas, and filling up the car with petroleum is, at least for the present time, a necessary evil.

Electric cars are really finally starting to make their way into the mainstream (and we'l see hydrogen be commercially viable for mainstream America in the next 5-10 years) but for now, the vast majority of people are driving vehicles which guzzle petroleum.

Carrie and I were filling up the other day (haven't converted my car to electric yet, but we plan to sell it May/June 2009), and we found the gas station with the least expensive gas that was close to where we were shopping.

This meant that it happened to be a Safeway gas station.

What was great about this gas station (aside form the fact that we could get the gas even cheaper just because we had our little discount card) was the message they had on their screen at the pump.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/safeway-gas-powered-by-wind-energy.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/safeway-gas-powered-by-wind-energy.html Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:03:08 -0700 Are you one of the people who actually thinks you drink bottled water because it tastes better?

In 1998-2000, lots of information came out (primarily in studies commissioned by large soda manufacturers) which basically said that tap water was bad for you, while bottled water was good for you.

While there is some truth to the fact that unfiltered tap water may cause birth defects (depending on where you live), there are no guarantees that bottled water is any better for you, since there are really no regulations about what can be used in bottled water.

(Coca-Cola even admitted that Dasani was purified tap water. BBC Article)

But, if you still think that you drink bottled water because it's inherently somehow "better", you might be surprised at what some companies have spent (some of them millions) to plant into your brain both subliminally and overtly that you should be drinking bottled water.

Which is why this parody is so appropriate.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/why-you-drink-bottled-water.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/why-you-drink-bottled-water.html Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:27:48 -0700 A member of the GreenJoyment community, Paul from Scotland, sent us an email with this suggestion. We liked it, so we're sharing it here.

Hi Carrie and Jonathan,

Here's an idea for wind power.

You know I live in Scotland, and as you may know my particular country has the potential to be right at the forefront of wind power. But it causes me dismay when I hear people complain that the wind generators are ugly and will destroy the highland communities.

"What if the wind generators weren't boring white pillars as they seem to be. Wouldn't it be cool if they were integrated into sculptures or just made to be more interesting in general?"

(I thought that happened years ago with the highland clearances).

Anyway, an idea I had (being that I'm into art and stuff). What If the wind generators weren't boring white pillars as they seem to be. Wouldn't it be cool if they were integrated into sculptures or just made to be more interesting in general? What would be so wrong with having small but plentiful ones on every house, on every street, in every city and town?

All could be fed into a grid system and whoever needed extra power could buy it back.

Walking by the monstrous warehouse supermarket that has plonked itself right in the middle of my town recently,(Like some alien craft out of V.)

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/wind-power-pauls-green-tip-attractive-wind-generation.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/wind-power-pauls-green-tip-attractive-wind-generation.html Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:13:22 -0700 The FDA has announced that beginning today, spinach and lettuce sold across the United States may now be secretly irradiated before it reaches grocery store shelves.

What's "secret" about it? The FDA previously decided that irradiation warning stickers would not be required on any food items because it would be "too confusing to consumers." (The word IRRADIATION apparently has too many letters to be understood to food buyers.)

Thus, irradiated foods will NOT be labeled as such, and consumers are going to be left in the dark about all this.

(Except of course for those who actually eat the irradiated food. They get to find out when they start glowing in the dark).

Radiation, of course, destroys delicate phytochemicals in plants - the very phytochemicals protecting consumers against cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol, inflammation and other diseases. Microwaving broccoli, for example, has been shown to destroy up to 98% of its anti-cancer nutrients. (The FDA has not yet acknowledged this.)

In a similar way, irradiating food can destroys much of its nutritional content, including vitamins, carotenoids, anthocyanins and other delicate protective nutrients.

What you can do right now to attempt to get this changed?

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/irradiated-food-fda-says-food-lettuce-spinach-usa-now-irradiated.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/irradiated-food-fda-says-food-lettuce-spinach-usa-now-irradiated.html Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:35:56 -0700 Cordell Bowman, a chemistry teacher here in the United States, emailed us at GreenJoyment to talk about his own experiences of going green. We asked him if he would write his story about becoming interested in going green, and what it means to him to teach his chemistry students how to go green.

So, this is his story, and what he does to share green ideas and concepts with the people whom he teaches every day.


Many folks from my generation, like myself, grew up "green" on the farm. In those days, being "green" meant you did not know much. In my early years on the farm we farmed with horses, milked cows by hand. The only electricity we had was a kerosene generator in our basement that we used sparingly. Our house was heated by the wood we cut and stored for winter. It was wartime and everybody saved everything including gum wrappers (aluminum). All soda bottles (that rare treat with dad at the country store) were recycled, 2 cents each. The soda cost 3 cents so returning the bottles meant "free" soda!

Many people walked everywhere. My dad was a school teacher and worked seven miles from home so we had a vehicle. But if someone was walking along the road we picked them up even if it was the skunkskinner (whew!! the car was a bit smelly for some days). That was how people cared for each other.

My mother canned everything. Our basement was full of canned garden and orchard produce, canned wild blackberries.

"If someone was walking along the road we picked them up, even if it was the skunkskinner (whew!! the car was a bit smelly for some days). That was how people cared for each other."

We harvested huge quantities of wild black walnuts, hazelnuts, chinkapins . All the neighbors knew the same places so we would try to be there first, also ahead of the squirrels, but if the neighbors got there first, it was their patch or tree for the day.

The feed company sold dairy feed in printed sacking that could be made into shirts and dresses for growing boys and girls. Our mom was good at that too. The cups in the sacks for dipping feed could serve as cups for drinking when the sack was empty.

We rarely wore shoes in summer and even in school when it was warm we went barefoot. That would not work in chemistry classes today.

When I joined the Peace Corps after college I learned a lot about how other people reduce waste. I am sure Jonathan and Carrie know all about that.

I taught school in a town in Ecuador whose main industry was leatherworking. The school was a Technical high school which meant the students learned how to make things out of wood or metal, or how to cook and sew. The local artisans knew how to get the most out of a piece of leather by using off cuts from a suitcase to make a purse or wallet. Indigeneous Indians who lived in a small village adjacent collected all the dung in the streets to fertilize their garden plots. Lots of lessons to be learned about conserving.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/chemistry-teacher-teaches-students-how-to-go-green-shares-story.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/chemistry-teacher-teaches-students-how-to-go-green-shares-story.html Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:19:24 -0700 This we found very interesting.

The branch of Google responsible for doing good in the world (that really is their mission statement) has recently invested $10.25 million into Geothermal research.

But it's not traditional geothermal that Google is looking into... rather, they're setting up ways for people to take advantage of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS).

"EGS expands the potential of geothermal energy by orders of magnitude," explains an official release. "The traditional geothermal approach relies on finding naturally occurring pockets of steam and hot water. The EGS process, by comparison, replicates these conditions by fracturing hot rock, circulating water through the system, and using the resulting steam to produce electricity in a conventional turbine."

Pretty cool, even though there are concerns that it could cause some seismic activity.

But, the seismic activity pales in comparison when placed side-by-side with the seismic activity that is created by pumping millions of gallons of crude oil out of the ground every year.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/google-going-geothermal-egs-at-google.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/google-going-geothermal-egs-at-google.html Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:17:37 -0700 Originally from The Canadian Press

Some of the products that freshen your rooms and perfume your laundry may not be so great for your health.

A U.S. study of top-selling laundry products and air fresheners found the products gave off dozens of chemicals.

All of the products tested emitted at least one chemical regulated as hazardous under U.S. federal laws.

But none of the chemicals were listed on the product labels.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/room-fresheners-are-bad-for-health-new-study-finds-toxic.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/room-fresheners-are-bad-for-health-new-study-finds-toxic.html Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:15:25 -0700 I came across this article while surfing information and news about the evironment, and found the company they talk about int he article, eSolar, abolutely fascinating!

There's something comparable to what eSolar does in the movie "Sahara", but I hadn't ever seen it explained as clearly as it was in this little video put together by eSolar.

Basically, the idea is to take a bunch of mirrors, move them so that they reflect the sun's light onto a tower. Inside of the tower is water. That water boils, turns to steam.

That steam moves a turbine which creates electricity and sends it out over power lines.

Pretty cool concept, especially for power companies in areas where they get a lot of sun.

Watch the movie (below) to understand this... it's explained pretty well there.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/esolars-plans-powerplants-electricity-powered-water.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/esolars-plans-powerplants-electricity-powered-water.html Fri, 25 Jul 2008 02:50:03 -0700 Somehow, FOX news seems to be turning global warming into a political debate, rather than just appreciating and understanding that there is an issue. And instead of acknowledging the issue and proposing solutions, they use sensational graphics to sell people on sensationalist ideas, so that they will continue to watch their station and so that they continue to make money from advertisers.

That's not just our opinion.

But you can watch these videos of FOX News clips (from YouTube) about global warming and make up your own mind about what is actually the truth.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/fox-news-on-global-warming.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/fox-news-on-global-warming.html Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:35:03 -0700 HGTV Green Home Giveaway: A Green house Dream Home Contest Won By The Lucky Few

HGTV has been running a series capitalizing on the recent "green everything" trend, and called it "Green Home Giveaway."

If you haven't seen it, today's your lucky day!

While GreenJoyment is not in a position to do anything like give away a green house to one of our lucky readers, we ARE in the position to bring, to your email address, awesome green news and fun stuff.

So we've aggregated HGTV's videos of Green Home Giveaway from all over the Internet, and posted them here, in one place, so that you, too, can experience the green home tour, the products, and the lifestyle that are the HGTV Green Home Giveaway!

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/hgtv-green-home-giveaway-dream-home-contest.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/hgtv-green-home-giveaway-dream-home-contest.html Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:58:09 -0700 This post is just a little gift for Carrie.

Carrie works part-time at a coffee shop, and enjoys working there, for the customers she meets, and it just gives her an opportunity to spend time away from the projects she works on on a day-to-day basis

She's always working to help the coffee shop save money, and the environment, by doing little things. She does this at the coffee shop as well as at home.

For example, at the beginning of the day, the coffee shop has to take hot water and fill the large canisters that hold the coffee, so that they're hot when the coffee gets brewed into them (so that the coffee doesn't cool down when it's put into these canisters).

She made the suggestion that the coffee shop could both save money, and water, by using this clean, hot water, to fill the sinks at the beginning of the day, instead of just pouring it down the drain. The hot water could then be there to be used for the dishes that accumulate from customers over the first few hours of the morning, when they leave the dishes in the sink anyway (not having a chance to get to the dishes because of the morning rush). This would save two sinkfulls of hot water every day that the coffee shop is open.

This coffee shop is open 360 days/year. There are two sides to the sink. 8 gallons/side of the sink = 16 gallons/day = 5,760 gallons of hot water that didn't have to get heated, or used, in a year's time. This would save the coffee shop about $50/year in water cost. I don't know what it would save the shop in electric cost (for heating the water,) but it's probably close to $30-$40.

That's not a lot of money, but for a coffee shop that isn't a Starbuck's, but has to compete with Starbuck's, these small cost-saving measures could make all the difference, particularly in a difficult economy where people try to cut out things like coffee.

Carrie made this suggestion, and has made many others, for little things that can be done to help the coffee shop both save money and help the environment.

Usually, it's met with comments like "You're such a Greenie!" and "Treehugger!" (If they mean these as insults, they might be surprised to know she takes them as compliments.)

Anyway, Carrie, this video is for you, and for anyone like you, who works to make changes at their coffee shop, or other place of business.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/being-green-at-the-coffee-shop.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/being-green-at-the-coffee-shop.html Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:54:13 -0700 In this short film strip, model and super cutie Summer Rayne Oakes talks about being conscious regarding the clothing and style choices you make, and how that does make a big difference on the environment globally.
]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/summer-rayne-oakes-being-conscious-clothing-and-style-choices.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/summer-rayne-oakes-being-conscious-clothing-and-style-choices.html Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:20:33 -0700 If you are wondering what you can really do to make a difference and lessen your impact on the environment, or at least lower the ways in which you are currently harming the environment, this video, with John Schaeffer from RealGoods, will teach you five simple things you can do to lessen the impact that you, and your family, are having in harming the environment.

These things include:

Using compact flourescent lighting vs incandescent bulbs. Despite the concern over mercury when the bulbs break, compact flourescent light bulbs use 1/4 as much energy as most incandescent bulbs.

Transportation: Change your vehicle to a non-fossil fueled vehicle.

Replace your water heater with an instantaneous water heater

Double-check all the insulation in your house. Check the windows and build a better radiant barrier around your house.

Install a solar hot water heating system. This generally pays for itself in two years or less.

Installing photovoltaic solar panels is the ultimate major thing you can do to help the environment when it comes to your day-to-day living.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/lower-your-environmental-impact-top-5-things-anyone-can-do.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/lower-your-environmental-impact-top-5-things-anyone-can-do.html Sun, 20 Jul 2008 12:07:46 -0700 In this video from Gaiam, you learn about the beliefs of those living in India and how farming practices has not only been harmful to the health of Indian farmers, but also, chemical cotton farming was a challenge to their religious and spiritual beliefs.

Gaiam shows how they are working to develop sustainable agriculture in India with farmers who enjoy the process of growing cotton organically.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/organic-cotton-how-india-was-saved-by-organic-cotton-farming.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/organic-cotton-how-india-was-saved-by-organic-cotton-farming.html Sat, 19 Jul 2008 12:02:41 -0700 In this video, there are three major benefits discussed to going solar. Though there are probably many more reasons that solar electricity and using solar power are a good idea, here are a few of the major points about solar.

In certain states, by installing photovoltaic solar panels, you can get Tax Rebates and credit back from the electric company.
Installing solar panels can also help you take an active part in resolving the energy crisis and reducing America's dependence on foreign resources
AND
You can achieve complete independence from the electrical grid by installing solar panels, making you no longer dependent on the electric company for your power needs.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/three-reasons-to-go-solar-benefits-of-solar-panels.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/three-reasons-to-go-solar-benefits-of-solar-panels.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:55:29 -0700 By using alternative fuels in our vehicles, we can really create some awesome and powerful climate change. Watch as this video explains how.
]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/how-to-fight-global-warming-through-alternative-transportation.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/how-to-fight-global-warming-through-alternative-transportation.html Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:51:49 -0700 You can have a dream home that doesn't look like a green house, but really is a green home. Watch as this gentleman explains how you can have your dream green home.
]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/how-to-build-a-dream-home-green-building-green-houses.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/how-to-build-a-dream-home-green-building-green-houses.html Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:48:40 -0700 So now that you've received your first 13 simple steps from GreenJoyment, we'd love to hear your thoughts!

Are you putting these into practice in your life? If so, how?

If you're not putting them into practice in your life? What else are you doing, and what are your plans for bringing new green ideas into your life?

Use the comments link below and let us know!

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/your-thoughts-on-13-simple-steps.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/your-thoughts-on-13-simple-steps.html Tue, 15 Jul 2008 23:53:25 -0700 Ever wondered the questions: "How are solar panels made?" or "How do solar panels work?"

Well, this quick video answers both the questions about how solar panels are made and what it takes in order to create electricity (i.e. make it work) from a solar panel or solar array.

Enjoy!

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/how-do-they-make-solar-panels-how-solar-cells-work.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/how-do-they-make-solar-panels-how-solar-cells-work.html Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:44:57 -0700 Watch this video from RealGoods about how to install solar panels and the benefits of having them installed on your home.
]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/realgoods-video-how-to-install-solar-panels-why-you-should.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/realgoods-video-how-to-install-solar-panels-why-you-should.html Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:42:21 -0700 The Federation Of Damanhur, often called simply Damanhur, is a commune, ecovillage, and spiritual community situated in the Piedmont region of northern Italy about 30 miles (50 km) north of the city of Turin. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the Valchiusella valley, bordering on the Gran Paradiso National Park. The community has its own constitution and currency, the Credito.

Damanhur is named after the Egyptian city of Damanhur which was the site of a temple dedicated to Horus.

It was founded in 1975 by Oberto Airaudi with around 24 followers, and had grown to 800 by the year 2000. The group holds a mix of New Age and neopagan beliefs. They gained fame in 1992 through the disclosure of their secret excavation of an extensive underground temple, the Temples of Humankind, which was begun in 1978 under complete secrecy. The Italian authorities ordered the work destroyed because it had been constructed without planning approval. This order was subsequently revoked.

Damanhur's supporters claim the growth and activity of the community has revitalized the local area.

]]> http://www.greenjoyment.com/temples-damanhur-city-built-on-green-concepts-italy.html http://www.greenjoyment.com/temples-damanhur-city-built-on-green-concepts-italy.html Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:21:15 -0700