In this short video “Building Green” host Kevin Contreras visits the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas, and learns about the benefits and basics of construction of living roofs from Steve Windhager, Director of the Center. Visit www.buildinggreentv.com or call your station for local PBS listings.

Living Roofs / Green Roofs – Cool Idea! is a post from: So Where To From Here

Go Green this week on Six Minute Style as host Susan Doherty walks you through your home, room by room, with simple steps designed to help you save the planet and your cash. Yes, green living is good for your wallet too!

Note: This isn’t a new video but I think the suggestions made are still relevant and warrant taking another look.

Green Living Made Easy in Just over Six Minutes is a post from: So Where To From Here

According to Wikipedia, ‘A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact that human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide.’

Individuals, nations and businesses are able to conceptualize their personal carbon dioxide contribution by means of the Carbon Footprint and thus react responsibly to the problem of global warming by reducing individual footprints.

The conceptual opposite of carbon footprint is ‘carbon offset’, or the removal of carbon emissions through use of alternate gadgets/technologies/processes that adequately reduce carbon emissions.

Global warming is caused by the accumulation of greenhouse gases (primarily carbon-di-oxide, or CO2) in the upper levels of the earth’s atmosphere. The earth receives and releases heat periodically to maintain its balance. However, greenhouse gases interfere with the heat capture-and-release cycle by forming a kind of ‘shield’ or ‘barrier’ that prevents heat rays escaping from the earth. This leads to the gradual accumulation of heat in the atmosphere and consequent rise in temperatures all over the globe (the phenomenon that we all know as ‘global warming’). Its consequences are all too well known by now – ecological imbalances, rise in the level of water in the oceans (hence, the seas gradually entering and taking up the dry land on which we live), outbreak of several, dangerous diseases, catastrophic changes in weather and a myriad other effects.

Carbon footprint is a quantity (measured in pounds, kilo grams etc.) on account of the obvious advantages that numbers have over subjective verbal descriptions – some of these are discussed below:

A) Ability to quantify and compare objectively: Consider activity ‘A’ that has a 50 pound (carbon) footprint (say, driving a distance of 2 miles by car) and activity ‘B’ that has a 10 pound footprint (possibly, jogging the same distance). On account of carbon footprint being a number, we can say without any ambiguity or uncertainty that ‘A’ has a bigger carbon footprint compared to ‘B’, since 50 is greater than 10. (Hence, if A and B are activities that serve the same purpose, it will be beneficial to do less of A and more of B instead).

B) Ability to sum-up and Prioritize: (Carbon) footprint of industrial work-processes can be determined by summing up the footprints of their constituent activities. It is, therefore, possible to identify those work-processes that have bigger footprints and deal with them first while leaving out less important ones for later remedial action

C) Ability to forecast and aid better planning in cases of maintenance and new industrial projects

D) Statistics made possible and thus monitoring (control/feedback) of carbon-offset/carbon footprint reduction exercises

E) Enables precise calculation of taxes and other Government levies in case legislation is enforced at any point in time restraining the carbon footprints of businesses/individuals to acceptable limits

F) At a global level, to identify countries that are the biggest contributors to global warming

Like to know what your carbon footprint is? Then visit http://www.bp.com/iframe.do?categoryId=9027929&contentId=7050956 now!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Abraham_R_Chacko
http://EzineArticles.com/?Carbon-Footprint-Demystified&id=3319243

Carbon Footprint Demystified is a post from: So Where To From Here

July 21, 2009 – Here’s good tips on life style changes that anyone can make to be Greener!

Other Great Green Thoughts – July 21, 2009 is a post from: So Where To From Here

July 13, 2009 – I like that someone is looking for solutions.

Other Great Green Thoughts – July 13, 2009 is a post from: So Where To From Here

July 4, 2009 – Love the direction of this article. New opportunities abound.

Other Great Green Thoughts – July 4, 2009 is a post from: So Where To From Here

Are we aware in preserving the environment? Is there any thing we can do about it? Let’s take a review how important habitat is and how to preserve it.

1. Join the Green Movement

There are many organizations, at a local, national and international level devoted to preserving the environment. Together they form the “Green movement.”

photo credit: thebittenword.com

Whenever a habitat is threatened by industry or development, the Green movement takes the side of the environment. These groups already enjoy considerable public support, but their most important work is education. Unless people understand how threats to the environment affect them, they cannot appreciate the importance of preserving habitats.

Many farmers are sympathetic to the Green movement, despite the pressure to grow the maximum amount of food. Some make an effort to preserve small areas of woodland and hedgerow and are careful not to spray these areas with pesticides. A few have turned their backs on modern methods and use no chemicals at all, either in pesticides or fertilizers.

2. Organic Farming

Farming without chemicals is known as organic farming. In several countries, organic produce has become very popular. Because no chemicals are used to grow the food, there are none to enter the human food chain. In addition, by choosing organic produce, people think they are also choosing to save the countryside.

3. Saving the Rainforest

In the developing countries, action is finally being taken to save the rain forests. In Africa, the Ivory Coast recently banned all timber exports. In Central America, the government of Panama made it illegal to cut down any tree more than five years old. Such actions show great determination, because timber exports have been a major source of income.

It is difficult to persuade poor people in developing countries of the importance of saving the forests. They need more food and want to use the land to grow it on. What is at stake is not just our enjoyment of nature, but the future of life on Earth and our children and grandchildren to see the beauty of the Earth.

“Freelance writer loves everything for a brighter shine.” Visit MS Sapayan’s blogs by clicking these links http://www.rsapayan.blogspot.com/ & http://www.zuleikarhizz.wordpress.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Maria_Salud_Sapayan
http://EzineArticles.com/?Ways-in-Preserving-the-Environment&id=2463133

Ways in Preserving the Environment is a post from: So Where To From Here

Is your business green? Are you making a serious effort to reduce your company’s environmental impact and to adopt environmentally-sound practices? An increasing number of people can answer those questions with a resounding “yes”. The move toward a greener workplace is underway as more people recognize the serious repercussions of “business as usual”.

Businesses are doing what they can to shrink carbon footprints, reduce waste and to eliminate excess power consumption. You’ve undoubtedly noticed an increased focus on a green workplace over the last few years. Recycling, once rare, is now commonplace. Almost every new appliance or piece of electrically-powered equipment entering the office now bears an Energy Star sticker. Those who operate in the industrial sector have seen countless changes to production processes as companies strive to operate with environmental well being as a priority.
photo credit: justgrimes

The obvious changes are only the beginning, however. If one looks even more closely at a company’s daily operations, he or she will undoubtedly find other ways to make a difference. It’s possible to tweak a variety of systems and functions to become more green. Job training is a perfect example.

Traditional job training methodologies are nightmares in environmental terms. First, they often generate extensive quantities of paperwork. You can almost hear the chainsaws clear-cutting a chunk of the rainforest every time you stare at the stacks of paperwork used in most job training scenarios.

Deforestation, obviously, is a significant environmental concern. That’s one reason why it makes so much sense to transition to a blended approach to job training. A system that utilizes the Internet to facilitate information distribution can considerably reduce the quantity of paper used. E-learning strategies, then, are a great way to get closer to being truly green.

Job training often necessitates a great deal of travel, too. You have employees moving back and forth between offices and job sites. They’re using cars and airplanes to make those trips and are burning up unimaginable quantities of fossil fuel products in the process. We know what that means both in terms of general conservation and carbon dioxide emissions. Traditional travel-heavy strategies are anything but green.

Job training doesn’t need to be that way, however. A shift to Internet-based training strategies can reduce the need for travel. Instead of watching employees burn fossil fuels, a smart company can alter its training strategy to reduce the expense and negative environmental impact associated with it.

Blended approaches to training that utilize web-based technologies are a strong example of how a company can find pathways to greener operation in almost area.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Fred_Green
http://EzineArticles.com/?Another-Way-to-Be-Green—Job-Training-Changes-Help-the-Environment&id=2429611

Another Way to Be Green – Job Training Changes Help the Environment is a post from: So Where To From Here

To make this Fathers Day special, why not surprise your dad with an environmentally friendly occasion? Everyone is concerned about the health of our planet, so he’ll appreciate and be fascinated by your brilliant ideas for green gifts and activities. In this article, we’ve got some great tips for being environmentally friendly for Fathers Day.

Giving an eco gift for Fathers Day will let your dad know how important this issue is to you, and perhaps he’ll support you by changing some of his own behaviors. If your dad is new to eco products, then get a unique Fathers day gift that will make it easy to be environmentally friendly.

For example, replace his normal toiletries with fresh smelling organic shaving cream or aftershave. Instead of mass produced coffee, introduce him to the rich smell and taste of organic coffees, like Buzz Eco Java. If he doesn’t like organic coffee, get him a personalized travel mug that he can use every morning when he gets his caffeine fix. By using a refillable mug, he’ll reduce waste.

Many men love gardening, so make Fathers Day special by appealing to your dad’s “green” thumb. It’s time to get rid of that air polluting gas lawn mower and replace it with an electric lawn mower, trimmer or blower. If he spends a fortune on fancy fertilizers to make his garden grow, introduce him to the benefits of composting. Purchase a compost bin and take the time to show him how coffee grounds, eggshells, spoiled vegetables and other leftovers will create rich soil for his garden. Besides being impressed with your knowledge, he’ll enjoy sharing his favorite hobby with you.

As the old saying goes, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. You can put together Fathers Day gift baskets packed with edibles that are so delicious your dad won’t know they’re organic! Treat him to homemade jellies, jams and pies made with local, organically grown fruit.

To encourage him to eat more local produce, get seeds or young plants from local growers for his garden. Other items for an organic gift basket can include herbal teas, shade-grown fair trade coffees or cocoas, raw nuts, unfiltered honey, organic popcorn, vegetarian or raw food cookbooks, bamboo cutting boards and skewers, and non-plastic cooking tools and eating utensils. Your dad will have a great time exploring this green Fathers Day present.

You can make this Fathers Day special by doing something to minimize your environmental footprint. Wrap your Fathers Day present in recycled wrapping paper, use tableware made of recycled products or reusable tableware, protect the eco system with pretty paper balloons instead of rubber ones, and clean up afterward with a biodegradable soap. Take the time to explain the process to your family and encourage them to contribute their ideas. You can provide loads of fun for Fathers Day without harming the health of our planet.

A whole world of information about going green for fathers day eagerly awaits you from Mike Selvon portal. Visit us for more insider tips on the fathers day date.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Selvon
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Be-Environmentally-Friendly-For-Fathers-Day&id=2386854

How to Be Environmentally Friendly For Father’s Day is a post from: So Where To From Here

When people think about animals that are important to their food supply, they generally think of cows, pigs and chicken, or maybe even ostrich, goat or sheep. Very few people think about bees, but the truth is, bees play a very important part in the U. S. food supply. These small and incredibly busy insects are responsible for the way that we are able to get food and keep it, and a problem that is being faced by bees is definitely one that is being faced by humans!

Bees are a vital part of the way that food is grown in the United States; they pollinate as much as thirty percent of the U. S. food supply and their work is something that most farmers rely upon. In years where bees are a bit scarce, bee keepers, more properly known as apiarists, will travel from farm to farm, renting out their hives until the work can get done. This allows the crops to pollinate and mature, and as you can see, without it, we would be facing dire straits indeed.

Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is that we are facing just such a disaster. The Bee Colony Collapse Disorder has killed off about 29 percent of all of the bees in the United States over the past year, and the bees that are dying are dying so quickly that replacement has not been possible. With this in mind, and understanding the importance of the role of bees to crop production, it may be that we will be seeing the end of many different fruits and vegetables in the United States. There is a very long list of things that are pollinated partly or wholly by bees, and these crops will suffer severely in the years to come.

This is an extremely significant issue that is getting a very small amount of national coverage; indeed, many Americans are not even aware that this is a problem. The collapse of the bee population is one that can be attributed to a number of things, and many scientists believe that it might have a great deal to do with the amount of pesticides that have been used or a change in climate.

If you are concerned about this issue, keep talking about it. Talk to people that you know, and write letters to your governmental representatives, pointing to the importance of the issue. When you grow your own food, do not use pesticides and make sure that you continue to learn about this issue.

Amelia Yap is a mother who is very conscious about global warming and the future or our environment. She has made it her mission to educate others to go green, reduce their carbon foot print, and help save our environment.

You can download her FREE report, “27 Ways to Go Green and See Green” to see how easy it is to go green and save money along the way.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amelia_Yap
http://EzineArticles.com/?Bees-and-Their-Effect-on-Us-and-Our-Environment&id=2335667

Photo courtesy of Freefoto.com

Bees and Their Effect on Us and Our Environment is a post from: So Where To From Here