How GREEN are your kids?

As you would teach your children to share their toys or how to pitch in with household chores, you also need to teach your children how to be friendlier to the environment. Instilling these habits in children helps them to grow up to be more eco-chic adults and can only help to make the world a better place to live.

Lead by Example

You know your children imitate your actions and the actions of others, so use this to your advantage in a positive way. Make sure your children see you doing green things and that you point them out to the kids when you’re doing them. Take the time to explain why you’re doing it and how it helps the environment and the people living in it.

Eat Green

Rather than buy pre-made or pre-packaged foods, feed your children homemade meals instead. Even baby food can be made at home rather than buy jars of baby food that uses glass, aluminum and paper. Not only is eating homemade food generally healthier for your kids, but it’s also healthier for the environment.

Green Toys & Books

Buy chemical and additive free toys for your kids. It’s better for their health anyway. You can also find books that have stories and actions that are all about environmentally friendly things or show the characters participating in things that are good for the environment. This is another form of lead by example. Older kids can read articles you find online or in newspapers and magazines that you read.

Introduce them to Nature

No matter where you live in the country, you are surrounded by nature. Make sure that you introduce your kids to the environment and what all of your green efforts are saving. Hike nature trails, take them to the zoo or the local natural history museum. When you go to the beach, talk about sand erosion and the efforts the community is making to protect barrier islands. Volunteer with your kids to clean up a local beach, highway or other areas.

Make Recycling a Family Affair

Buy some plastic bins and chalkboard paint. Paint a small area on the front of each bin with your child. Use a piece of chalk to write glass, plastic, cardboard, newspaper, etc., on each bin. This makes it fun for you and the kids, as well as organizing your recycling efforts. Take your cloth bags to the grocery store with you when you shop. Go over with your child what is recyclable and what isn’t. Make as much of what you do as possible an avenue of awareness for your child on how they can make a difference. Teaching your child to be green and a friend to the environment is a series of lessons similar to all of the other life lessons you instill in them as they grow. It starts with you. Instill these Earth-friendly habits in your children as soon as possible and throughout their life. It will make them greener adults and make their community a better place to live.

Photos courtesy of: greenkidsfun.com, forkids.ca

Some text courtesy of: http://greenlivingdiva.blogspot.com/2009/10/instill-green-ways-in-your-kids.html

Green Office Ideas

In no particular order here are some of the most important actions:

1. Switch off all lights when not in use (especially at night, weekends, holidays)


2. Turn off all IT equipment and other electrical appliances when not in use
   
3. Make sure all electrical items are switched off at the power point when not in use for extended periods


4. Disable screen savers as they often use more energy than less


5. Make sure the heating and cooling are not set too hot or too cold


6. Walk, ride a bike or take public transport to work


7. Teleconference or use GoTo Meeting rather than make unnecessary trips


8. Strive to operate a paperless office
9. Install a water filter instead of purchasing bottled water
10. Recycle everything you can
    

Please click here to go to the BizCheck page to learn more about saving money, developing new business and greening your business.

The Small Business Office Solution

An Irish Company, Tepui who is focused on Sustainability Strategies and Design is developing a co-workspace 'Hub,' something definately worth considering. A pay-as you go shared work space with a creative and collaborative community buzz is just what so many of us are missing.

'The Dublin Hub' is a flexible, affordable, shared working environment for freelancers, small businesses, the self-employed, and home-workers looking for a desk, or a meeting space in town. Members book time in the Hub in advance - similar to buying mobile phone credit - they have the freedom to choose when to work and are charged solely for the time they spend in the Hub.

"We hope to attract inventive, innovative, socially committed, ethical and environmentally aware people, people who need to take their ideas out of the garden shed or away from the kitchen table, says Erik van Lennap of Tepui. We aim to provide a vibrant, dynamic, collaborative, exciting atmosphere, a place people will want to be in and be part of. We think this is an essential response to the challenges posed by changing work patterns in the new century."

Due to current economic times, many very talented individuals have been laid off and many those people are not satisfied or fortunate enough to sit at home collecting an un-employement check. To that end, there is a magnitude of new start-up businesses that are looking to make their mark in their industry. The co-work space solution is an excellent opportunity to place your business in a vibrant setting with a potential to be a great networking environment.

Images provided by: csmonitor.com

Are you really living GREEN?

So, you just purchased your new Prius, and you faithfully recycle your aluminum cans. You are bragging to the neighbors about doing your part for the environment. But are you really living green inside your home?

1) The obvious, easy, and most common green thing to do is recycle plastics and paper. But did you remember to include your toothbrush in your program? Did you know that 50 million pounds of toothbrushes hit the landfills every year? Astonishing!

2) Take your own bags to the grocery store. Carry a green reusable bag, or save your plastic bags for the following trip. Worldwide we consume one million bags per minute. The Wall Street Journal quoted that the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. Plastic bags don’t biodegrade, they break down into small toxic bits.
3) Buy in bulk and save packaging. Not only will you save fuel by making fewer trips to the grocery store, you will also consume less packaging material. Though you should watch out for multiple small items packaged together that masquerade as ‘bulk’. A recent poll of grocers revealed that bulk foods have increased in sales volume about 10 percent over the past 12 months.

4) Heat only the space you occupy. If you rarely use the guest bedroom and guest bath, close the vents in these rooms until just prior to the arrival of your guests.
5) Dress warm in the winter. Don’t turn up the heat, put on a sweater. If your wife (whose always cold) is wearing shorts in December, then the thermostat is set too high.
6) Install a programmable thermostat. Oh yes, and program it.
7) Is your TV running 24/7? If you are not watching the TV, turn it off. If you need the comfort of the TV to rock you to sleep, then set the timer to automatically turn the TV off.

8 ) Replace your incandescent lamps, with compact fluorescent lamps, they burn far less energy. But beware; you must recycle CFL lights as they may contain mercury. The good news is that all Home Depot stores in the US and Canada offer CFL recycling.
9) Solar hot water systems should be on every home. There is nothing like a hot shower in the morning to get you started. Try installing a solar water heater to take advantage of the natural energy of the sun. Solar hot water systems are highly efficient and low cost.
10) Install ceiling fans in every room. You can reduce the AC temperature, and the room will still feel cooler when the fan is running.
11) Using eco-friendly hand soap and dish soap can help to protect fish and wildlife.
12) When your spouse decides to add painting to your honey-do list, you should only buy low VOC or no VOC paint. VOCs or Volatile Organic Compounds are found in most latex and oil-based paints. These toxins are released into the air when the paint is applied.
13) People love the smell of a new car. But in the case of a new home or newly decorated room, that new odor may be the smell of a toxic VOC called 4-PCH or phenylcyclohexene as it is released from your new carpet. To avoid this hazard, purchase a low VOC or no VOC carpet.
14) Take the time to locate green furniture manufactured from recycled materials or recovered wood. You can purchase tables, chairs, kitchen cupboards, bookshelves, lamps, and even a wooden clock.

15) Use rechargeable batteries to keep dead batteries out of landfills. According to a study by Uniross, rechargeable batteries have 32 times less impact on the environment and use less then 1/23rd the natural resources of their disposable buddies. Using a solar charger is the absolute greenest choice, eliminating the cost of electricity and the pollution associated with generating it.


Summary:Just think how much farther we can take our green living and save the planet for our children and future generations.

Photos courtesy of: Green by Design, P. Winberg, simply communicated, inc., Eco Childs Play, Greenopolis, Unclutter

Some text courtesy of: Green by Design

Remodel Green - Save Money and the Environment

Now that the housing market is in the tank; many of us who hoped to be 'Moving Up' find ourselves looking at our existing homes as a re-investment. Remodeling your home will increase it's value in the long run and doing it with green minded materials and products is good for the environment and may actually save you money in the long run as well.

Not sure where to begin??? Try attending an event like this and ask questions.

Last Week's Tips to Live Green

Tip # 1 Why Recycle?
a. In the United States right now, landfills are filling up and closing at the rate of approximately 2 a day.
b. A glass bottle thrown away today will still be there in the year 3000.
c. In the United States, one in every six trucks in a garbage truck.
Check out Trash People in Rome!



Tip # 2 Don't Top-it Off
Topping off at the gas tank wastes fuel by releasing fumes into the atmosphere and creates air bubbles in the gas which burns less efficiently.Other fuel saving tips can be found at About.Com:Cars



Tip #3 Smart Irrigation
Promotes healthy and attractive landscaping by improving watering efficiency with new “Smart” technologies such as smart irrigation controllers, a device that gives your plants the right amount of water for the time of year, climate and weather and rotating sprinkler nozzles, that can water your landscape better using 20 percent less water. Use these technologies together for the most savings!





Photos courtesy of Enzo D, Trek Lens, Rain Bird

Today's World must end. Tomorrow's is yours for the making.

A loveable but slightly dim polar bear and an angry penguin demonstrate the importance of water efficiency and the issue of climate change. To the soundtrack of ‘Human After All’ by Daft Punk, and using celebrity voice-overs of Terry Christian and Coolio, this film portrays an important message in an amusing and captivating style.
Utilising a unique and technologically advanced form of animation called ‘Performance Capture’. This allows the background to be filmed as live ‘real life’ images, whilst the actors precise movements create the CGI characters.




Written by Emily Webber, Samantha Pickles, Jen Robinson, Karen Turley, Sarah Butler of Liverpool John Moores University.