Innovative News

23July2008

Eco-friendly removal of wallpaper

Posted by Cecilia under: Home.

Do you have wallpaper in your house that you want to remove?  Often removal of wallpaper means using chemicals which are can be toxic when touched or inhaled in moderate amounts.

You might be interested in this more ecologically friendly solution: X-TM Textured Coatings remover.  It’s water-based, free of dangerous solvents and non-irritant.

Another great advantage of this eco-friendly wallpaper remover is that it doesn’t generate dust from the harmful fibres of your old wallpaper.

After you successfully remove your old wallpaper, and you decide you miss those colorful patterns, you’ll find here a wallpaper store with a huge selection of eco-friendly wallpaper.

22July2008

Leaders with vision for our future

Posted by Cecilia under: Environment.

A British think-tank reported that the world urgently needs leaders with vision.

The world situation hungers for economical and environmental vision.  Finally, we could say, the people with vision can speak. 

Being a person with vision was never socially esteemed.  In times of contentment vision is less valued.  Today the times have changed dramatically.  The world needs new ideas, creativity and people who are able to break free from the chains of past thinking.

We all are called to be creative and to think of new ideas for improving the quality of life on our planet earth.   Now many voices are saying “Never has the need been so great”.

21July2008

Top 10 ways for living a Green Life

Posted by Cecilia under: Energy; Environment; Home; Transportation.

Top 10 ways for living a Green Life

While nobody has yet to compile the definitive list of “How to Live Green” there are many guidelines out there to help you get started.   Over the last couple of months we put together a ten part series of our own basic steps for living the green life.  In order to make the list more readable, we offer the ten steps here in a combined version of our original articles.  Of course, you can always refer to the original articles by using the search box at the top of the page!

1 - Reduce your energy consumption in ways you CAN control

Reducing your energy consumption is easier than you might think.  All you need to do is look around your house and chances are you’ll find many ways that your energy consumption is higher than it should be.

For example, replace incandescent bulbs with Compact Fluorescent or better yet, LED.  LED lighting is just starting to come to market and while the initial prices are high, the reduced power consumption and the long life more than make up for the extra cost.  A typical LED bulb uses one fifth of the energy of an incandescent bulb and lasts over fifty times longer.

You can also purchase a programmable thermostat for your home, which will allow you to reduce the temperature while you’re away or during the night when you don’t need the extra heating or cooling.  Many of these can be purchased for less than $50.  Depending on where you live, you will likely make up that cost in the first couple of months.

Install an automatic wall switch for low traffic areas and for places like children’s bedrooms where the lights are likely to be left on!

The next time you are remodeling or upgrading an appliance, make sure you check that it’s Energy Star rated and buy the most efficient appliances you can find.  Energy Star rating used to mean that an appliance was more expensive, but these days the costs of purchasing an energy saving device are negligable

Turn off computers and televisions when you’re not using them.  You’d be surprised at the amount of wasted energy from pc’s, monitors and peripherals.

And of course, one of the biggest power consumers is your Hot Water Heater.  If you already own an electric hot water heater, look into ways of insulating your tank.  If you’re buying new, find the most energy efficient tank you can.  Some of the new tank-less, solar and even more exotic water heating systems are highly efficient.

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20July2008

Battery recycling

Posted by Cecilia under: Environment; Home.

Batteries should be recycled.  It doesn’t matter if you have rechargeable lithium-based batteries or nickel-cadmium batteries.  Both need to be recycled properly because of their chemical composition.  If cadmium finds its way in water it can cause harmful health problems.

In Switzerland each grocery store offers a box where people can put their spent batteries while they are shopping. This kind of recycling is easy for the consumer and therefore the amount of recycled batteries in Switzerland is high.

In the U.S. the automotive industry recycles car batteries in an exemplary manner. About 98% of all lead-acid batteries are recycled. The recycling amount of household batteries isn’t nearly as high.  

What is the reason for that?  It’s not so easy to recycle batteries.

You have different ways to handle your battery disposal, but none are very practical.

You could find out the address of the Household Hazardous Waste Facility in your town and drive your batteries there.  This usually means stockpiling the dead batteries until you have enough to justify the trip.   Alternative Drop Offs are available in some areas, where you bring your household batteries and small electric devices. This service is normally free of charge.  If your memory is good, you also can bring the batteries back to the store where you bought it, but there may be a fee for this service.

You could purchase an iRecycle Kit with which you can send your collected household batteries and handheld electronics to a recycling center.  Good for you if you’re willing to do this, but there’s not much incentive when you actually have to pay for something you otherwise can do for free.

To increase the amount of recycled batteries it’s clear we need to find an easier way.

19July2008

Eco-friendly toys at Whole Foods

Posted by Cecilia under: Home.

Nobody is too young to live a green life.  You can lead your children toward an eco-friendly consciousness.  You can teach them through your own activities, including the purchases you make for your children.

A very early way to get children living a green life is by giving them eco-friendly toys.  Today it’s quite easy to find green toys.  Stores like Toys”R”Us offer these toys.  This coming holiday season you’ll find them also in Whole Foods.

This is finally the time for producers of eco-friendly toys such as ImagiPLAY.  For more than ten years they’ve created high-quality products made from materials which show respect for nature and all human beings.

Perhaps it’s too early to think about holiday gifts in July but it’s never too late to begin to think about the daily choices you make in all areas.

18July2008

Law to install solar water heater

Posted by Cecilia under: Energy; Home.

Do you know which countries already instituted a law requiring the installation of solar water heater for each new home?

One of the first was Israel. After an oil crisis in the early 1950’s the Israelis decided to install solar water heaters.  When the numbers of homes heated by solar power achieved 60% of the population, the law was passed too.  Today 90% of Israeli homes have solar water heaters.

The second country after Israel was Spain in 2005.  Spain became additionally the first country which required by law the installation of solar cells for electricity in new houses.

Other places? Yes, actually one State in the United States. Hawaii recently enacted the same law.  Probably more countries will follow these examples.

But more important than waiting for laws are the initiatives of home owners themselves.  There is already support in form of rebates for people who want to start using solar power for their homes.  What matters most is taking the first steps.

17July2008

Solar Sun Rings

Posted by Cecilia under: Energy; Home.

When you cover your swimming pool with a conventional solar cover you can run into a few problems.  First, you’ll face the limited durability of the plastic material.  Secondly, the traditional pool cover is notorious for creating algae underneath.  Finally there are safety issues when dealing with the one all encompassing piece of material.

Solar Sun Rings don’t have these problems.  Each Solar Ring is an individual piece and the pieces form a complete cover that’s quite easy to handle.  The material of which the rings are made is vinyl, not plastic, and it has high resistance to saline or chlorine water. 

The efficiency of power generation is remarkably increased.  Even with coverage of only 70% to 80% the rings generate full heating power for a whole pool.  The way it works is the two layers of the rings hold insulated air between them.  During day the Solar Sun Rings heat the water deeply  and during night the panels retain heat in the water.

Even the aesthetics of Solar Rings are an improvement, with its beautifully colored design.   In other words, they look great.  When you finally decide to take the plunge on your new swimming pool, consider Solar Sun Rings for heating the water.

16July2008

Mercury in CFL

Posted by Cecilia under: Environment; Home.

CFL, compact fluorescent light bulbs have two conflicting sides.  On one side they last longer and they’re more energy efficient than conventional light bulbs.  On the other side they they contain mercury.

When mercury is released into the environment by improper recycling it can be harmful to pregnant women and children.  This means a great energy saving product can also be quite dangerous when mishandled.

Researchers at Brown University took on this problem of mercury disposal and discovered that selenium has a strong affinity for mercury, therefore it can bind it totally. 

They developed a cloth processed with nanoselenium.  You can use this cloth at home when a compact fluorescent light bulb breaks.  It can also be used in packaging and recycling bags for light bulbs.

A simple, but powerful way to be protect people from the harmful contents of an otherwise beneficial product.

15July2008

Saving energy by working less

Posted by Cecilia under: Economy; Energy; Environment.

Some companies in Austin, Texas are considering a switch from five-day-workweeks to four-day-workweeks.  This idea isn’t as new as it seems.  After one year of experimenting, Utah will be the first state where government employees will work on four days a week.

The advantages are many.  First of all the employees will be really happy to have an extra day to themselves.  Employees can enjoy their extended weekend and enhance their private lives.  In some medical services this system already works thanks to a monitoring system by supervisors.

The other positive point is environmental.  Employees commute less and use less gasoline.  This would reduce the gasoline expenses for employees and employers.  The energy costs for the companies will be distinctively reduced by turning off the lights, and turning back heating or air conditioning on Fridays.  Overall it means less emissions and lower pollution.

Everything is organizable.  A workweek of four days can be organized if the kind of work allows it.  Even when only a portion of companies switch to a four-day-workweek the effect on people’s happiness and on the environment would be impressive.

When times are tough people get more creative in finding new ways to improve their lifestyle and environment.  The four-day-workweek is one of them.

14July2008

Steps for Living a Green Life: Part ten

Posted by Cecilia under: Home.

We’ve reached the last part of our ten part series for Living a Green Life.  It’s time to:

Start doing green!

In this series we’ve given you a lot of information about green living.  Now it’s time to put those words into action.  Here’s how you can get started realizing your new Green Life.

1. Be informed!  Inform yourself about the newest technologies such as home appliances, energy saving methods and power technology.  Start by reading Innovative News or other great blogs.

2. Be sure! Let grow in yourself respect toward nature and your neighbors.  Be deeply convinced that living green is your way of life.

3. Be social! Speak with your family, neighbors, friends and other people about your experiences and theirs.  Visit schools and offer a lesson in practical green life style.  Organize a green party.  Share your green activities with others and learn from the experiences of others.

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