Eight Top Kitchen Eco Tips

Robert from Flow Living is here to give you eight ways to improve your kitchen's eco "output", or rather, reduce your kitchen's waste output.
The kitchen is often to most-used room in the modern home, which also makes it possibly the most-abused in terms of energy usage. Have a read through these tips - I hope you can get something good from them!

Re-Use All Things

There are two overriding themes to been environmentally conscious: reducing waste, and re-using things where possible. You really can re-use a lot of kitchen waste, from using certain food wastes as compost to turning an old bin into a waterbutt, there's a lot of opportunity if you're the inventive type. If you're not the inventive type, think about the problems you currently have in your kitchen/garden. Is there a way you can help them by re-using something you consume on a regular (or irregular) basis? Necessity is the mother of invention, so solving a problem is perhaps where you should start. If that doesn't get you anywhere, there's always the artistic route - transform a part of your garden into a more creative space by painting old appliances, or building interesting sculptures out of old kitchen items.

Eat...Microwave Meals?

Okay this idea might be slightly controversial, because there's certainly something that feels more natural about cooking "properly" in a oven. But microwaves are more energy efficient. They're quick (that meal it takes an hour to heat in the oven only takes three in the microwave) and literally use less energy than a gas or electric oven.
If you have to use a stove to cook with, why not prepare food in bulk to then freeze. Then, when you're ready to eat it, reheat it in the microwave rather than on a stove.

Buy Recycled Goods

It's a no-brainer, isn't it? You buy recycled goods, which you then recycle, which then get bought by another as recycled goods, who then recycles - it's a lovely round recycling circle...or cycle. Whilst it's easy to conceive, it's slightly harder to implement. But it's all about getting into a mindset, thinking first about recycling: the next time you have to buy something, just ask yourself "is there a recycled version of this?"

Save Water

Hot water is an everyday necessity, for cooking, drinking, cleaning, and bathing. In the kitchen, you can cut down on the amount of hot water that you use, and the amount that you waste. "Waste" is the key here. It takes energy to heat water, so if you end up running the tap for slightly longer than you should, or pouring some hot water away then you're wasting energy. A good way to ensure you use less water overall, without having to concentrate so much, is to use a tap that has a slower flow. Having a nice looking kitchen tap to accompany your stylish undermount sink is one thing, but having a tap that saves you money, saves energy and still looks great is a greater thing.
Another quick water/energy saving tip: if you fill the kettle up to full every time, but don't use all of the water, then you're wasting energy every time you heat the kettle.

Save More Energy

So this nicely follows on from the previous tip. Due to your undoubtedly electricity-powered kitchen, there's a lot of energy usage. Think of all the appliances you have. Anything steam-powered? Hamster powered? Nope. Here are some quick tips, that also work throughout other areas of the house:

• Use low-energy lightbulbs (compact fluorescent bulbs), including in side-lights and task lighting
• Turn everything off when you're not using it (except the fridge/freezer, unless you want to have to eat all of your frozen food tomorrow)
• Monitor your central heating - if the kitchen warms up when you use other appliances, do you need the central heating on as well?
• Buy new appliances - this one will cost you money short-term, but save in efficiency over a longer period as newer appliances are generally more efficient
• Using kitchen appliances elsewhere? Do they need to be switched on? That freezer in your garage might not be fully stocked, so can you transfer its contents and turn it off?

Outsource It!

Your best chance of succeeding with making your kitchen a more eco-aware is with you committing to the idea. But if you share the house with others (especially others of an under-18 and occasionally messy persuasion) then you're open to their input, whether you like it or not. Therefore if you convince your family to become advocates of your ideas, those ideas could go a long way.
Kids, when they believe something, often put a lot of energy behind their beliefs. If you lay out the reasons why you want to change the way you dispose of waste, pick the food you use and be aware of the impact of your decisions, your children will be better informed, better prepared and possibly better disciplined overall.

Finish Your Meals

Saying "don't throw things away" is too easy, too obvious, and not quite right. Most UK councils are stepping up their recycling programmes, which means that more of your home waste can be sorted into various recycling buckets. Or at least, that's the intention. However, if you can just produce less waste to start with, there's less to recycle. It does help if you have a "human dustbin" in the house, but, sincerely, weighing your food and working out who consumes what sort of quantity of food can go a very long way to reducing your overall waste, reducing food bills, cutting down the amount of packaging you use, trips to the supermarket etc. There's a whole big knock-on effect that starts with a simple thought and spreads out a long way from there.

Tell Everyone About Your Success

This is perhaps the best thing you can do: pay it forward. Spread the word. If you've seen "success" after implementing a green or eco policy in your kitchen, tell everyone about it. For every naysayer and pessimist you encounter, there may be one or two that you encourage to change the way they think about how their waste at home affects them and the wider world around them.
Do you have tips nine, ten and eleven? Please add them in the comments!

How To Build Your Own Wind Turbine At Home

Wind turbines are quite simple and easy to make, and they can save you a lot of money on electric bills if you can build your own. And that is what this article is going to attempt to do- help you build your very own wind generator through the gathering and assembly of fairly widespread and cheap components.

Introduction

If you know how to build a home wind turbine, your electrical bills will cost significantly less and luckily this is relatively easy to do. Plans and instructions showing how to build your own wind turbine are commonly available and thousands of people have built their own home wind turbine. It is often said that only an area prone to strong winds is suitable for wind power generation. This is absolutely not so. Even gentle breezes will produce power which is stored in batteries till needed.

Before you start building it is crucial that you grasp a basic understanding of how a windmill or turbine works. Wind turbines are made up of three major components: the rotor with blades, the tower, and the motor. All of these components work together to generate electrical energy. The tower is used to strengthen your wind power turbine. The blades are used to capture the power of the wind; when constructing your turbine you should consider aligning the blades in the direction of the wind to enhance this ability. The motor is the component that converts the wind blown into the blades into usable electrical energy for your home.

Material and Tool Needed for Wind Turbine

Now that you have a fundamental understanding of what you will be creating you will need a work place that can fit all your needs to start building. A decent-sized garage or shop will help you with this. You wouldn’t want to have your things cluttered around, so it should be large. Subsequently, with your do-it-yourself wind turbine plans, you are now equipped with instructions and the facility to build your wind power turbines.

For you to get started, you must secure your tools such as the wrenches, saw and the cordless drills. Furthermore you need to make a detailed plan in building your wind turbine.

There are a number of materials you could use for the generator’s blades. Almost all experts suggest a strong, pliable wood such as cedar or spruce. Using cedar means your generator can withstand strong winds best by bending slightly with them. Any durable, not-overly-dense and not-too-weak wood will suffice. You could also use plastic blades, like PVC, but you have to be aware that cold weather can fracture them.

The dimensions of your blades will establish the strength of the motor you should get. Something around 40 volts is reasonable. And lastly, your wind generator will need a power source and a monitoring device. A large battery, like a car battery, and a diode will work perfectly.

It is required for you to purchase a DC motor. This will be your power turbine. The DC motor will serve as the heart of the wind turbine, so it is necessary to get one. Ordering this may take days before it is delivered at your home, so place the order ahead of time. The most challenging part of building a home wind turbine is the process of matching blades to the power turbine properly and effectively. Nonetheless, don't be threatened by this because it will not be very difficult if you correctly outlined your plan. If you are aiming for more power production, then you may need to have larger sized blades and of course bigger DC motor.

In making a 1000 watts home wind turbine, your blades ought to be at least 4 feet long, therefore the diameter will have a total of 8 feet all in all. This will catch more wind and will create more power. If you are making small machines, it is recommended to use a PVC pipes for the blades. While you are waiting for the DC motor that you have ordered, you can begin building your blades it basically takes only one day to be able to finish the blades.

Instructions how to get started

With a band saw, cut the wood or PVC into the shape of fan blades. Make sure you cut them into a size that will accommodate your power source. Use bolts or screws to attach the blades to your saw blade pivot. Cover your blades in a primer paint with an oil base, then add additional layers of enamel paint. Later on, attach the blades and pivot to your stainless steel core.

Test the blades to ensure weight is being distributed equally. Run copper wire around the base of the stainless steel core of your generator and attach that wire to your battery. Attach the diode to the battery. Then place your core on the TV tower to keep it elevated. In combination with what you’ve already constructed, you may add a gear box to your generator. This significantly boosts the power generator, as it does a lot of extra work for you with the same amount of wind as it was receiving before.

Conclusion

Where you place your home wind turbine is essential for the success or disappointment of your project. You need to do extensive investigation on the amount of wind available and the speed of that wind. If your site is among trees or surrounded by steep hills, it's impossible to be useful for wind power. It is best if your site is flat or with hills that are far away from trees and other obstacles.

Author:

This article was written by Philippe Allaire, a French Canadian writer with hopes of teaching the world great alternative energy sources. If you’re looking for other alternative energy sources, many can be found at www.greenieproducts.com.

Still Using Paper in your Business? What You Need to Know to take the Paperless Jump

These days you hear a great deal about companies going paperless. Many types of businesses have adopted the practice — everything from caterpillar equipment sellers to custom clothing designers. The word “paperless” does not mean the company no longer uses any paper, but rather, it has transferred the majority of its paperwork online.
This type of business move makes sense for a number of reasons, since it’s convenient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly. Here are some factors you should keep in mind if your company is considering going paperless.
It Cuts Expenses
In a tight economy, companies are always looking for ways to save money. Cutting spending is a good reason to go paperless, since online business is very cost-effective. Corporations spend millions of dollars each year on the ink, printers, and paper needed to print documents. For online business, you just need a website, email, and some sort of content management system. You may need to invest in a few things at first, but that won’t even making a dent in the amount of money you’ll be saving.
It Reduces Your Carbon Footprint
Another reason going paperless is so popular is that more and more businesses are adopting eco-friendly practices. Paperless business will help reduce the harmful impact you have on the environment. By doing online business, you’re using fewer office supplies, meaning you’re cutting down on the amount of waste your company produces.
It Saves Time for Your Staff
When you’re mailing out paper documents, it takes a while to prepare them. To send letters or bills to customers and business contacts, employees traditionally print them out and sign them. They then address, stuff, and seal the envelope. While it may not seem like a long process, employees can spend hours sending out mailings to customers. With paperless business, you can deliver important documents with the click of a button.
It Elicits Varying Reactions from Customers
Some customers will find paperless business to be easy and convenient. Many people would rather receive bills and other notices online. They figure making payments or receiving notices is just easier on the computer. For most people, it is also much faster to do paperless business.
Others, however, are against companies going paperless. They feel that as loyal customers, it’s their right to receive paper notices. These customers may think it’s easier to remember to pay a bill if it’s physically sent to their home. They may not be very tech-savvy and might have experience difficulty when doing their business online. It’s also important to realize that not everyone has reliable Internet access. Although it’s difficult to imagine life without a computer for many of us, some elderly citizens are resistant to buying one. If you do decide to go paperless, you should make sure these customers are still able to receive paper notices.

This post is brought to you by guest author CJ, a business enthusiast who enjoys writing about everything from going paperless to the latest caterpillar equipment.

Hot Drinks Warming The Planet Too?

If you want to know what small changes in your behavior can mean for the overall health of the planet then look no further than this infographic from the other side of the pond in the UK. They are well known for drinking a lot of tea over there and when you drill down into the numbers it is quite staggering just how much greenhouse gas is emitted because of this habit. It turns out that you would have to drive some two and a half billion miles in an average car to generate as much emissions as hot drinks do in a year.

It makes you wonder about what other small changes we could make to our lives that would lead to huge collective savings in our carbon footprint. Maybe this strategy would work better than trying to get people to make huge, drastic changes which they are much more likely to resent or simply fail at.

Steve Waller runs his own green living blog, aptly named Green Steve and wants to educate and inform people about the ways they can reduce their overall impact on the environment. With posts on recycling, clean energy, green travel and more, his blog has a wealth of useful information.

Where does the UKs electricity come from?

Almost 40 countries across six continents make up for more than half of the fuel that the United Kingdom uses. They are the damning facts of the latest statistics about our fuel production and outsourcing. With so much talk about renewable energy and being self-sufficient, this is just another piece of information that should spark the UK into action.

Dependence on other countries to run our electricity supply is something that we all knew was true, but with just 43.1% of fuel being sourced in the UK we need to sit up and take note. Seeing the facts and figures in the cold light of day just brings home the sheer size of our problem.
With around half of the country’s population keen on the idea of being self-sufficient with their electricity, this research will make us wonder just how we could reach a 100% goal in the next 40 years. Poland, USA, Indonesia, Russia and Columbia all send the coal, while Qatar produces the majority of our liquefied gas and our dependency on imported uranium adds Canada and Australia to the mix. There are countries across Africa, Asia & the Middle East, Australasia, Europe along with North and South America all doing their bit to keep us warm at night.

In a lot of ways, it’s not the percentages that are the shock but just the sheer amount of countries that the UK needs to sustain the population. The research and time that has evidently gone into this was thorough and detailed, and it’s this determination and mind-set that the whole of the United Kingdom needs if we’re going to lower our fuel output. Whether you’re unplugging your laptops before you go to bed or switching your home to good, green energy, slowly but surely we can all make a difference.

Infographic one - continent level

Source: Green Energy, Renewable Energy Company

Infographic two - country level

Source: Green Energy, Renewable Energy Company

Don’t Drive Across Town for Cheap Gas-- Seriously, Don’t Do It

Summer is fast approaching, and with it, higher prices at the pump. While it may make you feel better to drive to a neighboring town to secure cheaper gasoline, it’s almost always more expensive to make the trip. Here is the truth, the math, and some ideas for better ways to spend your money.

$4.00 per gallon seems like a princely sum to pay just for the ability to burn it all transporting yourself from one appointment to the next. So, naturally, $3.95 sounds a LOT better. But unless the nickel-cheaper gas is selling at the filling station immediately next door to the more expensive stuff, you’re better off completely ignoring the cost and just filling up at whichever station is nearest to you. Why?

Let’s use some average numbers for cars. Your vehicle will differ, but this will give an idea as to how the numbers work out when bargain shopping for gasoline. For our example, we’ll use a vehicle with a 15-gallon gas tank. The average combined fuel economy of the car is 25mpg. The service station with the $4.00 gas is next door to our home, but the discount fuel is 5 miles away.

1. Price Only

Gasoline prices seem to bewitch people. You’d never drive a 10-mile round-trip to save $0.75 on a $60 item, but when you drive five miles each way to save a nickel per gallon on a fill-up, that’s exactly what you’re doing. Consider: A full, 15-gal. tank of fuel at $4.00/gal. costs $60.00. A full, 15-gal. tank of fuel at $3.95/gal. costs $59.25. Savings = $0.75. What if you only have a 10 gal. tank? You’ll pay $40 and $39.50 respectively, for a full tank. $0.50 is not much savings!

2. Mileage Matters

If it feels better to get the lower price, and you think the $0.75 is worth the trip, you still lose. You’ll travel 10 miles to get the cheap gas, but you’ll burn more fuel driving there and back than you’ll be able to buy with the money you save. At 25mpg, and assuming you leave your driveway and make the round-trip with no traffic and under optimal conditions, you’ll use 0.4 gal. of gas. At the discounted rate of $3.95, you’ll have to pay $1.58 to buy the 0.4 gal. you’ll use to drive to and from the station. Remember, this trip was undertaken to realize a $0.75 total savings. But instead, you’ve now lost $0.83. Would you drive across town to deliberately spend $0.83 more on a $60 purchase?

3. Higher Prices = Less Reason to Travel for a Deal

Every time the cost of fuel goes up, the cost per mile traveled goes up with it. And it consequently makes even less sense to drive out of your way to save a few cents. At $4.50 and $4.45 per gallon at our dueling stations, you’ll still only be traveling for a $0.75 total discount, but now it cost you $1.78 to make the 10-mile trip. Now you’ve spent $1.03 more than you would have if you just bought the $4.50 gas.

4. What about a HUGE Sale?

In the above example, the nearby station offered $4.50 gas. What if the 5-mile-away station had a HUGE sale resulting in $4.25 gas? You’ll spend $67.50 and $63.75 respectively to fill up, resulting in a savings of $3.75. But, you’ll spend $1.70 in extra fuel costs for the privilege. The total savings on filling your tank = $2.05… about a 3% savings. If you were buying any other item in the $60 price range, would a 3% discount entice you to drive across town? Chances are you’d laugh if you saw an advertisement for a HUGE 3%-off sale.

5. Time is Money

We haven’t accounted for your time in these examples, but you can safely assume that the 10-mile round trip (driving time only, unimpeded, at 55mph) will add a bare minimum of 10.9 minutes to your fueling experience. If you make minimum wage ($7.25/ hr), that 10.9 minutes of your time is worth $1.32. Now, even the HUGE sale example is only worth $0.73 in savings. You get the idea – it’s no deal to travel for gas savings!

6. Do This Instead

In lieu of the cross-town fill-up trip, spend a few minutes making sure your car is ready for the summer. Check the air pressure in your tires, test the battery charge, make sure all exterior lights are functioning and swap out your windshield wiper blades. That will take you about the same 10.9 minutes you formerly spent driving around looking for cheap gas, and is a much better way to spend your valuable time.

Battery Operated Vehicles Gaining on the Gas Guzzlers

Are we hearing the death throes of the internal combustion engine? Will the whine and purr of electric motors replace the muffled roar of gas powered vehicles?
Seems every time we turn around electric ATVs, motorcycles, and other vehicles are sneaking silently up on us, especially as battery technology improves, and the cost of gas jumps over $4 per gallon in some parts of the country.

The plus side of battery operated vehicles

Electrics are not just better for the environment, but today’s battery operated vehicles really do have some distinct advantages:

Lighter and quieter
Electric ATVs and motorcycles run on smaller motors and use lighter batteries, which makes them a lot lighter than their gas-powered counterparts. Electrics are also a lot quieter. So If you're off-roading through a park, you can actually enjoy the peace and quiet as you explore nature.  And while die-hard outdoor enthusiasts may not like your tires ripping through the landscape, they won’t be able to complain about air pollution or noise as you pass by.

Instant torque
Electric vehicles out-accelerate their gas counterparts in the low-end power curve. Electric energy moves through their motors at the speed of light, so there’s no lag time between the twist of the throttle and power to the wheels. Torque is instantly transferred to the drivetrain. In fact, electric ATVs and motorcycles have three times the amount of torque compared to the gas-powered vehicles. Perfectly suited for heavy pulling, hauling or steep climbing.

Low maintenance

Electrics simply have fewer moving parts, which means less repairs, reduced maintenance chores and lower operating costs. An electric ATV or motorcycle needs no oil changes, and you don’t have to replace hoses, filters, or exhaust systems.

No more $4/gallon gas
Finally, no more trips to the gas pump with an electric ATV or motorcycle. Just plug them in to charge the battery and go. Some electric ATVs can run an average of 2.5 hours on a single charge. If you do a lot of desert off-roading, there’s even a solar charger, so you can charge your ATV  with free power from the sun.

Zero pollution
Gas-powered ATVs emit as many pollutants as four cars in one hour (there are no pollution controls on ATVs).  Clearly, the environmental impact of electric ATVs and other battery operated vehicles is next to nothing. It could be argued that the pollution is just pushed up the supply chain to more coal-burning plants, but with electric you have the option of buying your power from additional sources like wind and solar, unlike gas, where petroleum has to burn to get your vehicle moving.

More manufacturers getting juiced on electrics
More manufacturers are getting into the game. Brammo, a top manufacturer of electric motorcycles, makes bikes that can exceed 100mph. Not bad for a motorcycle that doesn’t use a drop of gas. They even make motorcycles designed for racing. Other jumping on the electric off-road bandwagon include Polaris and Barefoot Motors. The recent EV Taiwan & Motorcycle Taiwan exhibition saw a 25% increase in exhibitors, indicating the surge in popularity of electric vehicles. The Hong Kong government is even replacing its gas-powered motorcycles with Brammo’s electric ones.

Yep, electrics are taking off
Battery operated motorcycles, ATVs, and other electric vehicles are seeing an increase in popularity, with new technology creating better-performing vehicles. As fuel prices and environmental concerns increase, the move to electric vehicles will continue to gain more traction.

George Zeed lives in Grants Pass Oregon and works for ImpactBattery.com. An avid outdoorsman and environmentalist, he writes about topics related to all kinds of recreational vehicles and accessories. He is also the "go to guy" for information when shopping for items like motorcycle battery chargers and solar panels