July 2008 Archives

We live in a world where most of us are becoming quite concerned about the state of our environment.

We know that our overuse of energy and natural resources is becoming a real problem. Landfills are overflowing, and our air and water sources are becoming seriously polluted.

While there are things being done to help rectify these problems we don't really know if they have been done in time. Even worse, if the damage has already been done, is it too late to go back to the pristine state our environment was once in?

One thing is for sure, all the eco-marketing and greenwashing really doesn't make those simple steps any simpler.

Everyone knows that going green is good for the environment. 

To go green means to consciously eliminate habits that cause harm to the environment and to adjust your behavior and lifestyle to have less of an impact on the earth. 

It is difficult to exactly pinpoint what going green is, as everyone has a different standard, but the EPA has set list of the Twelve Principals of Green Chemistry. The principals include preventing waste, using fewer chemicals, and increasing energy efficiency.

One would think that going green can be costly, but the opposite is true.  While there may be a little upfront expenditure involved, in the end, going green can save you a good bit of money in the end.

If gas prices have you dreaming of a fuel-efficient car, then you may want to look into buying a hybrid car. 

Hybrid-electric cars use two power sources instead of one.  They have a rechargeable energy storage system (battery powered) and a normal fuel powered engine.  Because hybrid cars essentially have two engines, they can run partly on electricity instead of solely on gasoline.  This means a hybrid car’s gas miles will be increased 20 to 30 miles per gallon. 
 
Everyone is rushing to trade in their gas-guzzlers for more efficient hybrid cars these days.  Khou.com reports “hybrid car sales have jumped along the gulf coast”.  This is because “Owning a hybrid car use to be a considered an environmentally friendly thing to do, but for a growing number of people it’s become more of a practicality as well.”