10 steps to achieving "The Green Effect"

During this economic crisis and continued global warming, the need for sustainable development has become a today issue instead of a tomorrow issue. Both private and government entities (including the EPA) have come up with programs and products that promote “green” production and consumption. These environment-friendly practices are now being used in numerous firms and industries.

But what about our homes? Are our homes as "anti global waming" as they should be? Continued efforts to sustain the environment should first and foremost be undertaken under our own roof. These can be done with the use of products that consume less energy and other resources. Over time, the use of these products can result not only in savings but also in the reduction of waste and materials harmful to our homes and the environment.

Here’s a quick list of 10 items I’ve discovered that can make a world of a difference.

1. Heat-energy recovery system

· Sensible Heat Energy Recovery System (SHERS) uses heat generated from an air-conditioner or refrigerator to heat water. Payback period is anywhere from six months to two years

2.The Eco Bio Block

· Made of volcanic stones and beneficial bacteria, is used to purify water in home aquariums, water tanks and big bodies of water such as ponds, lakes and marshes. When deposited in aquariums around 20 gallons or less, there is no need to filter, clean or change water for a period of 1-3 years.

3. Biowash ball

· Washing clothes without using a detergent may seem strange. Introducing the Anabess biowash ball, it’s made of natural ceramics & alters the chemical composition of the water so it can wash clothes more effectively without liquid detergent. It should last over 3 years. Think of the savings in gas from running to the store for more detergent.

4. Air-con with inverter technology

· The Panasonic Envio series of air-conditioners makes use of an “inverter technology” that changes compressor operation speed to match a changing room temperature and adjust power output accordingly, which leads to reduced energy consumption of up to 50 percent, while product only costs about 14% more than the average AC. The payback period may be expected in about seven months..

5.Low Flow faucets

· Moen has heeded the call for water conservation by coming up with WaterSense-certified bathroom faucets. With the help of new aerator technology these Moen faucets use 30% less water than other models but still feel just as powerful on your hands.

6. Compact fluorescent lamp

· Much has been said about the efficiency of compact fluorescent lamps or CFLs. They have a life expectancy that is 5x longer than incandescent lamps and consume 80% less energy with the same level of lumens. Companies such as Purely Products even carry CFLs that double as ionizers for the room, eliminating the need for an unsightly ionizer on the floor.

7.Reusable shopping bags

· The impact of just one person changing to reusable bags over a two-year period is significant. Used twice a week for two years a consumer would save 832 plastic bags from going in a landfill.

8.Biodegradable Cellulose Sandwich bags

· Typical plastic bags are derived from petroleum and take well over a lifespan to decompose. These biodegrade in 30 to 90 days in soil BUT actually keep food lasting longer, unlike plastic, they don't release gases which spoil food taste.

9.Smart Surge Protector

· Green Home introduced a smart surge protector. The power strip can 'sense' the movement of electrical current through the strip's brain. This unique option enables the Smart Strip to turn off selected equipment when it’s not in use saving you money and time!

A small electronic device inside the Smart Strip monitors the current on a single outlet. Let’s say the computer is plugged into that single outlet. When your computer is finished shutting down, the current draw from the computer drops to its idle current -- and the Smart Strip senses the current change, automatically shutting off all of the computer peripherals.

The Smart Strip Power Strip is the only surge protector in existence with energy saving electronics. The 10 outlet surge protector version has 1 Control Outlet, 3 Constant Hot Outlets, and 6 Switched Outlets.

10.Compostable Trash Bags

· These BioBags are made from GMO free starch and are 100% biodegradable and 100% compostable.

Now that you know about these products start using them daily. By changing just a few things we routinely use, we each can do our part.

Oceans Rising-Polar Bears Starving

Usually when experts (in this case climatologists) make models of possible catastrophes as time passes we end up with a reality that is a little less dire than the predictions of the model. With the environment there are so many interlocking pieces in the jigsaw that it is really difficult to sort out the end result of the various tweaks we do to the planet every day. It is now becoming evident that our model of global warming is inadequate and reality is turning out to be far worse than the predictions.

Polar Bear Swimming

In the early days of coal mining the miners would take a little cage containing a canary down into the mine with them. If the canary keeled over that signaled there was too much methane and too little oxygen and it was time for humans to get out. We now have a canary and it is the polar bear. With the ocean making up about 70% of the earths surface its temperature and currents are a major factor of our climate and weather patterns. Two important current engines that come to mind are the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic and El Niño in the Pacific. If enough Greenland ice melts and creates too much fresh water then this could shut down the Gulf Stream’s flow.  Without the Gulf Stream New York and London would be very cold cities and small changes in El Niño have major influences on wind and rain for the west coast of North and South America.

With the ocean current engines so vast it’s hard to predict what does what especially when they are influenced by ocean temperature changes measured in fractions of a degree. But there are two very visible features that we can study and measure-sea level and ice. Now glacier ice around the world is important (and it is rapidly disappearing) but the primary ice that concerns ocean levels and temperature are the ice caps of Greenland and Antarctica. Since Arctic ice doesn’t come close to the quantity in the Antarctic it is here that we can see the effects of changes to the oceans much more rapidly. Ice forms much later and disappears far earlier in Arctic regions so that the ice floes that are the playground of ring seals, the primary diet of polar bears, is too far from land for too long a period. Polar bears are either starving or drowning while trying to swim out to the ice. For thousands of years the polar bears’ metabolism has adapted to the extra fat obtained from the ring seals so even if they do find food on land it doesn’t have the quantity of fat that they require. Couple this with the relocation of many native Eskimo tribes because the sea is encroaching on their villages and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to deduce that the sea is both warming and rising at an alarming rate in the last 20 years. Maybe we should be concerned?

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So how much have the seas raised and what are the causes? The best estimate seems to be a sea level rise of .6 inches per year in the last 60 years. And in the last 10 years it has accelerated to .8 inches per year (and this may still be an underestimate). As water warms it expands and this is known as thermal expansion. Thermal expansion is greater at higher temperatures. So a rise of 1ºC at 5ºC will cause an expansion of one part in 10,000. However, a 1ºC rise at 25ºC (typical water temperature across the tropics) would cause an expansion of three parts in 10,000. It is thought that about one-third of sea level rise in the last 100 years is due to thermal expansion.

Now prepare yourself for the next exciting chapter of global warming and sea level rise-ICE. If all the ice covering Greenland were to melt it would raise the seas by 20-24 feet. If all the ice at Antarctica would melt you’re looking at a rise in sea level of over 250 feet. While it could take 50 to 100 or even 1,000 years for this to happen there are some alarming trends taking place. In addition to Greenland’s rapidly melting southern ice, measurements show that the ice cap in northern Greenland has now started to melt faster which we now have to add into the equation. The next Joker in the Deck is meltwater. As glaciers slowly grind their way to the sea, if they are melting fast enough it appears that this meltwater can seep down through the glacier and act as lubricant. This may triple the glaciers speed into the sea. In the case of the West Antarctic ice shelf which sits on bedrock below sea level, there is concern that the sea could eventually “float” it off.

There are no easy choices but we need to start concentrating on alternative “green energy” and in particular, solar energy. Now I love planes and airports and I don’t see a substitute for jet fuel but we can at least convert land transportation to “green energy” then we could use fossil fuel exclusively for jet fuel and lubricants which would at least slow down this global warming cycle that we have put in motion.