A big shout out to all you blog followers: I’ve applied to be Huffington Post’s Hopenhagen Ambassador. Basically if I win I get to fly to Copenhagen and be on the ground reporting about one of the most important international conferences of our time. But I need your help…

All you have to do is go to the Huffington Post slideshow and vote for my video! Just click here. (A ten would obviously be preferred…!) And maybe some social media love like Tweeting and Facebooking.

Thanks!

-A

My obaachan (“grandmother”) is one of the greenest people I know…not one of the recycling crazies that have hopped on the GO GREEN movement with full-steam ahead, but one who is just naturally conscientious of the materials she uses and proactively thinks of MANY ways to reuse things.  In some ways, she reminds me of how the native americans found unique ways to use every part of the animal they killed – she too finds the most out-of-the-box ways to produce functionality out of the most typical household objects.  My Uncle Kenji actually wrote an article about my obaachan in the Nichi Bei Times, what was the oldest Japanese-American newspaper (recently shut down, but will reopen as a nonprofit), and I thought I’d share it during my rant on GREEN.

By KENJI G. TAGUMA

Nichi Bei Times

February 20, 2008

I used to think that my mom was the cheapest person in the world. I cringed with embarrassment at the thought of taking greatly overused paper bags for my school lunch — you know, crinkled up to make the most abused dollar bill look crisp.

Then I started to realize that she just didn’t want to live beyond our means, a not-so-wealthy family of seven living in the countryside of West Sacramento. There were just too many mouths to feed in a single-income household, particularly when that single income depends on the seasonal harvest of tomatoes.    Perhaps her living through the scarcity of wartime Japan also informed mom’s desire to reuse just about any and everything.   All the times we had to carefully unwrap our Christmas presents, in the hopes of reusing the wrapping for yet another year. Today, to not be able to tear right into presents would spoil the fun for the three-year-olds.

Other items she saved: tofu containers, meat trays, wooden chopsticks, desiccant packages, boxes, paper bags, or the reused Clorox bottle hanging on the clothesline outside, used to store clothes pins.  Also, she uses pie foil pans to hold the water for many plants.  Too many to list, much less remember.

In discussing this with staff, I’ve come to realize that a lot of things my mom does, at near age 77, allows her to do her part to reuse and thus save the environment in her own way.

She always discards eggshells in a special basket under the kitchen sink. I didn’t know what she really did with them, or the coffee grounds kept near the same area, but now I understand due to a Website that my brother Mark informed me about (www.backwoodshome. com/articles/ nyerges44. html).

Through the Website, I learned that eggshells are 93 percent calcium carbonate and contain “about 1 percent nitrogen, about a half-percent phosphoric acid, and other trace elements that make them a practical fertilizer.”

My eldest sister Carol in Nagoya, Japan chimed in with her own eggshell tip: “I use the thin lining of the shell to put on my face to take out dirt which clogs the pores on my nose,” she wrote via e-mail. “You should see it when I peel it when it gets a little hard, there are a lot of dirty stuff on it!”

What about the coffee grinds? The same site provides some insight:  “Coffee grounds can be particularly useful in the garden, or, at the very least, added to your compost pile. Used coffee grounds contain about two percent nitrogen, about a third of a percent of phosphoric acid, and varying amounts of potash… Analysis of coffee grounds shows that they contain many minerals, including trace minerals, carbohydrates, sugars, some vitamins, and some caffeine. They are particularly useful on those plants for which you would purchase and apply an ‘acid food.’ such as blueberries, evergreens, azaleas, roses, camellias, avocados, and certain fruit trees.”

One thing that has provided my nieces and nephews hours of cheap fun are all of the kamaboko (fish cake) blocks that my mother saved. I still don’t see how we could have eaten that much kamaboko.

Nevertheless, those boards helped to build many wooden houses, and some awfully tall high-rises, which would come crashing down if one lacks engineering acumen.

According to my sister-in-law Alice in Mountain View, Calif., the kamaboko blocks even found their way to the San Jose Betsuin Japanese language school. “One year she gave us close to 200 kamaboko boards,” said Alice. “We spray-painted them shiny black, and brought them to Japanese school for all the kids to use for their cultural projects. (We used them for the base of the hina-ningyo displays and also the base of the koinobori).”   Alice recalled other reuse habits as well. “My favorite from mom — cut the top half off paper milk cartons and use the remaining as coasters for bottles,” she said.   Ah, I remember, like for the shoyu, rum and cooking oil bottles that had the propensity to dribble little streams of residue.  “She made pillow cases from rice sacks and used old newspaper to wrap veggies to give away,” Alice added.

I don’t think mom ever bought any chopsticks, really. She saves all of our chopsticks after we eat at a restaurant, and even takes the chopstick wrappers home to use as bookmarks!  “Those chopsticks she brings home (the cheaper ones) are used as kindling to start their fires,” reminded my sister Sharon. “I still collect those Styrofoam containers for mom to use for our bentos. Mom still rinses out Ziploc bags and plastic wrap to re-use, which I do too… she hangs the bags on the side of refrigerator for quick drying.”

One recent discovery added to mom’s reuse repertoire.. .She makes a lot of her coveted futomaki sushi every month for church, or on other occasions. Along the way, she came across a nifty packaging idea: using boxes from plastic wrap or aluminum foil to pack her beloved sushi rolls. How simple, yet ingenious! Her friends even donate their expended foil and wrap boxes.

So there you have it. My mother is no longer just the “cheap” daughter of a family of seven kids who tries to save pennies wherever she can by finding clever ways of reusing.  She has epitomized, to me, the cultural concept of not being “mottainai” (wasteful).   By coming up with ways to help reduce her carbon footprint — intentional or not — she has proven herself to be quite an environmentalist.

Man, I love my obaachan.  Though we don’t always understand each other, she always finds a way to inspire me. Anyways, so what instigated all of this thought?  Well, I was reading an article on how putting a brick in your toilet to help displace some water can help you save approximately 11,000 gallons of water per year!  If you don’t have a brick, then use a water-filled fifth! (I know you must have an empty bottle around…if not, you’ll have one soon )  Read more here!  It’s a great GREEN article!

* I guess this really only applies to Santa Clara University kids who have the whole week off. YEE!

I wrote about the fantastic ‘Do the Green Thing‘ site a while back and they continue to put a fun, creative spin on being eco-aware. Their latest idea -  ‘glove love shop’ – is completely endearing and wonderful. It is based on the well-known fact that like socks, it is awfully hard to maintain an actual PAIR of gloves. Speaking of socks, can anyone explain how, despite putting a pair of socks into the washing machine, only one sock ever makes it out the other end of the washing cycle? Where are all the other socks going??

Anyway, back to gloves. Every winter, I root through my drawers, unsuccessfully looking for a pair of matching gloves. It’s very similar to my sock dillema. Despite storing my pairs of gloves in one place, one glove always happens to make an escape for freedom – I’m not sure when this happens since I usually only start looking for gloves when in desperate need and most likely running late for An.Important.Event. As a result, I have at times resorted to wearing one glove and alternating it between my frozen hands so they each get an even stint of warmth. This switching technique proves a bit tricky when riding a bike but it has been done on occasion by yours truly, particularly when the possibility of a hand freezing up has distinct implications for one’s braking ability.

Thanks to the ‘glove love shop’, it looks like I no longer have to engage in such risky behaviour. This genuis idea allows you to send in your lonely, single gloves where they then get washed and paired with other single gloves. The Green Thing team even go so far as to name the new happy couples (Fiver Finger Fiona, Red Fred and so on) and attach hand-sewn labels explaining how the glovers (sorry) first met i.e. where they were sent in from. All this happiness is created for just £5 and the money from the proceeds goes to the Green Thing Trust.

The Glove Love Shop

The whole initiative is part of the Green Things ‘all-consuming’ strategy – trying not to waste anything and using up everything. Elle Tea likes this a lot!

fern painting, originally uploaded by karma1221.

These ferns are so green and perfect they look almost fake, don’t they?

Enjoy today’s photo! If you like the photo, please drop a comment to the original photographer at Flickr.

A topic debated for decades now. Personally, I’d give the edge to Pearl Jam. They just keep producing albums and never seem to sell out. Nirvana, on the other hand, is overrated. Granted they pretty much helped kick open the doors publicly to grunge, their music isn’t as good as PJ’s. The overall consensus leans towards Nirvana however. I guess another poll for another time would be “Would Nirvana be considered the Top Grunge Band if Kurt Cobain Never blew his brains out??????”   Think about it. Anyways, it would have been nice to see a dangerous performance lastnight at the American Music Awards, but I was let down again of yet another year of lackluster hip-hop lip sync acts. I’m wearing my worn down flannel shirt right now…peace out….

DHID (Digital HID) Vs. FLUO; Just The Facts

Today, more than ever there is a need for Industry to be responsible in its environmental judgements and actions. With the haste to improve the over-all environmental situation and push on Industry to reduce its carbon footprint, it is important to educate yourself on the short term and long term ramifications of the “Green” solutions you implement. In the case of lighting upgrades, there is a great opportunity to reduce corporation and municipality electricity expenses and more importantly to reduce the electricity demanded from the energy providers who are the greatest contributors of CO2 gases released into the environment. In selecting the lighting solution, you want to ensure you investigate not only the short term purchasing costs, but also the long term costs associated with waste; i.e. labour costs due to installation, maintenance/cleaning and light bulb replacements; and lamp consumable cost expenses which are significant yet typically ‘hidden’ or looked over and purposely not highlighted in the selling process of fluorescent (FLUO) and LED based lighting products.

When considering the type of lighting for your new or retrofit high-bay or low-bay lighting application, it is essential to be educated and made aware of what long term costs will be incurred over the lifetime of the lighting system. One very important aspect to consider is the maintenance and labour costs associated with the cleaning and the changing of lamps. Fluorescent and LED lighting systems have the problem that the light quality they emit inherently degrades over the operating life of their lamps, increasing the lamp replacement frequency and over-all expenses of operating those systems.

Comparing Digital Ballast powered High-Intensity Discharge lighting (Digital HID or DHID lighting) to fluorescent and LED, end-users agree that the added value offered in terms of the DHID solution’s low buying price, energy efficiency, light quality/performance, and reduced labour and maintenance costs, ensures end-users benefit with the best lighting for the shortest payback or return on investment time. Furthermore, when considering the upgrade or retrofit of an existing inefficient lighting installation, one must consider the labour costs involved in the installation; such as the removal of the old lighting system, re-wiring, changing of the lighting grid pattern, and all the consumable costs and other indirect waste created as a result. In the case of the upgrade of an existing core and coil (magnetic) powered ballast fixture, the DHID digital ballast solution is simple, cost-effective, outperforms and is the most environmentally responsible.

It is wise to consider the long term costs associated with fluorescent lighting to truly appreciate the “realistic” return on investment of fluorescent based lighting for factory/warehouse, retail, and general building high-bay and low-bay lighting applications. The following facts about DHID lighting versus FLUO lighting serves to highlight the performance and the common costs associated with the installation and operation of each in the short and long term to help you accurately conclude your own realistic return on investment calculation.

Capabilities and Benefits of DHID Vs. FLUO

This is a direct comparison between both DHID and fluorescent lighting solutions for a 40ft high-bay ceiling application where antiquated core and coil (magnetic) 1000W ballasts in existing HID fixture are already installed.

The recommended Digital HID retrofit solution is a dimmable 575W DHID ballast powering a 750W Metal Halide (MH) bulb. The proposed fluorescent high output high-bay T5 solution features 8 lamps at 54W each and 2 non-dimming electronic ballasts.

Installation Complexity and Cost?

DHID: A simple ‘plug and play’ retrofit of one digital ballast into the existing HID fixture and one new HID bulb installed where needed. The existing fixture is re-used and the efficiency is significantly improved by 50% to 75%. The performance and light quality is also better offering 40% brighter, whiter, penetrating light over the old system. The typical labour cost to retrofit a fixture is $50.00 US and takes approximately 30-45 minutes per fixture. The typical total package cost to retrofit a 1000W magnetic ballast application is $250-$300 US including the DHID 575W ballast, light bulb and installation cost.

FLUO: To install fluorescent you need to remove and recycle the used HID fixtures including ballasts, bulbs, reflectors, wires and the exterior metal housings. You then need to create new hanging structures for the new standard size fluorescent T5 8 Lamp high output fixtures. The lighting grid layout will need to also be changed as more T5 fluorescent fixtures will be needed to ensure a uniform light coverage (overlap) at the floor between them. In most cases, extra mid level or low-bay lighting needs to be installed where illumination from the fluorescent high-bay is not significant enough. There are also costs associated with the assembly of the individual fluorescent fixtures which is a labour cost the electrical contractor will invoice. With 8 bulbs and 2 ballasts, the complexity of a fluorescent system is high, adds cost and inhibits performance. The typical cost for a fluorescent T5 8 lamp high output fixture is starting at $280 US or more and this cost does not include the assembly/installation and the cost of the 8 lamps needed per fixture and for inventory.

Luminous Efficacy and Lumens Per Watt Performance?

DHID: Luminous efficacy of 118lm/W for digital ballast powered Metal Halide (MH), High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) and Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH) HID bulb applications. If retrofitting an existing HID fixture which has an antiquated 1000W core and coil (magnetic) ballast, a new 575W digital ballast would be installed in place powering a 750W MH bulb for a new total fixture lumen output of 67,850lm (575W X 118lm/W).

FLUO: Luminous efficacy of approximately 81lm/W if 54W bulbs in a fluorescent T5 8 lamp high-output fixture operating with 2 ballasts. If 54W bulbs offer a total lumen output of 4400lm output each, then 4400 X 8 lamps = 35,200 total lumen output from the T5 8 lamp high output fixture.

Ballast / Fixture Efficiency Performance?

DHID: One digital ballast is 97% efficient. For the existing magnetic 1000W MH, we retrofit the 575W DHID ballast operating a 750W MH bulb at 592W with 3% losses. At 575 Watts, the DHID system will produce more lumens at the ground than both the existing 1000W MH and fluorescent consideration. Moreover, the notable increase in lumen output performance will bring the existing fixtures back to life, with more light at the ground, and with more light over-laps between the fixtures for a brighter white facility and working area. Due to the increase in the lumen output of the DHID ballast high-bay installation, 30% to 40% of the existing mid level fluorescent lighting can be removed adding additional energy savings. And since the 575W DHID can be dimmed, even more electricity savings are possible; e.g. instantly dimmed to 20%, the 575W ballast only consumes approximately 474W yet still outputs bright penetrating light to the target.

FLUO: Two electronic ballasts are 90% efficient. Operating 54W x 8 bulbs = approximately 480W total with heat losses. Due to the poorer lumen output of T5’s, more fixtures should be added to the lighting grid to compensate for the lower lumen output to the ground. The 2 ballast design and the accumulation of 8 bulbs creates 10% losses to heat and increased wear on the bulbs leading to a more rapid degradation in light quality. The T5 fixture in this example does not have dim capabilities; to dim would add extra cost and complexity due to the ‘special’ dimming ballasts required. As a result of dimming fluorescent, there is also increased wear and tear on the lamps adding to lamp change increases and ultimately increased labour and consumable costs in the short and long term.

Light Quality Throughout Bulb Life?

DHID: Due to Digital HID’s 118lm/W luminous efficacy performance, more lumens, and natural white bright light penetrates to the facility floor. The light quality is guaranteed over the entire life of the bulb due to patented digital ballast technologies. The bulb does not degrade more than 5% from the life start to life end of the bulb creating huge benefits to retail, factory/warehouse or any applications where consistent bright white light is mandatory. The DHID ballast increases the life of HID bulbs radically by 100% (or more if dimming is utilized). A bulb with an original mean time before failure (MTBF) rating of 20,000 hours will now last 40,000 hours or more and will suffer no less than 5% light degradation throughout the bulbs life. The high luminous efficacy of the DHID ballast delivers brighter more penetrating lumens to the factory or retail application floor for less cost. Compared to LED, fluorescent, and induction based lamp systems, DHID powered systems easily offer the best light quality/performance for the lowest total operating/consumable costs.

FLUO: The fact is that all fluorescent lamps, be they hot cathode, cold cathode or electrode-less will suffer from phosphor degradation. The rate of this degradation is a function of the type and the amount of phosphor, and the type of glass used for the tube. The temperature of the phosphor and glass and the intensity of the UV flux from the discharge also play a role in enhancing the degradation of a fluorescent bulb. High Output (HO) and Very High Output (VHO) bulbs will normally degrade faster than standard output bulbs.

Most standard output fluorescent bulbs claim 10,000 hours to 20,000 hours or more operating lifetimes, but can fall to 80% or less of their original light intensity after only 10,000 hours of operation. One must take into account the long term costs of this realistic bulb degradation and failure in considering fluorescent for your lighting application. If dimming ballasts are installed, please factor in this extra cost and also the increased cost of labour and consumables due to increased lamp changes as dimming has an adverse effect on the life of the fluorescent bulb, degrading it even quicker.

Fixture Noise, Static; Light Quality Psychological Impact?

DHID: The proven DHID ballast is silent, and operates warm as only 3% losses are to heat; the ballast is 97% efficient and does not create significant static electricity. Pulse start MH bulbs are inexpensive and produce a natural white light which is more pleasant to work under. Studies have shown that humans working in brighter, more naturally lit environments are more alert and more productive.

FLUO: Some of the common nuisances end-users underscore about fluorescent lighting are the noise, the light quality/flicker, the colour, and rapid light quality degradation by or before the bulb’s mid-life and inevitably thereafter. Fluorescent lighting fixtures require increased maintenance and cleaning due to the dust that collects on the static charged surfaces of the system. The dust and debris accumulation on the bulb and on the reflector surface is unhealthy and further adds to the degradation of light quality and total lumen output.

Lamp(s) and Ballast(s) Change Frequency?

DHID: Only 1 lamp needs to be replaced per HID fixture and with little labour cost/time needed as HID fixtures are typically easy to maintain with easy access to the light bulb. HID bulbs operated with the DHID ballast are rated to 30,000 hours to 40,000 hours or more life expectancy (with dimming) and the bulb lumen output is guaranteed to not decrease more than 5% over the lifetime of the bulb. The DHID ballast will output 118lm/W right up until the bulb’s life end. The DHID ballast is rated to a 10 year MTBF and will output the same 118lm/W up until its life-end. At ballasts life-end, it is again a very simple and cost-effective replacement to upgrade the HID system without having to replace entire fixtures.

FLUO: 8 lamps per fixture need to be replaced and much more frequently than DHID which adds more labour and maintenance costs. If mean time before failure of the fluorescent bulb is 20,000 hours then lamps need replacement every 2 to 3 years. If the lamps are considered to be failed at 10,000 hours due to significant light quality and brightness degradation, then lamp change frequency needs to be every 1 to 2 years. Since the 8 lamp fluorescent fixtures need two ballasts each, then at the ballasts life-end two ballasts need replacement. If you factor in the labour costs to remove the old ballast and reinstall new ballasts, it becomes evident that a lot of waste is created due to the limitations of the fluorescent lighting technology.

Long Term Realistic Bulb And Ballast Expenses?

DHID: Simple example: 1 bulb per existing fixture x 500 fixtures X $20 US approximate HID bulb cost for a 750W Pulse Start Metal Halide bulb = 500 bulbs at $10,000.00 US total every 4-6yrs+. Very simple procedure, 1 lamp to replace and it is easy to do in the existing fixtures since the bulbs are really easy to access. This decreases the maintenance labour costs noticeably. The DHID ballast is rated to 10 years MTBF and is also easy and cost-effective to replace at that time.

FLUO: 8 x T5 high output bulbs X 500 units = 4,000 bulbs. At an approximated bulb price of $5 USD X 4,000 bulbs the total bulb consumable costs alone is $20,000 US. If the bulb lasts 15,000 hours without significant degradation, you would incur this expense every 2 years approximately. In addition, there will be increased labour costs incurred to change 8 lamps per fixture. At the end of the ballasts life there will again be expenses incurred to replace either the entire fixture (more waste), or to retrofit two new ballasts in the existing fixture. Either option with fluorescent will result in inevitable labour and consumable expenses and environmental waste.

Motion Sensor Dimming Capabilities?

DHID: It is possible to dim Metal Halide, High-Pressure Sodium and Ceramic Metal Halide HID bulbs with DHID digital ballasts. Dimming is simple and instant and it adds to the already sizeable savings in energy consumption since the DHID ballast can dim the HID bulb from 100% power to 50% power or any step in between this range. The dimming of a DHID ballast powered bulb is barely noticeable because the system still delivers high lumen output in the dimmed state. With smart dimming, the electricity costs to operate the system are further reduced without disrupting the operation or safety of the working environment. Motion sensors are strategically placed to detect human and operator activity to determine lamp on times at full power.

In the case of a 575W DHID ballast powered HID bulb replacing a magnetic 1000W system drawing 1200W with approximated heat losses, the end-user can expect 50% or more savings without dimming. The system can then be dimmed down via motion sensor or switch by 20% to the 460W setting for the additional 20% in savings in electricity (1200W – 592W – 118.4W = 489.6W / 1200W = 59%+ savings total).

With the advancement in the DHID technology over magnetic based HID systems, lamp start times are 1 minute, dimming is instantaneous and start-up after a hot re-strike is 3 minutes. In most Industry applications, instant dimming capabilities are preferred since HID lighting systems are typically installed in areas where the lights are to be on for extended time periods. Where it is essential to have the lights on always, the dimming of a HID system is ideal since lumen output is still high in the dimmed state, yet more electricity is saved since the lights are only at full power when needed.

FLUO: Yes and No; it is possible to dim fluorescents, but you need special and expensive ballasts with this capability for T5 fluorescent bulbs. This adds expense as you need two ballasts per each 8 lamp high-bay fixture. Without dimming there is a great limit on electrical energy savings possible with fluorescent lighting. One should also consider the original lumen output performance when considering the fluorescent solutions versus a DHID retrofit solution since DHID offers a much higher output of lumens to the target, even in the dimmed state. Secondly, one should consider the effect of dimming on the fluorescent bulb since increased dim-on and dim-off cycles reduce the bulbs life. Fluorescent lighting was not originally designed for dimming, and is typically not recommended due to the associated expenses, performance limitations and poor return on investment.

Return On Investment?

DHID: With DHID the short term return on investment payback is 0.5 years to 1 year for a total DHID retrofit package including bulb, ballast and installation. In the long term, if utilizing an MH bulb with a MTBF of 30,000 hours to 40,000 hours+ with dimming, operated at 6,240 hours yearly, the bulb would need to be replaced every 4.8 years or 6.4 years+ with dimming respectively. At a bulb cost of $20 US, the total consumable cost is miniscule over the lifetime of the system. The DHID ballast is rated at 10yrs MTBF with the potential to have its life extended further depending on the application. With fewer bulbs and less frequent lamp changes, maintenance/cleaning time is more infrequent making the money saved in labour and consumable expenses over the system life noteworthy. The DHID solution guarantees high energy efficiency, and high-quality, penetrating light over the entire lifetime of the bulb and the DHID ballast.

FLUO: The short term return on investment payback time is poor due to the initial cost of purchase and installation; i.e. the labour to assemble the new T5 8 lamp fixtures; the removal of the used HID fixtures; the install and wiring of the new T5 fixture; the installation of the 8 lamps and the accumulated costs of all the fixture hardware and individual lamps for each fixture. Furthermore, in the short term one must factor in the costs of how frequently the fixtures will require cleaning due to decreased light output as a result of dust accumulation. If the T5 high output bulb is able to last 15,000 hours without noticeable degradation due to cleaning and efficient bulb operation, then bulb change labour and consumable expenses will be frequent; every 2 years or less making the return on investment of fluorescent over the long term (5 years or more) most unfavourable when compared to the DHID retrofit solution.

 
The Environmentally Responsible Lighting Retrofit Solution

The DHID ballast retrofit solution is the most environmentally responsible and cost-effective upgrade for inefficient lighting installations. By simply retrofitting the Digital HID ballast into an antiquated HID lamp system, the old fixture is re-used and rejuvenated, bringing new life and a drastic improvement in performance to the HID bulb based system. This simple procedure leaves only the magnetic ballast to be recycled (and bulb in circumstances) and therefore creates much less strain on the environment.  The DHID solution is able to reduce Industry’s carbon footprint, and the over-all CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere due to the measurable amount of energy consumption reduced and physical and time waste reduced as a result of the DHID solution.

Digital HID lighting promises and delivers the optimal balance of energy efficiency, light quality/performance, and reduced maintenance benefits for the shortest realistic return on investment payback time in the Industry. We welcome the opportunity to discuss our findings with you further; please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.

Best regards,

Anthony Borges
aborges@accendoelectronics.com
www.AccendoElectronics.com

NBC published this great article that breaks down Green Home Improvements and what they cost annually, and the return on your investment (aka: how long it will take for your investment to pay you back).

Home Improvements include: Installing a tankless water heater, a water heater blanket, solar roof panels, an energy star-rated ceiling fan, dual pane windows, low-flow aerators, a programmable thermostat, fixing seals and leaks, using compact flourescent lighting, and using a low-flush toilet.

Some definitely save more money than others, and some are far more expensive than others.  Take a look at see what might save you some money in your home.

The one printer every office should own: The HP LaserJet P2055dn Printer. Featuring duplex printing and Instant On Technology (reducing heat time to generate it’s fuser); HP’s eco-friendly printer is built to conserve power better than any other printer on the market. Get a glimpse of your first printout in a matter of 8 seconds, economizing time and energy. It also features 1200 x 1200 dpi resolution and up to 33 pages printed per minute, plus uses just 8 Watts of power on power-saving mode. Evolve is already onboard to pick up a few (and by that, enough to bombard our office space).

Storefront in downtown Billings, MT

The following post is by blogger, Julia Guarino

In January of 2009, I moved from the Washington, DC area to a small city of about 100,000 residents in the middle of Montana. I came to Billings to perform a year of service with AmeriCorps, and although I looked forward to being exposed to elements of American culture that I had never encountered before, I was a little concerned about being able to maintain a vegetarian diet. After all, Montana is “beef country” (as they proclaim on billboards along the highway), and I knew from some online research that there would be no Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. Billings, although it is the largest city in Montana and several surrounding states, is just too small to attract that kind of chain. I also assumed that in beef country, where cowboy hats and pickup trucks abound, there would be little demand for tofu, seitan and other meat substitutes.

And it’s true that at times I get a strange look when I confess that I’m a vegetarian. Sometimes I get odd questions, like “Do you drink coffee, then?” or “Do you eat cookies?” For many, vegetarianism is not something they’ve witnessed first-hand; which makes sense in a place where, I’ve been told, you can get the most incredible steak even in the cheapest little places. However, I have been a life-long vegetarian, and it is something I cannot imagine ever giving up, so tofu or no, I planned to forge on.

One of my first stops after arriving in Billings, being an impoverished volunteer, was the Super Wal-Mart. I honestly don’t feel particularly good about supporting a big-box store, and try to avoid them when I can, but I was in need of inexpensive food and cleaning products, and I must admit, I was impressed. Wal-Mart had an extensive array of green cleaning products, carried recycled paper goods, and, to my great delight, had an entire case full of vegetarian meat substitutes.

Good earth Market, Billings, MT

As I began to explore Billings’ trendy and historic downtown, however, I came across a colorful building with big beautiful windows that quietly occupies a quarter block on the western edge of downtown. The Good Earth Market is, to this day, one of my favorite places in the city of Billings (and in fact competes for the best grocery store I’ve ever shopped in). Bright and spacious, with colorful displays and smiling staff, the Good Earth carries a wide variety of natural, organic, local and vegetarian friendly products (though you can get fresh local meat as well). With an incredible deli, salad and coffee bar, cafe seating downstairs or in the loft, and free WIFI, it is also a relaxing place to spend an afternoon. They even have a parking space out front, equipped with an electrical outlet, that is reserved for electric cars! Now I never grocery shop anywhere else.

Off the Leaf Coffee Shop, Billings, MT

In the time that I have spent in Billings, there is much that I have grown to love, and much that has surprised me about this small city. There are incredible pockets of world-class art, performance and music mixed in with the charming western cowboy culture, and I have learned much about another part of my own country, while never feeling deprived of the great cultural opportunities I was used to accessing in more urban areas. And it turns out that being a vegetarian in Montana wasn’t so difficult after all!

And I am not the only person who thinks that Billings has a lot to offer — the November 2009 issue of Fortune Small Business Magazine named Billings as the #1 place to start a small business!

In 1971 PBS launched a program called The Great American Dream Machine – a satire based on political comedy. What really stuck out in this series wasn’t Chevy Chase but Marshall Efron and his critical look at consumerism.

“One notable skit was on the different size descriptions on cans of food, in the days prior to government regulation and standardizing of labels. Efron sarcastically compared cans of olives with sizes like “Giant”, “Jumbo”, “Extra Jumbo”, “Super Jumbo”, “Colossal”, and “Super Colossal”. The “Super Colossal” can contained one olive that filled the can.

Another piece involved Efron attempting to cook a lemon meringue pie… using mainly artificial ingredients found listed on a box of frozen pie.

A most memorable segment trumpeted the Trash Compactor appliance. Efron’s tagline….”the machine that turns 20 pounds of trash into 20 pounds of trash!”

Even though this series went live in the 70’s, it hit on some of the core issues that are facing us in the 21st century. The connection between consumerism and the American Dream Machine is finite; consumers must be enticed to purchase and use products or services to fuel growth of American. Do American’s need a new vision that helps them deal with reality, a promising story of the future that helps them let go of this consumption based past? Is the “Go Green” mantra this new story?

Small has become the new big, and less is the new more. Now days we want it all in 140 characters with the option to listen to audio, look at pictures, and maybe watch a video. We want it now, not later, and all in my pocket, so I can view it on my own time. This shift in consumerism has rocked the foundation of the American Dream Machine putting many companies bottom up or barely with their heads above water. Simultaneously, there seems to be an overlying theme that the majority of people want to slow down, listen, and get involved with helping their environment.

The chaotic technical genius of the younger generation matched with elder’s wisdom and knowledge of environmental studies can develop a whole new green industry that will create a new American Dream Machine never seen before.

This whole project has turned out to be as much a test of my photography skills (almost nil, as you can see) as my ability to make jewelry.  But…did manage to make jewelry, take pictures, possess the mini-USB cable and the computer, download the pictures, and create this post.  GO ME!

So, here goes:

These earrings are made of really beautiful light green, circular swarovski crystal twist earrings.  These earrings also use sterling silver spacer beads and silver twist beads.  Additionally, these use lovely silver earring wires.  These light green crystals capture light wonderfully.

These earrings are very simple but quite lovely in their simplicity.  Approximately two inches long their length elongates the face and body of the wearer making them very flattering.  They are made of silver seed beads and beautiful, lime green oval jade stones.  They are hung on sterling silver earwires.

I love the funkiness (is that a word?) of these earrings.  They have a luminous shell look but are circular and glass.  The earrings incorporate sterling silver spacers and earwires.

This picture absolutely does not do these earrings justice.  They are made with gorgeous bright blue swarovski crystals and lovely sterling silver spacers.  They are wonderful!

This is a great little bracelet–it has really attractive symmetry.  It’s made with light green pearls, silver spacers, and silver seed beads.  They are fastened on stretch, elastic banding that makes is really easy and comfortable to wear.

As an aside, I used a bracelet just like this to try a really interesting practice that is designed to help enforce positive thinking.  Every time you have a negative thought about yourself, someone else, or something, you simply switch the wrist the bracelet is on.  This activity makes you acutely aware of your negative thoughts and helps you scale them back.  You could focus only on negative thoughts about yourself (for exmaple: “I look so fat.”) or complaining thoughts.  It’s an incredibly interesting and useful practice.

Ah, there are, in fact, more pictures but I’ll leave it here for now.

The Perfect Tree!

I admit, I’m a tree snob. When it comes to Christmas, I want a real tree. I don’t like fake, plasticflowers, and I don’t like fake, plastic trees. Maybe its the lack of authenticity in Christmas these days, but the commercialism and greed associated with Christmas trumps the true meaning of Christmas. To me, it is about celebrating kindness, family, and generosity to others. A fake tree just contributes to the fake holiday that Christmas has become, at least in my snobby opinion.

Two years ago, my Dad bought us a nice fir, and we haven’t looked back. Last year we ended up getting a spruce from Wal-Mart, and while it didn’t match the quality of the previous year’s tree, it was still nicer than any fake tree I’ve ever seen.

Now, around this area there are several options I encourage anyone to explore when it comes to aquiring a tree. You can purchase a live tree, or chop one down yourself. You can purchase a living tree and re-plant it after Christmas, which will not only provide your yard with a nice tree, but is probably the greenest choice available. And if quick and easy is your modus operandi, you can always putchase a pre-cut tree at independant lots and bix box stores such as Wal-Mart and Lowes.

Outside of the easy-to-find big box stores, there are a few options. There will be local lots that have pre-cut trees, and this is where you’ll often find a solid deal on a great tree. Plus, you’ll have the added benefit of helping boost the local economy. In addition to this, there are several Christmas Tree farms across the state (and nation for that matter) which specialize in different types of Christmas trees that you can pick, and in some cases cut down yourself. Many of them also have live wreaths to hang and gift shops to visit. To locate one of these farms I recommend using Christmas-Tree.Com or TennesseeChristmasTrees.Org.

While looking through these, I found one active and fairly close farm located in Cookeville. If interested, here is their contact information:
Rocky Point Tree Farm
3214 Macedonia Cem. Rd.
Cookeville, TN 38506
Phone: 931.526.2035 E-Mail: savage_richard@hotmail.com

They have a large selection of different types of trees to choose from, as well as live wreaths. They are open most days from Thanksgiving through Christmas, but feel free to contact them with further questions.

There are countless options and price ranges to choose from, and a lot of it comes down to picking whats best for you. I will, however, mention a few points of concern with a live tree.

First, there is the sap issue. This is really only a problem when transporting the tree in and out of the house for the handlers that do so. Outside of that, there should be zero problem. Second, unless you get a live tree, I don’t recommend getting a tree sooner than three weeks from Christmas morning. Trees that are cut down will die, and as they do you can expect a light browning and falling of needles. Sure, this can be dealt with by using a simple broom, but the later you wait the better your tree will look on Christmas morning.

Finally, unless it is a live tree there is the disposal to worry about. Now, several cities have a special pickup day serviced by the local waste disposal utility. Also, many also have a special day, week, or weekend designated for drop-offs at specific locations. This is my first year back in Mcminnville in almost a decade, so I’m not certain which is offered, but I do remember there was a drop-off location at the Civic Center. I’ll look into that soon.

New Moon was pandemonium. First, This Week the Plan