“The grid” is a referral to the power grid which connects your home to the system which supplies electricity to the masses. This interconnected system is powered by fossil and nuclear fuels. You pay a lot of money for the privilege of being able to switch on a light at will, cooking your food, having hot water and so forth. At the same time, you are using non renewable resources, increasing the greenhouse effect and CO2 emissions.

Would living off the grid in the city really be possible? Solar energy would mean having to install solar panels to your home. Wind turbines are becoming increasingly popular as well. Both of these can be easily applied, even for apartment living in high rise buildings. You would need the consent of the Board of Owners, but you can potentially install solar panels against the face of the building, leading the wiring through the windows. A smart idea would be to build a box along the wall below the window. This can house your batteries, inverters and excess wiring. If built well, this storage space can be used as seating as well. Another idea is to replace a portion of unused window panes with solar panels. The part facing toward the living areas of the apartment can be boarded and decorated to become a feature in the home.

Building tops and roofs are mostly under utilized. These spaces can easily be converted to house either one or both wind and solar energy systems. Good news is that the wind is almost always blowing between 30 and 40 feet up. Wind turbines would therefore be a very viable source of energy for high rise buildings. Blue Sea Development is planning to install 10 one-kilowatt wind turbines on the roof of their new five storey apartment building in the Melrose section of the Bronx, New York. This will save the building owners half of the common electricity costs such as lighting in hallways, elevators and common areas.

You would need to research extensively as to which of the energy sources would suit your location and circumstances. You might find that a combination of energy supplying sources would be more beneficial. There would of course also be the initial set up costs. The good news is that in general, your initial costs should be paid back by your savings within a few years only, and then you can reap the full benefits of living off the grid in the city. If you are in the position of being able to generate an excess of electricity, some of the electricity companies will buy the excess from you. Which means you could potentially earn money from them in stead of giving your money to them.

It might not be for everyone, because yes, it does take some adjustments in your everyday life. You might not be able to stand in a boiling hot shower for an hour anymore, or be able to use all the gadgets and frivolous appliances we have grown so fond of. You might need to live simpler. Cleaner. And that’s exactly the point of getting off the grid in the city.

There is currently a challenge where people are invited to share their best ideas on how to build the next generation power grid.  The idea behind the promotion is to change the way in which the world uses energy.  Some of the best known firms are involved such as Emerald Technology, KPCB and Rockport Capital and Foundation Capital along with GE who are helping to fund the best ideas.  There are 3 different challenges so let’s take a look at these.

Renewable Energy

Renewable Energy has incredible potential for us to create energy that will meet our growing need for it.  Many forms of renewable energy tend to have high variables in their output.  This is where an intelligent grid is needed, by the integration and management of renewable energy sources.  GE are developing technology that will protect the quality of the power which will compensate for voltage fluctuations and the management of output intermittency.  GE want to be able to provide the utilities with the best information about the production of energy, the transmission as well as consumption and energy system health to protect the equipment and of course to ensure reliable, safe power.  The challenge here is to find the kinds of technology or processes that will maximize the renewables into the grid.

Grid Efficiency

The United States of America should have the most efficient grid in the world, sadly they don’t.  The grid actually wastes energy all the time all day long.  The solution to this is to connect an advanced power generation to a much more intelligent grid as well as a more efficient – this then connects to consumers.  Therefore, GE is looking for different grid technologies that will help lower the losses as well as something that will anticipate and monitor the demand.  This will free up the grid capacity and this will reduce the need for infrastructure capital expenditure which means the consumers won’t have to deal with rate increases.  Customers will not be charged for wasted energy.  The challenge here is what do you think is the best way to get greater volumes in the grid efficiently and outage management.

EcoHomes/EcoBuildings

Because there is such a huge demand for energy this has created an imbalance between the supply and the demand.  This means that there is a higher cost to the customers, so what is required is to change the way in which we use energy, when we use it and how.  GE are already working on incredible technology such as smart meters as well as appliances that let you know how much power they are using with technology such as time of use pricing, renewable integration tools, wireless AMI, demand response systems, plug in hybrid electric vehicle integration and home energy use monitoring.  The challenge will be to find new technologies, business models or processes that can help a consumer to use the energy in a more efficient way to improve the balance of supply versus demand.

http://challenge.ecomagination.com/ideas?utm_source=Digg&utm_medium=Display&utm_content=42&utm_campaign=Eco%2BChallenge

Fossil fuels wont last forever and we are in the unique position to enable our children and grandchildren to live a safe, clean, healthy way of life. There are dozens of cheap or free easy ways to be more aware of the environment and very easy ways to make every day earth day and go green right now, today.

1. Get a low flow shower head
2. Stop idling your car
3. Turn off your computer
4. Turn down the thermostat
5. Pay bills online
6. Wash clothes in cold water
7. Carpool!

Try some or all of these ideas, and see how if you don’t save some green while you’re going green! Add your own ideas in the comments below if you like.

Be appliance smart. A lot of the older appliances use much more power than newer versions. By spending a bit of money every now and again to upgrade your appliances, you cut out the excessive power usage of the old ones and you save in their future use. By using more energy efficient appliances, you can cut up to $400 from your electricity bill for the year. Washing machines use a lot of power. If you are out to save power at home, manage this appliance better. Firstly, by using warm water in stead of hot water, you reduce your power use, but, by using cold water, you use up to 80% less power. Secondly, a lot of wastage can be prevented by making sure you wash full loads. So rather purchase a laundry basket, you will save its cost many times over. Another day to day appliance in every home is light bulbs. Buy the more expensive energy saving light bulbs. They use up to 75% less power and can last between 10 and 35 times longer than conventional light bulbs. See where the saving comes in?

Secondly, use only what you need when you need it. We have become so spoilt by modern living. We love the convenience and the availability of power. Only in recent years has it dawned on consumers that this luxury is not ever lasting and that the things we have come to love is costing a lot of money. Take your geyser for example. How much hotter must water be than what is comfortable for you? By turning down your geyser thermostat from 140’F to 120’F you can save between 6 and 10% of your water heating costs. “Phantom Power” is the huge amount of electricity that is used by those appliances you have plugged in but is not actually using all the time. Think of your DVD machine, television, computer and sound system. This can ad up to 15% onto your electricity bill. If you have never heard about Power Strips, now is a good time to learn about them. You can turn them on and off at will to stop unnecessary power usage and it has no effect on the start up time of your appliances.

The third Green way to save power at home is by being “Winter Smart”. It is mostly just accepted that your power bill in winter has to be escalated. By following a few simple examples, this statement can be turned into myth. The U.S Department of Energy claims that between 5 and 30% of your power usage in winter is because of drafts. Make sure your doors and windows are closed securely. And remember those sausage shaped door stoppers your grandmother had? Get them! Also use sealants where two building materials meet, for example corners, around the chimney, around the bath and the ceiling. You can also put plastic film over your windows. This all helps to insulate your home and save power. Make sure you clean furnace filters once a month during winter when they are operating for longer periods. Clogged filters put more power strain on the furnace, costing you more. Consider insulating your water pipes, it will save you a lot of power usage and therefore, money! With most of these “Winterizations” you will continue reaping the benefits in summer.
These were only three examples of what you can do to save power at home to ensure and that you don’t have to give up any of your conveniences and luxuries. We all just need to use what we have with some savvy and a conscience. Save power at home and you can save what we have left of our precious Planet.

We live in a consumer-driven world and most of us are affected to different degrees. We are tempted and urged to want more, newer, better. We buy products and then we have to find a place for the new item. Sometimes the new article requires additional purchases to maintain it properly. Some of us have the financial resources to enhance our material gain; some of us do not and incur heavy debt to live in the style we desire to.

We should not rid ourselves of all our earthly possessions and live a life of strict self-denial. However, we should reduce our material belongings to what we really need and want within our means. Some of our belongings may still work for us if we use them in a different way and for a different purpose. We do ourselves and our environment a great service when we reorganize our personal space and recycle our unwanted or no longer needed stuff.

There are many recycling option. You can have a garage sale; donate what doesn’t sell to charity, auction or sell online through eBay or Craig’s List, or give it to someone we know

We can become frustrated and besieged if we spend most of our lives working to earn money for stuff, cleaning/maintaining purchased stuff, and eventually trying to store or dispose of the stuff. We may not even realize how drastically clutter impacts our quality of life until we get rid of it.

There is nothing like a systematically arranged clutter-free life. It promotes a greater sense of peace and calm, feeling of security and control, enhanced efficiency and improved health and well-being. The greatest benefit is that you have free time for the really important activities like your family, friends and hobbies.

If you are overly tensed, by the material clutter in your life and don’t know where to start, there are people with the experience and expertise to help in most areas.

Everyone wants to save the Earth by going green. Whether it’s drinking clean water or recycling aluminum cans, we can all do our individual parts in helping to go green. The best ideas for going green can be found within your own, school, neighbourhood and workplace. Appended below are some great ideas of how you could do your little bit in going green:

Recycling At Work Ideas

Recycle regularly at your workplace to go green and encourage others to follow suit also. If your office does not recycle, speak to your supervisor about it. Inquire from the space and facilities manager how you can arrange a recycling drive at your place of work.

Go Green When You Shop

Speak with managers at departmental stores, supermarket and local stores. Get to know as to how more people can go green when they set off on shopping. Go through the online information that stores provide regarding their companies for the best ideas to go green.

Think Before You Print

Save precious money on ink and paper by checking to see if you really need a paper copy of a particular document before pressing the print button. Be very sure before printing colour documents especially, as they cost a lot.

Children And Going Green Idea

Finally, make every effort to educate your children about recycling, water, conservation plastic, pollution, energy, air and waste. The more we teach children about taking care of the Earth, the more victorious we will be at the goal of finding the best ideas to going green.

The first thing you will find is that while the Arctic is getting warmer, many have suggested that North America will get colder. Some of you don’t understand why this is, but many of you are seeing this first hand. This is how this works and we assure you that when you do your own research on this matter, this is what the books will say. It’s all about what is happening in the Arctic. What do we mean by this?

Click here to view the embedded video.

So, when the Arctic is going through changes with the AO which is also known as Arctic Oscillation, it can be broken down like this. When they started losing the ice, the pressure when in the positive phase makes it so that we get colder weather and stronger winds.

You can see how this was so with the blizzard that swept through much of the Northern Hemisphere. Out of nowhere, we had all this snow and many of you can recall the strong winds. Areas of North America which many go to in order to get away from the snow have seen snow this year. Many cities haven’t been able to handle it and people were distracted due to the fact that they weren’t equipped to handle the snow.

Now, that there seems to be an explanation, many of you might think about this. This can be something that many of you might not have stopped to think about. However, after you read this and you see the maps that NASA puts out you can see how all of this really does make sense. They have started doing a better job of making sure that you understand how it works and how it affects us.

So, for those of you who feel as though the global warming theory is just something that they made up? Well, you are sadly mistaken. The truth is there and you can read about this for yourself and when you do, you will find that just like many others who have read about this and dug further into this matter; it really does make some sense after all. It can account for the cold weather when everyone thinks we should have warmer weather. A part of the world is warming; however, we will continue to get colder.

Set your thermostat lower in winter and higher in summer to save on heating and cooling costs.

Install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) once your incandescent bulbs burn out.

Wash clothes in cold water as much as possible. Up to 85% of the energy used to clean clothes goes into heating the water.

Use a clothesline or rack to dry your clothes to save the energy used during machine drying.

Take shorter showers to reduce water use.

Install a low-flow showerhead. They’re inexpensive and the savings on your bill will pay for itself in a short time

Walk or ride a bike to school/work. This saves on gas and parking costs while improving your cardiovascular health and reducing your risk of obesity.

Consider telecommuting if you live far from your work.

If you eat meat, add one meatless meal a week. Meat is expensive when you consider the related environmental and health costs.

Buy locally raised, humane, and organic meat, eggs, and dairy whenever you can.

Use a water filter to purify tap water instead of buying bottled water. Not only is bottled water expensive, but it generates large amounts of container waste.

Bring a reusable water bottle, preferably aluminum rather than plastic, with you when traveling or at work.

Check out garage sales, thrift stores, and consignment shops for clothing and other everyday items.

Buy in bulk. Purchasing food from bulk bins can save money and packaging.

Wear clothes that don’t need to be dry-cleaned. This saves money and cuts down on toxic chemical use.

Keep your cell phones, computers, and other electronics as long as possible.

Donate or recycle them responsibly when the time comes. E-waste contains mercury and other toxins and is a growing environmental problem.

Recycle your cell phone.

You can make very effective, non-toxic cleaning products whenever you need them. All you need are a few simple ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, lemon, and soap.

It’s fairly simple to attempt to go green on a small scale. In our own household there are numerous initiatives that we can take. Substituting basic incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent ones can be a great point to start because they save energy. Recycling cans, paper, and bottles is pretty effortless too. By using air conditioning less and by planting drought resistant plants we can also make a significant difference.

For most people, going green doesn’t stop here. You can conserve gas by walking or biking to work, carpooling, or investing in hybrid, alternative fuel, or electric vehicles. When people really get into the mood of going green, they can start reconstructing their homes. Shopping for second hand goods is a little every one could do in helping to go green. Any article that you are comfortable buying second hand keeps that same item from ending up in a garbage dump. This applies to clothing, toys, kitchen ware, furniture, and to a certain extent, automobiles too. This little exercise goes a long way in helping out the planet and your pocket at the same time.

You can go play your role in the going green campaign by making sure to switch off most power equipment when you leave the home, by not leaving the water running when you’re brushing your teeth or washing your face, and by buying cleaning products that are biodegradable and often safer to use. Another easy way to support green living is by purchasing food items locally, especially those that are organic and encourage sustainable farming and animal husbandry methods. In all there are numerous simple choices and changes we can make that may result in a healthier and cleaner world. The aggregate of these choices when most people decide to go green can have a tremendous affect on the planet.