Environment Friendly Home

• Go on a Green Diet - In the New Year, many people go on a diet. This means, you can start eating certified organic foods that do not contain the food toxins or chemical toxins that are in most of our foods. You can also start to buy more of your food locally as well and get food that is fresh and support the local economy and help create more green jobs as a direct result of your purchases.
• Do the Green Diet Exercise - One of our Guest Bloggers wrote about how he lost over 70 pounds by pedaling his bike to power his TV. Here's a link to that blog post if you are looking to power your TV while you watch it and save electricity and lose a lot of weight in the process blog.greenenergytv.com/blog/wind-power-technology/0/0/new-green-diet-pedal-and-watch
   
• Say good-bye to Household Toxins - You can have an environment friendly home by eliminating the chemical toxins. Most of the store bought cleaners contain very harmful chemical toxins, however, you can switch to safer cleaners from companies such as Shaklee or Seventh Generation. There are many new green and safer cleaning products out there right now that do a great job without exposing your family to chemical toxins in your home.
• Green your Lawn - Most of the chemicals in fertilizers used on the lawns in the US are banned in Europe because of the dangerous chemical toxins they contain and they seep back into our drinking water and affect fish and other wildlife as well. There are more options for this year with chemical free lawn care and organic lawn care. You can use bone meal and other organic lawn care products that prevent weeds and still give you a green lawn without the chemicals. Check out your local nursery and read the labels!
• Get Green Jobs & Get Certified- There is an increase in green jobs, whether you decide to become a solar installer, energy rater, get involved in Sustainability Programs, etc. We have green jobs posted on our main site, and there are many other major outlets advertising green jobs on Indeed.com and Monster.com
• Get a Green Degree - There are more schools and independent organizations offering classes on Sustainability Programs, certifications for LEED, Energy Raters, Solar and Wind Installers and more. Many of the top green universities are also offering green educational classes and degrees now and this can help you land  green jobs and prepare you for the future blog.greenenergytv.com/blog/green-jobs
• Start a Green Business - There are many areas in green that are fast growing and opportunities increasing daily. We did a post a while back that talked about the growth areas of green and here's a link to some of the hottest and upcoming areas that deal with organic natural foods, eco friendly products, solar installation to geothermal energy, energy efficiency and green building.

I think Solar Energy, Wind Energy, Hydro Power, Geothermal Energy, and various types of green energy and renewable energy is great, but not the immediate solution.

I am not saying to stop the solar installations or erecting Wind Turbines, I am just saying to look at saving energy before you look to put solar panels on your roof.

According to Projections by the International Energy Agency, they show that using energy more efficiently has a greater potential to curb carbon dioxide emissions over the next 20 years than all the other options put together. Wow, that's an eye opener.

So why out of $112 billion invested in clean energy around the world in 2008, just $1.8 billion was spent on improving energy efficiency? This fact comes from a study by the U.N. Environment Programme and New Energy Finance.

There are many energy efficient saving devices besides the compact Fluorescent bulb. There are many new green inventions, eco friendly products and solutions to cut energy costs in home and offices.

Let us know what you are doing in your home or office to use less energy, save money and if there are tax incentives for going green as a result of your efforts. -Ted Malloy, Guest Blogger for GreenEnergyTV.com

According to The Velux Group, they have launched the project Model Home 2020 as a vision for climate-neutral buildings with a high level of livability.

They are developing sustainable building, from 2008 to 2010, VELUX will build six full-scale experimental demo-houses in five European countries.

The first house, Home for Life, is a carbon-neutral single-family home with optimum livability. The second experiment, Green Lighthouse, is a faculty building for the University of Copenhagen - it is the first carbon-neutral public building in Denmark.

Their experiment is promoting eco friendly living, sustainability programs, and showcasing new green inventions and energy innovation.

Check out their video below:

1. Sell Carbon Credits - You can do this from your dorm room, or wherever. Selling carbon credits to large companies that produce a large volume of pollution can be a lucrative way for students and small businesses to earn revenue. Businesses that are involved in reducing carbon emissions or who produce low emissions in general can sell carbon credits on the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) For more info: www.ieta.org/ieta/www/pages/index.php
2. Sell Eco Friendly Products - You can start an online store that sells eco friendly products.
3. Green Inventions - There are a lot of people coming up with green inventions and energy innovation, but do not know how to market them. You can help expose the green inventions and energy innovation that people are creating in their basement or garage and help get the word out there for them.
4. Sell Organic & Heirloom Seeds- Over the last few years, there has been a huge increase in people having backyard gardens. Many people are looking for seeds that are Non Genetically Modified and there are some companies out there selling Organic and Heirloom seeds and doing quite well at it.
5. Start a Green Jobs site - This could be a site for college interns as well as others so they can see what is out there for them or in their area. There are some jobs sites now, but not too many that are specific to green jobs and green internships.
6. Green Grant Writer - Many companies and individuals may want to go green and since there is a lot of stimulus money and tax incentives for going green out there, most people don't know how to go after it. If you write green grants, companies and individuals can hire you to write these on their behalf.
7. Become an Energy Rater - Help people to save money in their homes and business and the environment. Info on how to become a Certified Energy Rater www.natresnet.org/rater/certified/default.htm

The University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign took 2nd Place at the 2009 Solar Decathlon that was held in Washington, D.C.

Their house named Gable House, was one of the first to be assembled and was said that it ran like clockwork the entire competition. The team set out to express its regional heritage and sought to create a synergy between old and new.

They used traditional techniques to build an environment friendly home, along with using energy innovation, green inventions and eco friendly products to create a house that performed exceptionally well in energy efficiency—as demonstrated by the team's results in all the objective contests.

Green Energy TV is giving this team the Two Green Thumbs Up Award for building a very green home that can serve as a model for building homes in green cities, green colleges, green campuses as well as with any new and upcoming construction site.

Check out their Virtual Home video below:

The final results are in for the winner of the 2009 Solar Decathlon. The 2009 Solar Decathlon is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and was held October 9-13 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.. The event challenged 20 student teams to design, build, and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered house.

This year's Overall Winner was Team Germany (Technische Universität Darmstadt). They won the Solar Decathlon in 2007 and did it again with this amazing eco friendly home and have a new way to define solar energy.

Team Germany focused on producing surplus energy by using the maximum overall building dimensions allowed, applying photovoltaics to every available surface, and pushing the envelope with energy innovation and green inventions.

Check out Team Germany's Solar Decathlon video below. We also Awarded them with Two Green Thumbs Up!

My wife and I have two kids that are in college now and they have everything they basically need at school.

The both are interested in schools going green and sustainability programs. My wife and I are proud they are looking to gain experience and involvement in issues we face concerning our country's energy independence and also committment to our environment with eco friendly living.

We decided to send them a couple gifts, and since they both have their cell phones and portable devices, I found a company that sells and makes Solar Powered Backpacks. I thought this would be a pretty cool gift, and a new way for them to define solar energy and offset their energy use by using one of these cool green inventions.

I found a great deal on Amazon for the backpack and also decided to get them a Kindle since the price has dropped a lot and I can afford it now. I also think the Kindle is one of the many incredible green inventions out there and can help save the environment from printing and the use of paper as well as transporting books.



I hope this helps and can be a cool gift to get for your kids who are in college, high school or enjoy the outdoors. At the very least, they can walk the talk. - Joe Mantel, Guest Blogger

It’s been 6 months since my son was born… how time flies.  It’s been a joy and a blessing to see our new bundle of joy.  My natural maternal instinct kicked in immediately and I couldn't believe how much I loved him at the first sight.  It’s only natural, right?   You would think that by 4th baby, I would be an expert in just about everything.  Trust me.  Theoretically, I am an expert.   But when it comes to actually nursing a new born baby, I am a complete mess.  The lack of latching, bleeding, soreness and aching, and to top it all off, I had swollen glands with each child… ugh!  I just can’t understand how something natural as breastfeeding can be so incredibly infuriating! 

The lactation specialist and other moms tried to help me through the process.  But in the end, I gritted my teeth and plowed through it for the first 3 weeks until the pain subsided.  I completely sympathize with other moms who give up because nursing becomes too difficult.  But I chose to keep trying.  In my personal opinion, there is nothing better I can give to my child than breast milk.  The benefits of breastfeeding are endless and I’m sure you’ve heard most of them.   It is the most effective way of providing organic natural foods. 

But with the latest information about chemical toxins such as rocket fuel (perchlorate) in baby formula, I feel more confident that breastfeeding is best for my kids. 

Although EPA believes that the level of perchlorate found in baby formula deemed safe, it is mind boggling that chemical toxins can be found in baby formula in the first place. So for those awesome moms out there that decided to give breastfeeding a try, don’t give up!  You are providing your baby with nutrients free from food toxins and it really is the most eco friendly living.  But to help ease into the transition, you should gear yourself with a really good breast pump.  I wore mind out with the first three kids and recently had to get a new one.  However, I also found out that my OB/GYN can write a prescription for a breast pump that is covered by my health insurance.  I was able to get the newest Medela electric pump from an insurance approved medical supply store.  I suggested this to several of my friends already and so far, all but one were successful.  So give the insurance company a call and then talk to your doctor.   Good luck and happy nursing! 

We gave the Two Green Thumbs Up Award to a company named Ice Energy for their green inventions that help companies going green to save money, the environment and support eco friendly living.

So what is Ice Energy? Ice Energy delivers the industry's first hybrid cooling solution specifically developed to reduce air conditioning energy demand for small to mid-sized commercial businesses.

Using thermally efficient, off-peak power to produce and store energy for use the next day, Ice Energy’s Ice Bear delivers superior cooling using just a fraction of the peak energy of conventional systems. This results in a 30% savings in energy use.

Check out their video:
 

Green Energy TV has Awarded Two Green Thumbs Up! to Kamal Meattle for his air-filtering plants and sustainable architecture.

Kamal talks about how 17 years ago he became allergic to the air in New Delhi, India and his lung capacity was going down and it was killing him.

Kamal decided to focus on How to Grow Fresh Air?

The researcher was able to shows how an arrangement of three common houseplants, used in specific spots in a home or office building, can result in measurably cleaner indoor air and creating an environment friendly home that helped remove chemical toxins in the air an more.

Check out his Ted Talk video below and see how these 3 plants can help green cities, homes and businesses around the world:

Green Energy TV has awarded Seventh Generation Two Green Thumbs Up for being one of the best green companies.

For 20 years, the Burlington, Vermont-based company has been at the forefront of a cultural change in consumer behavior and business ethics. They also help companies going green as well as individuals to have an environment friendly home.

Seventh Generation brand-name products include:

•  Non-chlorine bleached, 100% recycled paper towels, bathroom and facial tissues, and napkins; non-toxic, phosphate-free cleaning, dish and laundry products; plastic trash bags made from recycled plastic; chlorine-free baby diapers, training pants, and baby wipes; and chlorine-free feminine care products, including organic cotton tampons.

Fun Fact:

We gave the #1 natural nutrition company in the US Two Green Thumbs Up! Shaklee is one of the best green companies in the US and they have been green when green was just a color and biodegradable was barely a word.

In fact, almost 50 years ago, Shaklee Corporation made one of the first biodegradable household cleaners ever. And they were the first company in the world to obtain Climate Neutral™ certification and totally offset our CO2 emissions, resulting in a net zero impact on the environment.

Shaklee sells chemical free cleaning products, that do not have the chemical toxins that many leading brands have. The range of products they offer are from vitamins, cleaners, healthy weight products, healthy home, nutritional, beauty products as well as many other eco friendly products.

You may have seen or also heard about Shaklee on Oprah or by people like Dr. Oz as well as many other major TV networks and health magazines & journals.

These guys are very green from their products all the way down to the boxes and the soy printing that goes on the boxes that are delivered to your door.


Are you or your company doing something to be Green? Upload your video for Millions of viewers to see and share what you are doing with the world http://greenenergytv.com/Login/?next=/Upload.aspx

If your companies going green, or your interested in eco friendly living, saving money on your energy bills, want energy independence, etc. there are tax incentives for going green in 2009.

A great resource to find out what tax incentives for going green are available to you can be found at DSIRE. DSIRE organizes incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency for all 50 states in the US.

It was established in 1995, the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) can help you find out the tax incentives for going green in the following areas and more below:

• Corporate Tax incentives for companies going green
• Grant Programs
• Green Building Incentives such as Leed Homes and Leed Building
• Property Tax Incentives
• Personal Tax incentives
• Loan programs
• Solar Energy
• Energy Star appliances
• Geothermal Energy
• Wind power technology
• Utility rates discount and more

If you are interested in wind power technology and would like to watch how a wind turbine is installed in the backyard of a home, then you can see the video of it on our main site.

The video will show how the Skystream 3.7 residential turbine is installed in the backyard of a Rhode Island home. Its easy, inexpensive and makes for an environment friendly home and helps reduce your energy costs and your carbon footprint.

There are currently many tax incentives for going green, and wind power technology for residential homeowners as well as businesses. If you are interested in wind power technology or solar energy, geothermal energy, energy efficiency, etc. then you can check out http://www.dsireusa.org/

If you want to watch the installation of a wind turbine video, here's a link to it on our main site: http://greenenergytv.com/Watch.aspx?v=7cc9fa9529188d04 
 

Six months ago I did a post about the Greenest Person on Earth and I put this person's photo up and asked if this is the greenest person on earth?

I know there are many people who claim to be the greenest person on earth, but I have to venture a guess that he or someone in his tribe is the greenest one of all and here's why...

There are about 400 million indigenous people spread throughout 70 countries world-wide. Is there someone in the "civilized" world who can claim they are greener than this guy?

We talk about people and companies going green, which I applaud the efforts of course and think its great!  But, "civilized" people who would be considered "green" may eat organic natural foods, use eco friendly products, use solar energy, chemical free cleaning to rid their home of household toxins, wind turbines, green building, etc.

As I said, this is great stuff, but most indigenous people do not use chemical toxins in their everyday lives or build a leed homes and have a truck pull up with their energy star windows, geothermal heating system, wind power technology, organic mattresses, and solar panels so they can live "off the grid".

I believe we can look to them for answers on tips for living green and eco friendly living. They are intelligent human beings that have a close relationship to mother earth and we are not that different, even though we live in different ways.
For example, a United Nations report shows that the top concerns of indigenous people are:

• land and resources
• human rights
• internal colonization
• self-government
• self-development
• environment
• discrimination
• health
• education
• language
• cultural survival
• social and economic conditions

Sound familiar? Another interesting fact is that drug companies make $43 billion every year from drugs that are derived from medicinal plants that were discovered, developed and passed from generation to generation by indigenous peoples. We have a lot to learn from indigenous people. 

Iif you find the greenest person on earth, upload the video to us: http://www.greenenergytv.com/Upload.aspx - Stay Green!