Homemade Solar Panels

That’s an good question because for many years as a child the  thing you hear most often from your parents is the daily  shout of “Don’t sit so close to the TV!”.
Thinking that sitting close to the television will ruin your  eyes and get you on the fast track to wearing glasses. And  who wants to wear glasses when they are only 10 years old?

Now that ebook readers such as the Amazon Kindle and  Apple’s  Pad are available, I wonder if they will be guilty of causing  eye strain as people will tend to use these for longer  amounts of time?

Looking into this a bit more it seems that the typography  (the arrangement of text on a page) on the screen  and  software being used are factors in how easy or difficult it  is to read something from a screen.

Apple’s IPS LCD screens have really wide viewing angles but  the glass on the screens is highly reflective and this could  make it harder to read in bright conditions and therefore you  r eyes would strain to make out the letters and words.

E-ink technology (such as that used by Amazon’s Kindle) is  great for reading conditions where there is a lot of sunlight  but if the lighting is on the dim side paper would be better  and an LCD display would be better than a device that uses  E-ink.  Although Eink gives an excellent reading experience  in bright sunlight, the downside to having E ink is that is  has a low contrast ratio in darker settings where there is  less contrast and backlighting on the screen.

How our eyes enable us to read is through the ocular muscles  which jump around as our eyes move through all the words.  This jumping around of the muscles can cause our eyes to  strain irrespective fo whether we are reading something from  a screen or whether on paper. It is therefore advisable by  many health professionals, to take a break from continued  reading, say every 10 minutes, look elsewhere, pick a point  further away, (it is better if you are looking through a  window and you would look at the furthest point in view). in  doing so you let your eyes rest and take a break.

The screens we have nowadays are a vast improvement on the  screens we had many years ago and the screens are being  updated every 8 milliseconds or so which is much much faster  than they were being updated earlier – this means we have  hardly any flicker. (The human eye moves at a speed of 10 to  30 milliseconds).

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A trend that has built up a lot of support, and is likely to become even bigger in the future, is focusing on improving the environment and being sure your company is not hurting nature. There are several businesses set up that take a traditional business and change the focus to be purely about improving the environment, or something else to help nature.

All of their advertising has a focus on how they are helping the environment. If they print posters you can be certain they will mention something about nature, just as if they are handing out brochures they will give a lot of attention to their nature friendly practices.

Consider the rise in meat products made from humanly treated animals, or other companies who emphasize that the production of their products is not hurting anything. The question has to be posed whether or not such a path will be effective for your company as well.

Before you make any changes there are some things to consider for your company to be certain you are making the right decision.

First find out if your customers are interested in such a change. Pay attention to the other companies in your area, along with the other companies your customers shop at. Have they started to move towards the green companies, or do they show no interest either way?

If your customers are taking interest in green companies than the next thing you have to do is be certain you advertise the right way to boost up your nature friendly ways. One tactic is to be certain that the way you are environmentally friendly is very transparent.

The first thing this does is help show people exactly what you are doing and how you are helping. The second thing it does is prove that you are doing what you say. Some people are going to be skeptical if they do not actually see how the company is helping, so be certain anyone can easily see what you are doing to contribute.

Next, make sure that your advertising helps to empower your customers as well. In poster printing, be certain that they not only say what you are doing to help, but encourages your customers to help as well. Each time they buy something from your company they are helping to improve the world around them, or list other things they can do on their own to help as well.

Now you are embracing the culture, and encouraging your customers to become part of the culture as well. This will create a stronger bond between you and your customers, and keep your business going strong.

Going green can be a great way to keep your sales strong and improve your bond with your customers, but that is only if you happen to be in an industry where people care about something like that. Be sure you know all the facts before you make any changes to be certain your company is doing exactly what it needs to.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit:  Print Posters

Lynne Saarte
http://www.articlesbase.com/online-business-articles/things-to-consider-before-going-green-674966.html

Have you ever noticed that the standard answer for anyone who wants to start living green is to replace all of your light bulbs?

“Oh, you want to help the environment, you better get all new light bulbs.”
“Light bulbs are the way to go.”
“Yes, I changed my light bulbs for the children.”
“Did you watch that Al Gore concert?”
“Yeah, he said I need new light bulbs or the Earth will explode.”

It’s not like old light bulbs were nuclear powered or anything but it’s still a great first step that’s easy for people to accomplish no matter where they live. Whether it’s out in the country on a farm or in a small studio apt in the city people have light bulbs.

But what can you do after that?

“I hear that the meat industry is a big producer of carbon dioxide, how about going vegetarian.”
“Hmmm, I think I’ll stick with my light bulbs.”
“How about driving an electric car?”
“Gosh, that Previa is pretty ugly, how about putting new light bulbs in my SUV.”

I’m really glad that more and more people want to add some green habits to their lives but it saddens me that composting isn’t considered more often. It’s not hard to do, in fact if you have a yard with trees and grass you’re ready to start composting.

Just pile up your lawn clippings in a corner somewhere. Then during the fall, instead of raking up leaves to be left at the curb, add them to your pile. There you go, you’re composting. If you don’t like the looks of this mound, then you can buy a fancy compost bin or even make one yourself. A simple piece of wire fencing in the shape of a circle is perfect for composting leaves and grass. Okay, you’re done. Who says that it’s too hard to go green?

I’m not proposing that we replace our coffee tables with vermicomposting bins and raise worms in our living rooms. No, that’s a bit extreme even for someone who runs a blog about compost, yuck! Just save some leaves and grass and you’re off to a great start.

If you don’t have the time or energy to mix the pile every month or so, it’ll still turn to compost all by itself. Compost doesn’t need your help. Who do you think mixes the leaves in a forest? Just wait about a year or two and you’ll get your compost without doing anything. And if you keep the ratio of leaves to grass at about 30:1 and water it every once in a while and it’ll compost even quicker.

So how will this help? Compost is a natural fertilizer that can be added to plants or spread out over your lawn. Those chemical fertilizers that everyone uses wind up washing down the storms drains and then they cause algae blooms in our lakes and ponds. Plus think about all the energy it takes to produce those chemical fertilizers. If you stop buying it, they’ll stop making it.

By composting you’re also reducing the amount of garbage you produce and keeping this yard waste out of the landfill . If your town or city doesn’t have a composting program then all of your leaves are just going to the dump. They won’t decompose there.

Compost can also help your soil retain more moisture so you can cut down on watering. And last time I checked, saving water was a good thing too.

But the best part about compost is that it’s free.

With all of these benefits, it’s a wonder why everyone doesn’t start composting. Great for the soil, conserves water, stops fertilizer run off. And it isn’t hard to do. Just pile up your leaves and grass clipping in a corner or your yard and wait. Now who can’t do that? Why it’s as easy as changing a light bulb.

Anthony Tripp
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/going-green-how-to-compost-318947.html

Many of us want to be responsible citizens of the Earth. We think about the effects our lifestyles have on the environment. We are concerned about global warming. We want to ensure our children’s future on this planet is one that still has clean air to breathe, an abundance of trees and wildlife, and clean water to drink. However, many of us also think that the sacrifices might be too great to “go green” in our own office. Good news. It’s not as difficult as you think.

There are 3 areas where you can make a significant impact without significant expense or inconvenience: paper, lights, and electronics.

The average American office worker throws out about 150 pounds of paper per year. Paper manufacturing contributes to the deforestation of the planet and in America is responsible for 35 million tons of CO2 a year. So what can you do? Buy recycled paper. Make full use of that paper by printing on both sides and/or using paper that is only printed on one side for scratch paper. Do your proofreading and edits on your computer before printing to reduce the number of prints you make. Re-use file folders by placing new labels over the old ones. All of these changes are easy to make but have a big impact. Pretty painless, right?

Another way you can go green in your office is as easy as changing a light bulb. In fact, it is changing a light bulb. Incandescent bulbs use 4 times more energy than is necessary to produce light. Halogen lights can get as hot as 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s hot enough to cook an egg! Alternately, Energy Star certified compact fluorescent lights (CFL’s) use 75% less energy to produce the same amount of light, last 10 times longer and produce less heat. If you feel like you need even more reason to switch to CFL’s, consider that you will also save money over the lifetime of the bulb. Once you have made the switch to energy efficient bulbs, make sure lights are turned off when they are not needed. A great way to ensure that this happens is with motion sensors that will turn the lights off when everyone has left the room.

38% of all of the carbon dioxide emissions come from the electricity we generate. That electricity is used to power all sorts of things. A major drain on our electricity is all of our office equipment such as computers, copiers, printers, and fax machines. When going green with your electronics, you need to look at 3 factors. You need to consider the waste that is created in the manufacturing of the products, the effects on the environment when you use the products, and the waste that is created when you are done with the products. That may seem like a lot to think about but if you follow these simple guidelines, you will be able to minimize the negative impact your office equipment has on the environment.

The manufacturing of electronics uses a lot of resources including electricity, raw materials, and water. Electronics also account for billions of pounds of municipal waste each year. Just a few of the contaminants that electronics create are toxic heavy metals, lead, PCB’s, mercury, and various acids. To lessen your office’s affect on the number of new pieces of equipment that are manufactured, as well as end up in land fills, buy all-in-one machines that combine multiple functions into one. Whenever possible, get rid of machines completely by using services such as Internet fax. With an Internet fax service you get rid of the fax machine completely, as well as reduce the amount of paper and ink that gets consumed. Another way to decrease waste is to recycle machines that are no longer working and donate those that do to charities where they will stay in use.

25% of the total electricity used by all commercial buildings in the US is consumed by office buildings. When buying any new office equipment, look for Energy Star certified machines. This will make a huge difference in the amount of electricity that is used to run your office. For example, an Energy Star certified computer is going to be 52% more efficient than a standard one. Laptops also use a lot less energy than desktops, so consider whether this is a viable option for your office. Energy efficient machines are also going to have stand by options that will power down or go into sleep mode to conserve energy when not in use. Once the office is closing for the day, make sure that all equipment is powered off.

Taking these steps will get you on your way to going green in your office. And as I promised, they will help you make a significant impact without significant cost or inconvenience to you and your employees. And you thought going green was going to be hard.

Brandi Cummings
http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/going-green-in-your-office-the-easy-way-197420.html

The cast of Evan Almighty helps you go green!

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The trend of being eco-friendly is growing fast and now businesses can go green and save some green at the same time.

For businesses there are many costs that can be cut with the use of high-speed Internet. To make the office computers more energy efficient, the best place to start would be to figure out how much is being used in the first place. When the energy amount is figured out, reducing that amount can be implemented in different ways. Server consolidation is one of many options available to cut down energy use. By replacing a large quantity of computers with smaller, more powerful and energy-efficient units, the energy use can come down. Another option available to businesses would be to replace desktop PCs with notebooks which could reduce the consumption of power by 75 per cent or more.

Document management is another process by which businesses can cut costs. By reducing the amount of paper that is used to print off reports, with the help of document managing software, there is less paper to buy.

For large businesses the implementation of video conferencing or Web conferencing is a way to bring together members from all over without having to fly anywhere. Video conferencing allows two or more locations to interact via two-way video and audio transmissions simultaneously. This option greatly reduces the cost of travel while cutting harmful emissions. In the past, video conferencing was grouped in with a boardroom-style image but it is not restricted to large meetings anymore. Video conferencing can be used on any desktop with the proper software.

Web conferencing, which has become a growing trend as well, is very similar to the concept of video conferencing – just without the video. Web conferencing has many features that include polling and exit surveys which can gather valuable data to determine how effective the Web-based seminar or ‘webinar’ was. The ‘webinar’ is a way to deliver a message to a large group of people at the same time. Meetings can be recorded and saved later for viewing or distributing, and text chat can be used for live question and answer sessions.

Another option is the idea of virtualization, which essentially tricks multiple copies of an operating system into thinking they are running on real hardware when in fact an additional software layer is used to enable multiple virtual machines to co-exist on one physical computer. This method means that multiple virtual servers can run on one physical server with greater efficiency.

But there are also simple ways to reduce costs and emissions in the office which could include arranging equipment into properly isolated hot and cold aisles which would reduce cooling costs.

With these options available it would seem that many companies would be on board, however, that is not the case. Many companies have yet to make the switch because of the inconvenience that may come with switching to a green option. However, the time that is used to go green could result in many worthwhile financial benefits.

Henny Van Droven

http://www.articlesbase.com/management-articles/businesses-saving-green-by-going-green-who-would-have-thought-732365.html

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Eco friendly options are available in the same range of colors and styles as traditional carpet.

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Produced by Somerville City TV and Somerville Climate Action, this program shows how solar energy, including the use of solar photovoltaics, is efficient, cost effective and very attainable to most homeowners.

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ENVIRONMENT – Despite the chaos of Copenhagen, politics and the environment remain close companions. FRANCE 24 looks at how political takeover of the environment.

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Step one is to hire an energy auditor. We need to turn to the experts, to people who are best at it when we need something done. They could tell you about what is making you poorer by heating and cooling your home as well as other areas.

If you are not sure where they are located then just run a google search. Perhaps you might consider looking up the yellow pages otherwise. These guys have got some high-tech tools which include infrared cameras, pressurizing fans, moisture meters and smoke blowers (or pencils).

He might even get a brand new house fan fitted to the outside doorway. It creates pressure, holding out a smoke pencil could help you understanding where you are becoming poorer. He might want to use a moisture meter to figure out extra moist places of your house. High RH or Relative Humidity can make a home’s inhabitants feel uncomfortable and add to high energy costs.

Second step is to find effective solutions. I have got a problem. You have found a guy to investigate it. Now is the time to fix it. Mostly he is going to suggest solutions. Sometimes you might be able to fix it yourself or at times you might need those experts to do it for you. It may be as simple as caulking gaps on the exterior of the homes siding with a good silicone sealant and adding insulative foam electric outlet sealers to go behind your home’s electrical outlet switch plates with plug in outlet covers to reduce drafts and air loss.

Other more extensive energy saving features may aid in lowering fuel costs as well. Among these are adding attic insulation, Low E glass windows, high SEER HVAC system (13 or better), tankless water heater and Energy Star appliances.

Couple example cases, this place had absolutely no insulation in the walls, though it did have a little insulation at the attic. On pier and beam with hardwood floors, there was no insulation underneath the home as well. On acting on the experts suggestion, believe it or not, the gas and electricity bills dropped down. It’s a perfect way to check your energy efficiency.

This expert is going to help you determine how to modify your house into an energy effective place which conserves energy. She conducted another audit on this one model 2 story with zoned HVAC. There was one heater and an aircon unit at all levels. At this audit, she learned more about the way air flow works. Apparently if you leave the bedroom doors open, then the HVAC is going to work better. So if you get an expert, he is going to help you modify older homes in energy effective, even though they weren’t meant to be that way.

Chris Jensen
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/insider-going-green-energy-tips-595297.html