Go Green Living

Want to go green and help the environment?

Great! Then this page will give you lots of handy tips and ideas on how you can go green in your home, your office and even your community.

So let's all get together to help the planet and learn more about going green.

We live in a world in crisis, with the environment a global concern every one wants to do their bit to help out. You can actually do a lot to go green by just making small changes around the home and to your lifestyle. So, here's how to go green (and save money) in 5 simple tips.

1. In Winter, lower your thermostat by one degree and see how you go. If it still seems comfortable then drop it another degree the following week to see if it's still ok. Eventually you'll find a point where it's no longer comfortable, so increase it one degree above that - that will be your optimal heating temperature and you'll save money. Repeat the process (except reversed) in summer with your airconditioner.
   
2. Your washing machine will do just as good a job in cold water than hot (especially with the great laundry detergents available today - although make sure you get an earth friendly one). You'll save money on your energy bill and be saving the environment.
   
3. Weather permitting, hang your clothes outside instead of putting them in the dryer.  You'll not only be going green, but your clothes will get the added anti-bacterial protection from the sun and smell really fresh.
   
4. Compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs use 10% of the energy that a standard bulb and they last 10 times longer. And check out the new LED bulbs which can be twice as efficient as the CFL bulbs.
   
5. Use Baking Soda and Vinegar to clean your home rather than expensive toxic chemicals. You can get more green cleaning tips here.

If you’ve been considering getting solar panels in your home to help reduce your carbon footprint then you might wonder how much they cost and if it is worth the expense.

The truth is, that yes initially you will be paying quite a lot of money for solar panels as it takes a lot for the manufacture and installation of them, but over time, as you notice your energy bills getting smaller, you’ll be able to recoup that loss and start to not only save money but also help the environment.

Solar panels work by drawing the sun's energy and heat and converting it into useable electricity.

You've probably felt how hot you get when you sit in the sun for too long or if you've touched an object that has been in contact with the sun you'll feel the heat.  Solar panels use crystals to capture that heat and convert it to electricity.

The cell is called a photovoltaic cell and breaks down the sunlight into protons, electrons and neutrons and then absorbs the electrons into the crystal cell.

The electrons then are transported via the conductor wires (which are often several hundred yards long) and distributed into the energy converter.  Once the energy converter uses the electrons to make electricity, that power is stored in the battery which will power any electrical device.

Green Your Clean

You don't have to compromise on your health to have a shiny clean home, many eco friendly cleaning brands such as Method and Seventh Generation not only clean your home well, they also smell great.

It's worth avoid the regular commercial cleaners as they contain particularly harmful chemicals and dyes that can affect your health and also the environment.

Green Your Diet

You might be surprised to know that many foods including animal farming take a huge toll on the environment.  Now I'm not suggested that you go totally meat free (unless you want to) but having one or two 'no meat' meals per week can significantly help save our precious resources.  There are some wonderful vegetarian recipes that will satisfy even the most ardent meat eaters.