Are Green Power Options Best
Everybody wants green energy. Being able to get the power we need without damaging the environment is an obvious goal – but what’s the best way to achieve it? Should we be opting for wind farms, hydroelectricity, or solar energy as alternative power? This guide to green living will help us decide
Resources that are regenerative, meaning they cannot be depleted are considered renewable energy. These resources are safe for our environment and produce energy without the harmful pollutants and emissions associated with fossil-fuels.
Wind farms often receive a bad press, especially when they’re situated near homes or in popular hiking areas. They can make a lot of noise and because they have to be placed on skylines for maximum efficiency they often spoil views. Offshore wind farms are less problematic in this way and can take advantage of fierce sea winds, increasing their output, but they rely on a nation having a lot of suitable coastline.
While the Netherlands does very well with its wind farms, the US is, considering the comparative size of its population, at a distinct disadvantage. For the home-owner, small wind-powered generators are available, but they’re not very efficient and often result in complaints from neighbors.
Using the natural energy of rivers and tidal forces by hydroelectricity is a much more effective way of generating power. However, there are a limited number of suitable locations for hydroelectric generators, and often these are in areas which already provide fertile farmland, so a lot of people have to be displaced and lose their land in order for them to be built. The impact on local wildlife can also be damaging.
Solar power alone passes the test of truly being practical, easy to access and non-polluting at the same time. Solar panels of today will still work effectively even in areas that are always cloudy. Once installed, they require little maintenance and don’t get in anyones way. For these reasons, the greenest way to generate the power we need is by harnessing the power of the sun.
Tips to Save Energy to Go Green and Save the Earth
1. Cooking requires heat and energy, so conserve it to save money. Cover the cooking pan with a lid so that the heat doesn’t escape. Water will boil around 5% faster in pans with a lid on, thereby saving time, energy and your money, as well as giving the environment a break.
2. While cooking in a Oven, keep the door closed. Most modern Ovens have a glass door so as to let you see what’s happening
inside. Use it appropriately. Around 15% of all oven heat is lost every time the door is opened. If you’re trying to bake a Pizza, for example, and you keep opening the door to see how it’s cooking, then you are cooking at 85% of the efficiency, at the sametime wasting energy and money!
3. STOP using commercial cleaning products in your kitchen or anywhere in your house. They are expensive to buy and expensive to produce. Their production is also harmful to the environment. The waste you release after cleaning is also harmful to the environment.
You can make your own cleaner from a mixture of vinegar, salt and baking soda. It will clean perfectly the same way as a commercial product, and it contains no toxic chemicals, thereby helping the environment. It will cost a great deal less too.
To put this into perspective. We dump some 35 million pounds of toxins down our drains every year, just from household and kitchen cleaning products alone. What kind of damage do you think that is doing to the environment? Well, you don’t have to do it anymore.
Here’s another simple recipe for an all-purpose cleaner, courtesy of
Greenpeace:
½ cup pure liquid soap
1 gallon hot water
¼ cup lemon juice
It’s safe and effective, and costs very little.
4. You don’t have to pre-heat your oven for every time your cook, unless you are baking bread and cake. Just put the dish into the oven and switch on, setting it to the right temperature. That way you are not wasting energy which is lost between the time it is pre-heated and you put in the preparation.
5. Cook once in a day instead of twice. This is a great way to save all round. If your oven can hold two chicken pieces, then why not cook two instead of one. Two chickens will cook in about the same amount of time that one will. Now, do the math… You will cut your cooking time in half, thereby saving electricity – and guess what happens to all the money saved! Yep, it stays right in your pocket. This way you have more time for other activities. The time saved on cooking the second time can be used better elsewhere. Remember, it doesn’t have to be just chickens. It can turkeys, beef, etc. And I surely don’t have to mention the environmental benefits.
Independent writer and Internet Marketeer. My website : http://www.make-my-home-green.com
