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Climate Risk From Flat Screen TVs
Today, hardly anyone uses the conventional television anymore. Instead, most people have shifted to flat screen televisions. Did you know that the flat screen panels add to the global warming? In fact, they cause more damage than a high powered electricity generating coal factory would.

The flat-screen televisions are manufactured using a greenhouse gas known as nitrogen trifluoride. They are so much in demand, that yearly about four thousand ton of gas is being released.

This particular nitrogen trifluoride is a highly potent gas and has 17,000 times more effect than carbon dioxide on the environment. Most of the them use gas inside the panel to create sharper images. This gas is nothing but nitrogen trifluoride. This greenhouse gas remains in the atmosphere for 500 years and sometimes more.

Unfortunately, it was too late before the scientists found this out, and the gas is not even restricted by the Kyoto Protocol unlike other greenhouse gases. Today, the flat-screen television is the only form of television that is available in the electronic market. So, every time we switch on our television we are polluting the environment.

Though this discovery was made very late, it is never too late to make amendments. There are two technologies in flat screen monitors. One uses the gases, the other uses graphical coding. The latter model may use more power but it is less polluting. Therefore, it is advisable to opt for a flat screen monitor that uses graphical coding if you want to help the environment.

About Author:
Pauline Go is an online leading expert in the environmental industry. She also offers top quality articles like :
Global Warming Causes, Climate Change Effect

How Does Mining Affect the Environment?
There are several different types of mining like oil, mineral, gold and coal mining processes. Almost all the processes have one thing in common and that is mining for fossil fuels. Mining is mainly done to extract the minerals and metals from the core of the earth.

Mining is a very profitable business and it also creates employment opportunities. It benefits everyone including the government and that is why the mining industry is widely supported. There are several negative effects of mining for the environment.

To make mining possible, several forests are cleared and this leads to deforestation. Most of the mines in Africa were created after cutting down forests. The vegetation is cleared in order to build the mining facility and laying roads. Several organisms and animals live in these forests. With the deforestation, these organisms and animals lose their natural habitat. So, they start looking for a new habitat in order to survive. However, most organisms and animals do not respond very well this change and end up dying. The biodiversity is lost in this process. A number of smaller plants and creepers that grow with the support of the trees also die due to deforestation.

Every single forest in the world is a biosphere of its own. It is impossible to create a biosphere artificially as the various processes and inter-dependence of organisms is too complicated.

In addition, mining causes a lot of pollution as a lot of chemical waste incurred due to the various processed involved. This waste is released into water bodies, rivers and sea. The chemical composition of the soil also changes in the mining area. It becomes a desert-like environment where nothing grows.

About Author:
Pauline Go is an online leading expert in the environmental industry. She also offers top quality articles like :
Global Warming Causes, Climate Change Effect

Safer Paint Makes Everyone Breathe Easier
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air is three times more polluted than outdoor air. In addition, the poor quality of indoor air creates one of the top five hazards to human health. And paints and finishes are among the leading causes of contaminated indoor air.

In studies of paints and finishes, the compounds used to create these products are shown to release low level toxic emissions into the air during their application, and for years afterward. The source of these toxins is a variety of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which, until recently, were considered essential to the production and performance of the paint.

Because of health concerns and environmental regulations, low-VOC and even no- or zero-VOC paints have begun to take their place on shelves in hardware and home stores. These paints are durable, cost-effective and much less harmful to human and environmental health.

These benefits include reduced toxins being released into the air, benefitting especially the young, the elderly, those with compromised respiratory systems, and people with allergies and chemical sensitivities.

These low-or-zero- VOC paints and stains also are less harmful to groundwater and landfills and contain less ozone-depleting contaminants. And they need only soap and water to keep clean.

What is the difference between low-and Zero-VOC paints? Low-VOC paints, stains and varnishes are water-based rather than petroleum-based. The levels of harmful emissions are lower, and the amount of heavy metals or formaldehyde they contain is also very low or contains only trace amounts. To meet EPA standards, low-VOC stains and varnishes cannot contain more than 300 grams of volatile organic compounds per liter. Most low-VOC paint available in stores usually contains 50 grams per liter less.

Any paint with five grams of volatile organic compounds or less can be labeled Zero-VOC according to the EPA. Adding a color tint to this type of paint usually brings the volatile organic compound level up to ten grams per liter, but this is still considered very, very low.

Because of the concern over toxic compounds, paint manufacturers are going to great lengths to find ingredients that are safe. Ingredients currently finding their way into paints and stains include plant oils and resins, plant oils and resins, plant dyes and essential oils, natural minerals including clay, chalk and talc, natural latex, beeswax, earth and mineral dyes. One paint company, The Real Milk Paint Company, manufacturers a non-toxic paint made with milk protein, lime, and clay and earth pigments. The paint can be found at realmilkpaint.com. Livos, found at Livos.com, makes organic stains, oils and waxes using all natural ingredients with a linseed oil or citrus oil base.

Another way to maintain better air quality during painting and staining is to leave brushes and rollers alone. Contrary to conventional wisdom, brushes and rollers don’t need to be cleaned after each use. Paint brushes and rollers used for an on-going project can be saved overnight, or sometimes even up to a week without cleaning by wrapping the brush or roller snugly in a plastic bag. You can even use bread or produce bags. The bags need to be squeezed tightly to remove air pockets and must be stored away from the light.

The paint won’t dry because air can’t get to it. Simply unwrap the brush or roller the next day and continue with the job. (This works for water and oil-based paints and stains. It does not work for varnishes or lacquers.)

When it’s time to wash the brushes or rollers, they should be washed in a bucket of water in the sink. Pour the used paint-laden water into a container and bring it to your local hazardous materials waste depot along with your empty paint cans.

To further reduce the impact of indoor air pollutants, circulate fresh air through your house as often as possible, especially after painting. When painting ceilings, be sure to provide cross-ventilation to remove paint fumes. Fumes rise as paint dries, so with ceilings, the fumes dissipate more slowly since there’s no air above the paint. You can also reduce fresh paint odors by placing a small dish of white vinegar in the room.

Preston Sandlin is a home inspector and real estate investor in Charlotte NC. He has been performing home inspections and buying real estate in Charlotte NC for over 12 years. He is a member of the North Carolina Home Inspector’s Association, the Charlotte Regional Realtors Association, and the BBB. – By Preston Sandlin

Clean Tech – Go Green While Still Making Profit
You need not be a rocket scientist to realize that there is a growing concern with environmental issues all around the world. As the primary concern of everyone is to survive on this planet, cleantech or clean technology has emerged as the need of the hour.

Cleantech is a blanket term for a group of emerging environment friendly technologies, which are found in various industries such as energy, water, manufacturing, advanced materials, and transportation. The most common example of cleantech would be the usage of solar energy, water filtration, industrial process controls and hybrid electric vehicles. Cleantech is also a second generation improvement upon the green technologies of the 70s and 80s as it not only protects the environment, but is also cost effective, market driven and attracts venture capital funds. The commercial angle is an intrinsic part of this benign technology, which contributes as a sure factor for its growth.

Cleantech is actually revolutionizing the products and services of various industrial sectors. The aim is to reduce pollution, toxic emissions, energy consumption and input while maintaining the quality and the productivity of the service at the same time. Although it sounds arduous, but believe it or not – people involved are making money out of this! Many clean technologies serve rapidly expanding markets like wind power, solar power, industrial water purification etc and using these technologies have lead to an increase in energy efficiency and reduction of wastage. That is why clean technology has managed to pool huge investment from various mainstream venture capitalists firms in recent times. Since then, even the media has inevitably picked up and circulated the term ‘cleantech’ quite extensively.

Cleantech is indeed an interesting investment prospect because climate change and global warming needs to be tackled, carbon-pricing is on its way up, and fossil fuel is not only getting depleted but its market is also volatile. Additionally, clean technology is now being operated by experienced management teams who have an exclusive expertise over its know-how.

In conclusion, you can say that keeping a tab on cleantech is important as this magnificent technology might very well turn out to be tomorrow’s champion. – By Sonali Bose Sengupta ]]> http://www.reglobe.org/clean-tech-go-green-while-still-making-profit/feed/ 0 http://www.reglobe.org/test-your-water-for-purity/ http://www.reglobe.org/test-your-water-for-purity/#comments Sat, 12 Sep 2009 07:25:56 +0000 admin http://www.reglobe.org/?p=15

Test Your Water For Purity
Conserving water is high on the list when it comes to living green and protecting the earth’s natural resources. Using your own water supply instead of buying bottled water is one of the ways that you can do this.To make sure your water supply is safe for you to drink, you can have it tested. It’s a simple process that can be done two different ways. You can do it yourself by picking up a home water test kit. Run tap water into a clean glass and then follow the directions on the test.

Your other option is to take a sample of your water to a local facility where they will test the quality of the water for you. This would probably be the most precise test you could get but the home testing kits should be accurate if used correctly. Keep in mind that if the water from your tap is cloudy for the first minute or two and then it clears up, this is usually not anything to worry about.

If you test your water and discover that it’s not up to standards, you can consider adding a home water purification system to make the water drinkable. After installing the system, it’s a good idea to have the water tested again to be sure the system is working correctly. It’s recommended that you have your water tested annually. This is even more important if you get your water from a private well because it’s up to you to make sure your water is safe to drink.

When you know the water in your home is safe it can make a world of difference and help you do your part to conserve natural resources. Plus, it’s just comforting to know that the water you bath in, brush your teeth with and cook with is within the safety range.

Lisa Mason is a freelance writer with a specialty in Internet content and SEO articles and the author of How to Earn a Living Writing for the Internet as well as two poetry anthologies and a how-to poetry book. She has written thousands of articles, hundreds of ebooks and thousands of website pages and related content.

Professional wordsmith for hire: gamer, wife, mother, entrepreneur, published poet, co-owner of game guides company, public speaker and Internet business consultant. You can learn more or follow Lisa’s blog from her website

Zero Waste – Cutting Back on Consumption
The best way of reducing your trash (besides buying less) is to purchase items with the least amount of packaging or with recyclable packaging. Another way is to shop at stores that use refillable containers or that sell loose items. It can take time to shop for the least wasteful package, but you will definitely see a difference in the amount of garbage that you throw away.

Here are some more tips to reduce waste when shopping for groceries, which is where most of your trash comes from.

Buy fresh foods that are not prepackaged. You can place fresh fruits and vegetables into your cart without using the plastic bags. Or you can reuse your old plastic bags.

Do not buy individually packaged items. For instance, you could buy a large container of juice and put it in a thermos, rather than buy individual juice containers.

Look for items in glass and recyclable containers instead of plastic ones. The general rule is to avoid any containers that are plastic and cannot be recycled.

Avoid aerosol cans because they can’t be recycled. If you can you should purchase items in pump action bottles instead of aerosol cans.

Bring your own shopping basket, canvas bags or reuse plastic bags when you shop. If you forget your own bags you should always choose paper over plastic. Paper bags can be composted, reused or recycled. But always try to remember to bring your own bags.

You can also take your attack on product packaging one step further. You can send manufacturers telling them you won’t be buying their products anymore until they use less packaging or use recyclable packaging. Manufacturers will get the message if sales drop.

James has been living green for many years. But his newest interest is in portable carts. View his website and find a bargain on products such as a folding utility cart and a folding grocery cart to make shopping easier.