The United Nations has warned that within two decades, the majority of the earth’s population could face serious water shortages. If we all become more aware of the amount of water we each consume and make conserving water a part of our daily practices, we will be part of the solution to this looming problem.

In our homes, the bathroom is where most water is consumed. For the average family approximately 18 percent of their total water usage is from bathing and showering. Our toilets account for as much as 28% of our water consumption. What can you do to reduce water consumption in the bathroom?

* Use a bucket or watering can to catch water that would normally go down the drain as you wait for your shower water to warm.

* Replace shower heads with low flow fixtures. Prior to 1992 the flow from shower heads was 5 gallons of water per minute. After that date the flow was cut in half to 2.5 gallons per minute.

*Take shorter showers. Shortening your shower by just one minute can save as much as 912 gallons of water a year.

*Consider replacing high flush toilets with a low flush model.

*If replacing the toilet isn’t an option, place a plastic milk jug filled with water or rocks in the tank. This will displace some of the water that would normally fill the tank.

The typical single-family suburban household uses at least 30 percent of their water outdoors for irrigation. Some experts estimate that more than 50 percent of landscape water use goes to waste due to evaporation or runoff caused by over watering. What can you do to reduce your water consumption in the garden?

* Install drip irrigation systems. These use 20 to 50 percent less water than in-ground sprinkler systems and water isn’t lost to runoff.

* Water gardens just after sunrise or at sunset to reduce evaporation.

* Mulch gardens to reduce watering requirements.

* Cut grass a little longer and more often and then leave the cut grass as mulch.

* Use drought tolerant plants in your garden and drought resistant grass for lawn. * Sweep leaves off the driveway rather than using the hose to remove them. * Consider capturing rain in a barrel to use for your gardening needs. Use rainwater for your yard and garden, and lower your water bill. A roof area of only 1,000 sq ft can provide approximately 600 gallons of water during a one inch rainfall. Adapting just a few of these tips into your daily routine will not only save you money on your water bill but also conserve the precious water that is needed for all forms of life to exist.

The new Obama administration has indicated a strong focus on developing America’s renewable energy resources. So whether you believe global warming is man-made, or purely a result of the earth’s natural cycles of warming and cooling, now is a perfect time to adopt an individual green lifestyle that will conserve energy, save water and result in a cleaner, sustainable environment. The availability of eco-friendly products and services is becoming a great green wave that will make it easier for everybody to become more environmentally friendly. And it doesn’t take a major change in lifestyle to contribute to a cleaner and greener world.

Historically there has been a high cost barrier to moving to green products, but that is becoming much less of a hurdle as more companies compete to offer better, greener products. While certain high-end goods remain out of reach of all but the most well off, the energy saving benefits of many green products quickly offset any higher up-front cost. Green cleaning products are often more concentrated than the regular chemical products and therefore offer good cost comparison for their total use.

In most areas of the country recycling programs are the first introduction to helping protect the environment we live in. Unfortunately, the incredible variety of different collection programs leaves much to be desired and there is much to be done in the future to improve the effectiveness of this process. Maybe this is one area where sensible State or Federal regulation could create common recycling procedures and improve the efficiency of collection and re-use. Back yard composting can reduce the disposal of yard and food waste which is estimated to make up around 30% of the waste stream going to landfills.

With the increasing pressure on energy costs around the world and the improving technology developments in solar and wind power, we can expect to see greater utilization of these natural resources in the future. Solar technology is developing very quickly and becoming more usable and cost effective. Solar lighting and water features are now very efficient and an attractive, clean addition to any garden landscaping. While solar leasing programs are making solar power more available for individual homes. Wind power is a very hot topic right now with the Pickens Plan receiving a great deal of publicity. If we are able to capture the tremendous wind energy resources in the US, and then develop an environmentally friendly means of distributing it around the country, it could make a significant contribution to the greening of America.

Along with the growth in the availability of green products has come the problem of identifying what is truly green and “how green is it?” As with any product for sale, the claims of the best and the greenest can often be somewhat exaggerated. However, this need not be too big a distraction. It is not necessary to choose the most energy efficient, or the most natural cleaner, to contribute to a greener world. A higher efficiency rating in a replacement appliance, or a natural cleaning product that gives the best results, enhances the green footprint but should also fit in to the personal choices of a modern lifestyle.

The decision to go green can be as dramatic or as gradual as each individual or family wish to make it. Once the “green light” goes on however, it does appear to take on a life of its own. Each green choice, small or large, contributes to the growing movement towards a more eco-friendly world.

If the choices are there and the barriers to their use are coming down, who wouldn’t want to reduce their use of the earth’s finite resources and convert to a cleaner, less polluting, healthier, green lifestyle.

Peter O’Grady is the owner of It’s Eco Time.com and writes on a variety of subjects involving our impact on the environment and the options available for living a healthy and sustainable green lifestyle. To find products to save money, energy and water and for other green topics visit http://itsecotime.com and share your comments and questions.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_O’Grady

Selling power back to your utility company can be easy. Essentially you use a solar or wind powered source for energy during the day and it supplies energy back to a grid, causing your utility meter to run backwards.

Then, when it is dark outside or windy, the meter starts to roll forward again. This helps to save hundreds or thousands of dollars each year in electrical bills.

Before you can start to use this type of system, you must contact your local utility company and file an interconnection agreement with them. This gives you the rights and regulations you have to abide by in order to use your solar or wind powered source for energy.

Currently over 40 states have laws in affect stating utility companies must allow some kind of interconnection agreement with its users. Most utilities companies will not mail you a check if you produce more energy than they do.

But, they may agree to roll over the dollar amount you saved towards the next month or a future month when you experience more usage. The government has recently started giving tax breaks to those using solar or wind power as electricity, giving them another great chance to save money.

The problem many people are encountering is solar powering is not stable. With a grid, solar power is transferred into energy. In most cases, only 10 to 15 percent of solar power has the ability to be transferred into use-able energy for sustaining a household.

Source: Solar

The availability of alternative energy comes in many different forms. One of these is solar power: Solar power is driven by photovoltaic cells, and these are progressively getting less expensive and more advanced.

There aren’t any areas where solar power cannot be utilised including: generating electricity and hot water plus of course it has the added benefit of being pollution free. However, much more work still needs to be done in order for us to economically harness the sun’s energy. The one major problem is storing the power for use when the sun is not as strong, on overcast days and when night falls.

As of the moment, the most-invested-in alternative energy source favored by many private investors as well as the government is the wind energy. Huge double and triple bladed windmills can be seen around the world, working constantly, day and night to produce large amounts of electricity. Of course, there is nothing new about the concept of a windmill for harnessing energy.

The windmills used today are massive compared to those used in the past and much more ‘high-tech’ and often referred to as ‘wind-turbines’. The only downside to this form of power is when the wind isn’t blowing, you cannot produce power. Of course, the power we need can come from other sources when this happens so currently we cannot rely completely on wind power even if we had sufficient farms to cater for our needs.

A massive quantity of power can be obtained from another source of alternative energy which is the hydroelectric energy. All that is required is a large body of water and gravity – this fall of water from a great height is able to turn large turbines which generate electrical power. As water is everywhere it has not generally been a problem finding locations where it can be employed.

The main problem with this process is the initial financial cost and the size of these dams means it is a lengthy project which does not come without it’s own issues. Building of dams is often the most common and effective means of controlling the flow of water to sufficiently provide the source in generating the needed power.

Conservationists are starting to be worried about operating a dam as it not only requires a lot of labour building it to store and control water’s potential and kinetic energy but it can also be risky and complicated. To produce power this way does not always require a dam, especially if it is only a small community that is being serviced.

There are other options that you may use especially if it is just to supply neighbourhoods or an individual office or home such as small run-of-river hydroelectric converters.

However, the most underused and under-rated form of energy is geo-thermal: this is the heat which is generated inside the planet beneath the crust. The earth’s inner molten core is the one responsible for transferring the heat into the water.

Power plants use a number of ways to draw this water to the surface and harness it into ‘free’ energy. When hot water is drawn up, it simply means that there is the need to gather steam. The Geysers is an example of a dry stream plant located in the region of about 100 miles north of San Francisco and perhaps the best-known of all geothermal power fields.

Source: solar energy

Marine turtle populations have declined drastically over recent years and now of the known 7 species, all are considered protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). By acknowledging the bleak situation we have created for sea turtles, multi-national programs have began to collaborate resources in an effort to protect the nesting grounds and ocean habitats needed for a recovery of marine turtle populations.

Many factors have contributed to the decline including the over harvesting of eggs, destructions of habitats, pollution, fishing nets, and contact with ocean vessels. These actions combined with the low survival rate of hatchlings due to predators, have escalated the need to provide a working program to address the situation.

In the Philippines and Indonesia, Green turtle eggs are being poached and collected at unsustainable record highs. Entire ecosystems deteriorate with the loss of sea turtles as eggs and even decaying hatchlings help provide nutrients to areas that lack other natural means of plant production. Also, marine grasses are dependent on grazing animals such as sea turtles, to maintain a healthy production of wide spread grass beds, as opposed to taller blades that block out sunlight to the ocean floor. These sea beds provide shelter and sustenance to many other marine animals and the decline of the sea turtle has consequences for them all.

Some species, like the Pacific leatherback, are at a critical level with fewer than 500 females coming home to nest on the beaches of Mexico and Costa Rica. Alongside natural threats, poaching appears to be the top cause of their decline. Because some females take 30 years to mature, the effects of over harvesting and fishing can take years to remedy.

Although sea turtles have struggled recently, many conservation groups are putting in time and resources to help their plight. A new agreement has been laid out to coordinate efforts to increase and protect turtle populations. 27 signatories to the agreement are giving a broader picture of efforts and accomplishments being put forth to meet population goals.

The United Nations Environment Programme’s, Douglas Hykle, states “Participating countries have made progress in many areas, but there is still room for improvement. Many have yet to clearly describe their resource needs and to mobilize sufficient funding for domestic implementation; and only a few are carrying the burden of supporting international coordination efforts.”

One effect of sea turtle conservation can be seen in the increase in population of the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle. Though, down to just 700 nests in 1985, the Kemp’s ridley turtle has made a comeback thanks to efforts by the Mexican government to curb illegal harvests and lower the effects of shrimp trawlers.

Loggerhead turtles, off the coast of South Africa, have increased greatly over the past four decades with some 1,750 nests compared to a low of only 250. Loggerhead and other sea turtles are important because they have been known to carry as many as 100 different species of plants and animals in and upon their shells, being directly responsible for the survival of many different marine species.

Over the course of Earth’s history, many animals and plants have become extinct and it is only natural. Recently, though, dramatic changes created by humans are forcing the rapid decline in many vital species of marine plants and animals. As outlined above, many of these animals are vital to the health and future of thousands of other marine species. By acknowledging the problem exists, we can begin to address beneficial steps to change the course of current events. The Bali conference that is taking place shortly, will help to further examine the recent UNEP report about sea turtles and being to change the communication of participating countries and organizations.

Under a recent New York City law, building owners now have the option of installing green rooftops for a 1 year property tax credit of $100,000. Each owner claiming the credit would have to utilize at least 50% of the rooftop space available. The bill was sponsored by Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr.

This legislation is so important because it can help to capture rain water that would otherwise funnel into storm drains and cause overflows in the sewage system. Keeping sewage waste out of waterways is necessary for local plant and animal life in addition to providing safe drinking water. Also, lessening noise and absorbing heat play a vital part in the allure of green technology. The Bronx has already been incorporating green technology in their rooftops as part of a program designed to conserve energy and promote a healthy environment.

According to a board member of the New York City Soil & Water Conservation District, Dr. Paul S. Mankiewicz, “”Each 10,000 square foot green roof can capture between 6,000 and 12,000 gallons of water in each storm event. This is rainfall that will never enter the combined sewer. At the same time, the evaporation of this rainfall will produce the equivalent of between a thousand and two thousand tons of air conditioning, enough heat removal to noticeably cool ten acres of the City. This is a management practice that increases biodiversity and can literally add enjoyable landscape to all the boroughs of New York”. (Source: E-wire)
 
Germany also has been a key player in green roof top technology.  Today, Germans enjoy a $77 million green rooftop industry. 10% of German flat rooftops are reported to be installed with green gardens. Germany is generally credited with starting the green rooftop trend. Elsewhere, London has planned many new green roof projects in the coming years which include an additional 1 million square feet scheduled to add to their already 200,000 square feet of green roofing. Europe is currently leading in this developing technology, but the U.S. is starting to catch up, with New york taking the lead in providing tax incentives for future projects.  Chicago has stepped up to the challenge with a large green roof atop the city hall building.

Low Impact Development has some great tools and ideas on their website to begin the process of installing green rooftops and gardens.

Greenroofs.com is a great site to visit for research, links and projects featuring green rooftops. They also highlight a green rooftop each week to help get the creative juices flowing.