The chart instantly shows us the last seven days of electricity usage in Kilo Watt Hours (kWh) and at what points during each day we experienced highs and lows of usage;

Reliant Energy - Our Electricity Usage Chart

Our electricity usage is always highest in the evening and that is probably due to air conditioning, perhaps cooking with the oven, running the washer and dryer, watching television etc.

Our average daily cost was $7.09 and the most expensive day was Thursday topping the charts at $9.10 in electricity usage.

This is the first week we have seen the summary come through and we love it!

Check out more details about the Reliant Energy e-sense program here;

http://www.reliant.com/PublicResourceDispatcher?pageAlias=Shop_eSense_Residential

Anyhow, polar bears are really endangered and the ice cap is melting and your carbon footprint gets bigger every day like a growing basketball player’s — but you can’t solve all of the world’s problems and load them onto your own little set of shoulders. You can start small and go from there.

“Just doing something — anything– really does make a difference!”

You’ll get a snowball effect sooner than later and very quickly, maybe you will actually save enough energy and resources that one giant tree in a rainforest somewhere can remain standing for a little while longer. All the more oxygen for everyone to breathe.

Image by typester

Puce, Lime, Avocado, Kelly, or Mint in Your Office?

Green by any other color is still green, and working your way up the environmental ladder slowly, still means you are working it. Do one thing, get others to start, then move through and add another thing. Try and think of things that you can do in addition to this list. The more the merrier on input into eco-awareness and energy efficiency and recycling. Start tomorrow and then spread your new philosophy around and do the same things at home when you can.

Start On Up the Green Brick Road:

Step 1 – Reduce, Not “Try To”, Your Office Supply Usage

Print out documents only when you really have to. The computer makes a great electronic document storage device. Always backup your data regularly on an external hard drive or USB drive. That way, if there’s a brown-out because everyone else is sucking up the power, you won’t lose anything. Always print on both sides of the paper, if you have to print, and use recycled paper. White paper is usually recyclable after you are done with it, as are newspapers and junk mail and envelopes. Try and use ink or toner that’s been put into recycled plastic cartridges and tubes. Along with the white paper, recycle cans and bottles and cardboard and glass.

Step 2 – You Can Chat Up A Real Plant

Plastic or silk ones just don’t understand. A real plant uses carbon dioxide and exhales oxygen for us to breathe in. It’s The Circle of Life (according to Disney in The Lion King). If there’s enough light for a plant, but not too much, spider plants are great low-light ones. Other ones you can use in a cave (only kidding) are the Peace Lily, Chinese Evergreen, Cast-Iron plant and Dracena. The latter has cool leaves which can be striped in light and dark green, plus other varieties. All plants are cool, though — even a Charlie Brown Christmas tree!

Step 3 – Curly Bulbs Anyone?

These are the funky, scrunched-up looking compact bulbs and they can be fluorescent (CFL) or
regular. There are also LED lights out now, they are the real energy savers, but if you get one for your aquarium don’t turn the light on all at once or else the fish will think there’s a supernova happening. They can be really bright and they are definitely very, very efficient and use little energy. There is some mercury in CFLs so be careful about use and disposal. Lower the thermostat in your office and turn off equipment at night or when not in use. This means unplugging it, too.

Step 4 – Use Real Silverware & Dishes

Styrofoam remains in a landfill for centuries. Did you see Wall-E from Disney? Nothing left but garbage and one tiny robot. If you can, take your dishes home and wash them in a full load to make the most of your dishwater. Besides, licking a ceramic bowl with condensed milk in it is so much better than biting accidentally into a chunk of Styrofoam!

Step 5 – Decorate Your Office With Decorum & Care

Choose renewable and green resources if you are going to renovate the office. Bamboo, low or no VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints, wood desks and a low energy lighting system will work wonders and save energy and our planet.

Step 6 – Don’t Drive To Work

Use the computer for phone calls and other time saving methods. Skype saves on phone calls and telecommuting on gas. Ride share if you can’t work from home. Set up a nice and cozy home office and spend more time with the family. Your spouse will recognize you more easily.

Step 7 – Eat Smart At The Office

Read labels and watch what you buy — and this means everything! Try to get hold of locally grown and organic foods. Brew Fair Trade coffee and use a re-usable filter. Wash the latter in soap and water now and then to get rid of the coffee oils.

Step 8 – Environmentally Friendly Business Travel

Try and reduce use of the company vehicle. What about an electric van? What about short trips by bicycle? Try and consolidate trips even inside the office.

Step 9 – Office Equipment Can Save You Money

Switch it off if you aren’t using it! Use Energy Star Power Management on your PC and Mac OS. Use the sleep mode when you can (the computer, not you). Update to lower energy use devices as you can.

Step 10 – Research Before You Search!

You might be addicted to searching using various search engines but if you take some time you can find a greener way to find what you’re looking for, do some research and figure out which search engine uses the least energy…

Google has a great article about how much power their data center uses whenever you search;

http://www.google.com/corporate/datacenter/efficient-computing/

From our research it looks like you would be Frugal Using Google! (Easy to remember)

We Are One On Our Planet

Start at the beginning and increase speed when you can. Work hard, both in your office and at helping to save the environment. Take a break, a deep breath, and a look outside when you can. Think about the relationship of your carbon footprint reduction, to the daisies you are looking at.

“It’s a dog eat dog world out there, but every dog and other living thing deserves to exist.”

Lloyd Burrell is the owner and publisher of OfficeDeskReviews.com. He loves to give detailed reviews on all types of contemporary office desk furniture. Despite the calls to save the environment recycled office furniture is not in very big demand right now, but he is optimistic that the demand will grow. Bit by bit the big named brands such as Bush furniture, Dmi desks and Sauder office desks are gradually moving over to offer more environmentally friendly products. One of these days, we will simply run out of trees if we aren’t careful!

I found the Method Smarty Dish tablets at our local hardware store, of all places, and thought it was worth a try. Each packet contains 20 dish-washing tablets which are non-toxic, phosphate free and bleach free.

Method Smarty Dish Tablets

The tablets are available in a variety of odors… I chose Pink Grapefruit, which was a tough decision seeing as I was in a hardware store, I figured the shopping cart full of tools would compensate!

The tablets are certified by the U.S. EPA Design for the Environment group which gives a reassurance that you are buying a truly green product, they are also never tested on animals which is great.

Each tablet contains the following ingredients;

• Mineral cleaning salts
• Naturally derived anti-spotting agents
• Starch and protein based cleaning enzymes
• Seaweed derived dispersing agent
• Fragrance oil blend

All of the above ingredients work together to provide a massive green cleaning punch in a small tablet;

Method Dishwasher Tablet

We have been using the Method Smarty Dish tablets for about a month now and we won’t be going back to any other dish-washing liquids, the Method tablets are awesome! They clean the dishes to a sparkling shine even on the economy wash setting and there is no white powdery residue any more.

Our glassware showed the biggest improvement, we now boast shiny spot-free glassware and they have never been cleaner…. or greener!

The Sparkling Results!

SO, if you are interested in trying the Method Smarty Dish tablets we suggest you get down to your local store and try to get hold of some, you can find out more information on the Method website;

Method Dish Cleaning Products

I write this after having taken a walk on the great walking trails in our community. These trails are great for getting in some exercise and enjoying nature, there is a creek that flows through with lots of birds, fish, frogs, wildflowers, even a beaver. What I also see when I walk are a lot of plastic water bottles thrown out on the beautiful banks and in the water. Some of these have washed in with the rainwater run off , but many were just left there when their humans went home.
Because  most bottled water is consumed away from home, usually at a park, in an office or even while driving — areas where there’s usually no recycling, It seems, for some reason, many people just leave the plastic and don’t take  it with them.

Plastic Recycling Facts

If you would like just one small thing to do to help our planet, here it is. If you do not currently recycle, water bottles are a great way to start. Better yet, if you purchase bottled water, and you are not alone, according to the Beverage Marketing Corp, the average American consumed 1.6 gallons of bottled water in 1976, in 2006 that number jumped to 28.3 gallons, how about just saying no to bottled water. Bring water from home. Now you have no plastic to leave and no plastic to recycle. You are helping in a big way to make our planet a greener place to live. Think about it. Just one day, one week, one month could save us many earth years to enjoy this place!

Your Money or Your Life:

Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence

http://www.amazon.com/Your-Money-Life-Transforming-Relationship

Yes the book is about finances and in some places a little long winded but the idea of  9 steps to getting your mind and emotions on track when it comes to money is really enlightening. The Author uses the analogy of money as your “‘life energy”.  You will spend some time calculating how much you really make per hour when you deduct all the expenses for the “things” it takes to keep your job, then translate that into how much of your life energy it takes to buy things, basically how many hours of your life does it cost you to buy that new car, new house, new outfit!

The main concept of this book is to change the way you think about money. To spend your time and money in ways that help you feel good from the inside out. This has  given me a completely different perspective on my job and what I am spending the money I make on. The ideas in this book have really given my husband an I a lot to work with on our Mission! We have discovered that to simplify your life, you have to move past the idea that you need a TON of money to live a happy life, it is not about how much you have, its about leading a fulfilling life.  We have determined what is really important to us,  thank goodness it looks more like our life than the money! Now it is time to put all that we have learned into a more simplistic life, to discover our true passion and pursue that instead of the dollar. If you are looking for ideas on changing your mind set about money and leading a simpler life, letting go of the “getting ahead, having more, will make me happy” ideas, I recommend reading this book.

One such company is Golden Artist Colors. Golden Artist Paints has been on the forefront of environmental stewardship programs for its facilities and promotes safe use of it’s products through extensive safety information provided on it’s website, www.goldenpaints.com The colors are vibrant and they have an acrylic paint called Fluid Interference, which offers a unique “flip” when viewed from different perspectives.

When I am doing collage, I use magazines for my colors instead of paint. It is a great way to recycle and reuse. When gluing the pieces down, I use Modge Podge, a glue that is non-toxic and dries clear. Completed projects do not yellow over time. Another glue that is eco-friendly is YES paste. It works very well on paper projects.

I have also done some found object sculptures. This is a great earth friendly form of artwork.  I love finding items, which have been broken and weathered and use them to create a piece of art from something that would have ended up in a landfill somewhere.

Art in its many forms can be a wonderful way to recycle and reuse. The enduring beauty of something created from your imagination and displayed with pride in your home is made that much better when done in an earth friendly manner. Your next work of art may be only a recycle bin away!

Is it:

Recycling plastic water bottles: Did you know that 40 billion plastic bottles are produced each year in the United States, mostly for beverages. Two-thirds of them end up in landfills. All things considered, this is not good for the environment. Avoid landfills by recycling them. Most often there is a special curbside collection for recycling, but otherwise take them to your local Bottle-Bank.

Or is it Solar power, Did you know that a solar energy system of any size increases your earth print, reduces your carbon footprint and protects your home from brownouts and blackouts. http://www.solarpowerathome.com

or Wind energy, Did you know that small wind turbines are electric generators that utilize wind energy to produce clean, emissions-free power for individual homes, farms, and small businesses. With this simple and increasingly popular technology, individuals can generate their own power and cut their energy bills while helping to protect the environment. The U.S. leads the world in the production of small wind turbines, which are defined as having rated capacities of 100 kilowatts and less, and the market is expected to continue strong growth through the next decade. http://www.awea.org

Take some time to explore your green potential, it is always possible, that green thing, a small step, exploring an idea. Turning a maybe into a yes!

Image courtesy of J J Yarbrough

1. Recycle: Try to recycle all paper and plastic as well as any aluminum cans but remember to leave any extra greasy paper / cardboard out of the recycle bin.
2. Consider composting any vegetable leftovers, you could be growing your own four leaf clovers next year with some wonderful St. Pattys day compost!
3. Embrace the tradition of an Irish country walk and try strolling to your party if its close enough instead of driving. (This also means you can have an extra green beer)
4. Have fun and make it your St Patricks day resolution to stay green in 2009…

1. Recycle your corks, Natural cork, the kind of cork used in wine closures is a perfect choice for recycling. It’s 100% natural, biodegradeable and renewable. Start collecting and use as mulch for your indoor plants and flower beds!

2.Sun Dry your Clothes. Sun-dried clothes smell good, the sun bleaches whited whiter and you’ll reduce your utility bill.

3. Go second-hand. Before purchasing something as yourself if you already have it or something similar that can be reused. If theres something you need only onece or wice, don’t buy it, borrow and return it.

The tag is recycled, biodegradable paper actually containing a generous mix of wildflower seeds you can plant!! Now there is an easy way to start “going green” in red or white!

A story on The National Geographic Kids website at http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Stories/SpaceScience/Water-bottle-pollution states:

“Unfortunately, for every six water bottles we use, only one makes it to the recycling bin. The rest are sent to landfills. Or, even worse, they end up as trash on the land and in rivers, lakes, and the ocean. Plastic bottles take many hundreds of years to disintegrate. And yes, you can make a difference. Remember this: Recycling one plastic bottle can save enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for six hours.”

Now I am definitely making a concentrated effort to grab a glass of water, instead of going for the bottle. I know it sounds so simple, but I honestly never made the effort before. When all else fails, and I have to use bottled anything, it now always ends up in our recycle bin where it belongs. Also, I am using my Camelbak water bottle, which makes quenching my thirst during workouts guilt-free. This green (a complete but happy coincidence since it’s the color we’re all working toward) bottle is BPA Free and makes re-hydrating a breeze even if my workout isn’t. Martin and I picked our’s up at our Local Sprouts Farmers Market, and I have to say it was love at first sip.