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Please Help Save Our Trees and Our Planet!
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If you are reading this right now, you're probably aware of the declining state of our planet.
You probably also know that if we continue to neglect our planet it will no longer be able to provide for us and the things we take for granted everyday will soon be gone.

The Earth has been under attack from it's inhabitants for too long.

We all need to do our part to protect our planet and to secure that it is here for our future generations.

For many years the use of recycled paper and eco-friendly printing inks has been advised but ignored by too many.

If everyone would only

• Purchase products packaged in recycled paper,
• Buy printed items printed only on recycled paper,
• Use eco-friendly inks and recylcled paper for their printing needs,
• Buy printed items from a print shop that uses earth friendly inks, and,
• Use earth friendly bags when shopping,

it would do so much to save the trees which are vital to our existence.

The benefits from healthy trees to the earth and the earth's inhabitants, animal and human alike, are numerous.
Trees help to maintain our air quality, their strong roots protect our land from errossion, they provide shade which cools the earth and the earth's inhabitants. Even dying trees provide our earth with many benefits, like places for animals to live, wood for campfires or heating of homes, even their decaying roots and branches provide fertilizer to the earth around them.

There are many ways to become active in protecting and saving our planet.

In this section of this site you will only find businesses who are active in the production of Eco-friendly Items and Eco-Friendly Information sites.

Help Save Our Trees and Our Planet!

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How To Make New Candles From Recycled Wax
by Jenni Ovington

Ever get frustrated when your new pillar candle drowns in its own wax and will no longer light? Don't get mad, get even - that is, get even more candles out of it by making new candles from your own recycled wax. From saving the wax of old candles, and with only a few tools, you can make your own tapered dinner candles or fill up glass jars to make new candles.

Ever get frustrated when your new pillar candle drowns in its own wax and will no longer light? Don't get mad, get even - that is, get even more candles out of it by making new candles from your own recycled wax. From saving the wax of old candles, and with only a few tools, you can make your own tapered dinner candles or fill up glass jars to make new candles.

If you're feeling brave go on and ask your friends and neighbors for their old candles as well. Before long, your collection will grow big enough to not need to purchase new candles for several months. You'll feel empowered and self-reliant recycling your otherwise unwanted goods, you'll be taking frugality to a whole other level and keeping your carbon footprint down by not going out and buying new candles all of the time.

What you will need to make tapered dinner candles:
Ball of kite string
Preferably a galvanized steel vat to hold the candle wax in when melting
Large galvanized steel or hard aluminum jam pot to hold the vat in
Washing line or twine
Empty 2 liter plastic bottle with the top cut off
A pair of scissors
Old candle wax of a similar color

How to make tapered dinner candles:
1. Fill your jam pot halfway with water and put it on the hob (stove top) to boil
2. Place your vat in the jam pot so that the jam pot is acting like a double boiler or bain marie
3. Allow the wax to slowly melt adding bits of wax of the same basic color (i.e. all cream / ivory / white) at a time and stir with either a tall wooden spoon or piece of bamboo cane
4. While the wax is melting use your washing line or twine to create a line about 2 meters (6 or 7 feet) safely in the air between two strong posts or similar
5. When the wax has turned to liquid, take the vat out of the jam pot and off of the heat and put the vat low down enough to dip into on a surface covered with towels
6. Fill your empty plastic bottle with cold water
7. Cut pieces of kite string approximately 24" long

To start the process of making dinner candles simply hold the piece of kite string in the middle and dip it in the wax so that the entire kite string is covered except for a couple of inches in the middle where your fingers are holding it.

Quickly dunk the kite string in the plastic bottle of cold water. Shape the kite string so that your string is hanging down on either side of your fingers. You are in essence making 2 dinner candles at the same time which will be connected in the middle. Continue the process of dunking the kite string into the melted liquid wax and then straight into the cold water until the candle becomes thick enough to look like a store bought dinner candle. This process will take approximately 4 minutes. When you become more proficient, use each hand to hold a piece of kite string alternately dunking wax and water so that you are making 4 dinner candles in the same 4 minutes.


When the candle is finished carefully hang the middle of the kite string where your fingers were over your washing line or twine. Let it stay there for 24 hours and then simply use scissors to cut off the adjoining candles so that they become single dinner candles.

How to fill glass jars with recycled wax:

Start by collecting wax of various similar color families together. I even save the bottom bit of colored tea light candles - you'd be surprised at how much wax you can get from those! Even if you have, for example, several shades of blue from dark to light, that is ok. The final color of the wax will be somewhere in the middle and will be your own. It's part of the fun to see what color you will end up with. I've used glass jars from the Yankee Candle company and other glass tumblers that originally had a candle in it. Simply dig out any old wax left in the glass containers cut out any remaining wick and place it with similar colors.

What you will need to fill glass jars to make new candles:
Ball of kite string
Cleaned and empty glass containers
Those silver wick holders for the bottom of the candles (optional)
Small wrench or pliers (optional - for use with the silver wick holders)
Bamboo skewers or metal skewers
A pair of scissors
A double boiler or bain marie Measuring cup with spout

How to make new candles:
1. Fill your bottom pot of your double boiler halfway with water and put it on the hob (stove top) to boil

2. Place your smaller pot inside the double boiler and allow the wax to slowly melt adding bits of wax of the same basic color (i.e. all shades of pink) at a time and stir with either a wooden spoon or piece of bamboo cane 3. While the wax is melting cut off a piece of your kite string so that it is approximately 2" taller than the top of the glass container you wish to use

3. If you've bought the silver wick holders, then put the kite string through the holder leaving a tiny amount of string underneath it and pinch the top of the silver holder with pliers or a wrench so that the string can no longer fall through it and place the silver wick holder with wick attached into the bottom of the glass jar with the wick standing up (it doesn't matter at this point if it is leaning on the edge of the glass jar)
4. If you do not have the wick holders, simply place the wick into middle of the glass jar so that the string nearly touches the bottom of the glass
5. In either scenario, you will now want to hold a skewer horizontally over the glass container so that it is resting on the top rim and wrap the extra 2" you have of kite string around and around it so that it no longer moves
6. When the wax has turned to liquid, quickly pour it into your measuring cup with spout
7. Fill your empty glass container with the wax making sure not to hit the wick / skewer
8. When the wax has cooled and is no longer liquid, remove the skewer and cut off the extra wick leaving just about an inch of wick on the top for burning


About the Author
Jenni Ovington is a designer and manufacturer of organic cotton textiles as well as owning her own business, HomeMattersMost, which also carries hundreds of products for every room of the home. How to fill every room of your home with organic, natural and even fair trade products? Find it at www.homemattersmost.co.uk.

Ebook - E For Environmental
by robertoms2003

The emphasis on going green is highlighted as writing books are one of the contributors for depleting natural resources. There are number of printed books that eventually reach the bargain bin or are being destroyed, however, some fortunate books get recycled. This is a total misuse of monetary resources as the books are printed and published, besides paper wastage.

Ebook reading is the right source to be considered and this trend is expected to continue as more and more people are becoming familiarized to the information era and the availability on the majority of the topics is convincing. However, the devotion to creating paperless office is the only factor that can arrest the destruction of forests and increase ebook readers.

The dawn of ebooks in fact is also one of the potential solutions to increase paper books as many people print these into a format using more paper. The laptops and personal computers have indeed proliferated the market, yet, the volume of paper used in printing books, documents, magazines has not shown any sign of decrease, instead it is found to be increasing continuously. As the information being available is in abundance and easy to access, the document numbers getting printed is on the rise, besides transporting these printed materials is also exponentially increasing.

The more the paper is used, the fewer are the forests and the only solution is to adopt radical changes such as using an ebook reader instead of a book or newspaper, to have access to information. Ebook readers are available in simple read format and its cutting edge technology makes it very light and easily portable, as well it creates opportunity for the user to become environmentally conscious.

Saving the forests is practically possible with the increase and introduction of more e-readers who decide to employ ebooks in a proper fashion such that the desired goal of protecting the environment is accomplished. The number of ebook readers can be increased in great numbers and thereby increasing the possibilities of assisting in saving the forests by many ways such as replacing the college and universities textbooks as well as the books in the libraries.

The number of books sold in land and the internet based bookstores can be simply and effectively replaced with the ebook such that an ereader can locate the preferred books quickly and as well download it within seconds and start reading. The magazines can be replaced with emagazines and can be accessed easily, besides the printed reports, budgets, training packages and market analysis can be diminished by turning them towards ebooks.

Ebook is the right opportunity to effectively reduce the destruction of trees and to prove to be environmentally concerned as in no way are the published books supporting the go green. The regular printing process expends paper, ink and chemicals, besides consuming fuel increasing vehicle emission in the process of being shipped to distributors, thereby contributing to more damage to the environment. On the contrary, ebooks exhibit a low impact on the environment as it is accomplished electronically resulting in saving paper and ink, besides eliminating the worries of vehicle emission and environment pollution leading to forest destruction.

About the Author
You can have access to articles about ebooks in portuguese language from page Book
Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for Polomercantil
http://www.polomercantil.com.br/ http://www.articletrader.com/

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Checklist For Your Next Green Home

Checklist for your next green home
Looking to buy or rent a green home? These days, lots of green homes are going on the market as sellers and landlords recognise they're in demand. But how is one to know which homes are truly green?

Here's a checklist of features to look out for and questions to ask to determine the green quality of your next home.

Location Location Location - pick a location that's convenient and easy to get to. Close to shops, amenities and public transport will reduce the amount of emissions that come from getting around. Inquire about the council's recycling program.

Orient yourself with the right orientation - if a house is to have good eco principles, it will designed with the right orientation. This means that the living areas will face due north, to make the most of the winter sun while allowing the hotter summer sun to pass overhead. Sleeping rooms, meanwhile, will be oriented towards to the South to capture cool summer breezes.

Cozy is not a four letter word - consider how the space is used as much as the size of it. Oversized houses utilize more resources in both construction and maintenance, while smaller dwellings are cleverly conceived can feel quite spacious.

Inquire about insulation - ask about the insulation. Higher R values means the house will better protected against extreme weather elements. See if the windows are double glazed. While you're at it, ask about other green home features such as solar panels and solar hot water. Make your message loud and clear!

The important thing is to ask before you buy. Even if the real estate agent can't tell you upfront, it's important to let the market know that buyers and renters are looking for this bit of information. While no single home will have all of the sustainable features listed, at least you can get a clear picture of what the potential home has to offer.

Visit your leading sustainability directory and news source at www.thegreenpages.com.au

Solar Panels and Wind Turbines - Build Your Own And Save On Your Energy Bill
by: Dave Richard

Is it easy to build a solar panel? How much will it cost me to get the material? Is it safe? How much can I save on my energy bill? Where do I get the material? Who will teach me how to do it?

Hi, I am Dave Richards. These are just some of the questions I get every day. It seems like everybody is becoming more and more interested in generating their own energy nowadays.... and with good reasons.

With constant climate change we are facing huge challenges and that may be the reason for you, but we are also in the middle of the most destructive global economic crisis known to mankind. This maybe the reason for many others - they want to save money.

No matter your intentions, you can have the benefit of both if you decide to generate your own free, clean, environmentally friendly energy to power up your whole household.

There are many websites teaching you to build your own solar panels and wind turbines. However, not all of them are good. If you do not know which one to choose you will go round in circles and even lose money. With my experience in the alternative energy arena, I already reviewed many of these websites and I found only a few that have valid techniques (see my website for the latest reviews).

To answer a few of the questions above:

To build your own solar panel is indeed very easy. In fact, my 12 year old daughter learned to do it in less than two days! It is also a fun project for the whole family.

Most of the material or parts can be found at your local hardware store and to build one solar panel can cost you in the region of $90 to $150.

Many of the guides that I recommend promotes safety. In fact, I will not allow my children to help me build any electricity generating appliance if it is not safe!

When following the step by step instructions of the experts, you can initially save up to 50% on your energy bill. With replication, you can even go "off grid" in a few months. Yes, I'm not paying a dime over to my energy provider - thanks to my 4 solar panels!

Isn't it time for us, the small guys, to also get involved in protecting our resources and leave behind something to our children and their children? It just seems that "big business" talks the talk, but never walks the walk. Isn't it time for us to determine our own financial stability and to save where we can instead of waiting for "bailouts" from government?

Isn't it time for us to take charge? Will you take charge?


About The Author
Dave Richard is an engineer and scientist in the alternative energy arena. He researches and developes industry-sized appliances i.e. solar panels and wind turbines that generate sustainable energy by using natural resources. His customers include large oil corporations, the mining industry, and commercial farmers. His reviews on material about this subject can be read at http://www.energy-owner.org/greendiyearthsolar.html

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Green Job Growth Set to Explode in U.S.
Elizabeth Nichols

The huge potential for growth in green jobs is being mandated and funded. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 require large utilities to obtain 15 percent of their electricity from new renewable resources such as solar and wind by 2020. On May 18th, 2009, Secretary of the Department of Energy Chu announced the first 16 of the 100 standards that much be addressed by September in order to clear the way for the expenditure of Stimulus Package funds towards expanding the Smart Grid.

Small and medium-sized businesses particularly are predicted to expand the green jobs market rapidly over the next ten years with considerable financial support for the investment markets and government. The Cleantech Network reports that venture capitalists have put $1.74 billion into North American and European green technology start ups in just the third quarter of 2007.

Additionally, the energy crisis and the large number of retirements expected over the next 10 years in public utilities are contributing to the transition to a greener economy. According to the President of the Association of Energy Engineers, Rusty Hodopp, 41 percent of its members plan to retire within the next ten years.

The skill set that workers need to have in place is varied and multiple within the five green energy industries of wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and smart grid.

Currently, Germany and Spain each generate 5 percent of their energy from the wind while U.S. total is only .5 percent. Wind power ranked second to biomass as a renewable energy job source as of 2006 in the U. S. The capacity to create all the energy needed for the entire country from just wind power is estimated to be within boundaries of four states-Texas, North Dakota, Kansas, and South Dakota, according to a U.S. Conference of Mayors Report.

Since 2000 installation of solar panels has increased by 45 percent each year and the industry growing by 35 percent each year. It is working on reducing cost associated with manufacturing and installation.

In the U. S. biomass is very research-oriented with a focus on corn ethanol. Biomass is used in Brazil with 40 percent of its transportation fuel made by using sugar cane. It reduces the carbon footprint of the consumer, but only by about 15 percent as energy must be used to convert plant and animal material into clean energy.

Smart Grid refers to increasing the proportion of renewable energy in the mix of energy sources to decrease vulnerability to terrorist attacks as well as brown-outs and black-outs. President Obama sited Xcel's efforts to make Boulder, Colorado the country's first smart grid city in his introduction of the Stimulus Package.

These emerging industries have companies throughout the world many of which have job listings across the disciplines on line. The common bond in this green jobs field market is the need for engineering professional or technical training experience. Many of the companies are also looking for team players with open communication styles. It seems prudent to develop our green jobs with the necessary skills and flexibility to adapt to our greener economy.

About The Author
Elizabeth Nichols is Content Manager for the Green Research Council, which is a research and advocacy group with a mission to provide empowering information and to be at the cutting edge of green technology, environmental sustainability and energy conservation issues. The GRC has just published a comprehensive Green Jobs Guide, now available via download.
http://www.greenresearchcouncil.org

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Practical Solar Power for the Home
by IC

Most people like the idea of solar power. Who wouldn’t? Solar power produces energy with no harmful emissions, totally silently and with no running costs. So why don’t we use it more in our day to day lives? Well, there is no reason why we shouldn’t, so if you’re interested read on…

Whilst powering your home with solar power is still prohibitively expensive for most, using solar power as a practical source of energy for smaller applications most certainly is not. There are literally hundreds of affordable solar powered products that will work well in the UK and that can be both useful and cost effective alternatives to mains power.

Micro Scale Solar

Small solar cells have moved on a step from powering the humble desk calculator. Solar power is now widely used to power everything from children’s toys to electric shavers! The most common applications include solar powered torches, radios, battery chargers (typically AA & AAA types) and chargers for mobile phones, iPods and the masses of portable electronic gadgetry that is so widely used today.

Great if you are on holiday, travelling or camping, these products will provide dependable power when otherwise you might have none.

Solar Lighting

Have you ever thought how useful it would be to have a light somewhere in the garden, on the outside of the house or perhaps in your shed or stable, but not wanted to go to the bother and expense of getting an electrician in to fit it?

Good quality solar powered lights can provide dependable light in any remote location without the need for trailing cables or any mains power at all. They can be DIY fitted in minutes and will work for years without costing a penny to run. Shed lights and movement operated security lights, right through to DIY systems for large barns and multiple stables are all readily available.

Solar Trickle Chargers

Solar chargers are ideal for trickle charging batteries on infrequently used vehicles such as vintage cars, sports cars, motorbikes, mowers, tractors and boats. With the help of a solar trickle charger you can return to your machine with the peace of mind that the battery will be charged and ready for starting duties.

Recreational vehicles such as camper vans, caravans and boats that run on board lighting and appliances from 12V leisure batteries can also greatly benefit from the addition of a solar panel to help with charging duties. Batteries can be topped up silently throughout the day with energy from the sun, which has to be preferable to running a noisy diesel engine or generator to do the same job.

So why not get powered up by solar energy? It really can provide practical and cost effective solutions in a wide range of day-to-day situations and, believe it or not, it makes you feel good too!

About the Author
Chris Tyrrell writes for Ecofreak, experts in solar panels and other solar technologies. Read more on the subject at the Ecofreak website. http://www.ecofreak.co.uk/ http://www.articletrader.com/

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How to Choose a Wood Pellet Stove
by: Dave Roth

Pellet stoves can provide supplemental or even primary heat in your home, helping to cut your heating bills. There are a couple models to choose from: a freestanding model that will take up living space, or a fireplace insert if you have a traditional fireplace already.

A fireplace insert is probably the best option if you have a fireplace. Wood burning fires in the fireplace are only about 25% efficient, and a pellet stove beats that hands down. This option also saves you from having to give up living space for the stove.

Pellet stoves and wood stoves look similar on the outside, but inside they're nothing alike. Pellet stoves have a few moving parts, some of which need occasional maintenance. And, as the name implies, they burn wood pellets rather than wood logs. These pellets are made of recycled wood shavings, sawdust or even corn and wheat bits.

One of the big benefits to a pellet stove is that you don't need to keep the fire stoked - the pellet hopper delivery system automatically feeds the pellets as necessary. You only need to be sure the hopper stays full, but you won't need to keep stoking the fire as with a wood burning stove.

There are other considerations when considering the purchase of a pellet stove

One, if you like to watch the fire flames flicker, be sure to get a stove with a good flame pattern and a good sized viewing glass.

It helps to have a model with easy access to the parts that will eventually need servicing. If you don't want to service them yourself, consider a service contract and extended warranty.

You will also have to choose between a top-feed system and a bottom-feed system. And of course, there are pros and cons to having either one.

Top-fed stoves can be safer in that the fire stays out of the hopper. On the other hand, a top feed model is more likely to become clogged with ash and clinkers.

The bottom-feed models aren't as likely to get stuck with ash particles, but the fire can burn back into the pellet hopper. You still need to clean the ash out of these regularly. So another consideration is how large the ash pan is and how easy it is to remove and clean.

Unlike wood stoves, a pellet stove needs electricity to power the motors, so keep that in mind when deciding where to put your stove.

And, of course, you need to be sure you buy the right sized stove. Stoves use British Thermal Units (BTUs) to measure heat output. You'll need 25 to 30 BTU per square foot of space you're heating. So, if you're heating a 300 square foot area, you'll need at least 7,500 BTU/h on your stove.

There are other considerations when looking at BTUs, such as the quality pellet you burn, the temperature where you are, the insulation factor of your walls and roof, and more. Make note of these things and ask lots of questions of some reputable dealers.

If you really come to love the efficiency of your pellet stove, keep in mind that you can even get a larger unit to replace your entire furnace!

Wood pellet stoves are becoming very popular as a way to supplement or heat a home entirelyThe popularity of pellet stoves is increasing, especially now that heating costs are going up so much more. With some foreknowledge, some good questions, and a reputable dealer, you will be able to make a purchase that will serve - and heat - your family comfortably for years to come.
About The Author
Dave Roth owns and operates SC Firplace Screens which sells various log carries and racks. The site carries numerous outdoor heaters, fireplace tools, and outdoor fire pits. http://www.scfireplace.com

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