Tag Archives: Carbon Footprint

Why You Should Be Investing in Solar Panels?

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The future is green, and it’s more important to get on board with it than ever before. The past year has seen countless climate change related natural disasters, from the recent devastating mega-fires in California to frequent hurricanes sweeping the US and the Caribbean.

Solar panels are becoming much more accessible, for homeowners and for businesses. Traditional roof-rack solar panels can now be installed for as little as around $3,000, and are practically a no-brainer due to the energy savings you’ll make over time (you could even totally eliminate your electricity bill). Not to mention that you’ll be doing your part to help the environment in our planet’s time of need.

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Solar panels are becoming more accessible, for homeowners and businesses

If you’ve always found chunky solar panels ugly and off-putting, business magnate Elon Musk has a solution. His electric car and solar panel company Tesla has recently unveiled invisible solar roof tiles. The tiles look exactly like normal roof slates, but capture the sun’s energy without drawing attention. These tiles are paving the way to normalizing sustainable, beautiful eco-homes.

To further convince you about seriously considering installing solar panels for your home, check out our list of top reasons why solar panels will benefit your household or business.

Slash Your Energy Bills

After the initial investment of purchasing the panels and installation, the energy produced is all yours. Even if you consume more energy than your panels can produce, you’ll make drastic savings on what you are currently paying by purchasing all your electricity from the grid.

You’ll make even more amazing savings if you live in a sunny state or country – prices in Brisbane, Australia, are particularly low to purchase and install solar panels. And as the city enjoys on average 261 days of sun per year, panels there will produce more than enough energy to power homes all year round.

Energy costs are only set to rise and rise – meaning that by investing in solar panels now, you’ll never feel the strain of your electricity bills going up again. This is an especially smart idea for business owners with fluctuating income, as you can more easily predict your cashflow with fixed energy prices.

Increase the Value of Your Home

If you are open to the possibility of moving to a new house in the future, you will be able to sell your current property at an increased value by equipping it with solar panels. It’s an attractive prospect for buyers if a potential home comes with very small or no electricity bills, so you’ll be making a huge return on your investment in this way, too.

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Note: Be wary of ‘renting your roof’ to solar panel companies if you can’t afford to purchase the panels outright. You may want to ‘go green’ in any way you can, but buying panels is by far the most practical way to enjoy the benefits. The lengthy leases that come with rental panel contracts (often 25 years) have been seen to put off mortgage lenders.

It’s highly recommended that if you want to benefit from free electricity and help the environment with solar, you should save up first to increase the value of your property – not render it unsellable.

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

As we said, it’s never been so important to do your bit to save our eco-system. The polar ice caps are melting faster than has ever been recorded, and the earth is suffering terrible effects. As well as hurricanes and fires, we’ve also experienced floods, earthquakes and landslides all over the world this year.

In the large scheme of things, installing solar panels doesn’t seem like it will help much, but if everyone did their part to be more eco-conscious, we could significantly reduce the strain of destructive fossil fuels on the environment. By equipping your property with solar panels, you will save money while making steps to saving the environment – a tough offer to turn down!

Utilizing green energy within your business has even better rewards. Marketing your business as eco-conscious and sustainable is a great way to attract customers and impress existing ones. In recent years, studies into consumer activity have found that sustainability is a big shopping priority, especially among the millennial generation. Corporate solar panels will increase your revenue by expanding your customer base AND saving your business’s energy bills.

So – what are you waiting for? Contact a solar energy company today, who will be more than happy to assist you on your green energy journey.

What is a Full Carbon Audit?

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Carbon auditing allows businesses to fully understand their carbon footprint and the impact that they have on the planet.

Carbon auditing allows for companies to understand their energy usage and costs, enabling them to use their resources more efficiently to combat climate change.

Throughout this article, you will find out what a carbon audit is and why a full carbon audit is so important. We will also give you tips on how to conduct a full carbon audit and highlight some of the challenges and limitations related to carbon auditing.

guide to carbon auditing

What is carbon auditing?

A carbon audit is sometimes called a “carbon footprint”, but it is a way of measuring and recording emissions from an organisation.

Carbon audits are used to review the usage of carbon and greenhouse gas emissions for one business or building.

This process allows companies to figure out where they might need extra help in reducing their emissions or what they can do to improve their carbon footprint.

What are some different types of carbon audit?

There are two different types of carbon audit – otherwise known as a carbon footprint. They are:

  • Primary footprint – this refers to carbon emissions produced by our primary activities (these activities include: driving cars, burning fossil fuels and the use of electricity).
  • Secondary footprint – this refers to the indirect carbon emissions associated by manufacturing, and the breakdown of all products, services and food, which an individual human requires.

Why should you do a full carbon audit?

The importance of a full carbon audit cannot be underestimated, and a full and comprehensive audit will be extremely beneficial for your business going forward.

Not only will a comprehensive carbon audit inform your business how it can improve its carbon footprint, but a carbon audit can show businesses if they need to offset carbon, by working with companies like Celestial Green Ventures PLC.

What are the benefits of a carbon audit?

The benefits of a carbon audit are numerous and here are some examples of why carbon auditing will be good for your business:

  • You can use a completed carbon audit as a benchmarking tool
  • A carbon audit will allow you to create a strategy to improve your carbon emissions – be that in the form of cutting down your emissions directly, or using carbon offset projects, like Celestial Green Ventures, to reduce emissions
  • Celestial Green Ventures PLC’s carbon offsetting projects are a great way to mitigate carbon emissions and you will help communities and biodiversity all across the world
  • There may be financial incentives to reduce your carbon footprint
  • Customers and stakeholders expect companies to be more responsible in terms of carbon output

Finding a green provider for specialty chemicals

How do you conduct a full carbon audit?

There are several steps to conducting a full carbon audit, and often a professional will do this for you. Here are the main steps to complete in order to conduct a full carbon audit:

  • Step One: Identify the material sources of emissions
  • Step Two: Collect data on emission quantities
  • Step Three: Turn this data into a carbon footprint report
  • Step Four: Assess any potential carbon reduction opportunities
  • Step Five: Purchase any carbon offsets – from organisations such as Celestial Green Ventures PLC
  • Step Six: Establish a time-saving process to make carbon auditing an easy and repeatable process

What are the challenges and limitations of carbon auditing?

There are a few challenges that you may face when you start carbon auditing, such as:

  • Finding that there is a lack of standardised calculation models
  • Disagreements regarding which greenhouse gas emissions make up a carbon audit
  • Difficulties in collecting accurate data
  • Errors in both calculating and reporting
  • Difficulties in ensuring transparency and audit credibility

Conclusion

Carbon auditing is, for many businesses, a vital part of reducing their carbon emissions. A completed carbon audit will allow businesses to fully grasp what their carbon emissions are and they can take steps to tackle them.

This could include implementing carbon reduction schemes or utilising carbon offset programmes. However, there are limitations associated with carbon auditing and difficulties surrounding data collection and a lack of uniformity in the carbon footprinting sector could affect the results of a carbon audit.

How To Choose A Green Provider For Specialty Chemicals

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Sustainability is a societal goal to meet everyday needs without negatively harming the environment. This whole concept is commonly referred to as ‘going green.’

Various global industries aim to run operations without causing harm to the environment and, consequently, to future generations through sustainability standards and practices. With this in mind, businesses that have gone green prefer to work with others who’ve implemented the green concept. It ensures their efforts aren’t futile, and they protect the environment throughout the product cycle.

Green Provider For Specialty Chemicals

Finding suppliers that have gone green can be challenging if you’re sourcing specialty chemicals. Here’s a guide on picking the most suitable provider:

1. Research Their Sustainable Practices

Specialty chemicals providers follow sustainable practices to deliver products and materials with less environmental impact. These practices include waste management, carbon footprint, and the use of renewable sources of energy.

Waste Management

First, ask – what are the provider’s waste management protocols? It’s no news that plastic waste is one of the biggest threats to our environment. What are they doing to mitigate their plastics use? What is their disposal system? A good specialty chemicals provider is an active participant in sustainability efforts and will not just pass the burden on the consumers of their products.

Carbon Footprint Management

Their website, collaterals, and company information should also mention their plans to minimize their carbon footprint. Carbon footprint refers to the amount of carbon dioxide a provider releases into the environment. Did you know that the industrial sector, the specialty chemicals industry is the 3rd highest contributor of carbon emissions? This statement emanates from the fact that the industry utilizes many toxic raw materials to make specialty chemicals. Therefore, an ideal green provider puts measures to prevent these toxic emissions from getting into the environment.

Use of Renewable Energy

Specialty chemicals providers are racing to adopt green energy in their operations. In the next few years, we can expect these companies to wean off fossil fuels and be run by renewable energy completely. Is your provider adopting a similar strategy?

These sustainable practices are at the forefront of the chemicals industry’s effort to positively impact the planet. Choose a provider that’s actively adopting sustainable practices.

2. Compare Several Providers

Suppose in your search for a green provider for specialty chemicals, you find several. How will you choose?

It’s best to compare them on the extent of their sustainability. First, do they meet your definition of being green? If yes, what else do they offer beyond that?

The aim is to work with a green provider who provides more than the bare minimum. You’ll get value for your money and will have less to worry about whether or not you’re protecting the environment.

3. Get Recommendations

Finding a green provider for specialty chemicals can be arduous, especially if you only rely on general Google searches. That’s why it’s important to get recommendations from other customers that seek services from green businesses.

They’ll have a rough idea of green providers they’ve previously worked with who sell these products. With the list at hand, the process is easier and faster.

In addition, it’d help to look at reviews of the green provider. Reviews are feedback from the provider’s current and previous clients. Look out for comments about their sustainability. Do the clients fully confirm this, or are there doubts? Your chosen provider should have a clean record regarding sustainability.

4. Ask For Proof Of Sustainability

Your specialty chemicals provider may claim to be sustainable. However, how true is this?

Various regulating bodies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) issue certifications to sustainable businesses. These are the certifications you should ask to see from a given provider. Ensure the certifying body exists and is legitimate.

The other way of proofing a provider’s sustainability is by requesting a tour of their premises. During the tour, focus on how they run operations. Where do they source their raw materials; is it from sustainable suppliers? Do they have waste in their production process? If yes, how do they manage the waste? Do they recycle the waste, or is it taken for disposal?

These should give you a good grasp of the company’s sustainability efforts.

Finding a green provider for specialty chemicals

5. Look At Costs

Affordability is key when seeking a product or service; you should pay reasonable prices.

Specialty chemicals green providers will charge different prices for these goods. It’d help to compare these costs to get the most affordable one. As you do this, you’ll find that some providers will charge more because they’re green. Consider understanding why they’ve arrived at the said price. You want to maintain sustainability in your search for affordability.

Ensure you settle for a green provider whose prices you’re willing and able to pay, all factors considered.

Conclusion

Consciously taking care of the environment, directly or indirectly, is a commendable practice. The discussion above has established that one of the ways to do it indirectly is by buying products from sustainable vendors. Before choosing an eco-friendly specialty chemicals provider, do your research, check out their sustainable practices, and compare them with other providers.

Why Steel Is An Environmentally-Friendly Building Material

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If you are thinking about building a new home or office block, it is important that you are considering the effect that it will have on the environment. There are many different building materials that you can choose from but only some are energy efficient in the way that they are made. Here, we are going to look at some of the reasons why steel is a very environmentally-friendly building material. Keep reading to find out more about this material.

1. Less Waste

One of the most important reasons why steel is an environmentally-friendly building material is the fact that it tends to produce less waste. When you order steel from a company like Armstrong Steel, for example, you are only ordering exactly what you need. Their steel building kits provide you with the exact materials you need to assemble, so if you have any spare parts you’ve done something wrong!

This can mean that there is little to no waste in comparison to other building materials such as brick or wood. This is a great reason to consider using steel in your home.

2. Reduced Energy Usage

When you invest in steel as a building material, you are also ensuring that energy usage and costs are going to be much less in the future. This is great for those who are going to be living in the building or using it, as well as the environment as a whole.

Steel is a material that can be effectively insulated and so you don’t need to worry about losing any energy. This means that this building material is much more environmentally-friendly.

3. It Can Withstand Harsh Weather

Did you know that steel is an extremely durable material and so it has the ability to withstand harsh weather and stay standing for a long time? This means that you don’t need to worry about the steel building falling down in the event of flooding or snowstorm as it is built to last. With a longer-lasting material, you can be sure that your building will leave behind a much smaller carbon footprint.

4. Solar Panels Can Be Added

The final reason that steel is an environmentally-friendly building material is that it can have solar panels added very easily. Not every building material has this ability and so solar panels are often ignored for other types of energy.

With more buildings using solar energy to power utilities, the environment will be positively impacted. This is something to consider if you are thinking about building a steel building in the near future.

Final Verdict

Steel is one of the best eco-friendly building materials for buildings across the world for a number of reasons. If you are interested in doing what you can to save the planet then you might want to consider choosing steel for your next project. Think about how durable this material is and remember that steel is recyclable. Try steel in your next building and you will feel much better about your carbon footprint and the effect that you are having on the environment overall.

How to Incorporate Sustainability into Your Business?

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Since catapulting to the frontlines of news headlines and global consciousness, climate change is one of the most talked about and concerning topics of the modern age. Fortunately with this shift in cognition, manufacturers all across the globe have banded together to create green products in hopes of a more eco-friendly future. It’s these very products that can transform any business from a wasteful guzzler to a green success. With this guide, we’ll walk you through how you can incorporate sustainability into your daily business practice.

1. LED bulbs

Switch out the incandescent light bulbs with CFL or LED bulbs for a longer-lasting and more energy-efficient brilliance. Compact-fluorescent (CFL) and LED light bulbs tend to carry higher price tags than the average fluorescent bulb, however they offer a far more attractive projected lifespan than typical fluorescent bulbs which tend to offer 1,200 hours of  light.

LED bulbs, on average, cost around $5 and offer 25,000 hours of light, while CFL light bulbs cost about $2 and offer 10,000 hours of projected lifespan. Not only are CFL and LED lights more practical from a sustainability standpoint, but they will also save you thousands on your business’s electric bill.

2. Biodegradable Kitchen Supplies

Using biodegradable kitchen supplies to save on plastic waste. Unless your office is the type of place where employees keep personal dishes in the kitchen cupboard, you will likely need to keep a stash of utensils, cups, and plates on deck for any catered lunches or work parties.

Instead of giving into the cheap prices of eco-unfriendly plastic ware, invest in biodegradable kitchen packaging for a greener feast. With fewer resource requirements, these biodegradable forks, spoons, and knives will leave your business with a reduced carbon footprint.

Green SMEs

3. Ink cartridge recycling

Recycling ink cartridges is a great practice to put in place for businesses equipped with a number of printers. Believe it or not, the vast majority of discarded ink cartridges end up in harmful, toxic landfills that eventually end up in our oceans. Ink cartridge recycling is the most eco-friendly solution to this preventable problem. There are a number of simple ways to take those empty cartridges off your hands and into the hands of a trusted recycler:

  • Find a local recycling facility: You may not even know where your local recycle center is located. Luckily Earth911 can guide you to the nearest location for easy cartridge recycling.
  • Find a local office supply store: Did you know most office supply stores offer recycle programs? Check online or call in to see if they accept ink cartridges.
  • Consider refilling original cartridges: Do a bit of research on the brand of your empty ink cartridge. You may find that they are able to refill your cartridge and you won’t ever have to worry about tossing them!

4. Opening windows

Opening up windows is an easy solution to a stuffy, warm office. When people are packed like sardines into their tiny cubicles, the air can quickly become stale and stifling. Instead of wasting money and energy on air conditioning, open a few windows to let fresh air flow in.

Air conditioners put hydrofluorocarbons, a type of greenhouse gas emission, into the environment—so while you may feel refreshed, the earth is further harmed. Reduce your business’ contribution by saving the AC for the more-unbearable summer days.

5. Adopt renewable energy

Invest in renewable energy sources for a long-term, energy-efficient, and eco-friendly power solution. Every year, we see more and more solar panels sitting atop rooftops, which means the time to invest in solar panels is now. By converting sunlight into a sustainable power source, solar panels are the greenest source of energy on the planet today. Solar energy can be used heat buildings and provide energy to power lights on.

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6. Make use of post-consumer waste

Turning to post-consumer waste (PCW) to escape the cycle of high-volume paper waste is an exceptional solution for any company that uses a lot of paper. PCW paper is paper re-made at recycling facilities. According to the Environmental Paper Network Paper Calculator, PCW paper saves on

  • 5,610 gallons of water
  • 5,000,000 BTU of energy
  • 376 pounds of solid waste
  • 1,035 pounds of CO2 greenhouse gas emissions

Bottom Line

In 2021, there are no more excuses for why a business is stuck in the past. The future can be a bright one if we all put our best foot forward and make the effort to make our spaces greener!

5 Sustainable Blockchain Players To Pay Attention to in 2022

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There are many blockchain players to keep an eye on this year, including Algorand. However, there are five, in particular, to really pay attention to. If you do, you’ll notice that sustainability is a common theme across some industry players.

1. Cardano

In regards to market cap, this is among the top five overall crypto projects. At the time of writing, it has one of the largest blockchains to actually utilize a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism with success. In fact, the energy usage Cardano goes through is likely just 0.01% compared to Bitcoin.

environmentally friendly blockchain players

The market has a lot of appreciation for Cardano deploying social projects and environmentally-conscious operations. One example is the Cardano Forest run by the non-profit Cardano Foundation, as it has planted over a million trees. Cardano hopes to be an overall carbon-negative network.

2. Concordium

This Swiss blockchain is both proof-of-stake and eco-friendly. It employs distinct ID layers at a protocol level. This combination of privacy features and compliance makes the ID layer a crucial connection between the virtual blockchain world and the compliance with regulations that traditional businesses have to cater to.

A non-profit foundation supports it. It also has a science team internally researching sharding principles, consensus, and ZK proofs. This blockchain network is a simple one, but it also has cross-chain interoperability.

3. Energy Web Chain SolarCoin

This is a rather novel approach in regard to cryptocurrency. A SolarCoin is created for each Megawatt hour that is generated using solar technology.

The idea behind this blockchain is to reward those who produce solar energy. Solar plant owners have to submit third-party-verified certificates of their energy generation in order to claim their rewards.

4. Solana

Of all the digital currency in the current market, Solana might be growing faster than anyone. In fact, its support for smart contracts might make it a primary competitor to even Ethereum. This network is proof-of-stake. That means that Solana security is not reliant upon using energy. Estimates suggest that a Solana transaction uses less energy than a pair of Google searches. It might even be 20 times less energy than you use charging your phone.

The Solana Foundation is aiming for carbon neutrality in the very near future by partnering with Watershed for refrigerant destruction. This project aims to fund the permanent destruction of HFC and CFC refrigerants. Both greenhouse gases are more than 10,000 times as powerful as CO2. They’re doing this to offset the carbon footprint of the blockchain in the future.
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5. Stellar

This decentralized protocol using open-source code has an inbuilt exchange to transfer digital currencies to actual fiat money. This can happen domestically or even over international borders. Their cryptocurrency is named the lumen. This blockchain forked off of Ripple and started in 2014 hoping to bridge the gap separating digital currencies and traditional financial institutions. Since this blockchain doesn’t rely on mining, its carbon footprint is lower than others.

Bottom Line

Many detractors or opponents of cryptocurrencies usually feature the same arguments, including lack of consumer protections, financial instability, and susceptibility to volatility. The amount of power used and the negative impact on the environment that mining and transactions take are other arguments, but these five players are doing what they can to change that.

5 Ways European Citizens Can Help the Environment

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European residents must do their part to protect the environment, just like all other global citizens. Climate change is real, and thousands of scientists continue sounding the alarm that we need to change our ways. Future generations may have to deal with all kinds of shortages if we can’t figure out methods to reduce our wasteful tendencies.

We’ll talk about a few things the average European citizen can do to help the environment right now. Most of these actions won’t require that much behavior modification, and you can feel good when you do them.

How European Citizens Can Help the Environment

Dispose of Cleaning Products the Right Way

Studies have shown the hazards of many cleaning products. Half a century ago, many chemicals people used around their homes harmed both those using them and the environment when a homeowner disposed of them.

When you buy household cleaning products, check the labels to ensure they don’t contain anything that harms the planet. You can find household cleaners that specifically say they won’t cause damage when you use or dispose of them.

Rather than dumping potentially harmful chemicals down the drain or somewhere outside, you can often contact your town or city’s government and locate waste disposal centers that will take them and deal with them. You might collect all the leftover chemicals and receptacles you have and take them there once a month or so.

Bike to Work or Take Public Transportation

If you can, take public transportation to work, when you need to go to the grocery store, or if you have another errand to run. If you don’t live somewhere with buses or trains nearby, then you can ride a bike to reach the places where you need to go.

green travel

You might have to take your car somewhere occasionally, such as if you’re picking up something that’s too large to carry with you on a bike or to take on a train or bus. If you can reduce the number of times you drive, though, every time you save yourself a trip, you are helping the planet.

If you bike or walk somewhere, you’re also getting in some much-needed exercise. Many of us live much more sedentary lives these days, so walking or biking helps you get your steps in and burns some calories. That can save you money you’d spend by joining a gym.

Purchase an Electric or Hybrid Vehicle

Every year, more hybrid and electric vehicles come out as well. If you can get one of those instead of one that runs exclusively on gas, that’s very helpful to the environment.

If you have a gas-running car, you can trade it in, which will lower an electric or hybrid vehicle’s cost.

You can also buy a used or certified pre-owned electric or hybrid car. That should save you some money if you can’t afford a brand-new one.

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Every year, European nations continue building more electric charging stations to help with this transition. The switch can’t happen instantaneously, but if you can join this gradual movement, you’ll know you’re taking a concrete step toward reducing your carbon footprint. That will reduce foreign oil dependency as well.

Use Long-Lasting Lightbulbs

When you go shopping, you can look for long-lasting lightbulbs instead of the old-fashioned models. It might not seem like that will make much of a difference, but an energy-efficient lightbulb can last far longer than the traditional kind.

Buying the energy-efficient kind with the coils will save you money since you will not have to replace them as often. You can usually count on these bulbs to last you for several years rather than a few months like you would get with the old-fashioned, solid version. Also, since you have to throw fewer of them away, they make less trash in landfills.

Shop Wisely

You can get in the habit of bringing cloth bags with you when you go grocery shopping or shopping for small items. You can reuse those bags again and again.

green-freezer-bags

You can keep those bags in the car with you if you go run some errands. If you happen to forget the bags, you can also ask for paper bags in stores instead of plastic ones. Many stores no longer carry plastic bags anyway, but you can insist on paper ones when you buy things in the stores that do.

These small actions can help conserve our resources, and you can set a good example for your friends, neighbors, and kids as well.

5 Ethical, Sustainable and Eco-friendly Cost-Saving Tips

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Consumers are no longer solely interested in catching a great deal. In fact, it’s the quick and cheap, disposable living mindset that has put the world in such a precarious state. Studies have shown that a business’s impact on the world plays a key role in their purchasing decision. Here are five ethical, sustainable, and eco-friendly cost-saving tips to help you cut back on your spending, and your carbon footprint.

Green SMEs

Evaluate your Utility Providers

Take a look at your utility providers to see what they’re doing to make a positive impact on the world around them. For those that are bill tracking, it is important to note that many energy service providers offer special rates and rebates for lower consumption. Using Energybot, you can contrast and compare providers in your area. You can visit their website to find the most affordable, eco-friendly option for you.

In areas where providers are limited, you can still look at their environmental initiatives and programs that will save you money while making a positive impact. Many utility providers conduct energy audits or provide rebates for swapping out appliances and faucets for eco-friendly versions.

Hit the Thrift Shop

Online shopping makes it easy to get anything you could dream of at an affordable rate. However, there’s a good chance that someone like you had a similar item and discarded it.

Hitting the thrift shop before shopping online will not only save you money but will also have a positive environmental impact. The clothes you buy online are manufactured and shipped from all over the world. This creates carbon emissions that have a detrimental effect. There’s a hidden cost to affordable online shopping; buy local whenever possible.

Eat Seasonally

Eating food from local sources is better for the environment and the economy. By ensuring that your money stays in the local economy, you’re stimulating growth that will ultimately benefit you over time. Furthermore, you aren’t paying to have food manufactured, shipped, and stored from thousands of miles away.

Eating seasonal produce will help you save money on fresh food and improve the diversity of your diet. By consuming seasonal, local produce, you’re saving money, boosting the local economy, positively impacting the environment, and improving your health. It’s a win for all involved.

Be Water Savvy

Minimizing your water consumption will help keep your budget low and the environment thriving. Start by monitoring your consumption at home and making small changes. Shut the water off while brushing your teeth. Don’t rinse your dishes before putting them in the washer. Wait until you have a full load to do laundry.

To take it to the next level, swap your faucet and showerheads out with aerators and low-flow alternatives. Start collecting and reusing rainwater for gardening. Replace your hot water tank with a “tankless” alternative. Look at your meter usage and set reduction goals.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Recycling is a great initiative that can make an incredible difference in the environment when done correctly. However, recycling is just one of the “Three R’s” to remember.

Circular-Economy

 

Reduce and reuse often go hand-in-hand. Reduce your packaging consumption by buying food in bulk and using reusable grocery bags. Before you recycle something, think about ways to give it new life. Mason jars can be used to store dry goods and pack lunches rather than using plastic containers. Keep a few large jugs handy to fill with water, rather than adding to the single-use bottle problem. Instead of plastic toothbrush, use a bamboo toothbrush from Ecoy.

There are plenty of ways to lower your spending while taking care of the environment. Use a budgeting app like Mint to gain awareness about where your money is going. Then, use a carbon footprint calculator to evaluate your consumption. By making some simple changes to your lifestyle, you can limit harmful spending.

How To Pick An Environmentally-Friendly Crystal?

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Some stores may try to sell you a variety of healing crystals, but you must conduct your study to know what you’re buying. Not all crystals are created equal, and without more examination, you’ll never know for sure if they do what they promise to do.

Most healing crystals claim to come from trustworthy sources; however, they all come from mines, and not all mines are created equal. Many smaller family-owned miners are excavating and distributing the crystals. There is no illegal labor in such mines; thus, you can rely on crystals for love and healing crystal supplies.

how to choose eco friendly healing crystals

Inquire at the Crystals Shop

Inquire with the seller or owner about the origins of the crystals. Inquire about the crystals’ polishing, transformation into jewelry, and so on. Crystals have a higher carbon footprint than other highly processed meals.

It’s possible, however, that they don’t want to provide the information.

Quality is More Important than Quantity

Do you need ten of each if you can get the same effect with just one excellent crystal? If you don’t want to spread each of the ten crystals across your home for your convenience, you could settle for a high-quality crystal.

Look for Trustworthy Sources

The bulk of crystals is sourced from impoverished countries where people are compelled to work in hazardous and life-threatening conditions. If they originate from a family-owned mine, it’s probably fine to buy them. Rose quartz, for example, is supposed to provide affection, self-love, and healing.

Long-Lasting Crystals You Can Rely On

Our mind, body, and soul will need to commune with nature on occasion to heal and refresh, and here is where crystals and gems may help. This is why it is vital to buy crystals and gems used for their original purpose.

Here’s a quick review of the most popular crystals and jewels on the market, as well as when they can be helpful:

  • Auralite – for stress alleviation, happiness, and relaxation.
  • Calcite – increases energy and promotes health.
  • Fluorite – improves one’s mood and reduces stress.
  • Himalayan Quartz – help with personal development and healing
  • Rose Quartz – emotional healing and love

Carnelian

This semi-precious quartz stone is one of the most popular orange stones. If you do the research on what is carnelian good for, you’ll find a lot of good properties of it. But most commonly, this stone is known as a stone of courage, endurance, energy, leadership, and motivation.

The healing crystals industry has increased in popularity during the last five years. Nobody expected it, yet more and more individuals seek help from healing crystals.

How To Pick An Environmentally Friendly Crystal

They utilized them for everything from personal healing to energy purification to home decoration to attract positive energy and repel negative energy.

If you appreciate crystals and care about the environment, you should be cautious when purchasing them. We all know that crystals do not grow on trees and that getting them from the earth is a time-consuming and even dangerous operation.

The best everyone you can do is learn about the origins of the crystals you want to buy for personal healing. There are environmentally friendly mines owned by ordinary people rather than giant corporations that collect crystals in the safest possible way.

So, do your research, ask around, and shop wisely. Keep in mind that your efforts will be rewarded in the end. Good luck in your search for the best eco-friendly healing crystals.

The Technology Revolutionizing Commercial Waste Management

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Every single one of us can do something to improve our impact on the planet, but it is a given that businesses of all sizes have a bigger footprint than families – commercial accounts for 12% of total greenhouse gas emissions. A big factor of that is waste management. From the physical process of picking up garbage, to the methane-released process of decomposition, there are numerous factors that add up to create a large carbon footprint.

Between hiring green focused waste management solutions and recycling in a diligent fashion, there are a few technologies that are helping to break down the barrier between commercial waste management and an environmentally positive working environment.

Cleaning up commercial kitchens

A key form of commercial waste is food waste. Between the home and restaurant, it is estimated by the US Department of Agriculture that 133 billion pounds of food is wasted every year. Much will end up in the landfill. How is technology helping to tackle this huge source of environmental waste? Restaurants themselves are benefiting from lower priced and higher quality commercial kitchen cooking equipment, that helps to raise standards and reduce wastage.

Culinary appliances for varied cuisines also benefit from a new process being developed at the Netherland’s Wageningen University. A major driver of food waste is rejected wholesale delivery, much of which will be disposed of in landfill. The technology being developed in Holland aims to reduce wastage by analyzing food at the source, closer to where recycling will be achievable.

Route optimization

Have you ever received a parcel from an online retailer only to find the box greatly outsizes the contents? On the face of it, this is damaging to the environment. However, many retailers use complex box sorting algorithms. The result is that the best route is chosen on balance, considering the gas needed to make the journey, the amount of stock that can be delivered and the shortest route for the driver. This is an area of intense technological innovation.

The National Waste & Recycling Association reported in 2017 on how 2018 would see further advances, particularly with the integration of artificial intelligence and augmented reality into the route-finding process.

Balancing the landfill carbon footprint

It is well established that landfills are now being used to power wind turbines, geothermal style electricity and so on. They are being improved to minimize the leachate into groundwater systems and to prevent methane escaping into the atmosphere. However, further investigation is being pushed into the possibility of using landfill as a carbon sequester.

AI-based waste management systems can help in route optimization and waste disposal

Penn State University, Lawrence Berkeley and Texas University recently joined together to secure a $2.5m grant into looking into the function of carbon, post-sequestration. This will help to shed light on the carbon footprint and create a solid foundation on which future technology can thrive.

Businesses of all sizes have an impact on the carbon footprint of the world. The various processes that go into making a business profitable and have a positive impact on their local and wider communities need to be addressed. As with many walks of life, technology is helping to bridge the gap.