Green Living for a New Year - 2009

The year 2008 for many was a trying year. With the stock market down almost 40% for the year. With the bailouts of banks, auto and many other hot spots in our economy, for some the year will be remembered as a year of WOW. One of the things I like about a new year is that what happened last year is in the past and today is a new day. I would love to hear what your plans are for the new year. My plans for 2009 are filled with hopes and dreams. In 2009 we will be launching a few green businesses that we hope will not only help our local community in the Raleigh, NC area but grow beyond our local area and reach other parts of the US and World. Our eco-consultant business will be focusing on helping others go green and adopt healthier living habits. We will be focusing on using natural cleaners, saving energy by replacing incandescent lamps with LED lighting and CFL lamps. We will also be helping others create an opportunity for themselves in the growing Green Business Arena.

Also this year we will be highlighting some companies that we think have done a wonderful job of creating sustainability in their respective markets. In fact, recently we have set up a Top 10 site for eco-friendly sites here featuring sites like Green Irene, Our Green House, Energy Saving Products and more. Please feel free to contribute also. Together we can help change the world, Naturally!

Help for a new year

Have you ever wondered what happens to Fluorescent lamps when they are no longer working? Recently I have been reviewing a number of sites about handling lamps that are at end of life. In lighting terms, they refer to these lamps as "Spent" lamps. Many of these lamps end up in landfills. Of course this is a problem with many items today that we consume and on a commercial level this is a huge problem. This year, I am going to be working on starting a lamp handling service in the Raleigh, NC area. My goal is to help make others aware of the dangers involved with Hg (Mercury) and the importance and benefit of recycling lamps.

Facts: About 22% of all lamp usage is by people who are not and may never be regulated under federal rules (e.g. residential and CESQGs). Therefore, of the 514 million lamps per year that are currently entering the solid waste stream and potentially releasing mercury into the environment, about 142 million are from residential, while 372 million are from businesses, government and institutions.
70.8% of the mercury-lamps used by business and 98% of the lamps used in homes are not being recycled. These lamps can and should be recycled! (Taken from Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers or almr.org study in 2004).

What are the Benefits of Recycling?*

* Keeps mercury containing products out of inappropriate waste disposal streams (especially incineration);
* Preferred disposal method in most states for mercury-containing lamps;
* Consistent with solid waste disposal bans and partial bans in some states;
* May limit user's superfund liability; and
* Simplifies enforcement


Lamp recycling is not self-supporting. Spent lamps have no intrinsic value or embodied energy. The recovered mercury has minimal value however the cost of recycling lamps is relatively small compared to the cost savings from using energy efficient lighting. Generally, fluorescent lamps are four to five times more efficient than incandescent bulbs. Fluorescent lamps reduce energy consumption which saves you money. Reducing energy use also cuts down on power plant emissions of mercury and other emissions that contribute to global climate change, acid rain and smog. (* From Lamp Recycle's site: http://www.lamprecycle.org)

If you are looking to help or are interested in supporting our goal for this upcoming year, I would love to hear from you.

Go Green for the Holidays with All Natural Cleaners

Are you looking for gifts this Christmas but not quite sure what to buy? Maybe you are on a budget or just having a hard time finding something for someone special who has everything.

Green Irene has some great gifts this holiday. One of my favorite is the Taste of Green Gift Bag. This is a great introductory green gift featuring the:
Taste of Green Gift Bag
Give them a taste of what green products they are missing with this gift bag! This small variety of products is one of our lowest-priced bags, perfect for group giving such as teacher and corporate gifts.
Gift Bag Sets start for as little as $30



The set includes the following:

1 75 Watt Spiral CFL Bulb - Our most economical 75 watt equivalent (19 watts actual use) compact fluorescent light bulb

1 20 oz. Green Stainless Steel Bottle - Our Extra-large Stainless steel bottle, perfect for carrying around a day's supply of drinking water

1 Spray Bottle of Natural All-Purpose Cleaner - Effective, Vinegar-based cleaner formulated for a variety of surfaces

1 Lime (light green) Baggu Bag - A strong, re-usable Nylon bag with handles large enough to wear over the shoulder.

There are many other green gifts too from All Natural Cleaning Products to Water Conservation and Energy Efficient Lighting. Visit http://www.greenirene.com/myecohelp and click on shopping

Exciting News about Going Green

We have some exciting news to share. We have become a part of the Green Irene network of Eco-Consultants. You may ask what exactly does this mean? Here is our eco-consultant site www.greenirene.com/myecohelp feel free to stop by or pass it on to someone you may know who is interested in finding out more about greening their home and creating a healthier lifestyle.

Here is also a breif description of some of the ways in which we can help save money and help our surrounding community. Green Home Consulting Services and Green Products

Do you want to green your home, but not ready to make going green a hobby? As your local Eco-Consultant, I will walk through your home and develop a set of recommendations on how you can save money, save energy, save water and live a healthier life.

I offer a Green Home Makeover, which takes 60-90 minutes and encompasses the interior and yard areas. I will point out immediate changes that you can make for free, and I will also demonstrate and offer dozens of the best green home products available. I will help replace wasteful incandescent bulbs, show you the best low flow shower heads, explain how to buy green power and enable you to offset your family’s carbon footprint. I'll be able to sell you terrific water filters, improve your indoor air quality and demonstrate cleaning products free of toxic chemicals.

Green Home Makeover topics include:

Energy Conservation
Water Conservation
Water Purity
Toxic Free Living
Indoor Air Quality
Energy Efficient Lighting
Recycling
Waste Reduction
Safety and Emergency Preparedness

With your Green Home Makeover you will receive a six-month “Ask Green Irene” Membership, which gives you access to our green knowledge base and green researchers.

Update on what all natural residential cleaning and My Eco Maid have been doing.

Visit us online atwww.greenirene.com/1065 or email today for more information. Going green today.

Discover the Rewards of Making Energy Efficient Choices

Learn How To Put the $$$ Green $$$ Back Into Your Pocket While Also Being Green  See which home renovations save the most money Consider simple changes in habit that result in great savings Discover which heating system will work best in your home Explore options for nearly endless hot water at low prices Find out if Solar Power or Wind Energy is right for you The Rewards of Making Energy Efficient Choices by David A. Nelmes Sr.    150 pages (PDF) - File size: 1.2 MB  Learn how you can make practical energy efficient choices in your home that are affordable and helpful to the environment while you also receive financial rewards for your energy related investments.      The motivation for greener living was pushed to the forefront by the theory of global warming. There may be some debate over the truth behind global warming, but a great side effect of this topic is that it has created a greater awareness that it may be a good idea to change the way we generate energy and use the earth's resources.   Energy Inspector and author David Nelmes has a genuine interest to help people conserve energy, but he's also a very practical person so he decided to help build a bridge between being environmentally aware and living a normal life, where you can live a greener life without feeling like you are losing anything at all.   You can make an energy liberating change in your life.   This revolutionary book, 'The Rewards of Making Energy Efficient Choices', is a focus on helping you make an ‘energy liberating’ change in your life by finally freeing yourself from the bondage associated with depending upon fossil fuels and the corporations that have placed their desire for profit, far, far ahead of what is best for the world, this country and you.   This book will help you see where you can start being more practical by being open to find solutions and not just wallowing in the problems. Many of your energy conservation and energy efficiency questions are answered in this book. These answers are based upon research that has uncovered what are the most practical things to do, in any pursuit to be energy efficient and less dependent on fossil fuel.   Extensive research went into looking for ways to easily introduce energy efficiency into our daily lives.   This book works towards a final conclusion that the optimum goal for homeowners and renters alike would be to convert all or as much of their home energy use to being supplied solely by electricity.   By going all electric, with the right heating and cooling systems, the right appliances, the right vehicle and the right attitude, you could release yourself from any dependence on foreign fossil fuels. Once your transformation to electricity has been done, you could then choose to generate all or most of your own power if you had the capacity to install your own renewable energy systems.   When you consider the amount of energy needed to fully provide for the needs of your home and even your vehicles, bear in mind that there is no way you could ever create your own oil, natural gas, LP gas or coal, but you can generate your own electricity or choose utility power sources that use domestic fuels and renewable energy sources.   Author David Nelmes has combined all his research along with over twenty-five years of electrical, plumbing, heating and air-conditioning experience and wrote a book that provides clear cut solutions for your home energy efficiency needs.   When you read this book, you will see that by changing certain habits and making smart home investments, you will save a lot of money due to lower energy costs, plus the environment will do better as well.   It does not matter what motivates you to be green, but only that the motivation is there in some form. Since most individuals are motivated by their pocket book, this is the format the author has chosen to focus his writing on how any individual could benefit financially by being more energy efficient.   Topics covered in the book include:   Energy Efficiency And Conservation In Your Home The Best Methods For Heating And Cooling Creating Hot Water Efficiently Tapping Renewable Solar And Wind Energy Powering Your Vehicle Domestically Funding And Loan Sources When you see that it generally costs less to be energy efficient than to not be, you'll wonder why you never did these things all your life.   This book also provides illustrations, charts, helpful images and many web site references for locating the products and information that will truly help you be green by spending a little green today with the prospect of saving a lot of green tomorrow. And, of course, while you are saving money, you'll be helping the environment by reducing your impact on the air, water and soil.

Healthy Choice Home Care, Helping Change the Way the World Cleans, "Naturally"

Did you know?

100: The number of times higher indoor air pollution levels can be above outdoor levels, according to US EPA estimates.

25%: The number you can increase your MPG up to by keeping your car maintained.

$100: The amount you can save in water and electricity bills over the lifetime of an energy-star dishwasher.

All Natural Cleaning

All Natural Cleaning Resource Page

Healthy Choice Home Care has created a natural cleaning resource page @ http://www.squidoo.com/allnaturalcleaning Here you will find all kinds of resources from books on all natural cleaning, place to post comments and even take a poll. We would love for you to join us in our mission to help create a healthy place to live. Join us today and help change the way the world cleans, "Naturally".