There are many products on the market that claim to be green. It is up to you to determine which products are green and which are not. Beware of “green washing”! Many products are advertised as green, but after review really do not live up to their claims. Here are 7 factors to consider when selecting green or sustainable products and materials for your project.

Renewability – Are the products made from material that is rapidly renewable such as cork or bamboo? Wood products are also a renewable resource. Choose wood products that are FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified. Many engineered wood products are made from fast growing trees such as aspen and require less wood to make them than conventional lumber.

Recycled Content - Using material with recycled content not only reduces strain on our landfills, but reduces the need for raw material. Paper, cardboard, plastic, steel and aluminum are a few of the most commonly recycled materials. Recycled paper is used in cellulose insulation and paper countertops. Plastic is used in carpet. Metals that are recycled can be made into their original form.

Reusability and Recyclability - Many products, such as metals, can be recycled after their useable life. Others can be salvaged and reused somewhere else.

Durability - Choose products that will stand the test of time and require little maintenance. This will save time, money and energy on repairs at a later date.

Embodied Energy - This is the energy used to produce, transport and install a product or material in the place where it will be used. Choose local products when possible and products that do not require a large amount of energy to produce.

Air Quality - Products like carpet, cabinetry, plywood and paint can contain petroleum products or formaldehyde and off gas VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). There are now many products available that give off little or no VOCs. These products will give you a healthier home to live in. When you are not able to find suitable products, ventilate the new or remodeled space prior to moving into it. Open windows and doors when possible to remove the VOCs from the home.

Waste Reduction - Choose material that does not create a lot of waste and can be used efficiently. Order material in sizes and lengths that are efficient for your job.

Some products may be green in one area but not in another. Example: Although it is very durable, brick has a high embodied energy because of the energy used to fire the kilns and transport it. It would be a greener option for someone in North Carolina than someone in New York because the clay that is used to make it is a local product. Use these 7 factors and your best judgement to determine which green products are the best for your project.

“King Cotton” – For generations that slogan personified the Southeastern United States reliance on cotton. Well, the “King is Dead; Long Live the King” – Bamboo.

King Cotton was deposed years ago by inexpensive cotton imported from Africa and Asia. These cheap imports drove most cotton farmers out of the business. Even mega farms find it hard to compete with cotton imports.

America’s cotton industry faces a dismal future. That was why a consortium of botanists, growers and Southern politicians have begun to investigate the possibilities of replacing cotton with bamboo in Southern Mississippi Delta states.

It may seem that the bamboo industry in America is just in its infancy; however, the United States Department of Agriculture introduced bamboo as a farm crop around 1919. American farmers and the general public remained unaware of bamboo’s potential, so Richard Haubrich formed the American Bamboo Society to promote bamboo as a cash crop.

In the Northwest bamboo growing began as a hobby for people who had received the plant or purchased bamboo for decorative purposes. Folks planted bamboo in yards, woods, wherever their fancies led them. With over thirteen hundreds species of bamboo, many types of bamboo did more then survive – they thrived.

Currently Washington State University, under Dr. Craig Cogger, is conducting research on various strains of bamboo. These studies could have significant impact on bamboo’s viability (can it live) in the South. According to Gib Cooper of Tradewinds Bamboo Nursery, growers will continue to meet with Dr. Cogger and others to determine the viability of different bamboos in differing climates.

One type of bamboo that growers and scientists see as a candidate for the South is the moso bamboo. This plant can be used in buildings; it’s as strong as steel. Jackie Heinricher, owner of Boo-Shoot garden, has devised a method to clone mature culms of Moso grass.

Dr. Brian Baldwin, associate professor of plant and soil sciences at Mississippi State University, says mild, wet winters have helped bamboo species closely related to Moso do “exceedingly well here.” He considers the region viable for large-scale production.

The Eco friendly aspect shouldn’t eclipse bamboo’s value as a product. From soup, to table, to homes, bamboo is ripe for the picking.

“King Cotton is Dead”: “Long Live Bamboo.”

When first mentioned there sounds nothing more green and healthier for the environment than a solar farm. It is a renewable source of energy and the greenest form of commercial energy. Solar Energy has become the leading alternative to costly and eco disasters of fossil fuels. The true nature and cost of large arrays of solar farms on the environment has yet to be decided. Now that it has become profitable for companies to venture into this modern day oil rush some people are thinking twice.

Everyone pretty much agrees that we do need cleaner and renewable sources of energy. The cost of the modern day industrial age has taken a great toll on the planet. The natural resources that have fed the technological age are dwindling while the planet heats up from its pollution. Solar energy is a must if we want to save our planet from the devastating factors causing high pollution and the sociological disaster that would happen if we were ever to run out of source of fuels. Solar energy is abundant and as long as the sun shines we will have an endless supply of it. It is clean and no waste comes from it. So the question is what is the problem?

The debate over solar farms is not that it produces clean reusable energy but what the exact impact these giant farms will have in the immediate surrounding environment. The most logical choices so far for energy or wanna be energy companies have been the western deserts of California, New Mexico, Nevada, etc. Though they appear to be a barren landscape, life teems within. A whole ecosystem strives here that cannot be simply destroyed over solar panels. Doing so would push back decades of conservation efforts already made against standard logging, development and energy exploration and mining. The fact that no giant solar farms have ever been built before is also a huge concern.

The question to be answered is how big a solar farm has to be to produce enough energy to be profitable and suit the needs of consumers. How big can they be without totally destroying the surrounding environment and changing the landscape of a community? They answers will be hard; the problems lay also among residences that have the notion of Not in My Backyard. People will have to make sacrifices; environments will have to be destroyed for the greater good. Can we really stall progress forever? Will everyone be pleased by outcome? No and we should not expect it to be otherwise. At the same time we cannot ignore the impact that large solar farms will have on our environment, we cannot solve one problem by creating another. We must learn to conserve our land and develop it properly for green energy. In the next few decades the need will be greater, the debates and opposition stronger and yet science must continue. If not now when?

Home insulation is important for houses in this age of high energy cost. Home insulation helps to reduce the cost of utility bill in terms of low energy usage. Moreover, it also boosts the values and livability of houses. Therefore, home insulation is especially a must for houses that are more than 10 to 15 years old which tend to be not insulated when they were built 10 to 20 years ago. Even if they were insulated at that time of construction, the insulation technology or the material might not be as good as today’s technology. Therefore, it’s better for you to replace or remodel the insulation if they were installed a decade ago.

The first step to installing home insulation is to identify areas of the house that need to be insulated. The general guideline here is to look at places where there is contact or leak between the interior of your house and the outside world. A good example of this scenario will be the window. During the winter, when you open the window, you can feel the cold air from outside tends to rush into the house. It’s the same in the summer where the heat will enter the house once the window is open. When this situation happens, heat loss or heat gain is occurring.

One thing to remember is that heat exchange is not restricted to just the window and the door. It also happens at places that are intact such as the wall, ceiling and the roof. Even though the wall, ceiling and the roof is a poor conductor, heat loss and heat gain will still occur. If there is a crack in the wall or a hole in the ceiling, heat loss or gain will be accelerated at a faster rate. Therefore, we need insulation to reduce or better eliminate completely the rate of heat loss and gain. With that being said, areas such as the walls, ceiling, basement, attic and the roofs are the critical areas that require to be insulated.

Once you have determined the insulation areas, next step is to choose the insulation material and types of insulation. Some common insulation materials that are affordable to most households are fiberglass, wool, paper, wood and cotton. The more expensive material is the popular polyurethane that is used in spray foam insulation. The polyurethane can cost up to several times more than the conventional materials such as fiberglass, wool and cotton. New and non-conventional insulation materials are being developed constantly in the market.

The good things about these newly developed insulation materials are most of them are made from recycle materials and are absolutely environmental friendly. With the advance of technology, scientists are constantly developing materials that are non toxic, water resistance and fire proof. One good example of a sophisticated insulation material is the one developed by Warmcel which is made of 100% recycled newspaper. Another one is the glass wool developed by Earthwool which is made of recycled glass and sand. One good example of non-conventional and environment friendly spray foam which is made from recycled plastic materials and renewable soy oils is developed by Heatlok Soy.

To recap on the importance of home insulation, houses that were not constructed with insulation installed are encouraged to be reviewed by contractors or better yet perform a home energy audit to check on the amount of energy that can be saved with insulation installed. Insulation not only preserves the limited non-renewable resource with the use of more environment friendly and recycled materials, it also boosts the sale value of the houses and makes the occupants comfortable.

With the turmoil in the world today over oil supplies, it’s time we all take a good hard look at what we are using to fuel our cars, trucks and other vehicles we use for transportation. Lets face it this is a subject that isn’t going to go away and will continue controversy into the future. The fact is that oil and gas prices will rise and fall but if history teaches us anything, it is the price will continue to increase as time goes on. I have never seen it go the other way yet.

Now, people are looking to change their life styles to help lower the costs and consumption of fuel. Most are no longer willing to pay the going rate for gas at the pumps. With the development of newer, easy to install, gas conversion hydrogen car kits, more and more people are turning to them to take the sting out of their pockets while driving their same vehicles. They have come a long way in a short time and the kits available are no longer hard to figure out and install. There has also been a rise in kits the average “Do It Yourselfer” can install.

If you are a veteran or a first time installer, there are downfalls to some of the kits available today. Not all of them are considered good quality kits. Some offer more than others and some may fall short on aspects you may not even consider. Here are five things you should consider and look into before your purchase of a Gas Conversion HHO kit.

Cost:

Cost is always a factor that needs to be looked at. It would make little sense if you were to buy a kit for lets say $17,500.00 to install into a newer hybrid car that you have. It would take you approximately forty-five years to get your investment back. Vs a car you will be spending say $1,200.00 on the kit and possibly saving that much money in fuel depending on how far you drive each year. The return can be as soon as six months in some cases I have seen. The cost of the components and the hydrogen car kit guide should be one of the last things you take into consideration and pay attention too if the investment is considered to be low in your opinion. If you find 2 or 3 different kits that are the same price, look at other factors to make your final decision. Very few are identical. Always keep in mind the condition of your car and how long you will be keeping it vs. the cost of the gas conversion kit.

Efficiency

This is key with any available gas conversion kit. Almost all kits have improved since the first kits made. Look to see how much the kit will improve the mileage of yours or today’s average vehicle. Some kits are better than other kit on the market today when it comes to mileage. Keep in mind the example above on the hybrid investment.

Fuel Danger

The best gas conversion kits will produce enough hydrogen only needed to run your car. You want a kit that will store very little extra hydrogen. Hydrogen is very dangerous in quantity. Try to keep it as low as possible. Some kit store large quantities and this can cause problems.

Hype

Stay away from a kit using a lot of selling hype. Things to look for to cut threw any kind of hype are Technical Specs and Technical Information. These are hard to hide for any kit. Any good salesman can try different techniques to get you to buy, but the facts and specs along with a guarantee are what cant be made up or hidden. Look for the seller that will stand behind the kit and can support the information he shows you. If you get better results with your Gas Conversion Kit, share that with the seller. This often happens when you purchase quality kits. Look past the hype, fancy websites and the sales pages that are impressive.

Damage

Make sure any kit you are about to buy and install on your car will do no damage to the car. There are in fact some kits that can cause major damage with the car. No kit should have you modify your engine. They should not have you modify the injection systems of the car. They should add to the fuel going into the car but not modify the injector or injector systems. Make sure the kit will work for your car.

These are some basics to look for in Gas Conversion kit. Although we may think today’s kits are very complex and hard to install, that is not at all the case. These kits on the market today are proving to be one of the most economical way to go. Most quality kits are easy to install and have easy to follow instructions. They do not have complex components like kits of the past. If you are looking to add a kit to your vehicle, today’s kits can make a world of difference with the improved choices they offer.