Celebrate Air Quality Awareness Week & see how solar helps.

This week is Air Quality Awareness Week-- sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration with the United States Department of Commerce. 

Breathing good, decent air should be a part of daily living, but pollutants dispersing into our environment jeopardize that. Solar stands apart by keeping air cleaner and less contaminated. How does solar do that? It involves simply harnessing energy from the sun as a means of keeping electricity on in homes and across businesses that choose to use this eco-friendly source of power.

"The use of solar energy systems on buildings displaces electricity generation from coal, natural gas, and oil power plants, which can reduce air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and mercury; and greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide," says the U.S. Department of Energy.

Thankfully, solar energy steers clear of pushing pollutants in the air and even acts as a way to keep our days powered but without harm leashing into the air. Clean, green energy like solar is a sustainable choice that has unparalleled benefits for everyone in your community.

The whisking to life of Earth Day.

Today marks the 43rd year of Earth Day celebrations, with environmental awareness issues sparking the first event on April 22, 1970 at the hands of former U.S. Senator and Wisconsin Governor Gaylord Nelson.

Marine biologist and conservationist Rachel Carson of Western Pennsylvania published the book Silent Spring in 1962; its pages stirred what eventually helped to lead to the first environmental movements in the U.S. The book sold more than 500,000 copies in around two dozen countries.

Nelson founded Earth Day after learning about the devastation of a massive oil spill near Santa Barbara, California in the winter of 1969.

People across the country who had been in an uproar against oil spills, pollution brought about by factories and power plants, sewage, toxic dumps, damage done by automobiles and freeways, loss of trees and open space and looming problems with the extinction of wildlife began to see that they had strong common bonds and needed to stand up for a right to a better quality of living.

On that first Earth Day in 1970, around 20,000 Americans rallied across the U.S. in parks and on streets to voice the need for sustainability and better respect for the environment for the benefit of the health of all on earth.

April 22 became the annual marker for Earth Day because it is the first official day of spring in the northern hemisphere and of autumn in the southern hemisphere.

In some elementary schools today, Earth Day is the third most celebrated holiday after Halloween and Christmas. Earth Day is celebrated is almost 200 countries across the globe in recent years and is also the largest secular modern holiday in history.

Recycle paper & help nonprofits in your community at the same time.

In today's world, thanks to a paper recycling company called Paper Retriever, all sorts of paper can be recycled instead of getting tossed into the trash--and it can benefit nonprofits in your community at the same time, as this program is a fundraising effort geared toward helping causes you care about in your hometown.

Paper Retriver bins are currently set up in 12 different states across the U.S. You might recognize the yellow and green bins because they are perched outside of many schools, churches, township buildings, firehouses, and locations of other nonprofits. The paper gathered goes toward helping these nonprofits to supplement their budgets, which is especially needed lately, given the less cheerful persuasion of economic conditions in the past few years. 

Knowing there is something you can do to be a part of the greater solution is its own perk, and it means you can be a part of setting a good example in your own town. It also offers an easy opportunity to reach out to our children so we can get through to them early in life about the importance of recycling and supporting our communities. And then there's the bonus where it keeps paper out of landfills, too.

If your state doesn't have Paper Retriever bins, you can call Paper Retriever to encourage them to join your community, and talk to those you know who are running nonprofits in your area as well. Express that there is a need and that you and your neighbors want to help support this cause while recycling for free at the same time. It is a win-win for you, trees, your community, and the nonprofits that matter most to you.

Search for the closest Paper Retriever bin near you, and spread the good word of helping nonprofits through recycling all sorts of snippets of paper.

Learn more about springing forward this Saturday!

Daylight Savings Time was first instituted in most of the United Sates since World War 1 in an effort to save energy for war production by taking advantage of the later hours of daylight between April and October. Since then, DST commences and remains the same. Or has it? In fact, since 2007, DST has been four weeks longer due to the Energy Policy Act of 2005 signed by former President George W. Bush. The Act extended DST by 4 weeks, hoping to take advantage of the available daylight to even further reduce energy consumption through decreased use of power by businesses during daylight hours. This Act is estimated to save 10,000 barrels of oil each day during the 4 weeks of extended DST.

DST begins on Sunday, March 10th and ends on the first Sunday of November. During this second Sunday of March, clocks are moved forward one hour from 2 a.m. standard time to 3 a.m. The often spoken phrase "Spring Forward-- Fall Back" is a helpful reminder of these time changes.

This DST, let GP.Energy save you even more off of your electric bill with your very own solar energy system. And DST is not the only other way to save this month. Start saving those referral bucks for each contracted 'Green' referral you send our way.

Sunny regards!

Turn off the lights and unplug those cell phone chargers.

Most people know that having lights and other electronics on when they leave the room means electricity is still being pulled from the grid. Often, we're so rushed and busy that we don't take the time to think about how spending a few extra seconds to flick off a light switch or unplug something like a cell phone charger will mean keeping us from unnecessarily using kilowatt hours while seeing a slightly higher electric bill the next month.

But really slowing down thought-wise enough to take the time to shut off a light or unplug electronics when they're not being used, and especially when no one is home, is a lifestyle approach that will help to save you money in the long run.

Think about what you are likely to leave plugged in on a regular basis-- televisions, DVD players, cell phone chargers, lamps, radios, laptops, paper shredders, surge protectors, and plenty more.

On top of that, there's also the perk of how this will translate to you being kinder to the environment by using less electricity in your daily schedule.

Think green-- even with carpeting.

Many today may not realize that while so many more options in daily living are leaning toward greener possibilities, your options with carpets you install in your home are also becoming better-suited for the environment.

Photograph courtesy of Designworks Architects based in Reading, Pennsylvania

Today, several different major carpet manufacturers offer high-recycled content carpets and also recyclable carpet. Sometimes, these two features are often tied into a single roll of carpet, giving you more eco-friendly of choices when you think about the footfalls you'll be using to make your way around the house, if you're contemplating replacing your carpet.

And no or low VOC (volatile organic compound) carpets are also available, keeping your family safer away from what has often been toxic in older carpets. 

When you do shop around, make sure to ask questions about new carpeting, especially to get an idea of whether or not it is very high in recycled content or not. Some carpets might only have a small percentage of recycled content in them, but others may be very high in these numbers. And most good quality carpet of this more green variety will still feel and look like traditional carpet, which is a nice comfort to consider.

Saving & re-using wrapping paper is a multi-green approach.

Every year, masses of wrapping paper thrown away take tolls on the wallets of millions. And the gift-ready décor often goes straight to landfills. 

But there are better choices out there, like recycling, especially because some nonprofits gather recycled paper in order to fundraise for themselves to help their operating budgets. So recycling is also a way of supporting your community and a cause you care about genuinely.
 

Adapting to instead saving and recycling wrapping paper means not spending new money on it in 2013 and future years. That's one way of saving green, and a nice one at that.

Also consider keeping gift bags, bows, and ribbon in good condition so you can use them again as well by next winter and other holidays and birthdays. Shoeboxes and boxes of other kinds are another good idea for how to package gifts in a less costly way.

Sandy sparks awareness for alternative energy in power outages.

With the devastation of Hurricane Sandy a few weeks ago, the importance of having power in harsh and unpredictable weather circumstances hit home quite literally for millions. Since then, demand for generators has continued to skyrocket.

“Certainly, this is a storm that has been somewhat unprecedented,” said Art Aiello, public relations specialist for Generac Power Systems. Headquartered in Wisconsin, Generac began bringing generators to homeowners back in 1959.

 Photograph courtesy of Art Aiello

“For us, the demand began the Thursday before Sandy hit,” Aiello revealed. “We’ve been shipping products around the clock.”

Both permanently installed automatic home backup and portable generators continue to make their way to the regions blasted hard by this now historic natural disaster.

“We were running three shifts at the distribution center beginning the weekend before Sandy, shipping out tens of thousands of generators and dozens of truckloads a day to the East Coast,” he said. “Now we’re actually looking at hiring and bringing people on board to help us deal with the residual demand that’s following Hurricane Sandy.”

Generac’s 300,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and 200,000-square-foot distribution site are located in Whitewater, Wisconsin and have been bustling this November.

“A severe storm like Sandy increases awareness, but generators are valuable for consumers simply because there are power outages every day,” he added. “Electricity is really no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. We’re a very connected society. Many people have cell phones as their primary phone and don’t have land lines anymore, so if they can’t charge their cell phones, there’s no way for them to reach out to their loved ones and friends.”

Those with medical equipment running on electricity, and medicines that need to be refrigerated, are another part of the population in a vulnerable situation when outages strike.

“There’s somewhat of a misconception about what’s available today,” Aiello said about the possibility of purchasing generators that are surprisingly affordable. “In terms of backup power systems, a lot of people don’t realize all the options that are out there.”

When deciding what size system to buy, Aiello recommended adding up watts of each item to be operated by the generator but also multiplying totals by 1.5 for those with motor start-ups, like refrigerators, to account for the extra power needed for that effort.

As a general guideline, Aiello also offered the formula “volts x amps = watts” in a case where watts aren’t already known with a certain appliance.

Through innovation in engineering, design, and efficiency, generator manufacturers can now offer variety in their product lineup; that means affordability is leaning more in favor of the common homeowner.

Many have learned firsthand just how crucial power is when outages stir through their communities not only from impacts like Hurricane Sandy but also the jarring ice storm that left many without electricity on Halloween in 2011.

The need to prepare for future electricity loss is real and something well worth considerable thought.

Drink up with reusable, filter-equipped water bottles.

While recycling is obviously a great environmental choice, another alternative to cases of bottled water is a reusable bottle water for everyone in the family. And when they come with a built-in filter, it's a plus.

A good number of companies are now producing these, but Brita also offers an easily accessible line-up, including kid-sized bottles to keep children healthily hydrated during the school day.

These are free of BPA (BPA is bisphenol A, an industrial-scale chemical known to be a part of plastics and resins beginning in the 1960s), and on top of that, they're dishwasher-safe. The larger ones account for saving up to 150 plastic bottles from being used when you sip from a reusable water bottle instead.

Solar Smarts Spring into Egg Harbor Township.

Stirred by an interest in going green, Khachatur Suchyan of Egg Harbor Township, NJ. chose to go solar not only to better the environment but to save money too.

Before his solar installation, Suchyan’s electric bill reached as high as $250 during the baking heat of the summer. In other months, he paid around $100.

“I had been thinking about going solar, and once I talked with GP.Energy,” mentioned Suchyan, “I said sure, why not.”

GP.Energy is a solar provider headquartered in Berwyn, Chester County, Pa. and specializes in bringing green alternatives to homeowners.

Suchyan’s recently finished project on his house roof consists of 17 solar panels in a 3.995 KW system.

When asked about his electric bills after going solar, Suchyan noted that his payments only dived downward. With his electric bills dropping by 80 percent in warmer months, he pays just $50 a month to his utility company while keeping cool each summer.

“I initially thought about buying a system, but now I am leasing, and it costs $0 out of my pocket,” Suchyan said about the no money down option he selected. “Having solar and going green is awesome.”

Now, he’s grateful to say goodbye to those record high electric bills.

“With solar on my rooftop, it is a double use for me; it is protecting my roof, and I’m actually providing my own electricity,” he said. 

Through his solar lease, Suchyan will be producing his own energy for the next 20 years at a locked-in rate instead of paying so much to his utility company each month. Plus, insurance and maintenance is included in the package. 

“The electric prices just went up, and I feel good having solar. I’m proud when my neighbors ask about it every time they notice the panels,” he said.

Suchyan is approaching both neighbors and friends, encouraging them to go solar to help protect the environment and recognize the cost-savings of this eco-friendly electricity choice.

“Everybody should get it,” he concluded. “It is much better for the environment and the economy.”