Entries Tagged as 'Environment'

Electric Vehicles to Save Money

Regular readers are probably aware that I like electric vehicles and that I have spoken about them before as viable alternative to gas guzzlers. And really apart from their benefit to the environment, there are several economic considerations that make electric vehicles a good choice if one is looking to buy a vehicle. The reasons that I think electric vehicles save money are:

  • They don’t use any gas. They use electricity and rather than fill up at a pump, you recharge at home; much like your cell phone.
  • You don’t notice any particular increase in your electricity bill even with regular recharging. So basically it feels as though you are running your vehicle free, without any payment made for fuel. These total up to substantial savings. I have owned an electric vehicle for a couple of years now so I know how nice it felt to sail right past the gas pump; particularly when the fuel prices were so prohibitively high just a while back.
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Effect of Climate Change on World Economics

People I am going to take a bit of a break from my usual bargain hunting posts to take a look at the rather serious subject of climate change and how it impacts the world of economics and business. While some call it placing obstacle in economic progress and placing curbs on free enterprise, this is a shortsighted view. We have to preserve and conserve now, so that we don’t destroy our resources and have the wherewithal to continue to produce tomorrow.

A couple of months ago, just such an initiative was underway in Copenhagen where the future of business was decided during the World Business Summit on Climate Change. The aim of this summit was for top CEOs to discuss how their firms can help solve the climate crisis through innovative business models, new partnerships, and the development of low-carbon technologies. The object was also to send a strong message to the negotiating governments on how to remove barriers and create incentives for implementation of new solutions in a post-Kyoto framework.

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Save Money This Summer

Summer is a season that many enjoy and many loathe, whichever category you fall into, you can make use of some of these tips to make summer more economical for you:

Energy Savings

Whenever possible, turn off the Air con at home and in the car. Air cons are extremely power hungry. And when you do use the AC, make sure your filter is not clogged because that increases consumption of electricity. Don’t use your dryer, line dry your clothes. It won’t take long in the summer sun. Grow trees. Not only are they wonderful for the environment, they are beautiful and they offer cooling shade as well.

The US Department of Energy has a long list of do’s and don’ts with regard to energy saving which you can see here.

Save money while travelling

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Home Accents: Ideas and Deals

Pieces of furniture, wall colors etc ., even if not very remarkable, can be offset by a few individual and even quirky touches here and there to make a interesting and unusual whole. A few interesting home accents can enhance your home by making it unique and giving it your own personal stamp. A little wall art here a whimsical garden ornament there, can do a lot to give your home character.

I think it is a great idea to have some greenery inside the home or perhaps on the porch, for this it is a good idea to get a matched set of planters, such as this one here; a metal planter set of three for just $50. I also liked this set of two planters, tall and elegant for $79.

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Green Tax Breaks

Like I keep saying, that which is good for the environment is also good for us and our finances. And that is even more so when you consider that environment friendly decisions can get you some very useful tax cuts. Although global oil prices have eased a great deal since I did a post about tips to save gas, it still pays to be energy efficient in terms of your home: heating, cooling, insulation, etc. not only for the savings in terms of the energy consumption bills but also in terms of the tax credits you get.

The reason that the government gives you tax breaks is so that you are encouraged to make purchases that reduce energy consumption on the whole, lowering pressure on grids and helping you reduce you carbon footprint and therefore lowering emission and pollution levels.

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Hypermiling

I don’t know how many of you already know about hypermiling, but this is a term that I needed to find out more about. Hypermiling is a set of techniques to increase fuel efficiency and keep down fuel costs, so naturally I was interested in finding out more. It’s all about learning to adopt certain driving methods to get more miles per gallon of fuel. The technique has been around for some time now, but gas prices being very volatile recently have made is really popular in recent times. According to the hypermiling site, there are six main steps to follow:

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Camping Gear at Great Prices

I have to confess that I am not exactly a ‘rough it in the wild’ kind of girl; I am rather fond of my creature comforts like any city girl. So when it comes to camping, my mantra is Have mosquito repellant, will go camping or some such. I love the outdoor as long as I am reasonably well assured that I will not be stung, crapped upon, freeze, melt or get soaking wet.

3 person tentThis basic three person tent I thought was rather cool, with camouflage print and all. For $42.88 (at a 28% discount) it seems to be a good deal. Check out a lot of fairly low priced tents and shower/shelter combos here.

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Comics by Email

I want to take my own advice and cut down on one of the family’s recurring expenditures: that of the daily news paper. After all reading the news on the internet slakes my (limited) thirst for current affairs and information. The one thing that is making me chary of taking action here is the fact that I will not have access to the comics section of the newspaper (I admit that I am one of those who scans the headlines and heads for the comics section right away). The internet (its wonders never cease!) provides me a solution to this as well.

If, like me you like Peanuts, then the Peanuts site is a must visit for you. Read a months’ worth of comics, send a comic to a friend, or send an e card from here.

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Green Gifts

Do you recycle? Well I do and let me tell you, it gives me a lot of satisfaction! To know that you try to do your bit for the environment is a good feeling! And I don’t think I mentioned it before, but I recently bought me an electric scooter and I love, love, love it! Electric vehicles are such a green thing too!

Glow in teh dark BulbThis Glow-in-the-dark light bulb encased in a solid acrylic brick, is charged by absorbing light during the day and releasing it at night. It is not cheap at $30.99 but since it uses no electricity or anything it does kind of pay for itself.

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Tips to Save on Gas

High Gas PricesIf like me, the current prices of gasoline are pinching your pocket, then maybe it is time to assess whether you are indulging in any wasteful driving practices. There are a lot of ways you can increase your mileage and cut down on your total consumption of gas.

Don’t Drive: This is the most obvious way to cut down on gasoline consumption. If you can, walk or use a bicycle for running errands. A surprising number of things can fit into a bicycle carrier or basket. If you have to go a good distance, consider taking the bus or other public transport before backing the car out of the driveway. At the very least try to combine several errands into one trip so you save yourself gas as well as money.

Drive at Optimum Speed: Drive neither too slow not too fast. Drive at a speed that is optimum for your particular vehicle. Some vehicles show the economy zone on the speedometer; stay within that. And be consistent and steady in your driving don’t keep braking and accelerating unnecessarily.

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