Banks Doing Their Part

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Financially backing programs that are supporting the trend of green movements is becoming increasingly popular. Companies such as Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, and most recently, Bank of America, have all agreed to invest billions of dollars into the environment. Some could refer to this as the “greening of Wall Street”.

The aforementioned Wall Street companies have recently been backing projects or companies in sectors such as renewable energy, emissions reduction, and reduced-carbon transportation. Whether they are doing this for their own personal beliefs or because they are feeling the heat from outsiders, all that matters is that they are doing their part to improve the environment.

Carbon Sciences Inc., the developer of breakthrough technologies to make transportation fuels, hydrogen and other valuable products from natural gas has acknowledged the recent strides towards improving the environment. Hopefully, the recent investments will go towards the recent natural gas boom, but also, towards reducing green-house gas emissions and how technology could be used to turn CO2, carbon dioxide, into transportation fuels.

Just because you aren’t a large multinational corporation with billions of dollars, that doesn’t mean you can’t do your part to improve the environment. Continue doing the right things, and you, too, can make a difference.

A little bit goes a long way.

Green Home Green Summer

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Establishing a green home does not happen overnight but requires planning, commitment and practice.  Summertime is a great time to start this endeavor.  School is out, and the household is functioning at a slower pace than normal.  This also is a teachable moment for both the adults and children in the family.  The family can start with an outing to the local landfill.  Just seeing the huge mounds of discarded plastics, electronics and other trash is an eye-opening experience.  It effectively and dramaticallyquantifies the overall effect of one household’s trash at the curb combined with the whole area’s trash at a single location.  Just think– this is only one of the landfills in this county alone!

Each family’s efforts towards living green represents a positive step in the right direction.  It is best to start with a master plan.  It can be as simple as first committing to reuse.  Using washable cleaning towels as opposed to paper towels goes a long way as does the incorporation of reusable items such as mugs, plates, cups and water bottles.  Consider the purchase of products such as liquid soap in bulk and refillable decorative bottles.  Donating clothing, toys, household items and electronics to charities serves the dual process of helping others who are less fortunate, as well as keeping these items out of the landfill.  These practices alone will substantially reduce the number of articles going in the trash and on to the landfill.

Summer vacation also is an excellent time to examine your energy and water usage and to make cost-cutting changes.  This is a great time to take a trip to the hardware store to learn about and to invest in energy-efficient lighting and appliances.  If a new appliance is on the shopping list, make sure it it an energy star product.  These products are very energy efficient and will save money in the long run.  This also is a good time to invest in energy-efficient light bulbs for your home.  Thirdly, take a look at water filters.  An investment in a tap filter negates the need to purchase bottled water, thereby lowering grocery costs and most importantly, reducing the number of plastic bottles taken to the landfill.

Going green in the summer presents several opportunities for families to learn healthier and environmentally friendly ways of living, establish green plans, save money and improve the environment.  So this summer try to live green be green.

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Engage In Green!!

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School is out and warm weather is here.  This is an opportune time to get involved with the green movement.  Teachable moments are everywhere.  For older children who want to earn extra money doing lawn care, parents can give instructions on the use of green products to care for the lawn that do not pollute or produce runoff to streams and lakes.  Younger children can learn how to grow flowers or vegetables using organic plant and vegetable food that is not harmful to the environment.  There are few restraints here.  Projects can be as large as outdoor land or as small as houseplants or patio gardens.

Planting an outside garden provides a great opportunity to enjoy the weather outside and is a great alternative to watching television or playing video games. Developing a schedule for gardening activities teaches children to adhere to routines and to commit to projects.  These characteristics are key to success in both education and work.   Researching green gardening, implementing a plan and then carrying it out fosters teamwork and promotes wholesome family time.  The final product, whether it is a crop of tomatoes or other vegetables or a garden of beautiful flowers that were grown by an organic process that contributed to the health of the environment will be a source of pride for any family and most likely the highlight of the summer vacation.

Green gardening is a wonderful activity and learning opportunity that stimulates and teaches valuable lessons to children without mimicking the feel of the classroom, thereby providing a rewarding and unique adventure for both parents and children.  Let’s use this natural classroom to go green this summer.

 

Hello world!

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Welcome!  To those of you who knew of us and followed us at our old location, welcome back!  To those of you who are new to LGBG, we welcome you to learn more about us  and to join our mission to bring small doses of awareness to the world community.  Let the green blogging begin!

Happy visiting, and come back soon!