Green On The Go

Technology

Buy Green: Solar Chargers

Power all your gadgets with the best solar chargers on the market.

Getting our gadgets off-grid is becoming increasingly easy thanks to a market boom of high-tech solar chargers. But finding a charger powerful enough is part of the challenge to ensuring you'll actually want to skip plugging your device into the wall. It's important to keep in mind wattage (has it got the muscle to charge your devices?), charging time (does it take five hours or 20 hours of sunlight to fill a battery?), and of course price. Once you've found the right charger, how about small scale renewable energy for shrugging off dirty power wherever possible. These five options range from small and simple-perfect for charging cell phones-to chargers robust enough to recharge laptops. Simply place them in direct sunlight, soak up the energy, and then plug in your gadgets to repower batteries.

(Source: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/buying-guides/buy-green-solar-chargers.html)

SolarGorilla From PowerTraveller

Why We Like It: The foldable design of the SolarGorilla from PowerTraveller makes it an excellent choice for portability, shrinking it down to roughly 10 inches square and about an inch thick. It also comes with a slew of attachments for various plugs on the market, so chances are, it will work for your electronic.

Eco Factor: The relatively high watt rating for this device combined with the compact fold-up design makes this off-grid power source easy and effective in any location. It's also powerful enough to refill not only small devices, but even laptops, meeting a range of needs.

Power: 10 Watts
Where: EarthTech Products
How Much: $250

Solio Charger From Solio

Why We Like It: The Solio Charger delivers both an affordable price tag and tiny portable size-small enough to fit in your back pocket-without sacrificing quality. Since it can go just about anywhere with you, it's great for emergency charging. The brand has been around for quite a few years, and has been a TreeHugger favorite since 2004.

Eco Factor: Solio is ideal for charging small gadgets, so cell phones, MP3 players, and other handhelds never need to be plugged into the wall as long as the sun is out.

Power: 0.6 Watts
Where: Solio
How Much: $50

SolarRoll 4.5 From Brunton

Why We Like It: The portability factor is a big deal in the SolarRoll 4.5 from Brunton. Having a solar charger that can roll right up makes it easy to jump off the grid. Plus, it comes in three different watt capacities so you can choose which size works best for your needs.

Eco Factor: The SolarRoll is made to go in any location, and is super durable-a key trait for an eco-friendly product.

Power: 4.5 to 14 Watts depending on the size of the roll
Where: Brunton
How Much: 4.5 Watt roll (all you'll need for hand-held devices) is $295

Solaris 26 From Brunton

Why We Like It: With the Solaris 26 from Brunton, you've got a huge amount of power in a very small package. While this charger folds up to a nice small size-only 11 inches by 8.5 inches by 1 inch-its maximum output of 26 watts means it has the ability to easily charge up your laptop computer, let alone smaller devices.

Eco Factor: It can fit just about anywhere, from under a car seat to in a backpack, so that charging even your netbook or notebook is a breeze without a ton of space.

Power: 26 Watts
Where: Brunton
How Much: $620

Voltaic Backpack From Voltaic Systems

Why We Like It: We love that the Voltaic Backpack from Voltaic Systems incorporates solar charging ability into a practical backpack. You don't have to worry about how much room the charger will take up in your pack because, well, it is the pack. The backpack is perfect for charging handhelds, and the company also produces a laptop case strong enough to charge your notebook.

Eco Factor: Walk in the sun and you'll get your gear charged up while on the go. Not to mention, the pack itself is made from recycled PET bottles and is UV resistant so you don't have to worry about it fading from all that charging.

Power: 4 Watts
Where: Voltaic Systems
How much: $250

(Source: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/buying-guides/buy-green-solar-chargers.html)

Cool Green apps for your iPhone

I've had my iPhone for more than a year, but I've been slow to load up on apps, mainly depending on my friends to tip me off to hidden gems. Then last week I saw an Earth Day commercial for green iPhone apps (or a commercial on Earth Day for iPhone stuff ... it could have been a coincidence) and suddenly had an urge to find out more.

At this point there's no good way to search the iTunes store -- or if there is, I'm not smart enough/young enough to figure it out. Instead I did some internet research and read a bunch of reviews. These are some of the highest rated green iPhone apps, with the biggest buzz and in some cases the most potential to grow:

• greenMeter ($5.99) -- do you know how fuel efficient your car is? How about your driving? This app measures how much fuel you're using, and your driving style. Then it gives you feedback to help you reduce your fuel consumption and impact on the environment.
• Get Green ($.99) -- get daily reminders delivered to your phone every day.
• iGreen ($.99) -- all the green news, all in one place, right when it happens.
• GasBag (free) and GasBag Pro (a little faster, no ads, $.99) -- find the closest and cheapest gas station in your vicinity. Worth it if you've ever driven around outside of an airport, looking for a gas station before dropping off a rental car. It will also help you avoid the extra emissions and gas guzzling of making the rounds of your local gas stations.
• 3rdwhaleMobile (free) -- a location based directory that helps you find green businesses. You can also rate and add reviews. It's in beta, but it's the kind of app that has a lot of potential as it grows.

FYI, I didn't include any of those dumb apps that let you grow a tree on your phone, and they plant one (!) tree when you buy it. That just seems dumb. If you want to donate money to plant a tree, go right to the source and donate to something like the Nature Conservancy's Plant a Billion Trees. Your phone doesn't need to get involved.

Sure, iPhone apps are cool, but sometimes the old fashioned way still works best.

by Cat Lincoln
Apr 28th 2009

(Source: http://www.greendaily.com/2009/04/28/cool-green-apps-for-your-iphone/)

Tips on How To Travel Green

Public Transportation: Fast Track to Fewer Emissions and Energy Independence

Families that use public transportation can save more than they spend on food.

If you want to help reduce global warming, let alone air pollution, one of the best things you can do is to get out of your car. Walk or ride a bicycle for short trips, or take public transportation for longer ones. Either way, you will significantly reduce the amount of pollution and greenhouse gas emissions you generate each day.

The Rising Environmental Cost of Driving Alone

Transportation accounts for more than 30 percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. According to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), public transportation in the United States saves approximately 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline and about 1.5 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. Yet only 14 million Americans use public transportation daily while 88 percent of all trips in the United States are made by car-and many of those cars carry only one person.

Added Benefits of Public Transportation - Consider these other benefits of public transportation:

• Energy independence - According to Treehugger.com, if just one in 10 Americans used public transportation daily, U.S. reliance on foreign oil would decrease 40 percent.
• Safety - Riding a bus is 79 times safer than riding in an automobile, and riding a train or subway is even safer.
• Health - Studies have shown that people who use public transportation regularly tend to be healthier than people who don't, because of the exercise they get walking to and from bus stops, subway stations and their homes and offices.
• Cost savings - According to an APTA study, families that use public transportation can reduce their household expenses by $6,200 annually, more than the average U.S. household spends on food every year.

The Heart of the Debate Over Public Transportation

So why don't more Americans use public transportation? Transportation experts and social scientists may argue about which came first, America's love affair with the automobile or the urban and suburban sprawl that makes long daily commutes in at least one and often two cars a requirement for many American families. Either way, the problem at the heart of the debate is that good public transportation systems are not available to enough people. While public transportation is readily available in many major cities, the majority of Americans in smaller cities, towns and rural areas simply don't have access to public transportation. So the problem is twofold:

• Persuading people with ready access to public transportation to use it more often.
• Creating affordable public transportation options in smaller communities.

Trains, Buses and Automobiles

Train systems are the most efficient in many ways, typically emitting less carbon and using less fuel per passenger than buses, but they are often more expensive to implement. Also, the traditional advantages of trains can be mitigated to a large extent by using hybrids or buses that run on natural gas.

Another promising alternative is bus rapid transit (BRT), which runs extra-long buses in dedicated lanes. A 2006 study by the Breakthrough Technologies Institute found that a BRT system in a medium-sized U.S. city could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 650,000 tons during a 20-year period.

If you live in an area with good public transportation, do something good for the planet today. Park your car, and take the subway or the bus. If you don't, then talk to your local and federal elected officials about the benefits of public transportation and how it may help solve some of the problems they're wrestling with right now.

(Source: http://environment.about.com/od/greenlivingdesign/a/public_transit.htm)

5 Ways to Green Your Flight

1. Book a Direct Flight
50% of carbon emissions are released during takeoff and landing. You can save 272 gallons of jet fuel by booking a direct flight.

2. Choose a Green Airline
Some airlines have taken strides to reduce emissions and save energy. Reward the greener airlines by flying with them. Always encourage them to go greener. I like the TRX carbon calculator. It breaks down the carbon cost of flights by airline.

3. Buy Carbon Offsets
Carbon offsets are a great way to alleviate guilt and carbon. Make sure to use a reliable offset company. Tufts University did a study on which offset companies were a cut above the rest.

4. Don't Use the Airplane Bathroom
Using an airplane bathroom consumes about six miles worth of gasoline. If you gotta go, you gotta go. But if you go before takeoff or hold it till after arrival, you'd be doing the world a service.

5. Pack Less
The more weight a plane has to carry, the more fuel it has to consume. If 200 passengers packed 5 fewer pounds, they'd relieve the plane one half-ton. Some airlines are removing the paint from their planes to reduce weight, by 440 pounds. Every little bit helps. Do your part.

(Source: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/green-air-travel.html)

Check into Green Hotels
Transportation, land development, and consumption associated with tourism – now the number one industry in the world – contribute to global warming, habitat destruction, and dislocation of native populations. One way to reduce the impact on your vacation is to stay in sustainably designed and operated hotels, resorts, inns, and bed and breakfasts.

Here are some examples of hotels that do their part to be green.

• The Sheraton Rittenhouse Square Hotel in Philadelphia, Penn., and Habitat Suites in Austin, Texas, operate like most conventional hotels, but have furnishings, building materials, towels, and supplies made with organic or recycled materials, and sustainably harvested woods.
  
  Grounds and rooms are maintained with non-toxic cleaners and least-toxic pest control methods.
• Arbor House, a bed and breakfast in Madison, WI, has low-flow showers and toilets.
• Molokai Ranch in Hawaii uses solar power and composting toilets, for example.
• Some hotels provide cards, created by the Green Hotels Association (GHA), which let guests elect to reuse sheets and towels. GHA also helps over 200 hotels implement better water, energy and solid waste programs.

Because no single standard exists for green hotels, it's important for consumers to question hoteliers about eco-friendly practices before reserving a room. And, after your stay, don't forget to make a note in hotel feedback forms about changes you'd like to see. "The more consumer questions about environmental issues hoteliers get, the more likely they'll change," says Jamie Sweeting, Director of Conservation International’s travel and leisure industry program.

(Source: National Geographic Green Guide)

Did you know… (provided by Climate Cooler)

• If just 1 in 10 of our customers switched to Green$ense, that would be the equivalent of taking 5,000 cars off the road?
• Green$ense electronic statements and transactions have 90% less impact on global warming than equivalent paper statements?
• Switching to Green$ense to get rid of your paper statements is like growing a tree every year to help fight global warming?

Vacations

Eco-Friendly Vacations
By Cat Lincoln

It's time to make summer vacation plans! After a few seasons of "staycations," many people are craving a break from their everyday life -- we want a little adventure! By the same token, the economy is still shaky, and the spirit of giving back is still a strong influence on all of our decisions.

How does a conservation-minded person reconcile all of these feelings and motivations?

One answer is to take advantage of the World Wildlife Fund vacation packages that promote conservation while taking travelers to remote sites in a sustainably-managed way. The programs offered include:

• a trip to the Arctic to see polar bears, who might be gone soon and need all the support they can get
• a voyage to Kenya's Masai Mara Reserve to help improve the water and ensure conservation of natural resources
• visit remote islands in New Zealand and help prevent the bycatch of dolphins
• a family vacation to Belize to help conserve the Mesoamerican reef, which you even get to visit on a snorkel excursion!

Visit www.worldwildlife.org for details

The International Eco-Tourism Society offers even more choices of location, beneficiary and location, as well as tips and educational tools. The site even has a brand new eco-tourism job board, in case the thought of going home fills you with dread. Check out all the offer at www.ecotourism.org

If your budget is still a bit tight for international any travel, there's always a day at your local zoo. It may not be as exotic as Kenya or Belize, but it can still be educational, entertaining, and in a way you're supporting conservation efforts. And if you're very clever about how you take pictures, you might even be able to convince the gang back at the office that you were in a truly wild place!

(Source: http://www.greendaily.com/2009/05/15/take-a-summer-trip-to-conservation-central/)

Staycations

Staycations: The new wave in eco-vacations
By Patricia Mayville-Cox

Forget eco-tourism. The greenest way to vacation is to have a "Staycation." That's right, it's just what it sounds like, a vacation, where you stay home. No flying, no long car trips. Now, as someone who will actually be embarking on a staycation this year instead of a real vacation, I've been trying to distill the elements of what makes a vacation a vacation, and how can we incorporate them into our staycation. Here's what I've come up with:

• No cooking: While on vacation, we usually eat light during the day and then have a nice dinner out at night. I can do that!
• No projects or errands: Of course, you'll have to keep up with your daily housekeeping routine, or you'll have quite a mess to clean up at the end of it. Otherwise, no taking on big projects like cleaning out the basement or painting the garage. No catching up on errands or appointments either. If you wouldn't do it on a real vacation, don't do it on your staycation.
• Plan a few day trips: Plan a few day trips around your area. Best part is, you'll be flexible and not so bummed if it rains out one day, as you can always go the next day. Or any other day during the year, since you're, er, right in your area.
• Unplug: This one is critical. One must unplug. Sometimes I think that we deliberately seek out places for rest and relaxation just to get away from our computers and laptops and Blackberrys and cells. Change the voicemails on your phones too. For even more oomph, turn off your TV too. If you think you might be really antsy and needing some screen time, rent a few classic films that you've been meaning to see.

6 Biggest Environmental Mistakes People Make with their Vehicles

When it comes to caring for and driving a vehicle, the average consumer can make some seemingly small mistakes that can end up costing the environment and other drivers dearly.

Various Internet sources are always putting together lists featuring the biggest mistakes people make when driving their vehicle, such as not using their lights in bad weather, driving too close to other vehicles, and accelerating too quickly when leaving a light. All these are viable problems, but today we are going to focus on the mistakes that are most harmful to the environment, as well as a compromise to our own safety and the safety of those around us.

Resist the Temptation to Wash Your Vehicle in the Driveway
Many times DIY type projects save you money, time, and even a few trees in the process. They involve no paperwork, simple tools, and can be as green as the do it yourselfer would like them to be. However, in the case of washing your own vehicle, this is one scenario where self-washing is actually not always as green as taking it to a professional service center. It uses two to three times more water, the chemical runoff can find its way into the water supply, and it can sometimes take longer than just driving to the nearest environmentally friendly car wash.

Follow a Strict Maintenance Schedule
This is a big problem that a lot of vehicle owners are guilty of, especially during poor economic times. The problem occurs when people choose to drive their vehicle until they have a problem, then bring their vehicle in for servicing, rather than taking an active roll in preventative maintenance. Just like seeing your doctor for regular check-ups, a vehicle needs to have regular servicing done to ensure years of trouble free service, good gas mileage, and low emissions. Such servicing involves changing your fluids and filters regularly, replacing spark plugs, and maintaining a clean fuel system. Best of all, many of these maintenance type services and repairs can be accomplished DIY style, with limited mechanical knowledge, minimal tools, and a minimal charge, due to the price break by using your own labor.

Keep a Bi-weekly Eye on Your Tires
Tires are a commonly forgotten part of a vehicle, yet they are one of the most important links to safety, gas economy, and emissions. The different ways a tire is manufactured can improve roll resistance, durability, and its ability to tackle all sorts of weather (rain, sleet, snow). Beyond the tires themselves however, maintaining the proper inflation of tires is also of pivotal importance. Fuel economy can be affected when the pressure of a tire is off by as little as three to five psi (pounds per square inch). It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for uneven wear, or other abnormalities in your tires. This will help you gauge when it is time for their replacement.

Avoid Unnecessary, Excessive Idling
Hopefully, with all the coverage this problem has been receiving, it will soon no longer be such an eyesore for many daily commuters, but currently excessive idling is still a huge problem in the United States. Such a huge problem in fact, that laws have been passed to help discourage folks from participating in these actions. Not only can the fumes from idling damage your lungs, and the lungs of those around you, the EPA states that anytime you expect a wait of 1 minute or more, it would behoove you to shut down the engine and restart when ready to go. Following this will improve the health of the planet, your fuel economy, and reduce the impact of your overall carbon footprint.

Drive 55, Believe the Jive
Most people know by now that overzealous driving wastes fuel and increases your vehicles emissions, but they may not know, that so does overly slow driving. The most efficient way to drive your vehicle is to stay well within the legal speed limit and remain at a moderate speed and steady pace for the duration of the drive. For most vehicles the optimum speed limit is somewhere between 50 and 60 mph. The reason for this, is this also happens to be the average speed at which the government tests vehicles in order to determine their fuel economy rating. It is only natural for manufacturers to desire to receive the very best mpg scores possible, so in order to achieve this, they design their vehicles to perform the most efficiently at these speeds.

Refuse to Participate in the Road Rage Epidemic
Road rage is a growing problem in the US and the greatest evidence of this infliction is from the statistics which support these claims. The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) estimates that as much as one-third of all car crashes are caused by aggressive driving. Accidents such as these reduce vehicle efficiency and increase emissions by causing gridlock, which results in excessive idling. It is easy to get angry because of careless drivers on the road, but by giving into this anger, you often only end up joining their aggressive driving style. Don't feed the beast and worry about the other drivers, just be cautious, defensive, and most importantly…just be happy!

(Source: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tech-transport/environmental-mistakes-vehicles.html)