The Top Five Ways to Save Money and The Planet

Source: Green Baby Guide

Since fuel expenses, high food prices, and child-rearing costs are eating into our thrifty budgets, here are some simple, eco-friendly tips that can save some money. They all come directly from stopglobalwarming.org, which has another five money saving tips available for your perusal. While you’re there, use their handy-dandy online calculator to estimate your carbon and cost savings.

Run your dishwasher only when it’s loaded to full capacity. It’ll save you $40 per year and reduce your carbon emissions by a whopping 200 pounds.

Move your thermostat down two degrees when it’s cold and up two degrees when it’s hot. This minor switch will save your family $98 annually and bring your carbon emissions down by two thousand pounds!

Take shorter showers. Check out Crunchy Domestic Goddess’s post on this. She recently challenged her readers to time their showers and try to keep them to just five minutes per shower. This really isn’t that challenging! By reducing your showering time you could save 350 pounds of carbon dioxide and $99 per year. 


Switch just three standard light bulbs in a highly used area of your home with compact fluorescent bulbs. You’ll save $60 per year (and remember that they last for many, many years) and 300 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.

If you have a car, make sure the tires are properly inflated by checking them regularly. You’ll save a shocking $840 and 250 pounds of carbon dioxide.

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Choosing your beauty products

Yes, this is important as we have already been surrounded by pollution, so we need to choose our beauty products carefully, especially when you have skin allergy or sensitive skin. Don't forget, it also helps us reduce damage to environment.

If you want to go green with your beauty products, The Green Machine has tips for you:

1. Avoid products with artificial fragrances
For the past 50 years, 80-90% of fragrances found in beauty products have been synthesized from petroleum—not from natural sources, as some labels might lead you to believe. Beauty product labels can be confusing—or worse, misleading—because the Food and Drug Administration does not regulate how companies use words like "fragrance-free," "unscented," "natural" and "hypoallergenic." Look for products that include natural fragrances in their ingredients, or no fragrance at all. Your best bet is to choose products from trusted cosmetic and body-care companies that use only natural, certified organic, non-toxic and non-synthetic ingredients.

2. Knows what in your potions and lotions
Be on the lookout for hazardous ingredients in your medicine cabinet and makeup bag. Cosmetic ingredients are not regulated by the FDA or any other government agency and often contain harmful ingredients that have not been adequately tested. For example, parabens are synthetic preservatives that can disrupt hormones but can still be found in many of our beauty products. Check the ingredient lists on your moisturizers, soaps, bath products, makeup, sunscreen, toothpaste and deodorant, and replace anything that includes any of the following ingredients:

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Denali National Park Goes Greener With New Hybrid Commercial Bus From IC Bus

IC Bus to Deliver the Park's First-Ever Hybrid Bus

DENALI, Alaska, July 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Visitors to Alaska's Denali National Park and Preserve, one of the largest protected intact ecosystems in the world, will now have the opportunity to explore the park with the aid of an environmentally friendly vehicle -- a fuel-efficient and emissions-reducing hybrid bus. IC Bus, North America's largest school bus and commercial bus manufacturer, is delivering the Park's first hybrid bus on July 17.

Assigned for use as part of the park's shuttle service which extends 90 miles into the wilderness, the hybrid bus will transport visitors along a 45- mile route through August 30, during the Park's peak season, enhancing visitors' experience. A quieter engine will improve wildlife viewing as visitors see and hear nature in a way the other buses do not allow.

"Can you imagine the thrill of moving slowly and silently past a bear nursing its cub or wolf hunting along the road?" asked Elwood Lynn, assistant superintendent of operations for Denali.

In addition to a quieter ride, the new bus will provide better performance on the steep grades of the park road as Denali is also known for its mountain viewing.

Most importantly, the CE Series Hybrid delivers the following environmental benefits:

-- Up to 30 percent reduction in particulate matter

-- Up to 20 percent reduction in NOx emissions

-- Up to 70 percent improvement in fuel economy

-- Up to 40 percent reduction in CO2

-- Hybrid drive power provides an electronic boost for hills or when rapid

acceleration is needed

-- Electronic regeneration recharges the battery and improves brake life

Denali officials and employees are very excited about the new hybrid as they are committed to making Park operations more sustainable and educating visitors about eco-friendly changes they can make in their own lives.

"This bus will reduce our impact on the environment while improving guests' experience," explained Lynn.

When Doyon/ARAMARK, the concessioner responsible for the Park's transportation service, won the Denali contract in 2003, the Park challenged them to explore new bus technology, including hybrid. In turn, Doyon/ARAMARK approached Cascadia International, the IC Bus dealership in Anchorage. Cascadia is loaning the hybrid bus to Doyon/ARAMARK to test at the Park.

"This bus is for demo and evaluation purposes. The National Park Service is looking at this technology and is very interested in the feasibility and economic viability of future fleet replacements. The price of diesel fuel in the Denali area tops $5.00/gallon so fuel economy is a genuine consideration with this project along with reducing environmental impact," said Matt Gerber, statewide sales executive of Cascadia International, LLC.

Doyon/ARAMARK currently has 110 buses in its Denali National Park and Preserve fleet which drive an average of 1.2 million miles per year. As more of the diesel-engine buses are replaced by hybrids, the reduced impact on the environment and fuel savings become that much greater.

"Improving fuel efficiency and reducing emissions will help the Park and the environment," said John McKinney, vice president and general manager of IC Bus. "IC Bus is committed to environmental leadership with its hybrid commercial bus."

The hybrid system, developed by Enova Systems, couples a diesel engine with an 80-kilowatt powertrain, incorporating a transmission, batteries and an electric motor. The system recovers kinetic energy during regenerative braking, charging the batteries while the bus is slowing down. This provides additional power for acceleration, making the hybrid buses ideal because of the frequent starting and stopping of the bus.

IC Bus

IC Bus, LLC of Warrenville, Ill., is a wholly owned subsidiary of Navistar International Corporation (NYSE: NAV). The nation's largest manufacturer of school buses, IC Bus is a leader in passenger protection, chassis design, engines and ergonomics. The company is also a producer of school buses. All IC Bus buses are sold, serviced and supported through a renowned dealer network that offers an integrated customer program encompassing parts, training and service. Additional information is available site at http://www.icbus.com

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Learning To Live Smart and Green is Easier with Forecast Earth Online

Site redesign and expanded environmental coverage now available from The Weather Channel Interactive.

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) June 30, 2008 -- Visitors to Forecast Earth (www.weather.com/forecastearth), the interactive broadband site dedicated to climate change issues created by The Weather Channel Interactive, can now find new content on how to "live smart" and stay green in an entirely redesigned and easy-to-navigate site. The redesigned Web site contains practical information to help consumers live well, reduce waste, save money and sustain the planet. Additionally, a roster of new bloggers provides perspective and commentary on environmental issues. Eco-friendly lifestyle tips and features can also be found directly from weather.com.

Fresh New Design Makes Finding Green Living Content Easier

The Forecast Earth site was created two years ago as the premiere broadband channel designed to start a dialogue and humanize the impact of climate change. Keeping that goal in mind, the site's redesign eases overall navigation of articles, tools and videos. The front page of Forecast Earth now contains continuously updated information and links to the newest videos from the Forecast Earth team. The highlight of the redesign is a new section entitled "Living Smart" with content on driving, home, travel and health. Advertisers also can take advantage of a new 300 x 600 ad position on the Forecast Earth home page allowing brands to reach an audience of environmentally concerned consumers.

This eco-minded content can be found not only at the Forecast Earth site, but also throughout weather.com. New content ranging from smaller, "light" green efforts to more involved "deep" green discussions are now located on a variety of channels within weather.com.

This includes:
- Driving: Learn how your choice of vehicle has an impact on the environment and on your wallet with information on estimated annual fuel costs and air pollution ratings for hundreds of vehicles. Read about clean, electric and hybrid vehicles.
- Home and Garden: Learn some home improvements to help save energy and money while protecting our environment. Articles include topics such as gardening and severe weather preparation tips.
- Travel: Explore 10 of the world's most eco-friendly destinations or find advice and resources to help plan a perfect -- yet responsible -- getaway. Read articles on the growth and popularity of ecotourism.

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Ecobunga! Links Shoppers to Green Giveaways & Deals

Shoppers can find hundreds of giveaways and deals on eco-friendly products at Ecobunga.com, the online directory that helps consumers win green, save green and go green.

San Francisco, CA, June 17, 2008 --(PR.com)-- Ecobunga!, launched today at http://www.ecobunga.com, helps consumers find bargains and giveaways on eco-friendly products and services. The website lists hundreds of deals, from sweepstakes for hybrid cars to coupons for organic foods.


Ecobunga! seeks to address consumers’ top concern about going green: cost. According to the 2007 GfK Roper Green Gauge® Study, about 40% of Americans say they’d pay for a product that is perceived as being better for the environment. But at the same time, 74% of those surveyed say eco-friendly products are too expensive. “Basic laws of supply and demand should eventually bring down the price of eco-friendly products and services,” notes Karen Schiff, co-founder of Ecobunga! “In the meantime, we want to help shoppers chip away at the cost of going green by connecting them to deals large and small.”

At Ecobunga! shoppers can find discounts, free shipping, contests, sweepstakes, and more on all sorts of green products and services. Eco-conscious moms might be interested in Under the Nile’s sale on organic cotton baby clothes, homeowners looking for lower electric bills might want to enter GE’s Energy Smart Sweepstakes, and young and old alike might enjoy the coupons on Stonyfield Farm’s organic frozen yogurt.

Consumers are not the only ones to benefit from Ecobunga! Businesses with earth-friendly offerings can add their deals to the site for free. “We not only want to help shoppers locate green deals, we also want to help green companies locate shoppers,” says Schiff, who explains that before being published to the website each deal is reviewed using criteria recommended by respected organizations, such as Co-op America, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Consumer Reports. “It’s not a perfect science,” Schiff adds, “but we do our very best to ensure shoppers get a genuine green deal.”

About Ecobunga!
Through its comprehensive online directory of green giveaways and deals, Ecobunga! LLC connects eco-conscious consumers and companies, providing a way for shoppers to save money and businesses to promote their green products and services.

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