My first suggestion would be to start slow. Start small with everyday things like sharing rides to work, walking or riding your bike to lower how much fuel you are consuming and lower your contribution to air pollution. Change the light bulbs in your home to the smaller fluorescent bulbs. Regular light bulbs can really increase your monthly bills and the newer ones will last a lot longer. This adds up to big savings for you over time.

Another approach is to do a little maintenance around the house. Start caulking any gaps around the doors and windows and seal up any opening. This will help keep out drafts that cost you money.

Another big tip is if you want to spend a little money – insulate, insulate, insulate! You will always make your money back on insulation. Having a well insulated home cuts down on those high energy cost in the wintertime. The more insulation, the less your furnace or heater will turn off and on costing you less.

One thing I hadn’t thought much about before was my appliances until my washer started to go crazy. If you have older appliances, they are probably eating your lunch in energy. It’s true! I couldn’t believe how much difference there was just in the ten years difference since I had bought my old one. You will actually save enough on your monthly bills over time to pay for a new energy efficient appliance. So if your spouse has been complaining about that old frig or washer, surprise them and replace it for them and save some money. (hint hint honey)

Of course, one of the most obvious “Going Green” changes that most of us have been exposed to since we were young is recycling. The bonus is that many vendors and manufacturers are making it easy for us. Watch for the recycling emblem when purchasing products. Buy more than one trash can so that you can separate out your paper, metal, glass and plastic.

These are all excellent ideas that you can utilize to start your “Going Green” lifestyle. Should you decide to pursue even bigger ideas’ there are many resources and a large amount of information available.

I started researching “Green Energy” and Home Alternate Energy as a way to save money on my electric bill. The result has been a driven need for more information and perhaps a way to indulge my passion to learn to market on the internet.

I also have a passion for my dogs Maddie and Rodeo and love to use my background in the pet industry to share information with you. Check out the following site for healthy dog food information.

http://www.love-your-dog-food.com

Author: Michelle Houser
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Healing food: natural way to cure cancer

1) Size

To maintain happy and healthy chickens, it is best to make sure that each chicken has between four and six square feet of space to live and get exercise. The more space, the healthier the chicken will be. This will then determine how many chickens you are able to house, which, in turn will give you an approximate size for the house.

2) Style

Taking a good look at the area you have available will probably determine what style would be most appropriate as well. You might also be able to determine whether you would like to have a chicken tractor (mobile house) or a regular fixed hen house.

3) Access

Be sure to keep in mind the ease of access to the hen house, so that cleaning is as short and simple as possible. A good plan will have well thought out access to the hen house already compensated for in the plans itself.

4) Safety

Safety for the chickens in the hen house is also very important. There are many natural predators that need to be accounted for, including dogs, coyotes, raccoons, skunks, lions, red-tailed hawks and bears, just to name a few. There are techniques that are simple and effective to adequately protect your new chickens while outside in the run or in the house.

There are many things to consider before you purchase or build. Take the time to look through a few plans that might be the perfect set for you. The hen house plan that will produce the healthiest chickens and the most eggs is the one that will make your experience with your new green living adventure one that will continue for many years.

The Hen House Plan That Makes Sense!

Being in the construction industry for many years, the trend of building green has been something that I have been very interested in and have tried to incorporate in as many ways as possible. Living green goes hand in hand with building green and I have since been focused on replacing the organic food that I purchase. Chicken and eggs are two things that I can easily replace with just a few dollars and a bit of time. Please check out the hen house plan that might just be perfect for you and your family.

Author: Daphne Schmitz
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Credit card currency-exchange fees

But what about Bowser and Tabby? Is your pet’s lifestyle becoming greener as well?

Here are five easy things you can do to help your pet live as green a lifestyle as you do.

1. Buy your pet supplies in bulk. Purchasing the large economy sizes of pet food and supplies reduces the need for wasteful packaging and saves you money as well. IN addition to reducing waste from packaging materials, you will also use less fuel due to making fewer trips to the store to buy these items for your pets.

2. Reduce pollution by picking up after your pet with biodegradable “poop” bags. They cost about 10 cents apiece, which works out to about $36 per year if you use one per day. For cats, recycled, biodegradable litter is a good choice. Both can go into your backyard compost pile or the green waste bin. All in all, it is a minimal expense to bear in return for reducing landfill waste.

3. Use leashes, collars, beds, and toys made from eco-friendly materials. Hemp is underutilized. It is strong and durable, a great material for leashes and collars that look good and last longer than those made from synthetic materials. Look for bedding for your pet made from recycled materials, or if you are willing to pay a bit more, all natural materials. All-natural chew-toys are safe and completely biodegradable.

4. Choose pet shampoos made of natural ingredients whenever possible. The cleaners you use to clean up accidents on the floor or carpet are also available with all natural ingredients, including enzymes that help remove stains and odors.

Bonus tip: The next time you want a new pet, please consider a pet adoption from a shelter or pet rescue association. Such animals are almost always spayed or neutered and have been provided with necessary shots and any immediately necessary medical treatment. You will save an animal from being euthanized and reduce demand for bred animals.

You want to live greener. Your pet can join you in a greener lifestyle with a little help from you.

Want more ideas about how to live a greener lifestyle and save money? Go to Steve Stillwater’s web site at http://www.livinggreenandsavingenergy.com. Steve offers to easy-to-implement green living tips and ideas that allow you to live green and save money. Better yet, sign up for his free newsletter which gives you regular updates on green news and information you can use, and get 2 Free Bonuses just for signing up: 1) 10 Easy Ways to Save Gas and 2) 2010′s Top 20 Fuel Efficient Cars. Take an easy step toward a greener lifestyle at http://www.livinggreenandsavingenergy.com.

Author: Steve Stillwater
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Creditcard Currency Conversion Fee

Have your pets been hosts to fleas lately? You don’t need to resort to harsh chemical that damage our environment. Regular practice of green flea control can solve the problem. Here’s a short list of tips to help get rid of fleas the natural way.

1. Vacuum or sweep carpeting, furniture and floors at least every week. Then don’t let the fleas live and reproduce in that vacuum bag. Take it out and burn it. Regularly wash all bedding where your pet sleeps. (A good reason to have cotton, washable rugs.)

2. Comb your pet with a fine-toothed, metal flea comb. When the comb catches critters, drown them in soapy water. Try for doing this every day if fleas are a bad problem.

3. At night, put a dish of soapy water under a light near your pet’s bed to trap fleas.

4. Spray or rub your pet with a homemade repellent after a bath. Put a sliced lemon, peel and all, in a pint jar and cover it with boiling water. Let the mixture sit overnight, then strain out the pulp. Sponge the lemon mixture on your pet until its fur is moist and let it air dry (no towel, please). The lemon rinse will tone the clean skin and leave a citrus odor that will help repel fleas.

Herbs that repel fleas are pennyroyal, citronella, rosemary and wormwood. You can find herbal flea collars at pet and health food stores. Or simply buy the dried herbs and make your own flea repellents by making an infusion with the herb, then using it to soak an organic cotton collar. After it dries, the collar is ready for your pet. IF you make your own pet beds, you can put these herbs inside, too.

Beware – after you treat your pet with any flea repellant, be sure to put it outside for a few hours, so the fleas abandon ship there instead of in your home!

Besides taking care of the outside of your pet, the inside needs attention, too. Part of your flea fighting regime should also be dietary supplements that when eaten, cause an odor that fleas would rather not be around to develop on your pets skin. Brewer’s yeast and zinc are the two most common. But be aware that dietary supplements take close to a month to build up to flea-fighting levels in a pet’s skin.

The important flea-control ingredient in brewer’s yeast is thiamine (vitamin B). One milligram a day for each five pounds of your pet’s weight is ideal. That’s one teaspoon of brewer’s yeast for an average-size cat. You might give a large dog one tablespoon of brewer’s yeast along with a B-complex vitamin pill. Brewer’s yeast can also be dusted on your pet’s fur as a flea powder. (If your pet licks some off, there’s no harm done.)

Zinc is essential for healthy skin, essential to fight flea infestations, but is lacking in many pets’ diets. Use 10 milligram (mg) a day for cats and small dogs; 20 mg for larger dogs

Unfortunately, nothing can completely get rid of fleas forever. But these ideas can help keep your pet happy and healthy while being kind to the environment at the same time.
To learn more green ideas to lower our impact on the environment visit http://greentipsforyou.com/

Joshua Vadney has always been interested in “being green” and has started his own web page with tips for saving money while having a lower impact on the environment. Visit http://greentipsforyou.com/ to learn about useful ways you can be green.

Author: Joshua Vadney
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Cool mobile gadgets

While many of us scramble to “go green” and reduce our “carbon footprint,” it’s easy to forget about Fido doing his thing in the back yard. Outdoor cats impact back yards also, as they find a comfortable garden to take advantage of.

Even if a pet is kept exclusively indoors, we may not realize how much of a carbon “pawprint” they are creating.

Here are 7 things we can do to make that pawprint smaller:

1. Always know where your pet is. If your cats are indoor/outdoor, always supervise them while outside. This is easier with dogs, as they can be restrained by fencing or leashing. However, some people like to give their dogs a little “freedom” and allow them to run at large during the night, when animal control officials are off duty. Not only is this a bad idea, but it’s against the law in most communities. Restricting cats is harder, so keeping them indoors makes the most sense. It’s safer, too.
2. Compost pet wastes. This material should never be used to fertilize a vegetable garden, but it can be placed around decorative plants.
3. Always spay or neuter your pet. Homeless animal populations are out of control and local agencies are not able to keep up with it. Despite the horrendous numbers of healthy dogs and cats killed every year, many people continue to dump unwanted pets in areas where they may hunt, leave wastes, and destroy property.
4. If you are using sustainable products, don’t forget the pets in your home. We all benefit when they go green, too. Instead of buying the usual dog toys, try making them yourself by recycling items at home. Tie some old socks together to make a pull toy for the dog, or put a little homegrown catnip into a sock and tie it off for the cat. And always look for pet products made from recycled or sustainable sources.
5. Use a natural pet food, made from healthful ingredients. Cheap brands typically contain unnatural products, or undefined “by-products” that can actually be harmful. Keeping your pet healthy leads to fewer veterinary visits as well as creating wastes that don’t burn up the yard.
6. Cat litter is a product that no one keeps track of. Where does it go when it’s used up? The common clay or sand litters are strip-mined from the ground and are full of dust… not good for their lungs, or ours. While those are natural products, it’s actually better for us, for them, and for the environment if we use recycled materials, such as pulverized newspaper or sawdust that has been processed into a convenient form for use at home.
7. When you’re ready for a new pet, always check at the shelters first. As many as 25% of pets surrendered are pure breeds, often with papers, but that’s not a good reason to get a pet. Give the “mutts” and regular cats a chance. Often, mixed breeds have little or no health problems and will cost you less at the vet’s.

Another thing we may not think about when we hear the horrendous statistics about how many pets are euthanized every year, is where the bodies go. That can’t be good for the landfills. Even if they were all cremated, that’s an expensive operation.

A great, green goal would be to reduce the unwanted pet populations before they are born so we can stop the killing.

Dr. Peters has an extensive background in health care, animal care, journalism, computer repair and systems administration. She writes articles over a wide spectrum of topics and has numerous ebooks available on the Internet. Visit http://www.theproblemcat.com and http://www.hipaws.com for more articles and information about pets.

Author: Dr. R.J. Peters
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Latest trends in mobile phone