Green Savings

Green Living = Green Savings
Living a more environmentally friendly life is as easy changing a few of your everyday habits. Plus, once you see how much green you're saving, you'll want to step it up even more.

Green Savings
Green Saving online promotions and savings. Get coupons, coupon codes and special offers at Greensavings.org.

Green Savings calculator
Whether it’s the green in the environment or your wallet, reducing paper consumption by using eBills and online bill pay can help save it.

Hotels, Spas Enjoy Big Savings from Green Projects
By implementing energy- and water-saving initiatives, hotels and spas are illustrating how businesses across all industries can reduce their operational costs while cutting their environmental footprint.

Planet Green: Green Money Savings
Check out some ways to go green in a tough economic times.

Cyber Monday

CyberMonday.com

Shop often for deals of the week and specials from over 650 retailers at the official Cyber Monday site.

Eco Cyber Monday

The term "Cyber Monday" refers to the Monday immediately following Black Friday and marks the beginning of the online holiday shopping season when retailers offer bargains through online purchasing portals. The National Retail Federation (NRF) reports Cyber Monday spikes online sales.

Cooking Up A Green Thanksgiving

Save Energy in the Kitchen: 10 Cooking Tips

These 10 tips are worth their weight in gold, especially with energy bills being what they are! And they are so brilliantly simple that you’ll find them easy to incorporate without feeling put-upon or strained in any way.

Energy Saving Cooking Tips

With Thanksgiving preparation, and whirlwind of cooking plans underway, you may be wondering how to reduce energy use in the kitchen.  Here are a few green living tips for saving energy while preparing your Thanksgiving dinner….or any dinner!

11 Common Sense Low Energy Cooking Tips

We're all getting more aware of our energy consumption when it comes to cars (hybrids and electric cars are getting more popular) and to lighting (compact fluorescents took over in only a few years), but most of us are still in the dark when it comes to energy-efficient cooking. Here's a few common sense tips to get your started on the road to low energy cooking.

Green Cooking Tips How To Store Your Food

Between single-serving containers and non-recyclable plastics, there are few places that serve as better examples of wasteful behavior than  supermarkets. If you know what you're looking for and how to repurpose items, you can become an aware shopper and make the best choices for you and the planet.

Green Friday

Top 10 Ways to Go Green on Black Friday

Black Friday is not officially a holiday, but don’t tell that to the millions of crazed bargain shoppers out there who get up before the crack of dawn to shop ‘til they drop!  For many people it’s a family tradition to get up early the day after Thanksgiving and head straight for the best deals in town.  For others it’s an excuse to shop and work off the extra pounds that they gained from eating turkey, sweet potatoes and stuffing.

Make Black Friday a Little Greener

Obviously, shopping on Black Friday is not the eco-friendliest way to spend a day.  But, let's say you wake up the morning after Thanksgiving, pumped up on adrenaline and ready to shop 'til you drop.  How can you make your Black Friday shopping spree a little greener?

Make Black Friday Green in 2009

In this state, and in this economy, buying from locally owned independent businesses this Christmas is more important than ever.  At CRIBA, we would like to challenge everyone to keep as much money in the local economy this year as possible.

Green Homes

Commercial innovations lead way for green homes

Green building practices are not only paying off more quickly as costs decline with demand, but home buyers also are seeking out greener developments over ones without green features ... if they aren't too pricey.

Permalink to GreenBuild Blog 3- How LEED Certified Homes Impact Homeowners

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to help identify and implement practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.

US builds one million Energy Star green homes

Houston, Dallas and Las Vegas are the top three cities with the most qualified green homes, followed by Phoenix, Los Angeles, New York, Tucson, San Antonio, Sacramento, San Diego, Columbus, Des Moines, Indianapolis, Austin, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston, Denver, Orlando and Oklahoma City.

Green Energy Savings

U.S. Department of Energy Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy

L.E.D. LIGHTING: AN INVESTMENT IN ENERGY SAVINGS.

Still white-light LED lighting has moved forward dramatically since 1999. The first white light LEDs were barely white, a very light blue would be a better description. Now there’s a warm white, still not the incandescent glow consumers are comfortable with but close enough. And, white light LEDs are found in all kinds of products from Christmas tree lights, to flashlights to the latest: back lighting for flat computer displays. (I’m looking forward to one of those when (and if) prices drop.

What are some tips for saving money and energy when it comes to lighting?

Apartment energy savings can be huge when it comes to lighting. According to ENERGY STAR, if every home in the United States replaced an incandescent light bulb with an ENERGY STAR rated compact florescent bulb, enough energy would be conserved to light three million homes.

“Green Tap”- NEC develops energy-saving power strip

The device can be used for all kinds of electric appliances. The sensor monitors various data such as the luminosity, temperature, humidity or human heat around it. If you’re out of the room in which you placed your TV, for example, the sensor makes the power strip send an infrared signal to the remote control, which then makes the TV go into standby mode or turn it off completely. If you return, the TV will be turned on again.

Green Dining

Green Home Improvement

11 Nifty Green Home Improvement Projects

From the shade trees I plant around my home to the recycled water I use for growing vegetables in my back yard, I try to use only earth-friendly resources for my home. My husband is on board with this effort as well. He drives a Prius and walks to the corner store instead of hopping in his car. Plus, our diet consists partly of vegetables grown from our organic vegetable garden, and we compost.

Make your Home Green!

Waste is all too prevalent, and in this day and age it is becoming a huge problem. More than 4 pounds of trash is produced every day by just one person alone, and although its estimated that 75 percent of all the trash sent to the landfills can be recycled, only about 30 percent of that trash actually is. Fortunately there are plenty of simple ways to help contribute to solving the problem, and contribute to your savings by reducing, reusing, and recycling in and around the home.

Moderately Priced Green Home Improvements

Going green is a popular concept lately. The outcome of our planet’s existence depends on its people thinking green whenever possible. You can create green home improvements that are important because you can easily see the outcome of your efforts. You have many options when it comes to making your house green. Let’s take a look at some home improvements that are inexpensive and cost effective.

Happy “Hallowgreen”

Green Halloween:  A healthy, green & fun community movement

This Halloween, think treasures, instead of candy. Kids love little trinkets like spinning tops, stickers and collectable cards. Most children especially love gifts from nature like polished rocks, crystals and seashells. Think keepsakes, tokens and stocking-stuffer type gifts but don’t forget to think healthy and green. Although non-food items are generally healthier than food items, try to avoid non-recycled plastic toys.

Readers, Send Us Your Green Halloween Photos!

Did you pass out organic candies or fair trade treats? Design a fresh-from-the-farm jack-o-lantern? Throw an eco-fabulous Halloween party? Enjoy the bloodcurdling benefits of a DIY costume? Prove it! We want to see photos from your green Halloween for our next readers slideshow--if you're the last minute type, check out Planet Green's How to Go Green: Halloween . Click through for details and see the potential for your photo in this week's Readers' International Day of Climate Action Photos.

The Green Halloween Movement

A few years ago, while taking her then six- and two-year-olds out trick or treating, Colwell-Lipson was impressed and inspired by the houses that provided treats like bubbles and stickers as an alternative to candy. She thought it would be great if there was a way -- like a sign -- for parents to know which houses had healthy treats, so they could steer their children accordingly.

Green Home Business

Home Based Green Businesses Are Raking In The Green

All of us have been exposed to the green movement in one form or another, you can’t turn on the TV or radio, can’t open a newspaper or magazine without getting blasted with information about how we need to protect the environment.  I have personally seen the phrase “ Green is the new Black” used at least five hundred times over the past year and although I’m an environmentalist, I could certainly survive without having to hear that little quip once more.

Green Home Business Profitable Start-Ups

Fortunately, savvy entrepreneurs are using their ingenuity along with new technologies and renewable energy sources to recycle, reduce, and reuse waste materials to start profitable ventures. Here are fifteen green home business ideas for you to consider that are potentially-profitable and earth-friendly.

Green Budgets

55 Green Budget Tips to Show Nature You Love Her

I don’t care if you grew up in the city, and your only interaction with nature was through the birds on the phone lines, or the ants in your kitchen. Nature has been there for you your entire life, and now it’s time for you to open yourself up to nature’s message.

Permanent Link- 30 Green Ways to Stretch Your Family’s Budget

Money doesn’t seem to go as far as it did even a few years ago, and raising a family while being green can be expensive if we believe all of the hype about buying more green stuff.

Back to basics: Green budget living tips

The economy. Energy. Burgeoning carbon footprints vs shrinking portfolios. Not an appetizing picture. Still, we gotta eat. To alleviate some of the stress surrounding these complex and confusing issues, let’s look to the past for simple, green solutions. During the Great Depression, consumers had to differentiate between needs and wants, and you may have witnessed the legacy of that frugal time in the spending habits of your grandparents and their friends. It’s time we all started buying like that generation.

Green Living Made Easy - The Eco-Friendly Lifestyle

Green Redecorating

Green redecorating / remodel on a budget PART1
There is a time in the life of a house when remodeling, or at least redecorating is absolutely necessary: walls thirsty for paint, tired rooms begging to be rejuvenated. In our difficult economic times few people have the resources for such home improvements. However, it is not impossible to redecorate or remodel on a budget while still upholding green standards.

Green redecorating / remodel on a budget PART2
The initial stages of a remodel can be daunting for homeowners, decreasing energy consumption is one of the primary goals of green remodeling. This can be achieved in a myriad small ways begun quite simply by fostering environmentally sound habits: turning off appliances and lights, decreasing use of heating or air-conditioning, etc.

Green...And Spooky!

Green Costume Ideas for Halloween
Looking for a way to spread the message of environmentalism with a sense of humor? Why not consider a green-themed Halloween costume for this year's round of parties and trick-or-treating?

How to Have a Green Halloween
Back in the day, Halloween was different. It was a low-budget holiday. We spent more time and effort on Halloween than we did money and energy. Decorations and costumes were not bought. They were fabricated out of old sheets and cardboard boxes. Treats were often homemade and eaten on the spot. Trick-or-treating was done on foot with protective parents in tow. Kids carried old pillowcases as candy bags. Back then, Halloween was green and we didn't even know it. Unfortunate changes over time have made a green Halloween harder to achieve, but it can be done. With these suggestions and ideas, you can do your part to help the environment while you have a good, old-fashioned Halloween holiday.

Green Halloween costumes
Need some costumes ideas for Halloween? Store shelves are lined with costumes, but why spend your hard earned dollars on a pre-fab costume that your children will wear once and throw away when you can make your own costumes from old clothes and other items you already have around the house? As promised in my Green Halloween primer, here are some great ideas for simple, eco-friendly Halloween costumes for you and/or your kids. Got a few great ideas of your own? Post them here!

Green Halloween Party Ideas – Recycling Theme
If you have decided on hosting a party for Halloween, why not plan it around a green theme? And what could be greener than “recycling”? Here are some easy, cheap and fun ideas you can use for your Halloween entertainment.

Green Shopping

eBay Launches Green Shopping Campaign
eBay's Green Team has launched a six-week "re+purpose" campaign designed to get people to make more sustainable shopping choices and increase awareness about green products.

Tax-free holiday lets shoppers go green for less green
In Virginia, the state also is offering what is being called a first-come, first-serve rebate program aimed at encouraging residential and commercial customers to buy energy-saving products. The Virginia Energy Efficiency Appliance Rebate program will use $15 million in federal stimulus funds to give back 20 percent of qualifying purchases, or up to $2,000 for homeowners and up to $4,000 for commercial buyers, the AP report said.

Reportlinker Adds Green E-Commerce: Gaining Momentum Report
The Green E-Commerce report traces the many ways the Internet is spurringeco-consumerism and how brand marketers are responding.

How parents can save money and live green
In today's economy, every penny counts. It can be difficult to live green and give the best to your family on a budget. Here are a few simple ideas to save money while living green.

Green On A Budget

Josh Dorfman's Tips for Going Green on a Budget
Going green doesn't have to cost a lot of green! Use these simple tips to make a positive impact on the environment while keeping your wallet intact. It's easy, even for the laziest of environmentalists.

Demand more efficient lighting
How much energy could be saved by more efficient lighting? If you're among the millions of Americans who switched to CFLs, you've seen the difference in your electricity bill.

How to 'go green' on a budget
The consumer who grabs the half-gallon of organic milk instead of regular milk knows something about the cost of "going green." It's high.

Going Green on the Cheap
For those of us with more limited means, there are small things we can do every day to trim our energy use. Many are low-cost or free, and some will even save you money. After all, you shouldn't have to be rich to help save the planet. Check out these 15 ways you can live an environmentally friendly lifestyle on a budget.

Five Simple Steps to Going Green on a Budget
1. Rethink your trash: Make a conscious effort to reduce your garbage and increase your recyclables. “Everything should not be destined for the trash can,” says Caraccioli. “Help reduce the mountains of material headed for the landfill by donating toys, clothes, old computers, cell phones and extra food to charities.” The remaining “trash” can then be sorted and recycled where applicable. “I recently discovered that Hewlett Packard recycles old printer ink cartridges,” she offers. “When you purchase new cartridges, the company includes mailing labels to send back the empty cartridges at no cost to the consumer.”

Staying Warm And Green

Now that October is here, you can feel that cool crispness in the air. Cooler temperatures are heading our way as winter approaches. Here are some tips and some information about how to stay warm while staying green.

Weatherizing homes: The next big green industry?
It's not the sort of thing that excites your typical Silicon Valley venture capitalist, but companies that weatherize homes could be the sleeper green-business success stories this year.

Take Advantage of the Government's Weatherization Assistance Program
A well-insulated house won't just save you money, it will also benefits the environment. The less energy expended to heat your home, the less pollution emitted. Everyone wins.

Winter Green Weatherization Tips
Definitions of winter weather differ throughout our country. I cannot help but be jealous of my San Franciscan friends’ 70 degree weather forecast as I bundle up to face my Chicago 10 degree (and falling!) weather. The chill of my first Chicago winter has driven my poor San Franciscan self to uncover as many alternative heating solutions as possible.

Green Networking

Eco-friendly relationships blossom at green-networking events
Groups have sprung up around the country to provide a way for environmentally minded entrepreneurs to meet and drum up business.

Green Networking Made Easy
Want to talk to like-minded people who are interested in sustainability? Sounds good to me. But is networking anything really more than an excuse to have a few drinks at a new bar?

The art of green networking: 15 tips from a reluctant schmoozer
I've always hated the term "networking" as it connotes forced conversations and social climbing. But make it your own authentic process, and it will be your new best friend. These are my top 15 pieces of advice when it comes to building your network and landing a job you'll love.

2nd Annual Cascades Green Expo

NOVA Green Team will be an exhibitor, providing energy efficiency and eco-friendly home recommendations for buyers/sellers.

2nd Annual Cascades Green Expo

Tips for greening your home, your lifestyle, and our community.

Sunday, September 13, 2 – 5 p.m. Stone House Community Center

NEW THIS YEAR:
WE’RE COLLECTING E-WASTE AND WE’RE SHREDDING DOCUMENTS!
E-waste: All electronics accepted; NO appliances. Shredding: NO bound documents or paper clips.
Thanks Rentacrate/ShredX and JK Moving & Storage for providing these FREE services!

ALSO new this year:
Hybrid car test drives! Leesburg Toyota and Leesburg Honda are bringing a 2010 Prius and possibly an Insight and will offer no-obligation test drives to licensed drivers.

Visit www.cascadesva.com for more information.

The Expo is free & open to the public. The NOVA Green Team hopes you’ll drop in!

Green Careers

10 Great Green Opportunities
Everything’s coming up green. Across every industry, new job possibilities are emerging for those with the skills to bridge the divide between the old, fossil-fuel-based economy and the new, energy-efficient one. Corporations once demonized for their role in creating pollution and exploiting workers are being held accountable; they are partnering with nonprofits and hiring corporate social responsibility managers.

Investors Will Bring The Green Jobs
The alternative energy industry — the green business — is about to ramp up its hiring, with the next year likely to show an increase in demand, according to U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis.

Project GreenSearch Is On! The Search for the Next Face of Green
Project Green Search is a campaign aimed at inspiring people to start thinking about how to align their careers with their environmental ethics. A model search and competition is a natural and exciting expression of the Project Green. Search mission, given the influential role beauty and fashion play in society.