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Introduction to Environmental Technology

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CLEVELAND, Sept. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: LECO) will participate in the Longbow Research 3rd Annual Industrial Manufacturing and Technology Conference being held Thursday, September 16, 2010, in New York City.  Vincent K. Petrella, SVP and Chief Fina

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Reported in Press Release – Energy Stories follow this link for the rest of the article

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If you own a small business, you know that profits depend upon two things: income and expenses. Energy costs can be a significant expense and many business owners are taking a new approach to energy to both lower their costs and move to a more sustainable green approach. With the right information you can improve your company’s financial performance by reducing energy costs and energy waste while protecting the earth’s environment.

Businesses need energy. Whether you are a tenant or you own your building, you typically need lighting; heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC); power for office equipment; and other services to stay in business. How can you create an energy plan? Here are some ideas.

Contact your utility company. Ask if they offer free or inexpensive energy audits and/or rebates for energy-efficiency upgrades. Undertaking a comprehensive energy efficiency program, with the assistance of a professional if needed, can yield impressive savings. A useful website is Energy Crossroads, created by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), a member of the national laboratory system supported by the U.S. Department of Energy through its Office of Science. The site (http://eetd.lbl.gov/einfo-links.html) provides links to dozens of agencies that provide resources for energy conservation.

You can take action yourself. There are many reliable, high-return, low-risk, strategies that you can implement with little cost. Some are very simple, while others may take some investment.

LIGHTING

• Turn off lights and other equipment when not in use. Even “vampire energy loss” from computers and equipment in passive or standby mode can account for significant energy loss.

• Replace incandescent light bulbs with Energy Star compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), wherever appropriate. CFLs cost about 75% less to operate, and last about 10 times longer.

• Adjust lighting to your actual needs and use free daylight.

• Do not “over-light.” Too much light can be counterproductive, and it costs a lot more.

• Install switch plate occupancy sensors to automatically turn on lights when rooms are occupied, and off when people leave.

• Upgrade fluorescent lamp units to T8 (1″ diameter) tubes with solid-state electronic ballasts. These are more efficient than older T12 (1.5″ diameter) tubes with magnetic ballasts.

• Install Energy Star exit signs. These long-lasting exit signs can reduce lamp replacement and can save up to ten dollars per sign annually in electricity costs while saving up to 500 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.

• Purchase Energy Star qualified products for your business. You’ll have the most efficient computers, printers, copiers, thermostats, ceiling fans, refrigerators, televisions, windows, and other equipment and appliances.

WATER

• Fix water leaks. Even small leaks add up to many gallons of water wasted each month.

• Use water-saving faucets, showerheads, toilets, and urinals.

• Install an insulation blanket on water heaters, and insulate at least the first three feet of the hot water “out” pipe.

• If buying a new water heater, consider a “tankless” water heater to reduce standby costs and waste.

• Set water temperature according to your local board of health code-usually between 110 and 120 degrees.

• Landscape using plants native to your region that require minimal watering and possess better pest resistance. If local code allows, consider diverting gray water for watering.

HVAC

• Maintain your HVAC system with an annual maintenance contract. Your system may last years longer and use less energy when properly serviced.

• Regularly change or clean HVAC filters during peak cooling or heating season.

• Control the amount of direct sun passing through windows according to the season and local climate. During cooling season, block direct heat gain from the sun shining through glass on the south side of the facility. Solar screens, solar films, and even old-fashioned awnings and vegetation can help. During heating season, these same south-facing windows can contribute solar heat gain during the day.

• Install an Energy Star qualified programmable thermostat to automate your HVAC system. A programmable thermostat can optimize HVAC operation based on your schedule, and can be overridden for unscheduled events.

• Use fans. Moving air can help delay or reduce the need for air conditioning, and a temperature setting of three to five degrees higher can feel as comfortable with fans. Fans can improve comfort and save energy year round.

• Plug leaks with weather stripping and caulking. You don’t need air-and heat-escaping through your leaky building.

THE NEXT STEP: GREEN POWER

Green power is electricity produced from renewable resources including solar, wind, low-impact biomass, geothermal, and low-impact hydro. If you want to be proactive about becoming a green facility, check out the Green Power Partnership, a voluntary program offered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Green Power Partnership (http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/) supports the development of green power by offering expert advice, technical support, and resources.

For instance, do you know what fuel is used to generate the electricity used by your business? The EPA does. In just a few minutes you can enter your ZIP code and your power supplier and find out what mix of fuel is used by your supplier: non-hydro renewables, hydro, nuclear, gas, coal, or oil. The answer may surprise you.

Using EPA resources can help your business lower the costs of buying green power, reduce your carbon footprint, and demonstrate community leadership. Buying green power is one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve the environmental performance of your business.

Thomas Hauck Communications Services provides writing and editing solutions for businesses and nonprofits. Visit us at http://www.thomashauck.net/ for information on how THCS can impact your bottom line.

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The government is now making an extensive drive of promoting the use of alternative fuels specifically the biodiesel. The government and the private sectors alike are now working hand and hand to make the move to alternative fuels realizable. Both have their own contributions in the development of the alternative fuels. Most of their projects are focused on the developments of the biodiesel and other alternative fuel technologies. But with the lack of information and cooperation from the ordinary people, these projects are moving at slower paces. They need the help of the people in order to see some lights in their projects for their success lies on the people as users and makers of the needed resources. And to attract more people to support the project, the government is giving grants such as the biodiesel grant to all the supporters of the project.

The biodiesel grants give special grants or rewards to biodiesel producers. The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) in particular gives small grants worth $3,000 for those who are interested in producing biodiesel. The NCAT is an organization that helps the people and the community to adopt the new technologies that help save energy and other resources. The group also gives the same grant amount to the farmers who raise crops that can be used as good sources of the oil needed in making biodiesel. These grants are also open for projects that deal in the development of biodiesel and discovery of new biodiesel formulas.

If you are a farmer and you want to shift into planting of crops for use in biodiesel, you can use the said biodiesel grant to support your farming needs. You can avail of the special projects of the government and other sectors regarding the development of biodiesel fuels.

Not only the farmers and the biodiesel developers benefit in these grants. In Florida, one of their public bus systems-the Lynx now uses biodiesel on their 290 units. This move by the company from using diesel fuels to the use of biodiesel-blended fuels was given recognition by the government. In fact, the Florida Renewable Energy Grants Program has given them a two-year biodiesel grant worth $2.5 million. With this grant amount and to support heir own consumption of the biodiesel, the Lynx has built its own blending station. Their station will also serve as a medium for the biodiesel and demonstration projects in their area aside from supporting their own fuel needs. Their station is capable of replacing 1.2 million gallons of diesel with cleaner and renewable fuel. The grant given to the Lynx has made their transition easier and at the same time it gave them the resources for their maintenance.

Ian Pennington is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

To learn more about biodiesel grants, please visit Alternative Fuels Today for current articles and discussions.

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To the surprise of many, the government tries to modify our behavior through monetary strategies and the same is true for promoting green construction. In this case, we are talking about funding a green project.

There are numerous sources for the funding of green project research and construction. They exist on the National, State, and local level. They include grants, tax credits, and loans. The important thing to understand when you begin a search for a source of funding is that the government and society in general is very anxious to assist you with your green project. We are not just waking to the global dangers. Our leaders are already wide awake and know that green construction is an essential element of the future health of our nation. They want to help, particularly on the state level.

The central clearing house for Federal Programs is the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA). This website based catalog gives information of all federal programs that supply funds to state agencies, local agencies, and non-profit organizations. They also list programs that are available to private developers and even individuals. This catalog can be accessed online and application made online as well.

There are over $400 billion dollars offered in over 1,000 Federal Grant programs. These programs are all listed and explained on the grant [dot] gov website. In addition to full information, application forms for the grants can be downloaded from the site, and the final submission can be entered there as well. Grants are not as easy to get as some people think, but they are possible. They also have the major advantage over loans and other funding sources because they do not have to be repaid in most cases.

There are several national green construction funding opportunities. One is the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). Obviously, this office is interested in Energy Efficiency in building construction use and also of the use of renewable energy sources. They will provide funding for research and the demonstration of these two things in green construction. Green Communities is a five year and $555 million dollar initiative to build a total of 8,500 environmentally health houses for low income families.

There are also several Foundations dedicated to green construction funding. The Home Depot Foundation is one, and another is the Kresage Foundation. There is help available on the State and local level also. The Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE) is one example of a State level resource. There are also a large number of local based incentives as well. Green construction is an interesting meeting between those looking for funding and those agencies willing to provide it.

Zack Verde is with GreenBuildingCompanies.com – providing information on green construction.

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In this changing world investments can seem a risky business. Some currencies are a bit unstable at the moment, and with a decrease in natural resources and the call to go green it is natural to worry. How secure are investments in new technologies? Is it still safe to invest in less green ventures? If tempted to go the green route, which green route should you take?

At this point I guess it is safe to say that nothing is certain. However, some avenues seem more secure than others. Bio fuels may have a short-term appeal, but in the long run may prove to be unsustainable. Too much land and too many resources are needed to provide for the increasing demand for fuel. In the short term money can certainly be made from this trend, but if you are in for the long term I would advise intense research into this field.

There is a huge call for energy efficient transportation and out of these the electric cars look promising. These cars can be charged using green energy and the demand for them is likely to be higher than for the hybrid cars. It is certainly likely to be higher than for cars using fossil fuels – with fuel prices on the increase, people are shying away from using their cars and looking for an affordable, green alternative. Public transport needs to be reformed to meet the potential demand. If a green car comes onto the market at a tempting price it will certainly catch a huge interest.

The public is becoming aware of environmental issues, and the majority wants to take the green route. This is, after all, our planet, and people like to feel part of making a positive change. Eco-homes and green energy enterprises are receiving mainstream attention. Courses in straw bale housing are gaining popularity, and although wind farms are still meeting controversy in some areas, the interest is there.

Is it then possible to be environmentally friendly and still make a profit? I think it is, and many experts appear to agree with me. You might be interested in socially responsible mutual funds – although not everyone agrees which companies qualify as socially responsible (it will be up to you which policies you agree with, and which you don’t), it is entirely possible to help make the world a better place and still earn competitive returns.

Again, if you do your research, some decent investments could be made in line with the green trend. Whilst non-renewables are waning, sustainable and renewable is on the up. Of course, an additional benefit to this is that you are making an investment in the future of our planet, and the future of humankind.

This article has been submitted in affiliation with http://www.StockBee.Com/ which is a free online stock ticker quiz.

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Increasingly, a business’ success is determined not only by the products it creates and the efficiency of its productive apparatus, but by the symbols it can attach itself to and the community in which it is a part. Principal in this new wave of business marketing is the emergence of ‘Green Politics’ and the environmental revolution. The ‘Green Revolution’ started in the 1960s alongside the sexual revolution and the emergence of

the Civil Rights Movement with the publication of Rachel Caron’s Silent Spring, a book which would eventually become required reading for any environmentalist. Since then, the ‘Green Revolution’ has splintered and has turned into several unique and often competing factions. There are of course, still the extremists who tie themselves to redwood trees to prevent the destruction of a forest, but in recent years, a moderate line of environmentalist thought has come to prominence among Hollywood stars and media elites and has seeped into the playbook of modern entrepreneurs. To say it simply: Green sells. The sooner that a business is able to get in on this revolution the quicker they will see returns on profits and growth in general. Additionally, ‘Going Green’ has the added benefit of being metaphorical glue among workers and is an excellent way to improve employee morale.

Only a few years ago the publication “Entertainment Weekly” began its annual ‘Green Issue’, featuring the likes of Leonardo Di Caprio and other famous Hollywood movie stars telling their stories of environmental consciousness and sharing their own personal tricks and tips to conserve energy and improve the environment. One need not cite such marketing staples as brand awareness, sexuality, and action to point out that what sells in Hollywood sells in the business world at large as well, and perhaps for this reason alone it is worth taking note of the steam that the Green Revolution has been building. The secret to going Green as a company is to know how to correctly sell your morality. It is not cynical to say that a business is in the business of making money, and that from this standpoint, any amount of environmental ethics is meaningless if it is not recognized and appreciated by the consuming public. This is to say, a building with energy efficient air-conditioning and a firm that cuts down on the amount of paper that it consumes will not see returns in their profits if they cannot properly inform the public of their environmentally conscious ways. One should seek to combine both the cold, profitability of a greening business with the imminently marketable fact that a energy efficient venture, known to the public, is a ‘good’ business.

Furthermore, an energy efficient company boosts employee morale and contributes to a sense of oneness with the community. More than their parents, this generation of workers is concerned with so-called ‘extra-economical’ issues such as environmental morality and human rights issues. Take full advantage of the opportunity to unify your employees and provide a spark of life into the work place by taking the time to fully inform your employees about the reasons and methods that your company will undertake to become more environmentally sustainable.

While there are certainly a wealth of reasons to ‘Go-Green’ for profitability’s sake, the true and underlying impetus for a sustainable venture is found in the spiritual uplift that it will have on the community and in the world at large. By itself, a business may not be able to change the face of environmental destruction, but it can certainly make a start.

Mr. Oliver is a marketing agent of Servidyne. The commercial energy audit company provides comprehensive energy efficiency solutions throughout the nation. For more information on their Commercial Energy Audits please visit their website.