Author: Niki Lecander
Website: http://aessolarenergy.com/blog/index.php/c2/xcel-considers-t…

An article published in the Boulder County Business Report explains how some residents and businesses in Boulder may soon have the option to be billed based on the time of day they use electricity. This concept is called time-of-use pricing which has been used in California and would allow Xcel to charge higher electrical rates during peak-use hours and lower rates during non-peak hours.

This is becoming an option due to the SmartGridCity program which will allow consumers to program their meters to consume electricity at times they specify. For example, the peak electricity hours might run between noon and 3pm, so a family could program their appliances to turn off or run on a lower setting during that time, saving them money. The downside to this smart technology is peak hours might coincide with times electricity must be consumed, resulting in higher electricity costs.

Installing solar electricity in your home or business is a good solution to this problem for two reasons….

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Author: Lisa Frack
Website: http://www.enviroblog.org/2009/04/are-you-addicted-to-plasti…

A few months ago my family undertook - and managed to survive - a week without buying anything plastic. Like not one single thing - including sliced bread bags (just try and buy sandwich bread without ‘em) and those teeny things that attach price tags to new clothes. A challenge for this pretty mainstream family, to say the least.

So I was fascinated to hear about the new indie film Addicted to Plastic: The Rise and Demise of a Modern Miracle. Have you seen it? Here’s a trailer to pique your interest:

In this 85-minute film, you’ll see plastics being manufactured, being designed, being recycled, being trashed, being burned, being sorted, and being worn - and then some.

The statement that struck me the most was the guy who said ‘there are more things we don’t know about plastics, than things we do.’ And frankly, the more we do find about them, the more there is to not like. Plastic, as the film says, is biting back.

What do you think?

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Author: easy eco blog
Website: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/easyecoblog/~3/PmwXITSm-bY/

We saw this interesting poster in the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas.  It is good to know that they take recycling seriously and help their guests do it.  Plastic Water bottles are all over the place. Now if they could go easy on  all the lights and gaming machines…  Solar panels all over the [...]

Related posts:

1. Recycling Tips
2. Reusable Shopping Bags
3. BPA Human Study

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