Green Technologies Must Be Made Affordable To Average Households

There have been myriad global initiatives to dramatically reduce the alarming carbon footprint in the atmosphere, deemed as the main culprit in climate change and unfettered global warming. Unfortunately, these international scale crusades are bereft of definitive action-oriented strategies easily comprehended and implemented at the micro level. It is crucial for global policy makers to realize that the big percentage of fossil fuel emissions emanates from the gargantuan household population worldwide, and not from the gigantic commercial manufacturing plants, which most likely have instituted means of compliance to environmental protocols.

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The 9.795 gigatonnes of global carbon emissions, per 2014 records, are from fossil fuel consumption by households which rely on coal, oil and natural gas every day for their survival activities such as cooking, air conditioning facilities and illumining their dwellings, to fancy stuff such as celebrations or unnecessary engagements like computer gaming.

If every household would just exert tremendous effort to lower energy consumption, the big load of carbon dioxide in the troposphere would not seem a mammoth Damocles sword threatening to smash the earth.

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There have been green technologies introduced to address contemporary clamor by environment advocates. Among these are the use of solar panels or photovoltaic cells, installation of home wind generators or installation of energy efficient double pane windows to prevent a great deal of heat loss. Another is the use of window insulator kits.

Accessible these efficient scientific mechanisms maybe, the big hurdle is whether the costs are affordable to average household economies. Crammed with numerous expenses in their annual family budgets, could they squeeze in the cost of a typical solar array that comes in at around $30,000, or wind generators that can cost up to $45,000. Around $6,000 would be needed to install double pane windows for a 10-window home.

International organizations in the forefront of battling greenhouse gases emissions should collaborate with banking institutions that could offer special lending windows to common households to afford these fossil fuel reduction technologies.

San Diego, CA-based Janique Goff is a supporter of environment-friendly technologies. As a business development manager, she has represented countless engineers and scientists in launching their environmental ideas. For more insights, follow her on Twitter.

H2O: How To Conserve Water In The Office

The earth is made up of about 71% water but that is no reason to take this resource for granted. It is still important to conserve water at home and in the office. Here are some ways to keep water usage low.

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Get a water audit

Hire a professional auditor to monitor water usage for your office or building. In this way, you can clearly define the trouble areas or saving opportunities. This is the first step to water conservation and can serve as a benchmark to see your company's progress.

Buy and install water efficient equipment and fixtures

Perhaps it is time to upgrade your equipment and fixtures like heavy machinery (especially those that use water cooling systems) or toilets. The newer ones tend to be more water efficient and therefore the investment on upgrades can even be cost efficient in the long term.

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Detect and fix leaks

Leaks can cause unnecessary waste of water. A good way to conserve water is to constantly check for leaks. Replacing or fixing any leaking pipes, equipment or fixtures is one of the easiest ways to conserve water.

Spread awareness to employees

A good way to promote water conservation is by increasing awareness regarding the issue. By educating your employees on proper water usage and conservation tips, you may end up with lower water consumption as well as a good CSR image for your consumers.

Hey there, I'm Janique Goff. Like my Facebook page for more information on Corporate Social Responsibility and other related topics.

The Search for Cruelty-free, eco-friendly Makeup

The beauty industry may have been successful for decades, but there’s an ugly side to it—animal testing. With people demanding eco-friendly and cruelty-free products, many brands have joined the movement for change. Here are some makeup brands that do not practice animal testing, and use natural and vegan ingredients.

e.l.f.
e.l.f may be a common drugstore brand, but the company believes that high-quality beauty products do not have to break the bank. They offer cruelty-free makeup, and they even give 50 percent of their sales proceeds for their fur-free tweezers to support PETA’s conscious efforts.

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Affordable Mineral Makeup
This high-quality, budget-friendly brand is PETA certified. They never test on animals, and their products do not have talc, bismuth, and other chemicals that can harm the skin.

Everyday Minerals
Everyday Minerals is a makeup brand that is well-known for its stunning line of shimmers, primers, and concealers. Their handmade products contain essential ingredients that are easily wearable at reasonable prices. Of course, their makeup line is cruelty-free.

BH Cosmetics
This makeup brand is certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny. Their beautiful eye makeup, foundation, and lipstick lines are highly-pigmented and affordable.

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NYX Cosmetics
NYX is a big supporter of PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies program since the year 2010. It remains cruelty free despite being owned by L’Oreal, a makeup company giant which still tests on animals as a requirement to sell their products in China.

Janique Goff is a California-based business development manager and environmentalist who believes in green technologies and supports various eco advocacies. Visit this blog for related articles.

What You Need to Know: Small Business Trends 2016

A quarter into the year 2016 offers no contention as to what's hot and what's not in the world of business. With technology upgrading year after year and the rise of smart phones and mobile marketing, there is so much small businesses can do to become the best. Here are some of the top trends:

Connecting with customers
With the advent of the Internet and increased access, connecting with customers has been made easier. Ecommerce, websites, and social media have become one of the most widely used marketing tools. It's easy, fast, and the best portal for a world seeking instant gratification. According to a Forbes article, we live in a Connection Economy, where the most successful companies are those who connect people and build relationships. Facebook, for example, is the largest media company but they don't create content, relying more on the interaction of its members to gain traction and income.

Embracing Millennials
Millennials now represent the largest employee and customer segment of the population and despite their different views about how businesses should be run or how the office should look like, it's a good idea to embrace them and their ideals. Millennials are the future of business as many of them would rather be their own boss than to work for someone else. They can easily adapt to ever-changing technologies and can offer creative insights on how to improve businesses.

Business Intelligence
Since almost everything is done online, people have developed ways to convert all those data into information that entrepreneurs can use to develop and improve their business. Knowing how to use statistics and business intelligence helps you figure out what works and what doesn't to help your business grow.

Hey there, I'm Janique Goff, business advisor and firm believer of eco-friendly business. Subscribe to my blog to learn more about how to go green.

A little green goes a long way: Going green at the office

With global warming threatening on our planet, it is our job as Earthlings to start changing our ways.  It doesn’t matter how big or how small the action is, because little things make a whole lot of difference.  Here are some ways to transform your workplace into an eco-friendly environment:

Go digital

Do you really need five copies of the meeting agenda? Or do you need to reprint a document on a new piece of paper for every minute revision?  Since we’re living in the digital age, it’s time we make full use of electronic devices to go paperless.  Invest in online cloud storage to keep important documents or share them with your colleagues.  Discard printouts and simply send out presentations through email.  If you must print, you could buy post-consumer waste (PCW) paper, which is actually made from recycled paper.

Power down

As much as possible, try not to leave any electrical equipment such as computers, printers and scanners plugged after office hours.  Even if they are set on standby, they may still be using up electricity.  Turn off all computers when not in use and toggle the computer settings to powersaving mode.  This will significantly lower the electricity bill, which is good for conserving energy and company resources.

Image source: huffpost.com

Green transportation

Encourage your colleagues to consider more eco-friendly ways to travel to the office.  One way is to bike to work or carpool or best yet, walk (assuming it’s manageable).  These ways are not only good for the environmeny but for your physical health as well.

Redesign the office

If it’s within the budget, you can opt to redesign your office using refurbished office furniture or converting all lights to compact-fluorescents (CFL) or LEDs. This may be quite expensive but it will have significantly huge impact on company savings.

Image source: greenliving4live.com

Hello there! I’m Janique Goff and I’m a firm supporter of going green in business. Visit my blog for more notes on eco-friendly business endeavors and other related topics.