Green Lifestyle

Best "Green" Cars in 2007 Announced by American Council
for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE):

Honda's natural gas powered Civic GX tops the list of 2007 "green" cars. Domestic automakers were shut out of the top twelve list but the year's most environmentally unfriendly model was the diesel-powered Volkswagen Touareg. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) today named the year's "greenest" and Takeaways "meanest" vehicles. along with environmental scorings of all model year 2007 cars and passenger trucks This announcement marks the tenth year ACEEE has published its widely respected rankings. The vehicle scores are part of ACEEE's Green Book® Online, ACEEE's environmental guide to cars and trucks, available at GreenerCars.org. Widely regarded as the pre-eminent buyer's guide to environment-friendly passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs, GreenerCars.com provides the facts necessary to examine the eco-performance of any 2007 model. Vehicles are analyzed on the basis of a "Green Score," a singular measure that incorporates unhealthy tailpipe emissions, fuel consumption, and the emissions of gases that cause global warming.  More from greenercars.org

Solar Energy Benefits Mean Change: Are You Ready to Make the Wise Choice?

Solar Energy benefits are many, but let's first talk about where we are today. Ninety one percent of all of the electricity produced in the United States is a direct result of burning fossil fuels to operate and generate electric.

Fossil fuel has been used as an energy generator for as long as man has learned how to generate electricity. Fossil fuel has been here for years and when man started out utilizing these energy sources no one entertained the end result. Fossil fuels are being depleted and will run out in the future. The shortage in fossil fuel will have its affect on our day-to-day lives and in the majority of industries. Today we see many of these affects already, fossil fuel costs are raising and electricity is becoming even more expensive. Although fossil fuels are more scarce, the need for fossil fuels will still be here and will not decrease right away. To solve this shortage of fossil fuels we will need to look solar energy benefits. Fortunately, renewable energy sources are raising in interest. For instance, locations with water- falls are making hydro-electric power plants. Areas with steady wind speed make use of wind generatorsthat change over the wind's power into electricity. Solar power is also one of the energy sources that is rapidly increasing in popularity. The utilization of solar energy has steadily been growing.

Nowadays solar energy is widely utilized in the Unites States and the advantages are numerous. We have a free solar energy source, the sun, its life span is estimated to be another 5 billion years. It's relatively sound to say, that we won't run out!

Converting the Sun's Solar Energy:
There are two ways of converting the sun's solar energy. First is direct solar energy which involves only one conversion into a usable form. For instance: Sunshine hits the solar panel(s) or solar cell, changing it into electric. Sun hits the surface of a solar thermal collector, converting into thermal energy, or better known as heat, which can be used to heat our homes, and water. The second is indirect solar energy which calls for more than one conversion to reach a functional form. For instance: Plants use photosynthesis to convert solar energy to chemical energy, which can be burned later as fuel to generate electrical energy (also known as bio-fuel technology). Hydroelectric dams and wind turbines are indirectly supplied by solar energy through its interaction with the Earth's atmosphere. So, what are the main solar energy benefits? It's Pollution-free (Green). Solar facilities require minimal maintenance. It is almost never ending. As mentioned previously, most of the populated areas here on Earth, that can be reached by the sun. It will slow up the depletion of fossil fuels It will help to get rid of emissions created by burning fossil fuels. When massive development of the use of solar energy is materialized, you can expect that each and every household in the world will be powered by solar energy. It is not just a pipe dream; it's the change that we have to make, to make the world a better place. You can experience solar energy benefits today. Why wait for your dreams. It now makes sense economically. The bottom line is that solar energy benefits are just too great to pass up. You can build your own solar system for under $200 and for you guys and gals with a tool box in the garage, you can really save big on your solar panel cost, and build it yourself! Ready to get those pliers out? I'll show you how to put them to good use! Go to this site to see how: www.energymoneysavings.com
- Article by Bob Lindner

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