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Top Two Green Lighting Choice

2010-05-25T23:33:00.000-07:00

Top Two Green Lighting Choices

First off, Get a good bulb.

Don't waste your time with incandescents anymore.

It's not only eco-freindly but wills save you your hard earned cash.

Here is the bulb comparison diagram:

Cost Comparison between LEDs, CFLs and Incandescent light bulbs

LED

CFL

Incandescent

Light bulb projected lifespan

50,000 hours

10,000 hours

1,200 hours

Watts per bulb (equiv. 60 watts)

6

14

60

Cost per bulb

$35.95

$3.95

$1.25

KWh of electricity used over

50,000 hours

300

700

3000

Cost of electricity (@ 0.20per KWh)

$60

$140

$600

Bulbs needed for 50k hours of use

1

5

42

Equivalent 50k hours bulb expense

$35.95

$19.75

$52.50

Total cost for 50k hours

$95.95

$159.75

$652.50

Energy Savings over 50,000 hours, assuming 25 bulbs per household:

Total cost for 30 bulbs

$2398.75

$3993.75

$16,312.50

Savings to household by switching

from incandescents

$13,913.75

$12,318.75

0

Break those LEDs out

LEDs are my definitive choice in eco-friendly lighting.

They run with low wattage have good lighting content, And contain no mercury which plagues most lighting forms.

An LED light bulb can reduce energy consumption by 80-90% and last around 100,000 hours. They even light up faster than regular bulbs (which could save your life it there are LEDs in the brake lights of your car). They are almost always more expensive presently, but we have seen the cost go down steadily.

CFL: The better bulb

Compact florescent bulbs (CFLs) are those swirly little bulbs you are seeing everywhere now.

Economically they are great, but the downside is they have mercury content which pollutes the environment.

CFLs cost a bit more than an incandescent, but use about a quarter as much energy and last many times longer (usually around 10,000 hours). It is estimated that a CFL pays for its higher price after about 500 hours of use. After that, it's money in your pocket. Also, because CFLs release less heat, not only are they safer, but your cooling load is less in the summer. CFLs aren?t hard to find anymore, and many cities will give them away for free.
Equivalent wattages and light output of Incandescent, CFL and LED bulbs
Light Output
LEDs
CFLs
Incandescents
Lumens
Watts
Watts
Watts
450
4 - 5
8 - 12
40
300 - 900
6 - 8
13 - 18
60
1100 - 1300
9 - 13
18 - 22
75 - 100
1600 - 1800
16 - 20
23 - 30
100
2600 - 2800
25 - 28
30 - 55
150
Comparing the features of Incandescent, CFL and LED bulbs

LEDs
CFLs
Incandescents
Frequent On/Off Cycling
no effect
shortens lifespan
some effect
Turns on instantly
yes
slight delay
yes
Durability
durable
fragile
fragile
Heat Emitted
low (3 btu's/hr)
medium (30 btu's/hr)
high (85 btu's/hr)
Sensitivity to temperature
no
yes
some
Sensitivity to humidity
no
yes
some
Hazardous Materials
none
5 mg mercury/bulb
none
Replacement frequency
(over 50k hours)
1
5
40+

Best Green Cars of 2010

2010-05-15T22:50:00.000-07:00

Here are the best green cars of 2010.

We love moving, so lets move green!

2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

Type of Car: Gasoline-electric hybrid, sedan
Price Range of Vehicle: $28,675 – $32,620
MPG City/Hwy: 41/36
Annual Fuel Cost: $1,096
Air Pollution Score: 8
Greenhouse Gas Score: 10

Best American Auto Hybrid car.
Better mpg than the Toyota Camry.
Capable of running up to 47 mph solely on electric power.
Its fun, intuitive and interactive real-time mpg information screens and feedback icons make it easy to improve your driving habits and maximize the car’s hybrid system.
Comfortable interior with room for five passengers.
Ties with the Honda Civic Hybrid for best crash safety ratings of the six winners.
Winner of the prestigious Motor Trend Car of the Year award for 2010. Some experts say it is the most fun to drive hybrid on the market.

2010 Honda Civic Hybrid

Type: Gasoline-electric hybrid, sedan
Price Range: $24,510 – $27,710
EPA City/Hwy MPG: 40/45
Annual Fuel Cost: $1,018
Air Pollution Score: 9
Greenhouse Gas Score: 10

I prefer this car as to the look. Most hybrids look very well "Hybrid."
The Civic has to step up its MPG next year to face off with the Prius.

2010 Honda Insight

Type: Gasoline-electric hybrid, hatchback
Price Range: $20,510 – $23,810
EPA City/Hwy MPG: 40/43
Annual Fuel Cost: $1,043
Air Pollution Score: 8
Greenhouse Gas Score: 10

Most affordable hybrid car available.
Intuitive real-time driving feedback displays make it easy to maximize mpg.
Capable of significantly better mpg than the EPA’s estimates with a little effort.
Has a decent amount of zip; transitions between gas power, electric power and gasoline-electric are super smooth.
If you don’t regularly need much room for multiple passengers (the back seat is really tight), the Insight may be your best option among hybrids because of its price.

2010 Toyota Prius

Type: Gasoline-electric hybrid, sedan/hatchback
Price Range: $23,550 – $28,820
EPA City/Hwy MPG: 51/48
Annual Fuel Cost: $855
Air Pollution Score: 8
Greenhouse Gas Score: 10

The benchmark for green cars, now in its third generation. New version is bigger and more powerful, but still holds the top mpg rating among all cars.
Capable of electric-only mode at low speeds (up to about 25 mph) and highway coasting.
Optional solar roof powers a fan that helps cool the interior when parked in hot weather.
Named best new-car value by Consumer Reports for its reliability and low cost to operate.
Comfortable interior, with room for five. Solid safety ratings and features (but do ask about the specific car’s brake recall status when you’re Prius shopping).

2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI

Type: Diesel, hatchback
Price Range: $23,104 – $24,809
EPA City/Hwy MPG: 30/42
Annual Fuel Cost: $1,324
Air Pollution Score: 6

The best small diesel car for your buck.
Eligible for a federal tax credit of up to $1,700.
Sporty drive and looks, but still capable of mpg in the upper 30s or low 40s.
With 40-plus mpg at highway speeds, the Golf is a great option for primarily highway drivers.
If maintained, diesel engines typically hold up longer (with better mpg, too) than gas engines.
May require slightly more ongoing maintenance (which might be covered in the buyer’s package, depending on current offers) than a comparable gas car.

2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI

Type: Diesel, sedan
Price Range: $23,580 – $24,680
EPA City/Hwy MPG: 30/42
Annual Fuel Cost: $1,324
Air Pollution Score: 6

One of the best examples of how clean diesel technology makes diesel cars a competitive green alternative to hybrid cars.
Eligible for a federal tax credit of up to $1,300.
A roomy, comfortable sedan. Wagon version also available for more cargo space.
Great option for primarily highway drivers and/or those with small families.
Capable of better mpg than the EPA estimates with a little effort.
More affordable than the Prius, with comparable real-world highway mpg (low to high 40s).
Long-term reliability projections are good, but the clean diesel system may require a bit more ongoing maintenance than you’d need for a comparable gas car. Warranties and buyer packages may cover some of that maintenance.

Information from motherearthnews.com

Xerox invents re-usable paper

2010-04-21T13:54:00.000-07:00

Not only being useful for james bond is a new form of paper that erases after one day for use tommorow.

This revolutionary paper is in its initial stages of development but we at GK are very excited about it.

Heres an excerpt from the xerox webpage:

"Xerox Corporation scientists have invented a way to make prints whose images last only a day, so that the paper can be used again and again. The technology, which is still in a preliminary state, blurs the line between paper documents and digital displays and could ultimately lead to a significant reduction in paper use."

http://www.xerox.com/innovation/news-stories/erasable-paper/enus.html

Happy earth day!

The Future of Tire Recycling

2010-02-17T19:52:00.000-08:00

People love traveling!

Planes, trains, and automobiles, are some of the popular modes of transport in our modern civilization.

This often leads to waste.

Tire waste is a current issue, as with every mile in a car, comes a significant amount of ware to your tires. The safe thing to do is get them replaced for your well being. The question is where do the old tires go when they are disposed?

Often to places like these!

Modern Tire Recycling facilities can turn old tire into recreational building and even fuel.

Such as the Green Key Tire Recycling Facilities

Here is a current graph on tire waste.

Let's help reduce waste by promoting tire recycling centers.

Best,

Green Key

DID YOU KNOW THAT?

2010-01-20T23:06:00.000-08:00

DID YOU KNOW THAT?

The first internal combustion engine was invented in 1806 by swiss inventor François Isaac de Rivaz,

This engine was powered by a mixture of hydrogen of oxygen! A year later in 1807 Rivaz built an automobile powered by his engine. Sadly this engine was not commercially successful.

If a hydrogen & oxygen powered car could be created in 1807, It makes you wonder why we don't have one now.

NOW YOU KNOW!

Green Key Environmental Solutions

Check this out

2010-01-15T20:11:00.000-08:00

Theres been a large concern from Green key with the mass consumption of garbage bags.

After much research we've found a good product that can help minimize this problem.

It's called the Perf Go Green Biodegradable plastic garbage bag.

The beauty of this product is that it biodegrades in 2 years!

"Perf Go Green products are produced using recycled plastic which reduces plastic in landfills. The recycled plastics are then combined with an oxo-biodegradable proprietary application method to produce the film for the bags. This product, when discarded in soil in the presence of microorganisms, moisture and oxygen, biodegrades, decomposing into simple materials found in nature."

The Perf Go Green garbage bags can be purchased at walgreens, amazon.com, do-it best hardware, and many other stores.

http://www.perfgogreen.com/index.html

This is Green key saying

Stay green

Green Key at the Marriott San Juan Puerto Rico

2010-01-12T20:25:00.001-08:00

Green Key is excited to announce that the Marriott San Juan now uses our commercial Bio-machines, eliminating food waste organically from there garbage! If you happen to be in San Juan, stop by and ask them what they think about our exciting technology...
:) Green Key

It's Easy Being Green Volume 1

2010-01-10T15:07:00.000-08:00

What many people don't understand about fashion is it's also about your lifestyle. Being green is a very smart and stylish way of living that will get hats tipped towards you.

One of my favorite green products that I will recommend is the Solio. The Solio is a Solar power phone charger that will keep you fully loaded on the go.

The Solio is also a hybrid charger so it can be plugged in like any normal battery and charged on a cloudy day.

American Apparel has a great sustainable line out. You can get all of your American Apparel favorites in unbleached organic cotton!

There's actually quite a library of styles available from the basic tees to long sleeves. They even have an excellent organic cotton brief, and women's underwear line. It's the only brand to wear with comfort and quality.

Americans Use 2 Billion Disposable batteries a year.

Imagine how much waste could be eliminated if we all used rechargeable batteries. When I began using rechargeable batteries they weren't that good. Now you can even get ones that charge in 15 minutes!

Look out for new hybrid Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) cells, they have a better charge life and last longer. You can find the new hybrid Ni-MHs being sold with names like Hybrio Eneloop and Rayovac Hybrid
Heres a fact to close this segment of:

It's Easy Being Green Volume 1

Energy saved from one recycled aluminum can will operate a TV set for 3 hours, and is the equivalent to a half can of gasoline.

Stay green,

Dr. Pagan

CEO - Green Key Environmental Solutions

Sites to Know: OurEarth.org

2010-01-07T20:01:00.000-08:00

We bumped into this website the other day, www.OurEarth.org, and really like what there doing. It is an excellent resource for environmental information here is a snippet from there mission statement:

"The OurEarth.org website began as a simple idea to make it easier for the public to find environmental information. There are outstanding environmental programs, activities, initiatives, ideas, and grassroots efforts across the country but it can be difficult to sort through all of the websites and information available. As a result, important natural resources, energy savings, and pollutant reductions are lost each and every day, causing unnecessary damage to our planet."

It's great to see people coming together to save the planet. Check out their site for more info.
GK

That's Something to think about!

2010-01-02T16:16:00.000-08:00

In Todays world, we have many concerns about our effects on the environment.

The questions is, what can we do as individuals? The answer is to be educated on our use of resources. Our daily lifestyles rely on these resources to supply a modern way of living. Are we using our resources effectively and within the respect of the environment that supplies us a home?

Let's see below with Something to think about's GREEN KEY FACTS.

Today I am going to focus on paper waste and protecting our carbon dioxide converting trees!

GREEN KEY's "word to the wise" ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS

1. Find out about your local paper recycling programs. You can also call 1 (800) CLEANUP for state recycling information.

2. Be sure to seperate your paper into categories.

White Office Paper
Newspaper (you can place news paper in brown bags)
Mixed-Color Paper
Cardboard

3. Post a free add on craigslist.com or another free classified posting website. Many people need boxes and pay for them daily! Use the need as a way to recycle. If you search in craigslist cardboard, you can find people who will be willing to pick it up free of charge.

4. Certain company's will pick up your paper waste for free in large bursts Like this company out of Lofton Virginia.

Miller's Office Products has a program that picks up old cardboard, printer cartridges, and inkjet toners for free!

http://www.millersop.com/green.aspx

5. Find out what your city is doing! Many cities offer free paper waste drop offs to recycling centers. Going the extra mile will help protect our enviornment for the future generations of the world.

Heres some interesting facts about paper waste:

1. Paper accounts for almost 40% of solid waste in the united states which is around 72 million ton's annually.

2. It takes 28% less energy to recycle than to produce paper normally.

3. Today Americans recover 57% of the paper they consume.

3. One single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over it's lifetime.

4. Each ton of paper saved (2,000 pounds) 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4000 kilowatts of energy, and 7000 gallons of water. This represents a 64% energy savings, a 58% water savings, and 60 pounds less of air pollution!

5. Recycling a single run of the Sunday New York Times would save 75,000 trees.

6. To produce each week's Sunday newspapers, 500,000 trees must be cut down.

7. If all our newspaper was recycled, we could save about 250,000,000 trees each year!

8. The average household throws away 13,000 separate pieces of paper each year. Most is packaging and junk mail.

Now that's something to think about!

Green Key Environmental Solutions

The First Post

2009-12-09T15:19:00.000-08:00

Green Key Environmental Solutions is dedicated to solving our home and industrial problems with food waste. This blog is an extension of our website www.green-key.net where we sell our environmentally friendly products and offer insight to changing the way we interact with our planet.

Stay tuned for more GK posts!