Livclean Homes Services. Dragging Me Into A Greener Home Environment.

By Jim Murray, Creative Director, Our Green Directory.

Part One—The Offer

Yesterday, a rep from LivClean Home Services knocked on my door and asked me if he could inspect my water heater to see if I qualified for a free replacement water heater that would be more energy efficient. Being a green guy, I couldn’t really turn him down. After inspecting my antique water heater, which was 16 years old, he informed me that I might have a couple of feet of calcified sludge in the bottom a that would impact on the amount of water the tank could hold and how long it takes to heat the water itself. He went on to explain the features of the new water heater and how much more efficient it would be…even that I could drain the sediment periodically to keep it running at almost 100% capacity.

It all made sense to me so I signed up to have my water heater rental transferred from Enbridge and have my water heater replaced at no charge by these guys. I have an installation appointment for tomorrow morning.

I did check them out and they seem to be a legitimate organization. I can’t see how they might be scamming me if they are, because $16.95 a month is hardly worth the effort. And they are carrying the Energy Star logo on all their materials.

I believe that the cost of the new water heaters plus a profit margin is being subsidized by some government program and that would be how they are making their money. They apparently also do a range of different home products. If this goes well I might talk to them about replacing my boiler.

But the proof, as they say, is in the pudding, so I’ll finish this post after they have come and gone and let you know what my total experience was like.

Part 2  – The Installation

OK so the first thing that happened was that on Thursday, they called and asked if they could reschedule the morning appointment for the afternoon. That was fine. They did not call first like they said they were going to but who really does these days.

The installers showed up more or less on time and got set up with a minimum of disruption. I do wish they had worn those little plastic booties that most industrial people wear when they are working in other people’s houses. But they were pretty careful. I did have to stand outside and make sure that the runoff from the old water heater, which they pumped out a basement window, didn’t come right back in, which has been known to happen. This helped raise my respect quotient for people who work outside.

The installation went very smoothly. There were only a few very simple instructions re adjusting the heat levels and they were in and out in about an hour and, voila, I had a new water heater, and a more energy efficient way to do one more thing around the house.

All in all it was a very good experience. The product was great. The price (0$) was right and the installers were friendly, outgoing and capable.

Part 3 The Link

LivClean Home Services
1-866-755-9553
www.livcleanhomeservices.ca

Skipso — Powering The Clean Revoluton

I was looking up some information on a client I may be doing a new web site for and found that one of the places they were listed was a site called skipso.com. This site is an excellent receptacle for a lot of things green. This site can help green businesses with access to information, investment assistance and promotion to a global marketplace.

Here’s what they say about themselves:

Skipso is an online platform and business to business marketplace entirely focused on sustainable innovation. 

Skipso leverages the power of the Internet to accelerate the Cleantech Revolution.

In particular, Skipso aims to:

• Accelerate innovation in clean technologies by creating an environment where ideas, best practices and opportunities can be exchanged
• Bridge the gap between industry and research institutions / academia by creating an alternative platform for collaboration and knowledge transfer
• Facilitate interaction and collaboration of talented individuals and experts worldwide, providing them with new professional opportunities and challenging projects to work on
• Support cleantech companies investing in innovation by giving them access to an expert community to outsource their R&D or sponsor cleantech innovation research
• Help entrepreneurs and innovators kick-start their projects by gaining easier access to capital & support services

Nano Spray On Technology – Making The Skies A Little Friendlier

This article was written by a Facebook friend named Alex Tury. I thought it was interesting. I’m sure there’s a lot of this type of development going on in the world these days and this is quite encouraging. People are thinking all the time and this is what’s going to change our world for the better.

A Solar Powered Electric Aircraft, Nanosolar Spray-on Technology.

Our research group has invented a very unique nanosolar paint, which can convert visible light, infrared light, ultraviolet light, x-rays, gamma-rays, and any magnetic fields or electromagnetic fields into electric power. This nanosolar material is eight* times more efficient than regular solar cell technology. It can harvest energy on a cloudy day or even at night time.

The nanosolar material looks like a very special plastic and can be sprayed on any surface like a regular paint. The surface of an electric aircraft painted with this nanosolar material can collect enough energy to charge its batteries. Moreover, this nanosolar material allows the aircraft to absorb electromagnetic static from the airflow and convert it into reusable energy.

Thus, the aircraft power is generated from two sources: the solar source from a very wide range of solar light and the static one. In addition, our research group has invented a unique power saver. Installing the power saver means having at your disposal approximately twice the amount of the energy supplied by the sun and the wind combined. It acts as a catalyst to double the power generation in the embedded solar cell via a highly efficient electric motor.

This solar powered electric aircraft does not require any extra fuel to keep it flying. Because of its unique nanosolar spray-on technology, the aircraft batteries would completely self-charge. Velocity SE. Summary of the project: 1. A very unique nanosolar technology – the paint, which converts visible light, infrared light, ultraviolet light, x-rays, gamma-rays, and any magnetic fields or electromagnetic fields into electric power; 2. a very unique electric circuit (scheme) – the design of wiring and radio details of the power saver, which extends distance on one charge more than two and a half times; 3. a very unique power pack (energy storage) – LiFePO4 polymer batteries integrated with the power saver; 4. a very unique electric motors – capability to use DC and AC in the same time that makes the motor extremely powerful and easy to control (to operate).

This is my project. I am looking for friends, business partners, sponsors and investors for the building of a solar powered electric aircraft. If someone interested to be in this solar team, please, send me a message. A half of the job already done. Any help will be appreciated. http://www.facebook.com/notes/alex-tury/to-investors-a-solar-powered-electric-aircraft-project/256669611034165 This is the future!!! I love this project very much. It will change the World to the right way.

For more info on this type of technology, check this out:

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=33230

Guest Blog – Peel Scrap Metal Recycling

Peel Scrap Metal Recycling is one of the friends of Our Green Directory, and a client of ours as well. They have a very good blog on their site (see link below), and know a lot about the recycling of both ferrous and non-ferrous metal. But they also are keenly aware of the importance of recycling as a ‘green’ function.

This is one of of their recent blog posts about an innovation that, if it turns into a reality could have a major impact on the solar energy field.

Solar Roadways — The Biggest Green Idea Yet.
by Jeff Shaffer, Peel Scrap Metal Recycling

One of the more interesting aspects of being part of the green revolution is that you are exposed to new ideas and recycling technologies on a constant basis. Recently we came across something which really caught our attention.

The Solar Roadways Project

Scott Brusaw of Sagle Idaho is an electrical engineer whose company, Solar Roadways, wants to build solar panels that will replace the asphalt that constitutes most roadways, driveways, parking lots and even the paved areas we play on in playgrounds.

On only four hours sunlight per day, Mr. Brusaw estimates that 428 homes could go off the grid for every mile of four lane solar roadway.

This idea is as simple as they come. But like all truly revolutionary ideas, it is pure genius.

Mr. Bursaw’s vision: “Our long range goal is to cover all concrete and asphalt surfaces that are exposed to the sun with Solar Road Panels. This will lead to the end of our dependency on fossil fuels of any kind.”

With LEDs, load cells and other electronics embedded in the panels, the possibilities are endless. Safer nighttime driving will be possible as the highways are illuminated. The roadways can be programmed for traffic management with warnings for drivers and pedestrians. Heating elements can be built in to prevent snow and ice build-up. These roadways can also be constructed with self-healing power grids, a practical system for electric cars and so on.

The Recycling Industry Plays a Big Part

Implementation of the Solar Roadways system will create one of the largest green industries of all time. It will also dramatically affect the recycling industry as the Solar Roadway system is designed to incorporate  recycled materials for its internal support structure.

All of this on roadways that will pay for themselves over time, replace our reliance on oil and coal, help deal with the problem of global warming in a substantial way and provide health and economic benefits to boot. It’s a win win situation.

More Than Just A Pipe Dream

As the green revolution continues to grow, we see a lot of very good ideas come and go. But the SolarRoadways project seems to have some real traction. And why not. There is really no downside to it and for the most part, the technology is already available.

A prototype of the Solar Roadway has been developed with a grant from the US Department of Transportation. While there are clearly aspects of this that need critical evaluation, we think it is a truly awesome idea.

More information on the Solar Roadway project can be found at:

http://www.solarroadways.com

http://dissociatedpress.com/2010/09/what-if-americas-highways-were-one-big-solar-panel

Or you can watch the  video on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep4L18zOEYI&feature=player_embedded

http://www.peelscrapmetalrecycling.com
http://www.scrapwire.ca

Green Is Really Nothing New

I got this email from my friend Janice Brown, who is a very smart cookie. It’s a bit of a parable, in that it points out just how wasteful our society has really become, mainly in the name of unbridled capitalism. In one way it kind of sums up what the green movement is really all about, which is stripping away all the synthetic crap we have surrounded ourselves with and getting back to basics, inasmuch as that is possible.

Anyway, I think you will find this amusing and a bit of a reminder of how things used to be.

*********************

In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that plastic bags weren’t good for the environment. The woman apologized to her and explained, “We didn’t have the green thing back in my day.”

That’s right, they didn’t have the green thing in her day. Back then…they returned their milk bottles, Coke bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, using the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But they didn’t have the green thing back her day.

In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks. But she’s right. They didn’t have the green thing in her day.

Back then, they washed the baby’s diapers because they didn’t have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts – wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that old lady is right, they didn’t have the green thing back in her day.

Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the house – not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a pizza dish, not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn’t have electric machines to do everything for you. When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used wadded up newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, they didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cu the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she’s right, they didn’t have the green thing back then.

They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty, instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled pens with ink, instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But they didn’t have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar and kids rode their bikes to schoolor rode the school bus, instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But that old lady is right. They didn’t have the green thing back in her day.

Toronto Green Tweets- Commons Sense Tweets

Our Green Directory follows almost 2000 green organizations on Twitter. The vast majority of them are in the US, and so a lot of the information and insight they have to offer is relevant primarily to Americans.  But there are several notable Canadian organizations and twitter sites that tweet out good stuff on a regular basis. Over the next few posts I will highlight some of them and provide you with links to their twitter pages and or web sites. Because you can never really have too much green knowledge.

This first one is called Green Tweets TO and it contains a number of really practical tips for living a more eco-friendly, energy conscious lifestyle. It also does a really good job of promoting other green tweeters through Follow Fridays and Eco Mondays.

There is no web site listed, so I can’t really tell you who sponsors the tweets. But there’s a lot of good info here as well as links to good articles. If you’re a tweeter, you might want to follow these people. If you’re not a tweeter (and I really don’t know anyone who isn’t), you may want to get started. It’s not just a way of keeping in touch with your friends. It’s a great way to keep in touch with the world.

Green Tweets TO link:  http://twitter.com/#!/TO_GreenTweets

Electric Cars: The More You Know The More You May Want to Plug In

Slowly but surely green technology is finding its way into place where it could never go. With the cast iron grip of the oil companies loosening as fossil fuel supplies dry up, energy saving ideas such as electric cars seem to be gaining acceptance at a much faster rate than ever before.

In this fine article on the Mother Earth News Blog, you can find out a lot of good info and who knows…you may even find yourself humming along  sooner than you think.

http://tinyurl.com/4oyqta2

Hmmm Hmmm. The Future of Vroom Vroom.

Cool bikes that run on batteries...Energizer bunny, eat your heart out.

I saw a number of tweets this week that were linking to a company called Brammo. Evidently they have come up with a battery that has some pretty amazing power and longevity. In fact, they’re featuring this technology on  motorcycle they call the Empulse and Enertia, which can go up to 100 miles per hour and has a 100 mile charge life. This is pretty amazing stuff, and I assume, only the tip of the Brammo iceberg.

If you’re at all interested in the future of non-fossil fuel powered travel, then you should, by all means, check out these folks. I think they are really onto something.

http://www.brammo.com/empulse/

Social Media Campaign for Our Green Directory

2011 is the year we really want to put Our Green Directory on the map. So in January we’re starting a social media campaign to help us do just that. Fortunately one of the partners (Terry Lewis(, has all kinds of skills in that area.

I guess it’s a good idea when you consider that FaceBook alone has 500 million users. That’s a country the size of Canada, the US and Mexico.

It Pays To Be Leeding The Way

Building Green.com is one of the best web sites I have come across on the subject of Leeds building.

Leeds building has quietly crept into the psyche of builders and developers all over the world. And just recently a study was done demonstrating just how worthwhile the Leeds Building investment can be.

This is the lead paragraph from a very interesting article on Leeds building that Building Green.com buildinggreen.com has one their blog site. If you’re interested in Leed standards or even just mildly curious. this is a good site to bookmark and visit.

“Dutch economist Nils Kok has published the most comprehensive statistical analysis to date on the relative value of green and conventional buildings. The results show that U.S. buildings labeled under the LEED or Energy Star programs charge 3% higher rent, have greater occupancy rates, and sell for 13% more than comparable properties. “Labeled buildings have effective rents [rent multiplied by occupancy rate] that are almost 8% higher than those of otherwise identical nearby non-rated buildings,” the study reports…”

http://bit.ly/cf0i3o

National Geographic. The Gold Standard In Conservation Information

National Geographic is one of those institutions that seems to have been around forever. And regardless of their original motives, they have grown into  one of the most powerful pro-conservationist organizations in the world.

They tell amazing stories of the people and creatures that populate our planet and they have done more to inform the world of the fragility of the ecosystem that connects us all to each other and the earth.
Through their highly rated TV specials, IMAX movies, video sales and to a lesser extent, their monthly magazines, they are able to reach millions and millions of people around the world with what is a very positive message. They are truly an important part of the solution.

Their web site, like everything else they do, is strictly first class. Simple, elegant and straightforward and one of the sites I actually enjoy visiting on a regular basis.
Because it makes me feel more connected to the world at large.

For anyone who wants to stay informed about the world and all the truly important things that are going on it it, this site is a weekly must-visit.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com