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GREEN HOME SHOW #24: Eco Friendly Products: Part 1 Green shopping
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The following content is from THE GREAT GREEN HOME SHOW #24.
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The content of the GGHS is solely the responsibility of the ECF and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of WILM, its sponsors or Clear Channel Radio. Any rebroadcast, reproduction or use of the Great GREEN HOME SHOW or its contents without written permission from the Green Fox, Paul Hughes, Doug Hunt, Aunt Jean, Brenna Wallace, Brooke Chase, the Watson Brothers, The Snap and the Sin City Band is strictly prohibited.
Overall Segment #1 – 9:00
Music & Introduction (Doug) – 3:30
Introduction – Good morning Delmarva and welcome to the Great GREEN HOME SHOW. I hope everyone has had a relaxing weekend so far. We’d like to thank you for tuning in, today.
As always, we’ll try to inform and entertain you, while talking about how you can reduce your carbon footprint, save some energy and even - perhaps - save you a little money... Today we have helpful tips and “green” news items, both local and global.
I’m Doug Hunt, and next to me is my co-host, Paul Hughes. Good morning Paul, how was your week?
Paul – HI, sure real good week, lots of people called me wanting solar cells for their homes... they're getting a lot of information on the rebates that are available through the states these days.
Looks like Pennsylvania's rebate program will have a lot of money to put solar panels on your house soon.... so all you people up there in Pennsylvania get ready looks like it's going to becoming in about two to three months from now.
All those citizens who are ready to become independent in the state of Maryland by putting solar panels on their house and passive solar hot water,.. looks like the state of Maryland is about to sign a nice new law in to give them the equivalent of about 50% of their investment up to probably about 40 or 50,000 they haven't quite decided what that Will be. And of course right now if you live in the state of Delaware you are going to receive about 60 to 65% of your investment back up to about $63,000.
So this period of time for the next four or five years, while the states are trying to initiate interest with the monetary incentives in solar power installation, is going to be your best bet. Once everybody jumps on the bandwagon the states will probably remove their incentives the price of solar will have come down due to economies of scale but demand will drive it up so, if you are thinking about doing solar in the next four or five years it is probably your best bet for a while.
Next we will be talking about a lot of other benefits for putting solar on your house one of which of course is buying an electric or plug-in hybrid car which runs off the solar on your home. At present rates and that's without a jump in electric rate or a big increase, your breakeven or payback is about 10 years. A couple of more large utility bill increases or deregulation spikes in your bill in your payback, then the point at which you begin to get free electricity could be reduced even further to seven or even six years. Now that's a bargain especially if your plug-in hybrid or electric car is running off of solar power. At that point you become the new independent Pioneer.
Later on in the show I'm going to be talking about food stocks and how they're used in America. We have some great statistic for people to think about. How people eat affects their diet and also affects our food supplies.
How we use our resources, and how we produce and process our food affects the health of the planet.
I think these statistics are actually very exciting and show that there is plenty of food out there for everyone to eat if we just change our diets a little.
I am not calling for people to stop eating meat beef or chicken or whatever, just asking for people to reduce or to think about reducing their intake of beef chicken pork, which if we were just to cut in half our consumption of animal protein and our production of it by half, we would immediately gain enough grain foods stock to supply at least one half cup of rice and corn or wheat for every man woman and child on the planet every day. And that's just to simply by reducing our consumption of animal protein. And I'm not I'm not a radical food activist by any means and I love my hamburgers as much as the next guy, and I'm not saying I do not like my steaks...
I am saying that your body can only process as much protein as fits in the Palm of your hand at anyone sitting AND that it looks like we have an amazing resource and stockpile of food simply waiting in the wings if we don't take so much of our resources and turn it into animal protein. So as we move along will take a look at this research and I hope you find the information as interesting and as helpful as WE did…That being said, lets get on with the show. But first, we need to thank our sponsors. Paul?
Thanks to: – Suntrust Mortgage, CMI Electric, Energy Services Group, Myecoagent.com and Option Insurance Group. Also, Mark Unruh for the great music… and listen to Scott Birney’s program on WVUD - 91.3 FM on Fridays ...we will be on as guests some day soon... might even play a tune or two…Doug... Protect us...
Today’s topic: 5:00 Sponsored by: Suntrust Mortgage of Christiana
Today were going to try a new section when I start to give out more information on where to find eco-friendly goodies. WE scoured the websites for green products at good prices all these sites were also screened by the experts@consumerWebwatch.org to make sure they comply with the guidelines for customer service and disclosure of key information, but we did not test the products below on our own in our homes or in our cars while waiting for traffic lights to change. So without further ado I am going to give you five eco-friendly sites of good quality for products and product lines that we probably all need and hopefully some that we all want.
- Local harvest.org
This is a local food products site. This site has a really cool map and search directory for local farms and produce stands. This directory lists organic food from local farmers markets food co-ops restaurants and more click on shop to order products such as organic black mission figs from California's passion fruit farms and honey apple butter from Arkansas and a lot of products that you can buy locally not drive too far and help reduce a lot of energy costs that are associated with shipping food to our grocery stores from other areas. Another benefit of shopping locally is that the money stays here in our local economy it also helps to ensure that farms stay healthy for the future. This site should also list local places and products to visit and to buy online from.
- The greenloop.com
At this site you'll find eco-chic fashions including recycled cashmere hats and scarves. Also the sexy Anna: tank top made from bamboo fabric, and fun accessories like eco-lists confetti shoulder bag made from recycled candy wrappers. Take a walk around the site some of the products are little more expensive than what you can probably grab off of the shelves at your local discount clothes more. Remember organic products and recycled products can be better manufactured and should last longer with the little bit of forethought and care. It's a reminder that we probably can't live any longer in a throwaway society where the people who manufacture are clothes in some countries are no longer able to be throwaways either.
- Environmentalhomecenter.com
This site has everything you need for your Green home improvement projects including low or no volatile organic compound paint, low flow shower heads, recycled glass tiles, flooring made from FC S. certified wood, and a knowledgeable staff that can answer your questions at 800-281-9785. I found this site a little hard to navigate it had a lot of pop-ups and crud and it took me a second to find the link on the right hand side that took me directly to environmental home center.com. It was the only site so far that's given me some residual pop-ups to sift through. I still think it's a pretty good site and gives you an idea of what you can buy that safe to use in your house or is a great recycled product. Even if you don't buy from this website you'll know what to buy when you get to your local store especially when it comes to paint.
- Thegreenoffice.com
Click on supplies for office and school necessities such as Earth) soles made from recycled newspaper and other products made from recycled paper will appear. When shopping here or anywhere else for paper look for products that are processed chlorine free (there Mark PCF) and with at least 30% post-consumer recycled fiber, PCR.
This site as a really cool carbon offset calculator and it's great because it's got a lot of information that simply put about a carbon footprint is and what offsetting means. It takes about five minutes but it is a real education as to what is being measured in order to calculate your carbon contribution to global warming. If it's your first time checking out one of these calculators this is a good one because it's laid out in a very logical and educational way.
- Re-modern.com
Gifts and home accents. The goodies here are very nice and functional you’ll love that many are made from reclaimed materials. Look for glass vases made from recycled wine and beer bottles, clocks from recycled detergent bottle plastic, and doormats from surplus foam rubber from flip-flop factories.
Physical site does it was really easy to get around and really easy to shop from it shows simply how easy it is to go green and being a green business. Smart and functional products for everyday use.
Notes:
Green shopping glossary. Here are two labels to look for:
- USDA organic: found on dairy products, produce, coffee, grains, meat, and beverages such as juice and wine, this label certifies that the product complies with USDA production standards. The organic label is not as meaningful on cosmetics and personal care products
Definition: Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled "organic," a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.
- Fair trade: the criteria for use of this label on food ensures that a fair price is guaranteed to the farmer. Trans Fair USA program also supports credit plans and training, limits harmful pesticide use, and encourages sustainable farming especially in developing countries.
The most widely recognized definition of fair trade was created by FINE, an informal Association of the four main fair trade networks (Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International, International Fair Trade Association, Network of European Worldshops and European Fair Trade Association): Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers – especially in the South.
