Goal For The Green

Para-education and green living information

Archive for the ‘Energy’ Category

For small business owners, every decision is an important one. For responsible small business owners, this means making responsible, environmentally-friendly choices and growing the business in sustainable, sound ways. However, it can be difficult for small business owners to focus on the environment when they’re so busy worrying about their bottom line. After all, entrepreneurship can be very risky, and small experts estimate that half of all small businesses will fail within the first year. Fortunately, there are small, easy, and affordable ways to be more ecologically minded that won’t be bad for business at all. Here are a few tips to help get you started.

Reduce Waste

First of all, take a look at your business and see if you’re not creating unnecessary waste. A lot of paper waste can be eliminated by switching to email or other online communication. Use social media to reach your audience instead of flyers and other paper material. If you’re in the food industry, look at steps you can take to be more efficient, since food waste is one of the most destructive and unnecessary things you have to deal with.

Start Recycling

This is probably the easiest step you can take since most towns, counties, and municipalities already offer some recycling services, both for businesses and for individuals. Find out what recycling programs are offered in your area and do your best to take advantage of them. Separate your paper waste from cans, plastic, and other materials and recycle them at the appropriate facilities.

Use Green Technology

You don’t need to go it alone when it comes to becoming more environmentally friendly. There is now a whole industry devoted to helping people make more ecologically sound choices, and there is a great deal of new technology available to make it easy to be green. For example, Donaldson filtration systems, sold by a reputable company like Green Leaf Filters, can cut down on environmental waste and destruction. Do some research and find out about new technology that can help your small business do better.

Shop Locally

For your small business needs, look around your neighborhood before turning overseas. A lot of environmental destruction is caused by transporting goods across long distances. You can fight that pollution by shopping locally for your business whenever possible. As a bonus, you’ll be helping your local economy succeed!

 

Hire a Company to Clean Your Factory

Nov-10-2015 By Barbara Zak

There are many businesses that operate in enormous buildings. They have large pieces of equipment and many employees that require them to work in areas that are much larger than the typical workplace. Because these spaces are so big, they can be very difficult to clean. A regular cleaning company that specializes in cleaning office spaces will not be able to handle a job in an area that big. Therefore, you will need to find a company that has the equipment necessary to clean a facility the size of the one you use. Here is how to hire a company to clean your factory.

1. Look at their past work

The first thing you need to do is examine the other factories and industrial facilities they have cleaned in the past. See if any of these places are similar in size to the area you need to have cleaned. If the company clearly has never cleaned a building the size of yours before, move on and keep looking. It might take a while to find suitable cleaners if your building is big enough. Just remember that there is no substitute for experience when you are taking about cleaning large facilities. A cleaning company really needs to know what they are doing in order to do a good job in a large space.

2. Talk to past clients

This is always a good idea. It never hurts to hear what some of the cleaning company’s past clients have to say about the service they received from the cleaning company. Did they show up on time? Were all of the necessary safety precautions taken before they started to work? Did they complete their job quickly and efficiently? Was anything damaged in your facility while the cleaning company was working? For outstanding industrial cleaning services, you can learn more by going to http://midcitycleaning.com/industrial-manufacturing-government-distribution-centers/.

3. Get a quote

Paying a super high price to have your facility cleaned simply does not make any sense. There are too many companies out there that can clean large buildings. With all of that competition, you should have the companies begging to work with you. You will only have yourself to blame if you hire a company that overcharges their customers. Get in touch with various companies that are within your area. Have them stop by your facility to take measurements. Once they understand what they will be dealing with, they can give their quote.

FYI: Radon is Still a Concern

Oct-6-2015 By Barbara Zak

Radon is a large concern for homeowners. The decision to test a property for radon gas is quite common. If radon seepage causes the gas to enter through the basement or crawl space, it can endanger residents if the property is not well ventilated.

Radon comes from the element radium. It is created when radium decays. The process of making radon from radium is natural and continuous. Unfortunately, radon can rise through soil and enter the air. Breathing radon gas can endanger people. Learn more about the harmful potential effects of radon on human health.

Radon Gas and Lung Disease

Radon gas exposure can contribute to the development of cancer. Inhaling radon gas over a period of time is like smoking multiple cartons of cigarettes. Radon gas can cause damage to the lungs. Someone who has been exposed to radon may have bronchitis, lung infections, pneumonia, or wheezing. Since many diseases share these symptoms, it is important to rule out radon gas as a potential contributor.

The length of exposure to radon gas is a significant contributor to disease. The American Journal of Epidemiology (2000) reported that radon exposure at 4 pCi/L levels over 15 years placed people at high risk for the development of certain cancers. Residential radon exposure is a serious threat that can lead to lung cancer and lung disease.

Potential for Radon Gas

Some parts of the United States have a high incidence of radon. Radon is frequently found in drinking water at higher than acceptable levels in: New England (all states), Alabama (especially northern), Arizona (especially southern), California, Colorado (especially central), Florida (especially Tampa vicinity), Georgia (especially northern), Iowa, Idaho, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri (especially southern), North Carolina, North Dakota, New Jersey (especially northern), New Mexico, Nevada, New York (ex-New York City/Long Island), Oregon (especially Portland and Salem), Pennsylvania (especially eastern), South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas (especially Austin and Amarillo), Utah, Virginia, Washington (especially northeast), Wisconsin, West Virginia (especially eastern), and Wyoming (especially eastern).

Radon Testing

Radon testing is a relatively simple matter. A radon gas detector kit is used to measure the presence of radon for up to seven days. The kit is analyzed by a laboratory to inform the residents about the presence of radon gas.

Radon Mitigation

Getting rid of high radon levels is possible. Some radon experts use a process called radon mitigation to reduce high levels of radon in a residential or commercial location.