Goal For The Green

     It’s that time of year again when we spring forward.  Only this year, we really got a jump on it, an entire two weeks earlier.  It turns out we can thank President Nixon for the idea.  He signed it into law back in January 1974.  It’s Indiana’s first time of jumping on board in thirty years. Not the whole state though.  It seems most of the state doesn’t want to be on it. Only the population hubs came onboard, so that they are in sync with Chicago, Cincinnati, and Louisville.  So, most of Indiana and Arizona are the only states that stick to Standard Time.  Studies have shown in the past that DST saves energy, in many cases increases productivity at work, and may be a factor in reducing crime rates.

     The longer days don’t just mean we have to get up earlier.  It is a great time to make some adjustments around the house that can help save money.  Here are five things you can do to get started.

     Open your shades, curtains, or blinds during the day to let the daylight in.  It helps reduce both heating and lighting costs.

     Reset the timers on interior lighting and HVAC sytems to coincide with your daylight work hours and hours of operation.

     Adjust your outdoor lighting to come on when you need it.  Especially in areas of walkways and parking.

     Change your timeclocks and security systems to reflect the longer days and seasonal holidays.

     Keep anything with a photocell clean, so the lights come on only in response to darkness, instead of when the photocell is dirty.

It’s not that hard to do anymore. We hear about some aspect of “green” almost daily.  Support for the idea, has become almost second nature.  But what does it all mean?

The goal to living a greener lifestyle, is to become more energy smart, earth smart, health smart, and water smart. In other words, to strive to minimize our use of non-renewable energy, water, and other natural resources.  We make it a goal to create a healthy indoor and outdoor environment for our families. To save money and energy, we make it a point to use products that reduce harmful effects on the environment, and are preferably bio-degradable .

Creating and maintaining a healthy indoor environment is most important to anyone who suffers from allergies.  Regardless of their needs, the savvy customer knows that there are dehumidifiers, that reduce mold and mildew, and air purification/ventilation systems that can ease their symptoms.

Another way to green-up your lifestyle is to check with your power company about signing up for Green Power. Green Power is electricity that is renewable and non-polluting from sources like the wind and sun. The more Green Power we use the less harm we do to the environment, while also investing in renewable resources.

Did you know that your power company may also have a program that entitles you to a free energy check-up?  They come out and check to see where energy is escaping from your home.  If you are planning a home improvement project, they can also help you find a contractor.  The contractors are pre-screened, and can help you with your roofing, heating, cooling,windows, doors, gas fireplaces, insulation and water heaters.  They are required to participate in ongoing training on energy saving options that will help you lower your energy bills.   You may be doing yourself a favor if you check and see what your power company can do for you.

Personal Loan Online The right comparison search can take days when you have to do it all yourself. Use the best loans brokers and they will do the comparisons for you and do it quickly and efficiently. Finding the right personal loan online is so much easier than working through the telephone directory.

     Perhaps you have made it a goal to make your health a top priority this year.  Did you know that regular tea drinkers lower their risk of cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke, and osteoperosis, as well as bacterial and viral infections?

     The health benefits of tea are much greater than that of coffee.  Green and white tea is the source of some of the most powerful antioxidants known.

     The true teas are black, green, oolong, Pu-Erh (poo-air), and white. They all come from the Camellia sinesis plant and are very healthy beverages.  Green and white tea have the lightest color leaves, which are minimally processed.  For this reason, they retain more disease protective polyphenols and antioxidants.  The darker teas, (black, oolong, and Pu-Erh) contain healthy theaflavins, that form when their polyphenols ferment and turn orange-red.  Herbal teas that we love to drink for their aroma and flavor, are NOT considered true teas, however, they may still contain beneficial antioxidants.

     If you are a coffee drinker, try to make it a goal to replace some of the coffee you drink with good quality tea.  Experiment with different teas and try to make it a priority to drink at least 4 cups a day.  If cutting back on caffiene is a concern, you can accomplish this by pouring water over the tea leaves.  Let the mixture stand 30-45 seconds. Drain the water and then brew normally.  Much of the caffeine is removed in this process, because it is very water soluable.  The polyfenols are more durable and not affected by doing this.  If you like adding milk to your tea, be aware that it does interfere with the antioxidant levels and activity of the tea.

     It has been said that black tea may lower the risk of heart disease and colon cancer.  Studies have shown that regular black tea drinkers reported a greater feeling of clam over a period of time.  They also had lower levels of cortisol, the stress hormone that is thought to play an important role in heart disease. 

     Some people find green tea to have a somewhat ” grassy” flavor. Pleasant flavors to try are Zen, Jewel Green Matcha, and Japanese Sencha.  Japanese researchers have discovered that women who drink 5 cups of green tea a day, cut their risk for heart disease by 1/3.