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Why Would You Need A Portable Water Filter?

ByKristie Brown

Years have shown you that you can get by without a portable water filter, so why should you put out the cash for one now? Not that you drink a whole lot of water in the first place, because you'd much rather have a soda or another cup of coffee, but in a pinch you can always buy bottled water. So what's the big deal about people buying straws and drink cups that have filters in them? Is this really a necessity of 21st century life?

To start with, no matter how young you are, you need to start thinking about your health. When you're hanging out with friends, the Cokes and beers probably flow freely. However, beverages other than water aren't providing your body with the hydration it needs to stay healthy. Without enough water in your system, your kidneys can shut down, and waste products remain in your system far longer than they should. Only water will do an adequate job of sustaining your healthy body and mind, which is a good argument for carrying water with you at all times.

Bottled water is proving to be no bargain. People spend a fortune on bottled products that don't contain water that's any better than what they can get from their own taps. In fact, many of the bottling plants actually pump local tap water into their bottles, and municipal water is far from perfect. If you're looking of water that's of a consistently-high quality, you're better off using a portable water filter and creating your own.

It's no secret that our freshwater resources are in short supply and seriously polluted with substances that can cause sickness and death. The big outcry against acid rain back in the latter half of the 20th century arose about the time that people realized that a multitude of chemicals evaporate into the air where they combine with water vapor and fall again as rain which flows into our lakes, rivers, and groundwater. In addition, scientists have determined that quantities of metals work their way from the soil into the water as well. Government standards go part way towards cleaning up the water, but there is no longer money enough to update municipal water treatment facilities.

You can't even trust the water that you find in the mountains or other places where you might hike, cycle, or camp. Gone are the days of the sparkling mountain springs, and you need to prepare yourself for the realities of now. Having a portable water filter that you can take with you on these excursions can help to keep you both safe and healthy.

Looking for more information on emergency water filter s? Separmatic Systems can provide you with all your water purification needs including diatomaceous earth filters and portable water system

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Liquid Batteries Doubling As Stability Control for Weight and Balance, and Ballast

Solar Panels

ByYusuf Chy

In general, solar energy can be described as the energy that is received from the sunlight and converted by a mechanical source for home use. It's cheaper and reliable for operations since the sun is readily available. On the other hand, are the mechanically built materials whose main purpose is to convert solar energy to electrical energy. They are built from an element called silicon. It is the core duty of the silicon element to covert the solar energy to electricity. The solar power can either be directly or indirectly gotten from the sunlight. When it's cloudy the intensity of the solar power delivered perfectly, the photovoltaic solar materials deliver sun rays into electricity and the solar thermal receiver changes the solar power into heat solvents, such as oil and water. This type of power is used in, iPod chargers, charge batteries water heaters, cell phone chargers and spacecrafts.

How do work? They practically work on the photovoltaic invention. Its name is derived from the technology used, which is also known as PV, which is made from silicon element. They are basically semiconductors made from sand built into large computer chips. When sun rays falls on the PV materials, the PN junction in it with its metal conductor helps produce electricity. At this juncture, the PN junction is the positive and negative charges that assist to produce electric current. Solar energy is available in different systems, grid connection, inverters and power storage. In a different system, the PV takes up large space up the roof to produce more energy. It can also be built on land space and produce up to 5-9 Megawatts per hour. They can also be useful in street lighting.

How are made? They are basically made from three-dimensional points; the crystalline silicon production, the crystalline silicon panels and the amorphous silicon panels. This stand of the solar-energy production is what is used in the present. In the crystalline silicon production, for example, when the silicon element is melted and cut it is named the poly crystalline silicon. In its other mode when it is built and cut, it becomes mono-crystalline silicon. In both cases, they are about; a hundred percentage pure silicon. In the second case of the crystalline silicon panels, they are normally broken into pieces and then sliced, finally being polished with doping materials. This changes the state of electric charge inside them to cells. The amorphous silicon panels are made from silicon alloys combined with multilayer cells for energy production. This combination explains how the solar power is made.

What are latest technologies of ? The newest technology of solar energy has emerged in a wide range of things. This starts with the green power alternatives which is common for home use. The other aspect of it is the Power cooling and heating systems in homes. The high-technology appliance and periodic lighting at home is the other good examples of solar-energy development. New personal computers development for smart homes is also left out of the latest ideas of the solar power.

Yusuf Chy writes extensively on , and provides information on how to install .

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MIL-PRF-680: Strong Enough for the Military and Your Company's Industrial Cleaning Needs

ByTimothy Byron

Those familiar with industrial degreasers know that MIL-PRF-680 is most commonly used by the military to maintain equipment, weapons, and vehicles. However, it can benefit any company that requires industrial chemicals to clean "high-value" parts and aging equipment, machinery and fleets that operate on air, land, and water.

The measure of a quality industrial degreaser is that it is both essential and efficient. While its record of accomplishment of cleaning Department of Defense parts and equipment clearly demonstrates MIL-PRF-680 has the highest cleaning capability, it also offers several additional advantages to traditional degreasers.

No Odor

This product does not have the strong odor of many traditional degreasers, which creates not just a more pleasant work environment, but also a potentially more productive one. The strong chemical smell of a traditional degreaser can overtake a workplace, becoming almost impossible to remove once it permeates objects. Prolonged exposure to these traditional products can make employees dizzy or even sick.

No Water

As a water-free industrial degreaser, MIL-PRF-680 can help lengthen the lifespan of critical machine parts. Degreasers that contain water can seep into equipment, causing it to rust from the inside out. Additionally, degreasers that contain water do not stick well to the surface of the part being cleaned; causing a runoff that wastes the degreaser and causes slippery work floors.

No Residue

It evaporates fully, unlike traditional degreasers that leave a residue. Industrial degreasers that leave residues actually attract dirt to machine parts, thereby increasing the number of intervals between one cleaning and the next. A non-residue product like MIL-PRF-680 serves a two-fold purpose of keeping parts clean while saving the company money by using less of the product at a time.

No Hazardous Ingredients

The high toxicity and numerous Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) of traditional degreasers make them dangerous to workers and the environment. Along with workers' health potentially being harmed by those cleaners, companies can find themselves in a tough spot when the Environmental Protection Agency bans the use of a highly toxic degreaser. Using an environmentally friendly degreaser like MIL-PRF-680 will help companies stay ahead of changes made to EPA regulations.

In short, it is not just the military that needs industrial strength products that reduce hazardous waste and minimize worker exposure to toxic substances. All companies desire industrial cleaning products that are safe, and can still achieve demanding performance requirements. This is a safer alternative to the once commonly used cleaner PD-680.

MIL-PRF-680is effective in a variety of work environments, ranging from the mildly dirty to extremely dirty (grease, oils, epoxies, resins, coating, dirt, dust, fingerprints, etc.), where industrial chemicals are needed to clean parts and equipment. Countless businesses are in need of such a solvent that can clean almost anything, no matter the condition.

MIL-PRF-680 is an industrial degreaser that removes soils and contaminants without harming the environment, the workers, or the product and equipment involved.

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Personal Water Filtration Diminishes the Need For Plastic Bottle Waste

ByKristie Brown

Even the most avid bottled water drinker should admit that disposable plastic bottles are a menace to our society. Everywhere you go you see empty bottles that people have just tossed away carelessly instead of disposed of properly. Many bottles are thrown into our water resources, such as rivers, lakes, and oceans where they are killing aquatic life and dirtying up otherwise beautiful areas. Even if the bottles are tossed into the trash, they then add to the problem of plastic build-up in our landfills, a problem that won't decompose for decades. Obviously modern technology has come up with more eco-friendly options such as personal use water filters.

Not only do these reusable bottles eliminate the problem of excessive plastic waste, but they also filter the water you put in them removing chemicals, metals, bacteria, and protozoa. This makes the water much safer for consumption, unlike bottled water which is often nothing but unfiltered tap water from the area where the beverage is bottled. There are a number of high-quality filtered bottles available. Some great bottles are described below:

Brita has long been a household name in water filtration. Millions of people have purchased a Brita filtered pitcher or an attachment for their water faucet in order to ensure that the water their family is drinking or cooking with is safe and healthy. Brita now also produces a filtered water bottle for personal use. Per company advertising, this filter removes chlorine, metals, bad tastes, foul odors, and many other contaminants. It can filter up to 100 gallons of water, and the bottle contains no BPA. BPA is short for Bisphenol A which is a key component in many epoxy resins and polycarbonates. Although this substance is said to be safe, many people prefer not to chance using products that contain it.

You can get up to 150 uses from a Hydros filtered bottle. Think of that! It means that you'll get clean water for three months using the same bottle instead of stacking up 150 empty plastic bottles. This bottle reduces harmful amounts of chlorine, particulates, and chloramines from the H2O, plus it is naturally anti-microbial meaning that it will help stop bacteria from building up. It tests of ANSI/NSF standards.

A Smart Planet Eco filtered bottle offers improved taste, decreased odors, and a reduction in chlorine, heavy metals, and other types of contaminants. This device is good for as much as 100 gallons of purified water. It is also BPA free; however, it is not NSF certified.

Looking for more information on mobile water filtration? Separmatic Systems can provide you with all your water purification needs including diatomaceous earth filters and Mobile water purification.

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Build A Yurt Rafter Ring, Version Two

ByRobert Frederick Lee

There are several designs of yurt rafter rings, each serving a particular purpose, and working best in specific environments. Snow load, wind and even humidity play a role in determining the most appropriate design. For the majority of yurt applications, the laminated design that I described in a previous article is the most effective. However, the design described in his article is suitable for smaller yurts (less than 32 feet diameter) and in low humidity locations. While it will withstand moderate snow loads, it is less structurally stable than the laminated version.

When designing a yurt roof, the same considerations that are factored into stressors on conventional housing roof rafter chords come into play. That is, you need to consider the tensions (both lateral and gravitational) on the angled chords. Truss chords endure two primary stress forces: the tendency of the bottom of the chord to push walls outward and the pull of gravity that causes slump in the riser chord. Use of collar ties works to ameliorate the gravitational warping, but, simultaneously, actually increases the stress on the top plate-to-chord heel point of contact. Fortunately, yurt roofs are so light that collar ties and webs usually are not needed.

In my prototype solid-wall yurt, I employ several redundant reinforcements for the chords. A series of mending plates, hurricane ties, aircraft cable and unique angled top plates create a structure that resists very significant outward stress. These concepts will be presented in future articles.

The rafter ring design in this article consists of two layers of

Redesigning Trash Receptacles With Interior Canister for Robotic Recycling Garbage Collectors

No, I am not obsessed with human garbage or trash, although I am amazed how much humans produce and then throwaway. I am happy to report that a tremendous amount of our waste is now recycled, and I believe that to be a good thing, but I would also warn that the amount that our societies recycle is not anywhere near what most people believe it to be. I think we can do better. Indeed, I'd like to talk to you about all this for a moment.

You see, the separation of various recyclable products makes it very tough to ensure that plastics, paper, aluminum, and other materials are separated out correctly. In many cities folks throw everything which is recyclable into the recycle bin for pickup. Then it gets all mixed in a garbage truck, and then it is dumped off, where humans, generally paid a very low wage go through all the trash to separate it out. That is completely inefficient, and I'm sure you would agree.

Yes, it does provide jobs, and some cities hire criminal labor, and it's nice to see that those folks are paying back society by helping us with this process, but that doesn't make it any more efficient. Now then, in the future I suppose we will have robotic garbage trucks, and the recycling truck which comes along will also be robotic.

I am also certain that robots will pick through the trash and separate out anything which is in the wrong pile. We already have devices which can immediately tell the type of polymer chain in a given plastic bottle, in fact, I had the pleasure of conversing with the inventor of that device by e-mail last year.

Still, the better way to do it would be to have a trashcan, which had divisions inside of it, perhaps it could be divisions shaped as pizza slices. A robotic garbage truck would then pick up a trashcan, aligning with a gate going into the trashcan where each of the pieces lined up. Then a vacuum motor would suck all the material from each into the trash truck, and into specific compartments.

Another way might be to have each trashcan with tubes inside made of lightweight, very strong carbon composite, using a similar process. The trash truck would be subdivided, with various types of materials, and there would be no need to separate anything, and a robot could merely make sure that everything was in the proper pile, and this would speed up the process tenfold.

By doing it this way, it would prevent us from forgoing the recycling process due to being backed up with too much material, which happens quite a bit, and at least one of three problems which prevents us from recycling all we can. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative eBook on the Future of Recycling. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net

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Paper Waste Management Through Paper Recycling

Paper waste constitutes almost one-third of the solid waste generated across the globe. Before, paper waste was either disposed in landfills, taking up a lot of space, or was incinerated. The combustion of paper through incineration releases carbon dioxide, disturbing the natural atmospheric balance. The enhanced greenhouse effect is responsible for global warming and climate change, making landfill disposal and incineration unsuitable and harmful options for paper waste management.

Paper recycling is a "green" solution for the management of paper waste. Recycling paper is a process that converts waste paper into reusable paper and other products.

The practice of recycling paper consists of the following stages:

Collection - Paper waste, such as newspapers, printer paper, and cardboard and product boxes, is collected by placing recycle bins in public places, schools, offices and households. The collection process is carried by municipal organizations and private companies that specialize in the recycling of waste.

Sorting - After it's collected, paper waste is sorted into different piles depending on the quality and type of paper. The piles are then compressed to form bales and these bales are used to produce recycled paper.

Shredding - During the production of recycled wafer-thin, waste paper is cut into small bits. These bits are further broken down into fibres.

Re-pulping - The fibres are then mixed with water to form pulp. This pulp may contain various unwanted components such as dirt, old ink, and weak fibres

De-inking - The pulp is washed, segregated, sieved and rotated. As a result, dirt, old ink and weak fibres get separated from the pulp in the form of sludge that is later discarded. The clean pulp is utilized to produce recycled paper and other products such as egg crates, fruit trays, paper cardboard, insulation and false ceilings.

Papers Recycling is an environmentally friendly process that, for one thing, helps limit deforestation practices. Many plant and animal species become extinct when their natural habitat is destroyed because of deforestation. When trees are cut down, it also disturbs the balance of the gases in the atmosphere. One ton of recycled paper can save up to 17 trees from being cut down. In terms of energy-saving, the production of recycled requires 40 to 60% less energy than paper manufactured from virgin pulp; each ton of recycled paper saves approximately 225 kilowatt hours of energy. Furthermore, every ton of recycled paper saves 60,000 litres of water - a great benefit since the production of fresh paper uses large amounts of water.

These are just some of the many ways recycling paper can benefit the planet and contribute to a sustainable environment for future generations.

You can get more information about Paper Recycling services by visiting  Metal Recycling Services

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Why Businesses Should Stay Away From Plastic Bags

The Benefits of Sustainable Retail Packaging

Posh and striking packaging plays a big role in the modern consumerism. Businesses are aware that buyers decide which product to buy based on the attractiveness of the item's packaging. That is why they spend a lot of resources only to come up with a remarkable design that will stand out from the crowd and attract more buyers. However, there is always a price to pay for every gain. The process of creating eye-catching packaging entails heavy cost. Though packaging is useful in creating a sound brand it is responsible for the increasing wastes in our planet every year. Some of the waste are being recycled however the greater part of it does go straight to landfill and this eventually contaminates the soil and poisons the bodies of water.

Now, as enterprises become more conscious of the packaging's impact on the environment, businesses now shift to a more environmental approach in terms of packaging. Also, they were compelled to use eco-friendly packaging because more and more consumers now prefer more eco-friendly alternative when they shop by picking for packaging that can be recycled. For this reason, it is now more possible than ever for firms to implement a "greener" approach to packaging while meeting their marketing goals. The new trend in sustainable packaging is swiftly increasing and spreading in the manufacturing and retail industry.

What is Sustainable Packaging?

Sustainable packaging is intended to cut wastage and protect important resources. There are three main essentials to this:

• Reduce the Waste - before retail packaging is designed to be bigger than really necessary. Sellers use this as a strategy to make items look larger than its actual size and also to make it appear more startling but this only causes wastage. By reducing the size of retail packaging a vast amount of paper, cardboard and plastic materials can be saved annually.

• Reuse Materials - most materials for producing goods today can only be utilized once. This also means that they go straight to wastelands once discharged. By choosing environmental friendly materials that can be reused manufacturers can help in reducing waste.

• Recycle - this contributes to the reduction of wastes that pollutes our natural resources. When we recycle resources such as paper, plastic and glass we can reduce landfill and conserve valuable materials.

Finding new technologies to create a more environmental packaging can be expensive but the benefits that we can get from it in the long run are immeasurable. By minimizing the packaging's size sellers can not only lessen wastage but they can also cut expenses on the production drastically. In addition, customers are switching now to a more environmental products and retail packaging. By going green it can be possible get ahead of the competition.

Danica Pemberton Green invites you to visit eco-packaging and learn more useful facts about environmental green packaging and its contribution to the community.

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Eco-Innovative Concepts for Increasing Automated Truck Wash Volume

When it comes to eco-innovations in business you need a large mega-phone and you need to market and advertise or you'll end up like 10s of thousands of eco-entrepreneurs gone bankrupt while trying to chase so-called easy money, grants, guaranteed loans, and catch the wave of eco-friendly trends. Okay so, let me give you an example here, let's talk about an eco-innovative automated truck washing system.

First, your goal of course is to dominate local market share for fleet truck washing, and even though your system has a great reclaim system for environmental washing, you need to advertise and market this to your customers, and show them why this is a benefit. So, let me show you how to do this.

You see, there will always be local competitors that compete with your truck wash which are mobile, and they come onto the properties of various companies that have the fleets and clean the vehicles right there. It will be very hard for you to compete on price with these types of firms, but you will have something else going for you. Companies with fleets are often visited by storm water enforcement personnel, and they must satisfy the needs of the NPDES permits.

It also makes sense to be on a first name basis with the storm water enforcement folks in your area, and the surrounding areas. This way if a company is fined or cited for cleaning the vehicles on their property and letting the dirty waste wash water flow into a storm drain, these enforcement personnel will refer the company to you as the solution to the problem. Storm water folks don't want to put trucking firms out of business, just make sure that the run-off from the property doesn't pollute the local ground water.

It is definitely a competitive advantage when companies are concerned about the environment, or getting a big fine - that your truck wash company has a reclaim system, is totally self-contained, and the problem is no longer on their property, as you now handle all of those challenges for them. It is amazing how many companies are now violating the law by hiring mobile services that are not reclaiming the water, some of them know what they're doing, some of them don't, but nevertheless you should alert the trucking firms of the area of the reality, thus, keeping them out of trouble, and collecting that business for yourself.

Indeed, I hope you will please consider all this regardless of what business you are in, because when it comes to eco-innovations, it might be the best in the world in your industry, but you still have to sell it, advertise it, and market it to your prospective customers.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative eBook on Future Recycling Concepts. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net

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SBA Clean Tech Loans Really Concern Me - Let's Talk

As the coordinator for a think tank, we spend a lot of time looking over entrepreneurial business plans for new startups. I am always amazed at the number of business plans that I've been reading, especially in the last five years that have to do with clean technologies, green companies, and alternative energy. Still, I am quite concerned because many of these business plans simply do not have a compelling reason to risk the capital. Okay so, let's talk about this for second shall we?

If I as a retired entrepreneur, and founder of a think tank do not feel comfortable recommending these startups to angel investors and venture capitalists, for fear that it might tarnish my reputation, and realize it's not even my money involved, then why is it okay to use taxpayer guaranteed money to fund some of these same projects? If they aren't viable, they shouldn't be done. If their only chance for success has to do with tax rebates, temporary waivers from regulatory agencies, and low-cost funding from the government - then actually they are not viable at all, certainly not in the free marketplace.

In that case, may I ask why we are bothering with this? I know the answer, but I pose the question because I am a little bit tired of the political agendas, the anti-fossil fuel motive, and this new religion of global warming. This country needs reliable and low-cost energy. By having that we are giving a boost to all of our industries, meaning they can compete better globally. If we overtax our infrastructure, and take that money and funnel it to projects which are not viable, all we are doing is manipulating the free-market system in a pathetic and disgusting way (my opinion, because I'm not allowed to say that, as it isn't politically correct, which is in itself pathetic).

At some point we need a Frank discussion, and we need to talk about the truth, fairness, and reality of the free-market. We aren't doing that in our country, and I fear we are throwing more good money after bad, to what avail I ask?

There was an interesting piece recently in the Austin Business Journal titled; "SBA launches nationwide fund to invest $1.5B in small biz - -The SBA U.S. Small Business Administration Latest from The Business Journals Follow this company is launching a new national fund to make equity investments in technology companies, particularly "cleantech" firms." by Megan Kamerick, reprinted from the New Mexico Business Weekly. Anyway the article stated;

"Through the new initiative, the SBA will commit $1 billion to funds focused on investing in underserved markets or in sectors that have been defined as national priorities. These can be businesses located in, or employing residents of, low or moderate-income areas or economically distressed areas. They can also be industry sectors the Obama Administration has identified as national priorities. Right now, that includes clean energy and education."

Indeed, if the government would just get out of the way, we would solve all of our problems, the same challenges wouldn't have had in the first place. To claim that right now we have a politician who has identified our national priorities as his own pet projects, and political agenda is ridiculous. If that's his agenda, why doesn't he quit being president and go out in the real world and compete in the free markets make $1 billion, and then use his own money?

Well, the reason is he doesn't, is simple, he does not have the ability to do that, he only has the ability to read a teleprompter and tell us what to do, and then bribe us with our own money. What I don't understand is how Americans can be so smart and still not see this? And if we are giving loans to people that don't understand the concept I just explained, then they aren't smart enough to run a business anyway, and they're just going to lose money, and default on those loans, and it's going to be the taxpayer who foots the bill over and over again - can't you see this pattern? Please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Innovation in America. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net

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Chickens, Rabbits and Fish, Oh My!

Micro-farming In Suburbia

When we decided to move into this house, we knew that we would be sacrificing, yet again, the land that would help us to reach our goal of becoming self sustaining. We have come up with some 'creative solutions' for getting the best of both worlds, like finding or starting a growing co-op locally, but today as I was reading my favorite survivalist forum, I saw a thread about raising rabbits.

Although we are in suburbia, our lot is a double lot, so there is some room for a garden, and with raised bed gardening and trellis gardening options, we can pretty much grow enough fruits and veggies to feed our family. A chicken coop big enough to house about 6 chickens, more than enough for us, will fit quite cozily into the back corner of the yard. We also have a pool that I had been considering turning into a hydroponic garden.

This morning when I visited SurvivalistBoards.com I decided to pay a visit to the 'Urban Survival' sub-forum, which is where I discovered the topic of raising rabbits. Rabbits hadn't even occurred to me, but once I thought about it, they don't take up much room at all, and they breed pretty quickly. There are even ways to prep and can rabbit meat for future use, and what we can't can, we can always sell. I've never eaten rabbit, and I really have no idea what 'gamey' tastes like, but from what I understand, farm raised rabbits are not 'gamey' like wild rabbits are. I'm not sure if I would or would not like 'gamey', as I've never tried it, and from what I've read, rabbit, while tasty, is not a sufficient source of fat and can't be lived on alone. What I read did advise to start with chickens for meat and eggs first, which I will, and then start with rabbits.

The next interesting find from this thread was 'aquaponics.' Another member, responding to the raising rabbits post, was raising fish and veggies using aquaponics. I never thought about fish either, but I do have a pool, which happens to be a swamp at the moment, and that I really did want to do something with. I would prefer to set up an above ground inflatable pool for the kids in the summer time so that I can remove the ladder when I'm not out there. I know that some (

Plastic Bag Bans And What It Means To Manufacturers And Retailers

For every plastic bag produced, there is an equivalent amount of greenhouse gases produced. Then, after the use of said bags, they would more often than not be thrown away indiscriminately. These plastic bags would end up clogging the drainage system in a city, pollute wild lands, and place undue risk to the life of aquatic creatures.

Because of these reasons, more and more people are clamoring for the reduced use of plastic bags. Legislations both in the US and outside of it have already been passed to cut down the usage of plastic shopping bags and the like. Some laws impose additional tax on the use of these bags while some laws are stricter and require a total ban.

The ban of plastic bags is not as widespread as some parties would like. Not all sectors agree that banning its use would result in the reduction of greenhouse gases produced by manufacturing companies. Some even go as far as arguing that if we make the switch to paper shopping bags, we would not be able to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions as the production of said containers would also mean cutting down trees, shipping them to the factory, and burning fossil fuels to turn them into finished products.

As a business owner, you have to be aware of this ever changing landscape. You might be operating in a state or locality where there is already a ban on the use of plastic bags. You might be planning to start a retail store in an area with such law but you are unaware of it. Your safest bet therefore is to make sure that you read the laws and take proactive actions to reduce your business' carbon footprint.

If your business is required by law to not use plastics, you still have several options. Aside from paper shopping bags, you can also choose to use recycled kraft bags. By opting to use these more eco-friendly options, you are not only making sure that you do not run afoul of the law, you are also doing your part to help protect the environment.

It is also possible to make a switch to a more eco-friendly shopping bag option without plenty of investment. There is no need to set up your own retail packaging manufacturing plant as you can always reach an agreement with companies to supply you with paper shopping bags to make sure that you will comply with existing laws.

Danica Green is a firm believer in the importance of choosing the right retail packaging for every business. She currently writes about her thoughts on the subject about paper shopping bags, recycled Kraft bags, gift boxes, and other ways products are presented by businesses to their clientele.

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How Shopping Bags Evolved Through Time?

The first shopping bags were created in 1912 by a grocery store owner named Walter H. Deubner because he noticed that his customers are having difficulty shopping and limit their purchases because of inconvenience of carrying all the shopping items to their homes. At the time shopping bags were first launched in the market it was sold for 5 cents, the same price most "wholesale outlets" charge these days.

Few decades ago, marketing experts realized that printing their company logo on a bag could help their brand get more exposure and establish a strong relationship with their clients. During the era of indoor shopping malls, buyers would visit every store in their area and ostentatiously carry the logo of the retailer where they just bought items from. At that time, the consumers embraced advertising on the paper shopping bags which were free and easy to carry. Throughout the 80's until early 2000's, shopping bags were considered as a status symbol. Those who buy fewer items from retail stores pay for a bag but in the case of large multinational businesses that paid for goods in bulk, bags are provided for free. For high class retailers, the quality and eminence of their bag became part of their business' trademark. Now, there are retailers who offer heavy duty reusable tote bags for only $1-$5, but many consumers did not buy this kind of marketing strategy. In the first place, why would buyers pay to advertise your company?

Many years and decades have passed until the market has changed their view on shopping bag. Today, most consumers consider shopping bag as one of the culprit to the environmental damages. For that reason, entrepreneurs today are finding ways on how we can lessen our plastic wastes in the landfills and large bodies of water. Nowadays, promotional bags are not only utilized as marketing tool and a way boost your retail business' sales but it is also used for promoting public environmental awareness.

Now, more and more businesses are switching to the more ecological means of advertising their business through the use of green bags. There are businesses that would offer and deliver cloth bags right at your door, in this way they are able to encourage and persuade buyers to use green bags with ease and save the environment at the same time.

Every day, as you walk down the street you will notice that more people are using their reusable paper shopping bags or canvas tote bags not only for shopping but for other purpose, too. Students, mothers and even professionals are obsessed with using these fancy bags because of its environmental benefit to the community.

So for a small business like you, one simple thing that you can do for your community is making recycled kraft bags or promotional tote bags available for customers free of charge at your store. Also, to convince more consumers to switch to reusable shopping bags make sure that the bags are eye-catching and durable. The more bags you give away to your consumers the more chance that your brand will be visible to the public and get attention from your target customers.

Danica Green is a branding enthusiast who believes that a paper shopping bags and retail packaging design plays a crucial role in enhancing your brand image. She currently writes how recycled kraft bags could significantly increase your retail sales and keep customers coming back to you.

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Can We 3-D Print a River Through the Desert Sands - Yes, I Do Believe That Is Possible, Here Is How

Not long ago, I had a quick brainstorm while I was studying 3-D printing and all the new technologies and potential applications. It occurred to me that we could use a 3-D printer to build colonies on Mars. Yes, you are thinking such an idea is out of this world, but before you say I'm crazy, let me tell you about something the Singularity Institute believes is possible; 3-D printing low income housing in Third World countries. Okay so, now that I've piqued your curiosity, let's talk.

It wouldn't be too hard to compress sand into a block and then put up temporary barriers, and next pour some sort of solution into the sand which made it hard, but not quite as hard as concrete. Then we could use a giant 3-D printer to cut the sand in the shape of a house. Then we could use robots to cut out the interior exactly how we wished it to be. Finally we could coat the walls with some sort of permanent barrier, and pour in another hardening solution which made the walls as hard as concrete. That's possible right - sure it is, let me take it to the next step.

We can do this on Mars, we could do it in North Africa, we can do it in a city in the Middle East, and we could probably even do it on the Moon and make it Out of moon dust. What else can we use this technique for? How about building rivers through the sand? How about building cement pipes in the sand and tunneling out the inside, and then coasting the inside and the exterior. Yes, I do believe it's possible to make underground rivers, or aboveground rivers in this fashion.

The other day, I was talking to an individual in Arizona who wished to revitalize a river, it appears to me that since the walls of the former river have been washed away due to mankind's unintended consequences and mistakes, we could actually fix that, and re-divert the water from the river and repair the damage. And as I said; we can use the same techniques as described for building a colony on Mars, or 3-D printing low income housing in Third World countries.

In fact creating the walls of a river would be quite a bit easier, and in the future the flow of water will indeed be one of the most important things to sustain human civilizations. It's going to be a real challenge as populations increase and the demand for groundwater is exacerbated by that need. Indeed I hope you will please consider this solution and think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Future Concepts. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net

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Plastic Shopping Bags Compared to Paper Shopping Bags

As much as we all know, shopping bags are common use while we go shopping, buy some groceries and it is even now used for us not to hand-carry things. It actually gives us an efficient and easier way to go shopping and also go to somewhere else. This is also actually the luckiest way how the shopaholic and non-shopaholic individuals collect all kinds of neither plastic or paper bags at their home in which they can still use and recycle. But just to remind you not all of these bags can still be recycled.

And as the new generation outgrows, new diversities of shopping bags were made which is designed for several uses. The extremity of these bags involves different forms and class nowadays. Designers came up with all simple or even fancy and comfy designs that will be convenient for shop buyers. As such, people also have different perspectives on what to use and what to recycle. But as a heads up, we have two kinds of shopping bags that the individual commonly use, that are plastic and paper shopping bags.

Plastic bags or the so called plastic grocery bags which is obviously made up of plastic can also be reusable and it offers a heavy-duty feature that allows us to reuse the plastic bags many times. Usually plastic bags are made with lots of designs that are appealing to the eyes. It is durable that even wet food can be stored in it and as much as more useful when it's raining. And the most important advantage of this is that we can use it in storing heavy products and that is why retailers and consumers usually uses plastic bags for shopping. At home, often people use it as a trash cans liner to avoid the wastes from spilling on the floor.

The purpose of the plastic bags is that it is also environmental friendly in which it also consumes less air and water pollution than the paper shopping bags since plastic bags has lesser weight comparing to paper bags. However, we must also put in mind that plastics come from non-renewable resources unlike papers. And that is the main reason why plastic are now being banned in some places and that means that plastic bags are hard to be composted.

Paper bags or the so called Kraft bags are renewable resources which originally come from trees. Even though it is easily prone to tearing, the best thing about it is that they can be recycled so on and so forth (that means without any limit). Since papers come from trees, any material made of paper has more degradability which is helpful to our land resources. Yes, it takes a lot of time to produce paper bags but it will also take less time and effort to compost paper bags since it is a biodegradable material than littering plastics elsewhere which can pollute our surroundings.

We actually now have a common goal, to disseminate a more eco-friendly shopping materials that we may use conveniently while shopping and buying some groceries and afterwards to be reused at home. Paper bags are actually offered in some department stores for free and some are not. But plastic bags are the one commonly used by shop buyers when purchasing something.

In the long run, the main goal that we need to consider is to have a proper implementation on recycling either paper or plastic bags. And that will be the greatest solution that may help the community to have an eco-friendly environment.

Let us save mother earth by using recycled Kraft bags. These paper shopping bags help us reduce our consumption or use of toxic chemicals, recycle and reuse resources.

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