Waterless Urinals: Cut Costs And Help Save Water

Many businesses provide bathroom facilities for their customers. It's something that the general public has come to expect, although the cost of maintaining public restrooms can quickly add up. Waterless urinals would sound appealing to a business owner looking to cut down on water costs, or an event organizer looking for convenient restroom facilities for event-goers. Creators of this landmark invention claim that waterless urinals can save between 15,000 and 45,000 gallons of water per year. When compared to a conventional urinal, this is assuming that the unit would be used between 40 and 120 times daily.

Invented by Canadian Klaus Reichardt, this urinal model has been secured with several patents, including a patent for a model introduced by the Waterless Company in 1991 and then another by Falcon Waterfree Technologies in 2001. Duravit also have patents on their own models.

One design of the urinal works by using a trap and liquid sealant instead of water. When a man uses the waterless urinal, the sealant, which is lighter than water, floats on top of the urine, sealing off odors. The urine collects into a U-bend pipe. The cartridge and sealant must be replaced from time to time. Another design works by using an outlet system that traps the odors instead of a cartridge. Yet another model employs a deodorizing block for trapping the odors.

This model of urinal has proven to be very effective, whether it be for businesses or large outdoor gatherings. It is so effective in fact that the city of Brisbane, Australia has made their use a necessary mandate due to water restrictions. It's rare to see a flushing urinal in the city anymore. Another example is the Liberty Property Trust Tower in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 2006 during the construction of the tower, city planners decided to use waterless urinals for the building, which got local plumbers upset enough to protest since they felt it would mean less work for them. However the city insisted on using the urinals, which would save the city of Philadelphia an estimated 1.6 million gallons of water.

The downside to odorless urinals is that they don't remove surface stain odors. Despite this, waterless urinals would are useful in situations where water supply is limited and the means of supplying water are very few. They are also a better choice for those environmentally minded, cutting urinal water usage by up to 98% and any systems are completely biodegradable.

If you are looking at waterless urinals, you should see the new Greenheart Waterless Urinal System, it can reduce your water usage by up to 98% The the Greenheart waterless urinal system is completely biodegradable and is safe for people and the environment.

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Green Janitorial Chemicals - 7 Shocking Facts to Consider for Protecting Your Building Occupants

Cleaning yields a clean surface, right? Nope, not necessarily. If you use the traditional, conventional cleaners you may have created an even greater issue. Although the surfaces may be free from dirt and grime, they may not be free from toxins that result from the petrochemical based cleaning products used. It is for this reason that it is so important to ensure only green janitorial chemicals and supplies are used in your facility.

Ever since a 1984 World Health Organization report suggested up to 30 percent of new and remodeled buildings worldwide may be linked to aliments and symptoms of sick building syndrome (SBS), there has is an ever-increasing awareness of what poor indoor air quality can do to building occupants and guests.

There are many more reasons to strive for a safe, green, clean result. Here are seven shocking facts that serve as additional reasons.

Indoor air pollution levels can be 100 times higher than outdoor air pollution levels, according to the EPA estimates!
Fewer than 200 of the 62,000 chemicals available since the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) was passed in 1979 have been tested for chronic impact on human health.
It takes only 26 seconds for a toxic chemical to get into our body! Chemicals enter into our body through inhalation, ingestion and absorption through our largest organ (our skin).
Asthma has increased in the last 20 years over 600 percent. Today, twenty (20) million people in the USA (including 6.1 million children) have asthma. Asthma accounts for more than 14 million outpatient clinic visits and near 2 million energy room visits.
The average person can be exposed 82,000 toxins to in their daily life. (Of the estimated 85,000 chemicals in the U.S. marketplace, only a small fraction of them have ever been tested for their chronic impacts to human health. While Europe has banned 1,100 chemicals from use in products, the U.S. has banned fewer than ten.)
Ever since the flu pandemic a couple of years ago, many different varieties and brands of antimicrobial soaps, cleaners, sanitizers, have been formulated and available. Unfortunately 275 of the ingredients in anti-microbials are classified as pesticides. US EPA classifies these active ingredients as pesticides because they are designed to KILL microbes.
Cancer rates have doubled since 1960. The cancer rate in 1900 was about 1 in 8,000, Today it is about 1 in 2 during a lifetime. Even with treatment many of these cancers are the cause of death.

Cleaning supplies and products are a huge industry. In fact about $14 Billion is spent each YEAR. For example, in a single state (California) it has been estimated that the following has been sold every single day of the year: 34 tons (or 68,000 pounds) of air fresheners; 74,000 tons (147 million pounds) of all-purpose cleaners, 109 tons (or 218,000 pounds) of toilet bowl cleaners, 102 tons (or 204,000 pounds) of glass cleaners (Source: California Air Resources Board). Recapping this is about the same volume as is contained in twenty-four (24) Olympic size swimming pools! If this is the volume of liquid cleaners sold in one state on one day, can you imagine how much is consumed in the entire country (USA)!

As a result of the demands generated by the end users (building owners and facility managers), new formulations ensure green janitorial chemicals and supplies have high efficacy and are becoming more cost-effective all of the time.

Rae Ann Dougherty, President of Green Cleaning Products LLC, invites you to learn the why and how of greening your office, commercial, industrial, and institutional facilities http://greencleaningproductsllc.com/commercial-green-clean/. At the same time, get your free gift by subscribing to the information packed Green Living News at http://greencleaningproductsllc.com/newsletter-signup/

(c) Copyright - Rae Ann Dougherty. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

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Learning The Way Solar Energy Functions

ByLincoln Gartrell

The fact that plants can use sunlight to sustain themselves can seem nearly magical, but recently humankind has developed its own system to work with solar energy. We've progressed far beyond using the sun to simply heat things. Solar energy systems, also called photovoltaic systems, can generate electricity to allow people to run home appliances with solar panels. This is a great option for many individuals not only to save money, but to avoid releasing dangerous emissions in our environment. But how does solar energy work?

The word "photovoltaic" can be split into two parts, with "photo" meaning light, and "voltaic" referencing volts, which are units of electrical force. Putting them together, you get electricity generated by light. Solar panels consist of photovoltaic chips that use this process to create energy for homes. PV chips are almost always made of the material silicon which is a semiconductor, meaning it has a good capacity to release energy when light strikes its surface. This allows for solar panels to easily create energy for a directed purpose within the full scheme of a solar energy system.

The photovoltaic cells in a solar energy system use two layers of semiconductors in order to excite electrons. One layer of cells is positively charged and the other negatively, and so tension is created between them and volts are generated. This is all well and good, but the electricity made when the sun hits a solar panel is in the form of direct current, or DC energy. To change this into something that will be compatible with a normal 240V home appliance, it needs to be changed into alternating current (AC) energy using an inverter.

AC energy tends to be more effective than DC energy. Electrons only flow in one direction with DC energy. With AC energy, electrons continually switch directions in the electrical current, which allows it to be safer (since different amounts of power can be transmitted), and travel longer distances without losing any energy. As described, solar energy systems can generate electricity with an inverter, but they can be supplemented by a city's electricity grid. If you are unable to meet your electrical requirements with solar energy alone, then the grid can provide you with additional electricity for you to seamlessly continue everyday living. Better yet, if you can provide all of your own electricity and still have some left over, it will be fed into the grid and the city will compensate you with cash for the extra energy you've provided.

It's clear to see that the benefits of a solar power system are extensive, and the science behind them is simple and efficient. In case you find the possibility of setting up a solar energy system on your own to be a little overwhelming, many professionals are around to help out with getting a solar energy system installed on your home. In the long term solar panel technology will only grow more sophisticated, and more ways will be found to enhance the usage and amount of electricity people are able to generate. By committing to solar energy and finding out how it can support you, you will be on your way to lowering energy bills and creating a healthier future.

He is an Environmentalist and Energy Conservation Advocate which has a wonderful advocacy in propagating the information about the positive aspects and uses of Solar and Green Energy as a replacement to the traditional resource of energy.

To explore more, visit the link below.

Renewable Energy

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Electric Bikes Can Help Your Wallet and the Environment

If you are looking to improve your personal transport situation then it's a no-brainer to think about using an electric bike. In these stressed economic times there can be few choices which can give you such a bang for your buck and help the environment at the same time. However, helping to save the world like Clark Kent is one thing, but there are a few common questions many people have about e-bikes. I will try to address them here.

I guess most people think of electric bikes as being nowhere near as fast as a motor bike and much more expensive than a regular bike. That is true to some extent. Still, it depends on how far your regular journey is likely to be, and how quickly you need to get there. An e-bike can get you from a to b nearly as quickly as most motor bikes or scooters in an urban setting - and what's that I hear? Nearly free to run? Yes pretty much, apart from a lot of plug-in time. It's definitely the transportation of the future. Over 100 million Chinese people can't be wrong! The trouble is...the initial expense.

Or is it? Have you thought about making an electric bike yourself? Some pre-built electric bikes have given the whole concept a bad name, it's true. Expensive to buy, poor range, low power, sometimes odd looking. You may find a good one, but having a bit more control over your pride and joy could lead to... pride and joy.

So what do you need to make one, and how much will it cost? About $300 should do it for a first attempt, plus a decent donor bike. There are a few quality variables like the motor, and the batteries especially. You definitely get what you pay for, and the cheaper variety can be a false economy. They will probably need replacing much sooner. You will also need access to a few power tools to put it all together properly, and a decent plan of what you want to end up with.

If you have time you can pick up a lot from the many forums on e-bikes, maybe buy a book, or take the easier option and buy a kit. That will cost you about two-thirds the price of a pre-built electric bike, and should be quite easy to put together for most people. For the more adventurous though, I would definitely go for your own 'special'.

You can get a pretty comprehensive plan for a really fast electric bike if you want to take a look this site exploring the future of electric bikes. The author is passionate about 2-wheeled transport and also low energy use - so if you Click Here you can find out how to cut both your journey time and expense!

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