A Nifty Map for your Consideration

Maps are useful. They are a great way to synthesize knowledge and information, and present it in such a way that is both accessible to millions and easily understood. And with the increasing number of people getting most of their information from the internet, maps and infographics have become even more commonplace.

The Americas hadn't been invented yet.

Fascinating. More to the point, here's a map presenting a state by state breakdown of incentives for renewable energy. While not the most exhaustive source, it is interesting nonetheless and well worth a look. It's an interactive map, so you'll have to click on the state you want to know more about.

Prepping Your Home for ALL the Seasons

I don't think anyone would argue that one of the simplest (and least expensive in the long run) ways to live a greener life is to make sure that your home is as efficient as possible when it comes to fulfilling its primary purpose: providing a climate controlled shelter for you and/or your family.

Though #Snowpocalypse2014 may be behind us here in Chattanooga (maybe), that simply means that Spring and Summer are on their way, followed by plenty of heat and humidity.

Appropriate slogan is appropriate.

To find out tips about how you can prep your home for ALL seasonal conditions, take a look at this article over at The Real Estate Book, a forum for discussion about real estate.

JONATHAN FAHEY

AP Energy Writer

NEW YORK — After two years of flat or lower fuel prices, many residents will pay sharply more to heat their homes this winter, according to government forecasts out in early Ocotober. There are a number of ways residents can blunt the expected rise in heating bills — beyond putting on a turtleneck.



Think of the sun as a heater, and your drapes as a blanket: Open drapes when you are getting direct sunlight, then close them at night to keep heat from escaping.


Make sure the damper in your fireplace is closed when you aren't using it.



Keep air vents clean and uncovered so heat can easily flow throughout your home.




Shut off kitchen fans and bathroom fans as soon as they are no longer needed.




It takes more energy to heat water in cold weather. You can lower the temperature of your water heater a bit and still get a hot shower, and use cold water to do laundry and rinse dishes. Also, insulate pipes that move hot water around the house. Click here to read the full Article by Jonathan Fahey

Affordable Gift Ideas For The Holiday Season

You can find great Holiday gift ideas like this and more www.pinterest.com/patmartin/cheap-but-thoughtful-gift-ideas/

Christmas Tree on a Dime
With trying economic times, you may be tempted to forego the tree this Christmas. But you really can decorate an entire tree for under $50. Check out three inspiring, penny-pinching ideas.

On the Cheap
We asked stylist Rebecca Hawkins to dream up three Christmas trees that cost under $50 to decorate.
Although she was initially skeptical that it could be done, Rebecca came up with three innovative and charming trees that you can copy at home by simply recycling old decorations and using things you may already have around the house.
In calculating our costs, we factored in only the decorations, assuming you already had a tree and lights.

Children’s Tree


By gathering elements that your children play with or use every day, you can tailor a tree to a child's tastes. Colorful socks and mittens make creative ornaments. Children's pinwheels come in large quantities at a party-supply source. Threaded through an ornament hanger, they have big impact on the tree. Cookie cutters press into service as ornaments, and a Santa hat tops the whole thing off. A colorful throw serves as a tree skirt.

Natural Tree


By simply gathering material from your yard in the weeks leading up to Christmas, you can create a sparkling tree with natural appeal. On a tree that’s extremely budget-friendly, dried hydrangea blossoms, berried branches, and sweet gumballs make a layered, elegant display. Start looking for hydrangea blossoms and gumballs in mid-October. A store-bought birdhouse was our only splurge, but you could save this money by purchasing a wooden one a crafts store and painting it yourself.


Paper Tree
Save your Christmas cards from years gone by, and repurpose the colorful designs as Christmas ornaments and garlands. With a hole punch and a hanger, paper coasters were also turned into decorations. A paper lantern continues the paper theme as a tree topper.

Home Buyers Value Environmentally Friendly Features

In a shocking (not really) development, new research has shown that home buyers now, more often than not, favor environmentally friendly and sustainable features in homes than in previous years. While this particular development may not come as a shock, the reasons behind this shift in opinion are more varied than you might think.

Coinciding with a rise in desire for quality neighborhoods and schools, and consequently a willingness to shell out more money to ensure this quality, home buyers are also taking steps to ensure that they pay less (in the long run) for the home itself. Thus, features that save money on upkeep, utilities, and energy are hot items.

You can read more about these findings over here at RISMedia, where much of this information originally came from. 

An Interactive Webinar With Practical Compliance Strategies

As most environmental professionals know, governmental agencies at the international, federal, and state level continue to strongly focus on green house gas (GHG) from industrial sources. For example, in February 2013, the EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) released its second year of emissions data, including information from facilities in 41 source categories. States, such as California, which passed a sweeping climate change plan last decade, continue to implement that regulatory program, and ongoing discussions on taxing carbon continue to unfold in Congress.

If you are presently a regulated facility, it's likely you have been undertaking steps to reduce your carbon footprint for quite some time. If your company is unregulated right now due to your industry type or company size, you may have not had much to do with measuring your carbon footprint or considering viable reduction strategies. But, now is the perfect time to a closer look.

Reducing your carbon footprint should not be driven by regulatory requirements alone. There is a strong case for pursuing GHG reductions, most of which are tied to energy usage, as a means to achieve positive bottom-line results by reducing your costs.

Join us for an in-depth webinar on December 5. Our presenter, a seasoned environmental professional who has helped numerous companies develop and implement business-based carbon footprint reduction plans, will provide a roadmap for developing a plan that can add savings to your organization's bottom line.

You and your colleagues will learn:

• Useful regulatory context, including a brief overview of important regulatory schemes at the international, federal, and selected state level

• A simple method for performing a GHG emission assessment process to identify sources 
• • How to use the collected information from the previous steps to provide senior management with a comprehensive going forward strategy based on business opportunities and savings
• Viable focus areas, such as key energy conservation and reduction projects
• Case studies that illustrate the best practices other companies have followed to establish and maintain successful programs
• How to partner with third parties, such as your utility provider and equipment manufacturer, to identify additional opportunities for reductions
• How to communicate your carbon footprint reduction plan successfully to customers, regulators, local communities, employees, investors, and others
• How to identify and evaluate resources to help you develop and implement your carbon footprint reduction plan.

                    CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO AND TO REGISTER YOUR SPOT